As August arrived, Wayne's leisurely holiday was drawing to a close.
Each day, he received one or more wizards.
Some were Wizengamot members, others were antiquated pure-blood family elders - even older than Dumbledore.
There were also vigorous young wizards, though they came not for themselves but for bedridden elders in their families.
To the young, longevity might be worthless, but to those in need, they'd kneel to lick Wayne's shoes...
Naturally, kind-hearted Wayne would never allow such things.
He was merely upholding Hufflepuff tradition - making friends.
As friends, they could support each other to create a prosperous, harmonious wizarding world.
Though between friends, excessive gifts would seem distant.
Thus, he typically only gave one year's supply of the Elixir of Life, with three years being the maximum.
That recipient was rather special.
Susan Bones' grandfather, Amelia Bones' father - Carl Bones.
Former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for thirty years, he still commanded influence through former subordinates in the Ministry, despite holding no current position - not even in the Wizengamot, having yielded his seat to Amelia Bones.
Wayne invested heavily, providing not just the Elixir but also having Ho-Oh heal the old man's chronic injuries. His improvement was visibly dramatic - that night, he devoured two double-decker burgers.
In return, Wayne gained the Bones family's friendship.
Suddenly, over half the Ministry became Lawrence's allies.
...
On the weekend, Wayne accompanied Cho in creating sand art - her newly discovered hobby.
Nagini unexpectedly returned home with a girl.
"Madeleine?" Wayne looked surprised at the plump girl. "What brings you here?"
This senior was Grace's friend, with whom Wayne had nodding acquaintance.
"Wayne, long time no see." Madeleine smiled gently. "I'll be your new employee."
The boy suddenly understood, turning to Nagini. "So Madeleine's your chosen shop manager?"
Nagini nodded, smiling. "To be precise, Grace recommended her. After talking, I found her perfectly suited."
"No objections - your decision stands." Naturally, Wayne wouldn't oppose Nagini's choice.
Though unfamiliar with Madeleine, Grace's recommendation and Nagini's approval guaranteed her character.
Truly reliable, as expected of a Hufflepuff graduate.
Wayne would have invited her for lunch, but Nagini insisted on immediate job training. Their visit was brief, leaving just Wayne and Cho again.
During dinner, the young man asked, "The World Cup is about to start. Are you and your parents planning to watch the matches?"
At the mention of this, Cho shook her head repeatedly.
"Mum isn't interested in Quidditch. As for Dad... he'd love to go, but his department has to maintain order with the Aurors. He simply doesn't have the time."
Wayne swore this wasn't him deliberately targeting Mr Zhang – it must have been Crouch acting on his own authority.
But Cho didn't seem bothered. Instead, she asked, "Hermione and I are going shopping tomorrow. Do you want to join us?"
"Tomorrow..." Wayne slowly furrowed his brow. "I won't have time tomorrow."
"Where are you going?" Cho asked curiously.
"To pick up two friends."
...
The next day.
A plane from Tokyo to London was preparing to land at Heathrow Airport in the suburbs.
Inside the aircraft.
"Sakura, don't be afraid. Planes are very safe."
A girl with long, straight black hair was gently comforting the shorter brown-haired girl beside her.
Both girls were exceptionally cute and pretty, but curiously, although they appeared to be the same age, the black-haired girl radiated an almost maternal warmth and gentleness.
"Ah! Tomoyo, we're descending so fast!"
Glancing out the window, Sakura immediately buried her head in the chest of the girl beside her – Tomoyo Daidouji.
The gentle young lady couldn't help but smile, softly patting Sakura's back.
Sakura was just too adorable!
Finally, the plane landed safely on the runway, and Sakura gradually returned to normal, her face flushed as she lifted her head from Tomoyo's chest and straightened up.
Tomoyo shook her head slightly in regret.
After taxiing for a while longer, the plane came to a stop on the tarmac.
But the cabin door didn't open immediately. Instead, a flight attendant entered and asked in English:
"Excuse me, which of you is Miss Sakura Kinomoto and Miss Tomoyo Daidouji?"
She then repeated the question in Japanese.
Sakura and Tomoyo exchanged puzzled glances but stood up nonetheless, though both secretly gripped their wands.
The flight attendant smiled warmly and approached them, extending her hand as she said quietly:
"Young ladies, the person meeting you is already waiting outside. Please come with me."
Sakura's expression shifted slightly as she asked in passable English: "Is it Wayne Lawrence?"
Tomoyo's eyes also lit up, but the flight attendant merely maintained her polite smile without responding.
Holding Tomoyo's hand and grabbing their luggage, Sakura hurried off the plane under the somewhat displeased gazes of other passengers.
To her disappointment, it wasn't Wayne waiting for them as she'd imagined, but several burly men in suits.
However, their next words quickly brought smiles back to the girls' faces.
"Miss Kinomoto, Miss Daidouji, please come with us. Young Master Lawrence is waiting outside."
"Yes, let's hurry. We shouldn't keep Wayne waiting."
The bodyguards immediately cleared a path, leading the two through a fast-track channel that bypassed customs entirely, bringing them straight to a car park.
A row of black Rolls-Royces stood neatly aligned. Sakura spotted Wayne standing beside one immediately, quickening her pace so much that Tomoyo could barely keep up.
"Wa... Wayne... It's so good to see you again!"
Before meeting him, Sakura had so many things she wanted to say to Wayne, but the moment she stood before the young man, her words suddenly failed her, leaving only this formal greeting.
Tomoyo also straightened her clothes and gave a ladylike curtsy.
"Mr Lawrence, how do you do? I'm Tomoyo Daidouji, thirty-seventh heir of the Tsukuyomi family. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Wayne stared at the two of them speechlessly.
"Sakura, have you eaten something strange today? Why so suddenly distant? And Miss Tomoyo, though we've never met, we're practically pen pals who get along well. Was such formal etiquette really necessary?"
"I... It's just been so long since we last met, I got a bit nervous for a moment! Heehee~"
Sakura offered an awkward explanation, laughing at herself by the end.
She quickly tugged at her friend's sleeve. "Tomoyo, you exchange letters with Wayne even more frequently than I do. There's no need to be so formal."
"Very well then." The young lady's eyes curved into crescents.
...
The motorcade slowly departed from the airport, proceeding in orderly formation down the road as nearby vehicles hastily gave way.
If one of these Flying Goddesses so much as lost a fleck of paint, selling their own cars wouldn't cover the damages - better keep a safe distance.
Simultaneously, they wondered whose entourage this could be, surpassing even royal processions and 10 Downing Street in grandeur.
In the central extended Phantom, Wayne was engaged in lively conversation with the two girls.
Sakura and Tomoyo's visit to Britain for the World Cup had been at Wayne's invitation. Upon receiving his letter, Sakura agreed without hesitation. Seeing her best friend's decision, Tomoyo naturally wouldn't let her go alone.
Moreover, she was intensely curious about Wayne.
He was the first person whose thought processes and hobbies aligned perfectly with hers - both loved designing clothes and using Sakura as their model.
Sakura had been right earlier; Tomoyo and Wayne corresponded far more frequently than Sakura did, often sending new letters before the previous ones had even arrived.
Her earlier formality had simply been due to first-meeting shyness.
After a brief conversation, the atmosphere grew warm and familiar.
With soundproofing between the cabin and driver's compartment, plus Wayne's additional Silencing Charm, they could freely discuss magical matters.
"This year's final is Bulgaria versus Ireland! The strongest individual versus the best team - it'll be spectacular!"
Despite Sakura's earlier fear during landing (merely distrust of aeroplanes), she was actually a devoted sports enthusiast who adored Quidditch.
"Which team are you supporting?" Wayne asked curiously.
"Sakura supports Bulgaria," Tomoyo said with a smile. "As Mahoutokoro's finest Seeker, she naturally favours the team with the stronger Seeker."
"What a coincidence," Wayne grinned. "I happen to support Ireland. We're rivals then."
Sakura wrinkled her nose adorably. "I'll admit Ireland has better Chasers, but Krum will catch the Golden Snitch before the score gap widens. That's what Seekers do."
"Shall we make it interesting?" Wayne suggested suddenly.
"You're on! What are the stakes?"
Tomoyo watched them with wide-eyed interest.
"If Bulgaria wins, I'll teach you how to improve your Clow Cards. If you lose..."
Wayne flashed a mischievous grin. "You'll model ten of Tomoyo's designs for me, with photographs."
Sakura instantly flushed crimson, while Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically. "Perfectly fair~ I approve these terms."
"Tomoyo~!" Sakura protested. "You're ganging up on me."
Suddenly spotting a crucial detail, she turned sharply with wide eyes. "Wait - what did you say about improving Clow Cards? Did I mishear because of my English?"
Wayne simply smiled.
Extending a finger, he conjured a glowing golden card that spun mid-air before settling in Sakura's palm.
Recognising the design, the girl gasped:
"The Power Card!"
Even Tomoyo covered her mouth in astonishment.
"How did you do it? Can this card be used?" Sakura Kinomoto turned the card over in her hands, noticing its patterns differed slightly from her family's inherited ones.
"After our conversation, I had several inspirations, so I made some cards. Not only can I use them, but others can too—though they'll only work three times before becoming useless."
Upon hearing this, Sakura completely shut down, her entire body turning ashen as she collapsed into Tomoyo's arms.
She'd merely let Wayne glance at her Sakura Cards a few times, yet he'd managed to replicate them independently, even improving them for others' use...
Sakura pouted. She hadn't even mastered creating the Power Card herself yet.
Wayne reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't casually spread the card-making methods. If there's anything you don't understand, you can always ask me."
"Really?" The girl instantly revived. "Wayne, how many card types have you mastered making?"
"Hmm..." The boy tilted his head, thinking for a long moment before answering, "About forty. More than enough to teach you."
"That's wonderful." Sakura immediately beamed.
Amused by her dramatic mood swing, Tomoyo reached out to pat the two buns atop Sakura's head.
...
An hour later, the motorcade slowly pulled up outside Wayne's residence.
The driver unloaded their luggage and gave Wayne a slight bow before departing.
"Come on in. You'll be staying here for the next fortnight. If you're unsatisfied, I've got several other properties you could choose from instead."
"No need, this place is already incredibly luxurious," Sakura said, shaking her head repeatedly.
Tomoyo nodded in agreement.
Even the most fastidious girl would find no grounds for complaint here—unless she genuinely believed herself some kind of princess.
Wayne waved the front door open and led the two girls inside, only to sense an oddly tense atmosphere. Glancing toward the living room, he started in surprise.
Penelope, Hermione, Cho, and Astoria.
All four girls sat on the living room sofa, their heads turning in unison at the sound of the door opening.
Astoria even scampered over, clutching Wayne's arm while eyeing Tomoyo and Sakura with suspicion.
"When did you all get here?" Wayne asked, bewildered.
"Gardevoir!"
The Gardevoir materialised instantly, offering an apologetic bow.
Through their psychic link, Wayne instantly understood her meaning and gave a resigned twitch of his lips.
Unaware of this exchange, Astoria delivered their prearranged excuse.
"Cho suggested going shopping this afternoon. We're all going, so we agreed to meet here. Hermione said it's close to the mall."
"Perfect timing—saves me having to find you all tonight." Choosing not to expose their ruse, Wayne kept hold of Astoria's hand while guiding the silent Sakura and Tomoyo into the living room.
"Let me introduce everyone. This is Sakura Kinomoto, and this is Tomoyo Daidouji. They're both students at Mahoutokoro."
"I met Sakura at the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship. Tomoyo is her best friend—they're here for the World Cup."
Wayne then introduced Cho and the others to the two girls before concluding with complete candour:
"They're all my girlfriends."
"No, I'm your fiancée," Astoria quickly added.
"Alright, alright." Wayne patted her little head. "So that's three girlfriends and one fiancée."
The wealthy little girl finally broke into a happy smile.
Tomoyo showed no particular reaction. Coming from a prominent family in a country with strong feudal traditions, Wayne's arrangement wasn't exactly common, but neither was it shocking enough to raise eyebrows.
Her own grandfather had five wives, after all.
Meanwhile, the innocent Sakura's mouth fell open in astonishment...
"All... all of them?"
Wayne nodded firmly and uttered the line he'd been holding back for so long: "They're all my wings!"
Hermione and the other girls rolled their eyes in unison.
Then, for reasons unknown—perhaps a momentary lapse in judgment—Sakura suddenly blurted out:
"What about Miss Delacour?"
Wayne's heart skipped a beat, a chill running down his spine.
I'm done for!