Mereo, Fuego, Leo, and I had dinner together, and I told them all about the mission I had just completed. While they were still happy about my mission, I slipped in the Nozel incident, which Leo started recounting. I told him not to say anything about Solid because that was worse. Mereo-san laughed about it and said she was glad somebody at least tried to pull the stick out of his ass. I should have known she would enjoy that. Fuego was not too thrilled about it but recognized that it had a positive result, so maybe it was worth it. I talked to Leo for a good chunk of the time after dinner before heading to my room. It felt good to be back home, even if only for a night.

I woke up early to get back before everyone at the Base made their way into the living room. Leo insisted on taking me back so I wouldn't have to bring back an extra broom, but I knew he was milking the spare time. I said goodbye to Mereo-san and Fuego then we set off. It took about an hour to get from the castle to the Bulls Base. I hugged Leo, said goodbye, then went into the Base. Vanessa and Gordon were the only ones in the living room. However, Vanessa was only there from passing out the previous night. I said hi to Gordon, then made my way to my room, where I slept for a few more hours.

I woke up to someone knocking at my door. Vanessa popped in and told me that Captain Yami and I were summoned again to see the Wizard King, and they will be sending a spatial mage to get both of us in thirty minutes. I suddenly was in a bit of a panic, wondering if it was about the Nozel incident. Still, that wasn't serious enough to send for me urgently. I quickly wore my best clothes and sprinkled water on my hair so I could tie it up in a puffy ponytail. I would have to deal with the tangles later. I met Captain Yami in front of the Base, and as we waited, I started asking for hints.

"It's not about the Nozel thing, is it? Did I go too far by taking his magic away? It was only for thirty minutes. It's not Solid, is it? If he drank water, he should have been fine," I said in a worried voice

"Yeah, I don't think it's about that. It might be related to your past."

I suddenly had a sense of dread as my parents' faces on the last day I saw them flashed before me. I reflexively touched my earrings. I furrowed my brows and decided to hold back tears. I wouldn't think of the worst-case scenario and just think of anything else. The spatial mage showed up and opened the portal to the castle. Instead of going to the Wizard King's office, we were led down a set of stairs to the dungeons. A man was strapped to a chair in the center of the room. Most of the Magic Knight captains and Mereo-san were standing around him. It was something to do with my past.

Mushroom head started speaking and said the man was a bounty hunter from Hino working without authorization. He had been sent to look for a girl with golden skin and long curly hair, then report any news back. He had managed to gather and relay information saying that I was a Magic Knight but hadn't known which squad I was in. They assumed that since I was a strong mage, I would either be in the Golden Dawn, Crimson Lions, or Blue Roses, so those Bases were under watch. The man had also revealed the secret that I had been hiding from everyone except Mereo: my magic potential. He told them my parents probably taught me to suppress my magic to avoid detection. It was higher than elf magic and unique enough that anyone trying to sense mana from me would know it was different.

"Just how high would that be if you were using your full magic?" Yami asked.

"When I go talk to Henry, I can only stay for an hour before he starts taking in too much with no effect on me. Also, last year when two elves attacked our home, I was the only one that took them down. Sorry I didn't tell you, Fuego." I said apologetically.

"No need to apologize. Mereo let me know."

"And how have you been suppressing it?"

"I can't show all of you because I don't trust all of you. Didn't you have two captains working with the elves, and no one knew? The one with the pretty mouth is still a captain. A good number of the captains left themselves open for the elves. Nozel has a thing against foreigners. This is my life on the line here, and unfortunately, I have zero trust in most of you. I can show you, but I can only show the people I feel are trustworthy."

"We would like to see it. Who would you want to leave?"

"Let's see. Pretty mouth, Baka, blondie, sleepy, the new guy, mushroom head, and the painting one can all go. The grasshopper is a commoner and never got possessed, so he's good. My mother said anyone who can be possessed has a weak soul, and weak souls are vulnerable to temptation. No offense."

They all shuffled out of the room and left everyone I hadn't called out. I showed the remaining people how I expelled mana from my body into a sphere. I then let it float and break down into smaller spheres that I sent to everyone in the room. I made sure to miss the restrained man, but the rest felt a bit of a surge in their magic.

"Most of the time, I just let it float away."

"That's a fascinating skill. That's advanced mana control for someone as young as you to have mastered."

"It was a matter of survival, so I had no choice. I apologize if the area around the Bulls Base showed high mana. It's just a thing I have to do."

"Given the context, that's understandable."

"Was there anything else he mentioned?"

"There's a higher bounty on you, so there's a chance more might arrive."

"And…"

"You're the last of your people, so your price is high." There it was. The thing I knew was coming, but I was hoping not to hear.

"My dad?"

"Sorry. Him too"

I didn't want to believe it, but I knew it was true. I had too much hope in the possibility of seeing them someday. I couldn't feel anything but anger and sadness. I could kill him, and no one would know. I could pool his blood and watch him die. But I couldn't do that. I fell and screamed, releasing my magic, then let my mind go blank. My parents were gone, and I was the last of my people and the last remaining Nakamura as well. I couldn't remember anything after that. I woke up in my bed at home. I remembered what had happened, and I suddenly found myself crying, and I couldn't stop. Mom and Dad were gone. I was all alone in the world in more than one sense.

I started thinking about the last thing my parents told me before I left. "Keep our legacy alive and stay strong. Find a home." I had to move on from the grief and honor them by being brave. I managed to crawl out of bed, took a cold bath, washed my hair, and brushed my teeth. I didn't realize someone had walked into my room. I came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around me to find both Asta and Leo sitting on my bed.

"Hi," I said as I walked to my closet, got my clothes, and walked back to the bathroom. My hair was a huge, tangled mess, so I decided to have the guys do it. I got two combs from my vanity table and handed each one.

"I need help. Just start from the bottom and make your way to the top," I said as I sat on the floor between them and tucked my head into my knees.

"Thanks for coming and putting up with me," I told both of them. "How long was I in here for?"

"Just a week," Leo said

"I guess I have to stop feeling sorry for myself and get back to life. I'm not honoring them by sitting here, being miserable. Asta, do you mind leaving tomorrow? I'll go back with you."

"No problem!"

They both eventually combed out my matted hair, and I fixed it up to make it shiny again. I managed to get myself down for dinner and even talked to everyone. I told Mereo-san and Fuego-san that I wanted to go back to the Bulls Base, and I'd go back with Asta so that I was not alone. Leo decided to tag along as well since he wanted to make sure I got there well.

The following day, I was feeling a lot better. I wanted us to leave in the afternoon, so I decided to check in with my friends at the Crimson Lions to let them know I was doing fine. From there, we set off for the Black Bulls Base. I rode with Asta while Leo rode his broom.

"I wish you didn't have to go. You always know what to say to cheer me up", I told Leo.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you. I'll be worrying about you. How about whenever we're not on a mission, I'll come over and spend the day with you on Saturdays, then I'll still get to see you and make sure you're ok". He hugged then held me on his chest.

"You'd want to do that?"

"Yeah. It would be just like before when I would go home to see you, except this time, it will just be here".

"That's really sweet of you, Leo. I'd like that. I guess I have to go in there now".

"I know you'll be fine. I'll see you on Saturday".

"Ok. Thanks for taking care of me".

"Anytime. Besides, that's what friends do, right".

"Yeah." He kissed my forehead then released me from the hug.

It was always comforting to have him around. I took a deep breath before going through the door because I didn't care much for pity, and I knew that was all that was waiting for me on the other side.

"Nervous?" Asta asked.

"No. I just hate pity, and I know that's all that's waiting for me on the other side."

"You can hold on to my arm if you want?"

"Thanks, Asta. And thanks for being there for me. You and Leo were lifesavers."

Leo POV

Asta and I had been taking care of Sayuri in shifts all week. It was tough to see her in bed with a blank look in her eyes. It was even worse when she started crying on the fourth day and didn't stop for the whole two days. I remember Mereo saying there were days she cried because she missed her parents but not like this. On the sixth day, we both checked on her. We found she was out of bed, so we waited for her. It turns out she was taking a bath, and she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in her towel. As much as she had been crying, she still looked beautiful. She got her clothes from the closet and went back into the bathroom to put them on. She came back and sat between Asta, and I then asked us to help her comb out her wet hair. She used to let me do this once we started getting along, and I couldn't help but feel jealous of her asking Asta to help too.

She decided she wanted to go back to her squad the next day since she didn't want to sit and feel sorry for herself. Hearing about her last mission and seeing how she handled Nozel, I couldn't help but admire her. When she first moved in, I was just a dumb kid and didn't really make her feel welcome. Eventually, we started getting along and became friends. I found myself in love with her at some point, but I was trying to build up the courage to tell her. I always thought I would have more time, but she joined the Black Bulls and started liking Asta, so I knew I was too late. I asked Mereo about what to do, and she told me I might complicate her life if I tell her now since I missed my chance. All I could do was be there for her as her friend. I wanted to take her back to the Black Bulls Base with Asta so I could see her one more time before going back. I told her that I would try to start visiting her on Saturdays to hang out, and she agreed. I hugged and held her, then kissed her forehead. I wished I would have still been holding her. I looked back at her once more and saw that she was holding on to Asta's arm while they went into their Base. Once again, I was disappointed with myself for missing my chance.

Sayuri POV

Asta may have told everyone that I didn't want to talk about everything that happened because they never brought up my parents. I also started getting missions again. I noticed that I was getting sent into more four-person missions instead of the typical three-person missions. Nozel also somehow decided to help me train with mercury magic. It may have been due to a combination of pity, guilt, and a bit of fear that I would take his magic away again. He was surprisingly not as terrible as I thought he would be. He got a stick up his ass, but aside from his little othering problem, he was not awful. I was also happy that Asta wanted to hang out more. I still kept my Saturdays free to hang out with Leo whenever he didn't have a mission. Leo was always a breath of fresh air to be around and continuously made me forget everything that was going on. I remembered being in love with him before but knew he wouldn't be interested since I wasn't a royal, so I moved on.