Omake 2: Back to the Wild

The January after the signing, Takuma and Amelie took an hour-long bus ride to the rainforest where the fairies were meant to live. After a trek past Kris's house (or was it a mansion?) and up a hill, the small group finally came to a halt.

"You're not allowed to come any further than this," Ember fluttered into Takuma's face with one hand on her hip, the other hand busy with a finger waggle of warning. "So...is this where we part?"

Takuma, trying hard not to cry by looking downward, pulled off his fogged-up glasses and nodded.

"I can't believe you dedicated your off day to us. Also, I finally figured out how to say your name, Takuma," Quartz added.

Ironically, it was Amelie who laughed at this. "I never really knew these guys, but if you're so attached to them, maybe I could take them in?"

"We're not meant to be tamed for human purposes like animals, so you can't." Ember's grumpy face made the message clear.

With solemn smiles, the two humans turned away and started for the bus stop. As they left, small rainbow lights began to flicker on in the trees around them, eventually forming a community of fairies that were ready to welcome the two back.

After he cleaned his glasses momentarily, Takuma looked back and spotted Ember being hugged by a fairy with shoulder-length dark hair (he couldn't make out any other details, though). He could make out what their conversation was, despite being a little too far away to hear by normal means.

"I thought you didn't like humans, Ember," the other fairy quipped.

"After what the humans did to our home, I didn't like them. It turns out not all humans are bad, though."
----
When Takuma finally got home, he pondered and realised that whoever made Kris's house was the one to blame for Ember's bitterness.

This could, by proxy, also make Kris himself responsible, but Ember never seemed to make the connection.

Huh. How weird...