After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
"We've cleaned up quite a bit, haven't we?"
Silk wipes the sweat from her brow and smiles at me.
Wearing a pair of work overalls, she gives off a different vibe than usual—kind of cute, actually.
"Yeah. But it's still far from livable..."
"Come on, I like this kind of thing—it’s fun!"
Jamie pats my slumped shoulders with a grin.
She's dressed casually in a tube top, work pants, and a straw hat.
Given the debris around, I really wish she'd wear something a bit thicker.
…Still, I have to admit—it's just like her, and she's kind of cute that way.
"But you know, we've been doing nothing but fixing up the base. Are we really okay with that?"
"Benwood said to do it, so it's probably fine. I think."
It’s been two weeks since that battle.
Finis, now almost a ruin, has been seeing an influx of people from various cities.
It took a few days to get rid of the remaining monsters and secure the area,
but the rebuilding is progressing rapidly.
The "Tower" didn’t collapse.
However, now that the "Festival" was stopped, its strangeness has diminished,
and the ground-level structure has become just an ordinary, safe building.
Benwood’s been saying things like, "Let’s turn the tower into an adventurer’s guild!"
But since it was once the most difficult dungeon in the world, it’s probably not that simple.
"I wonder how long it'll take for Finis to return to how it was..."
"Who knows? But I think it'll be sooner than you'd expect."
Silk smiles as she bows to an old woman passing by.
"After all, no one's really feeling down."
"That’s one of the great things about Finis, but honestly, it’s because you’re here, Yuke."
"Me?"
Silk and Jamie both nod.
"It was your words and actions that helped everyone stay positive."
"You think so? Well, as long as I helped. I’m just a supporter, after all."
"The actual 'Hero' is a bit off the mark, but that’s just another thing we like about you, Yuke."
Jamie grins as she looks up at the broken second floor.
"Hey, Silk... how do you want to fix the second floor?"
"We still need to talk more about that big bed."
"Want to just combine all the rooms into one shared one for everyone?"
"Great idea!"
...Wait, is it though?
And would it kill them to ask for my opinion?
"Ah, Yuke! There you are!"
"What’s up, Marina?"
Marina runs over, waving as she comes.
She’s wearing matching overalls like Silk, and I can’t help but feel a little relieved seeing her usual self.
Having Marina in these ordinary moments… makes me truly happy.
"Nene and Rain went to the market street, and they said they wanted to ask you something!"
"Ah, probably a new caravan came with building supplies. Got it—can you show me the way?"
"I’m borrowing Yuke for a bit, okay~!"
Marina says brightly, and Silk and Jamie wave back at us.
"Was the market street crowded?"
"Super packed! Someone even tried to grope me in the confusion—it was a real pain."
"I’ll ask Benwood to increase patrols. Actually, maybe I’ll do it myself—put a curse on them they'll regret for life."
Maybe I need to spread the word about what happens when someone tries anything indecent with people I care about.
I don’t mind things getting livelier, but if the crime rate gets too high, I’ll have to get serious.
After all, Clover is pretty much an all-girls group.
"Ah! Yuke-oniichan!"
"Run? What are you doing here?"
After the incident, Niberune returned with a completely normal look on her face…
only to receive a massive scolding from Silk and Jamie, just as planned.
She sulked for a while, but in the end, our concern must have reached her—she cried and hugged us all. It left a strong impression.
"Um, they said they’re going to put up a commemorative statue in this square!"
"Oh, so that’s why the alchemists are gathering here."
The ones half-arguing with each other, saying "This and that", include some familiar faces—alchemists from both Finis and Salmutaria.
If that’s the case, they could’ve at least invited me to join…
But something seems… off.
"Isn’t just a statue of Yuke enough?"
"No, no—it’s not Clover unless everyone’s there!"
"If everyone’s included, then who goes next to Yuke?"
"Obviously, it has to be..."
That’s the kind of conversation I overhear as we get closer.
I have a very bad feeling about this.
"I hope they make your statue look super cool, Onii-chan!"
"I haven’t even given permission, and there are tons of more important things to do...!"
Seriously, what the heck is going on?
These people...
"Ah, Yuke! Perfect timing! We need to take some detailed measurements!"
"Now’s really not the time! And a statue of me? Seriously?"
"But this was requested by a major reconstruction sponsor! It’s an honorable task!"
...I’ve figured out who’s behind this.
Mastoma, huh?
I need to have a serious conversation with him the next time we meet.
"Come on, what’s the harm? Let them make a cool statue of you!"
"No! I’ll talk to the sponsor myself—it’s not happening."
"Aww, let them do it~! Of course, I get to be the one next to Yuke!"
"O-oi, Marina!"
Marina starts pulling my arm, already placing her order for the statue.
Niberune is still looking at the models and waves cheerfully at us.
"Ah, there you are!"
Crossing the main street, still littered with rubble, I found Rain and Nene waiting near the bustling market street.
Both of them were casually dressed in shirts and shorts.
"Heya, Yuke. You doing okay?"
"Yeah, nothing wrong with daily life. So? Are we picking out building materials?"
"That too, but there are also furniture stalls out! We wanted your opinion, since you're the homeowner!"
I'm the party leader, sure—but not the homeowner.
The property contract is under Silk’s name, so really, she should be here instead.
"Like beds and stuff. We gotta buy some."
"..."
"Wait… were you just thinking something naughty?"
No, I was just remembering what Silk and Jamie were talking about earlier.
That said, what we do need immediately is enough beds for everyone.
The second floor of our base was mostly destroyed, and right now, we’re all sharing the few beds we managed to salvage from the debris.
Not exactly the best living conditions.
"In that case, we should fix the walls first. Rain’s voice tends to carry, after all."
"Huh?"
"Totally true. At this rate, the neighbors will totally hear everything."
"Wha—?"
Rain’s head swings from side to side before she flushes red and squats down in embarrassment.
I feel like I should say something to help… but anything I say might just make it worse.
"No way…! I-I’m that loud...? Even before...?"
"But weirdly, we never hear anything when it’s Nene."
"That’s 'cause I use a sound-blocking artifact. Comes in handy."
Rain suddenly jumps to her feet and tugs urgently on Nene’s sleeve.
"I want one too. Right now."
"Right now!? I mean, I can just lend you mine when needed—"
"That’s not good enough...!"
"Okay, okay! With all the people from Salmutaria here, we’ll probably find one at the open-air bazaar. Alright, I’ll catch up with you guys later!"
Pulled along by Rain, Nene vanishes into the crowd.
Maybe I should’ve been a little more tactful…
Somehow, I feel like I just made things worse.
"They're both gone now… So, what do we do? Head back and get to work?"
"Actually, if you don’t mind, can you come with me for a bit?"
"Of course."
"Ehehe. Yay!"
At her sweet request, I nodded lightly and walked beside her.
In high spirits, Marina took my hand.
I squeezed hers in return, and together we walked slowly through the ruins of Finis.
"It’s all gone now, huh..."
"Yeah. Especially around here."
We were in the central district now, where signs of destruction from the monster attacks were still very present.
Reconstruction efforts had prioritized the residential and commercial areas—this part was still mostly rubble.
"This way."
"Hm? Oh. Where are we going?"
She led me toward the Tower.
It was around sunset, so the streets were mostly empty.
"Somewhere here... Or maybe over there? Eh, close enough."
"You had business at the old adventurer guild grounds?"
"Yeah. Ankelias told me something once—it said that I started your story."
At Marina’s words, I nodded.
"That’s right. You found me here in this place… and that's when Clover began. The reason I’m still standing here today is thanks to you, Marina."
"But I betrayed you. And everyone else too."
"That’s..."
"Please, let me say it. I should’ve talked to you. I should’ve trusted everyone more."
I knew the story.
It was true that Marina had made a big decision on her own.
But it came from her kindness—and from what the investigation uncovered, the Seventh Cult's mental manipulation had been incredibly strong.
And besides… I wasn’t blameless either.
I had noticed that something was troubling her but failed to support her properly.
I’d failed both as a leader and as a supporter.
"I’m so sorry for all the trouble I caused..."
As she bowed deeply, I gently pulled her into a hug.
To think I made her feel this way… I really am hopeless.
"You were trying to protect us. You worried, and you made your choice. That matters."
"Yeah. But in the end, I dragged you and everyone else into it."
"I don’t mind. You can drag me into anything you want. If it’s for you, I’ll do anything."
"Really?"
"Of course. But next time, at least talk to me before dragging me into it, okay?"
"Hehe… okay. I will."
After a tight hug, she stepped back with a bashful smile.
There it is—back to her usual self.
"Oh!"
"What is it?"
"Actually, can I ask you something right now? Could you check my right eye? It’s a special artifact, and I want you to appraise it."
"Ah, the Eye of Nevinar, right? Let’s see…"
Marina brushed her hair aside, and I leaned in to look into her eye.
At that moment, she stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against mine.
Caught off guard for a second, I held her by the waist and kissed her back.
In that twilight-lit place filled with memories, we kissed again and again—as if confirming each other's presence—and rested our foreheads together.
"Hehe… I love you. So much."
"I love you too. Thank you, Marina. I’m the luckiest man alive."
"We’ll always be together, Yuke."
After one last kiss, Marina stepped back softly.
Then, returning to her usual bubbly self, she pointed ahead with a beaming smile.
"Let’s go home—to our home."
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