Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 201
Check my other translation works for other interesting stories
Naoya : AION Mall Otherworldly Store
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
201. Mari-Nee and The Promise Fulfillment
After Maki’s outburst, things developed at a whirlwind pace.
She immediately requested Yuuki-san to send a message to Mikage-san, and then sent Masato racing to the hospital like an errand boy.
“I am technically her older brother, you know,” he muttered, his back exuding melancholy. I shed a quiet tear for him in my heart.
Maki, meanwhile, was busy making other calls, though from the sound of a desperate voice echoing from her phone — <You’re as unreasonable as ever, aren’t you?!> — it seemed her demands were intense.
I silently apologized to whoever was on the other end.
While I bowed to strangers, Maki continued to charge forward with her relentless momentum, making it clear that this was about to become a big deal. As usual, once things reached this point, neither Masato nor I could rein her in. What on earth was she planning…?
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and now, a week later, we found ourselves gathered in the hospital courtyard where I had been receiving treatment.
However, the sun had long since set, and night had blanketed the scene. Due to the new moon, the darkness was especially profound.
Normally, visitors wouldn’t be allowed in at this time, but the hospital had granted us special permission — thanks mainly to Masato.
What exactly we were about to do, I still didn’t know. No matter how many times I asked Maki, she simply responded with, “It’s a secret ?,” leaving me curious but unable to press further. She seemed to be having fun, so I didn’t dig any deeper.
Soon, we were joined by someone escorted by a nurse.
“Good evening. It’s been a while, Mari-san.”
It was Homura-san, with whom I had once shared a room during my hospitalization.
“Good evening. Did Maki contact you?”
“Yes, she said that an impossible promise was about to be fulfilled. I couldn’t possibly refuse.”
“Though, given your condition, I would prefer if you refrained from going out at night, even in summer,” the nurse chimed in, offering a light rebuke, though her expression was soft and understanding.
At that moment, another figure emerged from the shadows.
A woman in her forties, cradling what seemed to be a portrait in both hands.
“Good evening, Mikage-san.”
“Good evening, Mari-san. This is our first time speaking directly, but I’m so relieved to see you awake… Homura-san, it’s been a while.”
“Good to see you again, Sakura-san. What you’re holding… could that be?”
“Yes, it’s a memorial portrait. I thought he would want to be here, too.”
“I had heard beforehand, but seeing his face like this, the sadness really wells up.”
Homura-san closed her eyes, her posture resembling that of someone offering a silent prayer.
As the somber mood settled, Masato appeared, wheeling over a heavy display mounted on a caster.
When he turned it on, the screen displayed the face of an elderly man, likely in his seventies, with white hair.
“Oh my, isn’t that Togami-san?”
Homura-san exclaimed in surprise, prompting the man — called Togami — to chuckle.
“No need to be so shocked, Homura-san. I’m still hanging in there, barely,” he said with a wry smile.
The caster rotated, turning the display to face me.
“This is our first time speaking, Mari-san. I’m glad you’re awake… I’m Togami, the old man who shared a room with you at the hospital.”
“Nice to meet you, and thank you for taking the time to join us today,” I replied, feeling a bit awkward about the trouble we were causing.
Masato had reached out to both Homura-san and Togami-san, though Togami had been recovering at his family’s distant home, making it physically impossible for him to attend in person.
That’s why they had set up this remote connection, after a lot of effort — most of it thanks to Maki’s direction and Masato’s tireless work.
You did great, big brother. (because he is Maki’s big brother,)
“No trouble at all. When I heard that today’s promise might finally be fulfilled, even if I was close to meeting my maker, I would’ve come!”
He joked playfully, but his tone shifted as the caster turned toward Sakura-san, and his voice grew somber.
“I offer my deepest condolences, Sakura-san. I always thought I’d be the first to go, but for Mikage-san to leave before me… what a reckless man he was. Why would he do something so foolish, as if he were in a rush to die…?”
The playful tone vanished, revealing the deep pain behind his words.
“Thank you for your kind words. My husband often thought of you as well, though he used to joke about which of you would go first. But if I may correct one thing — he wasn’t rushing to die, he was rushing to live. To do everything he could in the time he had.”
“That’s a huge change from the listless man I remember from the hospital room. I suppose something shifted in him deeply… and from the looks of it, he truly found peace.”
Togami-san narrowed his eyes, gazing at the portrait in Sakura-san’s hands.
In the photo, Mikage-san wore a serene smile, free from any remaining worries, as if his mission had been fulfilled.
Watching this scene, Homura-san whispered softly, “Just being able to gather like this is a miracle. While there are still a few regrets, I suppose our promise is…”
“Not yet, Homura-san!”
Maki interrupted, standing tall and resolute.
“Our promise will only be truly fulfilled in its entirety!!”
The moment she spoke, the lights around us dimmed.
And then, in the next instant, an impossible sight unfolded before our eyes.
The cherry tree in the hospital courtyard — which should have only been covered in lush green leaves in this season — began to bloom under the night sky.
“Sakura blossoms…”
As we watched, one flower after another bloomed, from two-thirds, to half, and then rapidly into full bloom.
Amidst the wonder, I noticed thin beams of light stretching from every direction. Though hard to see clearly in the darkness, it looked as though drones were at work.
Could this be… projection mapping?
Together, the four of us gazed at the fully bloomed cherry blossoms.
The scene was enchanting, so beautiful it took my breath away.
I wanted to keep watching forever, but as with all things, it had to come to an end.
A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, and as I brushed the stray hairs from my face, I saw the first petals start to fall from the cherry tree.
Petals drifted down in the wind.
A sakura snowstorm, out of season.
Swaying, carefree, just like… him.