MGSFV?! Chapter 543: miHoYo, Always So 'Considerate' at Critical Moments; There Will Always Be Someone Who Chooses
[...]
A very practical problem.
Some want to move forward.
Some want to stay where they are.
Both will always exist.
And yet—
We often find that the rewards earned through the sacrifices of those who moved forward...
Are ultimately enjoyed by those who chose to stay behind.
There are plenty of such examples.
As bystanders, we may feel a little conflicted.
But—
Setting our feelings aside—
Many of those who once chose to forge ahead did so knowing full well that such things would happen.
That humanity always repeats the same mistakes.
And still—they moved forward.
Otherwise, there would be no rallying cries.
In times of crisis, someone will always believe in the future of humanity.
In that glimmer of hope.
After all—
They are able to make that choice today because others once chose to believe.
The predecessors believed.
Their children believed.
So now, they believe that their children's children will believe too.
These things don't even need explanation.
No need for examples.
History stretches long—just look around.
[We're not them. Our situations are different. Even if I say I would, maybe I wouldn't. Even if you say you wouldn't, maybe you would.]
[So you're just... stating an empty truth?]
[Yeah, caught me （） But at the very least, I believe—someone will. Even if the fire burns them, there will always be someone drawn to the flame. That resolve will never vanish.]
[...]
...
Back to the story.
After Theresa and Seele left the second dreamscape, the system prompted another character switch.
But because of how heavy the second dream was, many players chose not to switch to Kevin right away—
Instead continuing down Theresa's path.
Let Grandpa Kevin rest a bit—he's worked hard enough.
Let our young-looking, 50-year-old loli take the lead for now.
???
The third dreamscape—
Once again, completely different from the previous two.
Waves lapped gently against a beach.
The warm midday sun bathed everything in lazy light.
Tiny huts dotted the distance—not lavish—
On the contrary, they were so simple that they didn't even feel like part of a beautiful dream.
[Classic Seele happy beach vibes.]
[But no sign of her usual companions.]
Not yet, anyway.
Even though Bronya was currently acting with Kiana and Mei—
Seele's companions weren't limited to just Duck.
"So there are dreams like this too... it feels so real... But if that's the case, why would someone need a dream to make it happen?"
That was Seele speaking.
Upon entering this dream, Veliona had gone quiet again.
She only stepped out earlier because she couldn't stand how Seele had tried so gently to reason with that woman.
[Only one possibility. Even this ordinary scene—for the dream's owner—might be beautiful enough.]
[Following the pattern so far, this dream must be for the elderly... I've got a bad feeling.]
[Stop! No jinxing ourselves. Let's reject the "self-cursing" trend, starting with you and me.]
...
So what was the situation, exactly?
"Just standing around guessing won't help. We'll have to ask the dream's owner directly."
Theresa decided it was best to act.
Seele nodded in agreement.
They walked toward the distant huts—
And there, they encountered an old woman.
"Hello, excuse me—"
Theresa greeted her politely.
But the old woman's response took everyone by surprise.
"Oh... the two of you. You've come to persuade him to wake from the dream, haven't you?"
Wait—
She knows this is a dream??
Theresa & Seele: ?!
"You... know this is a dream?"
This was one of the few moments where it made complete sense for Theresa to use formal speech. She's fifty. The woman in front of her is probably over eighty.
Ahem. Back on topic.
The shocking part wasn't just that the woman knew this was a dream.
She also knew—
"Heh. That's right. But I'm afraid... I can't help you."
"This isn't my dream. I'm just someone imagined up by the real dreamer. After all—when you're old, you get a lot more afraid of being alone than when you're young."
[She knows even that?!]
[To Theresa and Seele, this might as well be breaking the fourth wall.]
[A narrative can "break the wall" without actually breaking the fourth wall.]
Just like the players were saying—
Looking at the kindly old woman, Theresa and Seele were rendered speechless.
Like playing an RPG, where the hero barges into a villager's house to scavenge for supplies—
Only for the villager to suddenly say: "Hey, could you not rummage through my stuff?"
They just wanted a hint.
Instead, the old woman revealed the dream's biggest secret in a completely unexpected way.
No wonder they didn't know how to react.
But...
Who said that was the biggest secret?
What the old woman said next hit like a hammer—
Slamming down on the heads of both the characters and the players alike.
"...If not for this dream, he likely wouldn't have long to live."
...Huh?
"What?"
"Before arriving here, he had been bedridden for years. Even the doctors said he wouldn't make it through the fall."
The old woman continued matter-of-factly:
"Everyone sharing this dream with him... is in a similar situation."
"So, I have a question for you—"
Theresa & Seele: ...
Players: ...
Both the characters inside the game and the players outside instinctively began counting down in their heads.
Even though the woman hadn't finished her question, they already had a feeling.
That she was about to place a painfully harsh dilemma before them.
"For those who still have hope... leaving the dream is a blessing for the brave."
Her gentle voice now weighed like a mountain.
"But—"
What about those with no hope? Those close to death?
"What about people who have no future?"
Should they be awakened too?
...
[...] *N
Even though the woman was calm, kind even—
Her question felt ten times more terrifying than facing a thousand Herrschers head-on.
How do you even answer that?
These elderly dreamers—unlike the children and adults before—have no future left.
Why force them back into a dying body?
[Let the dying have their dream, no?]
[But what if the children and adults do wake up and want to move forward—yet the elders hold the dream back? Is that okay?]
[Didn't you say earlier that the elderly make up a small percentage? That they wouldn't affect the outcome anyway?]
Whether the Interlink had memory or not was unclear—
But the players certainly remembered the earlier arguments in chat.
The wild theories. The emotional debates. None of that had faded.
[What if, though? What if they're the missing percentage? The odds are small—but can we gamble the entire species on that?]
[You've said both sides now... Isn't this just a trolley problem?]
It's hard.
Really hard.
The more you think about it, the heavier it feels.
To the point where you don't know where to start.
Don't know how to answer.
And so—
When the old woman pointed them toward the dream's real owner...
Theresa and Seele looked at the frail old man, flickering like a candle in the wind—
And couldn't find a word to say.
After a long pause, Theresa finally let out a soft sigh.
Well—
Let's at least go talk to him.
It's better than doing nothing.
"Hello."
"Why hello there, young ones."
Theresa: "..."
She once again fell into silence.
All the lines she could normally say—
Even if not perfect, at least meaningful—
Now stuck in her throat.
Because every single one of them sounded like—
"Are you willing to sacrifice yourself... for humanity?"
Some might think it's fine to ask.
Theresa, however, felt it was moral coercion.
Songs of humanity's glory deserve to be sung—
But not in a way that forces others to sing them.
So even after scouring her vocabulary—
She still couldn't form the words.
Only silence.
Players, too, understood her pressure.
Gradually, the stream's comments thinned out.
Everyone stared at Theresa, at the old man—
Brows furrowed. Lips pursed.
...
"Heh."
In the end, it was the old man who broke the silence.
"No one's visited me in a long time. Come, sit. I don't have anything fancy, but I've stocked up on plenty of treats for the young."
"Thank you, but we—" Theresa stumbled mid-sentence.
"No need to be so formal. A meeting is fate. You've come this far—let me be a proper host."
"Really, we can't stay long. We don't want to trouble you..."
"Because this is my dream?"
"??"
"Ha! Don't underestimate this old man."
What was the saying again?
He's eaten more salt than you've eaten rice.
"A quiet beach. Sitting with the one I love, side by side, from dawn to dusk, listening to the waves..."
He paused, voice tinged with emotion.
"...To me, this dream is far too luxurious."
"When I was young, I made many mistakes. Wasted too much time. And now, lying in a hospital bed, clinging to life with machines—only now do I understand how precious the ordinary really is."
He turned to Theresa and asked seriously:
"I would give everything I've ever earned, to trade for this false dream—
And even so... you still plan to wake me?"
"..."
Theresa and Seele fell silent again.
Here, miHoYo was extra "considerate" and added on-screen narration—
Which led players to unconsciously murmur the lines to themselves.
"The two fell silent. Faced with such a heavy question... they could no longer speak..."
But the longer they whispered, the more they realized—
It wasn't just two.
Three. Four. Five...
Countless people now sat frozen. Unable to breathe.
Until—
Two very familiar, rowdy voices rang out.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
"No way! We agreed—whoever gets there first gets two cupcakes!"
...
[That's... Rosaliya and Liliya??]
[Just hearing their voices, I almost lost it. I was on the edge of tears already.]
[Those two little chaos gremlins...]
Not just the players—
Theresa and Seele, too, were affected by their infectious energy.
Especially watching them rush over, half-crying, half-laughing, tumbling into their arms—
The tension instantly lifted.
"Pfft~~"
Theresa quickly stifled her laughter—
They were still talking about serious matters with the old man, after all.
But—
When she turned to glance at him, she saw he was grinning even wider than she was.
"?"
Something seemed... off?
The old man studied her expression for a moment.
"Haha. All right, all right. I won't tease you anymore. Seeing such lively youth always makes me want to mess with you a little—test your resolve. Forgive this old man's mischief."
"?"
"Seems like it's time for me to wake from this beautiful dream, too."
"??"
But waking from the dream means...
Theresa's thoughts were written all over her face.
The old man smiled even more warmly.
"I've lived over eighty years. I've tasted nearly every flavor life has to offer."
"But these young ones—they're different. Full of life. Full of hope."
"To trap such youth in an unchanging dream... that's far too cruel."
"This world—
The old must step aside.
It's time to leave the stage to the new generation."
[...] *N
No one expected that.
That the old man himself would say it was time to wake.
Even knowing he'd return to a hospital bed.
Even knowing he'd be paralyzed.
Even knowing he had little time left.
No—
They had expected it.
They'd said so earlier.
That in times of crisis, someone will always make that choice.
Even if they couldn't, someone else would.
Yes.
There will always be someone...
[So in the end, the ones who move forward—leave their sacrifices for those who stay behind. Heh. Heh. (self-deprecating)]
[But even knowing that, they still choose to do it.]
Perhaps this was resonance.
The story—already so complete—offered one final turn, one final extension.
"No, sir. We're not here to persuade you to give up the dream. I think... this dream, in itself, is not wrong."
"The ones who lost their way were those who gave up on the future long before reaching the end."
"Sir, I believe in you. Just like you took care of those two sisters—maybe you could help take care of some other young people too."
Theresa made a suggestion.
She hoped the elderly here could visit the second dreamscape they had passed earlier.
Maybe offer some support.
"Pfft~~"
The more she thought about it—
The more interesting the idea became.
"Hahahaha..."
And yet—
Why did the laughter slowly give way to tears?
Especially as they heard—
"Very well. It's time we showed the young ones what real backbone looks like."
"We didn't live our lives in vain."
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