HoloAdvent (A Hololive fanfic) *Completed*

Epilogue

A year later...

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting golden hues over me, I found myself kneeling before my mother's gravestone. I had been here for over half an hour and as it was getting dark, I remained where I was. The evening air would eventually be cool and calming, carrying the faint scent of autumn leaves and distant city sounds. The last time I visited, I was with my brothers. Now, it was just me and the sounds of the night, the sounds of crickets, the gentle current of a nearby pond, and the grass beneath my feet swaying along the wind. 

Life was both good and bad at the same time. Accepting that would be way easier than thinking it was either one of the two. 

Mom's gravestone was weathered by time yet adorned with fresh flowers. She was never gone but she would always be unwithered in my memory. I traced the engraved letters with my fingertips, feeling the rough texture beneath my touch. 

"I haven't met you once. But I still love you." I say that with all that I was.

The sky above painted a canvas of soft pastels, as if nature itself was paying homage to her memory. 

"I wish I can see you. Just once. A lot happened," I softly chuckle to myself. "I think I'll ask Sarah to be my fiancée. Can you believe that? The grouchy, robotic, but caring woman who constantly flamed me through our interactions wants to be with me for life... Although, that'll happen in a few weeks. I'm still preparing for it." I place my hands behind me, just sitting on the grass without a single worry felt nice to revel in at the moment. "The resort's going well. My dream from when I was kid is finally paying off. My list of clients are increasing and it's all thanks to the people around me. I've been eating good and just doing well for myself recently... My brothers and I get along fine. My dad talks to me from time to time now, that's a massive improvement from before!" 

I sigh to myself, "I just wish dad told me sooner I was an oni. Would've been easier had I known... Maybe the manpower around the resort could've all been done by me." I laugh. "But, even if I knew beforehand, I still would've trusted people to do the work for me. They're more capable and they specialize in what they do. I can't cheat my way through life with what I have inside of me."

Call me crazy, call me dumb, or just insane but talking by myself felt therapeutic. I didn't care if the people walking past me to visit their own loved ones thought I wasn't normal. I'd grown past that and obviously I wasn't. I just wanted to do things my way. That wasn't going to change.

Speaking of crazy.

"Hey, mom. You wouldn't really believe it and I wish you were alive to see it but..." I titter as I close my eyes. "I met the craziest bunch of women in the entire world. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But considering my circumstances as an oni and how you knew it when you saw me for the first time, I guess it wouldn't shock you as much as it did with me. One can sing and blow someone's head off, literally. Another has like this huge library she can just summon to learn about almost everything in the world, one giant Moai statue that can make you go cuckoo in the head, two dogs from hell, it's basically an all-you-can-eat with random dressings!" I lightly slapped my knee from saying those things.

They were now in Hololive. They debuted as HoloAdvent. And they're still kicking ass.

"They'll be visiting soon. I plan on making them meet you when they arrive back. They're really busy with their schedules and all. Despite how it sounds, they're really, really, good people. I hope you'll like them. They're like family, basically."

After much talking, I stood up from the grass and dusted off my pants, noticing someone above a tree behind me.

"Enjoying the moon from up there?"

Nakiri Ayame's presence was becoming increasingly discernible, kinda similar to mastering the nuances of driving a car. At first, detecting her had been like navigating a vehicle with unfamiliar controls, awkward and uncertain. But with time, it was as if I was growing accustomed to the clutch, the brakes, and the accelerator. The subtle shifts in her energy were like the gentle pressure on the pedal, each movement clearer and more intuitive.

"You're getting better." Nakiri hung upside down from the tree branch. "Your dad texted me. Saying he'd stop by sometime this week."

"That's good and all, but I know you have something else to say."

She smiled at that. "Well, the girls say they also plan to visit you sometime this week. Just make sure that it doesn't get in the way of training. You still have a long way to go, kid."

"Alright. Let's go back."

"You're done here?"

"Yeah."

"You brought your motorcycle with you?"

"Just don't use your katanas while I'm driving and you're allowed to sit behind me..." 

"... Fine." she sulked at that.

As we exited the cemetery, I had felt a soft push on my back. I turned around immediately, looking at Nakiri occupied with her phone as she followed behind me. Eventually, our eyes meet.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing. Let's go." 

Must've been the wind.