MGSFV?! Chapter 374. May This Moment Last Forever
"..."
"..."
After listening, Mei remained silent for a long time.
Eventually, she slowly stood up from the swing and turned to face Elysia.
She didn't say anything overly emotional—she simply reintroduced herself.
"I am the Herrscher of Thunder… and I am Raiden Mei. The one standing here now… is proof—living proof."
"Even if it feels a little late to say this now… thank you, Elysia."
"Thank you… for giving us the chance to change our fate—right from the very beginning."
"Mm…"
Elysia turned her head slightly, gently sniffled.
Then she turned back with a dazzling smile and deliberately teased Mei.
"Oh my~ Mei is so honest and understanding now. That's cheating~!"
She paused, eyes curving into crescents as if to hide the sadness about to surface.
She feigned playfulness and said, "Saying something like that only makes it harder to say goodbye, you know…"
Mei: "..."
Goodbye…
Mei didn't want that.
None of them did…
[If we don't want to… can't we just not say goodbye?]
[May this moment last forever… I suddenly understand Eden so well…]
[If only Elysia could've met Paramecium and Duckie too.]
[The two swinging together—this scene is so romantic, so why do I only feel like it's a farewell…?]
Sometimes, emotions aren't governed by will. They come unbidden.
And if they were this close to breaking already… what about what's coming?
It was obvious this scene was just the beginning.
So, someone in the chat tried to change the topic to lighten the mood.
[Seeing how fragile y'all are, if I were MiHoYo, I'd decorate the next official stream studio with swings. Guaranteed emotional crits. (twisted face)]
[Add a life-sized Elysia model next to it. Instant KO.]
[No need—we already have the real Miss Pink Elf♪. She always shows up on official streams. ()]
[???] n
[You're all worse than the writers.]
[Sure, you're joking now, but if they actually did that, you'd be the first to get wrecked.]
Some people talked tough—but if it came down to it, they'd be the first to cry.
Still, thanks to the chat's shift in tone, the atmosphere recovered a bit.
They could now regain composure and continue the story.
Facing Mei's silence—
Elysia took the initiative, trying to lift the mood again.
"Then… can you guess what I want to do now, Mei?"
"You want to take one last look at Elysian Realm, don't you?"
Elysia's thoughts weren't hard to guess.
At least, not for Mei—who had come this far.
"Bingo~!"
Elysia clapped her hands, expecting this answer.
But the charm was in her follow-up—
"Though you missed one part—with Mei, of course~♪"
Even knowing Elysia's style, hearing her say that still made hearts skip a beat.
That irresistible charm~~
The scene shifted in-game.
Back to free exploration mode. Mei and Elysia stood once again in the familiar Elysian Realm Amusement Park.
This location had appeared a lot.
So much so that just seeing it brought back a rush of memories and emotions.
Truth be told, while they loved the design here, most players didn't dare revisit it again.
They hoped this was the last time.
Would that hope be granted?
Let's… put a question mark on that for now.
In-game, Elysia walked ahead, leading Mei—
To gaze one last time at Elysian Realm.
At this amusement park she loved most.
"Mei, do you know why the other regions in Elysian Realm have day and night, but only here it's always dusk?"
Why?
Elysia's words prompted the players to wonder as well.
Mei swept her gaze across the amusement park in front of her…
Under the warm lights—
The spinning carousel, the whimsical roller coaster, the romantic Ferris wheel… and of course, the super adorable Miss Pink Elf♪ mascot at the center of the park.
Everything glowed beautifully.
She already had her answer.
"Because only an amusement park lit by lights is the most beautiful… right?"
Seeing how much Mei understood her, Elysia couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Correct! I wanted to preserve it at its most beautiful moment."
"Even if… even 'forever' has an end."
This was Elysian Realm, a name that implied eternity.
So many stories had happened here. So many had continued here.
And so it went—50,000 years passed.
It had endured for 50,000 years.
But now… it was time to end.
Realizing this—
The players grew silent. Wordless.
They could only guide Mei to follow Elysia.
To admire this amusement park, bathed in twilight, one final time.
That complex emotion—like the one you feel when an amusement park closes—grew stronger in their hearts.
"..."
Could we slow down a little?
Wasn't there still plenty of time?
Was there really any need to rush?
Couldn't they go back and do the things they hadn't done with Mei?
Like laughing together. Riding the Ferris wheel together…
There were still so many things they could've done, right?
Amid those tangled feelings—
At some point, Elysia and Mei found themselves in front of the roller coaster again.
"I originally planned to take this roller coaster with you to that little island, Mei. But so much happened…"
Not just Elysia—none of the players saw it coming!
Who would've thought—
After that promise to ride to the island, after so much joy and levity, the story would take a sharp turn into a detective arc?
Who could've predicted—
The devs would go that hard?
Even now, recalling it left them feeling numb.
Mei, however, was curious about something else.
"This roller coaster goes around all of Elysian Realm, doesn't it?"
"Yep. It loops through long tunnels, circling around to capture all its beauty."
Elysia lightly touched the roller coaster, her gaze tracing its rails across Elysian Realm.
Imagining how things might've looked… if everything had gone according to plan.
Ahh~~ just imagining it was beautiful enough, wasn't it?
Too bad…
But it's fine. They already rode it once together. No need for regrets.
Still… if she asked Mei to ride again, she probably wouldn't refuse, right?
After all—
"When we reach the end, we'll be back at the starting point."
She pulled her hand back from the coaster and said those words.
Elysia…
Of course she understood.
She'd experienced countless farewells. Endless helpless partings.
She was a girl who knew separation better than anyone.
And precisely because of that…
She knew what would be best for Mei.
Fuu~~~
She exhaled softly.
Then turned to leave.
Mei followed silently by her side.
That feeling—
[It's not even that sad… but it's so sad.]
[Did no one notice the chapter's called "A Beautiful Moment"? The devs said it was beautiful, okay? Why aren't you smiling?!]
[???] n
The chat flooded with confused question marks.
And then Elysia's voice came again.
"Look, it's the carousel!"
"I once imagined making it part of a Flame-Chaser team-building event… but in the end, I vetoed it myself."
"Because there are only twelve horses. The one left out would be really sad, right?"
"But today, we don't have to worry about that…"
She suddenly paused. Her voice dropped.
"But… that empty seat somehow feels even lonelier now."
Players: ???
Dev team!!
Is this how you write a chapter called A Beautiful Moment?
You really—
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