Just as a heads up, since next Monday is my birthday, I might decide to post the next chapter of Kidfumi then instead of waiting two weeks. Still deciding on it but since the chapter after this is already written out in its entirety, I might do it both as a gift to you guys and so that this fic will have two instances where I posted a chapter on my birthday.

Anyway, with that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Otherworlders Join the Family

Glass was feeling conflicted, to say the least.

She hadn't expected her trip to this world to include the other Heroes again.

And she hadn't expected that she'd be able to interact with Naofumi and the other Heroes. Even if she did come across them, she considered assisting them from a distance, but not partying with them and getting to interact with them.

Least of all, she hadn't expected L'Arc to suggest sticking around a little longer to go to the beach together and play a weird game in what she considered to be a very embarrassing swimsuit.

At least afterward, she'd been given the chance to shower off most of the sand that'd accumulated on her and change into a far more comfortable shirt and shorts.

But that'd still led to Naofumi, freshly showered and changed into comfy clothes himself, dragging her, his best friend, and their ninja babysitter off to one of the restaurants in town; where they were now seated at a table, waiting to order their food while Shadow stood like a sentinel in the background. Observing her charges while munching slowly on a rations bar.

"Boo, come on, Shadow! Why won't you sit down and eat food with us like a normal person?!" Naofumi whined.

"I daresay, this is all I need to survive," Shadow said in a dry voice, before taking another bite of the equally dry rations bar in her hand.

Mmmm, tasty. Just like the last few thousand she'd eaten. The souls of the damned were truly a delicious snack to sustain oneself with.

"Eh, whatever. That's just Shadow's way of saying that she isn't a normal person." Naofumi smirked as he looked at Glass with twinkling eyes.

"I heard that!" Shadow yelled.

"What about you, Raphtalia? Do you think Shadow's secretly an alien or whatever they're called?" Naofumi asked his best friend happily.

…

"Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked confusedly.

"Hmph." Raphtalia pouted in her chair, crossing her arms and looking away in a way that would have made their older sis Melty proud.

So now Naofumi wanted to pay her some attention! Well too bad, she was going to give him the silent treatment for calling Kizuna pretty repeatedly instead of floofing her tail under the table!

"Ack- what did I do this time, I say?!" Naofumi whined in fear.

Glass chuckled at their antics, causing the two kids to look at her in surprise. "I am sorry, I just find it funny how you speak like the Spear Hero whenever you are concerned about your friend's behavior, Naofumi." She explained.

She definitely hadn't expected anything like this. To be sitting there, actually smiling and laughing while enjoying herself.

This was, overall, an unexpected situation for the spirit woman. But it was one that she didn't mind as much as she'd expected herself to.

"What? I don't speak like Moto at all!" Naofumi whined.

"I daresay, she does have a point, Prince Naofumi." Shadow spoke up again. "You have a habit of saying 'I say' at the end of your sentences just like the Spear Hero whenever you're concerned about Princess Raphtalia's behavior."

"But- No, I don't!" Naofumi pouted.

"Actually, you kind of do," Raphtalia admitted while still maintaining her pout.

"... … … does that mean I've been infected with cooties?! When?! HOW!? I WAS SO CAREFUL!" The young kid began to panic.

Glass laughed this time, as did several other patrons and waiters in the restaurant observing them. Raphtalia and Shadow had to spend a bit of time calming the kid down, but Glass was able to enjoy the show while looking over the menu.

She couldn't read anything, but the pictures provided alongside the text revealed the place to be a seafood joint. A lot of the dishes looked really good too.

Some of the dishes even reminded Glass a lot of what Kizuna… used to cook…

…

"So what are you getting, Kizuna?" Naofumi suddenly asked.

"Eh?" Glass looked up in surprise. It appeared that, while she'd been lost in thought, Naofumi had calmed down. She didn't think it'd been that long though.

"It doesn't look like this place has chicken nuggets. So I was thinking about getting this." Naofumi pointed at a picture on his menu that basically looked like a breaded fish filet.

It wasn't exactly fish sticks. But it was the closest thing Naofumi could find on the menu. Even if it didn't look very good to him.

Glass now looked confused. What the heck was chicken nuggets?

"Hmmm, but this looks tastier." Raphtalia gestured to something beneath that. It looked like boiled shrimp. Whatever it was, Naofumi looked at it and his face turned green.

"Ugh, that doesn't look very good though." He said.

"Ehhhh!?" Raphtalia looked confused and hurt at his reaction.

Glass was still pondering what chicken nuggets were supposed to even look like when Naofumi spoke again. "Sorry, it really doesn't look very tasty… say, pretty lady, which one do you think is good?"

Raphtalia began pouting in her seat again. Why couldn't her best friend just go along with her for once?!

"I… was actually thinking of this one here." Glass pointed to a picture of sashimi on her menu.

She didn't know if it'd taste the same or not, but Kizuna had loved making this dish. And it had been years since she last ate it.

"Hmmm, that does look pretty good. Ok, I'm going to try it too!" Naofumi announced happily.

"Ehhh!? But that looks even m-more gross than-" Raphtalia looked shocked. Then, she looked angry. "F-Fine! I-I'm getting it as well!"

"Sweet! Let's order three since Shadow isn't human!" Naofumi announced happily.

"I can always take off my mask to prove that I am, brat," Shadow said dryly.

"Ha, like you actually would!" Naofumi turned in his seat. "Hey, uh, three, Sabamis here please!"

"It's pronounced Sashimi," Shadow muttered behind him.

"Whatever!"

Naofumi proceeded to wave down a waiter and order three Sashimis for them.

While they waited for their food, Naofumi asked Glass all sorts of different questions ranging from where she was from to how and where she had met L'Arc and Therese. Raphtalia pouted a little longer, but curiosity eventually won out and she joined Naofumi in his inquiry too.

Glass felt very uncomfortable with it. She wasn't sure whether to lie or to avoid answering entirely since she had the cover of being shy. But two kids were brimming with curiosity and sincerity, and she was still reeling a bit from earlier…

"L'Arc and Therese were traveling with a friend when they came upon me training in a field," Glass answered. "I was fighting some monsters outside of my country, but I was in a bit over my head. They were stronger than I gave them credit for.

"They saw me struggling though and helped me defeat all the monsters. After that, I decided to join them."

"Whoaaaa, just like that?" Raphtalia asked.

"Yes, they were not only strong, but their friend was also very… enthusiastic about it," Glass answered, smiling fondly at a memory.

"Who was their friend?" Naofumi asked.

…

Glass opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

She was very fortunate that the food they ordered arrived then, as it gave her an excuse to not answer.

"Thanks for the food!" Naofumi and Raphtalia took their first bites together, and Naofumi smiled wide with delight. "Yum! This is really good!" He then began devouring the slices of raw fish like a little kid. Dunking it in the sauce and making a mess on his plate and table.

"Hrmmmmm." Raphtalia began to pout again. It seemed that Kizuna's choice of food was pretty good too.

It only made her even angrier, and her tail definitely wasn't wagging behind her as she devoured the meal alongside her best friend!

Glass slowly took a bite herself, and the fork nearly fell out of her hand.

It… not only looked like her cooking. But… it tasted like it too!

She looked towards the kitchen, and nearly made to stand from her chair, only to stop.

No, what was she thinking? It was impossible for her to be here.

Completely impossible…

…

"Eh, pretty lady? Is everything ok?" Naofumi suddenly asked.

Raphtalia growled as she looked up, only to stop as well.

"I, what do you mean?" Glass asked in a shaky voice.

"Aren't you crying right now?" Naofumi tilted his head to the side.

…

Glass put a hand to her face. It came back wet.

She looked down at her food and then at the kids. She forced herself to try and smile. "It just… it tastes like home," She answered honestly.

"Huh…" Naofumi thought about it, and a smile came onto his face. "It must have been a long time since you've been home."

"Yes… it has…" Glass looked down at her meal again, and took another bite.

It really was good. She and the kids kept eating while Shadow watched.

Yet it almost felt like torture! Why was she doing this to herself?! Every bite just made her want to cry harder as it made her remember so many past meals she'd shared with her best friend, and it hurt so much-

"You know, I think this meal is missing something." Naofumi suddenly said. "I'm going to ask if they have any fruit."

The Shield Hero stood up from the table and went towards the counter.

"I-I'm going with him too." Raphtalia stammered as she stood up.

It wasn't because she wanted to sneak off with him for tail-floofing time or anything! She just wanted to be with him and make sure he didn't get into trouble!

Yeah, that was it!

Shadow looked up with narrowed eyes, but it didn't look like the two kids were going to cause any trouble. Especially since she had two Shadows standing outside in case Naofumi tried to make a run for it.

…

With the sudden silence, Shadow's eyes fell on Kizuna again. The fan wielder's fork had stopped again, and her face appeared almost blank, besides the tears running down her cheeks.

She normally didn't try to pry into other people's business. But she felt the urge to do so here.

"I daresay, is everything really ok?" Shadow asked.

…

Glass slowly looked toward the ninja babysitter again. She barely nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Shadow frowned. "How long has it been since you were home?"

"It has…" Glass trailed off.

She'd returned to Kizuna's home from time to time to dust off everything. Hoping that their home would be ready one day when she returned. But… how long had it been since she'd actually returned to it as home? To sit down and relax as her friends goofed around in the living room. To talk with Kizuna as she cooked dinner for them all and…

"It has been several years." Glass finally said dryly.

"Hmmm…" Shadow pondered her response for several seconds. "Did something happen to it?"

"Yes," Kizuna answered again. "You could say that."

Shadow paused midbite on her rations bar, but Kizuna didn't open her mouth to explain further. "I see…"

...

The two women sat in silence for several moments. Shadow didn't make any attempts to continue the conversation, and Glass wondered if she should excuse herself and try to meet up with Therese because of the feelings going through her soul right now. And-

"Hey, what are you doing- KID, DON'T EAT THAT!"

The sudden scream brought the two back to reality. They turned their heads toward the counter.

"Mmmmm, this fruit is really good!" Naofumi said happily.

"Eh… Ehhhh…" Raphtalia was backing away from Naofumi. A look of terror was on her face.

They'd asked the person at the counter if they had any fruit that'd go well with their sashimi. And she'd been distracted by what'd been going on back at their table before she turned around and saw that Naofumi had found some fruit lying on the counter in a bowl next to some large barrels.

The fruit was red and looked like cherries without a stem. Their surface was more like grapes though, and they tasted like really sweet grapes too! They were really soft and easy to chew too, and the taste stayed in his mouth long after it'd gone down! His HUD identified them as Ruculu Fruits.

They were sooooooo gooooooooooooooooooood! Naofumi grabbed the bowl from the counter and popped another one into his mouth, sighing happily in contentment.

He'd just found his new favorite food. He wished he could have this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"N-N-Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry, do you want some, Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked her curiously.

But the little girl just continued to look at him in shock. Naofumi's eyebrow arched up, and then he finally noticed the deathly silence that had set down the room.

Shadow and Glass had both gone pale. People who'd raised their glasses to their lips were frozen, their drinks spilling into their laps.

Crash!

A waiter, who'd been bringing a meal to another table, didn't even react as the meal fell to the ground in front of him.

Huh, weird. What'd gotten into everyone all of a sudden?

…

Naofumi looked down at the bowl in his hands, smiled nonchalantly, and then ate another fruit.

Mmmmmm.

The action finally elicited a reaction.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Yes, it was a truly glorious sound. Naofumi hardly even paid attention as patrons, waiters, and the owner himself ran out of the restaurant in terror. Leaving an absolute mess in their wake.

Shadow actually looked to be on the verge of freaking out. I DARESAY, IF HER MAJESTY EVER FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS, SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY DEAD! WHAT'D HAPPENED TO HER 'ALWAYS WATCHING' THE YOUNG PRINCE!?

"Uh… Uh… Uh…" Kizuna struggled to come up with words.

Raphtalia had been on the verge of passing out. But upon Naofumi showing no reaction to the demon fruit her parents had taught her about, her head began to tilt in curiosity.

Strange. Daddy always told her that anyone who ate a ruculu fruit was asking for a death sentence. He told her it was so poisonous that it could kill a man ten times over. A child like her would never stand a chance.

Had he actually been wrong?

"Hmmm?" Naofumi finally seemed to realize that they were the only ones left in the restaurant now. "Is there something cool happening outside? Darn it, why didn't anyone let me know!" He began to pout.

The somewhat normal reaction from the kid finally seemed to kickstart both 'Kizuna' and Shadow into gear, as they raced up to the young Shield Hero. Shadow herself began to frantically check him over.

"P-Prince Naofumi, you don't feel strange or anything, do you?!" She asked frantically.

"No, at least, not more than normal." Naofumi shrugged nonchalantly.

He then looked down at the fruit bowl he was holding, smiled again, and popped another fruit into his mouth.

Glass and Shadow stared as he did this. Despite having eaten several Ruculu Fruit, he was showing no reaction to them whatsoever.

"... is it okay if I have one-" Raphtalia started to ask.

"NO!" Kizuna and Shadow both yelled at her at the same time.

"Boo, why not?!" Raphtalia pouted.

Fortunately, Naofumi was too absorbed in the fruit's taste to pay attention as they explained the dangers of the fruit to the girl. By the time Naofumi had come down from his sweet high, Raphtalia had blanched as well and was staring at him in worry.

"Are you sure you're feeling ok?" She asked him worriedly.

"Yeah, is there any reason why I shouldn't be?" Naofumi asked curiously.

…

The three girls simply stared at the Shield Hero.

Naofumi shrugged and popped another berry into his mouth.

Mmmmmm. The taste of chaos.

Perfect.

Shadow slowly looked down at the Shield on the kid's arm. But in all the scrolls she'd studied on past Shield Heroes, none of them had ever been able to eat a whole Ruculu Fruit without passing out.

The young prince had already been strange. But this was something she wished she'd never had to learn about.

"So, uh… are we going to go out and see what everyone else is doing?" He asked curiously.

"... I'll grab to-go boxes for your meals," Shadow said dryly.

She proceeded to walk to the counter and grab containers for the kid's food. Kizuna had already finished hers.

"Eh?" Naofumi tilted his head at Raphtalia, but she looked away, refusing to answer.

Naofumi shrugged, depositing the rest of the Ruculu Fruit in the bowl into his shield. He was still smiling as the taste of the tasty berry stayed in his mouth.

Mmmm, he couldn't wait to snack on them later.

They eventually left the restaurant, with Shadow sharply whispering something to her colleagues outside in a threatening tone. Naofumi didn't quite catch it, nor did he really care.

He was already looking forward to what was going to happen next!

…

Shield-Chan had been panicking for the last while.

She hadn't realized her kid wielder had been capable of eating the legendary Ruculu Fruit. At least, not without every single alcohol resistance buff in existence, which she would have never given him anyway since he was just a kid and would never risk the events of before from happening again and…

Anyway, the point is, she had been panicking over the fact that Naofumi had eaten said fruit. And she'd panicked over it so much that she didn't realize the kid had stored the fruit into her shield until it was too late.

And because of that…

"*hiccup*!"

Yep, Shield-Chan was totally wasted now.

"*hiccup*! giggle"

Shield-Chan was lying on her bed, staring blurrily at the night sky above her. "So perrrty." She slurred with another drunken giggle. "

What had she been worried about again?

Eh, it probably hadn't been important anyway. Seeing the swirling starry night sky above her was way more entertaining at the moment.

That cute kid should deposit Ruculu Fruit inside the Shield more often. She hadn't felt this great in years…

Ok, dinner had been… completely unexpected, to say the least.

Like, seriously, Glass had never expected to have to deal with… that.

She really didn't have words for what'd happened. And you know, that was probably for the best.

It wasn't every day you saw a kid eat enough alcohol to down a legion of men, only to be completely unaffected whatsoever. So it was probably for the best that she didn't dwell on it.

It appeared Raphtalia and Shadow weren't going to bring it up again either. And that was, again, likely for the best.

Though, Glass couldn't help but notice that the gemstone of Naofumi's shield had become a blurry green. And was it just her or did she keep on hearing hiccup sounds every now and then?

…

Well, anyway, after they'd left the completely abandoned restaurant, and after Shadow created a cover story for her colleagues to spread to the others for what'd happened and threatened them with bodily harm should the true story ever make it back to Her Majesty (the ninja babysitter seriously hoped that this would never come up again in the future) Glass thought that that'd be it.

They'd say goodbye to each other and she'd be able to go back to her room. Where she'd hopefully have the rest of the night to herself to try and calm down and everything.

But Naofumi didn't let the spirit woman leave. He instead insisted that she follow him and Raphtalia around town. Where they got to look at items through shop windows. Awe at some of the creations blacksmiths had up on display.

They even revisited the Hero Memorial monument, where Naofumi learned the Aura Spell. Glass was awed by the totems, and even teared up a little as she saw the Pekkul head on one and was reminded of Chris again.

Even as the sun lowered in the sky… Glass found herself really enjoying her time with the kid Hero. And at some point, when she was questioned again, she answered and revealed more about herself than before.

"Please, tell us more about what your home is like!" Naofumi said excitedly.

"Did you have ninjas there too?" Raphtalia asked.

"Well, in a way, yes." Glass chose her words carefully. "Though, they are not nearly as skilled as your friend there."

"I don't think anyone is as skilled in the art of stalking as Shadow." Naofumi rolled his eyes.

"It is not stalking. It is watching." Shadow said from somewhere behind them.

"Those are the same things!" Naofumi pouted back at her.

"Anyway, what else is there?" Raphtalia asked.

"Well, we also have the ocean next to us. Though, there are also plains and mountains fit for exploring. Not to mention a giant castle in the center of the town overlooking everything…"

As Glass continued telling the kids about her home world without them realizing it was another world she was describing, she almost felt herself going back in time.

It'd been so long since she had to describe her home to someone else. And explaining it to a pair of kids… really made her smile a little as she described its positive aspects.

…

She had no idea how long she'd been talking or what she'd mentioned specifically, but after a moment, Raphtalia spoke up again to ask a question.

"Who's this friend you keep on mentioning?"

Glass looked down at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"You were talking about the sea, and you mentioned having a friend that built a house by it," Raphtalia explained.

"You also mentioned that she liked to fish a lot," Naofumi said after her. "Is that why she built her home by the sea?"

"I think that's pretty cool!"

…

…

Glass's face visibly saddened. "It's… nothing you should be concerned about. It was a long time ago anyway."

"What was their name?" Raphtalia asked.

…

Glass turned away without answering.

Raphtalia and Naofumi both frowned. "This friend of yours isn't L'Arc or Therese then?" The half-raccoon girl stated.

…

…

…

"No… she is not," Glass admitted, her tone filled with sadness.

"Is this the same friend who was with L'Arc and Therese when you first met them?" Raphtalia asked.

"... yes," Glass answered again.

"Is she…?" Raphtalia continued gently.

"No… but I have no idea where she is." Glass clutched the fans at her side tightly. "None of us know where she went."

"Is that why you wanted to come to Cal Mira?" This time, it was Shadow who spoke. "Were you hoping to find your friend here?"

"..." Glass's eyes dulled further.

"I don't think that'd be possible," Naofumi spoke, putting his hand to his chin in thought.

"What makes you say that?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"Because I think her friend is in another world right now," Naofumi answered.

…

…

…

…

…

Glass was looking at Naofumi incredulously.

Raphtalia and Shadow were both looking at him in surprise as well. None of them had expected him to say something like that.

"W-What makes you say that?!" Raphtalia finally managed to ask Naofumi.

"The way she described her home is unlike any of the countries Momellia taught us about," Naofumi said with a shrug. "And, besides that, Dadcray taught us all about the other Hero weapons that are in the world.

"Big Bro L'Arc's weapon is definitely a hero weapon. And Kizuna's fans are also a hero weapon… though, I don't think Kizuna was the name she gave us on that ship a month ago."

The two kids looked up at the Spirit Woman. Her body was trembling under several different emotions.

"How… how long…?" Glass asked.

"Around the time we met you on the docks," Naofumi answered with a shrug again. "I thought I recognized you back then. But it didn't look like you and your friends were looking for a fight. So I didn't bring it up when you gave a different name."

"But… but why? How?!" Glass asked, still looking shocked. She'd gone to such lengths to hide her identity. Changing her hairstyle. Wearing a different set of armor.

She didn't look anything like the menacing girl that'd been on the Ghost Ship and it shouldn't have been possible for others to recognize her when-

"It was because of how sad you looked."

…

…

Glass stared at the kid Hero, who looked back up at her. "Even back on that ship, I saw somebody who looked incredibly sad. Like Raphtalia when I first met her." Naofumi rested a hand on his best friend's head, almost making her jump with the action. "It's hard to forget someone when they look like they've lost everything."

Glass's hands trembled at her sides. Her fans, had they not been permanently attached to her body, would have fallen to the ground.

The kids looked up at her expectantly. Shadow still stood behind them, but her hands had fallen to her concealed daggers now. A scowl painted her lips.

Glass looked over the kids. Strange, she'd feared the others finding out who she was. Yet, now that this was happening, the trembling disappeared.

All she felt was an empty, hollow feeling inside her chest.

"... Yes, you are right on all accounts." The spirit woman sighed. "My true name is Glass.

"I was the one that attacked you and your compatriots on the Ghost Ship."

…

"You… I read about what happened in the reports from my colleagues." Shadow said, venom reaching her tone. "I daresay, you attacked Prince Naofumi and the other Heroes!"

"I did," Glass admitted.

"Why?! Are you here to try and kill them again!? If so, I daresay, you are-"

"I did not come here to fight."

…

"I did not come here to find my friend either. Nor did I come here to cause trouble for this world." Glass continued in a dry voice.

Shadow narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you here?"

"Honestly," Glass shrugged. "I do not know. I had no real purpose in coming here. Maybe I wished to be of use somehow, despite giving up on my goals... Or, perhaps, I wished to atone in some way for my past actions.

"It does not matter to me… I see no reason to hide anything anymore…" Glass turned away and fell to her knees.

"There is really no point in anything… without having her around anymore."

…

…

Glass stayed looking at the ground before her, completely defenseless. They could easily kill her and end it all.

Shadow looked conflicted. Here was a clear enemy that'd attacked her charge before. What's more, she was a hero of another world. One that'd attacked their world with the intention of killing their heroes.

And yet… Naofumi and Raphtalia were looking at Glass sadly. Raphtalia hadn't made one move to grab her blade, nor had Naofumi moved into a defensive position.

The two kids looked at each other, and then at Glass. Naofumi rubbed his small hand along his shoulder, where that one strike from the spirit woman had hurt him before.

Raphtalia grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Naofumi nodded his head to his best friend, and the two walked up behind Glass.

She had thick tears falling down the sides of her face. Her posture was slumped as a cloud of depression surrounded her form.

…

Her back straightened in surprise as two small, yet warm bundles hugged her back.

"Was your friend's name Kizuna?" Raphtalia asked her quietly.

…

Glass shuddered, a sob tearing itself from her throat.

"I'm guessing she must have been a pretty good friend of yours." Naofumi then said, a look of empathy on his face.

The two kids moved in front of her, hugging the spirit woman and resting her head on their shoulders.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Glass screamed, the sound coming deep from the depths of her soul as more thick fat tears fell below onto the two innocent-looking kids holding her.

Little Naofumi grimaced as the aura of sadness around them intensified. And tears fell down the sides of Raphtalia's face too as they comforted the Hero of another world.

He didn't know what to say now. This wasn't Raphtalia, or Melty, or Uncle Bald Guy, or someone he knew very well. This was someone who'd attacked them before.

Yet, even back then, he'd known she wasn't truly evil.

She didn't have scummy eyes like Raphtalia's former owner. Or the look of that Bandit King they'd faced. Or even the aura of malice that'd been around the man they met long ago back in Lute Village.

And the few days he'd gotten to spend with her and her friends made it easy for him to tell that they were good people.

No, they were great people. Just like Uncle Bald Guy and Dadcray and the others.

Maybe one of them had a bad case of cooties. But they were still good people.

And besides that, he hated it when nice people looked sad.

And she looked like she'd been sad for a long time.

…

Thinking back on it, she'd looked really sad while attacking his friends too. It'd only become noticeable before she left. And over the past few days, when she wasn't fighting or interacting with the others, she looked to be lost in her own sad world.

Naofumi was not an attentive person. He was still far from being able to listen to and recall entire conversations. But he wasn't stupid. And it would have taken a stupid person to not notice how much Glass had needed a hug.

Glass continued to sob. The only word that seemed to escape her mouth was that name. Kizuna. Over and over again.

…

It was only after a little bit though that she said something more.

"Kizuna… Kizuna… I'm so sorry, Kizuna…

"I failed you… I failed you…"

"I failed you…"

…

…

…

After a while, Glass pulled herself back from the kids. Resting back on her feet in an upward kneeling pose so she could stay at the same eye level with the two kids.

Her red pupils were nearly blurred by the tears still in her eyes. Naofumi and Raphtalia couldn't look away.

"What was your friend like?" Naofumi asked solemnly. "Or, would it be better to say that she was your best friend?"

Glass didn't open her mouth to answer. She instead nodded her head as more tears fell from her eyes.

"I think she misses her a lot," Raphtalia said sadly. "How long has it been?"

…

"Y… Years. I've lost track at this point." Glass admitted tearfully. "We tried everything. Ways of searching that don't exist in your world. Ways that could find anyone no matter what.

"And yet… none of them worked. We could not find her no matter what we did."

"Is… is she a Hero like you?" Shadow asked. Her hands had long since fallen from her daggers. "If so, maybe she is in another world like ours right now? That could be why you haven't found her."

Glass coughed. At first, they didn't know why. But then, they realized it wasn't so much a cough as it was choked laughter. "She is a Cardinal Hero, just like Naofumi here. Cardinal Heroes are not allowed to move between worlds.

"There is nowhere she can be except in my world. But I cannot find her anywhere there. I doubt I shall ever find her, even though everything in my world points to her still being alive."

"It is all pointless."

...

"You're afraid that you'll never see her again… …" Naofumi's eyebrows furrowed together as if deep in thought.

But then, it was followed by three simple words.

"I can understand."

…

Glass's eyes were still filled with tears. But they had focused on Naofumi now as he looked at her.

"You… understand?" She asked in a small voice.

"Well, probably not in the way you do. But I know the feeling." Naofumi looked smaller than ever as his gaze seemed directed somewhere far away.

"You see, before I came to this world, I had a little brother that I liked to play with a lot.

"Sometimes, we'd sit and play games and watch shows together. Other times, I'd bring him to the park and get ice cream from the truck and other stuff. We were really close as siblings. Even closer than I was with my parents.

"I haven't seen him since coming to this world. I've had no idea what he's been doing. If he misses me or not. If he's wondering if I'm ok now or anything..."

"How… how are you able to live with this then?" Glass asked meekly.

He looked back at her again with a real smile. "Because even though I miss him, I like to think about all the great people I've met in this world! About all the wonderful family I've gained since coming here!

"I have an awesome uncle who's not afraid to fight innocent(?) monsters for my sake.

"I have a not-so-awesome mom that teaches me all about manners and other boring stuff, but who still cares for me and wants what's best for me and others around her.

"I have the most powerful dad in the world and he teaches me all sorts of cool and awesome magic!"

Naofumi continued, describing the other figures in his life from Ren and his friends to Moto and Itsuki and Rishia and Amber and the Siltvelt Council and that weird advisor guy Dadcray talked to. There were also Keel and Sadeena and other members of the village.

As Naofumi described it, Glass almost seemed to blink as she pictured her best friend in his place. Maybe just a little taller, but with that same energetic smile that he was wearing right now. Talking so much about all of the other friends and family she'd acquired while in their world.

"Yeah, I might really miss my two sisters sometimes, but I mean, look at all the friends and family I've gained in their place!" Kizuna gestured to a picture resting over her hearth in the home she'd built for them all.

Glass looked it over, seeing the smiling faces of L'Arc and Therese as well as Kyo and Yomogi and King Berg and Romina and many of their other friends around Kizuna. The girl was holding a fish almost as big as her in her arms and Glass was beside her trying to help her hold it all up.

She was glaring at her best friend in the picture in annoyance, yet Kizuna was smiling so happily.

It made that past Glass smile as well. "Do you not wish that you could see them again though?" She asked her best friend and mistress curiously.

"Duh, of course! But then, I'd really miss you guys too!" Kizuna tackled Glass from the side.

"Ah! Kizuna!"

Kizuna continued to laugh as Glass tried to tear her best friend off, laughing all the while as well.

Glass came out from her memory as Naofumi was finishing up. "I have a creepy yet pretty cool ninja babysitter lady who is always trying to keep me and the others out of trouble!"

"And of course, I have the bestest friend in the entire world too! We get to cuddle at night and talk about all sorts of stuff! She's helped me whenever I ever feel sad and I've gotten to help her out too!"

Naofumi was smiling really widely while Glass looked shocked. Raphtalia was looking at Naofumi, awed by what he'd been saying up to that point.

His comment there though did make her cover her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Some of it may have been scary, and I might have not found a younger brother while in this world… but as much as I miss Jun, I love the new family and friends I've gained while in this world a lot!" Naofumi said happily. "Whenever I try to picture my parents, Dadcray and Momellia are in their place. Whenever I try to picture home, I think about the shop Uncle Bald Guy had his business in, the castle Dadcray lives in, or the village Raphtalia grew up in.

"And… even if I can't really picture my younger brother as well anymore… I can still picture Ren, Moto, and Itsuki standing with me too."

Naofumi briefly frowned but went back to smiling again. "So whenever I think of my old family and feel sad, I look around and I tell myself that it's ok to miss them. But I shouldn't forget the family and friends I have now!

"Because whenever I'm with them, I'm the happiest kid in the whole world!"

…

…

Glass chuckled as she cried.

She still had tears falling from her eyes… and yet, she couldn't deny the words the kid hero had said to her.

'He doesn't truly understand my pain… and yet, his words remind me so much of you, Kizuna.'

No, little Naofumi himself reminded her of Kizuna in so many ways. From the boundless energy to the pout and everything in between.

And what he'd said there… it was a Kizuna thing to say too.

It was almost as if her best friend had reached through this kid to comfort her at her lowest point. She... she really missed her so much.

"I don't know if you'd be able to do the same thing as me though." Naofumi then said, much to her surprise. Which was followed up by something even more surprising. "So if it'll make you happy, I promise that we'll do our best to help you find your friend!"

Shadow's eyes boggled behind her mask. "Are you insane Prince Naofumi!? She even stated earlier that Cardinal Heroes can't travel between worlds! How would you go about helping her if you can't even go to her world!?"

"I don't know! I'm too young to understand how everything works, remember?!" Naofumi pouted up at Shadow. "But if finding this Kizuna person helps Glass and her friends to be happy again, then I'll try to help them out however I can!"

The spirit woman gasped, and Raphtalia nodded along with her best friend's passionate rant. "I don't know how we can help. But we will!"

"Yeah, because that's the right thing to do!" Naofumi said happily.

…

Shadow looked down at the young boy, her expression hidden behind her mask.

"I… I don't deserve such kindness…" Glass muttered weakly. "I hurt you before."

"Eh, it's in the past." Naofumi smiled. He moved forward and, in a rather cute display, patted the kneeling spirit woman on the head. "Besides, I know some pretty stronk healing magic. My shoulder is doing just fine."

Raphtalia smiled happily and nodded in agreement.

She'd wondered why her best friend had been extra nice towards this woman after meeting her. Calling her pretty lady and the like, and…

She had her answer now. And it only made her l-l-lo-lov…

Like him even more than before.

Sigh, Naofumi was too nice for her tiny heart to handle.

…

Glass still looked hesitant. She didn't deserve this… she didn't deserve this…

…

She hugged the two kids to herself. Grateful tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Thank you…"

"Will you be able to feel better now, Kizuna?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"I don't know… but it is alright for you to call me Glass." Glass smiled just a little. "That's what my friends know me as."

The two kids smiled as they hugged the older woman back. Shadow continued to observe them from a few feet away. But her threatening stance had long since dissipated.

Glass honestly didn't think that she'd ever feel like herself until Kizuna was found. Until she could hug her and apologize for everything she regretted doing. Until their world was safe and her friends didn't have to worry about surviving for another day…

…

And yet… thinking about what Naofumi had told her… seeing how Kizuna would have said the same thing to her…

She could at least accept the people she had in her life now.

The family that she still had left. And the happiness they still shared despite the circumstances their world was facing.

…

Which now included these bundles of sunshine standing in front of her right now.

"Kizuna, is everything ok?"

Naofumi and Raphtalia walked out onto the beach with Shadow and Glass following them. Therese stood looking at them in worry. It appeared that everyone else had vanished.

"Therese, you know my name is Glass… and yes, things are better than before." The spirit woman answered with a small smile on her face.

Therese looked surprised at her friend dropping her real name, but Naofumi and Raphtalia were still smiling despite that. "Do they know then…?"

Glass nodded her head. "They do.

"Young Naofumi here actually recognized me when we met on the docks. He just kept it to himself till now." Glass proceeded to explain.

"Really?! But why?" Therese asked incredulously.

Naofumi grinned. "That's a secret between us and Glass."

Raphtalia giggled as her best friend added a mischievous wink to the end of his sentence.

"I daresay, if that is what you want to call it, then I won't pass on all the details of these events to Her Majesty." Shadow spoke in a dry tone.

"Thanks, Shadow! You're the best!" Naofumi said happily.

The ninja woman didn't respond and just looked away to the side while rubbing her shoulder awkwardly.

There was going to be more than one thing she wouldn't be reporting to her Majesty, apparently.

Sigh… this kid…

…

"Does that mean we have to go home now?" Therese broke the brief lull in the conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Glass blinked in confusion.

"Eh?" Therese looked taken aback. "Didn't you attack them before? Won't everyone be mad?"

"Meh, it's water under the bridge, at least, I think that's what they'll say." Naofumi furrowed his eyebrows in thought but then smiled widely. "Anyway, we still have a couple of days left in Cal Mira! So we might as well enjoy them together while we can!"

"If you do not mind, would it be okay if we traveled back with you as well?" Glass rubbed Naofumi's hair, and the kid laughed, causing her to smile. "I think, if you really are serious about wanting to help us, it'd be best if we at least set up some kind of ties with the royalty of this country."

Therese's eyes widened even more at the remark. "What… what do you mean?"

Glass looked at Therese again. "I don't know if there are people in this world that could help us find Kizuna or not. But if this boy wants to offer his help, then how can I refuse?"

…

Therese raced forward and nearly tackled her friend to the ground.

"S-Sure! We can stay and do that then!"

Glass hugged her good gem person friend as they both cried together. However, just like earlier, this was a good cry. A cry for things to become better after so long.

The two kids and their babysitter watched the two from a few steps away.

"Did we do good?" Naofumi asked.

Shadow finally rested a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "I have to admit… you did good back there, Prince Naofumi." Shadow gave the boy hero a rare note of praise. "I daresay, I definitely would have not handled that situation as well as you did."

"Thanks, Shadow. I tried my best." Naofumi smiled up at the ninja babysitter. Momellia's lessons hadn't been for naught in the end, apparently.

"Still… I have to ask, do you only want to help our former enemy because she was sad?" Shadow asked.

"Mmhmm." Naofumi nodded his head. "I might be a kid that hates learning and rules and all that. But I don't like seeing people sad. Especially ones I care a whole lot about."

"I want to be able to help everyone to smile! Even if that means I have to learn something or follow stupid rules or whatever!" The Shield Kid proudly admitted.

…

…

You know, for all the times she griped about how she wasn't paid enough for this… and even though today had truly been a mess in several different ways…

Shadow definitely felt pride at the fact that she was this kid's creepy, yet cool babysitter.

Now she could understand why Uncle Bald Guy found his title so endearing. Though, she didn't plan on changing her name from Shadow anytime soon. Shadow was more than enough for her at the moment.

"So, does this mean that I'm allowed to go off and cause trouble now?!" Naofumi asked excitedly.

"Absolutely not." Shadow's firm reply came quickly.

Naofumi pouted. "Aw come on, Auntie Shadow!"

"Wh-WHAT!?" Shadow reeled at the sudden additional title to her name.

This got both Raphtalia and Glass to start laughing together. The spirit woman looked more carefree than she had in years.

"Ah…" Therese looked even more surprised. She put a hand to her chest, and tears of relief pricked her eyes at visibly seeing the aura of sadness around Glass finally receding for the first time in such a long time.

It didn't disappear entirely, but it was her first real step in a long, long while toward healing her soul.

"I daresay, I am not your aunt! I'm your ever-vigilant babysitter! I'm always watching you, Prince Naofumi!" Shadow yelled heatedly.

"Whatever you say, Auntie Shadow." Naofumi rolled his eyes. "Just remember you're in my party, so…" And just like that, her name changed on the HUD.

Auntie Shadow.

"Ch-Change it back at once!" Shadow looked even more flustered than ever before.

"Nope!" Naofumi grinned widely.

"PRINCE NAOFUMI!"

"Ehehehe." Raphtalia began giggling to herself while her tail wagged happily behind her.

Glass began to smile more genuinely as a heated argument erupted between the ninja babysitter/auntie and the young kid in front of her. And Therese continued to observe the spirit woman healing before her eyes.

It… it made her so… so…

"I… I don't know what to say…" Therese muttered through the tears falling down the sides of her face. "This almost seems too good to be true."

"How about we find Big Bro L'Arc and Big Bro Moto and the others and have another round of dodgeball to celebrate instead then!" Naofumi suggested, cutting off his argument with Shadow. "That way, I can properly punish both my big bros for trying to infect me with cooties!"

"Eh, does it have to be dodgeball though?" Raphtalia asked curiously. "We could always try another game from your world. Didn't we learn about volleyball today? And what even is cooties anyways?"

"I don't remember any other games from my world though!" Naofumi tilted his head to the side cutely. "And uh… you know, that's a very good question since I don't know what cooties are either. Heheh."

Hey, it'd been a long time since his mom had taught him about it! And he couldn't even picture her anymore so he had the perfect excuse to forget this detail!

…

Shadow groaned in annoyance while Glass's initial chuckle turned into a full-on holler. "Do not worry. I believe we could teach you a game that Kizuna taught us… if you are interested that is." She added shyly at the end.

"Cool! I'm in!" Naofumi said excitedly. His reaction immediately made Glass's day ten times better than before. The Otherworlders had fallen into the clutches of Kidfumi and they didn't even mind it one bit.

"I'm in too! As long as Auntie Shadow plays with us!" Raphtalia said just as excitedly before looking up at their babysitter.

"I daresay… why not?" Aunt Shadow sighed in reluctance.

She took everything back. She seriously wasn't paid enough for this.

…

Therese smiled widely. This really did feel so much better.

She wanted to grab L'Arc right then and there to show him this and possibly do something to make the both of them feel happy, and… and…

Oh. Right.

"Actually, we might want to wait till tomorrow before we drag L'Arc and the others into this game," Therese said nervously.

"Huh? Why's that?" Glass asked curiously.

"Let's just say… L'Arc didn't take what happened earlier very well."

Meanwhile, in a random bar

"Hiccup! I jus dun u-und-under- *hic* understand Kidfumi's reasoning for calling us uncool!" Motoyasu drunkenly bawled as he nearly spilled the drink in his hands onto the counter below him.

"I-I agree! Sh-Shel Kiddo's t-to-too *hic* crualllll!" L'Arc drunkenly bawled alongside the Spear Hero as well.

There were at least a dozen large empty tankards resting in front of the two grown men. Motoyasu had one arm over the Scythe Hero's shoulders while the two drunkenly bawled over their shared misfortune together.

Ren was with his party further away from the pair. The Sword Hero was mainly there to keep an eye on Moto and L'Arc to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble.

Then again, he wasn't really paying much attention to them, or anyone else besides his mate at the moment.

"Is the meat here any good?" He asked.

Wyndia smiled happily. "It tastes just right." She then put one of the meat chunks on a fork before feeding her mate with it.

Ren savored the taste in his mouth. She was right, the food here tasted as good as it smelled. She really had a good nose for such things.

"F-Farrie, please let go of me!" Bakta screeched nearby.

"Ughhh, I don't wanna though." The light-green-haired tomboy-looking girl drawled out drunkenly while pulling on the tank's shirt.

They might have changed into some comfortable clothes after the beach, but the girl wasn't relenting, trying to make even more audacious moves on the tank while drunk.

"Tersia, please, I just want to eat in peace," Welt complained.

"Mmmm, but I want to try having some fun." Ren's blonde-haired party mage whined.

The two guys were a little tipsy from their drinks. But the two girls were definitely wasted. It was all they could do to try and peel the drunken mages off of them.

"R-Ren! Please tell them to stop!" Bakta pleaded for help.

"Hmmm?" Ren almost seemed to be drawn out of the romantic moment he was in, only for Wyndia to feed him again.

Ren's eyes glossed over, and the two men continued to be beyond confused by their situation. "I don't understand, the two of them aren't even drinking! How can they be this lost on what's going on!?" Bakta complained.

"Pleasssssse, I just want a taste." Farrie drunkenly slurred. Her hand moved down lower on his body.

"EEP!" Bakta nearly fell backward out of his chair.

"W-Why aren't the two of them drinking anyway?" Welt asked. "At least then I'd understand why they aren't really paying us any attention!"

"Oh, that's because I'm pregnant," Wyndia answered happily.

…

…

…

The two drunken girls instantly stopped what they were doing. The two guys froze in their seats in shock as well.

Ren's demeanor didn't change though. He was continuing to smile like a happy doofus as his mate fed him another piece of steak.

The four friends didn't react for a long time. Their brains were desperately trying to process what the dog girl had just told them.

…

…

"Huh- HUHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Bakta and Welt both began to screech at the same time.

Was that the reason why Ren and Wyndia had been acting weird around each other lately!? The two men weren't completely dense. They knew that Ren and Wyndia had been dating for some time now. BUT THEY WERE EXPECTING A BABY ALREADY!?

"Didn't you guys only get together just a month ago?!" Tersia asked in surprise even though her eyes were shining with happiness and excitement.

Wyndia's bright smile became even brighter, albeit, a hint of a blush began to appear on her cheeks. "I felt a little sick the morning before we left for the islands, so Ren took me to visit a healer in Lurolona. She gave us the good news then."

…

The two girls continued to stare at the dog girl and her Sword Hero mate. The two guys were still reeling in their chairs.

"Did… did you guys even use protection when… you know?" Farrie asked in a small voice.

Wyndia's blush faded away as a dreamy look entered her amber eyes. "Since when do swords need protection?"

Happy Ren Noises!

…

Yep. That's right. Ren had truly won the jackpot. One of his hands began rubbing Wyndia's belly under her shirt while his mate continued to feed him with her fork. The unintelligible sounds coming out of Ren's mouth could only be described as pure happiness.

Despite the news, she'd decided to come on this trip so she could level up a lot and ensure she'd be powerful enough to protect their future kids. She wouldn't be able to help out as much after she progressed further along in her pregnancy, but the Sword Hero didn't mind it one bit.

He was going to be a happy man for the rest of his life alongside his mate. And he wasn't going to allow anything to ruin that or harm her or their children.

Ever. Not even the Waves.

The world now had two future hero daddies who were more than motivated enough to protect it for their kids' sake.

The Waves of Catastrophe were completely and utterly screwed.

"I… I…" Both Bakta and Welt struggled for words. Their tipsy brains were melting under the weight of what they'd learned.

Farrie and Tersia though, almost appeared to have an awakening of sorts at the same time.

Tersia pulled the rogue swordsman out of his chair with strength she hadn't previously possessed. "That does it. We're going to have some fun of our own for the night! I don't care if I'll regret it in the morning or not!"

"Huh?!" Welt yelled in confusion again as he was dragged towards the bar's exit.

"W-Welt-" Bakta tried reaching out to his friend, only for Farrie to grip his outstretched wrist in a death grip.

Looking at her, the drunk mage girl was filled with determination. "Yup! I'm done with trying to be subtle with you too, dork. If Wyndia could come out of her shell and do this, then we're going to make a baby of our own too, even if I have to force you!" She declared.

"H-HUH-!?" Bakta didn't even have time to scream before the mage girl dragged him behind her to the bathrooms. Apparently, she wasn't even going to wait long enough for them to get back to their room where they'd have privacy.

It was only when he was about to scream that Farrie's lips crashed against his, and everything else was lost in a blur.

Not that it really mattered to the two mates. As Wyndia had moved to sit in Ren's lap again and rested her head on his shoulder.

She really did like being on top of him like this. It felt so good to just relax her whole body against him, and Ren liked cuddling with her like this too. There was no better feeling in the world for him.

Besides when they did this naked, of course.

The pair were reveling in the future they were going to share together after Ren and the other Heroes beat back the Waves. The wedding they were going to have. The kids they were going to raise. The dragon grandpa they were going to visit.

Overall, good times were being had all around.

"Bwahhhhhhhhh!" "This isn't fairrrrrrrr!"

Besides the two drunken idiots, that is.

The poor souls would be on Naofumi's uncool list for a long while yet.

"So… this is it, huh?" Itsuki looked at the door to their room with dread.

"Y… Yeah." Rishia said in the same tone as the Bow Hero.

They hadn't done much after the earlier beach outing. They'd explored the town a little. They got dinner together at a nice restaurant. They'd even taken the chance to relax in the Hot Springs together since they didn't have Granny there to watch over them.

At least, the Bow Hero didn't think she'd been following them or anything.

…

It was oddly strange how close the two of them had been today. Itsuki had found himself smiling more than he ever had on a regular basis. And he and Rishia had even held each other's hands more than a few times at certain points when they'd felt brave enough to do so.

Though, he hadn't brought himself to sit next to her in the Hot Springs since…

Seriously, how was Rishia blessed with such large assets?! He knew his arm had been buried in them at the beach today, but still! He was amazed she didn't complain about back pain or anything and-

Ahhem, he probably shouldn't continue down that line of thought right now. He couldn't blame his brain for it either, as that'd been all him right there.

And how could he not?! His best friend was freaking hot!

…

He and Rishia were still standing in front of their bedroom door. Almost too afraid to go in and call it a night.

After all, Granny was going to go back to pushing them past their limits starting tomorrow. And things were possibly going to get even more scary than they'd already been.

Granny's rare words of praise and comfort already felt like they were said a lifetime away. Itsuki didn't even know if he wanted to live out the rest of his life like this or not. Was it worth it even if he had his super hot best friend there to help support him and-

"Hey, um…" Rishia suddenly spoke up next to him.

Itsuki turned to her in surprise, almost forgetting that she'd been there with him. "Y-Yeah?" He asked.

"I… I just…" Rishia started, then stopped. She fiddled with her hands, something she normally did when she was thinking while she was nervous.

It used to be something she did all the time. But she'd been doing it less and less as of late. Itsuki was almost surprised to see her doing it again right now though.

"Is everything alright? Do you need me to get you anything, or-" Itsuki started to ask.

"No!" Rishia's outburst caught him off guard.

It must have caught her off guard too, as she began blushing furiously almost immediately after her outburst. "No, um… it's nothing like that. I'm just not sure how to say this."

"I've… I've never really felt something like this for someone before, and… I don't know what I should do…" She mumbled sadly.

…

Itsuki gulped.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what she was going to say. He just hoped that she wasn't going to see if they could ask the receptionist for another bed tonight. He didn't know if he'd be able to sleep with how much fear and dread he was bottling inside himself because of what was coming tomorrow and because he couldn't get that predatory look Granny had been giving him during volleyball out of his mind and…

And he'd really come to like holding someone close to him at night. To feel some sort of comfort in the fact that he wasn't alone. That he could feel her soft hair resting on his face when he woke up in the morning, and-

"Can, can you close your eyes please, Itsuki?" Rishia suddenly asked.

"... huh?" The Bow Hero looked at her dumbly.

The nervous green-haired girl continued to tremble where she stood. Though, she seemed to tremble less as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I… I don't w-want to e-explain w-w-why."

"C-Can you please, just, d-d-do it… for me?" While she'd stuttered for most of it, the end came out… strangely confident.

Her trembling had also stopped. She was standing resolutely as if she'd made up her mind about something.

"O… Okay." Itsuki barely avoided stuttering, and closed his eyes.

He didn't know what to expect. But Rishia was a good friend, and he'd been able to trust her even before Granny showed him what hell on earth was like.

And she was incredibly nice, and beautiful, and he'd be lying if he said his heart wasn't racing right now in nervousness, and… and…

…

His brain had stopped. And it was likely because of the pair of soft lips touching his own.

Itsuki's eyes nearly shot open from surprise, but through the cracks of his eyelids, he saw that it was Rishia kissing him.

As the realization hit home, her arms finished wrapping themselves around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Her eyes were closed, but her face was shining with untold joy.

The Bow Hero could barely even comprehend it as his arms hugged around her back and his eyes closed as he kissed her back.

Friend… had he just called her a friend… he thought he had, at least.

No, his brain must have been wrong. After what they'd gone through together, their bond was much deeper than that. It was more than her helping to redeem him in Naofumi's eyes.

He genuinely cared for this girl more than anything else in the world. He'd seen a bit of himself in her. The old self who used to cower before others and what they said.

But now she'd grown out of that. Just like he had. And they were going to continue growing as individuals from here on out. Together.

Minutes passed as the two inexperienced teenagers got used to the next step of their relationship. The nervousness they'd been feeling before seemed to melt away as neither wanted the kiss to end.

…

The two had to separate for air though. But after taking a few seconds to breathe, they latched onto each other's lips again for another round. Itsuki's hands moved down her back to her hips while Rishia's hands began tugging at the Bow Hero's shirt.

Both of their faces were burning red, but neither of them seemed to care that they were venturing into dangerous territory. After all, there were worse things to be scared of.

Granny was living proof of that statement.

Itsuki finally spoke after their second kiss ended, once again, due to lack of air. "I… I'm really scared about tomorrow, Rishia. I don't want Granny to kill me."

Rishia breathed in deeply, and the aura around her suddenly became even more confident. "Don't worry. I'll help you to overcome your fears, just like how you helped me to overcome my own, no matter what."

Itsuki's eyes blinked, but her foot had already nudged the door open behind her. Her hands were already moving down to her shirt to take it off. "For tonight, let's forget about tomorrow. I'd rather focus on you."

…

Yeah.

He'd rather focus on her too.

It was time for the Bow Hero to stop daydreaming and see what his best friend, now girlfriend's thicc chest looked like without a towel covering it.

Itsuki lunged forward after Rishia. His lips crashed into hers once again as the door to their room got slammed shut behind them.

And PG things were definitely happening behind that door. Nothing more than kissing was going on whatsoever.

Yep, nothing to see here ladies and gents. Move along now.

…

Down the hallway, a very sunburnt Uncle Bald Guy stood next to the infamous Granny around the corner. The older man was smirking widely while dressed in a waiter's outfit.

"I gotta say, that Spear Brat was right. Watching a hero romance blossom is really something to behold."

Granny laughed as she slapped her hand against Elhart's back. Besides the pained look that appeared on his face, he tried not to react to the stinging sensation left by his sunburn there. "They're a little too vanilla for my tastes. But I suppose it's good enough."

Elhart continued to grimace as he rubbed some more aloe extract on his arms. He wasn't going to sleep very well that night, was he? And he'd really enjoyed napping almost all day too, dang it!

Though sleeping all day in the sun had probably not been the best idea. His skin was so red he almost looked demonic.

"Is it true that you're going to train the Bow Hero harder starting tomorrow?" The bald blacksmith asked curiously.

"Mmmm, maybe not as hard as Rishia still, but he definitely has more potential than I gave him credit for." Granny grinned. "I mainly told him that anyway so I could scare my two pupils into getting together."

"... Yeesh." Elhart sweatdropped. "And here I thought I did good enough being their waiter during dinner. I don't think the brat even noticed I was serving him."

"Oh, don't you worry, youngster," Granny patted him on the arm. "You helped them along enough too. Though, from my experience, nothing gets people together like a life-and-death situation! Hahaha!"

"Hahaha, that was funny." Elhart laughed next to her as well.

…

…

"That was a joke, right?" He asked. His skin had grown strangely pale despite being sunburned all over.

Granny's grin turned evil. "It's how me and my hubby got together all those years ago. May he rest in peace. ORA!" Granny thrust one of her fists out and let out a belly-aching laugh as she finished saying it.

The powerful level 100 blacksmith shivered in terror.

Yep, he was definitely sure who'd win in a fight between him and the older lady. If he had money to bet, it'd be against himself.

"But enough of that for now! Let's allow my two pupils to relax together tonight in peace." Granny began to walk away.

"Yeah, 'relax'. That's definitely a PG word that doesn't betray what the two of them are doing right now." Elhart shuddered.

Thus, the big plot twist of Elhart and Granny fulfilling the Love Hunter's final objective for him came to a close. And the last of the Hero romances managed to blossom during Cal Mira.

After that night with Glass, Naofumi got to spend a few more days in Cal Mira-

Oh no. Not another time skip summarization monologue.

Naofumi pouted at his Shield. "Shut up, I already told you that nobody likes you!"

Zap!

"Ouch!" Naofumi grumbled as his stupid tsundere shield zapped him for his antics again.

And nobody likes a time-skip summarization monologue! I get that everyone is tired of being in Cal Mira at this point but there must be a better way of skipping forward!

"Naofumi, what are you doing now?" Raphtalia sighed next to her best friend while leaning against the ship's railing.

"I wasn't doing anything," Naofumi whined.

"Sure, brat. And I guess there's no reason why you're glaring at your weapon like it did something to insult you either." Uncle Bald Guy chuckled where he was relaxing against the ship's mast. His skin was still peeling in places where he'd been sunburned.

Boo! Naofumi was only summarizing the last couple of days' events in his mind so he could remember all the important stuff! Was that too much to ask?!

…

Anyway, it'd been a few days since he and the others had befriended Glass and come upon her true identity. And-

I see you're still going to go with the boring time skip despite my advice.

…

Maybe if he didn't address it, his stupid tsundere shield would stop bothering him?

Zap!

I'm a she, not an it! Also, I'm not stupid, nor a tsundere!

Get that through your thick skull, BAKA!

…

"Naofumi, why are you looking at your Shield like you're scared of it now?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.

"I-It's nothing, really!" Naofumi said, looking fearful for his life.

"Anything I can help you with, bro?" Ren asked curiously. He'd taken some medicine Naofumi had made in advance, allowing him to ride the ship home without feeling seasick.

He and Wyndia had even summoned a large wave together with the power of Earth Vein to help make their return journey that much faster. Just like he'd imagined him doing before!

It was the peak of coolness, I say!

"Um, heheh, it's nothing really, Cool Bro." Naofumi giggled nervously.

Could he at least give a short summary of events?!

…

Keep it to one page, brat.

ONE PAGE-

A feeling like electricity went along Naofumi's skin again.

…

Well, to keep it nice and simple, Glass had revealed her true identity to the other Heroes the morning after their volleyball game. And Ren and Motoyasu forgave her almost immediately, which somewhat redeemed the blonde in his eyes. And, surprisingly, Itsuki had forgiven her pretty quickly too.

Though, the Bow Hero had looked so tired that maybe he hadn't realized who she was at the time? But he'd also had a soft smile on his face like the one Ren had. And Rishia had the same kind of smile too. It was really heartwarming to see.

They then had to stay in Cal Mira for an extra couple of days due to a storm forming off the coast and making sailing impossible. Not that they'd minded, as it'd given the Shield Kid, Raphtalia, and the others plenty more chances to play on the beach. Visit random shops in town. And other such things. Glass had even taught them her friend's game as promised, and they had a lot of fun together!

Uncle Bald Guy had also used the time to work on some new armor for Naofumi. As well as to improve the sword and claws Raphtalia and Amber had gotten from the boss drops. They were now white as snow, and didn't have the defense debuff on them anymore either! Uncle Bald Guy was so cool!

Naofumi briefly shuddered as he recalled a memory of an Accessory Merchant he and the others met while visiting an Accessory Shop to buy Melty an accessory. The guy had used concealment magic on his merchandise and had clearly been trying to rip them off with that ratty face of his.

So, he, Raphtalia, Amber, and Auntie Shadow had done the natural thing and blown a hole in the wall of his establishment to expose his misdeeds to the world! This led to his arrest and expulsion from the islands! It was something any good kid would do in his situation!

I highly doubt that.

AHEM! Anyway, besides that, everything had gone really well. Auntie Shadow had been strangely lenient, not letting him get into big trouble still. But she'd looked the other way while he was setting up a bucket trap here or there with Raphtalia.

Naofumi was uncertain why that was the case. But it probably wasn't because of her growing attachment to her new title or anything! I daresay, such a thing was impossible!

And now, they were on a ship heading back home. Glass, L'Arc, and Therese were coming along as well to meet with Dadcray and Momellia. And everyone was mostly good. Glass even stood nearby, smiling softly to herself.

Though Itsuki… looked like he was dying again, judging by his expression as he gripped the ship's railing with his hands.

"Itsuki…" Rishia was also looking dead on her feet next to him.

No, it wasn't because of seasickness. Rather, it was thanks to Granny, who was standing next to them. He'd shown mercy by giving Itsuki the fruity medicine this time around since he was cool again.

"ORA! You two did really well handling that Wave by yourselves! I'm going to look forward to training you more once we get back to the mainland!"

"Urghhh…" Itsuki and Rishia groaned against the wooden railing.

Oh, yeah, that'd been why that storm he'd mentioned earlier had formed before.

Apparently, a Wave had opened near the islands. They hadn't realized a dragon hourglass was in the area, but the other Heroes remembered that fact after the Wave appeared in the distance.

It never had a chance to cause any damage though, as Itsuki and Rishia had used what they'd learned from Granny to launch a super powerful combo attack from the beach of the main island all the way to the area of the Wave, killing almost all the monsters and the Wave Boss in an explosion the size of an atomic bomb. The local sailors had then gone out and gathered whatever remains of the monsters they could find for the Heroes to absorb into their weapons. Giving Naofumi a Whale Core Shield as well as some other shields with different skills/buffs.

It was too bad since Naofumi never got to see the whale monster for himself to see if he could tame it or not. But it'd still helped to cement Itsuki in the 'cool' zone for good. Especially since his and Rishia's attack had gone quite a distance.

At least over a dozen miles.

And that was the important events that'd happened the last few days at Cal Mira.

Two pages, not bad this time… brat.

"Hmph. I swear, my tsundere shield will never be happy with me." Naofumi pouted.

"What the heck is a tsundere anyway?" Melty asked angrily. She was so confused as to why Naofumi kept talking to his shield the way he did!

"I'm not sure myself." Raphtalia sighed unsurely. One of these days, she was going to have to have a talk with Naofumi about it.

Yes. Everyone was doing well…

Well, everyone except for Motoyasu and L'Arc, that is.

"Ehehehe, thank you again for the puppy, Moto! I love him!" Amber said happily.

The Inult Island Dog Monster Boss that Motoyasu had somehow managed to capture and lock up in his bathroom at the inn before happily lapped its large tongue across Amber's face. She continued to giggle while stroking its head.

…

L'Arc and Motoyasu both wished they were dead.

Uncool Cootie Infested Big Bros

The reason was more than obvious, based on the titles hovering over them on the party HUD. Courtesy of Naofumi renaming them.

The original plan was to gift the dog to Naofumi, actually. But that backfired horribly when the duo learned that he hated dogs because of Raphtalia's trauma.

"I thought giving him that pet monster would help him to forgive us," L'Arc said sadly.

"I thought it would too, man." Moto sniffled loudly. "I thought it would too."

Therese once again rubbed L'Arc's shoulder out of pity. "At least the dog monster is cute." She offered.

It totally wasn't cute! Why'd they have to go and do something this stupid together while drunk!?

This was truly the worst, we say!

And thus, the Heroes' vacation to Cal Mira, which had been extended by two days thanks to the storm off the coast, came to an end.

And things looked better for almost everyone compared to before.

"Ah… Whip Hero. We've been awaiting your arrival. Welcome to Melromarc." Aultcray stated formally.

A golden-blonde-haired man holding a whip with a gemstone in the hilt stepped off the ramp of his airship, which was parked just above the Castle Gardens.

For a prince of Faubley, he was definitely underdressed. He wore a rough black and brown jacket with blue jeans. On his feet were boots with the ankles unzipped. Around his head, he wore a red bandana.

He would have looked handsome, if not for the cocky grin on his face. As Aultcray examined him, he found that the Whip Hero resembled Motoyasu in many ways. However, in terms of presence, he was nothing like the Spear Hero whatsoever.

There was something very off-putting about him. Something dark and foreboding that made all of the King's danger senses go on high alert.

He immediately felt validated about sending Naofumi and the others to Cal Mira for this. This was not a mess they should ever get themselves involved in.

"Hey there, half-brother.

"It's good to see you again."

Author's Notes:

And Cal Mira comes to a close with the LN 16 antagonist Tact finally arriving with plans to clap Aultcray for plot reasons. Can't wait to see how well that goes for him; LOL!

Finally, Vanilla Rishuki has gotten together! And Rendia reveals their (not so) secret pregnancy to their friends, which probably landed poor Welt and Bakta in PG territory alongside Rishia and Itsuki as well! At least they're living this time around though! And maybe Bakta will even be lucky and become a Father himself!

Still, my favorite part of this chapter would probably be seeing that Kidfumi had been giving kindness to Glass all along despite knowing who she was the whole time. Even Auntie Shadow has eased up on him the littlest bit now despite her psychotic break two chapters ago. And Glass can feel at least a little happy right now thanks to these sweet loving cinnamon buns being there and helping her out.

Have a great week everyone! I believe I only have five more chapters left before this story reaches its conclusion!

Hero Clips!

Melty Gets in Trouble (Or Tries To At Least)

"Muwhahahaha! Finally, without Shadow watching my every move, I'll be able to get away with whatever I want, I say!" Melty laughed evilly while rubbing her hands together.

It'd been so easy to sneak away from Therese and Amber too. Even if she'd wanted to cuddle into Amber's feathers and take a nice warm nap in the setting sun of the beach and-

NO! She was finally given a chance at freedom! To relive those adrenaline-filled days she'd experienced with her siblings when going after the Bandit King and doing other fun activities around the Capital!

She was going to get herself into so much trouble! She couldn't wait!

"Ahahahaha!" Melty laughed evilly to herself as she walked away from a stand handing out free samples of some kind of food on the side of the road.

People were only allowed to take one sample… but she'd taken two free samples from the stand!

Oh, such glorious trouble! She could feel the adrenaline spiking already!

But she needed more, so much more!

"To the next spot, I say!"

"Here's your receipt, thank you for eating with us, Princess Melty." The waiter said happily as she left Melty with the receipt.

"You're welcome!" Melty grinned happily as she left the exact amount needed for payment on the table before skipping out the doors of the restaurant. She crumpled the receipt in her hands into a ball before throwing it on the ground nearby.

Yes, she had not only littered outside, but she hadn't left the nice waiter a tip either! Ahahaha! She was in soooo much trouble!

That just made it even more exciting!

Her eyes then spotted a sand castle nearby. There was nobody near it, but it was still a sign of somebody's hard work. So…

"Fast Aqua Shot!"

The water spell crashed into the sand castle, destroying it entirely.

"Ahahahahaha! Yes! More! MORE! MORRRRRE!" Melty ran off in search of more trouble.

In the end, the list of things she did after destroying the sand castle included going to a clothing store; where she wrinkled all the clothes she tried on before putting them in different sections of the store and leaving after not buying anything.

She also crossed a high-traffic road without using the crosswalk (so bad!) and vandalized a building by drawing a smiley face and a flower on a random wall with a bit of chalk.

She even, gasp, shoplifted a piece of gum worth 1 copper from a corner store! She'd never felt such an adrenaline spike in all her life!

Granted, she felt really terrible afterward and returned the gum to its spot without the employees noticing. But she still hadn't been caught, so it counted!

"I bet you wish you had as much fun as I did, don't you?!" Melty laughed to herself after describing all she'd done to her younger siblings with a satisfied smirk on her face.

…

…

"I don't think big sis really knows what it means to have fun by herself," Naofumi said dryly.

"Yeah." Raphtalia dryly agreed. "Come on. Let's go blow up another store, Naofumi."

"Sure!" Naofumi agreed instantly. "Now that sounds like fun!"

"Wh-What do you mean?!" Melty screeched indignantly.

She never did get another response from them about it. But as Shadow had learned from listening in, it'd be just fine leaving the Second Princess by herself in the future.

Her idea of trouble… was not very troubling, to say the least.

His Majesty was right. Melty really could use some more excitement in her life. If taking two free samples was what she called exciting...

Then the Second Princess was on another level of boring entirely.

Hero Clips!

Uncool Cootie Infested Big Bros

"Hey, ugh, Naofumi!" Motoyasu called out.

"Huh?" The Shield Kid turned around confusedly, only for his eyes to widen.

Motoyasu and L'Arc were approaching him, Raphtalia, and Amber on the beach. The sight of the two guys, eyes bloodshot, clothes a mess, and faces tight with hangovers, wasn't the thing that'd made the Shield Hero confused, however.

Rather, it was the large Karma Dog Boss that the two were pulling on a leash behind them that made Naofumi pause! It had a giant black spiked collar around its neck, and its head looked even more ridiculous than before with makeup on its face and curlers in its fur!

It looked like they'd taken it to a beauty salon only to take it out halfway through the process. And the boss monster of Inult Island did not look very happy about it, at all.

"Blondie, what is this?" Amber asked confusedly.

"Why, this is how we'll redeem ourselves in the eyes of our younger bro, I say!" Motoyasu said happily, hearts nearly appearing in his eyes before Naofumi's glare cut the simp off.

"Moto here says you're always trying to tame monsters and make them your pets," L'Arc said in a cool voice. "So we went and did it for you. Tada!" He stepped to the side and spread his arms out, gesturing to the large dog monster.

It was unknown how they'd accomplished such a feat since it was supposed to be impossible to tame wild monsters like this. But hey, they'd accomplished it, so more power to them I guess.

…

…

"So…" Motoyasu asked hopefully.

Naofumi's face had gone through a mix of different emotions. But after a few seconds of waiting, it finally settled on… indifference.

"Dog monsters are evil. I don't want it." He said boredly.

Especially since Naofumi hated dog monsters anyway, lol.

The two guys reeled in shock. "EHHHHHHHHH!?"

"Come on, Raphtalia, let's find somewhere else on the beach to play where these two uncool cootie infested big bros won't bother us," Naofumi told his best friend.

"Yay! Will you be able to floof my tail while we play!?" Raphtalia asked excitedly as they ran off.

"Sure! Your tail is the best thing ever, I say!" Naofumi said, hearts appearing in his eyes as he simped for his best friend.

…

The two idiot heroes fell to their knees.

"So… so biased." Motoyasu sniffled.

"Sniff! why does he have to be so biased against us?!" L'Arc began to bawl again.

"At least… the dog monster looks really cute." Amber offered.

…

The two didn't say anything, but then, the Karma Dog opened its large mouth and promptly bit down on Motoyasu's head.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEE! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Motoyasu screamed in terror.

"Don't worry bro, I got you!" L'Arc began pulling on Moto to try and get him out.

"Awww, see, he likes you too Blondie~!" Amber's eyes sparkled as she walked up to the large monster and began petting its cheek.

The red eyes of the creature dimmed at her touch, and it spat Motoyasu out. "Arf! Arf!" He began barking happily as he rubbed his face into Amber's warm hands.

"Awwww, he's so cute! He really loves me too, don't you, little guy?" Amber's eyes were sparkling with happiness.

"Arf! Arf!"

Motoyasu and L'Arc both sputtered as they stood up. The Spear Hero was covered in dog slobber but was unharmed due to his high level. However, seeing his angel wife begin playing with the boss monster, his eyes widened in terror.

"Can I keep him?! Pretty please, Moto!" Amber pleaded with the most adorable look on her face.

The Spear Hero trembled in horror. No, NO! HOW COULD HIS WIFE PLEAD TO HIM FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!

And yet, it was at that moment that the Spear Hero learned that no matter how much he might be against something, he could not refuse anything Amber asked of him.

Naofumi might have not gotten a new pet. But the Filolial Queen definitely had.

Sure enough, several days later, with the two hero idiots bawling together over their shared misfortune on the ship back home, Amber still had the large dog monster with her.

The curlers and makeup had been done away with. Yet Amber loved her new pet. She'd even named him Bruno and attached a nametag to his collar. Bruno loved his new name.

"I can't wait for you to see the home Blondie built for us back in Lurolona!" She told her pet excitedly. "You're going to be the cutest guard dog ever for our future children!"

"Arf!" Bruno barked happily.

The former boss of Inult Island had gotten a fantastic new life indeed. And Moto would never be able to escape from it again as it looked over Amber's shoulder at him with a hungry glint in its eyes.

It was unknown what Motoyasu and L'Arc had done beforehand to piss it off so much. But it was likely a grudge that would last for a lifetime. A lifetime of the dog biting down on Moto's head repeatedly just like before.

And this was yet another reason why you should never get yourself drunk. As you might compound your previous mistakes from being drunk before and do something you'd truly regret for the rest of your life.

This is truly the worst, we say!

Worst for them, but comedy gold for us.

Who knew bleeding the omakes into canon would be so freaking funny?

Till Next Time

Allen