"Thank you, Michelle." Said Yuki softly as she glanced at the pot of food and sighed before grabbing a fork and eating.
"Of course, Yuki." Said Michelle with a wry smile as she removed her apron while glancing at Yuki, who seemed to hardly enjoy the food.
Cleaning the kitchen, I grabbed my plate and sat opposite of Yuki at the table as I ate lunch; the two of us mostly sat in silence, not that we disliked each other, it's just that these past weeks have been rather stressful.
It's been two months since Alex, Lazuli, and Talis left, twice the time he said it would be, and we've received no information about their well-being. For all we know, they could have been killed, and we'd never know.
'No, don't think like that, Michelle. They're alive and fine; they've just encountered a few problems.' Thought Michelle as she shook her head and reaffirmed her confidence and belief in Alex.
"So, um, I overheard you finally became a B-class Adventurer, Yuki. Congratulations!" Said Michelle with a smile as she looked at Yuki, who didn't match her enthusiasm and merely nodded.
"Yeah, it was only a matter of time." Replied Yuki lightly as she raised her head and glanced at Michelle, who awkwardly coughed.
"We should host a celebration; you, me, and Chloe can go somewhere to eat. A buffet, perhaps?" Asked Michelle with a lovely smile as she began making mental plans, only for Yuki to shake her head.
"No thanks… I just want to stay home. Thank you, though." Said Yuki lightly as she flashed Michelle a soft smile before continuing to eat.
"Is it because of that adventurer group?" Asked Michelle softly as she looked at Yuki, who briefly froze before glancing at her.
"Um, I overheard you complaining about them a few nights ago in your room. Being an Adventurer is dangerous work, and without Lazuli or Alex by your side to help you, I wanted to help fill that gap; I'm not strong, but I figured I could at least talk about your problems." Added Michelle lightly as she earnestly looked at Yuki, who softly sighed before shaking her head.
"Most my life, I've been a lone Adventurer, so this is nothing new, but yeah, that Adventurer party, the Damned, they're pretty annoying. They arrived a week after Alex left, and once I successfully upgraded my rank to a B-class, they've been incessantly trying to get me to join their group." Stated Yuki with an annoyed expression as she aggressively tapped the table, leaving a finger-sized hole in the wood while Michelle nodded.
"Is that why you've been avoiding leaving the house? Are you worried they may get forceful?" Asked Michelle in concern as she looked at Yuki, who scoffed before proudly raising her chest.
"Hmph, I'm not scared, Michelle." Stated Yuki solemnly as she raised her head high and glanced at Michelle, who slightly frowned.
"I don't think you are, Yuki, but that doesn't change the fact that you're alone. It would be stupid to fight a group by yourself." Said Michelle softly as she ate food while Yuki clicked her tongue and nodded.
"Well, compared to before when I was alone, I don't just have myself to look after… I've got a family now, even if half of that family is currently missing." Remarked Yuki lightly as she looked at Michelle, who softly smiled, before furrowing her brows and glancing at the front door.
"Ha, I know. I woke up every day hoping they'd return as well. Though most of all, I just wish we had some way of confirming their well-being." Muttered Michelle softly as she gazed at the front door alongside Yuki before sighing in defeat.
"Anyway, I'm going to pick up Chloe. Do you want to come?" Asked Michelle with a raised eyebrow as she stood up, placing her dishes in the sink before cleaning her hands.
Earning a nod from Yuki, I quickly grabbed my shoes and purse before exiting the house with Yuki, who opted to wear clothes that covered most of her skin, which was better compared to what she wears when at home.
Thankfully, Chloe's school wasn't far, and it was only a ten-minute walk, slightly faster than usual, as Yuki's appearance caused most people to give way to her, though she was just a gluttonous and muscular teddy bear. Once we arrived at the school, we waited a few minutes only for a faint ringing sound to echo from within the school, prompting the doors to open as children excitedly dashed out of the school.
"Mom! Yuki!" Yelled Chloe excitedly as she leaped into Yuki, who easily caught her with a single arm while smiling.
"Chloe, how often have I told you not to do that? You're going to hurt yourself." Said Michelle with a deep sigh as she rubbed her head while looking at Chloe, who climbed Yuki like a tree before sitting upon her shoulders.
"But it's fun." Said Chloe with a smile as she looked down at Michele, whose expression twitched.
"Ha, this girl. If my child is already this rambunctious, I can't imagine what your child will be like, Yuki; they'll probably destroy the house." Remarked Michelle lightly as she looked at Yuki, who proudly grinned.
"If I can't bear a child who could at least do that, I've failed as a mother! C'mon, let us return home!" Stated Yuki with a grin as she used two hands to hold Chloe's feet before turning around and walking back home while Michelle followed with an exasperated expression.
"Yuki is something else." Muttered Michelle softly as she lowered her head, though unknown to them, someone happened to spot Yuki.
___
___
Giving my thanks to the Captain, we stepped off the SS Galenite, and for the first time in two months, we finally returned to the Mezcla Continent.
"So this is Mezcla?" "Seems rather normal." Said Vanimo and Vanye, respectively, as the former curiously observed the dock while the latter seemed uninterested.
"Oh, you'll see the difference in due time. Now, c'mon, let's not waste any time; hold hands." Said Alexander as he glanced between Vanye and Vanimo before grabbing the former's hand.
"You four can teleport; I'm going to fly home." Said Talis as she flapped her wings, taking to the sky, only for Alexander to quickly grab her legs, stopping her.
"Do you even know which way home is?" Asked Alexander with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Talis, who shook her head, causing him to sigh.
"Fly in that direction, you fool." Added Alexander as he pointed Northwest while releasing Talis's leg, allowing her to speedily fly through the sky, leaving them far behind.
"Do you think we can beat Talis, Alex?" Asked Vanimo curiously with a faint smile as he looked at Alexander, who flashed a faint smirk.
"If I teleported us all the way, then no, but I'm not doing that." Said Alexander with a smirk as he held Vanye and Lazuli's hands while looking at Vanimo.
Closing my eyes, I focused intently on Fullock, the closest city I could think of, though given how far we were, I put half of my saved status point into the intelligence stat, which increased my mana capacity by a decent margin. Praying it was enough, I used [Mass Teleport] and teleported all four of us to Fullock directly outside the mage guild.
"Ah, we made it, with just five percent of my mana to spare; yeah, good thing I added those points." Muttered Alexander with a relieved expression as he held his heart while entering the Mage guild alongside Lazuli, Vanimo, and Vanye, quietly following.
Showing the receptionist Kurama's medallion, she led us directly to the teleporter, where we stood atop it while the medallion connected to the teleporter at Kurama's place, and without further ado, we were promptly teleported to her place.
Now, before Kana could come in here and attempt to sexually harass me, I used the teleporter and switched it to the one in Cassandra before quickly teleporting again.
"Alright, we're home… Hopefully." Said Alexander lightly as he stepped off the teleporter and exited the room, followed by the building, while everyone else followed.
"Woah, so many different races, I've only ever seen a human." Said Vanimo with curious eyes as he stared at every species he walked by, earning him numerous glares.
"Don't stare too much, Vanimo." Lazuli lightly as she glanced at Vanimo, who nodded, though he continued to do so anyway.
"There are a lot of people here." Said Vanye lightly with furrowed brows as she observed her surroundings while walking down the street.
"Well, Cassandra is a major city in the Roswald Kingdom." Said Alexander with a smile while walking through the streets, passing the Adventurer Guild.
I would give Vanye and Vanimo a tour later; right now, I simply wished to return home and greet my two lovely women, who I'm sure have been worried for me, especially Michelle. Taking a few turns, we left the main street and walked down a small minor with houses on either side before eventually stopping at one just on the corner of another street.
"Home, sweet home." Said Alexander with a smile as he and Lazuli gazed at the house.