Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero

A Time to Celebrate

Kiryu leaned back against the castle walls, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't bother trying to enter with Naofumi and Raphtalia after the two returned to get their obligatory reward from the King. Kiryu thought they should have just left without it, but Naofumi was insistent on getting the money. He hoped that the King would part with the bare minimum at least, but he doubted it greatly after everything that transpired the night before.

Things certainly got crazy last night. Could have gotten crazier if it wasn't for those people in black stepping in. Kiryu narrowed his eyes in thought, remembering the masked men who'd forced the king to stop. I remember Harken mentioned that the Queen has all the power. She's the only one I can imagine being capable of making him stop. Still, the question is why?

Kiryu's thoughts were pushed to the side when he heard the front gate creak open. He pushed off the wall, seeing Naofumi and Raphtalia walking out, the former spotting an annoyed scowl.

"Hey." Kiryu called out, walking up to them. "How did it go?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Naofumi scoffed, walking forward to distance himself from the castle. "I almost didn't get paid, those bastards…"

"I'm surprised you did at all." Kiryu admitted.

"Even though they don't seem to be completely on our side, the Sword and Bow Heroes stood up for Master Naofumi." Raphtalia explained.

"Were they convinced by last night?"

"No. They were just satisfying their own egos. They're still a couple of idiots." Naofumi dismissed irritably.

"Kiryu-san!"

The three halted, shifting their attention back to see Itsuki and Ren walking toward them. Kiryu spared Naofumi a look before slowly walking back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey. Did you need something?" Kiryu asked.

"I want an explanation, at least! You said that you were too busy protecting your village to join my party! So why did you join that scoundrel's instead?" Itsuki asked, pointing a finger past Kiryu.

"I'm not in Naofumi's party. He saved my village and I was paying back that debt." Kiryu explained easily, narrowing his eyes. "But after all that, how can you still call him a scoundrel?"

"What do you mean? Regardless of the King's bias, he's still a known criminal!" Itsuki huffed indignantly.

"You mean even after what happened during the duel and after, you still think Naofumi did those things?" Kiryu asked, his voice falling low as he felt irritation.

"Despite her actions the night before, it could be argued that the Princess simply still hates Naofumi for what he did and acted out emotionally." Ren argued, this being the first time Kiryu had heard him speak directly. "As unfair as last evening's events were, it doesn't mean Naofumi has been cleared of his crimes."

Kiryu uncrossed his arms and tightened his fists at his side. "You two really are just a couple of kids with your heads in the clouds."

Ren and Itsuki flinched at his words, their expressions shifting to surprise before irritation.

"Wh-What?! How can you say that?!" Itsuki snapped in irritation.

"Tell me. When Naofumi was accused, was there an investigation?"

"Why would there need to be?! We heard everything from-"

"From the princess. Who should be taken completely at her word. Right?" Kiryu said, shaking his head. "You two didn't even bother looking into the case. Motoyasu I could understand. He only thinks with his lower half. But what're your excuses for immediately taking her side? Did you even listen to what Naofumi had to say?"

"But we…" Ren started, only to hesitate as sweat trailed down his brow.

"You two have gotten on some high horses, acting as heroes of justice because of those fancy weapons you carry around. How about you get your heads out of your asses and think!" Kiryu snapped, his voice erupting with intensity. "The King and Princess have been targeting Naofumi since the beginning. Neither of you bothered to question it, even now. Open your eyes already and grow up."

Kiryu didn't bother to wait for their responses, turning his back on them to walk away.

"Y-You're just being biased because he helped your village! You're letting him trick you!" Itsuki snapped back finally, causing Kiryu to stop a moment.

"Maybe you're right. But tell me. Would a scoundrel, with no ability to fight on his own, go out of his way to defend a village?" Kiryu asked, looking back over his shoulder. "Would he do everything in his power to drag the monsters attention to himself and away from the villagers? Would he risk his life for people he's only met a handful of times?"

"He could have been… trying to curry favor with you and the village!" Itsuki pointed out.

"I wasn't there at the beginning. He didn't know who I was, either." Kiryu deflected easily. "And what does gaining the trust of a single village do in the long run for him?"

Itsuki bit his bottom lip, looking toward Ren for support. Instead, the Sword Hero only cast his gaze to the side, unable to think of another reason. Itsuki looked back at Kiryu, beginning to reach for straws. "But…"

"Just give it up, kid. Stop fooling yourself." Kiryu huffed, shifting his gaze back forward. "If you can't accept when you're wrong, then you'll never be able to grow."

"D-Don't act like you know me! I'm not just some kid!" Itsuki argued, but Kiryu was done with the conversation. He walked back up to Naofumi and Raphtalia, ignoring the indignant screams of Itsuki.

"Sorry for the wait. Are we ready to go?" Kiryu asked, though didn't receive an immediate response. Naofumi stared at him in disbelief while Raphtalia was smiling ear to ear. "What?"

Naofumi's lips soon turned into a small smile, shaking his head. "Nothing. Let's go."

"Alright." Kiryu fell in line with them, the three walking through the city streets. "Before we head back to Lute, there are a couple of shops we can stop by. The villagers told me to make sure you were properly thanked."

"They did?" Naofumi raised a brow.

"Yeah. They've already told their relatives and friends in the city by now, so it should be easy."

"That was really nice of them! I'm sure we could do with some extra supplies," Raphtalia smiled, looking at Naofumi.

"I suppose… guess it wouldn't do me much good to turn it down." Naofumi admitted, holding his chin in thought.

"It'll make everyone feel better if you did, even if you're not looking for their gratitude." Kiryu said knowingly. "Don't turn them down, okay?"

"Yeah… okay then." Naofumi nodded in agreement.

"Oh, but before we pick up anything, there's one thing I want to do first." Raphtalia skipped ahead of them, spinning around and giving a smile. "Let's head for the slave trader's shop."

Naofumi and Kiryu raised a brow, sparing a look at one another.

To say Kiryu was uncomfortable would be an understatement. When Raphtalia made her request known, he couldn't help but feel conflicted about could tell Naofumi was as well, but Raphtalia's enthusiasm seemed to win him over. They soon arrived at the slave trader's shop in town, passing by an assortment of caged animals and beasts. The only saving grace of the situation was that Kiryu saw no demi-humans around him, otherwise he might have had some choice words to spare.

"Are you really sure about this?" Naofumi asked, looking at Raphtalia in worry.

"I am. I want to keep the mark as a symbol of my loyalty to you." Raphtalia nodded fervently.

"I'm sure there's other ways you could do that…" Kiryu muttered under his breath, earning a concerned look from the two.

"Really, Mister Kiryu, it's okay. I'm doing it of my own free will." Raphtalia tried to reassure him.

"There! Done." The slave shop owner, a short and plump old man with glasses and a top hat, spotting a black tuxedo lined with a feather mane around his neck, exclaimed. "The seal's been remade."

"Thank you." Raphtalia nodded, buttoning up her blouse.

"I have to say, you've done extraordinary work with this girl! She's sprouted up into quite the woman!" The slave owner laughed, massaging his chin in interest. "Why, if you were to sell her now, she'd be worth at least twenty gold!"

"Wh-What?!" Raphtalia and Naofumi blurted, though for different reasons.

"In fact, if she were a virgin, I bet-"

"Hey." Kiryu placed a hand on the slave owner's shoulder, tightening his grip on his jacket. "Stop while you're ahead."

The slave trader felt sweat trail down his head, Kiryu's intimidating aura overwhelming him. "A-Ahahaha, of course! Of course! I was just mentioning her potential value, is all!"

Kiryu glared for a moment longer before releasing him, moving back to the table he was leaning against. The slave trader released a breath of relief before clearing his throat.

"Hey, relax a bit. It's weird to say, but it's thanks to him that I was able to get Raphtalia in the first place." Naofumi suggested, causing Kiryu to tense up somewhat. "Still… I can't believe you could get that much, though…"

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia huffed.

"I-I wasn't considering it! I was just surprised by the number!" Naofumi defended, raising his hands in surrender.

"Your party has certainly become lively since I last saw you, Shield Hero!" The slave trader laughed, straightening out his collar.

"We're not…" Naofumi sent a look toward Kiryu, causing the former yakuza to raise a brow. "Um… it's just me and Raphtalia in my party. He's just helping us out."

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, why don't you try and expand your party a bit!" The slave trader skipped over to another table nearby, pulling a cloth off from the top of it. Underneath were an assortment of monster eggs, drawing the curious eyes of his guests, even Kiryu this time.

"What's with the giant eggs?"

"These are an assortment of monster eggs! During the day, and honestly one of my more successful businesses, I offer what I call a Monster Egg Raffle!" The plump man declared, grabbing one of the capsuled eggs and offering it to Naofumi to see. On the front of its shell was a slave crest much like Raphtalia's. "There's a number of different monster eggs among them, all different! You pay 100 silvers for an egg, with a chance of obtaining a knight's dragon, which is worth twenty gold pieces!"

"There's a number of other things they could be, though… a lot of monsters sprout from eggs." Kiryu muttered, massaging his chin in thought.

"True, but even a regular monster can be resold! Also, if you buy ten, you can pick from another box of eggs that contains monsters at least worth 300 silvers at the lowest!"

"So it's like a gacha game…" Naofumi mumbled under his breath before narrowing his eyes. "Still, it sounds like a scam."

"How rude! Do I look like I run such an untrustworthy business?" The slave trader huffed.

"I would say so." Kiryu bluntly answered, causing the plump man to grumble.

"I mean, we did receive a reward from the crown, but… this doesn't seem like it's worth 100 silvers," Raphtalia laughed, shaking her head. "Right, Master Naofumi?"

Naofumi looked back down at the eggs, stroking his chin. "Actually, I'll take one."

"Eh?" Raphtalia and Kiryu grunted in surprise.

"Excellent!" The slave trader grinned ear to ear, he and Naofumi exchanging the money for the monster egg. "Thank you very much! I hope to see you soon!"

The three soon left, the demi-human among them placing her hands on her hips. "Master Naofumi! Why did you get that?"

"I figured it was worth a try. Even if it's something lame, we can resell it." Naofumi shrugged.

"Well, it would be helpful to have a monster in your group, I suppose." Kiryu shrugged. "One of those knight dragons would probably be able to handle itself fine in a fight."

"I guess, but… well, what's done is done." Raphtalia sighed. Her expression suddenly lit up, taking the bag she held off her shoulder. "Oh, before I forget, why don't we eat? I got a lot of food from the kitchen in the castle before we left!"

"Oh, that was a good idea." Naofumi said, following her to a set of crates nearby. She unrolled some cloth, revealing several sandwiches for them.

"Don't worry, I got you one too, Mister Kiryu!" Raphtalia said, offering him one.

"Thanks." Kiryu nodded, taking it and biting in. He hadn't gotten any food for himself last night either, so the sandwich was a welcome gift.

"I hope they're still good. It is almost a day old, so…"

"It doesn't matter. I won't be able to taste it anyway." Naofumi said, picking the sandwich up.

"You can't taste it?" Kiryu asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Ever since I got here, everything just tasted like nothing." Naofumi said with a neutral expression, one of tired acceptance. He took a bite from his sandwich, but his face immediately lit up with life. "It…"

"What is it, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked, blinking.

"I can… I can taste it." Naofumi muttered, tears threatening at the edge of his eyes. "It's delicious…"

"Heh. That's good to hear." Kiryu smiled, watching as Naofumi began to dig in like it was his first meal in years. First he couldn't see Raphtalia the way she was, and then it turns out he couldn't taste food… was that a result of the trauma? He thought, feeling more pleased to see the Shield Hero being able to enjoy himself. He wasn't a doctor, but he had heard that trauma could sometimes cause strange side effects that were purely mental. From what he could tell, Naofumi had suffered a deep trauma from his initial accusation. But last night was helping him get on the mend.

If nothing else, I'm glad I was able to help a bit with that, at least.

After collecting the gifts and items offered by the families of Lute Village in town, the three soon returned to Lute itself, wanting to take some time to make use of the gifts offered to Naofumi. Kiryu had to awkwardly deflect Naofumi's request for help learning how to read though, making the excuse that he only knew a little bit of reading due to moderate education. In a way, it was true. He had only spent some time learning with Julius and Melonie how to read the written language of Melromarc.

"Ah, Kiryu! Shield Hero! You've returned!" The village lord greeted as the three walked through Lute's streets. "We heard about the drama that occurred in the palace and were afraid something might have happened to you both. It's good to see you all safe."

"The king certainly didn't make it easy," Kiryu smirked, walking up to the village lord. "How's Melonie?"

"She's looking much better now. She's already on her feet, in fact. She's been trying to help with rebuilding, but Julius has been keeping her in bed."

"Heh. Good to hear."

"Ah, that reminds me. Julius said that if you and the Shield Hero were to come back soon, to send you over to his shop. He had something he wanted to discuss with you both." The lord said.

"His shop? Got it." Kiryu nodded, looking at Naofumi and Raphtalia. "Come on. If someone can help you with those books you got, it'll be Julius. Plus, he'll likely want to give you some potions as a gift."

"I don't really need anyone else's thanks…" Naofumi rubbed the back of his head.

"It'll be hard to reject his thanks. You saved his fiance." Kiryu pointed out.

Naofumi released a sigh before nodding. "Alright, I guess one more gift won't be so bad. Besides, asking for his help to read might level things out."

Kiryu guided them from there to townsfolk as they passed through. They soon arrived at his modest shop, the former royal mage sorting through the potion bottles on his store shelves. "Ah, Kiryu! Shield Hero! Great to see you both! Please, come in!"

"Hey, Julius. Everything okay in here?" Kiryu asked, looking around to see the place relatively okay, with only a few knocked over shelves.

"Far better than I was expecting, thankfully. I'll probably be one of the few shops able to open back up early in town. Though thanks to you three, I'm sure everyone will bounce back in no time," Julius said, grinning as he turned away from his potions before bowing to Naofumi. "I'm sure I've said it a thousand times, but I cannot express my gratitude enough, Shield Hero. Thank you for saving my fiance."

"You're right. You have said it enough," Naofumi sighed, only to be nudged in the side by Raphtalia before smiling. "I'm… glad to hear she's doing okay."

"She is. In fact, I'm glad Kiryu was able to bring you back. If there's anything we can do for you, please ask. Take your pick from my potions if you like, I'll give you the best ones for free."

"You don't have to do that. But…" Naofumi spared a look around the shelves, rubbing his chin in interest. "This is a bit hard to pass up. Decent potions don't come cheap… I'll take your offer."

"Great! My shop is at your disposal," Julius motioned to the rest of the store. "Oh, and perhaps this is a little forward of me but I do have… something to request of you."

"You do?" Naofumi raised a brow.

"Yes. This might be a bit sudden, but… would you mind being the guest of honor at our wedding?"

"Eh?" Naofumi and Raphtalia blinked in unison.

"Wait, you're already planning for the wedding?" Kiryu raised a brow in surprise.

"Not at all! Everything's already been arranged. The wedding will be tomorrow. No time like the present, after all! At this point, the only thing we'd wait for is you and the Shield Hero to return." Julius laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Melonie insisted we have it soon as possible, not wanting some other calamity to befall us and force another delay. She doesn't care about it being perfect like before. She just wants to get married already."

"Heh. Yeah, that sounds like Melonie."

"So, Shield Hero, what do you say?" Julius said, turning his attention back to Naofumi. "It would mean a lot to my fiance and I if you came."

Naofumi scratched his head awkwardly, looking to Raphtalia for help. She only smiled in encouragement, nodding in approval. He released a heavy sigh before turning back to Julius. "Well, I was planning to stay in town a few days, so I guess it wouldn't be a problem… But while I'm here, there is something I'd like to ask in return."

"If I can help, I'll do whatever you need!"

"Okay then. Can you help me learn how to read?" Naofumi held the books up that he received. "When I got summoned to this world, the Shield translated spoken language for me. But I can't really read the written language."

"Ah, I see! If that's what you want, I have no problem with helping out!" Julius smiled. "Kiryu had the same problem when he arrived, as well. It was-"

"Julius." Kiryu grunted, causing the mage to blink as he shifted his gaze to Kiryu. He immediately caught on, Julius clearing his throat as he turned back to Naofumi.

"W-When he arrived in town, I mean! Yes, haha…" Kiryu massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Is there… something I'm missing?" Naofumi asked, raising a brow.

"It's nothing. I'll.. .tell you soon. But I'd rather do it when we've settled in." Kiryu said, shaking his head. "Anyways, let's go and get you a room. I'll pay for your stay tonight."

"No thanks. You've done more than enough for us up to now. I don't want to run up a tab with you." Naofumi rejected his offer.

"He's right, Mister Kiryu. You don't have to keep doing so much. We can handle things from here for now." Raphtalia nodded in agreement.

"Well… if you say so. Just ask if you need anything else. If you guys have things handled from here, I'm going to stay here and work some things out with Julius." Kiryu relented.

"Alright. We'll see you soon." With that, Naofumi and Raphtalia waved goodbye, stepping out of the shop. Kiryu waited a moment before turning back to Julius.

"Sorry about my slip-up. I got a little carried away for a sec…" Julius admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm planning to tell them before they leave, anyway." Kiryu shrugged, leaning forward on the counter. "Does Melonie need help with any of the wedding plans?"

"No. We're just going to wing it tomorrow. We're just happy to get it done." Julius shook his head before frowning. "I heard about what happened at the palace. I'm sorry if things become difficult."

"You did warn me about the king and the princess, but I didn't realize how deep that all went. They've really got it out for Naofumi. I just can't figure out why." Kiryu said, looking to the side in thought. "They don't scream 'devout believers' of any sort of religion as far as I can tell."

"I've heard rumors as to why the king loathes the Shield Hero, but… nothing I can say for certain. Even though I was a royal mage, there were quite a few things we were kept in the dark about." Julius admitted, holding his chin in thought.

"What did you hear?"

"Well… some time ago, during a war between Melromarc and the other countries, it's been said that the King had a sister who was killed by a demi-human."

Kiryu raised a brow in confusion. "That's a shame if it's true… but what's that have to do with Naofumi?"

"The previous Shield Hero was notorious for being a huge supporter of the demi-humans. Siltvelt even worshipped him as a god, similar to the Church of Three Heroes." Julius explained, causing Kiryu to look away in thought.

"I guess I see the connection… still, to hold it against Naofumi seems irrational."

"I'd say it is. But he is an old man now, and his mind has deteriorated. Though, this is assuming what I heard is true. For all I know, it could just be speculation." Julius shrugged, crossing his arms.

"I see… though now I have another question." Kiryu held up his arm, showing Julius his minimized gauntlet. "You said that this was a Seven Star Weapon, right? You didn't tell me that it had a previous wielder."

"Didn't I? I threw out several theories regarding the gauntlets when I first spoke with you about them. Speaking of, I had sincerely hoped you wouldn't have gotten in that fight. I was afraid the king would recognize them." Julius breathed out in relief. "Good thing that didn't happen."

"It did, though." Kiryu said, causing Julius to flinch. "In fact, he said that the previous wielder was a dear friend of his. And that he's still alive."

"Wait, what?!" Julius' eyes bugged out of his head. "The previous gauntlet user is still alive?!"

"You didn't know?"

"N-No! Not at all! Details pertaining to the previous wielder have always been rather vague for some reason. I don't know if that was by design of the royal family or the man himself, but not much has been spoken of him since his days fighting alongside the king.." Julius explained, holding his chin in deep thought. "If he's still alive though… does that mean your gauntlets are not one of the Seven Stars?"

"Maybe. If you found these in the back of some storage room, I doubt that they are. The king looked genuinely upset to see me wearing them. If they did belong to a friend of his, I doubt he would have kept them tucked away so carelessly." Kiryu suggested, leaning his back against the front counter. "And from what it sounded like, he thought I stole them from the previous wielder. Which means that he didn't even suspect the gauntlets from the vault."

"Oh thank god…" Julius breathed out in relief before blinking. "Wait… but then, how did you get out of there?!"

"These people in black outfits showed up and handed him a message from the queen, I think. He was forced to let me go."

"The Queen?! She knows about you?!"

"Apparently. Enough to keep the king from imprisoning me, at least." Kiryu nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Still, that just leaves me with more questions than answers."

"The kingdom has more secrets than I thought… I'm getting rather dizzy thinking about all of this," Julius sighed, rubbing his forehead. Kiryu spared him a look before shaking his head.

"Well, we should set those questions aside for now. You're getting married tomorrow, so I'd say that's our biggest priority."

"Hm? Oh-yes! Yes I am!" Julius laughed, putting on a tough smile. That was until his face went pale and his legs turned into noodles. "I'm getting married tomorrow…" He slumped over the counter.

"Come on, now. You've waited this long, and you're still freaking out?" Kiryu reached forward and pulled Harken to his feet.

"I now pronounce you… man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Kiryu smiled as he watched Melonie and Julius embrace in a loving kiss, the crowd of townsfolk cheering from their seats. Julius had made Kiryu his best man, as well as had Nugget act as the flower bearer, the bird shaking the basket surprisingly gently in its beak as it walked ahead of the bride, scattering petals. It was quite a humorous scene, but the townsfolk understood that Nugget had become like a family member and respected the decision.

Melonie and Julius turned away from the minister and began to walk back down the aisle together, waving to the guests. Looking up at the back, Kiryu could see Naofumi and Raphtalia standing off to the side. As guests of honor, they would typically be at the front, but Naofumi insisted on not being so conspicuous, which the happy couple agreed to. They were merely happy he showed up.

As the crowds began to follow the newlyweds, Kiryu led Nugget over to Naofumi and Raphtalia, who waited for him. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

"You don't have to thank me. The couple did plenty of that before it started," Naofumi chuckled. As Kiryu got closer, he noticed something in Naofumi's hands, raising a brow when he saw a small, pink bird fluttering its wings.

"Pew pew~!"

Oh. Is that a filolial chick?" Kiryu said, tilting his head in question.

"Yup. It hatched from that egg I got from the trader." Naofumi said, holding it up to show Kiryu.

"I see. Did you have a name for it?"

"Filo." Raphtalia shook her head at Naofumi's simple answer.

"That… is sort of what I expected." Kiryu chuckled.

"Better than Nugget, at least." Naofumi smirked. Speaking of, Nugget leaned in, tilting its head slightly as it inspected the young chick. The chick didn't take kindly to it though, narrowing its eyes at Nugget and pecking at his beak. Nugget blinked in surprise before hissing at the chick, forcing Kiryu to hold a hand up and keep his companion back.

"Pewa!" Nugget chortled in complaint, only for the chick to stick its tongue out in mockery.

"It already knows how to taunt others? It's not even a day old…" Kiryu mumbled, raising a brow.

"Yeah. It's surprisingly smart." Naofumi nodded.

"Looks like they're not going to get along well…" Raphtalia rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Doesn't look like it. And here I thought that he'd have a play friend," Kiryu sighed in amusement, petting Nugget's head as he attempted to calm him down. "Are you planning to keep it?"

"I was thinking about it. Having it around to pull a cart might be useful. And it's given me a couple ideas for what we can do with it…" Naofumi nodded, stroking his chin. "Anyway, I guess we better catch up to the party. You are the best man, after all."

"Yeah. Let's go."

They were quick to catch up to the reception, being ushered over to the front table to join Julius and Melonie, being both the best man and the guests of honor. Naofumi was reluctant, but Kiryu didn't let him run off this time, forcing him to join the table with Raphtalia's help. Food was brought out to them, a modest but tasty selection of roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Bards played music as the festivities continued, building an excited but lax ambience.

"Before we get ahead of ourselves-"

"You mean before you get drunk?" Melonie interrupted her husband with a giggle.

"Hush! Yes!" Julius shushed her with a laugh, causing a fit of laughter to rise from the crowd. He cleared his throat before continuing, "As I was saying, I would like to thank you all for coming! It is truly wonderful to have everyone here together after the Wave. Things could have been far worse, but thanks to the Shield Hero and Kiryu, the village of Lute was spared any fatalities. And thanks to them, this wedding was able to happen. Me and Melonie were able to wed just as planned. A toast to our heroes!"

"To our heroes!" The guests cheered in answer, mugs being raised all around. Naofumi rubbed his head awkwardly while Raphtalia positively lit up as her master was praised. Kiryu smirked before standing up, raising his own cup.

"And a toast to the couple. After I arrived in Lute Village, they took me in and helped me find a place among all of you. I'm proud to call them my friends. I know you'll both cherish and love each other for the rest of your lives." Melonie and Julius leaned into one another, smiling at the Dragon of Dojima. "Of course, if Julius gives you any problems, let me know Melonie. I'll set him straight." The guests laughed as well as Melonie, while Julius playfully shrunk back. "To the bride and groom."

"To the bride and groom!"

Kiryu took a seat after the toast, watching Melonie and Julius huddle together and start to feed one another.

"Good speech." Naofumi said, feeding Filo in his lap with some greens. "I didn't realize just how important they were to you until now."

"Yeah. They're like family to me, at this point." Kiryu nodded, sipping at his cup.

"That's really nice, Mister Kiryu." Raphtalia smiled, looking around at the merry folk of Lute. "To have a home like this with such good people… it's really nice."

"Yeah…" Kiryu shifted his gaze to the two, a thoughtful expression forming on his face. "Hey… if you two-"

"Hey, Kiryu! I hope you didn't forget what the bride requested!" Julius called out, causing the former Yakuza to turn. "We were promised a song! Come on!"

Cheers erupted from around the reception, all while Kiryu shifted in place.

"In front of everyone?" Kiryu mumbled, looking away awkwardly.

"It's not as if half the town hasn't heard you once before!" Julius laughed.

"Come on, Kiryu! The bride demands it!" Melonie shouted, causing Kiryu to sigh.

"You can sing?" Naofumi raised a brow.

"A little, I guess… Nothing to write home about." Kiryu shrugged. He slowly stood up from his seat, only to be rushed by Nugget who nudged him forward. "Lay off, already. I'm going."

"Good luck, Mister Kiryu!" Raphtalia giggled, clapping her hands in excitement. The former yakuza sighed, adjusting his collar and walking around the table, immediately eliciting a short cheer before the crowd fell silent. Kiryu walked over to one of the bards and whispered to them. They gave a quick nod before they began to strum a wistful tune. One of the bards played along with a flute, setting an almost blue atmosphere.

Naofumi sat up a bit, his brow hardening. Why does this sound… kinda familiar?

Kiryu strode to the front of the table, putting his hand in front of him like he was holding a microphone. *"I'll sing for you…"

Melonie and several other women gave squeals of joy.

"So foolish. You are a child,

Chased dreams and got hurt

Even though you're a bad at lies, you showed me a humourless smile."

The town folk hooted and cheered, but kept it to a minimum as Kiryu continued to sing.

"Oh my goodness…" Raphtalia mumbled into her hands. "He's really good…"

"Yeah…" Naofumi mumbled, shocked for two reasons. I do know this song! But that's...

"You can't even say "I love you".

You're really clumsy and bad with words.

Even so, even so, why could you say "goodbye"?

This is no good. No good. No good at all.

I love you, I love you too much.

No matter how strong the drink,

the memories are never muddied; what a fool"

Kiryu lowered his head, allowing the instrumentals to continue as the song faded out perfectly. Once the music ceased, the reception filled with cheer, everyone praising and screaming for Kiryu. The former yakuza smirked and waved to the crowd, refusing to be goaded into a follow up song despite their hopes. He soon walked back to his seat, greeted by a starry eyed Raphtalia and a bewildered Naofumi.

"That was amazing, Mister Kiryu! Who knew you had such an amazing voice!" Raphtalia praised.

"Thanks. I don't think it's that special, but it's nice to hear."

"You're not really giving yourself enough credit… but…" Naofumi mumbled, watching Kiryu with some suspicion. "Where did you… hear that song?"

Kiryu stiffened, looking up at Naofumi as he realized his mistake. I hadn't thought about whether he'd recognize that song or not… But as he thought about it, the less tense he felt. Well… I was planning to tell him soon.

"I heard it when I was a kid. At the time, it was a pretty popular song. My taste never really changed since then, though." Kiryu said, leaning forward on the table and picking up his drink.

"Where exactly did you hear it?"

"... On the radio, if I remember right."

"Eh?" Naofumi blanched.

"What's a radio?" Raphtalia blinked in wonder.

"You wouldn't know, Raphtalia, but Naofumi does." Kiryu said, looking back up at Naofumi with a smirk. "After all, we're both from a different world, right?"

To be continued…

Thanks goes to my beta chidoriprime for their quick help!

Ugh, finally. I've been procrastinating so hard. This chapter was long overdue, as well as another story's own. You can blame the heat, my laziness and Three Houses for that lol

A relatively short chapter, but I thought this would be a good way to wind things down. I wanted to get this wedding done as well as have those pesky Hero kids get the scolding they deserved lol

So the truth comes out. To be honest, Kiryu has always been too honest for his own good. Though in this case, that was due to his own trust.

And, finally, Filo appears! And isn't she off to a great start with Nugget? I'm sure that won't hold any significance in the future story XD

Also, I'm trying something new and, rather than posting OST titles through a story, I'm going to post it at the end of the chapter and star where they would be. Just thought I'd try it out and see if it seemed less intrusive than what I've been doing.

*Yakuza OST: Baka Mitai

Anyways, that's it for this chapter. Please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind! Thanks!