The Impact of OMORI

☆CHAPTER 10☆

The faint sound of a piano playing can be heard throughout the house, as you head towards the piano room. Mari's there, sitting on the chair, her hands on the keys, bobbing her head to the music of the piece you were supposed to play for the performance.

'Sunny, it's almost time. You've been through a lot these past few days. You must be tired...

We all make mistakes, you've been running from this one for a long time now. It's tough to own up sometimes, but you'll forgive yourself, won't you?

You can do this Sunny, you've worked really hard to get to this point...there's only one thing left to do now. Know that I'll always be watching over you, okay? As long as you remember me, I'll be here...'

An overwhelming sense of comfort washes over you, as you bid her farewell, and walk out of the room. There's something you have to get. Something that you hid away, hoping to never have to see it again.

Opening the door beside the staircase, a musty smell enters your nose, and dust gets everywhere. It's dim, but you make out the toybox in the corner of the storage room. Avoiding the countless cardboard boxes strewn across the floor, you make your way over, and slowly open the lid.

A broken violin and tattered music sheet lies inside, and you lift it up. Mari's long black hair is entangled within the strings, her blood splattered on the paper. It's time for your last recital.

Memory lane, a long straight road lined by headlights, most that do not work. The ones that do, however, transport Sunny to his most precious memories.

Playing cards with his friends in the treehouse, eating watermelons at the beach, having a picnic next to a lake, showing off raincoats in the rain, celebrating Basil's birthday with a strawberry cake, and receiving a violin from his friends during Christmas, one they all saved up for together.

'It's been a while since you quit playing the violin. Mari told us how you always sat in the room wit her when she's practising the piano. And there was even that one time I caught you trying to play your old mini violin, even though it was too small for you.

Anyway, this was Basil's idea, but we all decided to pitch in for a really nice one...so...yeah!

We hope you like it, Sunny. This is from all of us, to you.'

Every time he remembered the happiness and comfort he felt with his friends...the violin seemed to mend itself just a little.

At the end of the road stood a lone door. The door to backstage. Sunny took a deep breath...and walked in with his fixed violin. 

Aubrey, Kel and Hero stand in front of Sunny, as he faces the huge stage. They smile at him, and he smiles back. Because he knows that they believe in him.

'Sunny, you're finally here. After this point, it's going to be up to you.'

Aubrey steps up to him, and touches his shoulder, 'You know, before we met, I had a lot of trouble fitting in. Even after we became friends, I always assumed you were going to leave me eventually. But, when the others were busy doing things, you always seemed to have time for me. You would listen to me talk for hours and hours, I could always rely on you to do that.'

'I know we've missed each other for the past few years, but it doesn't have to stay that way,' Kel adds, 'People always tell me that I'm dense or that I'm kinda careless...but I'll always be here if you're okay with that!'

Hero glances at Sunny with a proud look in his eyes, 'Sunny, we know that you're not someone who likes to take the lead. This has been really hard for you. But...you have to put a little bit of trust in us too.'

'Just because you've done something bad doesn't make you bad,' Kel agrees.

'You've had to live with this pain for so long...and you've been keeping it all inside. It might be easier to ignore your problems, but it's okay to cry about them too.

There's more good times to come! Life gets better...and you can be the one to make that happen'

Aubrey lets go and steps back, 'Whatever happens next is going to be your call. No matter how far you push your feelings down, they'll always come back somehow. And what you do with those feelings, that will be your truth. Hey Sunny, break a leg for me, alright?

We believe in you...Sunny.'

Walking up the steps, the lights dim and Aubrey,Kel and Hero are no longer there. But with a surge of new strength, Sunnyplaces his sheet music on the stand. The stage is ready for him.