Chapter 244: A Long Time Has Passed
"Actually, this morning, the doctor suggested that I cancel going to the concert. Considering my current condition, it might be a very risky choice. Even if I manage to overcome this hurdle, straining my throat due to the concert might lead to losing my voice even when I wake up..."
*Kwang!*
As I listened to her words recorded on the tape, I hastily stopped the car by the roadside.
"So, I wanted to express my gratitude in case I'm late."
Tsukaki's voice from the recording didn't convey even a hint of unease. Instead, her message, filled with anticipation for the upcoming concert, felt as clear and innocent as a young child looking forward to a picnic.
"I've been so thankful until now. I want to thank Junhyuk and all the colleagues who've worked hard together until my debut. Thanks to you, 1995 will be the most unforgettable year for me. I'll treasure these precious memories even if someday I vanish from this world."
*Tock. Sigh...*
From the speakers where the playback had ended, only the typical analog noise was emanating.
&
Tsukaki's fans wished for her swift recovery, but unfortunately, reality didn't comply.
After the TGS concert, most of her days were spent in the hospital. Her condition deteriorated, and she spent more time asleep due to the effects of the medication than awake.
Occasionally, when I visited the hospital with Yuki and saw Tsukaki asleep, I couldn't help but regret, even if her choice was her ownwouldn't it have been better to stop her?
In January of the following year, 1996.
Appearing in a wheelchair at a concert celebrating the new year, where messages of congratulations were conveyed, she didn't lose her warm smile towards her fans even while battling her illness.
With just two songs, she gained love not only from gamers but from the entire nation. And with that stage, she disappeared from the public eye.
At the request of Tsukaki's parents, she went to Germany for surgery. It was a certain day in April, bathed in the pink hue of spring, when she peacefully passed away.
That was the day after I replied to Kanna's letter about organizing a concert at Tokyo Dome, promising to attend the performance once she got better...
&
"Haah... Haah..."
Finishing the live performance at Tokyo Dome with the new members, Kanna waved her hand towards the audience, catching her breath.
With a singing style very reminiscent of Tsukaki's, Kanna was showing the highest sales among current virtual idols by continuing the songs Tsukaki had left behind.
At the stage considered a dream stage for singers, the Tokyo Dome, the audience showered the area with cheers and applause like thunder.
"It's amazing!"
"One more song! One more song!"
Responding to the ongoing encore requests from the audience, Kanna wore a slightly embarrassed expression.
Because the just-finished song was already the second encore. As the atmosphere loosened a bit, observing from the side of the stage, I nodded to Kanna.
At that moment, her expression, which had been smiling at the audience throughout the performance, turned somewhat serious.
"Today... I have a somewhat unfortunate news to share with you all."
People who were fervently supporting her suddenly fell silent at the change in tone.
"Actually, last year, Sawano Tsukaki, who debuted with us and received a lot of love, passed away in April."
"What?"
"Ah... I heard she went overseas for treatment, but in the end..."
With the news of Tsukaki's passing, Kanna continued with a voice mixed with tears, addressing the audience who were now filled with sorrow.
"Before she left, she promised to come back healthy to you all, but now, in place of Tsukaki, who couldn't keep that promise... we apologize. Thank you deeply to all of you who loved Tsukaki until the end."
As the members stood hand in hand on the stage, offering their greetings to the fans, I instructed the video team using the radio I held.
Then, from the quiet and serene stage, a faint sound of piano began to echo.
"Could it be...?"
For the first time on the giant screen, appeared the image of Tsukaki happily accepting her song.
Her bright smile seemed as if she had won the whole world, exuding a peculiar charm that made even the viewers smile.
On the empty platform with just the two of them...
Your silent face beside me concerns me...
Even as we become adults, spending our own times,
We'll lose precious things...
I know that too...
In the music video compiled from recordings in the studio, various moments of her life were preserved.
Eating crepes in Harajuku's streets with Kanna.
Covering Azusa, who fell asleep from exhaustion, with a blanket.
Raising glasses at a bar in Shinjuku with the voice actress of Cheryl...
The faces of the voice actors, who had been on stage, were now shedding tears at the very ordinary moments of her life.
Even though they hadn't debuted together, the new members who had struggled during practice shed tears in remembrance of their moments with her.
"Please hug me. Until my body breaks..."
Even if trials await us ahead,
Even though we'll lose precious things...
I too know that...
At the end of the video, as she finished recording and walked out of the studio, she waved with a bright smile towards the camera.
As if bidding farewell to everyone here, her image finally brought tears to my eyes, which I had been holding back.
"Tsukaki, is the recording process difficult for you?"
"It's tough. But enduring it is enjoyable because it's so much fun. Especially Cheryl's voice actress acts so well that sometimes it feels like I'm actually conversing with the character from the game."
"I see. That's fortunate. Well then, if you had one message for the fans who will eventually watch this video?"
"Huh? All of a sudden?"
"Just honestly say what you feel right now."
"Um... Well..."
Looking flustered, she looked into the camera after a while with a flushed face.
"I want to sing for you until the end of my life..."
The final message.
It was the last line from Tsukaki's debut song, 'Please Hold Me,' that played at the end of the sample CD.
...
"Finally, thanks to the audience who finally understood the meaning behind those words, it was an uproar."
"Yeah, it was..."
"Even now, I think the music video with Tsukaki's footage at that time was the best."
"Since I had to leave without being able to say goodbye to the fans."
The last words she left me in a letter before leaving for Germany.
-If I can't come back, could you convey my last greetings to Mr. Junhyuk? Could you do that for me?-
At that time, I couldn't say anything after receiving her letter.
Just words of encouragement...
Watching the employees laughing and chatting while preparing for dinner, I sighed quietly, changing the subject.
"By the way, how's Dragon Emblem Online? I heard it's almost reaching the final stage despite the hardships?"
"The development period alone has been eight years now. I believe it will turn out to be a wonderful piece, given the effort we've put in."
"Really? Looking forward to that."
At that moment, Hayashi asked me with a peculiar smile.
"In that case, would you like to play it officially?"
With a confident smile, Hayashi took out a disc from his pocket and handed it to me.
"The protocol address for connection is written inside."
"What's this? Have you already finished developing it?"
"No, this is another version of Dragon Emblem Online that we prepared for you, sir."
"For me?"
As I asked him in confusion since I couldn't understand English, he brushed off the dust from his pants and straightened up.
"So, stop resting and come back now. We still need you."
At that moment, Kaori's voice, who was preparing the table, came from the dining area.
"Hey, you two!! Stop lazing around and come here to set the table at least!!"
"Yes, got it."
As I watched Hayashi run towards her in response to Kaori's call, I sensed that his once cold and sharp personality from his youth had softened a lot.
I looked at the disc I received from Hayashi, lifting the corners of my mouth.
I wondered what kind of online game had been created within the planning framework I had set up and left.
"Junhyuk, Kanna is almost here!"
"Oh, okay. I'll go now."
&
The day after the enjoyable dinner with Pentagon staff.
Returning home, I gently laid Seolhyun, who was sound asleep, on the bed and tidied up the camping gear with Yuki.
"Ah~ It was really fun. Although preparing food for so many people was a bit challenging."
"Sorry, next time let's just go to a resort or something."
"It's okay. It was a bit challenging, but camping had its own charm, right? I didn't know that sitting around a campfire and chatting with people could be so enjoyable."
"Now that you say it, thanks..."
"Um, should I take a shower first?"
"No, I have something to do real quick, so you go ahead and rest."
"Okay. Then I'll go ahead and shower."
After finishing the tidying up, as Yuki headed to the bathroom, I took out a disc from my bag.
In fact, since yesterday, I had been very curious about what was on this disc during my time here.
All Hayashi said was that I'd find out if I just played it. I had no choice but to try it out myself, like a thirsty person seeking a well.
Click.
Taking out the optical disc from its case, I inserted it into the Complete Laon 3, released last summer.
Without a separate tray, the console automatically began to suck in the disc and started installing an enormous amount of data into its hard drive.
"What's this? Are they installing the entire disc?"
If I knew this was going to happen, I should've just started the installation, taken a shower, and come back.
As the installation progressed, a simple illustration summarizing the story so far started flowing across the TV screen.
It detailed Episode 1 and illustrated the fierce battles between humans and demons during the era of the War of the Continents.
Resurrected in Episode 2, the Sacred King Croel appeared as a spirit assisting players under special conditions, possessing an immense power that was crucial in confronting the Demon King Osiris.
Though now the tide had turned, there was a time when due to the initial appearance of Osiris, predominantly because of the unity among demon players, the human territory was almost entirely seized, and the game almost ended...
The prologue even intricately depicted the history of players seizing each other's territories.
And the moment all the installation reached 100%, I entered the developer's protocol contained within the case and attempted to connect to the online world.
Then, on the TV screen, a man slowly stood up in a vast meadow.
"Huh? In an online game, there's no initial character setup?"
Controlling the man standing alone in the barren field, I started looking around using the analog stick.
"Or is this another prologue? But seriously, what am I supposed to do? They should at least give me some directions."
At the moment of frustration and feeling unable to do anything...
As the sky in the game gradually darkened, darkness enveloped the surroundings.
At that moment, a man's voice echoed from the TV speaker.
"The Demon King has fallen by human hands. Reclaim your world, 'Summoner,' before this world is once again bathed in sacred light."
If it were an ordinary gamer, they might have raised an eyebrow at these words. But as the originator of the initial planning for Dragon Emblem, as I heard this line, along with Hayashi's confident expression and his words, it all came flooding back to me.
"So, Hayashi... you little... is this a trap?"
>
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