Page 4: Visitor 

I don’t know why I chose to log into Phantom Secrets Online. Perhaps I am hoping to see her, the phantom that looks like Mayuri. Perhaps I am trying to distract myself from all the recent happenings... Ever since the first Sword Art Online survivor was lured to her death, people have been dying at a steady rate. Within four days, four survivors have been killed. That’s one person per day, one less person who was unable to live their life to the fullest. It’s one less person that was able to escape one hell just to be thrust into another. 

It seems that I DO know why I’m logging in after all. I’m looking for answers. I’m doing some investigating. I’m doing some investigating where people don’t know who I REALLY am, and where people  don’t know what my weakness are. In VRMMO’s I am powerful, I’m treated as an equal. In VRMMO’s I’m not a copy boy who is treated like a servant, I’m treated like a person. 

As soon as I log in, I know that something is amiss. Everything looks like it should but there is something missing... I’m playing a game that countless people play at various times, but yet there seems to be no one but me currently playing. I wander around the town, peering into seemingly open shops, only to find emptiness. Is the game glitching again? A blur of movement catches my eye, and I spin on my heel, hoping to see whatever it is before it leaves (or attacks me... I have no idea if it is friendly or not). 

The boy looks familiar. Perhaps it is because he is very dull looking. He looks like your typical Japanese person... He has dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. My mind tells me that there is a better reason why he looks so familiar. Perhaps I’ve met him before? I don’t really know any kids though... The realization hits me like a slap across the face. “Akiki, what the heck do you want?” I ask, preparing myself to respond to his annoyingness with wit and sarcasm. 

“It’s good to know that you have a hint of a brain in the huge head of yours,” the twerp says with a small smirk. He seems different... He seems a bit more serious, a little less of a smart aleck. “Then again, there is no way Mayuri would let herself fall in love with  a COMPLETE idiot.” Mayuri... How does he know about Mayuri? I wait for him to say more, to explain, but he doesn’t. Instead, he turns away from me, and begins to walk away. Confused and angry, I follow him, ready to yell at him. My anger slowly fades away as our surroundings melt away. The town is steadily morphed into a stunning garden, complete with various plants and a pond containing koi. Akiki stops suddenly, and I narrowly avoid running into him and knocking him over.

Just a few inches away from Akiki stands a dorky man. The man has a very organized look to him. He may be wearing the typical tattered, battle tainted clothing of Phantom Secrets Online, but he is clearly someone who belongs in a suit, in an office. Heck, the guy is probably the CEO of some company. 

“We have a lot to discuss, Kenji,” the man says with a small, reassuring smile. Why should I listen to him? Why should I listen to Akiki? How do I know that I can trust him? I shouldn’t have followed Akiki... I shouldn’t have talked to him... I shouldn’t have... “I know that all of this is sudden... You probably aren’t sure if you can trust me or Akiki. You can. To prove it to you, I’ll tell you some things that very few people know.” Both the man and Akiki tell me many things, starting with their real names. They tell me many things that I’m sure that I’m probably not supposed to know. 

Unsure of how to respond to it all, I say the first thing that comes to my mind. “So why are you telling me, some nobody this? I understand why Akiki knows, he’s some master hacker after all. Me on the other hand... I have no special skills. I’m just your ordinary guy,” some birds chirp as I say this, as though trying to interrupt me, trying to tell me that I DO have some sort of special talent. “Besides, you had Kirito help you with the last investigation you did, right? Why don’t you just have him help you again? Now HE is a guy with some talent. He’s the guy that could fight with two swords, he’s the guy that brought Sword Art Online to an end.” The man, who had already been serious and somber becomes even more gloomy in appearance. 

The man, who’s name I can’t remember pauses before he responds. “The recent deaths started out with the deaths of players that few would recognize, but the killer soon jumped to more famous targets. It hasn’t been broadcasted yet, but today, a former Knights of the Blood Oath guild member was killed. The person killed was someone who frequently fought on the front lines. The person themself isn’t famous, but the guild Knights of the Blood Oath is. Authorities fear that panic might set in if people hear that even a strong warrior from a famous guild can be killed by the killer. Also, another thing that makes a difference between this killing and the previous killings is how and where the victim was killed. Most of the previous victims were killed when they were lured into the road and hit by a passing vehicle. The most recent victim was killed when they fell from the roof of their apartment building. It is believed the victim was lured to the roof, where the killer pushed them off. Sadly the apartment building’s roof had no cameras on it. Although, the cameras from the gas station next door filmed the death of the victim. The victim had appeared to be looking at someone out of camera range as they fell. The killer didn’t leave or turn away when the person fell... They watched the person fall, they watched the person die. We feel that they watched the victim die for two reasons. One, because they enjoy to watch people suffer, and two, because they wanted to make sure that the person actually died.” 

With a nervous swallow, I yell, “So? What does it have to do with me? Why did you choose THIS nobody?” I point to myself, and my hand shakes as my mind replays what he says over in my head.What kind of person would ENJOY watching someone suffer?

“It’s simple,” Akiki says, after having said nothing for the past hour or so. “You THOUGHT Mayuri died in Sword Art Online. She didn’t though. She pretended to be dead because she thought it would be better...” I lunge at the kid and shake him by this shoulders before he can even finish his sentence.  “MAYURI IS ALIVE? WHERE IS SHE? TELL ME WHERE SHE IS,” I holler, probably sounding like a madman. If what he says is true, then I WANT to see her... No I NEED to see her as soon as possible. “S-she’s p-paralyzed, Kenji. Her Nerve Gear failed to kill her, instead it paralyzed her” Akiki says, his voice shaking just as much as his body is, thanks to me. 

MAYURI IS ALIVE.

MAYURI IS PARALYZED. 

“Please...” I say, my voice dropping to a whisper, “Please tell me where she is, please let me see her. Please...” as my tears start to fall, I let go of Akiki, “I NEED to see her.” Akiki and the man give each other a glance before nodding to each other.

~~~~~~~~

I never knew typical human movements could take so long. I never knew that signing in as a visitor, walking to an elevator, riding an elevator, and walking to a hospital room could take so long. It felt like it took years, that time itself was trying to drag me backwards. Or perhaps I was trying to drag myself backwards. ‘It’s better to remember her as she was’ part of me says, while the other argues, ‘Mayuri is still Mayuri, paralyzed or not. You NEED to see her. She probably has missed you just as much as you have missed her.’ Then a part of me, a dark part of me ends the conversation by saying, ‘She never had anyone tell you that she is alive. She DOESN’T want to see you, she DOESN’T love you,  she HATES you.’  The very thought makes my heart feel a twinge of pain. 

As I enter the room, I am in for a shocking sight. A machine takes up a fair amount of the space. It looks  huge, especially compared to Mayuri. She looks small compared to the machine. She looks like a mouse, a helpless  animal that is getting devoured by the famous Medicuboid. The camera follows my movements with unsettling accuracy as I slowly approach Mayuri. 

“I’m surprised you came,” a voice says, and it takes me a moment to realize it is Mayuri’s sweet voice coming from the Medicuboid. “Why would you come see me? I am useless... I look like a sack of potatoes, and I am just as about helpful as them too. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that I was alive. I thought it would be better if you thought I was dead. Look at me! I’m merely a living corpse. I’m sorry, Kenji. I should have told you. I was just afraid... I was afraid that you wouldn’t love me anymore.” Her words slowly grow quiet, which is a sign that she is about to cry.

“May, you idiot...” I respond, reaching for one of her soft hands, “I love you. I don’t care if you’re paralyzed... I wouldn’t care if you were brain dead, or missing some limbs or whatever. I love you for who you are. I love you for what it is inside of you. I love you for your personality. May... I love you because you can always make me laugh, I love you because your kindness knows no bounds, I love you because you never give up, I love you because you’re clever, I love you you for COUNTLESS reasons. Although, one of the biggest reasons I love you is because you love me, someone who doesn’t deserve you.” I try my hardest not to cry, knowing that she would cry along with me to no avail. “Mayuri, I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to save you...” 

“OH MY GOD, log in to Phantom Secrets Online so you can have this conversation without waking everyone else up,” a voice says with a familiar amount of sass. I turn my head in the direction of my voice, and am greeted by the sight of Akiki, who looks EXACTLY like his avatar. Tucked under one of his arms is a book, a book of bedtime stories. “I JUST got Mrs. Simpson to fall asleep and I WOULD rather not have to spend another two hours trying to get her to fall asleep again. There is some gear in the room over.” He gestures to the room he mentions with a slight head tilt, before giving Mayuri a small wave before departing. 

As I dash out of the room, Mayuri yells, “I’ll be waiting for you, Kenji.” Once in the next room, I hurry to log in, saying ‘link start’ in a nearly incomprehensible manner. 

I am greeted with the sight of mesmerizing cherry blossom trees. With Mayuri not in sight yet, I follow the path, running, desperate to find Mayuri as soon as possible. The world seems to become one giant blur as my eyes scan my surroundings for Mayuri. Mayuri... Where are you? After running for quite a ways, I slow to a stop. Maybe I accidentally ran past her... 

Suddenly, ever so suddenly the wind direction shifts. Mayuri always loved the wind... She always said that when the wind blew, that she would pretend that she could fly. I close my eyes, letting the wind play with my hair as I wait for Mayuri. I’m such an idiot... She never meant for me to find her... She was planning on finding me. Almost as sudden as the wind, hands stroke my face. “Did you... Did you really mean what you said?” I merely nod. “In that case, it is I that doesn’t deserve you.” She then pulls my head down, and brushes her lips against mine in a brief kiss. “Kenji... I’ve been helping them. I’ve been helping them investigate the deaths of those players. I couldn’t say no to them. All I could think about... All I thought is that it could be you, that you could be killed... If you were killed...” her voice wavers as she starts to cry. “I must have put you through IMENSE pain. I’m so sorry...” 

I wrap my arms around her and pull her close, trying to give her the best hug that I can possibly give. “You did what you thought was best,” I respond, “It’s admirable. Too bad you were wrong,” I pause, trying to prevent myself from crying more, “Next time you are going to pretend to be dead, let me play along with you. We could come back as the intimidating Zombie Couple.” This makes her laugh, and in turn make me smile. “In all seriousness, let’s do more things together from now on. We can start by investigating the recent deaths together. After all, every detective needs a goofy partner to help reduce stress.” She laughs even more. I missed the sound of her laughter. 

“Then we’ll have lots of things to discuss about what we have discovered so far. First, however, we have some catching up to do. Why don’t we go for a walk?” Mayuri responds, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before skipping away from me, with a smirk on her face. It must be a strange sight... A Phantom Hunter chasing after a Phantom with a beaming smile, and laughter. It is rare occurrence, a Phantom Hunter befriending a Phantom, and even more rare for a Phantom Hunter to date a Phantom. As I explore the world of Phantom Secrets Online with Mayuri, I can’t help but notice I haven’t felt this happy in long time. 

When I leave the hospital, I’m an in unbelievably good mood. I’m also tired. Mayuri and I completed ten quests in a row. As I walk home, I can’t help but admire the sunset. It reminds me of the cherry blossom trees, it reminds me of Mayuri. I’ll be seeing more of her now... Both in Phantom Secrets Online and in real life, I plan on visiting her everyday. 

Once at my apartment, I shake my shoes of before walking into my bedroom and flopping onto my bed. Before I know it, I fall asleep. If I had been less sleepy, if I had even just glanced at my nightstand, I would have seen something peculiar. I would have seen my diary opened to the fourth page, with the word ‘Visitor’written.That itself isn’t strange... What is strange is that I had not written it.