“Alright, Siggy, wipe your tears.
You’re about to cry yourself into a little messy kitten,” Amis said with a smile as she wiped Sigrika’s tears.
“I…
I couldn’t help it…
I really thought I’d never see Nia again…” Sigrika was incredibly emotional.
Although she wasn’t sobbing loudly like before, she was still sniffling and shedding tears.
“A reliable adult doesn’t keep crying like a baby, you know?” Denia teased with a smile.
Her teasing would have been much more convincing if her own eyes weren’t as red as a rabbit’s.
“Look who’s talking.
When the two of you were hugging and wailing earlier, you almost made the neighbors break down the door,” Kather mercilessly roasted her.
Kather wasn’t exaggerating.
The way those two were crying was indeed terrifyingly loud.
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they were acting in some tragic drama.
It had gotten to the point where the next-door neighbor was about to break down the door in a rage.
But when they saw a group of absolutely gorgeous girls gathered together, whatever anger they had instantly vanished.
It had to be said—beauty really is justice.
“You and your big mouth!” Amis kicked Kather mercilessly with her killer long legs.
“Hey, you kicked me!
I think you’ve forgotten who calls the shots in this house!” Kather rolled up his sleeves, determined to reassert his manly authority.
“Then I’ll go tell Grandma Lin that you’re going to beat me up.” “Don’t, Sister Amis!
My dearest sister, I was wrong!
This lowly one was blind!” Kather immediately dropped to his knees in a dogeza to apologize sincerely.
Lynae:????
“Is Grandma Lin really that amazing?
She can actually make the famous Voidbug Knight bow to her authority?” Lynae’s mouth parted slightly, seemingly very surprised by Kather’s over-the-top reaction.
“Our Voidbug Knight has been whipped by Grandma Lin from childhood all the way to adulthood,” Amis replied with a mischievous smile.
“Damn, don’t I get to keep some dignity?!” Kather’s blushing face spoke louder than a thousand words.
Seeing that the gentle and reliable senior of her memory was actually such a goofball in reality, Sigrika couldn’t help but burst into a laugh through her tears.
“Oh, by the way, who secretly called Rover over?” Amis’s face suddenly turned serious as she began searching for the little traitor who had tipped him off.
“It wasn’t me.” Lynae shook her head vigorously.
She didn’t even have his contact info, let alone a way to tip him off.
“I don’t know.” It was even less likely to be Sigrika, otherwise she wouldn’t have nearly cried herself a river just now.
Amis turned her gaze toward Chisaki, who was standing nearby.
Although Chisaki’s face remained expressionless, her shifting eyes gave everything away.
“Aha!
Chisaki, it really was you!” Amis immediately lunged forward and pinched Little Chisaki’s delicate, tender cheeks.
“Le…
let go of meee.” Chisaki’s cheeks were being pinched, making her words slurred.
Amis’s “punishment” didn’t last long.
Chisaki rubbed her pinched cheeks with a slightly embarrassed look, which Kather found incredibly cute.
After Chisaki composed herself, she began telling the other three about how she and Kather had run into each other at the department store.
“I also felt that Classmate Amis was right.
Approaching Senior so suddenly might not have been a pleasant surprise, but rather a disruption to his hard-earned, peaceful daily life.” “But the way everyone and I missed Senior was very real.
If it weren’t to confirm whether Senior was living happily in this world, we wouldn’t have stayed.” “Besides, before this, we were always making decisions for Senior on our own without ever truly asking him what he thought.” Kather strongly agreed with Chisaki’s words and deeply related to them.
In the game, the Rover of his past life had thought the exact same way.
In most cases, he would make decisions for others on his own without ever asking what they truly thought.
Even when talking to Luhus, he would blame himself for dragging them into his ideal of saving the world.
But that was because Solaris was a world on the brink of collapse.
Rover’s thoughts were simple: if he failed completely, the others would still be able to escape safely.
But this was the real world.
There were no grand catastrophes, only the mundane daily life of firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.
So…
“This isn’t Solaris, girls,” Kather said with a gentle smile.
“You’ve lived in this world for a while now, so you should have a basic understanding of it.
It’s peaceful, warm, full of kindness, and orderly.” “Here, I’m just an ordinary student living a peaceful life.
I don’t have the halo of a savior, nor do I possess world-shaking power.” “Your arrival isn’t a burden to me; rather, it adds your own unique colors to my ordinary daily life.” “So, I will still choose to protect you and accompany you.
And of course, you can rely on the current me just like you relied on me back in Solaris.” “I believe that wherever everyone is, that’s where home is.” As soon as he finished speaking, Amis threw herself into his arms with tears in her eyes.
“Yeah…
that’s right!
Wherever you are, and wherever everyone is, that’s where home is!” Amis said, laughing through her tears.
“Exactly!
Being together is the happiest thing!” Lynae said in her usual carefree manner.
“Mhm, with Nia, Senior, and everyone here, I’ll feel much happier too!” Sigrika said very sincerely, placing her hands over her chest.
Denia didn’t say anything, but simply watched her companions with a smile warmer than usual, letting silence speak volumes.
“So, there’s no need to hesitate anymore.” Chisaki smiled at Kather.
“The past is already in the past.
Moving forward with friends in the present and the future is what’s truly precious.” “Well, girls, it’s already noon.
Are you hungry?” Kather’s casual question pulled everyone back from their emotional moment.
Right on cue with Kather’s words, the stomachs of all the beautiful girls let out a collective rumble.
“Looks like you are.” Hearing Kather’s teasing, the girls’ faces flushed red one by one.
“To make up for being late, I’ll volunteer to cook for everyone this noon~” Kather stood up, enthusiastically rolling up his sleeves.
“Just a disclaimer: don’t blame me if it doesn’t taste good.” “If it doesn’t taste good, we’ll make you eat all of it!” Amis threatened, feigning ferocity.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s not fair.” Frightened by Amis’s “ruthless” declaration, Kather quickly backed down.
“Oh, let’s invite Grandma Lin too!
We can thank her for taking care of us and say a proper goodbye to her!” Sigrika said earnestly.
She was a grateful girl and hadn’t forgotten Grandma Lin, who had taken them in.
“Of course.
I need to properly thank Grandma Lin for kindly taking you in as well,” Kather agreed, praising Sigrika’s suggestion.
“Then without further ado, I’ll help Senior in the kitchen.
I’ll have to trouble the rest of you to tidy up and set things up a bit.” Chisaki took the initiative to assign tasks.
After all, unless something unexpected happened, this would be their last day living here, so a proper sense of farewell was necessary.
“Okay!” Full of enthusiasm, everyone began carefully decorating the apartment, determined to make this farewell ceremony an unforgettable memory.
…
After a heartwarming farewell dinner that had a few minor episodes…
“Grandma Lin, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Kather called out to Grandma Lin, who was planning to slip away quietly.
“You brat, what are you calling me for?” Grandma Lin snapped, her voice unusually choked up.
She was carrying quite a few gifts, all of which had been stuffed into her hands by Amis and the others before their departure.