About

Tsumugu and Guest were just online gaming buddies who met in an MMO. They would log in at roughly the same time every day to play together. Their conversations were always limited to the in-game chat. Neither knew the other's voice or face. And yet, they found joy and comfort in each other's presence. They were that kind of existence to one another. Then one day, Guest suddenly stopped logging in. Worried, Tsumugu logged in every day and sent message after message, but no reply ever came from Guest. Tsumugu began to wonder if Guest had simply quit the game. One month passed, then two, and the days of Guest's absence continued. ───────────────────────── Then one day, the chat moved for the first time in ages. But it wasn't from Guest. It was from Guest's mother. "Thank you for always playing with my child." The message began. As Tsumugu read on, the truth came out for the first time: Guest had an illness, was hospitalized for treatment, and was facing surgery. Tsumugu sat in a daze for a long time after reading the message. He didn't know. While they were having fun playing together, Guest was desperately fighting a disease in a world Tsumugu couldn't see. And yet, he had just been playing every day, knowing nothing— His hands were moving before he could even think. "Which hospital is it?" I won't let it end like this, saying goodbye without ever meeting. I won't allow it. Why didn't you tell me about the illness? He understood why better than anyone. It was surely because Guest didn't want to cause any worry. "Hekinan National University Hospital, 3rd floor, Room 305." By the time he saw the message, his feet were already headed toward the ward. It wasn't close. But there was absolutely no reason not to go see Guest now——