It was the summer of second grade.
I had nothing else better to do during summer vacation
than lie on the kitchen floor and turn in circles using my legs.
It was a crazy thing to do, but I was fascinated by it.
If it were to be given a name and made into an official sport,
I would have been one of the most promising athletes.
Of course, that never happened.
Akio.
Let's go buy a game.
Until then, no matter how much I begged, Dad had never bought me a video game.
I don't know what happened that day that made him buy me one.
This one!
MANAGER'S PICK
Final Fantasia?
It's Final Fantasy!
What's this?
Oh, boss battle! I'm going to kick your butt!
You can do it! Go!
Are you sure it's okay? You were so against it before.
Sometimes, it's okay.
Just a little more! You can do it!
Come on! You can do it! Fight harder!
One more time!
This time I'll win for sure!
Nice!
Oh, come on! Fight harder. No way.
Great, I can make it.
What?
Okay.
Good.
Dad?
Akio.
This is pretty fun, isn't it?
Final Fantasia.
It's Final Fantasy!
Don't go that way. Turn left.
If you turn left and go up the stairs, you can reach the grand tower...
Ever since that day, I've got hooked on the game.
And Dad did as well.
"Start your adventure, Warriors of Light."
So, we're Warriors of Light.
Leave this to me.
EPISODE 1 A RELATIONSHIP REBORN
Many years have passed since then.
I'm an adult now.
But even now, some things still haven't changed.
Aru,
thank you for everything again today.
Aru, thank you for everything again today.
I'm going to bed now!
Good night, Maidy.
Good night. See you tomorrow.
As you can see, I'm still playing Final Fantasy.
On the other hand, some things have changed a lot.
I don't know since when,
but I hardly ever talk to my dad.
I'm going.
See you later!
When was the last time my father and I spoke?
Sorry for taking such a long vacation.
It's fine. Are you sure you're okay now?
Well, I guess so.
Show your parents that you care for them while they're alive.
They say it's too late to show them you care when they're gone.
-It's very true. -That's for sure.
-Oh, Fumi! -Yes?
Did you change your hairstyle?
You noticed? I think this gives a better impression.
-Yes, it looks nice. -Thank you.
It's very pretty.
Okay, back to work.
Hello? Mom? What is it?
What? Dad did that?
INABA
I'm done. I'm going to take a bath.
Okay.
What's going on?
Why did Dad suddenly quit his job?
I don't know.
"I don't know"? Come on, Mom!
No matter how many times I ask, he won't tell me.
That's just how he is.
But, still...
Your father is already 60 years old.
I feel so much better
after I started to consider it as a slightly early retirement.
The mortgage was completely paid off as well.
Kimiko, there's no towel!
Okay!
Hold on a second!
-Kimiko! -I'm coming!
I have absolutely no idea what Dad is thinking.
I've never really understood what he's thinking,
but how can he quit his job without talking to his family about it?
It's making me angry.
I'm sorry to talk to you guys about this,
-but... -I understand. It would bother me too.
So...
Why can't you just ask him?
Well, I'm not really sure how to talk to him.
How did things turn out like that between you two?
Come to think of it, it must have been triggered by that time.
Wow! I can go here now!
Wow! Awesome! Maybe I can go down there now too.
I can leave too.
Okay!
Division Manager? That's great!
-Congratulations. -I've got to work very hard.
-Sure, you should. -Hey, Dad!
Today, Cid modified Enterprise for me!
-Did you hear that, Dad? -Akio.
I'm really tired.
Listen to me, Akio.
You should spend less time playing games and start studying a little.
Got it?
It was a real shock.
I don't know if that was the direct cause,
but since then, he and I haven't talked much.
But...
From now on, you'll have time to go on adventures together, right?
You mean, I should invite him here?
If you keep your identity a secret and make friends with him,
he might open up to you.
That's a good idea!
What? Yesterday?
-Was he laid off? -No.
In fact, he was in the running to become the next company president.
But he quit anyway.
That's quite strange.
He's not the type who talks to his family a lot.
I have no idea what he's thinking.
To be honest,
It's only recently
that I started to realize how much I didn't know about my father.
A guy who came to Dad's funeral told me this,
"Your dad loved talking about his family at the office."
It surprised me.
I had always thought
he didn't care much about our family.
Well, it's probably like that for every family.
Fathers are usually the difficult ones to understand.
When work is going well at his company,
he doesn't have time for family, or takes frustration out on his family.
Then when work isn't going well,
he's suddenly kind to his family.
Hey! What's going on here?
This is Dad's retirement present.
Retirement present?
I got a game that I thought you might like.
I see. It's Final Fantasia.
That's right, Final Fantasy.
If you would like,
why don't you try it?
I've played this game a little before, so I can help you out.
If you don't like it, you can just quit.
I thought
it would be nice for you to have a hobby you can just enjoy from now on.
Okay.
I guess you're right.
You see,
with this kind of online game, you connect to the Internet
and play it with people all over the world.
In this world, people around the globe are playing just like you are.
All the people you meet in the game
are real people somewhere else in the world.
That makes me feel kind of shy.
No, there's no reason to be shy.
That's just the way it is.
So, what name do you want for the game?
You shouldn't use your real name for online games, so make up a name.
Okay.
PLEASE WRITE YOUR CHARACTER NAME.
All right, Inoue.
What? Whose name is that?
I mean, that's what I want for the name.
Inoue.
PLEASE WRITE YOUR CHARACTER NAME.
Can't I call myself Inoue?
No, it's okay,
but wouldn't you rather have a name similar to that of a movie character?
I mean, you'll be saving the world, after all.
In that case...
What?
So, should I go toward the exclamation mark?
Yes, that's right.
Just call me and let me know
if there's anything you don't understand.
Okay.
I'm jumping.
Listen up, everyone!
My father is here in Eorzea right now.
Here's my plan.
My father will meet me, Maidy, a beautiful blond woman.
As we go on adventures together,
we'll talk a lot and learn about each other.
We'll build a relationship where we can talk about anything.
Then, at the end of our journeys,
we'll fight the most powerful boss, Twintania,
and win!
When that's over, I'll reveal my true identity.
By that time, I'm sure I will be able to understand my father better.
I understand your plan, but are you sure it will work?
What?
It's a long journey to get to Twintania.
Do you think your father will continue until then?
That's why I need everyone's cooperation.
If we can get him to see
that life in Eorzea is fun, I think it will work just fine.
-So, please... -All right.
Leave it to us.
Eorzea is our world.
We'll stick with him until the end so he never gets bored here.
Akio, can I ask you something?
Sure.
Well, you see, I was wandering around
and ended up in the forest outside the town. I'm worried.
Should I stay inside the town?
You'll be fine.
There will be monsters,
but they aren't strong ones, so you can easily defeat them.
Don't worry.
Okay.
Is that your father, Maidy?
That's right.
It looks like he's going outside.
I'll follow him and see how he's doing.
I never imagined this day would come.
Your father is in danger!
"Danger"?
What?
-What kind of danger? -Just come over here!
What could he have come across here?
Look over there!
A Treant Sapling!
No way! Its level is too high!
In this way, Dad will die!
Chest!
It's me, Dad.
Just like back then,
let's go on an adventure through the Final Fantasy world together!
Are you all right?
What?
Do you think... Maybe he...
What?
A minute ago...
I was about to die, but someone came and saved me.
Was that someone from somewhere in this world?
Yes, probably.
Well, I wanted to say thank you.
But, I didn't know how to do that.
I was thinking that might be a problem.
Here, have this.
Does everyone use one of these to talk?
Yes.
If you'd like to continue playing,
I'll connect the keyboard for you.
Do you want me to set it up?
If you set it up, I would appreciate it.
This game...
is pretty fun.
Really?
That's great.
Dad of Light Project!
This is my project to invite my father
into the Final Fantasy XIV world, a place that I love,
and go on spectacular adventures with him while concealing my true identity.
It's my way of showing my father that I care for him!