Epilogue: Home
After Inori heals the adults' wounds, they continue travelling down the cemented trail through the wetland reserve in peace, with Darren resuming his role in leading the group to their destination. They eventually arrive at a tall observation tower which consists of a metal spiral staircase that leads to a large brown onion-shaped pod with a balcony above it. They all stop near the bottom of the staircase and Darren turns around to face the others.
"This is it. This…is a transport hub to another world." Darren said, gesturing his followers to the staircase with a cheerful grin. Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky gaze bewilderedly at the viewing pod above them before looking back at their guide.
"You better be right about this." Ricky said with a frown.
"I am." Darren smiled as he now turns his body and places his foot on the first step. "Come on."
The five climb up the stairs together. When they arrive at the top, they find themselves standing around a small open area that is almost surrounded by a spherical wall of wooden planks with noticeable wide and narrow gaps between them. The only thing that prevents the area from being completely surrounded is a balcony at a corner that allows visitors to stand behind a metal fence and have a clear view of Johor at the other side of the sea.
However, besides its architecture, Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky look around the top floor of the tower and find…nothing. Now annoyed, Ricky turns to Darren, who smiles casually with his hands at the sides of his hip, and yelled at him, "Hey! Don't tell us you led us all the way out here for nothing!"
"Now, now…" Darren said playfully as he flaps his hands at Ricky. "Let's all calm down…" He turns to Shu and extends his left hand to him. "And hold hands together."
Shu, Inori and Haruka glance at each other in confusion as they are still unsure what and why they are doing up here right now. But knowing that they have trusted Darren up to this point, Shu shrugs and gently wraps his right hand around the man's left hand. The boy turns to Inori, and she did the same with his left hand. The girl turns to Haruka and holds her left hand out to her, which the stepmother grabs hold of it. Haruka now turns her head and extends her left hand to Ricky, who elicits a heavy sigh before grabbing it. Finally, the dark blonde-haired man turns to Darren and grabs his right hand.
With all five group members now daisy-chaining their hands together to form a circle, Darren closes his eyes and advised everyone, "Now close your eyes and stay quiet."
As Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky obliged, they could hear Darren chanting a foreign language that none of them could understand. Everyone frowns as they hope their bespectacled friend is not performing some kind of clown act in front of them right now. But as Darren continued doing so for the next thirty seconds, Ricky eventually loses his cool and turns his head to him with his eyes snap open.
"WILL YOU CUT THA-"
Suddenly, a huge orb of light erupts inside the viewing pod within less than a second, and everyone disappears.
Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky all gasp with their eyes wide as the next thing they and Darren find themselves in is the interior of a small circular hut. Unlike the viewing pod back in Sungei Buloh, the walls are entirely made of grey granite, and there is a lone doorway behind Darren and Ricky that leads to a single pavement through a grassy field outside.
"W-Where are we?" Haruka asked incredulously as everyone released each other's hands. After walking over to the side of the doorway, Darren smiles at the others again and beckons to everyone to step outside.
"Why don't you find out for yourself?" Darren asked.
After Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky step out of the hut and onto the pavement together, the four drop their jaws in awe as they examine their new surroundings. It appears that they are now standing in the grassy field of a small remote island that is isolated from the rest of the mainland.
When Shu and Inori turn around, they glance at each other before deciding to step out of the pavement and make their way through the field to see what is behind the hut.
Meanwhile, Haruka and Ricky walk further down the pavement. When they came to a halt, they turn their heads side to side and notice two other circular granite huts in the distance that are similarly designed as the one they have come out of on their left, and another one on their right. All three huts have pavements that lead to an intersection in the distance which also connects to the one that they are currently standing on, and another that leads to the other side of the island.
"Is this real?" Haruka murmured as she stood beside Ricky on his right.
The two adults turn to their left again when they notice light bursting out from the doorway of one of the huts. They see a couple walking out of the hut a few seconds later, and they stop for a moment upon noticing Ricky and Haruka in the distance. When the couple smile and wave their hands at them, the stepmother and the dark blonde-haired man awkwardly wave back in response.
"I believe so." Ricky answered, still staring blankly at the friendly couple. He and Haruka snap out of their thoughts when Darren walks up to them from behind.
"For your information, we are currently on a remote island located thousands and thousands and thousands of miles away from the nearest Asian country." Darren explained to them as they looked over their shoulders. "Aside from you, nobody in our world even knows this place exists." He leans close to Ricky's right ear and asked with a mischievous smirk, "And you thought I was saying a load of tosh, didn't you?"
"Bloody hell." Ricky uttered, looking back to his front while placing his left hand on the left side of his forehead. "And I've been to Tuvalu."
Meanwhile, Shu and Inori gape in awe while standing behind the metal fences that form the boundaries of the island. The two teenagers see that they are now standing along the top of rugged cliffs, realizing that the island they are currently on is high above sea level and completely inaccessible to boats.
"This place is breathtaking, isn't it?" Darren said as he walks over to the teenagers from behind about a minute later. After Shu and Inori turn around to face him, the man beckons to them to come along with him. "Come on, we're waiting for you."
Shu frowned at Darren as he was once again reminded that their journey was about to come to an end. But his thoughts were soon interrupted when he felt the warmth of Inori's hand wrapping around his own. He turns his head to his left and sees the girl nodding and smiling warmly back at him. Feeling his anxieties have been relieved somewhat by her reassurance, Shu looks back at Darren and nods his head to him.
They both follow Darren from behind and regroup with Ricky and Haruka on the pavement. The group of five continue walking down the trail which eventually leads to a large T-shaped building located on the other side of the small island. Behind the building were five oval-shaped aircrafts of different sizes parked at the side of a long horizontal runway.
Inside the building, a small white robot travels its way towards one of the desk counters at the entrance hall. The robot is circular in shape and has a curved tail pointing upwards at the back of its spherical body. Beneath its body are four curved legs, and each one has a wheel installed below it to allow the robot to roll and skid across the ground. But the most distinguishable features of its design are two round orbs at the front of its body that resemble closed eyelids, and a hatch above it that is designed to look like a permanent smile.
When the robot reaches the right side of the counter, it opens its hatch to reveal a glass of vanilla milkshake placed inside its body. After stamping a passport and passing it back to the couple who greeted Ricky and Haruka earlier, the girl sitting behind the counter turns to the robot and takes the beverage. She has grayish-blue eyes and long black hime cut hair that goes all the way down to the back of her waist. But what makes her appearance unique from the other workers in the building is that she also wears a silver metallic headband that resembles cat ears above her head. She is currently dressed in a dark red sleeveless suit with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath it, a dark red uniformed skirt, white socks and black shoes.
"Arigatou, Fyu-Neru." The girl thanked the robot as the couple walked past her and through a security gate. A boy bows his head to them as they make their way to the back of the building. He has dark brown chin length hair, dark brown eyes, armed with a spear and dressed in a white and teal uniform with long magenta sleeves, white pants and dark brown sandals.
Fyu-Neru happily responds to the girl by tilting its body upwards, flapping its dog-like ears at its sides, wagging its tail and making a high-pitched robotic sound that resembles a squeal.
As the girl looks back to the front and takes a sip of her milkshake, she can hear her friend groaning while sitting behind the counter on her left and looking down at her smartphone. She has reddish-brown hair that is tied to a long ponytail, burgundy eyes and dressed in the same attire as the black-haired girl. Unlike the other workers behind the counters who are sitting on black office chairs, she is sitting on a black wheelchair with a red seat and a large black wheel on each side instead.
"There goes that dreaded Lucy Heartfilia posting yet another photo of herself with the Fire Dragon Slayer on social media." The wheelchair-bound woman muttered while looking down at her phone.
"Come on, Ayase." The black-haired girl said to her friend while leaning back on her chair with her drink still in her hand. "It's been nearly three years since you knew they are together. Just let it go."
"But Tsugumi, how can I when this woman keeps taunting me with their relationship every now and then?" Ayase asked her black-haired friend irritably while placing her phone down.
"Maybe take a break from social media then." Tsugumi suggested as she swipes her left index finger up through the air to bring up a screen of her favorite tile-matching puzzle game and continues playing from where she left off.
"Oh really." Ayase rolls her eyes. "The girl who specializes in digital magic is telling me to take a break from social media. You gotta love the irony."
"Tell me. Does your crankiness come from the fact that your crush has been taken away by someone, or you missing that hot guy who served your peanut pancakes back in Malaysia?" Tsugumi asked. Ayase groans again and places her head face-first on her desk, causing her black-haired friend to snicker and everyone else around her to laugh, including a boy with short black hair and a girl with dark brown hair that is tied to two curly pigtails by red bows who are both standing near the security gates behind the wheelchair-bound woman and another girl with glasses. They have katanas sheathed inside their scabbards that are placed on the right side of their hips and are dressed in black samurai-like robes, black hakamas, white socks and black sandals.
"Poor Shinomiya-san just can't catch a break when it comes to romance. Right, Souta?" The girl in pigtails asked the boy behind Ayase as she turned around to face him.
"Aye. I feel sorry for her at this point." Souta replied to his friend.
"OH, SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" Ayase snapped as she looked over her left shoulder, causing Souta and the girl to yelp in fear. "You may just be volunteers here, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to slap a letter of misconduct on the both of you for mocking your superior!"
Souta whirls about and cries melodramatically to the dark brown-haired boy standing behind Tsugumi, "Oh no! Please help us, Yahiro! Shinomiya-san here is abusing her power of authority against me and Hare! Report her to the Magic Council immediately!"
"Don't ask me. I'm just here to do my job." Yahiro replied flatly while holding up his left hand and staring blankly at Souta.
"UGH! DAMN YOU, TRAITOR OF MIZUHO!" Souta yelled, jabbing his finger at his friend accusingly.
The girl sitting in front of Hare and next to Ayase's desk counter on the left elicits a heavy sigh while adjusting her glasses. She is dressed in the same attire as Ayase and Tsugumi and has black eyes and black chin-length hair.
"Just another day of work in the middle of nowhere, I guess." The bespectacled girl said wearily.
"You can say that again, Kanon." Tsugumi responded to her with a smirk while playing her puzzle game.
"Then I guess it's not the right time for us to come in here?" Darren suddenly spoke.
Upon hearing his voice, Tsugumi, Ayase, Kanon, Souta, Hare and Yahiro gasp as they see the bespectacled man walking towards the wheelchair-bound woman's counter with Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky following him from behind.
"Darren!" Tsugumi cried enthusiastically as she quickly placed her drink aside and swiped her left hand through the air to put away her game. The group of five came to a halt as the black-haired girl stood up with her hands in front of her waist. "Hero of Earth Land! I didn't expect to see you again!"
"Hero of…Earth Land?" Haruka asked Ricky in confusion while looking over her right shoulder. The dark blonde-haired man shrugged at her in response.
"Hello Tsugumi. It's been a while." Darren said, waving his hand at Tsugumi with a smile before turning to her friend. "Same to you, Ayase."
"It's nice to see you again too, Darren." Ayase replied to him cheerfully.
Yahiro, Souta and Hare now walk past the counters while Kanon stands up from her chair. They all gave solemn bows to the bespectacled man to show their respects to him.
"It's an honor to meet a Hero of Earth Land in person, Leong-sama." Yahiro said to Darren as he, Kanon, Souta and Hare stand back up. Shu, Inori and Haruka gape at their actions and mannerisms.
"We are deeply humbled by your presence." Kanon added before turning to Hare with a frown. "Well, most of us."
The girl in pigtails breathes heavily with her right hand placed on her chest as she said excitedly to Darren, "S-S-Seriously Leong-sama! I've heard so many stories about what you have done for our world and I…I just…" Hare suddenly bows to the man again while crying enthusiastically, "I'm just so excited to meet and talk to the legend himself!"
"Whoa, Hare!" Souta cried as he went over and placed his left hand on her right shoulder. "Take it easy! Don't embarrass yourself in front of him now!"
Darren chortled before saying to Hare, "He's right, you know. You seriously don't have to treat me with that much high esteem."
"Yes!" Hare squealed as she stood back up with her cheeks as red as roses. "I understand, Leong-senpai! I mean san! I mean sama!" She places her hands on her cheeks and shakes her head embarrassingly. Souta sighs wearily while still placing his hand on her shoulder. "Oh dear, what am I doing?!"
"They're using our Japanese honorifics and mannerisms too." Shu said, glancing at Inori and his stepmother.
"I can see that." Haruka said as she and Inori nodded to him.
"I think you mean Mizuhan honorifics, sir." Souta pointed out to Shu.
"Mizu…han?" Inori uttered in bewilderment.
"Wait, they're not familiar with Mizuho? These people aren't Earth Landers, are they?" Kanon said solemnly while frowning at the visitors standing behind Darren. Yahiro, Souta and Hare gasp and get into their battle stances, but Darren quickly waves his hands frantically at them.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy! They are friends of mine! I trust them all with utmost respect!" Darren explained.
"But do you trust them that they will never tell anyone about the location of this transport hub?" Ayase asked with folded arms and an arched eyebrow.
"Why don't you tell them, guys?" Darren asked as he turned to his followers. Shu, Haruka and Ricky take a gulp before they and Inori hold up their hands.
"We vow to never tell anyone about this place!" Shu declared nervously.
"Your secret is safe in all of us." Inori added calmly.
"We will not tell a single soul." Haruka nodded.
"We cross our hearts and hope to die." Ricky said as he caressed his fingers across the area where his heart is.
Ayase rolls herself from behind her counter and over to Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky. Souta, Hare and Darren move aside to allow the wheelchair-bound woman to go closer to them. As she now places herself in front of the four, Ayase gazes at every one of them with her eyes narrowed. Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky stare apprehensively at her as she does.
But after a few moments of inspecting their faces, Ayase's scowl is quickly replaced with a wide smile.
"Very well then! Welcome to the Earth Land Interworld Transport Hub!" Ayase announced to the four visitors before extending her hand to Shu. "I'm Ayase Shinomiya, and it's nice to meet you all."
"Um, thanks." Shu said, smiling at the woman as he went closer and shook her hand. "My name is Shu Ouma."
"Nice knowing you, Ouma." Ayase responded.
Inori now walks past Shu from behind and over to Ayase. The woman turns to her left to see the girl bowing to her as she introduced herself, "My name is Inori Yuzuriha. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shinomiya."
"Pleasure to meet you too, Yuzuriha." Ayase replied, bowing her head back to Inori as she stood up.
"My name is Haruka Ouma." Haruka said to Ayase as she walked over to her. "And yes, I am Shu's stepmother."
"No." Shu shakes his head before smiling at Haruka. "Mother."
Haruka smiled warmly at her son before turning her head back to Ayase. The wheelchair-bound woman bows her head to her before saying, "It's good to know you, Ouma."
"Good to know you too-AH!" As Haruka tries to bow to her however, she yelps as she accidentally triggers the wound that she had gotten from Andronov. She grits her teeth while clutching the lower left side of her torso.
"Mom!" Shu cried as he and everyone else in the entrance hall looked alarmed at her.
"Whoa! Are you okay?" Ayase asked Haruka concernedly.
"Y-yeah well…let's just say we've gotten a lot of injuries…t-throughout our journey." Haruka winced in pain.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ayase replied before turning her head to the girl in pigtails. "Hare! Get over here and heal this woman right now!"
"Understood!" Hare replied hastily as she quickly runs past Shu, Inori and Ricky from behind and over to Haruka's side. "Hold still, ma'am."
As Hare holds her left hand slightly above where her wound is, Haruka, Shu, Inori and Ricky gape at the white aura that appears beneath her hand.
"I can feel that although your flesh has been fixed, the wound itself isn't patched up at its fullest extent." Hare said before lowering her hand about ten seconds later. "There, you should be feeling much better now."
Haruka stands back up and looks down at her lower torso with her eyes wide as she could no longer feel the pain.
"I…I am…" Haruka said before looking back and bowing her head at Hare in awe. "Arigatou."
"You're welcome!" Hare smiled and bowed her head back at Haruka with her hands in front of her waist.
"She has healing powers just like me." Inori uttered as she and Shu stare at Hare in awe.
"Powers? You mean magic, right?" Yahiro said as he, Kanon and Souta walk over to her and Shu.
"Magic?" Shu said to him incredulously.
"Told you there's more of them." Darren said to Ricky with a smirk. As the dark blonde-haired man sighs inwardly, the bespectacled man turned to Hare and said, "Thanks for helping her, Hare. Maybe you can treat all our internal injuries as well?" The girl in pigtails gasped in response.
"R-R-R-Really?!" Hare stuttered as her face turned red again. "I-I-I-I get to heal the legendary Leong-sama himself?!" She holds her right arm above her forehead while throwing her head back. "OH, MY GOODNESS! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE SUCH AN HONOR?"
Souta sighs wearily again at the sight of his swooning friend and said, "There she goes again."
"Is she always like that?" Shu asked Souta as he looked at him with an arched eyebrow. Seeing her friends are now interacting with the visitors, Ayase rolls away from them to give them some space.
"Sometimes. But that's why I like her." Souta laughs before moving closer and extending his hand to Shu first. "Nice to meet ya, Shu Ouma! My name is Souta Tamadate."
"It's nice to meet you too, Tamadate." Shu smiled as he shook his hand.
"A pleasure to meet you, Tamadate." Inori bows her head to Souta before extending her hand to him.
"Likewise, Yuzuriha." Souta replied while shaking her hand. Suddenly, a huge grin takes form on his face as he glanced at Inori and Shu and asked, "Say, what do you call a snail on a ship?"
The two teenagers stare at each other in confusion before the black-haired boy proclaimed in front of them, "A snail-lor!"
Shu and Inori look back at Souta in bewilderment as he burst out into laughter. When it dies down a few seconds later, Souta glances at them again as he said awkwardly, "Get it? A snail-lor? See, I'm aspiring to be a comedian when my service to the Mizuhan army is over and…I thought that was funny. You think so too, right?"
"Yeah, I'm sure they do." Kanon said sarcastically to Souta as she rolled her eyes.
"I think it's clever." Inori commented, causing Souta to perk up.
"Really?" Souta said enthusiastically to the girl with his eyes wide before he clapped his hands together and bowed to her with gratitude. "Arigatou, Yuzuriha!"
"You're welcome." Inori replied as she bowed her head to Souta again.
As Souta now moves aside, Yahiro and Kanon walk closer to Shu and Inori next. Still holding onto his spear in his right hand, Yahiro extends his other hand to Shu and greeted them with a weak smile, "I'm Yahiro Samukawa, a member of the Rune Knights. It's nice to meet you both."
"Nice to meet you too, Samukawa." Shu replied as he and Inori take turns to shake hands with the Rune Knight. When they now turned to Kanon, the bespectacled girl chuckled and shook hands with the two teenagers as well.
"And my name is Kanon Kusama." Kanon greeted them. "I worked for the Magic Council too."
"Pleasure to be your acquaintance, Kusama." Shu replied.
"What are the Magic Council and the Rune Knights?" Inori asked.
"It's the ruling body and its primary military force of our home world." Kanon explained.
"Interesting." Shu said before Yahiro leans close to the right side of Kanon's head while staring at him and Inori.
"She's also my girlfriend." Yahiro said to them nonchalantly, causing Kanon to flinch and blush.
"D-Do you really have to say that out loud in front of them?" Kanon chided the spear-wielding man with utter embarrassment, causing Shu and Inori to chuckle while Haruka walks over to them.
"I think you both look cute together." Haruka said to Yahiro and Kanon.
"Arigatou." Yahiro said flatly as he bows his head to her.
"Y-y-you're too kind, ma'am!" Kanon stuttered at the mother with her cheeks reddened.
"Don't forget about us!" Hare said as she, Tsugumi and Fyu-Neru go over to Shu, Inori and Haruka from behind. The three visitors turn around and see the girl in pigtails bowing to them as she greeted, "I'm Hare Menjou! It's nice to meet you all!"
"And my name is Tsssssuuuuugumi!" The black-haired girl sang while giving peace signs and a wink of an eye at them. Fyu-Neru tilts its body upward and squeals at Shu, Inori and Haruka as it flaps its ears and wags its tail. Tsugumi chuckled as she got down to its level, carefully cradles it in her arms and shows it to the visitors as she stands back up.
"And lastly, this is my pet bot, Fyu-Neru." Tsugumi introduced her companion to them.
"It's adorable." Shu said as he and Inori smile while gently caressing their hands around the robot's head, making it squeal and lift its ears in satisfaction.
"Very cute." Inori added before she now looks up and gazes at Tsugumi's headband. Realizing she is staring at it with great curiosity, Tsugumi chuckled as she gently places Fyu-Neru down on the ground and stands back up.
"I see what you're looking at." Tsugumi said to Inori as she placed her hands on her headband. "It looks nice, doesn't it?"
"It sure is." Inori said.
"I guess we didn't know you have such a huge interest in cats that you are willing to dress up like one too." Shu added. Tsugumi pouts at them in response.
"I don't just look like a cat." Tsugumi said before removing her headband. Shu, Inori, Haruka and Ricky gape in awe as the black-haired girl reveals a pair of white cat-like ears on top of her head. "I'm literally a half-human, half-cat demihuman. And yes, there are more people like me in our world. Only in Earth Land!" Tsugumi finished with another eye wink and a lopsided grin.
"Just when I thought I've seen it all." Ricky uttered with his eyes wide as Ayase rolled over to him.
"Well as they say, you learn something new every day, right?" Ayase said as the man turned to his left to face her.
Ricky chuckled in agreement and said to her, "Right. You know, I really do admire you running a place like this, even if it must be pretty stressful because of your disability."
As Ayase snorted at Ricky with a frown, Darren elicits a heavy sigh. Tsugumi stifles a chuckle while Souta, Hare, Yahiro and Kanon flinch as they look at the dark blonde-haired man in concern. Shu, Inori and Haruka glance at them as they are confused by their reactions. Shortly after, the wheelchair-bound woman smiles warmly at Ricky and extends her right hand to him.
"Why thank you, good sir. That is very thoughtful of you." Ayase said cheerfully while using her other hand to turn the left wheel of her chair and adjust herself in an angle.
"You're welcome." Ricky nodded before coming closer to grab her right hand. "And by the way, my name is Ricky BLAAAADDDDEEEE!" The dark blonde-haired man squealed as Ayase suddenly turns her wheelchair to her right and knocks his feet off the ground with its right footrest. The woman swiftly pulls his right arm up and leans back on her chair, causing Ricky to fall and slam onto the floor on his back. As he lies there and groans in pain, he looks up to see Ayase glaring down at him while still holding onto his arm.
"My only disability is dealing with people like you." Ayase said coldly to him. "Keep your sympathies to yourself, got it?"
"C-Crystal." Ricky winced before she released his arm and sat back up. He groans again and slumps his head to the side as Ayase makes a U-turn and rolls away from him with a huff.
Tsugumi cackled at the dark blonde-haired man's misery while Darren looked up at Shu, Inori and Haruka and said to them, "Remember guys, hell hath no fury like a soldier on a wheelchair."
"I'll keep that in mind." Shu replied nervously while averting his eyes and rubbing the back of his neck.
As Ayase now rolls over and places herself in front of Shu, Inori and Haruka, she looks up at them and inquired, "Now then, may I inquire why all of you have arrived here? Are you here to get a ticket to visit our humble world with full permission from a Hero of Earth Land?"
Shu turns around to face Inori, and they nod to each other. He moves to his left to allow Inori to step towards Ayase. As Shu turns himself around again, the girl gave the wheelchair-bound woman a solemn bow and introduced herself once more when she stands back up, "My name is Inori Yuzuriha, and I would like to move into your world."
Ayase, Tsugumi, Yahiro, Kanon, Souta and Hare gape at her as they fell silent. While Ricky stands back up and places himself beside Haruka on her left, the wheelchair-bound woman looks over her left shoulder as Darren approaches her from behind.
"Please allow it, Ayase." Darren said firmly before giving a solemn bow to her. "As a Hero of Earth Land, I urge the Magic Council to grant citizenship to this girl."
Ayase turns away and looks down at her lap for a few moments as she contemplates over his request. Eventually, she looks back and nods her head at him as she explained, "Very well. As a member of the Magic Council, I'll contact my superiors about this situation. Given that this is a formal request from a Hero of Earth Land himself, I'm sure the possibility of it being granted is very likely."
Shu, Inori, Haruka, Ricky and Darren smiled and bowed their heads to her with gratitude.
"Thank you, Ayase." Darren said.
"Anytime." Ayase replied before looking back at Inori. "As for you, Kanon will assist with the paperwork that you'll need to fill in."
"Understood." Inori nods to Ayase before turning to Kanon. After the girls bow to each other, Inori turns to Shu in front of her and asked, "What about you, Shu? Do you want to come along with me?"
The boy frowns silently at the girl for a few moments until his eyes are welled up in tears. Inori watches in confusion as Shu steps closer to her.
"Inori…" Shu said barely above a whisper. He gently grabs her hands and holds them up between the level of their chests. "This is what I've been trying to tell you. I can't."
Shocked by his response, Inori asked hoarsely, "Why?"
Feeling ashamed of himself, Shu briefly wipes away his tears before holding up her hand again.
"I'm sorry, Inori." Shu explained as he gazed into her eyes. "Here in our world, your powers are too dangerous to fall into anyone's hands. That includes me. If you stay here, they will just keep searching for you. And if I go with you, I'll only be a burden to you."
Inori sniffled and sadly gape at her friend as tears are now forming in her own eyes. With their bodies now trembling in anguish, Shu takes a gulp and waits a few seconds for it to subside before he continued with his voice shaking, "I-Inori, you have become…so much more since we first met. I'm proud of you. Y-you have learnt to live your life free and normal…through my guidance. I believe…you are ready…to continue doing so without me."
For the next few moments, the two teenagers kept staring and weeping at each other in silence as their tears kept pouring unchecked down their cheeks. Neither of them could bring themselves to say a word to each other as they share what could be their final moment together.
Eventually though, Inori managed to regain her vocal cords as she said hoarsely to her friend, "I love you, Shu."
"I love you too, Inori." Shu replied sadly.
They now close their eyes and lean their faces close to one another as they share a long and tender kiss. They gently caress each other's cheeks with their hands, wishing to stay like this for as long as they can.
As they do, Haruka sniffles and weeps in sorrow while watching the display before her. Knowing that she is about to say goodbye to someone who has also been a friend to her, she idly stands by and allows the two teenagers to share one last moment together before she does.
The others gave their own reactions as they silently watched. Darren, Ricky, Ayase and Tsugumi frown sadly at the teenagers as they sympathized with them. Souta, Hare and Kanon are sobbing and wiping away their tears. Yahiro clings onto Kanon's right hand as he leans against the side of his girlfriend's head with a frown, and Fyu-Neru makes a low-pitched cry to express its sadness.
Finally, however, Shu and Inori decide to remove their hands from their cheeks and break away from one another. The two stare into each other's tearstained eyes for a few seconds before the girl quietly turns to her right and walks over to Kanon.
As Hare heals the wounds of Haruka, Darren, Ricky and Shu, everyone present in the entrance hall watches Inori filling in her particulars while standing in front of Kanon's desk counter for the next ten minutes. After finishing it by signing her name, she hands the pen and application form over to the bespectacled girl who sat behind her work desk. She inserts the paper into a portable scanner placed in front of her and sends it to her superiors back in her home world.
"It's done. You may pass through." Kanon said to Inori.
"What's going to happen to me next?" Inori inquired.
"Once you arrive at the transport hub in Earth Land, you'll be greeted by a group of representatives of the Magic Council. All you need to do is answer more of their questions before you are finally granted full citizenship to live in our world." Kanon explained.
"But where can I live when I do?" Inori asked.
"How about Mizuho? That's our hometown." Hare suggested. Inori turns around to see her and Souta walking over to her.
"Seeing how you share our mannerisms, I'm sure you'll fit perfectly among us." Souta said as Inori glanced at him and his friend. Inori stayed silent for a moment before bowing her head to them.
"Very well." She said softly.
"We'll take it from here." Hare said to Kanon as Inori turns around to face the bespectacled girl again.
"Good luck, and welcome to your new home." Kanon said to Inori as she gave a solemn bow to her. Tsugumi and Ayase bow to Inori as well while sitting behind their desk counters, and so too Yahiro as he stood behind the half-demihuman.
"Home…" Inori murmured.
Deciding to have a final moment with them, Inori turns to her left and walks over to Darren and Ricky who are both standing at the side of the entrance hall. The girl bows to both men before standing back up and said to them, "Goodbye, Darren. Goodbye, Ricky. Thank you for everything you have done for me."
"You're welcome, Inori. Take good care of yourself now." Darren replied with a wan smile.
Reminiscing the day when a former member parted ways with his team, Ricky felt tears welling up in his eyes as he added, "See you around, Inori. Never forget about us."
"I never will." Inori flashes a warm smile at Darren and Ricky before she wraps her arms around the both of them. The two men smiled as well as they return the hug and stay in their embrace for a few seconds. Inori later backs away and glances at them one last time before turning to her left and walking over to Shu and Haruka.
The Oumas sadly watch Inori giving her final bow to them before standing back up and said to the mother, "Goodbye, Haruka." She turned to Shu and paused for a moment to resist the urge to cry. "Goodbye…Shu."
"Goodbye…Inori." Haruka managed to choke out with her eyes now brimmed with tears. As Shu could feel tears forming in his eyes as well, he nods his head to Inori before they and his mother proceed to pull each other into a tight embrace. They all sob and weep uncontrollably while clinging tightly to one another.
Despite being together for only five days, the three had experienced so much in that short period of time. Not only did the Oumas help Inori live her life free and normal again but also regained her sense of humanity. And they never would have thought that in return, the former human weapon would help them become a family and find a reason to live their lives to the fullest once more. The three of them forever owe their gratitude to one another, but their time and journey together must now come to its conclusion.
After the three pull away from each other, Inori stares at her former superiors with tearstained eyes before finally turning around a few seconds later to rejoin Hare and Souta.
With wan smiles on their faces, Hare and Souta gently place their hands on Inori's shoulders as they now escort her to the back of the facility. After passing by Kanon and through the security gate, Inori stops for a moment and sadly looks over her left shoulder to take one last glance at the Oumas.
As the mother wraps her left arm tightly around the back of her son's shoulders, Haruka and Shu silently stare at Inori until the latter lowers his head and weeps in sorrow. When Inori could feel tears welling up in her eyes again, she looks back to the front and continues walking her way through the facility along with Hare and Souta, making her first steps into what would be a new journey for her.
An hour later, Shu, Haruka, Darren and Ricky slowly turn their heads to their right and watch a small airship about the size of a utility aircraft taking off into the sky while standing outside about a thousand meters away from the transport hub.
Although Shu cannot get a clear view of her from where he stood, he knows Inori must be looking out the window for him and Haruka as her flight makes its departure. He and the others continue watching as the airship suddenly zooms off faster than the speed of light and causes a boom throughout the sky as it disappears from their sights.
"I think we should go now." Ricky said to everyone a few moments later.
When Shu felt Haruka placing her hand on his left shoulder, he turned his head and saw his mother smiling and coaxing him to leave. Shu glances at the sky one last time before turning around and walking away. Haruka wraps her left arm around the back of his shoulders as they leave together with Ricky and Darren.
As they kept walking down the pavement and made their way back to the other side of the island, Ricky explained to everyone while Darren walked alongside him, and the Oumas follow the two men from behind, "I just received a report from Maiya. All our drones and the bodies of the remnants of Matou Industries including Yuu and Shuichiro Keido have been cleared from Sungei Buloh. We're also rounding up any of Matou Industries' men whom we found hiding along the Singapore Strait as we speak. No one will ever know what happened there."
"What's going to happen to me and my mom?" Shu inquired flatly.
"Although Yuu and Keido have been eliminated, there are probably countless former Matou Industries employees out there who are still trying to hunt you both down and revive their company. But fear not. We at our organization have already arrange a safe house somewhere in Australia for you two to live in. We promise you that no matter where you go next, you will be under our surveillance twenty-four seven. We will never let anyone lay a finger on either of you again." Ricky said.
"Thank you, Ricky Blade. For everything you have done for us." Haruka bows her head to Ricky in gratitude before turning to Darren. "You too, Darren Leong."
"You're welcome." Darren smiled as he looked over his left shoulder. "And remember, if you and Shu ever need my help again, you are always welcome to come back to Singapore and find me."
As Darren looked back to the front, Haruka turned to Shu again and noticed him staring blankly into space. His eyes have since dried up from the tears, but there is an empty look of hopelessness on his face now that the girl he loved is no longer by their side. Knowing that the boy needs her presence more than ever, Haruka cuddles him closer to her as she is determined to keep her promise to her late husband in taking good care of Shu and helping him get through this.
"Hey! Shu Ouma!"
Shu widened his eyes with his mouth agape as the group of four came to a halt upon hearing Ayase's voice. They turn around and see the brown-haired woman approaching them while Tsugumi pushes her wheelchair from behind.
"Shinomiya-san?" Shu uttered.
"Mind if I have a word with you?" Ayase asked sternly. Shu nods his head wordlessly to her as Tsugumi now stops pushing and places her friend in front of him and Haruka. Ayase beckons Shu to step forward and stand in front of her. He obliged, and without warning, the wheelchair-bound woman angrily flicks her fingers at his forehead, making the boy yelp in pain.
"Ow!" Shu cried before looking back at Ayase.
"You are such a stubborn twat, you know that?!" Ayase chided him. Shu remained silent and stared incredulously at her as the woman now folds her arms and sighs heavily. "Seriously, although we have a strict immigration policy, that doesn't mean you are never allowed to come into our world!" Her eyes and voice softened soon after. "Look, what I'm really trying to say is that I can tell how much you love and care for Inori, and how much you wish you can continue spending your life with her. So, what's stopping you from going along with her?"
"I…I just…I want her to be safe." Shu said dejectedly.
"But what's good about being safe when you are not happy with yourself?" Ayase asked. "I may accept who I am now, but when I was a child, I was jealous of everyone around me because of the disability I have since birth. But aside from Tsugumi, as time went on, I began to realize that because of my envy, I missed out on countless opportunities to become friends with so many good people whom I could have spent my life with. I regret living with my resentment. I'm still searching for the perfect partner for me to this day. But who knows if I could have found him by now if it weren't for my stupidity." The woman finished by placing her hands on her thighs and looking back at the boy sympathetically. "I don't want you to make the same mistake as I did. Think about it."
As Shu contemplated what she had told him, Ayase looks over her right shoulder and said to her black-haired friend, "Let's go."
Tsugumi obliged. She gives a parting nod to Shu as she turns her friend around and makes their way back to the transport hub.
"She's right, you know." Haruka said to Shu.
"Mom?" Shu turned to her.
"When I first met your father, he was a very lonely man. He missed your first mother so much that I fear he will die of depression. Despite being such a kind and caring person who is always looking out for others including me, his heart was in pain the whole time, and I feel sorry for him. That is why I ended up becoming closer to him, especially since I wasn't getting along with Keido anymore. Although our marriage wasn't long, those times were still the happiest moments me and your father ever had in a while. And I will always keep those memories inside me until the day that I'm destined to meet him again." Haruka wipes away a tear before continuing, "I have seen how close you and Inori are together. I thank her for making you happy again in the same way that I did with your father. I don't want you to live through the same pain that I'm currently having."
Realizing how much Haruka and his father truly care for each other, Shu could feel some unchecked tears rolling freely down his cheeks while staring wordlessly at his mother. Upon seeing her son weep again, Haruka pulls him into a warm embrace and gently strokes the hair on the back of his head.
"It's up to you, Shu. But know that wherever you choose to go next, I will wholeheartedly respect your decision. I will always come along with you, because you are my dearest child. You are Kurosu's legacy. You are my son, and I love you." Haruka said to his ear.
While staying in her embrace, Shu turns to Ricky and Darren, who both smile and nod their heads to him as they stand nearby. The boy looks back at his mother for a moment before he closes his eyes and rests his chin on her right shoulder while returning the hug.
"I love you, Mom." Shu said gratefully to Haruka. "Arigatou."
2 Weeks Later…
You'll never walk alone
Anata to yuku
Donna tsumi mo
Seotte ageru
Michinaki michi wo
Aruiteku no
Anata to
I will stay with you
Anata no te de
Dakishimete yo
Omoikkiri
Nozomenai mono wa
Nani mo nai kara
Anata to futari de
Yeah, yeah, yeah
With many members of her audience, both young and old, moved to tears by the end of her performance, the entire restaurant erupted with cheers and applause as Inori stood where she was in front of her microphone and at the center of a small stage at the back of the huge dining area. Dressed in black leggings, light pink shoes, and a sleeveless white dress with a purple sash tied around and underneath her chest by a large ribbon, with its lower portion decorated with roses and lilies of various colors and sizes, she slowly opens her eyelids and smiles warmly at everyone in front of her as she indulged in their display of love and praise towards her.
A few moments later, she bows to her audience and said softly to her microphone, "Arigatou."
Inside the kitchen at the left side of the back of the building, a teenage boy with chin-length black hair named Nagi Amano cried enthusiastically to the servers as he slides open the door for them, "Alright everyone! Back to work!"
The servers hastily carry the trays of fully cooked food from the counter beside them and make their way through the dining area to deliver them to the customers.
While the diners began chatting among themselves over how much they loved Inori's performance and appearance, a woman whose black hair is tied to a single side ponytail by a pink flower ribbon and dressed in a white yukata and red sash walks up on stage and escorts the pink-haired girl to the right side of the back of the building. The two walked together and the black-haired woman slides the door open for Inori to enter. She follows her in and closes the door behind them.
"Well done, Inori. Your performances help bring in more customers to our restaurant every day. We truly are grateful to have you working for us." The woman said to Inori cheerfully.
"You're welcome, Hina-san." Inori bows to her employer.
"Please, just call me Hina. We're all friends here." The black-haired woman smiled warmly at her. As Inori stands back up and turns around to make her way over to the dressing table, a door beside a horizontal row of wooden lockers at the other end of the room slides open to reveal a man with short and slightly messy black hair dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.
"Hina-chan! We are running low in eggs and other sorts of veggies!" The man said to Hina while stepping out of the kitchen and holding up a grocery list in his hand.
"Understood, Hodaka-kun!" Hina replied cheerfully to him as Inori sits down on her chair and looks at herself in the mirror.
The black-haired woman walks over to her boyfriend and was about to take the list from him until Inori spoke up while staring at her reflection, "Hina-san."
"Inori?" Hina said in confusion as she and Hodaka looked at her. The pink-haired girl turned to her left and smiled at her employer.
"I'll collect the groceries for us." Inori said.
After Inori changes into an orange yukata with yellow lily patterns and wraps a black sash around her lower torso, Hodaka hands her the money and grocery list, even giving her some extra cash to get herself a snack while going out on her shopping trip. She puts on a pair of white socks and black sandals and makes her way out of the restaurant to perform the task that she had willingly volunteered to do. However, it was also an excuse for her to take a break from work and admire the sights of Mizuho.
Inori smiles blissfully as she strolls through the streets of Mizuho's market district. She cannot help but fall in love with her new hometown. Every building is built with Japanese-like architecture. Its houses, shops, temples, and the Imperial palace that is located on top of a tall hill at the center of town. The bright green grass and verdant trees growing between and behind the buildings also help give the town a peaceful, beautiful and tranquil personality.
The girl decided to get herself a snack first before buying the groceries. She stops by a food cart at the side of the street that was selling Takoyaki balls. She has been eating them regularly since arriving here as it was Shu's favorite snack. They tasted the same as the ones they ate back on Earth, and he would have loved them. After receiving a tray of six Takoyaki balls from the vendor, she pays and thanks him before continuing her journey through the market district.
As she does, she is greeted by people who recognized her as the star singer of Hina's restaurant, and Inori took her time to stop and thank every one of them for their support and admiration. Eventually, Inori realized she had finished eating all her Takoyaki balls during her travel, and she threw the empty tray into the bin of a nearby trash collector. He bows to her before walking and pushing his bin away.
Inori looks back to the front and continues strolling through the market district. She really should be focusing on buying the groceries for Hina and Hodaka, but right now, she cannot help but think of everything that has happened to her since she first arrived at Earth Land.
After arriving at the transport hub, she was greeted and interviewed by a group of representatives who were sent by the Magic Council to question her. It was a long and lengthy interview that lasted for hours. But thanks to her immigration request being supported by Darren Leong and Ayase Shinomiya, as well as the help from two other Heroes of Earth Land named Erza Scarlet and Estellise Sidos Heurassein who dropped by the transport hub to assist her, Inori was eventually granted full citizenship to live in this new and strange world to her. She thanked Erza and Estellise before being escorted by Souta and Hare to board another airship that would take her to Mizuho.
Upon arriving here, the two Mizuhan warriors assisted her in starting a new life in town. It took a few days for her to do so, but thanks to their help, she was able to find a new home on the east side of Mizuho and land a job as both a server and performer at a local restaurant in the market district. There, she made friends with everyone, including its owner Hina Amano, her brother Nagi Amano, and her boyfriend Hodaka Morishima, whom Inori is surprised to learn that he too was originally from Earth before moving to Mizuho to live with the girl he loves.
And with her new job, many Mizuhans would assemble inside Hina's restaurant every day and night just to listen to her beautiful voice and the latest songs she had come up with, which not only brought a lot of income for the Amanos and Hodaka, but also a sense of pride and accomplishment for Inori. Hodaka and Nagi are now even trying to find someone to help her produce albums of her songs, much to her delight. At last, she has fulfilled her parents' wishes for her in becoming a singer who could bring joy and hope to everyone around her.
However, despite her newfound success in Mizuho, Inori continues brooding over the absence of her former superior and friend. Although she enjoys her friendships with Souta, Hare, Hina, Nagi and Hodaka, she still deeply misses Shu. No longer will she wake up every morning to find him by her side, and the thought makes her feel despondent.
While she fully understands his reason for keeping her safe because of her powers, she wonders every now and then if they could have continued staying with each other. After all, Hodaka and Hina are able to remain together despite being from different worlds. However, maybe it was for the best. Never again will she be hunted by anyone who wishes to utilize her powers for personal gain, and never again will Shu and Haruka be brought into harm's way. And yet, Inori just cannot live her new life in Mizuho to the fullest while there is still a gaping hole inside her heart waiting to be filled.
As the girl now comes to a halt, standing in the middle of the street with downcast eyes, she is reminded of what the late Kurosu Ouma had told her many years ago.
"A friend is someone who deeply cares about you. They provide you calm and happiness whenever you feel lonely, sad and anxious."
Inori sniffled as tears began forming in her eyes. Shu was that person who deeply cared for her. He was the one who penetrated her icy shell and made her realize what kind of person she was truly meant to be. She would never be who and where she is now if it were not for him. And yet, despite now being safe from exploitation and fulfilling her childhood dream of being a singer, she cannot be truly happy with her new life when he is not here to provide her what she wants.
As tears roll freely down her cheeks with every sob, Inori yearned for Shu to be by her side once more. How she wished he could be living here in Mizuho with her right now. How she wished he could be here to free her from her loneliness, sadness and anxiety. How she wished…she could see him again.
Suddenly, Inori snaps out of her disheartening thoughts when she felt a nudge at her right ankle. Curiously, she turns her head to her right and looks down to see a familiar robot staring back at her while wagging its tail and flapping its dog-like ears before making a 180-degree turn.
As she watched, Inori slowly lifts her head up as Fyu-Neru rolls its way over to a group of four people standing before her in the distance. The girl instantly recognizes two of them to be Souta and Hare who are both standing on the left. But it took a while for her to comprehend the other two figures who are standing alongside them with their luggage at their side.
Positioned on the right was a woman with brown wavy back-length hair and dressed in a purple yukata with a red sash to match the color of her earrings, white socks and black sandals. The other person, standing front and center of the small group, is a boy that has messy brown hair with a blonde streak forming from the crown and dressed in a teal haori with white robes and a black hakama underneath it, white socks and black sandals.
After Fyu-Neru came to a halt in front of him, Shu gets down to its level and carefully cradles it in his arms. Souta, Hare and Haruka smiled cheerfully at Inori as the teenage boy stood back up and gave a thanking nod to the robot for helping him and his mother find the girl they had been looking for. And as Shu now lifts his head up to turn his attention to Inori, a wide smile plasters across his face while he greeted his friend with unbridled joy,
"Konnichiwa, Inori!"
Inori turned and continued staring at him in shock as tears kept rolling down her cheeks like tiny rivers. She cannot believe it. And yet there he is, standing before her when she needed him the most. No longer will she live her life in misery and sorrow but happiness and optimism. After closing her eyelids and taking a gulp, Inori clasps her hands and holds them in front of her chest. And when she looks back at the boy, a blissful smile forms on her face as she uttered in response,
"Shu…"
The End
Song Suggestions:
All Alone With You by EGOIST (When Inori was singing in the restaurant)
Weight of the World / Kowareta Sekai no Uta by Keiichi Okabe (After you have finished reading the chapter)
Sovereign: I would like to thank Darth Necron and LayLay lives for reviewing this story.
And with that, after three years, my Guilty Crown story has officially come to an end. There will be a second epilogue after this, but for all intents and purposes, this is truly the final chapter. I really want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story. Honestly, while I was writing the final part of this chapter, I was moved to tears not just because the story has finally reached its end after three years of work, but also because I've completed my love for Guilty Crown. Although Guilty Crown wasn't the best-written anime series out there, it is still something that I hold dear to my heart, and I am very happy to have a complete story under my belt that serves love to a series that I enjoyed and remembered all those years ago.
Thank you all very much again for reading this story. I never would have completed this if it were not for your support. Until next time, read and review!