Epilogue
A month had passed since Masato beat the game and returned to the real world.
The school day was almost over, and the classroom was abuzz.
“Quiet, everyone. I’m passing this survey around. The last one was a more targeted deal, but this time it’s nationwide. Same contents, but it’s important, so make sure you fill it out right.”
The teacher was handing out a parent-child awareness survey conducted by the Cabinet Office’s Department of Policy on Cohesive Society to determine the state of today’s youth.
All the booklets were placed at the front row of students and passed to the back. The boy seated in front of Masato turned and handed one over with a flashy smile. “Masato, this is that thing, right?”
“…Thing?”
“You know! The MMMMMORPG (official) launch! Fill this thing out right, and you get to play!”
“I dunno anything about that.”
“Psh, quit lying. You were out of school for ages doing some secret government program. That was the beta, right? Everyone knows. C’mon, spill the beans. What do I put here?”
“Hey! No talking! Answer the survey. Or do I have to confiscate your form?”
“Crap, not that!” The boy hastily faced front.
The room got very quiet. Everyone was focused. No one objected when the class ran overtime. The students were taking this way more seriously than any school exam.
Only one student was just writing down whatever.
I’m sure this is helping them pick users, but…
Masato could no longer take part. That was a bit sad, but he knew why. And so he just put the most honest answers he could.
He paused, staring out the window. It was a sunny day here in the real world. Blue skies.
Then something moved at the corner of his eye: a small figure with a red backpack, over by the gates.
Masato’s princess, waiting for him. He’d better wrap this survey up.
Last question:
If you went on an adventure with your mom, would you become closer?
Masato’s answer?
“Duh. I know I did.”
He shook his head, then shouldered his backpack and stood up.
As he left the gate, his sixth-grade princess started waving.
“Masatooo! I’m over here!”
“Hey! Sorry I’m running late, Porta—I mean, Moko.”
“Bwuh…?!”
She seemed surprised to hear her real name.
“Wh-what? Isn’t that your name? I didn’t get it wrong, did I?”
“N-no! You’re right. That’s my name, but…um, it just feels weird!”
Those cheeks of hers looked a bit red. Porta—aka Moko—covered them with her hands, frowning. Even she seemed unsure why Masato using her real name had made her jump.
“Um, um…t-today’s a game friends gathering, so let’s stick with Porta,” she said.
“Okay. Good point, Porta. We’ve gotta collect Wise and Medhi, and then our party’s ready for adventure.”
“Yes!”
The two of them walked off together, headed for the train station. As they chatted about good game times, Masato’s pocket vibrated—an incoming call. When he looked, it was from his father, Hayato.
“Porta, sorry, lemme take this… Hello?”
“Hi, Masato. It’s your dad! Is now a good time? I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news…”
“You can’t join us for dinner?”
“That’s right. Thanks for the invite, though.”
“No, I get it. You’ve got work to do. But is that other person—?”
“Hotta’s still coming. Admin meetings wrapped up in the AM. I can infooorm you she went running pell-mell out the meeting room screeching Moko’s name.”
Good infooormation. “Porta, your mom’s coming.” “Yay! I’m so happy!” She was literally jumping for joy. Adorbs.
“Oh, right. Speaking of infooormation…”
“Mm? What?”
“Shirase isn’t taking time off; she’ll be on the clock. In other words, she’s coming to dinner in an official capacity. I don’t know the details, but… Ugh, I’ve gotta go. Talk to you later!”
“Uh, hang in there…”
Hayato hung up. Masato scratched his head, and Porta blinked up at him, wondering what was going on. Super adorable.
They started walking again. Time sure flew by when they talked. They reached the station in a heartbeat.
The Oosuki home was a short walk from the other side of the shopping district. But first, they stopped outside a small supermarket in the area.
“This is where Wise is working, right?”
“Yes! Mom Superstore!”
“Mom’s favorite shop, and apparently Wise got the job because Mom recommended her… I had no idea she lived only three stops away. Still, why work all the way out here?”
“Because it’s close to her house!”
“It really isn’t, though.”
It was close to someone’s house, just not Wise’s.
Inside the grocery store, they headed to the veggie stands—and soon found who they were looking for.
“So you’ve been working all day? That sounds exhausting…”
“Yeah, school’s closed ’cause today’s the anniversary of its founding. If I’ve got the time, I gotta earn some dough. That’s how we poor folks live.”
“Fascinating. And here I took a taxi from the station, a distance I could easily have walked.”
“Don’t rub it in, heiress.”
Stacking napa cabbage was a girl with pigtails shaped like chocolate cornets and a grocery apron over her school’s skirt-and-blouse uniform. Next to her, looking rather bored, was a beautiful girl in a sailor uniform.
The rest of Masato’s party.
“Yo, Wise, or Genya, or is it Wise? …And uh…”
“Oh, hello, Masato. I’m perfectly fine with Medhi.” Smile.
The smiling sailor-style stunner was Medhi.
However…
“Gawd, Masato. You know her real name. It’s Elise. So fancy, so classy! Perfect für you, Elise. Snort.”
“What was that just now, Genya? Do you have a problem with my name? Funny, my fists seem to have your name written all over them. Could you check and see if it’s written on my foot, too?” …Rummmble…
“Eep! I can see her dark power even in the real world!”
A girl named for a famous piano composition and the girl with a host’s stage name stared each other down, but before the cat fight could engage in earnest—“Nope, stop!” Masato stepped in. “We’re all game friends here, so let’s stick with our game names! Okay?”
“Yes, that seems the best course of action. Wise, we have an errand to run. Good luck with your work.”
“Hey, don’t try and leave me here! I just gotta punch out, so wait up a second.”
“Yes! All four of us should go to Masato’s house together!”
The conversation wandered as they walked. This road had no monsters or encounters. It was just the four of them.
“…Hey, guys…say we could go back to the game world… You know, hypothetically…,” Masato began.
“I think I’d go for a Warrior job this time. I wanna give physical attacks a try,” Wise replied. “Medhi’s enough magic for us all.”
“No, I was thinking I’d like to be a Warrior myself. Perhaps a Knight,” said Medhi. “Then Porta can be our Mage.”
“Okay! I’d love to use magic!”
“But Masato’s the Normal Hero.”
“The normal leader.”
“I’m good with Hero, but do we have to stick with Normal? And…”
Their partying up again seemed to be a given. None of the girls seemed to have any doubts about that, and Masato couldn’t help smiling. But that smile soon grew a little forlorn.
“I guess that’s not in the cards, though.”
“Yeah…the official version launched, but we’re not part of it.”
“Unless something very unexpected happens, we can assume it’ll stay that way.”
“I hope something very unexpected does happen!”
“Yep. For now, we can only hope… But tonight we’ve got our usual Hero’s party together for a parent-child dinner with everyone’s moms in tow. It’s gonna be awesome!”
“““Woo!”””
A cheer echoed through the quiet streets—and soon the group reached the Oosuki home.
Once inside, they found four sets of women’s shoes, all in a row. The moms were already here…but the house was oddly silent.
They headed for the living room. Masato opened the door, but everything looked normal—no party prep at all.
“Hello,” Shirase said, sipping a cup of tea. “I can inform you that I have arrived—as my name is Shirase.”
She was alone.
“Just you, Shirase? No moms?”
“I’ve had them step away. Now, to business! If I may have your attention for a moment. Let me begin with the necessary introductions. My ID.” Shirase stood up, came over to them, and held up the ID card hanging from her neck.
“Cabinet Office, Department of Policy on Cohesive Society, External Surveyor Masumi Shirase. Yeah, we know,” said Wise.
“Why the formality?” Medhi asked Shirase.
“I’m simply following proper protocol for conveying a request from the government. As the test players who cleared the MMMMMORPG (working title) beta, we’d appreciate your assistance developing the sequel.”
“Sequel?” said Masato. “By sequel, you mean… No way!”
“The core system, your adventure records, characters, and memories are all carried over. And it remains a full-dive online game powered by mystery technology. This time you’ll be focusing on quests concerning the darker aspects of society.”
“And by help, you mean…? I can’t believe it! C-c-can we?” said Porta.
“Heh-heh-heh. That’s right! Look over there.”
Shirase pointed at the TV screen. She’d brought Masato’s computer tower downstairs and hooked it up, using the TV as a monitor.
The party ran over to the screen.
“Seriously?! Is this real?! No joke?!”
“Is everybody ready? Here we go—a very unexpected happening from me, Shirase!”
“Talk about unexpected!”
Shirase picked up the remote, pressed a button…and the screen lit up!
“We mommies are off on an adventure! Woo!”
“““Woo!”””
Mamako, Kazuno, Medhimama, and Dark-Mom Deathmother appeared on-screen, all four mothers raising their firsts and heading out into the distance.
“I can inform you that this unbelievably unexpected all-mom adventure has now begun.”
“Back uuuuuuuuuup! Mom?! Everyone’s moms?! You’re just ditching us kids?!”
As Masato glared at the screen, Mamako looked up.
“Oh? I feel Ma-kun looking at me! Which way? Over here? That’s right! Ma-kun, it’s Mommy!” Wave.
“Why is she waving?! And how did she know?!”
“Your mommies are off on a little adventure. We’ll be back by dinner, don’t worry. If you want to adventure with me, Ma-kun, then it’s your turn to chase after me! I don’t mind. Can you all catch up to your mommies? It won’t be easy! Hee-hee.”
“You heard her! First quest: Get into the game world and catch our moms!”
“““Woo!”””
Light flooded out of the screen, and their hearts pounded with excitement. Shirase almost “accidentally” pressed the power switch, but thought better of it.
A new journey!
“Mom, I’m coming! We’re mom-along adventurers through and through!”
Once a family always a family. The adventure never ends.
And theirs was just beginning.
THE END
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