Episode 49: The End

After the battle was over, The Team and the heroic party celebrated with snacks in the new city they had arrived in

fancy boy: absolutely amazing!, I’ve never tasted anything like this. We must initiate the import of this to our glorious kingdom of Asarana immediately!

Ari: you just fought the Horde and now you want to start negotiations already? you’re not a prince for nothing

Nagye: I’m already a li-little tired, I c-could never

Angea: my beloved simply cannot wait. we had the chance to rest at a wonderful river in the Naro forest, but he insisted that we searched for the legendary tree monster

fancy boy: it was worth it! Now we have the most powerful weapons under the sky!

beast tamer girl: but this is another world, what if they have better weapons here, hmm?

fancy boy: no matter! our weapons are truly the best!. enough rest!, we must continue our hunt for the Horde. friends, we will see each other again, I give you my word!. Next time, show me more wonderful things about this world!

mage girl: already?, here we go again. can we at least stock up on more of that food we just had?

Angea: you guys are simply not worthy of following my beloved if you’re already tired, but I agree, let’s take some more of that with us

the heroic party flew away, leaving The Team to wait for Shizuka’s parents, who arrived in their car a while after

Shizuka’s mom: -Shizuka, dear, are you okay? -

Shizuka: -better than ever hehe, did you see?, I made the flower explosions-

Shizuka’s dad: - how?, what happened?, you disappear 3 years and you return a super hero-

Shizuka: -now that we finally have time to rest, let me tell you all that happened, behold! Shizuka’s journey hehehe-

she explained everything, from the earthquakes, the rifts between worlds, the mana in another world, all the things she lived since she was transported, all her decisions leading to her return to Earth

Shizuka’s dad: -I see now, but, is the thing about marrying all your friends a joke or…? -

Shizuka: nope, -I’m being serious, I love them all, and I will marry them. I know it’s a little weird in our world, but in the other world, its normal-

Shizuka’s mom: -but how are you gonna make ends meet? -

Shizuka: -we’re super heroes mom, it’s all gonna be alright hehe-

Shizuka’s mom: -well then, if that’s what you want, I can’t stop you, but you must introduce us to them, I want to know what kind of people are they-

Shizuka: she says she wants to know you guys, they accepted our marriage hehe

Taro: -my name is Taro, I’m from this world, I was transported too, I used to study civil engineering, but now I’m a professional mage by the capital university of magic of Asarana- (I think that’s gonna leave a strong impression, a professional mage, you don't get to see those too often)

Ari: -neem, uhh, neem iz, Ari, uuhh- hey! how do you say “nice to meet you”?, never mind, I sound like Taro when he was bruter

Nagye was too nervous to even try, and Sidra pointed at herself while repeating her name

Shizuka: don’t worry guys, I’ll do the introductions hehehe

Ari: You should have done that from the beginning!

After chatting for a while and buying Shizuka a phone, her family went to find a hotel to rest, it had been a long stressful journey. The Team was left to their own devices again

Nagye: so th-this thing holds all the knowledge of the world? a-amazing

Shizuka: we should buy one for all of you guys, I’ll teach you how to use it

Taro: oh, I know where to find good ones. this is city where I lived

Sidra: oh! must fortunate surprise, then we should focus on finding your family first instead

Shizuka: may it be done ohoho

Taro: this is the city I studied in, but my family lives in the countryside

Nagye: I rested enough, I think w-we can go, ho-hopefully it’s not too far away

Taro: Let's rest a little longer and look around the city?, I know nice places

Ari: I’ll leave the speaking to you, I don’t wanna embarrass myself again

Sidra: do teach us more about your language, we’re gonna meet your family soon, we would be wise to leave a good impression

The Team traveled around the city, people just looked at them and their strange clothes and equipment, thinking they were cosplayers. Thanks to Shizuka’s phone and the money her parents deposited to her, they were able to pay for things such as train tickets and ramen. They then rented some booths in an internet cafe to finally rest. The next day they boarded the train to Taro’s town. the girls marveled at all the things they got to see during their trip: the otherworldly buildings that stretched far into the sky, resembling towers of powerful mages, the food of flavors and forms they had never imagined before, the clothes, sometimes too revealing, the little intricacies of the internet cafe, the views from within the train.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at their stop. the train station was surrounded by a wilderness that the city didn’t provide, the sound of cicadas and birds was disorienting, and the hot summer sun and intense blue sky gave the feeling of a new beginning

Ari: Why is the sun so hot?, not even the raneh season is this hot

Sidra: I’m glad we traveled here on that long beast, flying to get here would have meant being closer to that deadly sun

Taro: sorry for making you walk under sun, we’re close, almost there

They continued walking on the side of the road until a truck transporting boxes stopped near them, from it, the driver honked the horn. Even though he didn't recognize any of them, Taro did recognize him and smiled

Nagye: this beast is not as a-angry as the ones from the city, t-the way it barks is cute hehe

Ari: right? it surprised me, it looks big but it’s actually cute

Goro: -where could y’all be going? need a lift? are you from another country? -

Taro: -yeah, we’re going to the town-

Taro sat on the copilot’s seat and the girls got on the back of the truck. The driver was feeling something familiar about the strangely dressed guy he just picked up, his voice was also familiar

Goro: -it’s a little strange, ya kinda remind me of someone-

Taro: -hmm, who could that be? -

Goro: -an old friend of mine, we used to play baseball a lot together. Too bad we ended up fighting, and for the stupidest thing, I heard he disappeared after the earthquakes. if I had known that fight was the last time I was gonna see him, maybe I would have … what am I saying? just dumping memories on some poor stranger haha-

Taro: -I would also have done things different, I’m sorry Goro, I’m glad to see you again-

Goro: -huh? howdya know my name?!-

Taro: -It’s me bozo, Taro! -

Goro: -ain’t no way!, it's really you?, man I really thought you died you bozo! -

Taro: -I did die, I came to haunt you-

Goro: -oh man don’t be like that, now you’re scaring me-

Taro: -hahaha! Just joking, I'm alive hahaha!!-

The two young men laughed harder than they had done in a long time, their relief turned their laughter into tears, and from outside the cabin, the girls didn’t know if the guys were laughing or crying. Taro told everything that happened to him and all that he did, and Goro did the same.

Instead of delivering the boxes, the truck drove to Taro’s house, and Goro rang the doorbell. The door opened, revealing a tired looking lady, the same one from Taro’s memories

Taro’s mom: -huh? Goro? What brings you here? -

Goro: -good afternoon ma’am, I brought you a package-

Taro’s mom: -a package? but I haven’t ordered anything-

Goro: nono, -the package is for you, but you gotta get ready, take deep breaths, this package is a heavy one-

Taro’s mom: -what are you saying?, if it's that heavy, then—-- Taro?!-

she recognized Taro as soon as she saw him, and ran to hug him, crying her heart out, Taro also started crying

Taro’s mom: -Taro where were you?! Do you know how much we have looked for you?!, couldn't you have called us or sent a letter or something?!-

Taro: -mom, sorry, it’s a very long story, I’m sorry for making you worry… I’m back, I’m finally back-

Taro’s mom: -welcome back Taro… oh! I gotta call your father to come quickly, he and your older brother are in the city, looking for you. We never gave up, and… I’m so glad you’re alive-

they continued crying for a while longer, the relief was contagious, Goro and the girls were also shedding tears

Goro: -alright, I gotta deliver these boxes to the store, I’ll be back later, don’t disappear again you bozo! -

Taro’s mom: - I was preparing food, oh god, I hope it didn’t burn while we were here, Tsuki! turn the stove off!!. Taro, come in, and who are those ladies over there? -

Taro: -they… they’re my wives-

Taro’s mom: -your what?!-

Ari: he just told her we’re his wives right?

Shizuka: right hehehe!

Nagye: th-this time, I’ll properly introduce myself

Sidra: May she accept us like Shizuka’s parents did. Blessed be the sight that everything turned alright

Taro, Shizuka, Nagye, Ari, and Sidra entered the house, and explained everything that happened in the span of those 3 years, the girls tried their best at introducing themselves, and they helped Taro’s mom prepare another batch of food, all in hopes of giving off the best impression, but the ingredients and tools were unfamiliar to them, so they ended up making the only thing they knew: a soup with all the ingredients

Many years later, the view of the beach surprised the girls, now older. It was the first time they had seen such an immense body of water under the Earth’s beautiful blue sky. All 5 of their children began playing on the sand immediately

Taro: wait, Seone, be careful, that's a crab, it can pinch you!

fancy boy: absolutely amazing!!, this water truly has no end!

Angea: I have been to the sea back in our world, this one looks so different, so blue!

Turt: let’s make our camp here, I need shade, the sun is hot

Turt’s wife: and the sand too, but it's still wonderful

it was not just The Team who went to the beach, but also Fancy boy and his wives of the heroic party with their children, Turt, his wife and their 2 kids, a very old sister Sunny, the bald priest, and the guild master

sister Sunny: so… beautiful

bald priest: sister Sunny, over here, under the shade, too much sun can make you dizzy. Bartien, I'm surprised you could come with us; will the guild be alright?

guild master: Cando and Longo can take care of things while I’m on vacation, they’re true professionals after all

Taro, Turt, and fancy boy prepared the ingredients for the cookout while the girls prepared the grill, all while laughing “ooohohoho” for some reason, attracting the gaze of the people on the beach. It was just starting to become normal to see people from the other world traveling for tourism or business. The world had started to change ever since the kingdom of Asarana started diplomatic relationships with the countries of planet Earth. though there were rumors of war and invasion from both sides, they managed to unite against the threat of the Horde, sharing technology and techniques, shaping the worlds to become friends, bringing a new era of peace and prosperity, slowly living up to the shadow of the ancient legendary mages.

The story of the adventures of Taro, Shizuka, Nagye, Ari, and Sidra has come to a happy end.

FIN