After leaving Aubrey at the park and returning Basil to Polly’s care, the group had returned to Sunny and Mari’s house to rest for the evening. This time, however, Kel’s older brother and Mari’s boyfriend, Hero followed along with them.
“Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve last been here. It feels so empty with all of the furniture missing,” Hero traversed the hollow living room. “I remember there being a big couch here, where we’d all sit and watch cartoons over the weekends.” After taking a deep sigh, the man turned to face the masked girl before them. “Anyways, you said you’d explain everything after we got Basil home. Kel called you Mari, but...” He fell silent. Even in the darkness of the room, Mari could tell that he looked miserable. That he still couldn’t move on. Four long years and Hero still couldn’t let her go. She couldn’t tell if she felt flattered at the thought or guilty that she left him like this. It was time she fixed that.
While removing her mask, Mari illuminated the room as a bright light shone from her hand revealing her kind smile. She watched as the man’s dark eyes lit up at the sight of her. “Hey there handsome… or do you prefer, what’s cooking good-” Mari was quickly interrupted as she felt a pair of arms suddenly surround her.
“It’s you right? Is it really you, Mari? Not another illusion?” The girl felt her shoulder becoming damp as tears ran down the Hero’s face. With him being this close, she could feel his rushing heartbeat and his nervous breathing. Hugging him in return, Mari began to comfort the man.
“It’s me, Hero. I missed you too, but I’m back now.”
“Mari, I was so scared when we lost you! But… But how are you back? Is this some kind of dream? Please, tell me you’re real!”
“Let me explain, but first could you let go? This is starting to get a little embarrassing...”
A loud yawn could be heard from Kel. “Yeah… anyways... It's getting kind of late so Sunny and I are gonna sleep upstairs. Don’t worry bro, I’ll make a nice big bed fort for ya!”
“Haha, thanks Kel,” replied Hero, embarrassed that he still enjoyed something so childish while in front of Mari.
“No problem! Just behave yourselves, you crazy kids!” Once Kel and Sunny exited the room, the two continued their conversation.
“How is he so calm about this? Well, I always admired that about Kel. Even after you died he was able to stay strong. If he didn't, who knows what could’ve… Never mind about that, Mari how are you back? When did you get here? Have you been eating well? You’re not like a ghost or a zombie are you?”
“Haha, you brothers sure are alike. Kel had a bunch of questions too. Here take a seat, this is going to be very confusing.” Mari waved her arm in his direction, while a couch materialized behind the man.
“What in the- How did you just-” Hero became frantic at the sight of the sudden couch.
“Calm down, it’s not made of spiders in it or anything. I just pulled it out of my inventory.”
“I- I don’t understand… Your… inventory?”
Taking a seat on the couch, Mari projected the same story of her memories to Hero.
Unlike before, telling her story took longer to tell. Mostly because Hero kept on freaking out whenever she found herself in a rough spot during a battle.
“AH! Get out of there Mari! There’s too many of them!”
“Hero… You do realize I did make it out okay, right?”
“Oh… Right.”
Not to mention his reaction to the large Spider General from the Demon Empire.
“Mari, could we skip this part...”
“No, because during the fight she reveals where the princess is held captive! Then, the princess bestows upon me the rank of general which then leads into-”
“But doesn’t the princess hate you? She keeps calling you an idiot. Heck, I don’t even like her.”
“That’s just because she has difficulty expressing her true feelings without abandoning her appearance as royalty! Afterward, she reveals her tragic backstory and-”
“Alright alright. But could we skip the… the big spider-lady?”
“Fine, but now that I think about it she goes on about her type of men for some reason, and I think you’d fit the bill.”
“You’re saying that a giant spider thing would want to go out with me?”
“Don’t tell me that you’re considering it?”
“What? No! I only have eyes for you, Mari.”
“Ew.”
Mari finally finished her tale, despite Hero’s constant interruptions. In truth, she actually enjoyed seeing him like this. From what she gathered from Kel yesterday, she expected that Hero would be a bit of a mess, but he looked pretty good after four years. Too bad he was still a bad liar, she could tell that deep down he must have been hurting.
“Enough about me though, Hero. Tell me more about yourself, Kel told me that after what happened you… you were pretty depressed. And you even got into a fight with him.” Mari watched as he fell silent once again. Maybe she was too direct, but she wanted to help him. “You don’t have to tell me if it's too hard. But I’m here to listen.”
Hero sat up straight, surprised by what Mari just said. “It’s true after you died… I was a complete wreck. It’s not something I’m proud of, especially that night with Kel. But, I’m glad it happened. If it didn’t… I might’ve… I might have followed after you.”
“Hero...” Mari placed his hands in hers, as they’ve been shaking during his confession. “Don’t you ever do that, okay? I know that it must’ve been hard without me… But, please I would never want you to hurt yourself. I love you. And so do the rest of our friends.”
Silence fell once more, while the two of them rested their heads upon each other's shoulders. They sat so close to one another that the only sounds that could be heard were their steady breathing and rushing heartbeats.
Breaking the silence, Hero brought up a certain question. “Mari, I… I just want to know. Was it my fault? Did you not trust me? If I told you what you just said to me. Would you not have done it?”
Taking a deep breath, Mari prepared herself. She didn’t want to admit to Hero that her brother was a killer. Mari understood that what happened that day, if anyone was to blame, it was herself. If she didn’t push Sunny so hard. If she didn’t ignore each of his complaints. If she just listened. “No Hero, it wasn’t because of you. I can’t tell you why just yet, but I do trust you. So I need you to trust me by waiting until I’m ready.”
She watched as Hero relaxed his body. As if years of guilt and torment had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. “Alright, Mari. I’ll wait. Even if it takes another four years or even four decades. I’ll wait for you.”
“Thanks, Hero. It’s getting late so how about we turn in for the night? I know you’re excited for that fort Kel built.”
Hero turned red in embarrassment, “Yeah… I mean bed forts are cool, y’know?”
Entering the hallway, Mari watched as Hero made his way to a certain room. “Hero, where are you going?”
“Just a sec Mari, I’m just curious if your piano is still here.” Following him, Mari found herself in that same old room where she spent hours on end perfecting each note for her recitals. A grand piano sat in the middle of the room with a single word etched onto it. OMORI. Surrounding the room sat more boxes and empty shelves, while a large window was sheathed behind its curtains. “I still remember that song you and Sunny practiced. You know the one that went du du du dun. Sometimes I could even hear you two playing that song next door. Do you think Sunny still has his violin? We worked so hard to get it for him. I hope he still plays it.”
“Oh, um, maybe. It’s probably already packed away somewhere though.” Packed away inside of a locked chest with sheet music coated in my blood.
“That’s right, you guys are moving in a few days huh? Are you going with them or...”
“Why, are you going to invite me to stay with you, Henry?”
Blushing red once again, Hero backed away near the piano. “You really haven’t changed, have you, Mari?" She watched as he took a seat on the bench and rested his hands on the keys of the instrument. "Hey don’t judge me but I haven’t practiced in a long time.”
Hero then quietly played a song that she remembered teaching him long ago. It sounded near perfect, just like it did years ago. “Haven’t practiced huh? Is that why you played measure 37 off tempo?”
“Hey! I said to not judge me, remember? How about you show me how it's done then? Better yet, could you play that song you were practicing with Sunny?”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. Sure Mari wasn’t out of practice like Hero, they did have pianos in the other world after all. But, playing that duet again. Even if Mari flawlessly ingrained each and every movement for that song into her body, she just couldn’t bring herself to play it again. “I… I forgot how to play that one, but I can still show you up.” Sitting next to Hero on the bench, Mari played the song from earlier. This time it sounded so perfect you’d think that it was a professional recording from an indie game.
“Show off...”
“Haha, well you know how much of a perfectionist I am. But we should really get to bed soon.”
“Aw, but I wanted to keep spending time with you.”
“Oh yeah? Well, Kel also mentioned that girls have been throwing themselves at you.”
“Wait, that’s not entirely true...”