The warm sunlight.
A school uniform that doesn’t look familiar to me at all.
Five familiar girls walk cheerfully down the street.
To me, they were no longer just inhabitants of a virtual fictitious world. They had life and soul, they were real beings: humans.
Thinking about it, I began to feel this world even closer.
Oh, this world… Is it a video game?
***
In a state of hazy consciousness, I grabbed the controller in a dark room.
The cheap controller for twelve hundred and something yen turned out to be surprisingly easy to use for its price. I advanced through the text displayed on the monitor with flashes, and finally, at last… The long-awaited message appeared.
With golden letters, the words <Complete> materialized on the screen.
Seeing that, I let go of the controller, clenched my fist in excitement. I got excited like a child.
“Alright! I have finally completed the game!”
It didn’t matter if I was disturbing the neighbors. I hadn’t slept well in the past few days, so I let myself be carried away by the early morning excitement and rolled on the floor.
After rolling back and forth for a while, the excitement faded, and I started to calm down.
Still, my heart was still beating strongly from the sense of achievement, and as I moved, I started to sweat.
Even though it’s almost the end of autumn and winter is coming soon, it wouldn’t be fun to get sick from running wildly around the room.
Somehow I managed to get up, panting, and stared back at the LCD screen. Despite having seen the completed game’s main screen several times, the words <Complete> were still there.
“…It’s over, isn’t it?”
Murmuring those words again, I felt such intense sadness that it felt like my heart was going to break.
It wouldn’t change if I looked away. Holding up the controller wouldn’t make it disappear. This time, the regret of having completed the game hit me.
I will never feel the excitement of playing it for the first time again. Although I still think it’s worth replaying, the pain of it all ending was overwhelming.
“It was fun. Truly, it was fun… Thank you.”
Were those words directed to the game or the creator? Probably both.
Without thinking about the painful reality, just embracing the sense of accomplishment in my chest, I prepare to shut down the computer as late drowsiness threatens to snatch my consciousness.
The calm that follows the previous agitation takes over me, and after staring at the black screen for a minute, I fall onto the bed.
Reviewing the memories, I closed my eyes.
Strangely, a peaceful and more serene dream than usual comes to me.
***
Upon waking up, I see the scene that unfolds before my eyes, a question mark hovers over my head.
The first thing I see is the ceiling. It’s not the beige one I’m used to. It’s a ceiling adorned in vibrant blue and white colors.
Although my consciousness is a bit blurry, as I slowly move my gaze from side to side, the colors don’t cease. The walls and floor are also painted in the same colors.
“…Where am I?”
Although I have just woken up, I shouldn’t be confused by the room’s decor I’ve lived in for so many years. Furthermore, the furniture is different, and the room seems to be almost twice as large.
Muttering a simple question with a slightly hoarse voice, the room’s door opened without warning.
A maid entered wearing a long Western-style dress. It’s not the typical maid uniform seen in Akihabara or anime, but a maid outfit that combines elegance and neatness.
Unable to help it, my eyes fixated on the visitor’s attire, and the maiden’s eyes widened upon noticing my gaze.
“Hermes-sama! You have finally awoken!”
The maid exclaimed an unfamiliar name. Apparently, that “Hermes-sama” she referred to was me. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly such an elegant name, is it?
“Hermes…? Are you referring to me?”
“Eh? What… What is happening? It can’t be! Have you lost your memory?”
Despite my obvious response, the maid trembled. She covered her mouth with her hand and visibly shuddered.
Leaving me there completely confused, she continued to scream, with palpable distress in her voice.
“That can’t be… Having finally regained consciousness after the carriage accident… And now, even losing your memory…!”
“Carriage? Accident? What are you talking about?”
“Oh… You still don’t remember? Before responding to Hermes-sama’s question, there is one last thing I would like to confirm. Could you please answer me?”
“I guess…”
“Surely, I will get the answer I expected. Let me ask you… Does Hermes-sama remember my name?”
“…I’m sorry. I have no memory of it.”
Yes, that is definitely a good answer.
Regardless of whether I am the Lord Hermes she mentions, I do not know the maiden in front of me. In any case, if I cannot answer, at least I should have clarified her doubt.
Upon hearing my response, the maid showed deep distress. It seems that her assumptions were confirmed.
“I understand. Then please rest a little longer, Hermes-sama. I must inform your parents about your awakening…”
The woman left me in confusion as the maiden withdrew with a mournful air to inform “Hermes-dsms” parents about his state of wakefulness.
I remained there, engulfed in constant confusion, unable to comprehend the situation.
On the other hand, she at least got the answers she was seeking. Although I would like to ask her more questions, I couldn’t just stop her and make her answer all my doubts.
If my parents are coming here, surely I will get more precise answers from them than from the maid.
For now, I decided to consider myself fortunate to be in a place resembling a luxury hotel.
I straightened the rumpled sheets and decided to lie down until my parents and the maiden returned.
Suddenly, I noticed a triple mirror vanity in the room.
“Oh, right… The maid mentioned I had an accident. I should check the extent of the injuries.”
Actually, I immediately noticed upon waking up that I had bandages on my forehead… Or rather in my head. Upon touching, I could feel the presence of the bandages.
I tried to make a joking remark about horse-drawn carriages, but I was a little concerned because it was my own body. I would hate to be left with scars… Or perhaps I should feel relieved not to feel any pain?
I got off the bed and looked at myself in the mirror, feeling a bit uneasy. Then…
“…What is this?”
An unfamiliar face was reflected in the mirror.
