"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 overco 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 ssage, 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 . I'll treasure these precious mories even if soday 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 ti asleep due to the effects of the dication 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 ssages 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 gars 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 Do, promising to attend the performance once she got better...
&
"Haah... Haah..."
Finishing the live performance at Tokyo Do with the new mbers, 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 Do, 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 mont, her expression, which had been smiling at the audience throughout the performance, turned sowhat serious.
"Today... I have a sowhat 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 treatnt, 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 co 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 mbers 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 ti on the giant screen, appeared the image of Tsukaki happily accepting her song.
Her bright smile seed 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 concerns ...
Even as we beco adults, spending our own tis,
We'll lose precious things...
I know that too...
In the music video compiled from recordings in the studio, various monts 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 monts of her life.
Even though they hadn't debuted together, the new mbers who had struggled during practice shed tears in rembrance of their monts with her.
"Please hug . 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 cara.
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 sotis it feels like I'm actually conversing with the character from the ga."
"I see. That's fortunate. Well then, if you had one ssage 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 cara after a while with a flushed face.
"I want to sing for you until the end of my life..."
The final ssage.
It was the last line from Tsukaki's debut song, 'Please Hold ,' that played at the end of the sample CD.
...
"Finally, thanks to the audience who finally understood the aning behind those words, it was an uproar."
"Yeah, it was..."
"Even now, I think the music video with Tsukaki's footage at that ti was the best."
"Since I had to leave without being able to say goodbye to the fans."
The last words she left in a letter before leaving for Germany.
-If I can't co back, could you convey my last greetings to Mr. Junhyuk? Could you do that for ?-
At that ti, I couldn't say anything after receiving her letter.
Just words of encouragent...
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 developnt 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 mont, Hayashi asked 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 .
"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 ?"
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 co back now. We still need you."
At that mont, Kaori's voice, who was preparing the table, ca from the dining area.
"Hey, you two!! Stop lazing around and co 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 ga had been created within the planning frawork 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 ho, 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 ti let's just go to a resort or sothing."
"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 sothing 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 ti 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 sumr.
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 co 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 imnse power that was crucial in confronting the Demon King Osiris.
Though now the tide had turned, there was a ti 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 ga almost ended...
The prologue even intricately depicted the history of players seizing each other's territories.
And the mont 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 adow.
"Huh? In an online ga, 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 so directions."
At the mont of frustration and feeling unable to do anything...
As the sky in the ga gradually darkened, darkness enveloped the surroundings.
At that mont, 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 gar, 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 ca flooding back to .
"So, Hayashi... you little... is this a trap?"
>
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