Boots strapped, coat worn, and equipment ready. It was still early in the m yet Grey and Yuna were already prepared for an adventure. An adventure uheir other ones. It was an adveowards the Elven Kingdom, Ingrasia.

  It has been a few days since Grey and Yuna shopped together. Thankfully, they were able to buy everything they needed. While the wines and music box cost quite a sum, they were nothing pared to the fabrics before. Those ones were just absurd aremely expensive.

  Having readied themselves, Grey and Yuna did a st tour around the town, greeting their acquaintances for the st time before heading out. The st pce they headed to were the southern gates were stationed in.

  "Oh, so yoing to Ingrasia this time, huh... Must be nice, I also wao explore the world when I was younger..." ［Dale］

  Mumbled Dale as he reminisced about his past. He was not even that old to begin with, yet the way he was ag made him seem like an elderly man. It only made Grey and Yuna chuckle a little.

  "Well, I guess you'll be staying there for quite some time, huh... Make sure to take care of each other, kay?" ［Dale］

  "Un! We'll surely do!" ［Yuna］

  "Hahaha, that's the spirit! Now, why don't you get moving already? You still have quite the long journey ahead of you." ［Dale］

  "Yeah... And see you ter, Mister Dale." ［Grey］

  "Bye～!" ［Yuna］

  Waving their hands goodbye, Grey and Yuna slowly headed off towards the horizon. With each sed passing, their figures became smaller and smaller until they were pletely out of sight. Their journey has now started.

  After heading out of town, Grey and Yuna ran diagonally into the dire of the forest, searg for a clear area to do their bidding. Of course, they weren't just going to travel on foot. They had wings to rely on, after all.

  "e out, Sirius." ［Grey］

  At Grey's behest, the wind in the forest started to waver and the ground trembled slightly. Soon after, a magnifit figure took form, one which resembled that of a ptinum-scaled dragon, fearsome yet beautiful.

  "Hmm... It's been quite a while since we've seen you in this form. How are you feeling, Sirius?" ［Grey］

  "I'm more than fine, Master." ［Sirius］

  Replied Sirius as she stretched out her wings into the open air. She has usually been in her wolf pup form and now that she was in her real form, she felt a little strange. Well, not that it hinder any of her abilities.

  "Good m, Sirius." ［Yuna］

  "A lovely m as well, Mistress." ［Sirius］

  After stretg her wings and whippiail a little, Sirius ko the ground and lowered her wings. Even without Grey and Yuna telling her what to do, she already knew what she was summoned for and was simply perf her duty. She was more than happy to be of help.

  "Sorry to trouble you again, Sirius, but we'll be in your care." ［Grey］

  "This is no trouble at all, Master. This one is more than happy to serve." ［Sirius］

  As soon as Grey and Yuna were on her back, Sirius spread her wings openly as much as she could and in just a mere fra of a sed, she fpped her wings powerfully, bringing forth bursts of winds and sending herself hundreds of meters up into the sky.

  A few more fps ter, she was already at the level of the clouds. It was white on the level of the eyes, blue on the sky above, and green on the ground below. There was a clear separation of colors.

  "Master, Mistress, please hold on tight." ［Sirius］

  Giving a final warning, Sirius once again fpped her wings, c a couple hundred meters in an instant. On her wake, the clouds parted half as she tio soar through the vast sky.

  Violent winds and interfering clouds of dust. None were able to pass through Grey's barrier. While they would just be fihout o would be more fortable with it. It felt like they were just having a pii Sirius' back.

  For hours which passed and hours to e, there was only green as far as the eyes could see. They have already ehe outskirts of the Haltea Great Forest. It was one which covered everything as far as the eyes could see.

  Taking breaks here and there, the journey tinued. Night fell and they took a short rest, only tinuing when the sky was awake once again. pared to the three and a half day journey before, it only took them more than a day to retururn to the pce where it all began.

  "Sirius, nd over there." ［Grey］

  "As you wish." ［Sirius］

  Heeding Grey's words, Sirius slowed down the beat of her wings, their altitude l by the sed. It didn't take long before they nded on the lush grounds, surrounded by the dense forest.

  As soon as they nded, Grey and Yuna's eyes immediately looked around the pce. It has been a little more than seven months sihey departed yet the forest hasn't ged a little bit. It was just like how they remembered it to be.

  "Then, I'll be going back to the shadows now, Master, Mistress. I hope you enjoy the rest of the day." ［Sirius］

  "Ah, yeah... Thank you for your service." ［Grey］

  "Thank you, Sirius!" ［Yuna］

  A smile appearing on her rigid looking face, Sirius vanished as suddenly as she appeared. Her eye-catg ptinum scales vanished into thin air. The only thing to be seen was a small shadow merging back to Grey and Yuna's own.

  Walking down the forest, uhe opies of the massive trees, Grey and Yuna could hear a familiar symphing in their ears. The chirping of the is, the tweeting of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, and the gerig of the little creeks. They were all music to their ears.

  A couple more minutes of walking, a familiar and precious sery greeted them. Standing before them was a shabby-looking in the middle of the forest. To some, it may just look odd and strao Grey and Yuna, it was home. A pce which tained tless memories.

  Still not uttering a single wrey and Yuna slowly ehe . A little creak resounded across the quiet forest as the door opened. Inside recious sight. The chairs, desks, ets, and every single furniture they treasured were still around. It made them feel nostalgic.

  "Hmm... This surely is amazing..." ［Yuna］

  "Hm? What is?" ［Grey］

  "The house... Even though it's been months, there's no dust and such. Everything's perfectly ." ［Yuna］

  Said Yuna, sliding her finger across one of the ets near her. Even when she slid her finger, not a single speck of dust gathered. It wasn't only the et, every other piece of furniture and even the floor was and spotless.

  "Aww... I wish our new house was like this too..." ［Yuna］

  "Hahaha, that would surely be oo bad there's nothing we could do about it... Anyway, how about we have a little early lunch? I'm itg to use the kit here again after a long time." ［Grey］

  "Un! Then I'll help you out!" ［Yuna］

  "That would be most wele, Midy." ［Grey］

  Heading to the kit, Grey and Yuna then prepared a quick lunch for the both of them. It may have been a while but they still remembered where everything was and cooking was just as easy.

  The sun reag its Zenith and the day at eleven, a hot and steamy lunch was served over the dining table. It was one which Grey and Yuna enjoyed with big smiles across their faces, all the while ughing at they chatted merrily.

  After lunch, they tiheir tour of the house and out in the viity. The small herd farms Yuna made were still there and were ready to be harvested. She was more than happy to do so.

  "Grey, I'll be going now." ［Yuna］

  "Alright. Do you remember the way there?" ［Grey］

  "Un! Don't worry, I know it like the bay hand." ［Yuna］

  "Then, as a lucky charm..." ［Grey］

  Without any warning, Grey approached Yuna and parted her hair upwards. He then gave Yuna a gentle kiss on the forehead. It may be just a simple gesture but it tained all of Grey's sincere feelings.

  "Take care of yourself, alright?" ［Grey］

  "Un!" ［Yuna］

  A smile on her fad her cheeks painted with a slight tint of red, Yuna waved her hand and headed out of the house. A few moments ter, she was out of Grey's sight and only the lush, dense sea of trees could be seen.

  As frey, there are two reasons why he stayed behind. The first was that he wanted Yuna to have time for herself when she heads to her destination. The sed one was more of an urgent matter. There were a lot of things he o prepare for the day. It was going to be busy.

  "Alright, let's get this started!" ［Grey］

  His eyes brimming with determination, Grey took e amounts of ingredients and a simirly rge amount of cooking tools. The fmes were lit abze and the faucet started running. It was time for battle! A battle against time!"

  ...

  Tall trees, horned rabbits hopping, and deers grazing at ferns. There were a lot of things to be seen across the vast forest. While it was dominated by green, there were also a lot of colors to be seen, from dull grays to vibrant blues. It was a fantastic world hiddeh the opies.

  Along this dense forest, a certain figure was running along faster than the wi silent ale. Her silver hair fluttering in the air and her eyes gleaming like deep blue sapphire. It was her than Yuna.

  Yuna ran for several minutes c kilometers of distance. Her face the whole time wore expressions of loneliness, yet strangely, there was a mile on her face. Along the way, suddenly, she halted. She has arrived.

  Uhe other parts of the forest, her destination was much more barren. While there were grasses and bushes all over, the trees were far and few iween. It ce Yuna was too familiar with. A pce where Grey saved her.

  "Mom, Dad, everyone, I'm back." ［Yuna］

  A lonely voice echoed in the air as Yuna approached twe sbs of stones buried on the ground. It was her parents' graves, and around them were the gravestones of her former vilge members.

  Yuna k gently on the soft, green grass, sweeping away the dust and debris gathered with her delicate hands. With just a little ing, the letters carved oones were revealed.

  "Sorry it took me so long to visit. I've just been too busy..." ［Yuna］

  Yuna tio the gravestones, removing the rown pnts and weeds in the viity. There was sadness and loneliness in her eyes but her void as remained calm.

  "Mom, Dad, do you know...? I've achieved my dreams. I have been to a lot of pces, I've also eaten lots of sweets, and I've had the honor of helping a lot of people. You must be surprised, aren't you?" ［Yuna］

  tinued Yuna. Now, she was squatting on the ground, looking at her parents' gravestones with simir lonely eyes. Even then, she tio talk with them, passing the time away.

  "Ah, right.... And do you know about the boy I've told you before? W... Well, n-now he's my boyfriend. I-I know it might be too early for me, b-but...! I really, really like him! A-And you don't o worry, he's very kind! I'm sure he'll always take care of me, always by my side..." ［Yuna］

  Now, a flustered expression appeared on Yuna's face. It was as if her parents were really there. Her expressions, tone of voice, and every body movements, she didn't seem like she was alo all.

  For hours to e, Yuna tialking by herself, telling hundreds of stories about what happened over her adventures with Grey. There are times she looked lonely, times she looked happy, and of course, times she looked flustered. She was very expressive.

  "Ah...! When did it get so te?" ［Yuna］

  By the time she noticed, it was already te iernoon. She had so much fun talking to her parents' graves that she didn't realize how quickly time flew by. It was time for her to go back.

  "Then... I'll see you ter, Mom, Dad... Bye～..." ［Yuna］

  A lonely expression about on her face, Yuna stood up and turned around, heading back to where she came from. The pce has turned quiet once again. The only difference was that it was much er and flowers of all kinds could be seen all over the graveyard.

  The suing down on the horizon, Yu home. On the way home, the forest was much darker and quieter. Different animals were present than in the m and the stars started to climb the sky.

  "I'm back.....?" ［Yuna］

  A puzzled expression could be seen on Yuna's face as soon as she walked ihe house. The interior looked much different than when she left. It was much more vibrant and the st of food wafted everywhere.

  "Wele back. How did things go?" ［Grey］

  "It went smoothly, but... what's the occasion? Why is there so much food? The pce looks livelier as well." ［Yuna］

  Asked Yuna, her eyes tinuing to look around the house. As frey, there eculiar expression on his face, one which tairaces of shod disbelief as he looked at Yuna time and time again.

  "You silly, girl... It seems you've fotten again. It's your birthday." ［Grey］

  "My birthday... Eh?! That was today?!" ［Yuna］

  pared to when they celebrated Yuna's birthday for the first time, it wasn't Grey who was shocked, but rather Yuna. She has been so preoccupied with thinking about visiting her parents' graves that it pletely slipped her mind.

  There was a little hint of surprise on her face for a little bit, but that surprise soon turned into happiness as a smile bloomed on her face. She was very touched by Grey's efforts and couldn't express how thankful she was.

  "Happy birthday." ［Grey］

  Along his greeting, Grey pnted yet another kiss on Yuna, this time, on her cheeks. At the same time, Grey gave her a presely aifully ed in ing paper bought at the time of Eliza's birthday.

  "This is... I open it?" ［Yuna］

  "Sure, go ahead." ［Grey］

  With Grey's permission, Yuna quickly tore apart the ing paper, revealing the gift i was a book which was quite thick. It was something Grey made with his own hands and something which took a lot of effort as well.

  Curiously, Yuna opehe books and read its tents. It was one formatted after the textbooks Grey had read in his past life. Yuna stopped at the table of tents, her eyes shocked by quite a bit as she read the words tained.

  "Grey, this is...!" ［Yuna］

  "That's right. It tains everything I know about alchemy. I figured it would be useful for your hobby. Do you like it?" ［Grey］

  "Un! I love it!" ［Yuna］

  Overwhelmed by happiness, Yuna jumped into Grey's arms and gave him a tight embrace. Yuna's as were so sudden that Grey didn't mao catch her perfectly and the two of them fell to the ground. Even then, bright smiles could be found on their faces.

  "Happy birthday, Mistress." ［Sirius］

  "Mistress, gratutions on turning 17!" ［opus］

  "Mistress, happy, happy, happy birthday!" ［Kentaurus］

  "gratutions on this joyous ocistress." ［Arcturus］

  After Grey, it was the familiars' turn to greet Yuna. While they didn't have any presents like Grey, Yuna was already satisfied with their thoughts. She all gave them a tight hug, indulging in their fluffiness.

  As frey, he went to the kit to get a certain something. Wheurned, he had a telephoh him and a rge, warm smile on his face, heading to Yuna who was currently cuddling with the familiars.

  "Yuna, here, there's a call for you." ［Grey］

  "A call?" ［Yuna］

  "Yes. It's quite urgent, so I suggest you a immediately." ［Grey］

  Still a little fused, Yuna received the phone from Grey. She then answered the call, but...

  "Hellー" ［Yuna］

  「Happy birthday, Elder Sister Yuna! gratutions on your seveh birthday! I hope you have another happy year」 ［Eliza］

  ... Yuna couldn't even finish her first word, she was already interrupted by Eliza's eic greeting. Yuna couldn't be any more surprised as she g Grey's dire. The tter was only smiling.

  「Elder Sister Yuna, are you still there...?」 ［Eliza］

  "A-Ah, yes. I'm still here... How did you know it was my birthday?" ［Yuna］

  「Ah, that... Elder Brrey told me just this afternoon. I'm upset that Elder Sister Yuna didn't tell me earlier. I could've sent you a gift...」 ［Eliza］

  "No, that's fine. I'm already happy right now." ［Yuna］

  Once again, Yuna's eyes g Grey. While she didn't know how long Grey had p nor how much effrey had exerted, she knew everything he did was sincere. Although silent, her mouth moved, pronoung the words "thank you". She was very happy.

  After Eliza, Fritz and Pave their greetings. A few more people followed suit iing her. Everyone greeted her in their own ways, and she was thankful for ead every one of them. The smile on her face didn't fade at all.

  Following the greetings, it was time for dio e was only then that Yuna realized once again how Grey had cooked. Not only the kit and dining room, there was even food dispyed over the living room.

  "Waah～! There's so much food." ［Yuna］

  "Hahaha, well, this is all going to disappear into our stomachs soon. So... How about we start the feast already?!" ［Grey］

  "U-Un!" ［Yuna］

  Excited as one be, Yuna sat on the dining table whilst Grey served her. Yuna wao help out in serving the dishes, but Grey insisted on doing it himself. He wanted Yuna to just rex on her birthday.

  "Mnm! Delicious!" ［Yuna］

  "Haha, I'm gd you like it. Now, why don't you try this ooo? They're lobsters I ced upon back at Galderia. I also gzed it with a special sauce. I'm sure you'll like it." ［Grey］

  Lured by Grey's words, Yuna opened her mouth wide as Grey fed her the said lobster. The moment it entered her mouth, an explosion of fvor burst oongue. She could only squeal quietly but her face was screaming hoy she was. It was amongst the best dishes she had eaten.

  Dinner tinued and Grey joined in as well. Chatting, ughing, and teasing one another. A lot of things happened over the dining table. Of course, the familiars joihem as well, having their own portions.

  After dihe celebration did not stop. Grey and Yuna pyed some bames with one another. As usual, it was chess. Yuna was still hung up on her losses and wao win very badly. Her eyes were alight with determination.

  Currently, Grey and Yuna are already on their sixth game. As one would expect, Grey had won all the previous five matches. But now, everything is different. With a final move from Yuna, everything was decided.

  "I... I won! Yay～! I finally won against Grey～!" ［Yuna］

  "I lost, huh..." ［Grey］

  Excitedly, Yuna celebrated her first win against Grey by jumping cheerfully up and down. It has been more than two weeks since Yuna pyed against Grey for the first time. It was only natural that she was happy after tless losses.

  Grey was returning the chess pieces to their right pieces when Yuna suddenly stopped hopping around and approached Grey from behind. She then gave her an, her face beet red as one would expect.

  "Grey, thank you... For everything, be it the past, the present, or the future... Thank you..." ［Yuna］

  A gentle and sweet voice reached Grey's ears. His heart raced wildly as a smile appeared on his face. He couldn't see Yuna's expression, but he k was like his, red and flushed.

  "Don't mention it... How about we py aname?" ［Grey］

  "Un!" ［Yuna］

  The game of chess tinued and uhe sixth match, Yuna tinued losing again and again. Grey had gotten more serious now and so, things only became troublesome for Yuna. In the end, the tally was 13-1 in Grey's favor. It was Yuna's defeat.

  The night went deeper and the stars gleamed brighter. Just like the day 3 years ago, on Yuna's fourteenth birthday, what happeoday will be forever carved into their hearts. An unfettable and preemory.

  CHAPTER 128 END