KonoSuba: Spec Ops

by Canneroc

A teen with no friends died stopping a robbery. What happened to him next was not what was he was expecting. Given another chance to live again, he was sent to another world to save. His powers? Access to all weapons and equipment from the game "CoD: Modern Warfare 3". By his side was also a former loner which became his most trusted partner, and maybe more. (OCxYunyun)

6. Home

Disclaimer: I don't own KonoSuba or Call of Duty or anything I might say in the story.

KonoSuba: Spec Ops

Home

At the Inn

It was evening, Mark was just walking up from his sleep. Twelve hours had passed since he attempted talking down the Destroyer, he didn't remember what happened next then. As he sat up he saw that he was in his room at the inn and wondered why. He was not wearing his armor or had his weapon on him, but saw them at the table in the room. He was currently wearing a black shirt and military pants.

'Why am I here? Wasn't the Destroyer supposed to go here and level the place? Hmm… Well it was either that it changed direction or someone actually took it down?' Mark thought. As he was about to get up, he just noticed that someone was holding his hand. He looked at the side and saw his partner sitting on a chair beside his bed. She rested her head on the bed as she slept.

"Yunyun?!" Mark voiced, accidentally walking up the girl. She sat up and he saw her face, puffy and red probably from crying. The girl stared at the boy for a few moments before realizing that she was awake.

"Hmm… M-Mark, is that y-you?" Yunyun said in a weak voice, wondering if she was back in reality or still in her dreams.

Mark smiled at her as he replied, "Who else would it be?"

"Mark…" Yunyun started to tear up. Before Mark could even ask why she was like that, he was greeted with an unexpected reaction by her.

"YOU IDIOT!" The girl shouted at Mark as he was met with a strong right hook by her. He really wasn't a punch from his companion after walking up.

"That hurts! Why would you…" Mark didn't finish due to suddenly being hugged tightly by Yunyun.

"Why do you always do reckless things! Try to think about what the people around would feel! I thought I'd lost you!" Yunyun cried out.

Mark's heart was in pain when he heard that. He hasn't really thought about it. He didn't have any friends back then, much less people who care for him. The only people who did were his Parents, but his mother died and his father was always away at work. This actually the first time someone outside his family actually cared how he was.

"I-I'm sorry. I made you worry again. Thank you for looking out for me. I'm really lucky to have a friend like you." Mark said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Yunyun pulled back from the hug and looked him in the eyes, seeing his sincerity in his words. "Can you tell me what happened when I was out?"

Yunyun nodded and began to explain everything to Mark. From how he got Mana Deprivation and almost died, to the destruction of the mobile fortress by the adventurers. The Delta Squad's time limit had already passed and now are gone for now. He thought that he should summon the squad at a later time for better detail on what happened. For now the boy was relieved that everything turned out alright.

"I see. Oh yeah, you said that you cured me from the mana deprivation thing. How did you exactly do that?" Mark curiously asked.

The mage girl flinches at his question and looks away for a moment. "A-Ah that! Well y-you see, I used a mana potion to replenish your magic." She replied with a slight flush on her face.

"Really? That's all?" Mark asked with a hint of suspicion on her. Yunyun just hesitantly nodded. She seems like she won't give in that easily. Well, Mark thought he could always ask Delta Squad.

Mark then remembered that there was a quest to submit. "Oh right, have you reported the completion of the quest back at the guild."

"No, I haven't. I was here all the time waiting for you to wake up…" Yunyun informed but then realized how it sounded like. "Ah! Because you know, we're teammates after all! We need to report together." She awkwardly laughed at the end.

"I see. You have a point." Mark agreed with her logic. He looked at his table and saw the knife they found. "Oh yeah, we also need to appraise the blade we found at the cave."

"L-Let's go then." Yunyun said, seemingly escaping the embarrassment. She stood up and walked out of the room. Mark took his rifle and pistol before following behind.

Adventurers Guild

"Okay. I had confirmed your completion of the quest. Here's your reward." Luna said after finishing looking at the two adventurers cards. She was impressed by how fast they finish a difficult quest, and not many would want to do it. "And here is additional for completing the quest quickly. Keep up the good work you two!" She cheered.

The two then split the reward equally like they usually do. Before they left the counter, Mark brought out the amethyst colored knife and offered it to Luna. "Here, we found it at the wyvern's nest."

Luna took the blade and took a look at it. "I see. It seems like a magical blade. But I'm sorry, I don't know what kind." She was sadly informed as she gave the knife back to Mark.

"I see. So… Why are you giving it back to me?" Mark tilted his head in confusion.

"Why you ask? You found it, right? The quest was about clearing wyverns only. There was no item retrieval or anything added. So anything you find is yours, lots of adventurers often do. Think of it as a bonus." Luna explained with a smile at the end.

Mark couldn't argue with her about that. It was just like in those games he played before, stumbling upon a rare item. He took the blade back and hid it back in his knife carrier. He then looked around the guild and saw that the adventurers were more rowdy that usual.

"They sure are having fun, must be because of the town being saved, I guess?" Mark speculated.

"There is that, but the other reason is because everyone who participated in taking down the Destroyer gets a small compensation." Luna informed, then remembered something about it. "Oh right, I heard from some of the adventurers that two men with clothes and weapons just like yours helped. Do you know them perhaps?"

Mark knew that she was talking about Truck and Sandman. "Yeah, actually I summoned them by my skill. Like those wizards that summon golems for help." he said while scratching his head.

"What?! You can also summon?! I thought you were a… Wait, I don't even know what your class does anyway." Luna said in surprise. "If what you say was true, then that means you also kinda took part in the Destroyer subjugation. Wait a second, let me get your compensation." She took a few coins of eris and gave it to Mark.

"I see, thank you. So where are the ones that actually defeated the Destroyer?" He curiously asked, wanting to meet the heroes that saved the town.

"Oh you just missed them, they went home pretty early this time. They seemed to be exhausted from the battle after all." Luna informed him.

"Is that right? Well, I'm sure we'll meet some other time then." Mark bowed to the receptionist and left, thinking what kind of adventurers they were. He then headed towards one of the tables with Yunyun. They ordered food and ate for the night.

After eating, Mark felt that someone was staring at him. He looked around the guild and stopped when he saw someone flinch when he made contact with them. The person was a man who wore normal clothes just like a common villager. He was sitting alone by a corner. Seeing that he had been found, the man got up and walked toward the boy.

"Good evening, I'm sorry for disturbing your dinner. My name is Grant, I was observing you for a while now and may I ask, is that a gun?" The man pointed at the M4A1 Mark was carrying around. This made the boy wary, not many in this world should know what a gun is, not unless they were reincarnated, and the man didn't look like it. He thought that maybe older guns like muskets had been made here, but he hasn't seen one around yet.

"And why would you know what a gun is? From what I've seen, it hasn't been invented here yet." Mark said, looking suspiciously at Grant.

"You don't have to be wary of me. My great grandfather owned one too, and the reason I am talking to you know is because of his will." Grant informed while gesturing his hand that he was harmless.

"He owned one?! What was his will of his then?" Mark was surprised when he heard that. He was thinking that maybe his grandfather was a reincarnated here like him. If he was, what did he want with him?

"I'll tell you the details tomorrow, please come and meet at this place." The man handed Mark a map of the town with a marked place. The man left but not before saying a few words. "See you then."

Mark looked at the map closely and saw that it was really close to where the shooting range they fixed. He was carefully thinking if he should go or not, where the odds of going are high. There was a clue on finding a fellow reincarnate and maybe he has related powers like him. Chances of a trap were low considering it was inside the town but still he had to be cautious. He snapped out of his thoughts when Yunyun called him.

"Mark. So are you going there?" Yunyun asked, also thinking it might be dangerous. She also wanted to come along but was embarrassed to ask, which mark noticed.

"Yeah. So do you want to come with me? I might need your help if something goes wrong, you did save my life." Mark offered, making the girl joyful.

"Can I?!"

"Of course! You are my partner after all. Yunyun, a user of advanced magic and future chief of the crimson mages!" Mark said in a grand tone with his hands up, flustering the girl.

"S-Stop it, you're embarrassing me!" Yunyun whispered loudly.

"Why? I think you should be proud of it, I am. I think I'm quite fortunate to have you as my companion though. And if one day you do become the chief, I could proudly say to others, "Yunyun? Ah she's my adventuring partner back then." with a smile." Mark said with a satisfied look.

"E-eh? You've even thought that far ahead? It makes me happy that you think of me that way. But..." Yunyun was fidgeting while she stopped.

"But?" Mark asked as he tilted his head, curious about what she was about to say. Yunyun only shook her head and smiled back.

"Nothing. Let's head back to the inn, we are still going for a jog tomorrow morning right?" Yunyun stood up and prepared to leave.

Mark looked at his watch and saw it was getting late. He also stood up and replied to Yunyun, "You're right, let's go."

As they left the Adventurers guild and walked back to the inn, Yunyun was deeply thinking about what she was about to say. 'But… what will become of you by then? What are your plans for the future? There are still so many things I don't know about you.' But what her thoughts were really asking that even she wasn't aware of is what will become of them when that time comes.

At the Inn

Before Mark went to sleep, he decided to look at the available skills he had now he is level 20. He sat on a chair by a table in his room. He noticed that he leveled up while he was unconscious, probably because the Delta Squad defeated something while he was out (The golems of the Destroyer taken out with Air Strike). It seemed so as if his summons defeated something, he would acquire the experience points for himself.

When he checked his card thoroughly, he saw a new skill category opened up called "Call Transport" and new skills from "Air support Armory" and "Equipment Armory". He used the former and a Hud opened up like the ones from his weapons and equipment. To his surprise, he saw names of vehicles that he was familiar with.

*Call Transport

-Motorcycle(Dirt Bike)/5 skill points

-Snowmobile/5 skill points

-Jeep Wrangler/7 skill points

-M1026 HMMWV (Humvee)/9 skill points

-GAZ-2975 (The Russian Humvee)/10 skill points

-Locked (Level 25)

-Locked (Level 30)

…

Right now, he currently has 21 skill points available. He plans to take the GAZ-2975 for now, because he remembers how big and bulky they look. It can carry five people and 1000 kgs of cargo, not including the driver. And another reason is because he always wanted to ride one.

'Okay, now I've unlocked it, let's see how much mana it will cost. It must cost a lot… What?!' He was caught off guard with the requirements on summoning the vehicle. Sure, it did cost a lot of mana, but what was bewildering was that it had two summoning options. The first one was to call for one normally and had a time limit like Delta Squad, hours equivalent to level. The second one was to summon it permanently. But it cost money! Precisely five million eris!

Mark stared at the Hud for a while, thinking where he would get more money. He really likes the permanent one but he currently had four and a half million eris, thanks to the wyvern quest. It was not enough to summon one, and even if he did get the additional half million eris, he wouldn't use it all at once. That would leave him broke. So right now he decided not to interfere with it for now.

The next thing he did was check on the "Air support Armory" category, then followed it with the "Equipment Armory"

*Air support Armory

-Precision Airstrike (6 skill points)

Call in a deadly airstrike of a series of three bombing aircraft for instant explosive support across the designated area.

-Attack Helicopter (7 skill points)

An Attack Helicopter enters the airspace and immediately starts picking off enemies in the open. Last for 30 minutes.

-Strafe Run (8 skill points)

Call in 5 Attack Helicopters to sweep the indicated area with massive firepower. The Strafe Run will make the sweep through the area 6 times.

-AH-6 Overwatch (8 skill points)

The AH-6 flies in and provides personal protection, tailing your movements and opening fire on targets in the open. Last for 30 minutes.

-Recon Drone (9 skill points)

Call in an Orbital Recon Drone and control if where you want it to go. It shows the position and direction of enemies in red arrows with a refresh rate of one second. Last for 10 minutes

-Reaper (9 skill points)

Control a Reaper UAV from a laptop that carries fourteen AGMs (Air to Ground Missiles) that you can guide via laser sight on the Reaper drone.

-UGV Assault Drone (9 skill points)

Call in a Heavily Armed Assault Drone by airdrop that carries a minigun and an automatic Mk 47 Mod 0 Grenade Launcher on it. The grenades replenish automatically after a short duration of time. Active for a day or until destroyed, whichever is sooner.

-Locked (Level 25)

-Locked (Level 30)

…

*Equipment Armory

-Smoke Grenades (4 skill points)

Enable you to create 4 usable smoke grenades.

-SAM Turret (7 skill points)

Deploy a SAM Turret to lock down air space in the vicinity, knocking out any flying enemies.

-Machinegun (9 skill points)

Create an M2 .50cal machine gun that can be mounted on a tripod. Best emplaced on places with cover.

-Mortar (9 skill points)

Deploy a usable mortar emplacement, enabling you to make long range siege attacks.

-Locked (Level 25)

-Locked (Level 30)

...

Mark didn't want to use one for now. Instead, he invested in passive stats that would benefit him in future quests. At the "Perks" category, he went and got the "Recon" and "Blind Eye" perks. Each of them cost 5 skill points, leaving 1 left.

Recon perk can make him locate the enemy faster and easier. It could also bring up an enemy's location and direction he's facing, knowing their exact location, after you injure him with flash and explosives, marking them. Marked enemies can also make allies know their location. Pro version can make him mark enemies with bullet hits. This is unlocked by marking 120 enemies.

Blind Eye perk can make his presence harder to detect by the enemy. He is also completely undetectable by flying units and guards, not unless firing an unsuppressed gun. Pro version can make launchers fire faster and make his damage against flying units and guards twice more effective. This is unlocked if he kills 80 of those types of enemies.

After that, he just got to his bed and went to sleep. He still had to jog with his partner after all.

Next Day

Mark woke up around 5 am. him and Yunyun did their morning jog, which they try to do two to three times a week. After that, they ate at the Adventurers guild before proceeding to the location where Grant told them to go. While walking, they passed by the shooting range they fixed. It was only a five minute walk from there.

When they arrived at the place, they stood before a large two storey house located at the outskirts of the city. It had a beautiful garden at the front with a small fountain. Just at the further right side of the house was a barn-like structure made of flagstone. But the designs were different compared to the ones that are commonly seen in this world.

However, Mark recognizes the style of how it was made. It was how european houses were designed. It has steep roofs, subtly flared curves at the eaves and are faced with stucco and stone. Typically, the roof comes down to the windows. The second floor was also the roof, which typically is the attic. And the barn was not really a barn, the boy knew it was a garage or workshop.

'Now I'm fairly sure the man who owned this was not from this world.' Mark thought as he gazed on the beauty of the property, even Yunyun admired it. But their attention was caught when the door from the house and someone came out, it was Grant.

"Ah, I'm glad you came. Please, come in." Grant greeted her with a welcoming gesture. The two followed while the man showed them to the living room. Mark had his guard up due to still being suspicious to the guy.

The inside of the house was fancy as it was outside. It was decorated as an old country house would be. Grant asked them to sit at the couch of the living room as he told them he would get tea. The two sat beside each other on a couch.

Mark familiarizes himself with the surroundings, and gets him gazing upon a flag that hangs above the fireplace. It looked like a combination of the Nazi German flag and an altered version of the Holy Roman Empire flag. But instead of having a two-headed black eagle on a golden background, it had a double-headed dragon on a red background. He knew this because he read a book about german history in his free time. Because you know, he didn't have any friends to spend time with.

"I see that you have taken a liking to it." Grant said while he came in holding a tray of tea.

"Yes… it's quite a strange sight…" Mark replied, taking a small glance at it before focusing his attention on the man. "Anyways, let's get to the point. Why have you called me here?" The way Mark spoke put a little tension in the air that made Yunyun gulp in anticipation.

"Okay okay, calm down kid. I'm not here to put harm to any of you two. To put in bluntly, I want you to have this house." The man said with confidence.

"Uhm… Can you repeat that? Funny, I thought you said that you want me to have this house…" Mark chuckled before taking a sip on his tea.

"That is right. I want you to take ownership of this house." Grant clarified, making Mark spat his tea out in a comical way.

"Haa?! What made you think that I would believe what you said?! And even if it's true, why would you just give me a house?! A darn great house at that." Mark voiced, trying to clean off the tea he spat out.

"You're right! This man has been suspicious from the moment we met him. No one would give a house for free!" Yunyun joined in, placing her hand on the pistol holstered on her waist.

Grant tensed a little seeing the two might attack him. He raised his arms up to sign that he was harmless. "Calm down you two! I have a perfectly good reason for this."

Mark put his hand on Yunyun's shoulder, signaling her to stand down. "Okay then, tell me." Mark asked in a composed tone.

"S-Sure. You see, this house belonged to my great grandfather, Harald Schwarzkopf. He wrote a will before he died. He asked that his lineage would take care of the house until we found someone who wore a strange outfit like he had and carried a gun. If we did find that person, he said to give them the house and everything in it along with the letter. The letter had a message written for the person we find." Grant explained, handing the letter to Mark.

"Let me see." Mark took the letter, seeing the words written in front of it. He read what was written aloud with an accent that Yunyun never heard before.

"Min Soldat der anderen Welt"

"You can read that Mark?!" Yunyun gasped, surprised that his partner knew such language.

"I knew you were the one kid! Even I can't understand it. What does it mean?" Grant said, eager to know the translation.

"Yes I can read it, but only a little bit. This is written in German… It means, "Fellow soldier of the otherworld". I think I'm starting to get it now." Mark informed. He opened the contents of the letter and saw the message Grant was talking about. But sadly it was too hard for Mark to translate all.

"This settles it! You are the person we were waiting for. This place is rightfully yours." Grant said with an earnest look. Mark stared at the letter for a moment before looking back at the man.

"Ah… I don't know what to say. I mean, won't you miss this place?" Mark said, concerned that the man might lose his things.

"Hah! I promise you kid, you're doing me a favor for doing this. I have a job and family at the Imperial Capital. I may not look like it, but I am a Knight." Grant informed, standing tall and proud.

"This place was supposed to be maintained by my Father, but he passed away a week ago. I'm only on a leave and will need to return back to the capital soon. But no else but me in the family is left to take care of this place." Grant looked down with sadness.

"I'm sorry for your loss…" Mark said, giving his sympathy.

"Don't be, he died with old age and wanted to meet my Mother again. He had no regrets and lived a fulfilled life." Grant grabbed Mark's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Please young boy, take this off my hands and fulfill my great grandfather's will. I mean, there is nothing to think about. It's a free house!"

Mark didn't have any problems with owning the house, in fact it would help him alot. The Inn is fairly expensive to stay in and he heard the most adventurers sleep in stables. But he still has his doubts about taking the place for free.

"Okay okay! I'll take the house." Mark said, making Grant very delighted to hear it. "So, you want me to help you pack your things before I move here or something." Mark awkwardly asked.

"No no, everything here is now yours. And don't worry, we already inherited the riches our great grandfather had. We have a quite decent house back at the capital. This place and everything in it was specifically reserved for the man we were waiting for, that is you." Grant informed, before remembering something important. "Oh yeah, come with me for a second. I want to show you his gun."

"Y-Yeah." Mark followed, still taken back from all that is currently happening. Yunyun, who kept quiet all along, decided to go with the two.

Grant led them to the study located on the second floor. The room had a single chair and table with bookshelves behind the seat. At the corner of the room there was a large safe. The man unlocked it and took the gun out, which he handed to Mark.

"This is… a Mondragón rifle… And this version was used in the First World War. Mainly used as an aircraft weapon due to being unreliable in muddy conditions. This is a very old gun, surprised to see one here." Mark said, making Grant and Yunyun confused with the brief history he told. "Can you tell me more about your great grandfather to me?"

"Sure. My father used to tell me stories about him. He said that she met my great grandmother at a forest. She was knight back then and was surrounded by the demon army's forces. He saved her before she was about to get killed. At first they couldn't understand each other's languages. But as time passed he learned our language. He became an adventurer and partnered up with my great grandmother. Eventually they fell in love with each other and you get what happened after." Grant explained, going back to the safe and getting another item.

Mark was hypothesizing what could have happened. Maybe Grant's great grandfather was reincarnated just like he was. The gun he had must be the thing he requested from the angel to support him in this world. If so, a single antique wouldn't be enough. There must be something else, he thought. Grant found what he was looking for and lent it to Mark.

"Here, this was his diary. I hope maybe this could be a help to you. My father said that my great grandfather was a powerful mage back then. He could even fly back in his adventuring days." Grant said enthusiastically.

Mark was shocked with the new information. 'A mage? I understand that using a gun in this world might be thought of being a mage, but he can fly?! No wait, maybe it is one of his requests from the angel? There are still things I want to know, perhaps the diary can help me… Of course it is in German.' He let out a sigh after looking at the contents of the diary. He was thinking how convenient it would be if he had a german to english dictionary right about now. His eyes wandered around the room and saw the thing he was asking for. Like a prayer being answered, the dictionary he needed was at the study table in the room.

"Uhm, Can I keep this?" Mark asked as he took the dictionary from the table.

"Of course. I told you, everything here is yours now." Grant nodded, hanging back at the door of the safe.

Mark was curious on what else the safe held. So he asked Grant to take a look in it, to which the man agreed. The safe had a divider that split its contents into two. The lower part had more space in it, making it able to fit the gun in a vertical position. He saw that there was a strange box like item with a black cross and red background printed in front. It had a large marble like object embedded in the top middle. The boy thought to ignore it for now because it looked damaged.

The upper part of the safe only contained one thing, a golden necklace with a large red pendant. The pendant was fixed in a golden platform that had a cross on the top, which was the thing that connected to the chain of the necklace. Mark took an interest in it and took it from the safe.

"It's okay to take this right?" Mark asked, knowing that he was told many times that he owned the place now. He felt something within the necklace, but didn't know what.

"Yes. If you don't have any questions for now then let me give you a full tour around your new home." Grant said, leading them to the other rooms. Mark nodded and followed him. Yunyun was thinking to stay behind but Mark offered her to come along.

The insides of the house were well-made. The first floor had a lot of rooms; kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, utility room and a hidden room. The second floor had a master bedroom, three normal bedrooms, the study and another bathroom. The house also had an attic and a secret path to the basement, which was really hidden. Grant gave Mark all the keys and combination lock passwords of the house.

Grant also showed the insides of the other building that looked like a barn. When Mark came in, he saw that it was really a garage. It had tools and other equipment. It was big enough to fit two large vehicles inside.

The three were gathered at the front of the house after the tour. After telling a few more things about the house, Grant was preparing to leave.

"That's all you need to know. I'll come visit you every now and then to check on you." Grant said as he started to walk away. After taking a few steps, he stopped for a moment and turned around to look at the two.

"Oh yeah. Even though there aren't any houses around. Don't get too wild alone together you two!" Grant laughed before continuing his walk.

It took a few seconds before Mark and Yunyun realized what he meant by that. The two looked at each other, making their faces redded in embarrassment

"No! It's not what it looks like! We aren't dating!" The two shouted back at Grant, while still blushing. The man just waved back at them while chuckling by himself, not even looking back. When he was gone, it left the two adventurers with an awkward atmosphere due to Grant's last words.

"S-So… you're going to start living here huh? I guess we're not neighbors anymore." Yunyun stated, thinking how she would miss being just at the next room of Mark. She wanted to continue being close to him as possible, able to go to the adventurers guild together in the morning and easily to reach any time. But it was fine with her, she could always come and visit any time, they were still partners.

"Uhm, Y-You know… you c-could…" Mark was stuttering with his words. Yunyun noticed that he was trying to say something but was having difficulty doing so.

"I could what?" Yunyun questioned, tilting her head a little bit.

"You could try living here too with me if you want…" Mark said in a soft voice. He, too, wanted to stay close with her a little more.

"Huh… What?!" Yunyun voiced, also making Mark flinch.

"Ah you know because we're companions after all! It's more convenient if we were to stay close together! But if you don't want it then…" Mark tried to explain himself while his hands flailed around.

"I-I'm okay with it! If you're fine with me staying here then why not?" Yunyun replied, looking away before looking back again at Mark. "And if I'm not around, who would help you if you did something stupid again."

"I-I see. That's great then…" Mark felt happy that she agreed with staying with him. He then realized that maybe she would think that he was up to something. "But don't get the wrong idea! I'm not don't have any ill intentions behind this! I won't do vulgar things towards you!"

Seeing Mark flustered over simple things, Yunyun giggled to herself and smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I trust you. I know you wouldn't do things like that."

Mark composed himself after hearing her say that. Before thinking of moving their things from the to the house, he remembered that he still had to appraise the magical blade he had. He also wanted the necklace to be identified too.

"Yunyun, before we start moving in, would you come and help me find someone to appraise these?" Mark asked, showing her the items.

"Sure thing" Yunyun replied, making the two go and look for a place to do so.

At a Magical Item Shop

The two stopped by a place where they heard that was owned by a well-known wizard that sells peculiar magic items. They say that she also participated in the Destroyer subjugation, contributing a great deal at the battle.

Entering the house, the two were greeted by the owner, Wiz.

"Welcome. My name is Wiz, How may I help you?" Wiz said with a smile. She then realized that Mark wore a familiar outfit. "Oh. Are you perhaps acquaintances of the two men that participated in the battle yesterday? I think their names were Sandman and Truck."

"Well kinda, they are my summons. I'm Mark Salazar, an adventurer here. Nice to meet you." Mark introduced, smiling back at her. Yunyun prepared to also introduce herself.

"My name is Yunyun. An arch wizard from the Crimson Mages clan." She said in a simple and polite tone, making Mark wonder why she did.

"Yunyun, I thought you were going to introduce yourself in a fancy way with a pose like you did with me." Mark commented, remembering their first meeting.

"I know our clan does that but it's really embarrassing for me!" Yunyun barked, pouting at his partner.

"Nice to meet both of you. I, myself, know a couple of people from your clan and often go to your town for business purposes…" Wiz said, turning to Mark's direction. "But you Mark, You don't strike me as a summoner."

Mark scratched his head and chuckled at her statement. "I get that often. My class is a bit hard to comprehend." He then took out the amethyst knife and showed it to Wiz.

"As to why we are here. Can you help me identify this blade? I found it during a quest, and it seems magical."

Wiz took the blade from Mark and made a closer inspection. She narrowed her eyes as she held the blade, remembering some sort of history with it. Giving the blade back to the boy, she started to explain what the item is.

"This blade is called "Shadow Edge". It was once the blade of a fallen king long ago, which his name had been forgotten. It was also used by an unknown assassin to slay corrupted nobles, only to have the kingdom erupt into chaos in the aftermath." Wiz informed, continuing the description.

"It can make the user invisible for 30 seconds, or until you attack or cast a spell. Has one minute cooldown. While invisible, you move two times faster and can move through anyone. Attacking to end the invisibility will deal 10 times bonus physical damage to the target, and for 20 seconds, disable their abilities and reduce all healing and regen on them completely. And you don't exactly need to use the blade to attack while invisible, a bow or other weapons can still have the effect as long as you have the blade."

Mark shivered after learning how powerful his new blade is. "W-Woah… Isn't this some sort of national treasure then?"

"Not exactly. In fact, some say that it is a criminal's weapon and can get you under suspicion by the authorities just by holding it. But don't worry, only high ranking individuals in the capital can identify it." Wiz said with a smile, not really relieving the concern of Mark.

"Uwah. This is risky to keep, but too of a waste to not use. I'll hold on to it for now." Mark hid the blade back in its leather sheath that he made. He then took out the pendant that he got from the house and showed it to Wiz.

"What about this, can you tell me about it?"

Wiz held the pendant and verified it. It took her a minute before she said anything.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. I do know that the red gem is a magical orb, but how it is made astonishes me. It is too advanced and complex for me to comprehend. The one that made this must be a genius in magical items." Wiz said, baffled that such an item existed in their time.

It didn't help Mark as it made him more curious about the great grandfather or Grant. He was thinking if the man was really a reincarnate like him or maybe something else. Taking the pendant back and hiding in his pockets. Before he could ask the price of the appraisal, he saw that Wiz was a little worried for a while now.

"Uhm, Is something wrong? You look kinda troubled." Mark questioned.

"Don't worry about it. I was thinking of my friend. Earlier today he was taken by the knights of the Capital for under the suspicion of working under the Demon King." Wiz informed, shocking the two.

"Eh?! What did he do to make them think that?" Yunyun asked, curious about what kind of act made that person an enemy of the kingdom.

Wiz then explained everything that happened. She told her that she was with the subjugation of the Destroyer. The mobile fortress was about to explode and was needed to stop. So the man ordered Wiz to teleport the core of the Destroyer into a faraway place. The downside was that the teleportation was random and accidentally teleported into a nobles house. But thankfully no one was there to get hurt.

"I see. But why aren't you also taken? Aren't you the one that teleported it?" Mark asked.

"You see, I was about to say that to them but one of his friends told me to lay low. She said that it was better if one of us takes the fall." Yunyun said, with a tint of sadness.

"I-I see. What was his name then?" Mark was curious about who this person was and thought how unlucky he was.

"His name is Satou Kazuma. And her party mates' names are Aqua, Darkness and Megumin. Perhaps you know them." Wiz asked.

Mark heard some familiar names. He met Megumin and Darkness once before, the former was Yunyun's rival. The latter was a female knight asking about his fight with the Enraged Ownbear. He didn't know about the Aqua person so he didn't think about her. But what piqued his interest was the guy, the one that got arrested, Satou Kazuma. He knew that it sounded Japanese, thinking that maybe he was also a reincarnation.

"Ah! Megumin! She already found a lot of friends?!" Yunyun felt defeated knowing her rival had more party mates.

"I like to know about this Kazuma guy, but for now I got everything I need to know. Can you tell me the price of the appraisal then we will be on our way." Mark reached out for his pocket to get some money. But the shopkeeper had more to say.

"W-Wait! While you're here, why don't you buy some items here? I'm sure you could find something useful!" Wiz brought out some items and showed it to Mark. "Here, try this potion. It can increase your mana capacity to high levels."

"Then. What are the drawbacks?" Mark was a bit skeptical, he had heard some rumors from the guild that the shop sells mostly defective items.

Wiz flinched with his question, like she was found out. "Well… It also causes the user to grow hair all over their body rapidly…"

"N-No thank you… I'll buy some other time. But for now…" Mark looked away, trying to avoid buying something unnecessary. But Wiz grabbed him in the arms and pleaded.

"P-Please! Buy something! Anything! I have a rent I need to pay and I don't have any money right now! I will be grateful if you did!" The shopkeeper was already on her knees, making Mark feel bad.

"Alright alright! I'll buy something!" Mark voiced, looking around to find a decent item. His eyes caught the attention of a small box with root patterns painted on it. He grabbed the item and showed it to Wiz. "How about this?"

"You're in luck! That is our last one and is an amazing item! If you open it, you can go to another world!" Wiz explained gleefully.

"I see." Mark replied, sounding unimpressed.

"Eh?! Why aren't you surprised?! It's another world, you know. Aren't you excited to be able to go to a place like that?" Wiz commented.

Mark wasn't excited at all, he already came from another world. "Hmm… So what's the drawback in this one?"

"Um… Other than the name, I actually don't know anything about the world you'll go to." Wiz informed.

"Huh?"

"You'll be able to go to the otherworld for about twelve hours. After that, you return back to this world… but lose memories of going there…" Wiz said, making Mark almost leave. "Wait, I beg of you! Everyone else turned me down."

Mark gave Wiz a suspicious look but still held the item in his hand. "Still sounds like a scam to me, I'll buy something. So…"

"Eh?! I'm sorry I don't know anything about it other than the name of the place being "Japan" …" Wiz said looking down.

"Japan?! I see… I'll take it then…"Mark's eyes widened upon hearing the location. His heart started to beat faster while holding the item. Yunyun noticed this and wondered why.

"Mark? Why the sudden change of decision? Do you perhaps know the place" Yunyun asked, thinking that it might lead to something in her partner's past.

"Yeah… But I don't know if I want to go back…" Mark said in a saddened expression. He didn't know what he would do even if he did go back temporarily.

"Let's go right now!" Yunyun mustered up the courage to say to him.

"Huh? You'll come with me? Why?" Mard wondered why she would suggest that.

The mage girl pouted at her partner, like saying does she need to say why. "Of course I would come! We're partners after all!"

"That's great you two! You'll help me out a lot." Wiz added.

Mark saw that his partner was determined to come with. Even if he turns her down, she would still insist on going. Plus, it would make him feel better if someone could accompany him going there. He removed his weapons and armor and put it at the sides.

"Wiz, can you hold on to our things while we are gone? We'll take it back when we're back." Mark asked.

"Sure, but why would you leave your weapons? Aren't you worried something might attack you there?" Wiz worried for the two's safety.

"Nothing bad will happen to us." Mark shook his head after removing his helmet. He still wore whis camo pants and combat boots, but only a black shirt for the upper. Yunyun trusted his words and also left her pistol behind. Mark then prepared to open the box.

"Okay then. Here, take this, it will help you to temporarily speak and read the different languages of that world. The only downside is that it only works there." Wiz gave a medicine tablet to the two. She waved at them before they disappeared in their world, going in another one temporarily.

"Have a safe trip."

Somewhere in Japan

Mark slowly opened his eyes, seeing the familiar sight of skyscrapers from a distance. The two were standing in a park, luckily no one was around to see them appear out of nowhere.

'Is this true? Am I really back in my world?' Mark's thought had a taste of regret due to having died young in this world. He looked around his surroundings and saw some familiar landmarks. 'This place… We're in my mother's home town.'

"Mark? Where are we? What do we do now?" Yunyun was a little bit uneasy, hearing strange sounds coming from all directions. Sound of cars moving, construction sites working and planes flying.

"You're right, what now?" Mark smiled at her to ease her concerns. 'She's right though. Due to my eagerness of coming here, I haven't thought that far ahead. For now, we'll go to that place.'

"Let's go visit someone I know, this place is relatively close. Oh and take the table Wiz gave to us, I can speak the Language here." Mark said, starting to walk to the direction of the said location.

Yunyun did what he said and took in the tablet, after that she followed Mark. 'I knew it. This world is somehow related to Mark, but what?'

A few minutes later, the two arrived at their destination. Yunyun was bothered by the things she was seeing, it was graves. They were at a cemetary.

"M-Mark, who exactly are we visiting?" Yunyun hesitantly asked.

"My Mother…" Mark answered in a flat tone. Yunyun knew that his mother was dead, he told her before. She understood what Mark wanted to do, he wanted to pay his mother some respect.

"It's not far now, it's just…" Mark stopped as he saw an old lady trying to get down the steep steps of the stairs. He approached her and offered his help, which the old lady accepted.

"What a nice young man. You remind me of my late husband." The old lady thanked the boy.

"Yunyun, go on ahead of me. Her grave is just on the right side of that tree over there. Wait for me there" Mark pointed at the noticeably tree up on a hill while he supported the old lady. It looked like it would take some time to help her.

"G-Got it." Yunyun replied, wanting to just accompany him but just went with his request. It took her only a few moments to arrive due to how easy the tree was to see.

Upon arriving, there was a man kneeling beside the grave Mark told her about, looking at the grave beside Mark's mother. He was well built and had a warrior aura around him. But Yunyun felt that the man felt sorrow, like he lost everything. Yunyun slowly approached the grave and stood beside the man. The man noticed her presence but just ignored her. The mage girl was able to read the written name on the grave thanks to the tablet.

'Let's see. "Salazar Yuki" This must be Mark's mother's grave. But who is this man standing in beside it?' Yunyun took a look at the grave the man was staring at and read it.

"Salazar Mark… Huh?!" Yunyun voiced, making the man hear her.

"Oh? Are you perhaps a friend of my son? I thought he didn't have any friends." The man questioned the girl as he stood up.

"Well I know someone that has the same name, but the one I know is still alive." Yunyun replied, wondering what was going on. She thought that maybe the Mark that was on the grave was relative of his that had the same name.

The man was a little disappointed upon hearing that. "I see. It was too good to be true anyway, him having friends. You see, my son was a loner and people tend to avoid him naturally. It was like a curse. No one besides family visited his grave. He was too young to deserve this."

Yunyun felt the sorrow in the man's words. She then unconsciously asked him a question due to pity.

"Do you mind me asking, but, how did your son die?"

"I don't mind. The way he died? It was no short of heroism. He died saving a mother protecting her child from getting killed by a thief. I couldn't be more proud… But I wished that he lived through it." The man's heart ached remembering his loss. "The name is Jake Salazar. What's yours, young lady?"

"My name is Yunyun. By the way, your story sounds kinda similar to my friend Mark. His mother died protecting him when he was a child from a thief."

"That's weird. That sounds like how my wife died. That's her there." Jake pointed at the grave of Mark's mother.

"Huh? That's the mother of my friend." Yunyun said in confusion.

"What?"

"What?"

"Yunyun! Sorry I'm late, the old lady wouldn't let me go. She kept telling stories about her late husband. But when she did, she gave me some candy." Mark called while admiring at the tasty looking candy he got. He froze when he saw her partner and the man stared at him intensely.

"Aah…"

"T-That voice… it couldn't be… A-Am i dreaming right now?" The man couldn't believe what he is seeing right now. To him, it was just all an illusion.

"Mark? W-What's going on here? Why is there a grave with your name on it? I'm freaking out here." Yunyun was shaking as she looked at the two males staring at each other.

"I-It's been a long… Dad. I didn't know you were here." Mark said, trying his hardest to look at his father in the eye.

The man's heart felt like it stopped, his legs went soft, his breath was becoming unstable. But then his blood boiled, anger took over him. Because there is no way it was true. If someone was playing a joke on him, he was not laughing.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT YOU FAKE! MY SON IS DEAD! IS THIS SOME SORT OF SICK JOKE TO YOU?!" The man raged, clenching his fist so bad that it started to bleed. "MY SON IS RIGHT HERE! BURIED SIX FEET UNDER!"

"Dad I…" Mark tried to reason as he came close. But his father didn't let him. The boy could understand why. The man's son who died just suddenly showed up like nothing happened. He would react like that too.

"D-DON'T YOU F*CKING COME CLOSE TO ME!... I S-SWEAR... IF YOU E-EVEN MOVE AN I-INCH…" The man's words stuttered and were heavy, even for him. His eyes were tearing up and his body started to shake. The man was usually calm and collected, being a soldier taught him that. But this? It was too much for him. "Is this punishment? Is this what I get for neglecting my family?"

"I don't think…" Mark was once again cut off by him. The boy took a step forward, making the man step back.

"S-Stay away! I k-know, I get it already! I'm a horrible father! I wasn't there to protect my wife, and again wasn't there to protect my son… I'm sure they hate me for it…" The man was brought to his knees by his own words. He couldn't keep his emotions in check. It was breaking him piece by piece.

"I don't hate you for it! In fact, I was proud of you and what you did. You're a soldier, you sacrifice being with your family in order to protect the country. Not knowing when will be your last mission. Don't you ever forget that!" Mark shouted at the end to make his point.

"You even sound just like him… If you really are my son, what was the last thing I said before I left for the army?" The man looked at the ground, not really expecting a correct answer.

Mark came in closer to his father, he touched his shoulders and kneeled down to his level of eyesight.

"You said, "No matter how difficult life will be, just keep moving forward and do what you believe is right." and then you gave me a pat in the back before you took off." Mark said with confidence.

His father looked at the boy and touched his face with hands still shaking. "Mark? I-Is that really you? How?"

"It is. It's a bit of a long story, I'll explain…" Mark didn't get to finish as his father hugged him with all his might, hurting the boy a little. The man started shouting as he cried as loud as he could. His body couldn't even handle the rush he was experiencing. Even men cry when they lose something. If you take away his family, then you truly left him with nothing to lose.

Mark couldn't hold it either, he hugged his father back and started to tear up too. "Dad… I'm sorry for leaving you…"

His Father didn't understand any of this, but he didn't care. His son was there, in his arms, living and breathing. If he was about to experience something painful in return, then let it happen. He already had, there was nothing more painful than a parent burying their child. He would take the most terrible punishment there is if it meant that everything that is happening now is real. HE WAS STILL ALIVE.

This lasted for a minute or two before the two calmed down. Yunyun watched the whole thing happen. Even if she didn't understand what happened, she was also affected by the emotions the two displayed. The two got back up and fixed themselves.

"M-Mark, mind telling me what's going on?" Yunyun hesitantly asked, earning the attention of the two.

"I would like an explanation too, Mark. But for now, let's go back to the house. I'll drive." Mark's father said, talking about the family house her late wife owned.

"That would be a good idea." Mark replied, following the lead of his father as they showed them the way. Yunyun was a little hesitant to follow, but Mark grabbed by the hands and led her. "Come one, trust me on this." Yunyun just nodded and let Mark escort him, not even letting go of his hand

Jake led them to his car and asked them to get one. Yunyun was curious as to how he would operate such a wagon with no horse. To her surprise, it started moving and when the father started the engine. He drove it on the road, making the girl see other machines moving just like the one she was on.

"Woah! Mark, how are these things moving? Is it magic?" Yunyun asked, face pressed against the window of the car. Mark's father was about to ask who the girl was, but waited until they got to the house.

"Nope, this is not magic. They are powered by engines, fueled by gasoline… It will be too hard to explain, I'll tell you next time." The boy informed, concerned on how Yunyun and his father will handle the information he will tell later.

"O-Ok… Woah, look at that…" Yunyun replied, continuing to gaze upon the unknown world she is witnessing. But in her mind was a different story. She was bothered by the conversation she heard from the two earlier. She kept her anxiety inside as she tried to keep herself occupied and not think about the possible reality she had yet to learn. That Mark died.

At Mark's home in Japan

Arriving at the family home of Mark, the group gathered at the living room and sat at the table. No one spoke seconds as they looked at each other nervously. Yunyun was the one that broke the silence and began to talk.

"Uhm, M-Mark… can I ask you something?" Yunyun said, looking intensely at the boy.

"Go ahead." Mark nodded.

"Your father said you died… W-What did he mean by that?" The girl asked, thinking the viable reasons. 'It is possible that he was revived by the arch-priest spell "Resurrection". But that may not be the case, this was a different world. And even if he was, then what was the grave that she saw with the name of her partner written on it.'

Mark looked at his partner with a saddened smile. The girl felt like she was not yet prepared to hear the answer, but she had no choice.

"Yunyun… I did die."

Yunyun felt chills down her spine and goosebumps all over her body when she heard him say that. She couldn't find the words to say what she wanted. Mark saw that she was troubled and spoke up. He started explaining from the beginning, from who he is to and where he came from. He did it so that Yunyun could understand his situation, that he came from another world.

Mark told them exactly what happened the day he died, trying to save a mother from dying, not letting a child experience what he had. He said he didn't regret doing it. He was glad that he succeeded in saving a life, but in exchange for his was not what he anticipated.

The next part of the story was the one the two got their full attention. Mark told them when he came to, he was in an empty place with an angel. He explained why he was there and what there was. A place to choose between being reborn as a baby with no recollection of their current memories or go to heaven and live there for eternity.

"If that were the case…" His father was about to speak up but Mark raised his hand, making his father stop.

"But I was given a third option… To be reincarnated in another world with my memories intact. In exchange, I was tasked to defeat the Demon King and his army." Mark informed, his father had his face filled with uncertainty. Yunyun just kept quiet for now, waiting for him to continue.

"Honestly, you don't expect me to believe that son?" Mark's father doubted, Thinking the impossibility of another world or Demon Kings.

"It may sound unbelievable, and also impossible for a normal human to accomplish. In order for me to do that…" The boy put his hand in front of him, seeming like he was pressing something. Suddenly, four flash grenades appeared in his hands. "... I was given a special power, a power to create military weapons and equipment in our world."

Mark wasn't exactly wrong, his powers are to create things that came from the game Modern Warfare 3. But it will be too long to explain if he did say that. His father went silent for a second. He believed everything that his son had said up until now due to what he had shown.

Mark then started to tell the stories about his life in the otherworld, on how she met Yunyun and all of his adventurers. They way he told it as if he were enjoying every moment he was in that world. The boy also explained that they were back in this world temporarily for twelve hours before going back with no memories of ever going here. He then turned to his partner and introduced her.

"Dad. This is Yunyun, a very powerful mage in that world. My adventuring partner, my savior, my friend." Mark introduced proudly.

"Hello." Yunyun bowed politely.

"I can't believe it…" His father looked down, thinking that it was almost impossible. "You made a friend?!"

"Huh? That's what surprised you?!" Mark voiced, wondering what his father was thinking.

"You can't blame me! For years, you never had a friend, no matter how you tried! Like you were ill-fated." His father argued. But kidding aside, his face turned serious before asking a question.

"So… Can you return back to this world?" The question made Yunyun flinched.

"T-There is a chance… if somehow I defeated the Demon King, I am given one wish. Maybe I could wish to go back here permanently." Mark informed, making Yunyun uneasy.

"I see." His father replied, thinking something deeply.

"Uhm, I-I'll go outside to get some air…" Yunyun said, getting up from her chair and leaving the room. Mark's father caught a glimpse of her expression before she left, a little down.

"S-Sure." Mark replied, not expecting her to say that.

Yunyun went outside of the house, leaving the two guys alone in the room. She thought deeply about Mark's situation, thinking that it was almost impossible to defeat the Demon King and might not get home. But that's not the part she was sad about, it was the part that her partner wanted to go home. What if there was a chance that there was another way to send him back home, then he will surely do so. Sure she wanted to help him out, but that means that one day Mark might leave her. The mere thought of made her heart arche. She didn't notice a tear was forming in her eye.

Back at the two guys at the room, Mark's father knew Yunyun's behavior was. And after hearing his son tell his epic adventures with her, he decided that it would be best for Mark that he stayed with her.

"My son, even if you get a chance to go back, why don't you just stay in that world?" Mark's father suggested, even though it pained him to do so.

"W-Why? Don't you want me back here again?" Mark asked, shocked by what his father said.

"I do! But do you want to go back here? From the stories you told me, you seem to be enjoying your life there more than you were back here. Are you sure you want to stop your adventures, your new life… Are you sure you want to leave her?" Mark's father told his son something to think about.

"I-I want to stay there… but… I want to be with my father too! Who will take care of you when you get old?! Who will…" Mark was starting to get emotional, conflicted with his decisions. He was thinking about his father's feelings, he just lost his family. But he also doesn't want to leave his new friend behind.

"Don't worry about me. Now I know you are just doing fine, that's all I needed. I don't get to spend time with you anyways due to my work, I want you to spend your life the way you wanted." His father smiled as Mark's head.

"A-Are you sure? This might be the l-last time that you will see me a-again…" Mark said shakenly, tearing up little by little.

"Yes. And I'm sure your mother would also love that…" His father was thinking what was best for his child. He didn't want to endanger him for trying to defeat a Demon King just to go back in the world the boy just died. He then reached for his wallet and took out a couple of thousand yen bill.

"Here. Now go to your girl and have some fun out, there is still before you go back right? Why don't you enjoy yourselves with a date and show her your world." Mark's father handed him the cash and grinned, telling him to have fun.

"Hah?! W-We're not dating or anything! We are just close friends, that's all!" Mark defended as he blushed.

Mark's father laughed so hard that he teared up a little. He saw his son in his adolescents, even able to take home a girl. Maybe a little too young, but he didn't argue. His wife was five years younger than him and worked out in the end. But he was just glad that his son was able to befriend someone.

"Go. You remember where the arcade center is, right? It's just close around here. There are also cafes nearby, treat her with something nice." Mark's father suggested, wishing that they have a good time.

Mark went outside to go speak to Yunyun. He saw her leaning against the walls of the house. Her face painted with grief turned to fake a smile as soon as she saw the boy. She tried to hide her low spirits for the sake of her partner. But the boy easily saw through all of it.

"Do you need something, Mark?" Yunyun said, still forcing her smile.

"L-Listen… while we're here, why don't I show you some fun places to go?" Mark asked, scratching his head while looking away. A little subconscious about asking a girl out due to what his father had said earlier.

"What about your father? Don't you want to talk to him more?" Yunyun replied, being considerate about the feelings of his partner.

"He said it's fine, and he was also the one that insisted that we go out. And we still have a lot of time, we could talk more later." Mark said, smiling at his partner. "Come on."

"O-Okay." Yunyun nodded, following Mark as he led the way towards the arcade center.

On their way there, Yunyun saw different kinds of stores and buildings tall as the capital's castle. But still, Yunyun's mind was still filled with Mark's goals. She walked beside him, stealing glances at him every chance she gets.

Arcade Center

Yunyun's eyes glittered as she gazed upon the different machines that she never had seen before. Boxed shaped machines with a crane and stuffed toys inside, monsters inside machines that were shot down by people, people stepping on glowing tiles, and many more.

"Mark, what's this place? It's so colorful!" Yunyun asked in glee, forgetting her concerns for a minute.

"This is an Arcade Center. This is a place where people go to have fun in this world. Come on, I'll show you some." Mark said, leading to her some machines. The boy exchanged some of his money for tokens in order to play.

Mark explained how to play each game that he showed. There was the fighting game, shooting game, air hockey, basketball shooting, etc… The two had fun playing with and against each other, enjoying each other's company. After going to most of the machines, Yunyun eyed the crane game once again. It was filled with stuffed toy of a strange yellow creature.

"Mark! What is that animal?! It looks so cute!" Yunyun asked, pressing against the glass of the machine.

"Ah that one. That is a fictional creature called P*kachu from the show P*kemon. Do you want to try and get it?" Mark asked.

"Yes!" Yunyun nodded fast, excited to get the stuffed toy.

Mark gave Yunyun some tokens and used it on the machine. He explained to her how it worked, considering how simple to understand. But it was hard to master, which frustrated the girl. Each time she would claw one, it would fall midway.

"This is too hard…" Yunyun complained as she gave up on her tenth try.

"These things are difficult at fault, don't let it get to you." Mark comforted, patting his partner on the back. He then took out a token and grinned. "Let me try."

Mark dropped the token at the machine, slowly and carefully moving the crane. Yunyun was having some doubts that her partner could get it, considering how many times she tried. The boy carefully analyzed the positioning of the stuffed toy. When he got the spot, let down the crane. It snatched the yellow creature and held on to it.

Yunyun's heart was beating fast as she watched the crane lift up the toy she wanted. When it reached the top without falling, Yunyun cheered happily. The crane started to move the stuffed toy towards the whole and released it, exactly on point.

"Incredible! You got it in one go." Yunyun rejoiced as Mark got the stuffed toy out of the machine.

"Here." Mark gave the toy to the girl.

"For me? Why? You were the one that got it." Yunyun tilted her head in question.

"Consider it as a gift for all the things you've done to me, for staying by my side." Mark unconsciously patted her head again, to the girl's pleasure.

Yunyun was delighted for a second before remembering why she was sad earlier. It was these moments that she wanted to continue. It was only a matter of time before he could find a way back to his home, leaving her behind. She held her hand on her chest, trying to ease the pain on her distressed heart.

"I wish we could do more stuff like these in the future." Yunyun said, hugging the stuffed toy tightly.

"What are you saying? Of course we are, we're partners after all. We're going to stick together for a while. There are still a lot of adventurers waiting for us." Mark said, smiling at the girl.

"Y-Yeah, y-you're right! We still have so many things we could do." Yunyun said as some of her concerns fade away.

'So what if he goes back and leaves me? That's no reason to be depressed. I just need to enjoy every moment with him so that I won't have any regrets. What matters is here and now. I don't want to make him worry about me by moping around." Yunyun thought as she steeled herself.

"I just wish we could have something to remember this moment by…" Yunyun said, remembering that they will forget everything that had happened here.

"Ah! I know how we can do that. Follow me!" Mark informed, showing her to a machine they haven't gone through.

Yunyun stared at the thing Mark was talking about. It had an entrance but inside was just a small space with a mirror on it, like a changing room.

"Mark, what is this?" Yunyun asked.

"This is a photo sticker booth. It can take a picture of us and print it out after a few seconds. We can also edit the surrounding of our picture." Mark explained.

"I-I see. That's amazing, able to draw a picture of us in seconds." Yunyun said, referring to the pictures back in her world. They were drawn and were commonly in one or two colors.

"I think you're thinking of a different method. Let me just show you, come on." Mark said.

The two entered the booth, paying the machine and started to pick. Yunyun was startled at first seeing their reflection on a small screen, but Mark told him how it works and calmed down. They had difficulty choosing different kinds of effects and frames for the photo.

After picking the designs, Yunyun accidentally pressed the go button and the timer started counting. They realized the frame was too large, making a small space for them to fit in .With little time to prepare, the two closed in at each other to make them fit at the picture. It literally looked like a photo of a couple.

When the picture came out, Yunyun was amazed at how detailed it is. It was exactly how they looked.

"Mark look! It's so high quality! Never seen one like it before." Yunyun's eyes glittered while she looked at their photo.

"Y-Yeah. W-We look good together." Mark said blushing, seeing how the picture came out. Yunyun looked at the photo again and realized why he was embarrassed. The picture can be seen as a lover's photo.

The two had their faces reddened, making an awkwards silence for the time being. It took a while before Mark said something to change the topic.

"H-How about we grab a bite somewhere?! I know some places that serve great food!" Mark asked in an awkward tone.

"S-Sure! L-Let's go!" Yunyun replied, also in an awkward tone.

The two then left the arcade and went to the place Mark suggested. It was a cafe that offered delicious food, especially desserts. The menu showed the pictures of what they sell. Some of them were also served in the world of Yunyun, but others were new to her. So that's what she ordered. She was at bliss when she tasted different kinds of food.

After being satisfied with what they ate, they decided to go back to the house. They left the cafe and walked together side by side. Yunyun was feeling a bit self conscious after remembering the photo, and started to remember more on what had happened.

'Isn't what we're doing all this time called a… d-date?!' Yunyun flushed, thinking that never in her life she imagined doing these stuff. But she didn't mind, in fact she was happy. Happy because it was Mark that was the person she was with. She then looked at the hands of the boy beside her. Her hand tried to reach for it.

'Just a little… wait a minute? What am I doing?!' Yunyun stopped herself from holding his hands. It was true that Mark sometimes does that but only to lead her somewhere. He was always the one that initialized it first, so she didn't have the courage to do so.

'Holding hands are for lovers! Get yourself together Yunyun. We don't have a relationship like that… but… we already kissed before… Aagh!' Yunyun was troubled getting her thoughts in order.

Little did she know that Mark also wanted to hold hands, thinking the same thing. The only thing he didn't know was that kissing part. After passing a few blocks, Mark realized something.

"Aah! I forgot our photo back in the cafe!" Mark voiced. He panicked and started running back to the cafe. "Wait for me there!"

"Okay!" Yunyun shouted back, seeing that Mark was already out of sight.

Trouble got the sight of Yunyun as three guys approached her. They looked good looking and dressed well, but their intentions were not good in the least.

"Hey there. You alone? Would you like us to accompany you?" The man with black hair asked.

"Woah! Look at her chest! It's like she's asking for it!" A blond man with ear piercings commented.

"Let's go to a karaoke joint." A man with long hair said, wearing a tank top to show his muscles.

The three men grinned on seeing a defenseless young woman all alone on her own. For them it was easy prey. They anticipated that she would put up some resistance but thought it was nothing they could handle.

"Y-You… want to be friends with me?!" Yunyun said excitingly, making her eyes glow red. This freak the three out but decided to continue.

"Y-Yeah. If you would come with us…" The brown haired man didn't finish as Yunyun denied them.

"I'm sorry. I have someone with me today, so I must humbly decline. But if you would like, we could still be friends!" Yunyun said, pissing the three off.

The longed haired man forcefully grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "We're not taking a no for an answer you know."

"That hurts!" Yunyun cried as she resisted the man.

Before it could escalate any further, Mark came running in and grabbed the man's hand off Yunyun.

"Mark!" Yunyun voiced, glad to see her partner. Her perception of him when he came in was like a knight saving a princess, making her heart skip a beat.

"Hey. What do you think you're to her?" Mark asked, looking at them with daggers. He looked calm on the outside, but on the inside he was containing his anger. They made the grave mistake of hurting Yunyun in front of him.

"We're just asking her out. And who are you, her boyfriend?" The man with the long hair man asked, removing Mar's hand from him.

"No, but she is a valuable person to me. So I'm gonna ask that you leave us be." Mark said, glaring at the three.

"Huh?! You're not her boyfriend right? Then buzz off!" The blond man shouted.

Mark just ignored him and turned his back on him. He started walking with Yunyun following, pissing the three off more. The man with the black hair reeled his right arm back for a punch, trying to hit Mark unnoticed.

But the man failed as Mark side-stepped before he could land a punch. The boy grabbed the punching hand and elbowed the man in the face using the momentum of the punch to power his strike, knocking the man unconscious.

"Too predictable." Mark said in a monotone voice.

The other two guys were baffled by the boys' reflexes. They wouldn't let the boy that knocked out their friend go unpunished. The blond man with the piercing threw a punch at Mark's face. But again the boy evaded it by ducking down. He used this position to strengthen his uppercut that he hit at the blond man, also knocking him out. His father didn't teach him self-defense for nothing.

"What a cliche development." Mark sighed, remembering that he saw the following action in some tv show before. He turned to the last guy and pointed at him. "You're next."

"Why you!…" The long haired man, which was the strongest of the three, used his speed to make a right hook at the boy. This time Mark didn't dodge and got struck with the punch. The man grinned in satisfaction as he landed a hit on the boy's face. But soon turned in a frown as Mark was barely affected. "Wha?!"

"Is that all you got?" Mark said, shrugging off the strike. Before the man could make another punch, the boy roundhouse kicked him in the face. It was so strong that the man went straight for the wall near them. "I guess leveling up does increase my strength."

A few people started to gather around them due to the commotion they made. Mark held Yunyun's hand and led her away from their current location. He sure didn't want to get involved with the police considering he is dead in that world.

As for Yunyun, the events that occured just left her mind as her partner took her hand once again. The racing beat of her heart pulsated under my fingertips, thinking how cool Mark looked earlier. She didn't if she could control her emotions any longer. They stopped near a public bulletin board, seeing that they were far from where they were now.

"I think no one should bother us here." Mark said, looking around if someone could have followed them. He tried to let go of his partner's hand but couldn't, his partner was holding it tightly.

"Uhm, Yunyun…" Mark didn't finish as Yunyun spoke.

"C-Can we stay like this for a little l-longer?" Yunyun asked, face making a pleading face. She wanted to hold hands longer, being bolder that usual. If they were going to forget everything about today anyway, she might as well be more daring towards Mark, which she didn't know she desired to do before.

"I-It's fine…" Mark was a little taken back by her partner's sudden behavior. He started to think that maybe she had feelings for him. But he didn't want to get ahead of himself, there was no assurance that she was. He didn't want to get the wrong idea.

It was warm, the feeling was warm. Being alone together was something they commonly do, but this time was different. A feeling that they would want to protect one another, help each other, be together. They stared at each other for a long time, not speaking a word. Their hearts, pounding so hard that they think that the other person might hear it.

They immediately retracted when a child came running around them. Feeling embarrassed being seen by others, they acted as nothing happened. But the child already saw it.

"Wow! Mama look, the couple here almost kissed!" The child said as he pointed at the two, making the two more embarrassed. The mother was just a few meters away and was occupied with her hand bag.

"Yuuto, come back here! We need to go home. Don't disturb them." The mother called.

"Okay!" The kid replied back. The kid looked at the two once more before leaving. "See you then… Huh? Onii-san, you kinda look familiar." the kid said to mark before leaving.

Mark was a little surprised when he took a good look at the kid. He also glimpsed at the mother and remembered who the two were. When the kid reached her mother, he held her hand and started to walk away. Mark smiled at the calming sight of a mother and child being together.

"Mama! I saw the guy that saved us before!" The kid informed, looking back at the teen.

"Is that so? I wished I saw him too, I wanted to thank him for everything… but sadly I can't." The mother said, regretting that the teen had died for them. She just thought that her child saw someone with a similar face and ignored it.

Mark felt relieved seeing the two being alright together. But at the same time, he felt a little jealous of the kid being able to be with his mother. Mark remembered how he and his mother were like that before, the moments were precious but painful to remember. Even though he was smiling, Yunyun saw the sadness behind the smile.

"Mark…" Yunyun tried to say something but didn't know what.

"Don't worry, you don't need to cheer me up. I'm fine." Mark spoke, knowing what his partner was trying to do. Before he could suggest going back to his house, he saw an eye-catching poster on the bulletin board beside them. Yunyun saw this too and read it.

"Hmm? Fireworks show? What's that?" Yunyun said, curiously looking at the poster.

"Well, a firework is a low explosive pyrotechnic used for entertainment purposes. Best used at night because it can light up the night sky in different beautiful colors. It is common in my world as a celebration of culture or religion." Mark said, seeing the date of the event was just a few hours in. "We're in luck, it's tonight. We still have time to watch it from start to finish."

"Can we?!" Yunyun excitedly voiced.

"Of course! But first, we need to go back home. I need to tell my Dad first." Mark said.

Yunyun nodded, smiling with delight. The two then went back home with no further distraction.

Back at Mark's home

After arriving, Mark asked his dad if they could watch the fireworks display.

"It's fine, I doubt that you would run into any trouble." Mark's father said, making him flinch due to having just encountered one earlier. "But are you sure you two are going to wear those clothes?"

"Why? What's wrong with them? Yunyun said, looking at her clothes if there were something weird on it.

"No, nothing is wrong with them. It's just that you have to wear the traditional clothes for watching fireworks shows here." Mark's father informed him while walking to the closet nearby and started searching through it.

"Ah, You mean a Yukata." Mark looked over to what his father was looking at.

"Yukata?" Yunyun wondered about the appearance.

"A yukata is a japanese clothing, usually made of cotton or synthetic fabric, and unlined." Mark informed.

The father found what he was looking for, it was two yukatas that were stored away for safekeeping. The first one was a male yukata, it was gray in color with a black obi sash. The second one was female yukata. It had pink color with light yellow floral designs. It also had a light yellow and white mixed color obi sash.

"It looks so pretty!" Yunyun said, admiring its lovely appearance.

"This was my wife's, she wore it back on our first date in Japan, we went together at a cultural festival together…" Mark's father said, remembering how enchanting that moment was for them. He handed the yukata to Yunyun over. "I want you to wear it. I'm sure my wife would too."

"Eh?! I can't possibly…" Yunyun tried to protest, but stopped when she saw the man smiling with a saddened expression. She felt that she couldn't refuse her partner's father. "... Okay then. But I don't know how to wear this."

Mark's father chuckled, "That's no problem. I know someone who could help you wear it. It is someone that knows how to do it by heart, my wife taught him after all. Right, Mark?"

"Hah?! You want me to do it?! Are you insane, I'm a boy!" Mark shouted, wondering what has gotten to his father's head.

"There's no one else here that knows how and you won't have time to look for someone else that could." His father said, poking his son in the face. "Come one, it's tradition. Don't you want your friend to feel the culture here?"

"I do… Argh! Alright fine! I'll do it!" Mark replied, failing to argue with his father's statement.

Before Mark could lead Yunyun to the other room to change, his father whispered to him and said, "Now don't get any funny ideas while helping her change."

"I won't!" Mark shouted back.

After that, the two were currently alone together in the other room. Mark asked Yunyun to remove her clothes and wore the yukata cloth over her body. Of course the boy faced his back on her so that he wouldn't see her stripping. It was a difficult moment for the two, the boy was literally distracting himself so that he wouldn't imagine anything inappropriate about her. The girl did what he said and told him when she was done.

"I-I'm done, y-you can look now." Yunyun bashfully informed.

"S-Sure." Mark replied, turning around and seeing a flustered girl covering herself. He went closer and started adjusting the yukata on her, trying his hardest not to accidentally place his hands on somewhere restricted.

"Can you raise your hands sidewards? I'm having difficulty getting the right measurement." Mark asked, continuing to find the right adjustment.

"Like this?" Yunyun did what she was told, not realizing that nothing was holding the yukata closed. The yukata opened up in front of Mark, revealing exposing to him the half naked body of his partner. Thankfully she still had her undergarments on, but it was still embarrassing for the girl.

"Kyaaa!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Mark apologized, graveling down on the floor. He could've sworn he heard his father laughing his head off from a distance. Yunyun wasn't angry, saying that it was not his fault.

A few minutes later, Mark finished helping Yunyun wear the yukata. It was a long and complicated process. She was impressed that the folds that were hidden under the obi sash, which was made like doing origami. She walked in front of a large mirror and verified herself in the outfit.

"W-Wow…" Yunyun was at a loss of words, she had never worn something so unique before.

"How exquisite…" Mark commented, staring at the beauty of his partner. His comments made Yunyun blushed. He, too, was embarrassed with what he said. He looked away to hide it and said. "I-I mean, you look good on those."

"Really? Thank you!" Yunyun made one of the sweetest smiles Mark had ever seen. Mark's heart started pounding like crazy, so he stood up and started to walk out of the room.

"I-I'm going to wear mine now. So please wait for me." Mark said, leaving the room as fast as he could.

Yunyun nodded and stood by in wait. She continued to admire the clothing she was wearing. It was something that her partner's mother wore when she was alive, making it invaluable. Her mind started to get filled with thoughts that maybe there was meaning behind this, nervousness corrupted her heart. A few minutes later, Mark came in wearing the gray Yukata.

"I'm done. How do I look?" Mark asked, satisfied with his work.

"You look great on those!" Yunyun replied, seeing how it fits perfectly with his grayish hair

"Y-You think so?" Mark said, scratching his head in flattery. Moment's later, his father came in while holding an instant camera.

"Ooh! You too are looking terrific! Now let's capture this perfect moment." Mark' father held out his camera while smirking. "I'm going to take three photos, one for each of us."

The two liked the idea and fixed themselves. They stood beside each other, faces with a hint of anxiousness. His father asked them to get closer before taking the shot. They agreed and slowly inch themselves closer. The man was chuckled while talking to himself, 'Yuki, they looked just as nervous as we were before.'

"Okay, smile!" Mark's father took the shot, printing three photos of it. After printing, he gave the other two pictures to the kids.

"Amazing! Another high quality painting, and from a small device!" Yunyun voiced, impressed by the technology she kept seeing in this world.

"Oh crap, it's almost time for the event! We need to go now if we want to find a perfect spot to stay." Mark said while looking at the wall clock. He took out the wooden slippers on the shoe rack and placed it on the floor. The two wore them and proceeded to leave.

"Have a safe trip you two." Mark's father said, waving at them as they go. 'How nice it is to be young.'

Nearing the Fireworks Display viewing site

It was a long walk from there to the said location. They walked slowly because Yunyun was still getting the hang of the wooden slippers. But when they were starting to get close, they saw that it was starting to get crowded. People dressed in different colors and designs of Yukata were walking towards the same place. Mark thought that if they pushed further it would see that it would be packed. He didn't anticipate that some people from other towns would come and watch.

"We won't be able to enjoy the event at this rate… Wait, I know somewhere we can!" Mark said, grabbing Yunyun in her hands as he showed the way. It was also an excuse for him to hold her hands. He had been stealing glances at her the moment they left. 'This is bad… I like her already, but now I think I'm falling for her.'

Yunyun followed the boy into a path where it was a little darker. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't accompany a guy into a dark place. But if it was Mark, she wouldn't hesitate. She trusted him more than anything in the world. Mark led her to an elevated area with lots of trees around. At first glance one would think it would be hard to see the fireworks from there. But when they continued walking, they ended up at a hill that oversaw the location of the fireworks display. They could see the people gathered to watch from up there.

At the same time they arrived, the first firework went off and illuminated the sky. It made an alluring display of colorful lights. More continued to fire and explode in the skies above.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Yunyun mesmerized by the sight. It was a breathtaking experience for her. Especially when she got to watch it with her partner.

"I know…" Mark replied. But he wasn't talking about the fireworks, he wasn't even looking at it. He was looking at Yunyun as the fireworks light's brighten up her face. If he could be given a choice to stop time and preserve this moment, he would surely do so. He was certain now, he was in love with her.

The noise the fireworks was making was getting louder and louder as more of them ignited. It was hard to hear anything if they spoke now. Using the opportunity, Mark said the words that were screaming in his mind.

"Yunyun…" Mark said but was not heard. When he continued to say the next words, the fireworks stopped at the same time.

"… I love you." Yunyun heard it loud and clear. Slowly, she turned her head towards Mark. The boy at the time froze in shock with the situation. He didn't expect that to happen.

"W-What… did you just say?" Yunyun asked, so surprised that her face was inexpressive.

"I… I said I love you…" Mark was thinking of saying something else, but knew it wouldn't work. She heard clear as daylight. So he decided to just tell the truth and regret it later. She would forget anyway so he wasn't so worried about it. But it was a different story if she would write it on paper and read it later when they get back.

"Sorry, could you forget that I said that." Mark asked, not wanting to make it awkward between them. He knew that most people would get revolted if someone was secretly having feelings for them and was trying to get close.

"I won't…" Yunyun replied with a serious face, then suddenly turned into a sweet look.

"Because I love you, too." the fireworks continued to fire again. Mark was the one dumbstruck by the turn of events. Both their hearts were pounding like crazy as they stared at each other with faces reddened.

"Mark, even though we met just a week ago. I could honestly say I love you. I love you Mark! I love you lots!" Yunyun shouted, tearing up little by little. She reached for his hands and placed it on her head. "So please… Don't leave me…" the girl cried.

Mark knew what she was crying about. She probably was afraid that once he found a way to go back to his home, he would leave her behind. But in truth, he really wasn't going anywhere. The moment he met her and made her his friend, he would stick with her for a long time.

"I won't leave. Not now nor ever. Remember what I said? I planned to have more adventures with you. And beside… Why would I leave the person I love behind?" Mark said, placing his fingers on the girl's cheeks, lifting it up.

Yunyun knew where this was going. So she closed her eyes and waited for the awaited kiss. She was a little shaken but nonetheless prepared for it. Mark was a little hesitant to steal a girl's lips. But he was ashamed if he kept a girl waiting, so he closed his eyes, went in and gave it to her.

Yunyun's lips brushed Mark's, softly, delicately, like butterfly wings, just long enough that he could inhale her breath and feel the warmth of her skin. The kiss lasted for a solid ten second before they withdrew. As he pulled back sheepishly he felt the breath of his partner exhaling out air, and his eyes opened to see hers shining bright.

"Yunyun, I love you." Mark declared once more.

"I know. I love you too, Mark." Yunyun happily replied.

"I guess this makes it our first kiss together." Mark said, laughing a little bit. But Yunyun flinched and looked away when he said that.

"T-That was not our first together…" The girl informed, afraid to say what's next.

"W-What do you mean by that?" the boy started to sweat, nervous with that she just said.

Yuyun told him about the time where he got mana deprivation and fell unconscious. In order to save him, she needed to make him drink the mana potion via mouth to mouth. When she said that she covered her face, embarrassed by not telling him earlier. She didn't want Mark to think of her as a dirty girl for kissing someone unconscious. Instead, she received a hug from him while receiving words of gratitude.

"Thank you again. I owe you my life for that." Mark whispered, making the girl almost squeal from the sensation of his breath blowing through her ears.

"I-I wouldn't let my precious p-partner die after all. I-If it's you, I won't l-let you go that e-easily." Yunyun stuttered, feeling the warm embrace of the boy.

When the two retracted, the girl gave herself a pinch on the cheeks. Checking if she was awake or even if this was reality for her.

"If this is a dream, then I don't want to wake from it." Yunyun said in a soft voice.

"It is not a dream, but it may as well be one. When we go back to the other world we will forget everything that happened here, including this moment." Mark recalled the conditions of the item.

"Even so, my feelings for you will not disappear. I'm sure one day we will realize how we feel for each other. And maybe next time I will be the one that confesses." Yunyun said, confident with prediction she stated.

"You know what, I also feel that will happen… But I think I will be the one that still confesses" Mark declared, the two laughed at together in joy.

After the fireworks show finished, the two went back to the house while holding hands together. However it was not like before, this time it had meaning behind it. They went to the event as friends, then came back as lovers.

Back at the house

"Let me guess, you two become a couple during the event?" Mark's father crossed his arms as he saw the two come back holding hands together.

"Yeah…" The two couple replied, not looking the man in the eyes.

"Well, I kinda guessed that you two would end up like that. Just like we did with your mother." The man smiled, happy for the two. But that smiled turned into a frown and continued. "But it's kind of sad that you would forget everything about it."

Mark just smiled back at his father. "We aren't worried about that."

"Oh? Why is that?" The man raised an eyebrow, curious about what his son might have come up with. "Are you going to write in a letter or something and read it when you return to the other world?"

"We are going to do that, but we aren't going to write the part when we confess to each other." Yunyun joined in the conversation.

"Hmm? Why not?" Mark's father asked, shocked to hear that.

Mark casually patted Yunyun's head as he replied to his father's question. "Because the way I confessed was by accident. I want to do it by saying it when I muster up the courage, not by some coincidence."

"W-We believe that we still can make ourselves realize our feelings for each other again!" Yunyun shyly proclaimed, nervous about saying it in front of Mark's dad. "But I think I will be the one that confesses next time."

"Haha. You think so? Well, Best of luck for you two then. So… I think you still have a few minutes left before you go… Want to talk a little bit more Mark?" The man asked, wanting to spend the remaining time that his son has with him. The boy nodded back and agreed.

"Well, I'll write my letter to myself while you two enjoy your time together." Yunyun waved at them before going to the next room. She also used the time to change back to her normal clothes.

The two sat at the table as they spent the remaining moments talking about things a Father and Son would. Retelling past stories that happened to them, having a few laughs and tears along the way. The more they've spoken together the more heavier the feelings grew.

"I sure wish Mom was here…" Mark opened up, lowering his head.

"You never know, maybe she is watching us now from heaven you spoke of." His father replied, giving a little courage to the boy.

"You know what Dad, I kinda feel that way too…" Mark stood up and walked towards the other room. "I think I should change and write my letter too, it won't take long."

When Mark left the room, Yunyun came out. She was already finished with her with her preparations and only needed to wait. Mark's father offered her to sit on the chair where Mark sat and talked together. The girl opened up and told the man about her life in the other world. She was delighted when Mark's father listened to her with interest. Nobody beside her partner ever paid attention to her when she told stories.

Mark's father spoke after she finished one of her stories. It was his first and last request to her. "Young girl, I know my son is a bit odd and stubborn. But please continue standing by his side, he will need it someday."

"S-Sir, what do you mean by that?" Yunyun tilted her head in confusion. She felt like he meant something deep by it.

"There will come a time where he will throw his life away just for the good of many. Sacrificing his own for others. When he breaks, when he feels like nothing will go right anymore, I need you to be there to set him right again."

Yunyun put her hand on her chest, troubled by the idea that her partner might do that. She knew him enough, she knew that Mark would likely do those things. "I won't let that happen! But if it ever did, I will always be by his side to support him!"

'Why weren't you born in this world? If you were and met him, he could have lived. You two would have dated, grown up together, got married and raised a family.' The man thought, thinking that she might've given Mark a reason to take care of his life more. He thought that it would've been nice to even see a grandchild before he died.

"You sure do love him, Yunyun." Mark's father grinned.

"Yes! I love him very much!" Just as Yunyun said that, Mark came into the room, hearing the last sentence. The girl started flailing her hand out of embarrassment.

"You love me that much? Gee, I don't know what to say." Mark scratched his head, acting shy. But in reality he was happy to hear those words.

Mark's father stood up and came closer to his son. It was almost time for them to go. The man gave his son one last hug before he will leave him again. His son hugged him back tighter.

"Dad, Thank you for everything." Mark said at the bottom of his heart. Thanking him not just from today, but from all he did from the start. From teaching from different things to making him the person he is today. He was not always there for him, but he was the best Dad that he could ask for.

The man reached for his pocket and took something out. It was a golden bracelet with a ruby attached to it. He placed it on Mark's hand and told what it was. "This is your Mother's family heirloom. It is a traditional bracelet that is given to the eldest male child to give to his lover as a sign of engagement."

"W-Wha? Why are you giving this to me?! I'm too young to get married yet!" Mark voiced, face red as a tomato. He looked at his lover and made her blush too.

"Just take it, you're our only child and no one else is going to pass the tradition. And I didn't say you should get married right away. Give it to your lover when you're ready. You even look at your partner when you say that. It's like you decided she was the one you're going to marry." The man laughed at his child's reaction. The two's faces flushed even more.

Mark took the bracelet and put it in his pocket, a little bit annoyed by his father's remark. A few seconds later, the two adventurer's bodies started glowing white. Some of their body parts started to fade little by little.

"Time is up…" Mark said, looking at his father one last time. "I guess this is goodbye, Dad."

"Really? Uhm, thank you Mister for everything!" Yunyun bowed at Mark's father as the light grew brighter and brighter

"Take care… Son." His father waved off before the two completely disappeared, tears flooded his eyes.

"I love you."

Wiz's Shop

The two adventurer's stood where they were before they left. Their faces looked unimpressed, feeling like nothing happened.

"Hey Wiz, Are you sure we left? How would we know if we even left?" Mark said, a little disappointed with the outcome.

"Wait Mark, Look! It's already dark out." Yunyun pointed outside the window, showing that it was already night.

Mark saw this and looked at his watch. Time did move for twelve hours. He also noticed that he was holding pictures and a letter. "Where did this come from?"

"I have them too…" Yunyun showed her that she also had them in her hands. She took a look in one of the pictures, accidentally raising her voice. "Eh?!"

"What's wrong?..." Mark also took a look at the photo, seeing that it was two of them acting like a couple. He was surprised about that too, but what really concerns him is that the other photo showed that Yunyun wore a Yukata. A yukata owned by his mother. And the place was taken inside his house in Japan. "What the heck?!"

One thing shouted in the minds of the two while gazing upon the pictures. 'What happened there?! I want to know!'

"Uhm. It's getting late, I would like to close up shop now." Wiz caught their attention.

"Oh sorry. I'll give you the payment now… Hmm? What's this?" Mark reached inside his pocket, touching something that wasn't there before. "A bracelet?"

Yunyun was still staring at the photos, especially the one where they wore yukata. She was charmed by the outfit, never seen anything like it before. What's more is that she and her partner matched. She withdrew from doing this when Mark called for her.

"Yunyun, here." Mark took the girls hand and gave her the bracelet.

"It's so pretty! Why are you giving me this?" Yunyun asked, surprised that her partner would give her something like that.

"I found it in my pocket, I think I bought it back in Japan so that I could give it to you. I think…" Mark was unsure why it was there, but he felt strongly giving it to his partner. Yunyun wore the bracelet and admired the gift.

"Let's go home."

After giving the payment, Mark and Yunyun decided to go home. To their new house, the one that was given to him earlier that day. They decided to read the letter when they reached the house. Walking beside each other under the moon sky, they felt something similar happened but didn't know when. And they didn't know why, but they had the urge to hold each other's hands. It made them more eager to read the letter.

When they reached the house, they immediately went to their assigned rooms after saying their goodnights. Obviously, Mark took the master bedroom while Yunyun was in the next room beside it. Anxiously, they opened and read the letter.

"Dear me…" Written in the contents were all the events that happened in the other world, well except for the confessing for each other part.

Mark's Overview

Current Level: 20

Basic Skills:

*Soldier's Daily Needs

*Refill Ammo

*Refill Ammo 2 (Can equip different types of ammo)

*Gun (Can use guns)

*Shooter (Great shooting skills)

*Sadist (Regain mana depending on killed enemy)

Spec Ops Skills:

*Weapons Armory

-Weapon attachments

-Five Seven

-Model 1887

-M4A1

-MP5

-M60E4

-USP.45

*Equipment Armory

-Frag

-Flash Grenade

-Claymore

-Body Armor (Intakes Damage, Still feels pain)

-Self Revive (Will go into a bleedout state instead of dying. Will be back to full health if somehow killed an enemy in a bleedout state.)

-Sentry Gun

*Air Support Armory

-Predator Strike

-Air Strike

-Delta Squad

*Call Transport (Summon a vehicle. Using mana for temporary spawn or Money for permanent summon.)

-GAZ-2975 (The Russian Humvee)

*Perks

-Extreme Conditioning (Sprint twice longer)

-Sleight of Hand (Faster Reload)

-Recon (Detects enemy faster and easier)

-Blind Eye (Harder to be detected)

*Items

-Shadow Edge (A dagger that makes the user invisible for 30 seconds)

-Unknown Pendant

Current Eris: 4,684,204.00

Again, thank you guys for giving reading this. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Stay safe guys