Their conversation with Aliza's mother went well.
At first, it didn't go smoothly. Alicia thought Rei was the one influencing Aliza's decision to quit being the heiress.
But after a long discussion—and even after Rei did something that left both Aliza and Alicia shocked—Alicia finally agreed, though with one condition.
"Too bad I can't immediately go with everyone. I really want to see Ravi Island after Lyria told me about it," Aliza said with a sigh.
"Yeah, that's really unfortunate. But once you're done here, you can come to Ravi Island," Lyria said to her with a smile.
With everything settled, the crew decided that today would be the day they returned to the others.
It had been a few weeks since they left Ravi Island, even though they originally planned for only an eight-day vacation.
"Put this in storage, but don't put the ingredients there—put those in the kitchen. Also, please be careful with that one, it's fragile," Katalina said while watching over the people carrying their belongings to the Grandcypher.
So many people had given them gifts that they couldn't possibly bring everything by themselves, so they needed many helpers just to move it all.
"I gotta say, you guys really helped us out here! Thanks so much!" Stan said to Rei.
"Don't worry too much about it. I'm just glad there were no casualties during all of this," Rei replied.
"Exactly! I'm so glad we were able to stop the crisis before it escalated!" Djeeta added.
Yes, I understand what you mean. You want the dialogue to feel more alive by adding small actions or descriptions after the lines, not just leaving them "floating". That's completely fine, and I can adjust it while still respecting your rule of not adding unnecessary dialogue.
"Fufufu, I'm really glad my daughter managed to become friends with kind people like all of you," Alicia said. She was also there to see them off.
They chatted happily together until, eventually, the time for departure arrived.
Djeeta and the others began boarding the Grandcypher, while Rei stayed behind for a moment to say his final goodbyes.
"So this is it, huh… I actually thought I would be following you guys, but…" Aliza said with a sigh, her gaze drifting toward the airship.
"You're saying that like you'll never see us again. After you're done here, you can come to us, you know," Rei replied calmly, looking at her with a gentle expression.
He laughed lightly, then raised his hand toward her.
"Farewell… no, maybe farewell isn't the right word. See you later, Aliza. We'll be waiting for you there."
Rei raised his right hand, offering her a handshake as a farewell for now.
Aliza looked at his hand, then let out a small chuckle. Instead of taking it, she grabbed his arm with her left hand, gently pushed it aside, and pulled him into a tight hug.
She pressed her whole body against him.
"Hmmm…" she murmured in satisfaction.
Before Rei could even react, she pulled away with a smile.
"Why are you offering a handshake?" she said with a small laugh. "After what you did last night when talking to my mother, I think we're already past that."
Rei laughed softly as well.
"Well, I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable doing more than a handshake in public."
"Hm… that's true…"
What Rei said wasn't wrong. Aliza had spent her whole life focused on martial arts. She had no experience with romance at all.
Still… she couldn't deny that trying new things didn't sound bad.
"Heeey! Rei! How long are you going to say goodbye?!" Vyrn shouted from the Grandcypher. The ship was already ready to depart.
Aliza glanced toward the airship.
"Vyrn's already angry. You should go."
"I know… but I still haven't repaid you for that hug." Rei smiled faintly. "I guess I'll postpone that until we meet again."
After exchanging one last look, he turned toward Alicia and Stan.
"Rei, I'll get stronger," Stan said seriously as he shook Rei's hand. "I won't hold Aliza back anymore. I'll protect her—even in the future."
"Of course. I've already told you—you're strong," Rei replied calmly. "You just need more confidence in yourself."
"Yeah!"
With that, Rei finally boarded the Grandcypher, Slowly, the airship lifted into the sky, leaving Valtz Duchy behind while Aliza and the others continued waving from below.
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It took them a few days to arrive back at Ravi Island. In just a few weeks, they could already see how much the island had changed again.
There were multiple new shops across the city. Far more people and merchants had arrived, and even the amusement park looked more popular than ever, with long lines of visitors waiting to enter.
But with the increase in visitors came more responsibility. Orchis had become much busier as queen, handling countless matters each day. Many people could be seen coming in and out of the palace, often traveling between there and the Grandcypher.
Thankfully, they didn't need to wait for permission to land. The Grandcypher was able to dock immediately behind the palace as usual.
They were greeted by the palace servants upon arrival, but with Orchis, Apollonia, and Adam all busy, the group decided to head home on their own.
"Uhhh… hey, Rei… are we sure this is the place?" Djeeta asked, pointing ahead.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure this is the place," Rei replied.
The reason for their reaction was obvious.
The house that once stood before them was gone. In its place now stood a massive mansion—one even larger than the mansion they had stayed in at Aliza's estate.
It wasn't just the building itself. There was a large water fountain in the center of the entrance courtyard, and the surrounding decorations were elegant and carefully arranged, making the entire place stand out far more than anything nearby.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you all, but after you left, Orchis suggested we make our home bigger," Sandalphon said.
"Huh? That's pretty sudden," Rei said, wondering why Orchis would suggest something like that.
"Well…" Sandalphon trailed off, then shifted her gaze toward Therese and Jessica, who were standing with them.
Orchis remembered everything from Orchid's memories—especially how every time Rei disappeared, he always came back with another girl. She knew that sooner or later, their normal house wouldn't have enough rooms.
Because of that, she immediately suggested upgrading their home into a huge mansion, wide enough to hold countless rooms—enough to accommodate hundreds of people if needed.
Unfortunately, Orchis didn't know how to replicate the Grandcypher's special interior space. The Grandcypher could hold thousands thanks to Noah's power, but that kind of structure couldn't be recreated here.
"You know exactly why, Rei," Vyrn said instead.
"I see… Then I'll thank her later. For now, let's just go inside and rest. It's been a while since we've seen everyone," Rei said as he opened the gate.
Everyone followed him inside.
As soon as they stepped inside, the first person they saw was Io—who was completely lost because of how huge the place had become.
When she finally noticed them, she immediately rushed over, already fuming.
"You guys are back! Do you know how long you took for that so-called vacation!?" Io snapped.
Not long after, more and more crew members began to appear, gathering around to greet them.
Rackam, Eugen, Rosetta, Narmaya, Lecia, Halluel, Malluel, and Orchid.
Thankfully, everyone was here. Rei and the others finally got to see the whole crew again—and they had also brought gifts back from their trip.
"I'm not even sure we can call that a vacation anymore," Rosetta said after hearing what actually happened during their journey.
"My home almost got overthrown! Where was my teacher anyway? Why didn't he protect Valtz Duchy!?" Io shouted, clearly upset.
"Damn, you guys really had your own adventure out there," Rackam said.
"Yeah… who would've thought our simple vacation would turn into something like that," Lyria added.
"So these are our new friends?" Eugen said, looking at the two unfamiliar faces. "Therese and Jessica, right?"
"Yes. My name is Therese. I'm a duelist from Port Breeze," Therese said as she introduced herself.
"A duelist? And the name Therese… wait, are you that number one duelist who's never lost?" Rackam asked, clearly recognizing her.
"Haha, not really. I actually lost to him," Therese said with a laugh, pointing toward Rei.
"That guy doesn't count. His abilities aren't balanced at all," Rackam said bluntly.
"Hahaha, that's true," Eugen laughed in agreement.
"I really understand that," Lecia added. She had already tried sparring with Rei multiple times during training, and every time she was the one who got completely overwhelmed.
"And this is…?" Rosetta began, looking toward Jessica—but before she could finish, Jessica had already stepped forward.
"I'm Jessica. I'm not a duelist like Therese," she said, raising her hand slightly. "I was actually on a journey before meeting everyone. I'm searching for my younger brother who went missing, so I came here to see if he might have ended up on Ravi Island."
"Your brother is missing? Isn't that really urgent?" Halluel asked. Having a twin sister herself, she understood that kind of feeling all too well.
"That's what we said earlier too, but then…" Katalina trailed off with a sigh.
"Not really," Jessica said, crossing her arms. "My little brother is actually really strong, and he loves beating up scummy people. I'm sure he just left because he got bored with life back home. But he didn't even write a single letter to tell us where he went!"
Her voice grew more irritated the more she talked about it.
If he had just told them where he was, at least their parents wouldn't be so worried. That was exactly why Jessica had decided to go looking for him herself.
Orchid remained silent, standing right in front of him without saying a word.
Rei blinked once, confused by her sudden behavior.
"…Orchid?" he called gently. "What's wrong? Why are you being so quiet?"
No response.
The silence lingered for a few more seconds, heavy and strangely tense.
Then Orchid slowly turned her body away from him.
She crossed her arms, her expression forming into a clear pout.
Rei paused.
Ah now he understood why.
Her gaze shifted slightly to the side, refusing to look at him directly—clearly trying to show just how upset she was.
She was angry.
Angry that he didn't bring her along on the vacation.
It couldn't really be helped.
Back when they left, Orchid was still busy at the palace. They didn't have the chance to ask whether she wanted to come along or not. On top of that, Djeeta had been in a hurry, afraid they would miss the festival, so the crew had departed immediately without meeting Orchid.
And after finding out that Rei had left her behind…
She became upset.
Not knowing how to express anger properly, Orchid had asked Orchis what she should do. Orchis, after thinking for a moment, had simply told her that maybe showing Rei she was mad would work.
So now, after dragging him all the way here, she was trying her best to look upset.
Except… instead of making Rei feel guilty, her puffed cheeks and crossed arms were dangerously cute.
"Ahhh, what happened, Orchid?" Rei asked softly, immediately playing along. He gently lifted her up into his arms without resistance. "Why are you mad?"
"Hmph!" Orchid responded, still pouting, deliberately turning her face away from him and refusing to make eye contact.
"Ahh, come on, Orchid… I'm sorry, alright?" Rei said gently. "I didn't mean to leave you behind. I really wanted to bring you too, but we were in a hurry back then and didn't have time to ask you to come."
There was still no reaction from Orchid.
Rei let out a small sigh, then continued softly, "Then how about this… I promise I'll always bring you with me when I can, whenever I go somewhere. And even if I can't, I'll tell you beforehand that I need to leave, so you won't have to go looking for me."
This time, he finally noticed a small change. Orchid's body shifted slightly, but she still didn't turn around.
Not enough.
"…Then, on top of that," Rei added, thinking quickly, "how about we go have fun together at the amusement park? We can ride lots of attractions… and after that, we can eat and drink as many sweets as you want."
This time, the reaction was obvious.
Orchid slowly turned around to face him, her arms no longer crossed, her pout softening.
"Really?" she asked in a small voice.
Rei smiled warmly. "Yes. I promise. When we have the time, I'll take you to the amusement park."
Orchid stared at him for a moment longer, as if making sure he truly meant what he said.
Then, slowly, she lifted both of her hands and placed them against his chest.
"…You promise?" she asked again, quieter this time.
"I promise," Rei answered without hesitation.
For a few seconds, she stayed still. Then, with a small movement, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead lightly against his shoulder. It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't sudden.
It was gentle. Careful. Trusting.
Rei blinked in surprise for a moment before his expression softened even more. He carefully wrapped one arm around her back, giving her a light, reassuring pat.
"I really didn't mean to make you feel left behind," he said quietly. "Sorry."
Orchid didn't respond with words. Instead, she nodded once against him, her grip on his clothes tightening just a little.
After a moment, she finally pulled back.
Her pout was gone now.
In its place was a small, satisfied smile.
"…Sweets," she said.
Rei let out a short laugh. "Yes, sweets too."
Orchid hesitated for a second, then slowly wrapped her arms around his neck instead, resting her head lightly against his shoulder.
Rei's expression softened again. He adjusted his hold on her slightly, making sure she was comfortable.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go back before they start wondering where we disappeared to."
Orchid nodded.
Still in his arms, she didn't let go — clearly satisfied now.
Rei chuckled quietly and began walking back toward the others with her.