"Cheers." Mika announced bluntly.

However, the people expected some kind of speech or at least more emotions coming from Mika, the hero who slayed Vira, the strongest demon in the human realm. Thus, the people dumbfoundedly stared at people until they heard some chuckles from the corner with Mika’s friends.

"I somewhat expected him to mess this up in some sort of way but this exceeded my expectations." Belian sighed amused.

"Well, he was never the person who enjoyed the spotlight, was he?" Harik defended Mika while smiling widely.

Lisa only shook her head in disbelief.

"Cheers!" Rachel shouted as she raised her drink.

Maybe Rachel was the only one who blindly followed Mika’s words.

"..."

Lily was immersed in the sight of Mika standing on the stage, radiating the aura of a truly special person. She was on the one hand proud and amazed, however, on the other hand, she had to bitterly realize once again how wide the gap was between Mika and her.

Knowing that, she lowered her gaze with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Really..." Sylvia, who stood beside Lily, sighed.

"Don’t you think that Mika has changed?" she asked.

"Yeah..."

"Not only does he seem more void from emotions, but he seems so distant from here."

"Yeah..."

"If he keeps this up, he will maybe toss us all to the side."

"Yeah..."

"Well, that’s when we have to step in." Sylvia stated, smiling at Lily.

"?"

Confused, Lily turned to Sylvia.

"I have the feeling that Mika is in the dark concerning his changes. So we have to make him remember who really is. After all, he is just Mika. Someone who should be always within our arm’s reach."

"..."

Lily was agape for a moment.

"You’re right..." Lily agreed, turning her smile genuine.

She lifted her chin.

"We have to make sure that Mika doesn’t become someone who’s not reachable anymore." she added firmly.

Sylvia smiled at the sight of her now cheered-up friend.

"But Sylvia..."

"What?"

"Could it be that you can read minds? Do you perhaps have a relic?" Lily joked with a small chuckle.

Sylvia turned her eyes to Mika who was returning to them.

"We’ve been through a lot already. I don’t need a relic to read your mind, idiot." Sylvia huffed, smirking gently.

The two girls laughed.

"Speaking of changing, I’ve noticed that you are more expressive and open than before." Lily mentioned.

"Oh, really? Didn’t notice that." Sylvia replied surprised.

However, Sylvia quickly realized that it must have been due to her reunion with her family.

Then, the two stared at their class.

"Well, I’m not the only one who changed."

"That’s true." Lily giggled.

Ophelia, Lily, Sylvia, Belian, Harik, Rachel, Lisa and many more.

They all grew for the better.

Some of them did not realize it yet but it was all thanks to the existence of Mika.

And while Mika joined his comrades, Elsa and Elya sat beside each other on a bank which was located a little bit away from the scene as they needed some silence.

"This may be the first time that we’re actually talking with each other, isn’t it?" Elsa stated apathetically as she stared at Dura who was chatting with Arnold.

"I remember taking care of you sometimes when you were a baby. But it makes sense that you can’t recall that." Elya replied with a melancholic smile.

"The furthest memory I can recall as of now was the moment when Grandma took me with her."

"I see..."

It was silent between them for a second.

"About my sister... I mean, about your moth-"

"I didn’t talk to you so that I can listen to your regrets or words of comfort. What’s in the past is in the past. Heck, I can’t even remember the faces of my parents clearly." Elsa cut her off casually, waving her hand.

Elsa looked at Elya with an honest smile which was rare for Elsa.

"Let’s leave the past behind and move forward, Auntie. I’m happy enough to know that you’re safe. I wouldn’t know what to do with Grandma if Vira had harmed or killed you."

"..."

Elya raised her eyebrows.

"Even to this day, Grandma would regret leaving the village and her daughters behind. I couldn’t bear to see her losing her only daughter lef- H-hey, what are you doing?!"

Elsa was interrupted and lost her mature composure when Elya suddenly patted her head as if Elsa was a child.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Elsa. But remember that you’re her granddaughter. I’m sure that her love for you can’t be described with mere words."

"I-I understand already! S-so stop patting my head!"

But even if she protested verbally, she was visibly enjoying it.

Strangely, Elsa felt warm.

"I can’t replace my sister and much time has already passed but if you are ever in need of a mother, then you can always come to me. I will spoil you plenty to make up for the years I couldn’t be with you." Elya suggested with a bright smile.

Elsa was speechless.

"Maybe I will take you up on that offer..." she muttered embarrassed.

"Good girl."

"..."

Elsa felt like she could die at any moment due to the embarrassment.

"By the way, can I ask you how you handled the case with Grandma? Wasn’t she originally following Vira’s orders?"

In the end, Brol was used as a scapegoat for the other people from the North, however, it was difficult to explain that Brol managed to manipulate Dura, a mage far stronger than Brol. Words should not have worked on her.

Therefore, after interrogating her own grandmother, Elsa told the queen that Dura was threatened with Elya’s death if Dura would not listen to Vira.

"Is that so..."

Elya seemed glum but shortly after recovered when two people approached them.

"What are you two doing there?" Arnold wondered, holding multiple plates of food with his hands.

"..."

Dura remained silent and just smiled at her daughter and granddaughter.

"Hey, Elya...!" Arnold whispered to his wife while looking back.

"?"

"Look...!" he stated with a smile.

Curious, Elya followed Arnold’s gaze and soon spotted Sylvia who was walking towards Mika.

"Let’s leave them be for now. If Sylvia finds out that you were spying on her, then she will surely hate you." Elya said amused.

"W-what?!"

Arnold quickly tried to hide his big body so that Sylvia would not notice.

But his efforts were in vain.

"What is he thinking...?" Sylvia muttered baffled.

She leaned against the wall beside Mika who was drinking his juice.

Those two were standing away from the main crowd.

"Why is today’s most important person sulking here alone?" Sylvia teased.

"I’m not sulking." Mika refuted instantly.

"I was just taking a break from constantly talking to people." he added with a sigh.

"Is that so?" she giggled.

"What about you? What are you doing here?" Mika asked her back, glancing at her.

"I was just searching for you." she admitted relaxed.

"For me? Is something the matter?" he wondered.

"Do I need a reason to hang out with you?" she pouted slightly.

"..."

Mika was dumbfounded at first.

It was the first time that Sylvia would say something like that. And in addition, she was faintly blushing and constantly avoiding direct eye contact.

"W-what?"

She noticed him staring at her intensely.

"Nothing." he played it cool.

In silence, they stared at the people laughing and celebrating.

"Moments like these are nice, too, aren’t they?" Sylvia said softly.

"Yes."

None of them said much but they still enjoyed their time together.

Sometimes, there was no need for words.

"Ugh..." Sylvia groaned in disgust suddenly.

"What’s wrong?"

"Just my Dad..." she stated, pointing at him with her eyes.

"Hm?"

"He’s trying his best to hide from me but it’s still so obvious that he wants to spy on us... I will have to chew out his ear later..."

Mika snickered quietly.

"Well, I’m happy for you that you could reunite with your parents again." Mika stated with a faint smile.

"It’s all thanks to you, you know?"

"You’re all exaggerating now..." he sighed.

"Can you blame us though? If you hadn’t killed Vira, then nothing would have changed. In contrast, everything would have turned for the worst." Sylvia explained.

"Just accept our gratitude, you stubborn idiot." she added.

"If you’re so grateful, would you call me an idiot?" Mika retorted.

Sylvia laughed out loud.

"Anyways, did you know? It seems like Elsa Sunoma and I are cousins. And to top it off, Dura Waret is my grandmother! Considering the careers of the women of my family, then I will surely have a great future, too." Sylvia boasted.

"Heh, don’t rely too much on your bloodline. Who knows? Maybe your future will be anything but sparkly."

"Don’t jinx it." she replied with a vein about to burst on her forehead.

The two continued to chatter and time flew by.

Unbeknownst to Mika and everyone else, this was the last celebration where everyone could attend and enjoy themselves.