Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 6
1-6. Mari-ane, past and siblings.
After logging out and removing the blind circuit, what my eyes saw was a pure white ceiling.
It was the same ceiling I had seen since I woke up a year ago.
“It’s been a year already, hasn’t it?”
When I close my eyes, I can still vividly recall the moment I woke up.
I’m sure that remembering the past is all because of meeting Estelle-san.
Estelle-san, who somehow resembles my past circumstances.
And the children who adored Estelle-san.
Fortunately, there’s still no sign of my younger brother, Masato, or my younger sister, Maki, coming to talk to me.
So, for a while, I intend to immerse myself in reminiscence.
In this state, I might cause unnecessary worry for my siblings.
***
When I awoke, the ceiling above me was unfamiliar.
A phrase commonly heard at the beginning of anime or dramas. Never did I think the day would come when such words would cross my mind, life is unpredictable.
Lost in such thoughts, a loud “thud” echoed.
It reminded me of the sound a boy makes when he hastily stands up after being called by the teacher for dozing off during class. To my surprise, the face of that boy actually jumped into my field of vision.
“Mari-nee! Are you conscious now?!”
While he probably had a conventionally handsome face, his eyes were wide open, and he seemed extremely excited.
Honestly, it was a bit frightening.
But, first things first.
“Um… who might you be?”
Certainly, Mari is my name, but I have no memory of meeting such a boy.
Between work, household matters, and school, with sleep squeezed in between, I have absolutely no time in my 24-hour day for leisure or making friends with a guy like him.
“What?! It’s me! It’s me!!”
“Well, my family doesn’t have the kind of money to give away even if someone is trying to deceive us, you know?” (The it’s me scam)
“I’m not lying! Why would I deceive my family?! Why do I have to explain this?!”
“Even if you say that…”
Well, there’s probably no direct face-to-face scam in this case.
Wait a minute, family?
Family, and calling me “Mari-nee” could it be one of my younger siblings…?
“Could it be… Masato?”
“Yes, Mari-nee! I’m so relieved. It’s really good that you’re conscious again!”
Saying that, he crumpled his face, covered his eyes with both hands, and cried. It was indeed a gesture just like little Masato used to make when he was younger.
“Really, is it you, Masato? But your appearance, why…”
My younger brother Masato is thirteen, five years younger than me. He should be about 142 cm tall, similar to me. However, the Masato in front of me doesn’t look like a middle schooler at all.
He seems to be over 170 cm tall, and his facial features have changed from that of a boy to that of a young man.
Wait a minute, what’s happening?
Suddenly feeling scared, I tried to hug myself, and at that moment…
“….Huh?”
My arms had no strength at all.
In fact, my legs wouldn’t move either.
I couldn’t even sit up.
What on earth had happened to me?
Amidst my confusion, a gentle touch rested on my head.
“It’s impossible not to be confused. First, calm down. I’ll explain slowly. But really, I’m so glad…”
There was no sign of him stopping crying, and I could tell he was genuinely happy. That alone helped ease my own emotions.
It seemed like something serious had happened, but Masato had grown into an impressive young man.
Just that fact made me much happier than anything about myself.
After Masato stopped crying, he revealed the shocking truth to me.
“…I’ve been unconscious for five years?”
“Yea, not even a joke. Don’t you remember? You tripped down the stairs at the station after finishing your part-time job, and they took you to the hospital. You apparently hit your head pretty hard and never woke up. Today marks exactly five years since that day.”
As he said that, I vaguely remembered descending the station stairs in a state of fatigue after finishing my part-time job in the late hours.
“It took so long for you to wake up because, in addition to the impact of hitting your head, your body was falling apart from accumulated fatigue. After Mom died, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard for the sake of me and Sister.”
“…That’s not true.”
I wanted to avert my gaze, but I couldn’t move my head, making it difficult.
“Ever since you collapsed, we received numerous calls from your workplace. We knew you had multiple jobs, but handling four in a day was too much. And doing that for several years straight, both the school teachers and the hospital doctors scolded you. Of course, I did too. Also…”
“Onee-chan!”
A voice I recognized, and as I thought, I was being embraced by a girl with twin-tails.
Though she was crying, her cute, innocent face was unmistakable.
My seven-years-younger sister, Maki.
After learning that five years had passed, I wasn’t as shocked seeing Masato as I was when I first saw him.
But wait? Her height seems to be about the same as mine, but what’s going on with her chest fullness?
My already fragile “older sister identity” is on the verge of complete collapse…
“Onee-chan! Onee-chan!! Onee-chan!!!”
Oh, when was the last time I saw Maki so energetic, shouting at the top of her lungs like this?
Maki became a homebody, locking herself in her room, from what I remember, about two years ago.
Adding the five years that have passed, it’s been about seven years.
Even though we only exchanged a few words through the door when I brought her meals, Maki was originally a bright and kind girl.
So, both Masato and I never doubted that Maki would eventually open the door to her heart. Seeing her face like this is still incredibly joyful.
Oh no.
My vision is getting blurry, and I can’t see Maki’s face or Masato’s face clearly.
Before I knew it, only the sounds of the three of us crying echoed around.
The last time the three of us cried together was probably when Mom died.
But this time, the tears feel so warm.
At that moment, the clouds seemed to part, and the sunlight poured in.
The curtains, swayed by a slightly stronger wind, caught the light, creating a radiant glow reminiscent of sunshine after rain.
To me, it seemed like Mom was hugging us somehow.