Date A Re:Live

Chapter 76 Epilogue: The First Stage

By : Tohka_Yatogami

...

Summary

Even a similar story can take it's own path. Shido and Mana are amnesiac siblings living with their friend Kotori, however the past catches up to Shido when he nearly runs into a space quake, and his world changes as one girl asks... "Are you here to kill me?" (Stronger Ratatoskr, weaker DEM, games & movie are canon to story) [Shido/Tohka/Harem]

Hey everyone, as you might have noticed, this is not as much a new chapter as it is a recreation of Chapter 76, and as such... you're likely wondering what happened to make me do this? Well, hate to say this, so before you read the next paragraph? I advise you, expect the worst, and if you're already getting a bad feeling or thinking you'll hate this news? *sighs* Then trust your gut, because its right.

After beginning Season 4, things went bad, and then... I hit a wall, the worst kind of wall. No matter what, I couldn't continue the story. It was a horrible feeling, and I struggled to overcome it because I refused to cancel DARL over such a thing. After a while, I had no choice but to ask some friends what to do under the condition I couldn't cancel it.

Eventually, someone pointed out my revisions for Legends of the Heavenly Dragons, and then after seeing Chapter 76, told me the very thing I needed to beat that funk, and give this story the ending it deserved. The downside was that it was not going to be a decision that would make everyone happy, but I realized it was right.

So, time to confess what that idea was. The idea was... *breathes* change the last two movie arcs, and make Ch 76 the first two chapters to end the story.

That's right, this is the first of two chapters that will finish the story of Date A Re:Live, because I'm unable to create a 4th season for this story. I'm sorry to everyone who was excited over what I was doing, but I just can't push this story anymore, my mind just refuses to compromise a way to make it possible, so I've decided to give this story its conclusion over a Season 4.

You might be wondering by now, what's the problem that has pushed me into this spot? Well... nothing more than my own execution. To elaborate on that? Back when I revealed the ties to Heaven and Hell, with the Devil being the true villain of the story, one thing I said was that I had revealed all the remaining secrets of the story, and now I realize deciding that had very close to being the nail to the coffin for this story.

By saying that, I had given a strong feeling of this story being right near the end, and the more I looked at everything from season 4, the more it came to me that I was trying to expand a condensed final battle, and adding more to it at a level that ended up becoming dangerously large for me to manage. With that, it was clear after I came to this realization the last movie needed to be the final battle, especially because of the timing of Mio's introduction.

As such, I'll be changing a few things in the last chapters of both the Sephira Fury, some events within the Mayuri Judgment movie, while the Mio Reminisce movie will be renamed and completely changed to become the true final of the story, and her way of becoming the final harem girl. After that, this chapter and Chapter 77 will finally give this story the conclusion it deserves.

This and the deletion of all the stories that make the Sephira Chronicles series are likely gonna make a lot of you sad, but at this point... it's all I can do. The one upside to this is Season 4's ideas are still around, with some of them in the process of being altered to see if they can be put in my new DAL story, which is the closest thing we'll get to this story's final season.

One again, I am very sorry that this happened, so now... let's begin the ending that this story has earned in the last year.

() - Angel Talking

[] - Archangel Talking

{} - Demon King Talking

Bold Italic Underline - Major Battle Beginning, or its Result

«» - Spirit's Code Name

‹› - Important Term, Phrase, or Detail

「」 - Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

【】 - Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

In a secret location somewhere in the world, the sight of a woman, the 67th, and newest Prime Minster of Japan since the previous one retired for the New Year, was seen walking to a building where she was to attend a meeting with a select few.

Once she arrived, the sight of only six others could be seen sitting down at a table, with certain countries' flags behind each of them, which were America, Russia, Germany, China, France, and Great Britain, better known alongside Japan as the seven countries who helped keep the world stable after the Spacequakes began over 30 years ago. Despite the destruction of Europe, the nations of Germany, France, and Great Britain had been restoring themselves through some bits of land that Russia (albeit reluctantly) gave up to them.

Sitting in front of the American flag was a woman with shoulder length light-pink hair styled in a wavy manner and blue eyes, the 50th President of the USA, Alicia Starlight.

The one in front of the Chinese flag was a woman with long red hair held in two Chinese bun wraps and brown eyes, the 11th President of China, Hui Chen.

The one in front of the French flag was a woman with waist length blonde hair and green eyes, the 30th President of France, Renee Primrose.

The one in front of the German flag was a man with short dirty blonde hair and red eyes, the 10th Chancellor of Germany, Adrian Blitzkrieg.

The one in front of the Russian flag was a man with black hair slicked down behind him as his purple eyes glared at everything, the 9th President of Russia, Alexei Vasiliev.

And finally, the one in front of the United Kingdom flag was a man with blue and white hair with orange eyes, the 68th Prime Minister of Great Britain, Lewis Wilson.

"Hmm? Ah, welcome Lady Hikari." Lewis greeted.

The newest Prime Minster, Hikari Nakamura, smiled towards her fellow sovereign for his gesture. She had long white hair with pink eyes, tied up in a pony tail, with smaller ribbons tying up the sides of her hair that framed her face.

"Thank you, and welcome everyone, I'm glad you could all make it." Hikari smiled.

"With that, all of us have gathered here, so now we can all begin." Adrian announced.

Alexei turned his head, grunting in annoyance.

"If you ask me, it doesn't make a damn difference that all of us are here." He remarked.

"We know you don't mean that, you care for your people too." Lewis replied.

"Oh, shut up! I've got no interest in anything about that, much less with you bastards-" Alexei sneered.

Alicia slammed her hand on the table, making it shake a bit as everyone shut up.

"Alexei, I get you've been stressed the last half year over taking in the European refugees, but don't take it out on us. After all, this meeting is to prevent such things from continuing." Alicia stated with a light glare.

Alexei sighed, crossing his arms as he relented his annoyance a bit.

"Wow, taking charge as efficiently as ever Alicia, I'm glad I didn't have to face you in an election." Hui Chen said playfully.

"Eh, I'm nothing special." Alicia smiled in response.

Taking her seat, Hikari quickly got everyone's attention as she breathed out, preparing what she had planned to say when she called everyone to this meeting.

"As most of you remember, last year we all learned the truth of the Spacequakes' origins, and how the very organization that helped us recover had done it for their own benefit... Deus-Ex-Machina Industries, led by Isaac Westcott who started the whole mess. We paid for it with the destruction of Europe from that Choronzon monster, and nearly losing the world if Ratatoskr's quick thinking hadn't saved us." She began, looking serious the whole time.

"Yeah, some of us know that particularly well." Alexei said with a glare.

"Well, what you don't know is that while none of us were aware, Westcott came back for one final strike. His threat nearly destroyed our world, and despite the fact I was Japan's leader... I was powerless to stop it. Like before, it was Ratatoskr and the Spirits that stopped it." Hikari replied.

This caught everyone's attention, even Alexei's usual expression had shifted.

"However, what I did realize after it? That we let Westcott become the man he was. Long ago, there was a village of mages, and while those of us here can't be to blame, it was normal Humans that killed all but four, who have since passed on. The Devil may have had an influence, but we still gave him the means through our own hearts, and now that I understand that...?" Hikari continued, looking down.

"It tells us that could happen again if we don't finally realize the consequences behind our actions." Hui Chen realized with a nervous sweat.

Alexei's eyes twitched a bit, soon biting his nails.

"OK, so we know that the bastard had worse to hit us with, and he did it in a way that we could do crap about it... there's a reason you had us all called here, so spill it." He demanded, tapping his fingers on his arm.

"Right, I have a proposition that I'd like everyone here to consider, one that our predecessors did 30 years ago, but didn't follow." Hikari answered.

Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together as she closed her eyes.

"While it's true that our world has some form of unity and peace, it's not true unity, just a truce to accept each other without getting into any big deals unless a small problem festered under our noses. We can't let that continue anymore. Our seven nations, the ones that took charge when the rest of the world faltered, must truly unite it together. No longer a simple truce, but a full alliance between us all."

Alexei was sure that it had been so quiet, the quietest creaks of their chairs could be heard.

"Hikari, something like that is a big step, and the world may not be able to handle it... are you sure you'd be willing to take that risk?" Renee asked.

"It isn't who's willing or not that's the point, it's the fact that we must strive to make sure a situation like the one that caused Westcott to fall into the dark path that resulted in the scarring of our world. The Spirits will eventually succeed their powers through reproduction, and when that happens, we risk someone becoming volatile from our mistakes." Hikari stated.

She stood up, catching the other leaders off guard.

"Our entire world was put at stake not once, not twice, but three times because we didn't give a damn about the greater whole of it! That's why I'm saying this! Yes, I get that we'll have people who oppose this, and others who will be angry... however, we can't let that fear stop us. If the line isn't drawn now, it may never be, and then we could leave Humanity to become extinct, leaving no one but us to blame for it."

"We can't use a simple solution to solve a complicated problem, and there's no way one nation will fix all these problems alone and divided, so... I ask you all, will you help me protect this world together? Just like Ratatoskr has, I want to bring all kinds of people together, to truly make a difference!" Hikari exclaimed, holding a hand near her heart.

The other leaders looked at one another, and Hui Chen soon stood up.

"I agree, even without being there, I remember the haunting horrors that resulted from the Spacequakes and Choronzon's attack. China already had some darkness before that time, and the fact one of the Spirits had a horrible past shows it's still thriving today, waiting for something worse to grow, so I'm in!" Hui Chen agreed.

"Thank you, Hui Chen." Hikari smiled.

She looked at the others, all of which had slight sweat on their faces.

"Now, for the rest of you... I won't make you follow me, but I hope you will. Just ask yourselves what you feel is best for this world, and if you don't agree with me, then I won't press the issue again." She promised.

They all went silent, and began to ponder a bit more, though it didn't take long for them to find their answers.

"Everyone here? I think I can trust you, and even if I didn't, this world needs to change. We owe the billions who died by Westcott's hands." Renee agreed.

"Me too! I've heard most of America's people have wanted this for a long time, and this is the perfect chance, so I'll stand by your side!" Alicia said excitedly.

"I shall lend my sword as well. This is a truly noble cause, and I don't see any reason it shouldn't happen." Lewis smiled in response.

"Eh, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try, count me in." Adrian shrugged, smiling a bit.

Everyone looked at Alexei, who was the only one left to agree, it was unsure if he was against them, or with them.

'This isn't just some normal game, our nations have never been on the best terms, and yet... that same mindset created a man like Westcott. It needs to end, and it has to end with him!' He thought.

"I'll do it, being then only one who said no would make me hypocritical." Alexei stated.

Hikari smiled at that, and the leaders all looked at each other.

"This is it then, our world's next stage begins here, and through it, we'll create a bright future for Humanity!" Hikari announced.

"Yeah, let's start our future here." Hui Chen replied.

All seven leaders put their hands out on top of each other, giving their own unique smiles as a result.

Staring out at the graveyard of Tenguu City, one could see Seigo as he stood at the graves of Elliot Woodman, Karen Mathers, and everyone else that had lost their lives over the course of the dreaded conflict with Westcott and the Devil.

"Hey there guys, it's finally over... the threat is gone, and I'm back with my family. They've told me everything you did, and I just wish I could have been here to give my respects much earlier." Seigo sniffled.

Taking a few flowers from a bouquet he brought, each tombstone got a specific kind of flower.

As he stepped back, he struggled not to cry as he felt his wife hug him, who was also fighting her tears despite the smile she was showing.

"Are you OK?" She sniffled.

"Y-yeah, I think I'll be alright... it just hurts they didn't make it to see the world at peace." Seigo answered sadly.

The two held each other close, and then headed back home, where everyone else was waiting.

Back at the Takamiya Household, everyone was resting, still sore and bandaged from the last battle. Mio in particular was whimpering as Rio changed her bandages.

"Sit still, its gonna hurt the longer you don't get these replaced." Rio sighed.

"Easy for you to say, you don't feel stinging every second!" Mio responded, still whimpering a bit.

Macaron meowed in reply, making Kurumi shake her head.

"That's right, you were the one that overloaded all that power during the battle against Westcott and the Diabolus." The Shadow Spirit remarked, putting a hand to her mouth.

Mio pouted through puffed cheeks, turning her head away.

Chuckling a bit, everyone saw Shido walking in with a cart of recover based foods and water, also wearing a few bandages.

"Now, now. Let's not strain ourselves when we're still recovering." He advised.

All of his girls immediately sighed, relenting to his decision as he gave them their food, with Macaron jumping down to nibble on his bowl of kibble.

As he watched them all, he gave a warm smile.

"So, how has it sunk in for everyone? The fact that it's finally over?" He inquired.

Everyone paused at that, having not considered it until that moment.

"I guess... it doesn't seem real just yet, but we know it us because of these wounds we're nursing right now." Nia admitted.

"And then there's the goodbyes we had to make." Yuzuru sadly added.

Mio in particular got sad after recalling that, so when Shido saw it? He immediately sat down with a smile, and put his arms around his girls, pulling them all around him as he closed his eyes.

"I know this wasn't easy, there was a lot we lost, but... we're still here, and we're not alone. The people will still have get to live, and those who have passed will forever stay alive through our memories." Shido reassured them.

"Big brother's right. This isn't the end, it's a new beginning, for all of us. With everything in done, the lives who were lost ever since the first Spacequake can... finally... have their..." Mana agreed, her voice shaking near the end.

Everyone heard her crying as she began wiping her tears.

"They finally have... their peace!" She sniffled.

The non-harem Spirits all put their hand on Mana's back, letting her cry all she needed, cry for all the sacrifices that had been made to finally free the world from the dark age Westcott had left over it for the past three decades.

Soon, everyone was left in a group huge, as while the fight was now truly over... their wounds still needed time to heal. Luckily, they now had all the time in the world to do just that.

Ai, Mai, and Mii all stood before Raizen High, looking at the place that they'd be graduating from in a few days.

"This place has given us some good times, been there for us since the beginning of our journey with Ratatoskr, and now... we're just students here, like we were when we first came." Ai remarked sadly, a sad look on her face.

"Yeah, the adventure's finally come to an end... we've won the fight." Mai replied, a longing look on her face.

"That's... so lame." Mii sniffled, well aware of where things were going.

The trio hugged each other, and it became clear why this was so hard for them... because once they graduated, they'd all need to start going their separate ways.

As they were hugging, Hiroto walked into the area, getting their attention as he did... something.

"Hiroto, what are you doing?" Ai asked.

"Making a wish." Hiroto answered.

They looked confused, until he moved to show them what he was doing.

"I'd like to think this school was a good luck charm, so I want everyone else that applies here to feel that same luck we did." He clarified.

Looking at the wall, the sight of Ratatoskr's symbol was seen drawing on it.

However, the real charm was the words he had written under it, saying: "Our luck was here, and now we'll forever send that message throughout this school."

"You know what? I think you're right, and maybe that's all of us were brought here." Ai agreed.

Mai and Mii both gave silent gasps as they saw Ai's hand on Hiroto's shoulder, making the two wonder if they should say anything about it.

They ultimately decided not to.

Within the Ratatoskr Classroom, which was set to be redesigned for a different function at the school, now that its original purpose had come to an end, the sight of Tamae cleaning things up was noticed.

Turning to the seats, she sniffled as she imagined all of the students in this room she was about to see leave, having earned the right to graduate.

"Feeling alright?"

She turned around, seeing Kannazuki was behind her.

"Yeah, just... taking in the lingering nostalgia before this all changes." Tamae answered.

"Makes sense, I doubt any of us expected this all to end so soon after everyone had gathered together." Kannazuki admitted.

Sighing one last time, Tamae picked up the last few things she needed to.

"Well, guess this is it for the Ratatoskr Classroom... it was good while it lasted." She said, tearing up a bit.

The two began walking out, with Kannazuki taking the lead as they went back to the main school building.

"I wonder where things will go for us now that-"

While distracted by her thoughts, Tamae suddenly felt her foot slip on the stairs, making Kannazuki's eyes widen as he fell towards her. He immediately caught her before she fell any further, with some papers raining around them.

"Are... you alright?" He asked, a slight blush on his face.

"Y-yeah. Thank you for catching me." Tamae verified, blushing as well.

Katie covered her mouth and blushed as she watched the scene from where she was, neither of them having any idea she was there.

At the former training grounds of the AST, the sight of Artemisia putting her now weaponless CR-Unit into a box was seen, one marked with a delivery destination of Tenguu City's Museum of Natural History.

"We've been with each other all this time, and now... you can finally have your rest. There's no need for the AST any longer." Artemisia said to it, rubbing the box's side.

"Still can't believe that this is the end of our journey as Wizards." Ashley sighed, also putting hers into a box.

Cecile hugged her from behind, surprising the former youngest member of the SSS.

"I know, we all met through our choice to become wizards... with Minerva being the only one I regret meeting." Cecile comforted, then slightly joked.

Ashley's cheeks puffed before she fell into a small laugh, with Cecile and Artemisia joining her.

"Ignoring my little remark there, we all feel what you are. About where we'll be going from here." Cecile continued.

"That's not it..." Ashley replied.

Cecile blinked before looking at her, with Ashley's face struggling not to show what she was feeling.

Unfortunately, that same strength wasn't able to appear in Leonora's face, who instantly began sobbing as she knew what Ashley was thinking about.

"Haven't any of you realized it yet? If there's no need for the AST anymore... there's no reason for us to stay together! We'll be separating, and going our own ways!" Leonora cried, unable to hold it in.

After hearing that, Cecile and Artemisia suddenly felt themselves tearing up, realizing they hadn't considered that.

"Ashley... Cecile... Leonora..." Artemisia cried.

The four all gathered into a group hug, crying as the fact of their likely separation finally came to light.

"Damn it Leonora, why'd you say it!?" Ashley cried.

"How'd that thought slip by? For us to get separated... we're like family, and now that's getting pulled apart?" Cecile sniffled.

"Maybe it's not set, but... whatever happens, we need to consider where we're all going." Artemisia replied, taking a deep breath.

Holding them close, she sniffled a bit.

"No matter what, I'm glad we had this wonderful time together, no matter how small it was." She smiled, despite her tears.

Everyone tightened their hug, wanting to make this one moment last as long as possible.

Within the main Ratatoskr building, where Shido first got involved with everything after he reunited with Tohka, the sight of Ryouko taking in the sights as others began to clean things up.

"Guess it makes sense the Fraxinus didn't make it through the final battle, if I wasn't going to stay a captain much longer." She sighed.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, seeing Haruko look at her.

"Don't feel too bad, we all knew this would end eventually. Besides, it isn't like we don't have jobs anymore." She reminded her.

"I know, but... I think we all know that slight bittersweet feeling when something you work hard on comes to an end. That's the one downside to succeeding on something, how there's nothing else after you're done, until you start something new." Ryouko replied.

Kotori's mother nodded her head, realizing what she meant.

"What do you mean by waiting? We've already got another project to start, and this one's not gonna end for a long time." Sakura smiled.

"Huh?" Both of them blinked.

"The world needs to truly rebuild now that Westcott's gone, and even more, we have to work hard so history doesn't repeat. The Devil may be gone, but that doesn't mean this is all over. We need to truly work hard together, and make sure this world's a place where no one will ever fall down such a dark path. That is our new job, for all us." Sakura explained, still smiling.

Hearing that, Ryouko laughed a bit.

"Figures, your family always finds the bright side even in what should be something sad." She remarked.

"Of course, that's why I'm a Yatogami." Sakura giggled.

"Then why is that the case with Ren, when he married into your family?" Tatsuo questioned.

Sakura made a locking motion by her mouth, having no intention to give that secret away.

A few days passed, and then... the day finally came. Everyone was gathered in part of Raizen High, where graduation was happening for the seniors, but also... for those tied to Ratatoskr, who had earned the right regardless of what grade they were in for their efforts in saving the world.

Shido was currently sitting with a nervous look, fidgeting his hands in both of his pockets as he struggled to stay calm.

'When I think back, look at how almost a year ago, I reunited with Tohka after all these years... I never thought I'd be standing in the situation I am now. Though, if this is my time to graduate, then I know how I want to move forward from here.' Shido thought.

Soon, the teacher reached a certain name.

"Shido Takamiya!"

"Sir!" Shido exclaimed, standing up.

Walking up to the podium, he was given his diploma by the principal, with everyone clapping as they watched. Rinne and Seigo both cried happy tears, with the former sniffling as she wiped a tear.

"You've paved an incredible path for everyone here, so keep being a good example for us all." The principal asked.

Shido nodded his head, and soon left the stand, leaving the next member of the Ratatoskr Classroom to be called up.

"Tohka Yatogami!"

"Right!" Tohka exclaimed, repeating what Shido did moments earlier.

The pattern continued until eventually, graduation had ended, leaving everyone to give one final applause to the graduating students. Soon enough, all the students gathered in a certain area, where most had their last conversations with each other.

"We raised them well, didn't we?" Seigo sniffled.

"That we did, I'm so proud." Rinne agreed with a nod, wiping her eyes with a tissue.

Mikie looked around, and soon noticed Tamae talking with Kannazuki... with both of them wearing rings!

"No way!" She exclaimed.

She rushed towards them, with Tamae blushing in surprise as Mikie held the hand with the ring, getting a closer look at it.

"This is... an engagement ring!?" She stated in shock.

"Uh..." Tamae began to sweat.

Mikie looked at her with an intense stare, which left Tamae sweating until she was forced to speak.

"OK, I'll talk! The truth is... Kannazuki proposed to me the day after the final battle!" She confessed.

"Oh, my god..." Katie breathed, making the same reaction she had that very day.

Mikie froze for a moment, and then... she ran outside, where everyone heard her screaming in excitement. By the time she made a full lap, everyone saw her jumping around a happy dance.

"She's finally getting married! She's finally getting married!" She sang excitedly.

Tamae blushed in embarrassment, with Kannazuki patting her back in response.

"Kannazuki of all people?" Kurumi said in surprise.

"Actually, when I see it... kind of makes sense." Mio admitted, rubbing her head.

Everyone who heard that reply felt afraid of it.

"What?" Mio questioned, noticing their reactions.

"Uh... nothing, nothing at all." Nia answered, trying to avoid breaking into a sweat.

Whistling a bit, everyone turned as they saw the buses arrive, ready to take them all home in celebratory style.

"Come on everyone, guess this is the last thing we need to do for today." Shido smiled.

"Yeah, let's go!" Tohka cheered.

At that moment, a few students held up a banner as the graduating students headed for the bus, and the banner in question had a special surprise on it.

The very symbol Hiroto drew, now being the official symbol for Raizen High.

"I knew that would work." Hiroto smiled.

Soon enough, everyone walked outside, and boarded onto the buses. As everyone drove away, Shido felt his pockets again before turning to face the girls he loved.

"So, what does everyone have planned for their future?" Marina inquired.

"Well... you might be surprised, but I've decided that I'm gonna follow the same line of work as my parents." Tohka admitted.

"Whoa, are you serious Tohka, you're gonna study technological advancement?" Kotori asked.

Tohka nodded, smiling brightly.

"Yep! I know I'll need to study pretty hard, but I've seen the good ideas I've been able to make when I've had the chances, so I feel I should help nurture it." Tohka answered.

Kotori chuckled a bit, making everyone look at her.

"I guess that means I'm going in a similar direction, because I'm thinking of becoming an Engineer for Realizers, just like my parents." Kotori stated.

"Really? That's great Kotori, I think you'll do well in that career." Mana praised.

Kotori blushed, rubbing her head slightly.

"I... I think I wanna do work in nature preservation, and animal care." Yoshino mentioned, giving a shy blush.

"Well, I'm gonna keep up my work in the manga industry. Got a new idea for a manga since I finished up Silver Bullet. Although, that's not all I've got in mind." Nia smirked.

"Same case with me, I'm gonna continue working with my music, and use my songs to reach everyone." Miku replied.

Rio thinks for a bit, and then smiles.

"I wanna study my mom's trick to save Mildred, so I'm gonna be a Doctor one day." Rio stated.

"I'll probably take up some mechanic work, help research in improving communications and networking, I've got the right powers for it." Mayuri smiled.

As everyone kept discussing their dreams and futures, Mio looks at all of them, sighing happily before she looked out the bus window.

'Father, are you watching? This is the world I'll be watching over now... so, thank you for everything.' She thought, tearing up a bit.

"Mio?"

She regained her attention, and saw everyone looking at her.

"Sorry, just saying a proper farewell to my father." She reassured them with a warm smile.

Hearing that, Shido wiped her tears, and then... found the perfect moment to say something.

"Hey, how about we all meet at Tenguu Viewpoint later." Shido suggested.

"Oh? Any particular reason?" Miku inquired.

"You can say that." Shido confirmed.

Eventually, everyone was gathered together at Tenguu Viewpoint, where Shido took a deep breath as he waited for the girls, fidgeting with his left pocket.

'No turning back, I'm gonna do this!' Shido thought, reaffirming his resolve.

"Shido?"

Turning around, he saw all of the girls present.

This was it... he had to do it here and now, because this was a chance he would never get again, now that graduation was finished.

"Everyone, glad you came, but before anything else... I have something I want to tell Tohka." Shido smiled.

Tohka blinked a bit, tilting her head in confusion... then felt Shido pull her close.

"Tohka, for the longest time, we've known each other... smiled together... laughed together... cried together... got angry at each other... then we were separated, and brought back together. More than anything, we loved one another, enough that we made a promise." Shido stated.

"Shido?" Tohka replied, feeling confused.

"Now that we've made it this far, and now that this fight is over, it's time... that I uphold that promise." He continued.

Everyone was a bit confused, even Tohka missed what she should have picked up due to the timing, however... Mana's eyes widened as she realized it before Shido even began to move his body.

At that moment, he pulled something out of his pocket, and everyone began reacting as Mana did as he took out a box, opening it to reveal a simple gold band with an amethyst as the gemstone.

"Tohka Yatogami, will you marry me?" He asked.

Hearing those words, the purple-haired Spirit's eyes began to tear up as a hand covered her mouth, quickly shedding from her eyes beyond her control. It didn't take long before she moved her hand away, showing her smile.

"Yes, of course I will! You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words!" Tohka happily cried as she accepted.

The others all got misty eyed themselves as Shido slipped the ring on, and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"It finally happened." Mana smiled, wiping her tears away.

"I'm happy, but at the same time, it feels kind insulting he made us watch him propose to Tohka when he gave us nothing." Natsumi replied, puffing her cheeks a bit.

Hearing that, Shido made a strange humming.

"Oh, you made a good point. Why didn't I consider doing that? If you were all being brought her, I honestly should have prepared to..." He though aloud, reaching into his other pocket.

At that moment, he pulled out a case, and then opened it. The other girls all showed surprise as they saw what was inside.

Each of them had a ring with a gem that fit their respective color as a Spirit; Origami had a pearl, a sapphire for Yoshino, a ruby stood on Kotori's, an onyx shined on Kurumi's, Natsumi's had a nice emerald, the Yamai twins each got an Amber shaped as one half of a Yin Yang symbol, Miku got an Aquamarine with a purple tint, a silvery crystal for Nia, Mukuro's had a citrine resting on it, and then finally... an iridescent gemstone on Mio's.

'I should have known, he invited everyone here because he wasn't only proposing to Tohka.' Mana chuckled.

Seeing this, everyone suddenly was brought to tears the same way.

"Shido, you idiot." Kotori sniffled.

"Yeah, but you all love me anyways." He replied.

And with that, all of the girls gathered around Shido, giving a tender group hug before he all gave them their rings, and their own kisses.

"So sweet!" Mana sniffled.

"I just hope that no one's watching from a hidden spot, because that's weird and rude." Mayuri remarked.

Right as she said that, Maria's eyes motioned to a tree, where Seigo and Rinne were hiding. The both of them could be seen sweating, hoping that Maria didn't spot them.

'Yeah... not even gonna bother exposing them.' Maria thought.

She turned her head back to the moment, smiling with everyone else.

No one knew what the future held, but with a moment like the one before them? It was enough that made it seem like everything would be alright.

Aw... *gives a happy sniffle* such a sweet ending, and one that I'm glad I added to the end. Everything's started to get wrapped up, and now, Shido's gotten engaged to everyone in his harem. All that's left is more chapter to wrap everything up, and bring this long journey to the ending that it deserves. For everything who stuck with this story to the end, thank you.

Now, for the last time I'll say it in this story? *takes a deep breath* Until next time everyone, and... *sniffles a bit* stay awesome! TvT