[S3] Chapter 39: End

"I'm so sorry, but I just can't do it anymore." Eliza's eyes look empty. "I didn't plan on telling you this anytime soon. But you made it clear that you deserve only the best. It's not about the money. We could probably get by for another year with our savings, but I can't stay here any longer, and neither should any of you take over this guild. Lilith is gone, and with her, the purpose of this place."

There is absolute silence in the living room. Our eyes are fixed on Eliza. It doesn't sound as if she has made this decision recently. But it is possible that yesterday's press conference was the last nail in the coffin. I can tell from her expression that Miko is swallowing the lump in her throat.

"What happens now?" she asks.

"We are going to empty the house. I have already spoken to the landlord. I have also submitted the application for dissolution of the guild. Since we never officially registered Luna as a co-leader, I was able to do that on my own. Luna also knew nothing about any of this, so don't blame her. This is a solo trip of mine, and if you want to be angry or disappointed with someone, then it should be me."

I don't know what to say. I'm probably not even in a position to comment on anything. In comparison to Miko, this guild was just a job for me and certainly for Kajsa and Luna too. Of course, my relationship with Miko was one reason why I was here, and I also got along with Lilith and Eliza, but that wasn't because of the guild itself. The guild was just the reason why we got involved with each other in the first place.

"All right, when do we have to get out?" Miko asks.

"By the end of the month."

"When do we start?"

"Whenever you're ready."

You realize that this is just a conversation between Eliza and Miko. Meanwhile, my heartbeat is so prominent that I believe it is a little too fast. Coupled with the announcements from Jora and the government, along with the closure of the guild, this truly is the end. In a sense, everything is now in place for the start of a new chapter, but for that to happen, everyone involved must be able to move on. And I'm worried about Miko in particular. She doesn't really know anything other than the guild and working as a witch. Her whole life always revolved around the same topic. Even when we took time off and went on a date, we always ended up talking about magic, dungeons, etc. It's almost as if I'm her only hobby, her only distraction.

"Then let's get started right away. The rest of you should go home." I briefly consider arguing against this, suggesting that I help.

"Of course. Thank you for the wonderful time. See you soon." Luna says, standing up and leaving the living room. Kajsa follows her and waves us goodbye. I look after them, then I glance at Miko.

"I can at least help clear the breakfast."

Miko shakes her head. "Thanks, but we'll manage. I'll be home tonight. I'll see you there. Okay?"

"Okay. See you later. Bye, Eliza."

"Bye, Kayla."

She leans towards me and we kiss briefly before I get up and walk out. Kajsa and Luna are standing in front of the house as if they were waiting for me.

"What took you so long? I hope you idiot didn't try to force yourself on them." Why is Luna getting so mean to me all of a sudden? What have I done to deserve this?

"I didn't."

"Good. So what are your plans now?"

"Going home."

"Oh, you don't say? I meant in general, regarding your future."

"I don't know. And you? Back to being a Magical Girl?"

"Definitely not. I could get you a job in that guild since you're already comfortable with wearing embarrassing outfits." What's with the constant bashing of my duck pajamas?

"No thanks, I'm not very good at selling my body."

"There's not much to sell anyway."

A loud slap makes me flinch. Luna suddenly holds her bottom with one hand and crouches down a little.

"Ouch."

"You deserved it," Kajsa says, wagging her tail back and forth. Did she just spank her ass? Luna turns to me with a painfully contorted expression. "I'm sorry."

"Never mind."

I raise my hand, wave a little goodbye, and then march off. I try not to think about how Miko is doing right now. She sent me away, so I can't help her. For once, I should take a moment to think about how I'm feeling about this situation. Does that mean my time as a witch is already over? Nothing and no one will force me to join a new guild.

Without thinking too much about it, I take out my phone and call my responsible consultant at the ministry.

"Kayla? Wait… is this the first time you've called me. How can I help?"

"How do you know it's me?"

"I have your number saved?"

"Makes sense. Have you heard anything about our guild being disbanded?"

"Yes, it's showing up on our system."

"Good. I'm now unemployed. You are my advisor. What do you recommend I do now?"

There is a brief moment of complete silence before I hear a sigh on the other side. I realize that he probably doesn't have the solution at hand, but right now, I'm just longing for a little guidance.

"With your healing magic, you could certainly do anything. Theoretically, you could work in the ministry or try becoming a teacher at a school for magic."

"Do you get bonus payments from the ministry if you convince me to continue doing something with magic?" I can't help chuckling at my own words.

"I wish. No, I'm doing it entirely in my own interest."

"Where does this interest come from? We've hardly ever spoken."

"I'm not just looking after you, and believe it or not, the ministry is actually talking about what's happening in the world of magic."

"People are talking about me?"

Again, silence on his part. Come on, he doesn't have to be afraid. He doesn't even have to mention any names.

"Let's put it this way. Witches who associate with people like you are always interesting. Anyone in your position would be worth talking about."

"Our guild wasn't that special."

"If you only knew. But we shouldn't dwell on the past now. You have to look ahead. I can send you an e-mail with job opportunities. Do you think Miko would also be interested?"

"Just send that to me. Miko doesn't need to think about anything anymore right now."

"All right, I'm really glad you called."

"I'm glad you're glad," I say and hang up.

In fact, I'm no smarter than I was before, except that someone would like to keep seeing me working as a witch. What has become of my desire to become like Lilith? It's strange how quickly you can lose your drive.

Before I realize it, I'm standing in front of my apartment. I unlock the door, go inside, and take off my shoes. I drop the bag I have with me on the floor. My eyes wander around. Things from Miko are scattered all over the place. It's almost as if we were living together. Now that she's losing her home, she'll probably move in here for real. Normally, it's a reason to be happy, but for me, it feels like she's only doing it because she has no other choice. Do I wish that she would tell me that she's looking for her own apartment somewhere? No, of course not, but I can't say what I want right now, either. I don't know what I need. I feel like I don't even know who I am. When was the last time I did something for myself, lived for myself?

I'm doing it again. I'm making it all about me. I'm doing damn well, there's nothing to worry about. It's Miko who's suffering, so I have to be there for her. I cannot cause her any more stress. I should clean up here.

◆◆◆

I sit on my bed and wait. My phone screen flashes up.

"I'll be right over. Are you home?" Miko wrote.

A few minutes later, I hear her unlock the apartment door with the spare key I gave her. I listen to her taking off her shoes and putting something down on the floor.

"Kayla?" she walks into the room and looks at me with a worried expression on her face.

"You didn't answer, I thought you might still be out." I have no idea why she is explaining herself; I ignored her message, and yet it seems as if she is apologizing. Without saying a word, she comes over and kneels down in front of me so that I am now looking down at her.

"What's wrong? " She asks.

"Can't you tell by my face?"

"Maybe, but I want to hear it from you."

While I expect her to be angry with me, she seems calm and composed. What do I actually want to accomplish? I don't really want to fight with her. But I don't want to talk about myself either.

"I don't know what to do. You never talk about how you're feeling, then you send me home and think that I'm sitting here, happy as a clam, waiting for you."

Miko won't stop looking at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure I've caused you a lot of headaches. I wanted to talk to you, but I could tell that you had enough on your mind, and I didn't want to burden you with my thoughts."

"But the thing weighing on my mind was you. I thought about nothing but you, how you were feeling, how I could help you."

"I'm so sorry."

Miko must stop apologizing. She has done nothing wrong. But why do I feel so torn? I am sad but also angry. I am happy that Miko is with me, but seeing her reminds me of what happened. It was so scary. I couldn't move. Lilith had our lives in her hands and just disappeared with the request that I should be there for Miko. I should fix the damage she has caused.

"I believe I know what you are thinking. I make the same face you're making now when I think about Lilith. I get upset about what she did, and I'm even more annoyed by the fact that I can't tell her how I feel."

"Why did she leave us?" I'm starting to tear up. Why am I so sad? Lilith was like a mother to Miko, not to me, but why do I miss her so much? Why does it hurt me so much?

I feel Miko grabbing my hand and showing me a beautiful smile like I had only known from one other person. Only one person in my life could calm me down this much with just a smile.

"I don't know why. But I'm here for you, Kayla. And I won't disappear, ever."

Why do I have to be comforted now? That's annoying. I sniffle and try to stop crying. My lip is trembling a little, causing Miko to giggle.

"That's not funny."

"A little bit, but mostly cute. You know, you are allowed to cry."

"But I don't want to, and why aren't you the one crying, anyway?"

"Because I have you. I can't even count how many times I just wanted to cry and scream in the last months, but whenever I looked at you or even just thought about you, I felt that everything would be okay."

Miko is so unfair. How can she say something like that? I feel even more stupid than before. Day after day, I have been feeling down about how bad she is feeling, and there she is, sitting in front of me and telling me that my mere existence is enough to get her through her bad times.

"You're stupid. "I whisper.

"You too."

"Is it weird if I tell you that you sometimes remind me of my mom?"

"I don't know, but for the most part, I think it's a great honor."

"Why?" I immediately regret asking.

"Because in the far too short time she had with you, she managed to give you the foundation to become such a wonderful person."

"I think there's no way around it."

"What do you mean?"

"We have to find Lilith so I can thank her. After all, she's mostly responsible for the way you are now."

If Miko can be like this, so can I.

"That sounds great."

We smile at each other like idiots and then start to laugh. It feels so relieving to finally be able to talk openly with her again.

"But before we can start the search, there is something we have to do first."

Miko gets up from the floor, sits down next to me on the bed, and leans her head on my shoulder. My heart starts to race. What does she mean? What do we have to do?

"Before I came here, I took care of something."

She reaches into her pocket and pulls something out, holding it in front of my face. My eyes and, above all, my brain need a moment to understand what has just happened. It is her phone that she holds in front of my face.

"You rented… a house? Where? Why? "

"For our vacation!"