Last Day of the Heiwa High School Summer Festival: Ginger Sakura’s Concert Special!

Gathered around a dark grey draconite round table were five mysterious figures. The table was a fine one with marbled edges and a glistening top and five column-like legs expertly sculpted in the image of dragons. It was truly a majestic table, one worthy of royalty; this little fact is enough to signify the importance of the five figures gathered around it.

The first figure was dressed in a dark yellow shirt under a crimson red vest. He sat with his elbows on the table and exuded great energy. He is the Red Emperor, one of the leaders of the dreaded dragon extremist group Ouroboros.

The second figure, sitting to his right, was dressed in a green bodycon dress with a silver ring of feather images embroidered just below her bust. She sat with her face leaning on her left hand, truly a figure that was bored with life and in constant need of outside stimulation. She is the Green Empress, a leader of Ouroboros.

The third figure, sitting to her right, was dressed in a bright yellow dress shirt with a silver dragon pin attached to his left breast pocket. He had his arms in his lap and sat slouching forward in his chair; the atmosphere around him was bland and boring, yet it was also infested with tiny but obvious hints of power and authority. He is the Yellow Emperor, a leader of Ouroboros.

The fourth figure, sitting to his right, was dressed in a black gothic dress and long white gloves. She had her hands clasped together on top of the table and emitted nothing but dread and despair. She is the Black Empress, a leader of Ouroboros.

Lastly, the fifth figure, sitting to her right, was dressed the most spiffiest of them all: a white suit with an ice blue tie and a white fur jacket draped over his shoulders. He had his hands clasped in his lap and sat up straight, the air around him was cool and dangerous. He is the White Emperor, a leader of Ouroboros.

“It appears that we lost another one,” said the White Emperor.

“Ah, they all come and go,” said the Red Emperor. “It’s only a matter of time before the next one dies.”

“I agree,” concurred the Black Empress depressingly.

“I heard that it was a very powerful guy, too,” said the Green Empress in an obviously disinterested tone.

“I believe his name was like Aros or Eris or something like that,” said the Red Emperor thoughtlessly.

“Aris,” corrected the White Emperor. “He was actually a very good ally. He is the son of a duke of the Lindworm tribe and was the one that allowed for our plan to succeed.”

“How did he die anyway?” asked the Red Emperor.

“He was slayed,” said the White Emperor.

“By a dragon slayer? He doesn’t seem all that great to me if he got his ass handed to him by a frickin’ dragon slayer,” said the Red Emperor dismissively with a mocking laugh.

“Actually, it was not by any dragon slayer at all,” corrected the White Emperor. “In fact, I was told that it was the Dragonborn who have slayed him.”

The mention of that name made the atmosphere heavy and the other four emperors silent in their seats. The Red Emperor broke the silence and said amusedly, “Heh, really? He sounds like a really interesting guy. Maybe I should go over there and fight him myself.”

“That might actually be interesting to watch,” commented the Green Empress.

“But how can we take him to Hades if he can never be welcomed?” wondered the Black Empress.

“I'll do whatever it takes to destroy him until there's nothing left!” declared the Red Emperor maniacally.

“Enough already,” ordered the Yellow Emperor with a sigh. “Our plan to destroy the human realm with terrorists failed. Let’s move one to the next one.” He turned to the White Emperor and asked, “Is everything ready on your end?”

“Yes,” answered the White Emperor.

“And yours?” asked the Yellow Emperor turning to the Red Emperor.

“Yup,” confirmed the Red Emperor.

“Good,” said the Yellow Emperor with a nod. “The day for the plan to take place will be here soon. All that there is left is to sow the seeds of discord.”

“If only it can happen sooner,” said the Green Empress with a bored tone.

“Ah, there is actually one more thing,” said the White Emperor. “The Bakunawa that was with Aris on his mission and came back to report his death said that he also has a very interesting message for the Yellow Emperor.”

“What is it?” asked the Yellow Emperor slowly and curiously.

“I believe it went something like this: Samson is looking for you and he will stop at nothing to do so,” answered the White Emperor. “Does this mean anything to you, Yellow Emperor?”

“Of course not,” replied the Yellow Emperor after a few seconds of silence. “I expected the message to be from the Dragonborn, but it’s from an insignificant bug instead. Why the hell should I know who this Samson is?”

“It seems that he has it out for you,” commented the Red Emperor cheekily.

The Yellow Emperor scoffed and said, “Unless it's about the destruction of the human realm or the Dragonborn, I'm not interested. I have no time for insects like him.”

It was nighttime and the second day for the Heiwa High School Summer Festival was almost coming to an end. Tatsuya and Shurai were standing together to the side of a ramen stand. Shurai wolfed down her victory ramen, she was now on her fifteenth bowl, and handed the empty bowl over to Tatsuya to signal for another. “Sure,” Tatsuya told her with a smile.

After serving Shura her seventeenth bowl, the owners of the stand walked over to Tatsuya and bowed their heads. “Please, sir, you’re eating all of our ingredients. May we ask you to leave after she finishes this next one?” queried the left owner.

Shurai had finished the bowl and handed it over to Tatsuya. “We can’t take anymore of her monstrous appetite!” cried the right owner hysterically with his finger pointed at Shurai. “She already went through a quarter of whatever ingredients we have left! And that was supposed to be enough to feed customers throughout the night! What is she? A monster? Is she a ramen monster?!”

“At least you’re still making money for your business,” said Tatsuya with an awkward laugh.

“I guess we can’t complain,” sighed the left owner. “To be honest, she’s been the only customer we had ever since the festival was resumed after that accident.”

Shurai finished her bowl of ramen and handed it over to Tatsuya. “Another!” she told him with the face of an adamant child.

Tatsuya took her bowl and kindly said, “Sure thing.”

After consuming twenty-five or twenty-seven bowls of ramen, Shurai and Tatsuya walked on over to join the others who were standing together as a group right near the corner of the festival. With their problem now gone, the entire Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club and friends were able to enjoy the festival free of worry. Tatsuya watched his friends as they once more laughed and smiled together and everything returned back to normal like how they used to be: Manami chased after a few girls and failed, having to suffer being the butt-monkey to Sasuke and Daiki’s jokes; Aika, Sunaji, and Arashi were deep in a rather rough argument with each other over a particular topic; Torahime and Nekoyashi were having fun hanging out together, though the latter definitely looked the part more so than the former; Kanjomizu and Shurai engaged in friendly conversation with each other, making their relationship the antithesis to the other three princesses turbulent relationship with each other; Ingrid and the other maids caught up on some gossip about the goings-on back home; Vajra, still a little miffed by his princess’ actions concerning the Dragonborn, stood to the side in despair with Rocco consoling him with a simple hand on the shoulder; and Mr. Urushihara was busy having a good time drinking (not beer, thank goodness) with Yong and Ryujin.

The Student Body Council appeared and greeted the group. They were happy that the festival was able to continue, despite the crisis before, and found that the event has gotten even more fun and enjoyable for everyone the second-time through. This was good news to Tatsuya—hearing this made him all the more appreciative of his decision to carry on and finish the job instead of just giving up halfway through. The Student Body Council also revealed the loss of their past comrade, Council Historian Sanada Yukari. Tatsuya and the others revealed her association with Ouroboros, much to their and the Student Body Council’s regret, and everyone took a moment of silence to reflect on the past crisis with a more discerning mindset.

A high-pitched beep signaled the end of the silence and Shizo brought his right hand up to his face. “Ah, it’s almost time,” he announced. With a kind inviting smile, he said, “Would you all like to join us? It’s fifteen minutes before the show starts.”

“Show?” wondered Tatsuya.

“Ginger Sakura is putting on a concert to end the festival,” Shizo told them.

“Seriously?!” they all exclaimed in unison.

“I have to be there pretty soon to give a speech and present her to the crowd,” said Shizo. “If you want, you all can join us as we head on over there. I would highly recommend it since then you all can watch from the front row.” Everyone immediately agreed with the Council President’s statement and they all left together for the stage.

Set up right behind the school, the stage was half the size of a soccer field and stood more than 3.5 meters tall (almost 11.5 feet). The instruments and microphone were already set up on stage for the performers and the stage lights were being checked for one final time before the show starts. The backdrop of the stage was a giant reddish-purple screen with a giant picture of Ginger Sakura in her usual attire doing a cute pose next to a giant pink heart in the center of a purple Japanese dragon standing vertically with its hands outstretched—the same as the cover for her album “DragonHeart”. Tatsuya and his friends were amazed at how spectacular it looks and how spectacular the show was obviously going to be.

“Uncle Soryu! Owatatsumi-san!” shouted a familiar voice. Everyone turned their heads to see Ginkei Sakura (Ginger Sakura's civilian form) running up to them, waving to them with a childlike smile on her face.

“Ah, Sakura-san!” said Tatsuya, waving back.

“My, Sakura, are you doing okay?” asked Ryujin politely once she joined the group.

“I’m super fine,” Sakura told him with a nod. She then turned her attention to Tatsuya and bowed her head, “Thank you super very much for defeating the enemy.”

“Ah, well, that’s no problem,” said Tatsuya awkwardly with a chuckle and his hand rubbing the back of his head.

Aika tapped Tatsuya on the shoulder and he could feel the intensity of her eyes sending chills down his spine. “Excuse me, Darling, but who is this girl?” she asked him in a cleverly disguised dark voice.

Tatsuya turned his head and almost flinched upon seeing just how dangerous her eyes had become. “S-S-She’s a f-f-friend,” he told her. He immediately escaped from his current position and stood right next to Sakura. “Everyone, this here is Ginkei Sakura. She’s my father’s goddaughter.” The reveal pacified Aika’s antagonistic behavior and relieved Tatsuya from further danger.

“Hello everyone, I’m Ginkei Sakura. It’s super nice to meet you all,” greeted Sakura cheerfully with a bow.

Manami, like the bastard Casanova-wannabe he is, quickly ran up to Sakura and bent down on one knee. He took her right hand and caressed it. “My, what a beautiful flower you are, Miss Sakura. Your skin is smooth like the gentle cherry blossoms floating in the wind, and I can sense that you are indeed a lady of elegance and passion. You, my lady, are the embodiment of Sakura! Ah! Your name truly defines who you are. You are a flower among weeds, a one-of-a-kind woman who deserves only the best gardener who understands your beauty to cultivate your elegance. Please, let me be your gardener! Let me cultivate your flower!” he wooed.

As sudden as expected, Manami received a megaton uppercut that sent him flying through the air—and this time, it was from Sunaji. “Ga die an bern in ‘ell, ya pervy bastad!” she screamed at him while doing so.

“I was just going to do the same thing,” revealed Torahime with a glare.

Sunaji wiped her hands and said, “Hmph. I can’t stand perverted mooncalves like him any more than you.”

“Anyway, Sakura-san, are you alright going through with this after everything that has happened?” Tatsuya asked the idol.

“Yup!” replied Sakura. “I’m super excited for this. And I know that there are a super number of people who are super excited and ready too! I super can’t let this moment go to waste. Otherwise, it’s going to be a super disappointment for me and the fans.”

“I see,” said Tatsuya with an understanding smile.

“Well, Sakura, I wish you the best of luck,” said Ryujin.

“Thank you, Uncle Soryu!” responded Sakura with a gleaming smile. “Well, it’s almost time. I’ll see you all later!” Before she left the group, Sakura put her hands behind her back and leaned forward into Tatsuya’s face and planted a kiss on his cheek. This act surprised everyone, including Tatsuya himself. She then retracted herself and ran off, turning back halfway to wave before continuing on to the backstage.

Silence.

“W-Well then,” said Shizo, clearing his throat to break the silence. His eyes faced the right and he wore a slightly displeased expression. “I should be going backstage to prepare for the announcement,” he told the group, “I hope you all enjoy the show.” The Student Body Council then left with their leader to go backstage.

“Darling?” said Aika. Her words made the hair on the back of Tatsuya’s neck stand up straight. “Who was that wench that gave you that poor excuse of a kiss?” she asked him with fake kindness.

“I told you,” replied Tatsuya as confidently as he can. “She’s my father’s goddaughter.”

“Oh, is she?” said Aika. She then let out a very disturbing laugh that was hell disguised in very acerbic sugar. Tatsuya had never heard a more disconcerting “kind” laugh in his entire life.

People began to gather in the audience and it eventually grew to become a massive crowd as befitting a top idol. Happy chatter and unrestrained excitement spread through the crowd like a disease as they prepared themselves for what is expected to be one of the greatest shows in the world. Tatsuya himself can’t contain his excitement of being able to attend a concert by his favorite idol either—it is a dream come true!

“Sasasasasa! I told you that we would get front row seats, didn’t I?” said a familiar voice to Tatsuya’s right.

Tatsuya turned his face to see the Sanryu standing in the front row together. “You guys!” he shouted in surprise. His exclamation caused the Sanryu to flinch. “What are you doing here?” Tatsuya asked them with a frown.

Miryu turned his head and jumped back upon seeing Tatsuya’s face. “Y-Y-Y-You!” he exclaimed in terror. “Um, well, we’re not doing anything really,” said the dragon with an awkward smile, twiddling his thumbs as buckets of sweat poured down from his forehead. “You see, we’re, um, really big fans, and, well, we…WE JUST WANT TO WATCH THE SHOW TOO!” cried Miryu hysterically, on the verge of tears.

“We don’t really have any plans to cause any more trouble,” said Kiryu. Iwaryu nodded solemnly along to his friend’s statement.

“I see,” said Tatsuya with a sigh of relief. He then put on a smile and said, “Well, as long as you guys just want to enjoy the show. Have fun.”

The Sanryu bowed their heads and said in unison, “Thank you for your kindness!”

Standing a little closer to the edge of the group, Torahime wasn’t exactly that excited about the show. To be honest, she isn’t one to keep up with the latest trends and current pop culture. Her participation in this event was motivated more by spending time with her friend than anything else. Well, maybe there was something else too…but it’s not important.

She had her arms crossed over her chest and wore a very blasé expression as if to say that she was not here by choice but decided to stay anyway because what the hell. As she waited with the crowd for the show to come on, she could hear the sound of chewing coming from her left. The chewing paused and was replaced by a very loud sipping sound before returning back. Torahime was getting really annoyed by the blatant obnoxiousness of these sounds and quickly turned to face the person responsible to tell them to “stop” (or more accurately: “Go to hell!”). “Do you have to chew and sip so loudly?!” she told the person furiously. In response to her burst, the person turned their head to face her. Upon coming face-to-face with the person, Torahime almost did a double take and couldn’t hold back her surprise. “Yaju-senpai?!” she exclaimed. Besides the new addition of a black eyepatch over his right eye, that tall person with the lean muscular body and notable long pointed chin was indeed Torahime’s senior from long ago.

Mitsurugi Yaju, a freelance dragon slayer that was hired by Sanada Yukari to slay Tatsuya and also Torahime’s senior who used to be in the same organization as her, was standing right next to her with a bag of dried shredded squid clutched in between his right arm and body and a can of amazake in his left hand (a sweet low-alcohol or non-alcoholic drink made from fermented rice). He wore his hair in a small ponytail and was dressed in a pair of black jeans, boots, and a purple T-Shirt with same image as the stage background on it. In the corner of the shirt were the words “To my super number one fan, Yakkun. Super Love!” written in red marker. Without his mask, it was obvious to see that Yaju sported a small brown goatee that only covered the tip of his chin and didn’t descend any lower. Outside of his dragon slayer uniform, he looked just like a typical college student.

“Ah, well if it isn’t my precious kohai,” said Yaju. He shoveled a handful of dried squid and chewed on it quite obnoxiously. Once he swallowed it, he continued on with his conversation. “What are you doing?” he asked her.

“That should be my question to you!” said Torahime with a displeased and annoyed expression. “What the hell are you even doing here?” she asked him.

“I thought I can catch the show,” he told her shamelessly.

“No, really,” said Torahime, flushing his words down her mental drain. “And what are you even wearing?” she asked, pointing to his T-Shirt.

“Ginger Sakura is my idol!” he told her with shameless confidence. “I always never miss any of her concerts! When I heard that she was playing here, I immediately came to the festival just to see her show!”

“So you were here only for that?” grumbled Torahime with a scowl.

“And then when the scourges attacked, I thought that maybe the show will get cancelled so I left,” he continued.

“You didn’t even bothered to help?!” she screamed under her breath.

“But then I asked myself, is that truly what I should be doing?” continued Yaju.

“At least you have some dignity,” quipped Torahime to herself.

“So I decided to help with the extermination and took care of come dragons that were terrorizing outside the school boundaries,” said Yaju. “And now, because of my help, I get to see my idol perform!” he concluded with a giant foolish grin. “Ah, I will never forgive myself if I have to miss a show! I knew that the mission was important and it was shameful of me to leave Hinata by himself that one time, but I can’t fail my idol and call myself her number one fan if I miss so much as one show!”

“That was the reason why you had to pull out of that mission and leave Hinata-senpai by himself in the middle of battle to fight against a gang of dragons?!” shouted Torahime in disbelief. She furiously threw a titanic punch straight at Yaju’s stomach, causing him to bend forward and fall to his knees. “Hinata-senpai had to be put on reserve for two weeks due to a concussion because of your selfishness,” she told him with a dangerous glare.

“I apologize,” squeaked Yaju.

Torahime helped her senior back up and asked, “What happened to your eye?”

“I just got into a little accident,” he told her. “It’s nothing serious.”

Suddenly, the lights turned dim and a single spotlight was focused on the front part of the stage. Shizo walked out to the microphone and stood before it. Everyone’s chatter slowly subsided and they waited for the Council President to speak. Once everyone was quiet, Shizo spoke into the microphone. “Good evening, and welcome to the last event of the Heiwa High School Summer Festival!” he began. “I would like to begin by saying that Heiwa High School is very grateful for the attendance of family and friends and for allowing us to extend our festival one more day. Due to circumstances, our festival was cut short yesterday and we were not able to end it how we had planned it. Although the festival was normally scheduled for only one day, we, the Heiwa Student Body Council, felt that it would be wrong for this once-a-year event to be robbed from the many people who have come together to make it a success and for the many others who have taken time out of their day to come and enjoy the festival on our behalf. Therefore, we successfully obtained an extra day for our festival and we hope that everyone here can feel satisfied knowing that they were able to get their hard work recognized and have fun with friends and family. Also, we are glad that the students of the school have a chance to be able to act as one student body before our farewell for the break. If we were to end it because of the circumstances before, it would not feel right to the students to have to spend the last day of their semester together in fear and panic and isolation. Therefore, extending this festival actually had a dual purpose, with the second purpose being that our students can end the semester together having fun and rejoicing as one and build into their minds a memory that was born not out of fear but out of love for one another.”

Shizo took a pause and the crowd applauded his speech. Once they settled down, he opened his mouth to speak again. “Now, I feel like I have spoken enough. Besides, I’m pretty sure you all are here right now for a different reason.” The entire crowd cheered upon hearing those words. “I would like to introduce to you tonight’s special guest. She is the hottest artist in all of Japan with more than five hundred million albums sold, eight million streams on Stripefy, and fan bases all around the world. Her hit single “Dragonheart”, which is off her multi-platinum album “DragonHeart”, has just been certified diamond this past week. Loved by all as the best-selling artist of the decade, admired for her inimitable and authentic image, backed by her loyal backing band Ginger Team, and armed with a voice that brings people together all around the world, please give a super welcome to the super lady of the hour: Ginger Sakura!” He quickly left the stage and allowed for the headliner to take the stand.

Sakura, dressed in her idol get-up, ran out to the stage and the crowd went wild: applause thundered across the school, cheers shook the Earth, and mass hysteria quickly settled into the crowd as their excitement got the better of them upon seeing their idol appear. Sakura approached the microphone and said, “Everyone, how are you all doing today?” The crowd cheered back in answer to her question. “Are we all doing super okay?” she asked them.

“We’re all super okay!” agreed the crowd.

“I’m super glad that you all came to see me perform,” Sakura told them, “So let’s make this show the super best! Are we all super ready to have a super time?”

“We’re all super ready!” shouted the crowd excitedly.

“Alrighty then!” said Sakura. “Let’s get this super show started!”

The lights turned on, the music began, and the show started. Sakura was already starting with a banger—her hit song, “Dragonheart”. The crowd went wild like a bunch of crazy animals exposed to the best drug in the world. The music was catchy and cheerful like a bright sunny pop song, energetic and groove-laden like an infectious dance song, but also aggressive and dangerous like an unapologetic heavy metal song, all wrapped together in an epic and amazing landscape evocative of classical music with a hint of folk flair. Sakura’s voice was amazing like an angel who had just descended onto Earth: bright and powerful and full of emotion, the perfect voice to narrate her story-filled songs. The lyrics themselves told a magnificent story that carried a positive message that no doubt resonated with everyone that has listened to it. It goes as follows:

“I hear your name on the wind, Whispers of the legendary hero.

I pray that someday you’ll appear before me.

With a will of steel and fire in your heart, You remind us all that fate is in our hands.

Don’t give up, don’t give in!

I need you here with me to show the world we’ll win!

Dragonheart! The hero of the rising sun!

Dragonheart! My knight in shining armor!

In my heart! There is only one!

A man of love and honor, My heart is yours forever!

Till the end! Dragonheart!

Your words have warmed out hearts, We feel your power touching our soul!

You say that we are heroes too.

As the world turns, your unwavering courage gives us hope!

And we know that we too can be like you!

Don’t give up, don’t give in!

Let’s let our Dragonhearts show fate that we will win!

Dragonheart! The hero of the rising sun!

Dragonheart! My knight in shining armor!

In my heart! There is only one!

A man of love and honor, My heart is yours forever!

Till the end! Dragonheart!”

When the song came to its final chorus, fireworks were set off from behind the stage, creating a very beautiful spectacle. Torahime had never witnessed anything like this at all. She found herself immersed in the show, swimming in the music that captivated her ears like nothing she had ever heard before, following along to the idol’s movements and appreciating just how dedicated she was to putting on a very good show, and getting infected with the hysterical fandom that was ubiquitous in the crowd. She could imagine the story the lyrics wove inside her head and could feel their positive power slowly taking over her body. And the energetic stage show coupled with the fireworks that just went off came together to create a very momentous experience that Torahime will never forget.

Everyone else from Sasuke to Aika enjoyed the show too. They were all fans of Ginger Sakura (Aika and Sunaji were quick to get into an argument over who was the bigger fan, though it ended pretty quickly when they both decided to put it off so that they could enjoy the show) and the show was indeed a very nice gift to them, given their efforts in helping defend the school from the enemy. Manami joined the crowd in singing (shouting) along to the song; Aika, Nekoyashi, and Sunaji were in extreme fangirl mode and didn’t look like they were going to stop any time soon; and the rest of them watched the show with controlled fervor, yet they weren’t afraid to lose themselves to the organized chaos of the crowd from time to time.

Tatsuya was very passionate about being a member of the crowd and a fan of Ginger Sakura. He cheered, applauded, sang along, he did everything any diehard fan would do. He glanced over to Torahime and noticed that she too was enjoying the show. Her smile and energy was something unexpected but all the more pleasant and exciting to witness. He was deeply happy to see her in a very positive mood and letting loose after everything that had happened. Somewhere in his mind, he could tell that this wasn’t the end of it all; in fact, he could sense this was just the beginning. Something dark is looming over their heads and must be dealt with soon. Therefore, this moment right here, right now, is a moment that should be treasured and indulged to the extreme. Because once this night is over, they must once again enter the battlefield. Tatsuya kept this thought deep inside his mind and returned to focus now on the moment at hand.

Once the show was over, Tatsuya and his friends gathered to the side of the stage. The crowd dispersed with smiles on their faces and their own renditions of the concert songs in loud and happy voices. The spectacular ending concluded the festival with a bang and made the worries from the crisis before disappear into harmless smoke.

“That was a really great show,” said Sasuke with a nod of approval.

“Eek! Ginger Sakura is totally the best idol in the world!” announced Aika.

“I am grateful for this boon that was gifted upon us verily,” agreed Sunaji. “Ah! To be serenaded by the great Ginger Sakura is verily a dream come true!” (“Verily” = “indeed”).

“Ginger Sakura, Number 1! Ginger Sakura, Only 1!” chanted Manami in a tough, jock-like voice.

“Did you enjoy the show too?” Tatsuya asked Torahime.

Torahime quickly averted his eyes and said while twirling her hair, “I guess the show was alright. She was a pretty good singer and the song was pretty good too.”

“Himeko!” exclaimed Nekoyashi in surprise. She grabbed Torahime by the shoulders and asked with glittering eyes, “Are you saying that you might be a Ginger Sakura fan, nyan?!”

“W-Well, I just thought that it was a pretty fun show a-a-and she was really good at what she does,” answered Torahime.

“It’s better to just admit to it,” said Aika with a teasing smile, appearing behind Torahime like a mischievous shadow.

“Argh! Enough already!” shouted Torahime furiously. Everyone laughed, much to Torahime’s chagrin, and the bond that held the group together grew stronger.

Tatsuya looked out and could see the bright shining moon in the night sky. The moon’s beautiful and solemn glow in the clear black sky reminded Tatsuya that it was not over yet. It warned him that bigger things are still to come. But besides the foreboding message it relayed, the moon also comforted him and soothed his soul, as if telling him to take it slow and be aware. It was like a teacher advising its student to proceed wisely and cautiously and to not get in over his head lest he commits a mistake he could never come back from.

“It’s a beautiful moon tonight,” said Ryujin, who appeared standing next to his son.

“Yup,” agreed Tatsuya.

Ryujin stretched out his hands and said, “Well, I’ll be going home now. It’s getting pretty late and I have to check in on your mother. I’ll see you at home.” He said farewell to the group and left for home.

“It has been fun,” said Yong to the group. She faced Tatsuya with a smile and said, “Thank you for showing me something interesting, Dragonborn. Till we meet again, I bid you adieu.” Yong walked off and disappeared into the night.

One by one, everyone said their farewells and left for home. Daiki, Sasuke, and Manami left together; Mr. Urushihara wished Tatsuya and the princesses good luck and departed; and the servants all bowed out first to get the house ready for when their ladies arrive back home. Torahime and Nekoyashi were the next ones to leave. They said their farewells and turned around to go when Torahime stopped three-steps in and made a clear declaration for Tatsuya to hear: “Owatatsumi Tetsuya, this last battle forced me to work alongside you, despite my own reservations against your kind, for the benefit of the human world. I admire your determination and courage to defend humankind. I acknowledge you as a man with a righteous heart capable of heroics for the greater good. However, this does not in any way deny my mission to destroy you. All the words I have spoken are true, but don’t think that that means I see you as an ally. You are my enemy. You are humankind’s enemy. I will never be your ally and I will never renounce my role as a dragon slayer. Mark my words, Dragonborn. Next time we meet, I will kill you.”

The dragon slayers left and Tatsuya was now alone with the princesses. Torahime’s words forced a grimace on Tatsuya’s face as it brought back the fact that she is his enemy. Even though he desperately wants to deny that fact, he knew that he can’t change the truth, at least not now. Something inside of him made him believe there will come a time when their relationship will for sure improve beyond this meaningless conflict into something more amicable and peaceful. But that will have to wait for now.

“Darling,” said Aika. Tatsuya turned his face to see the Draco princess gazing out at the moon. The beauty of her profile in the moonlight baffled him and made him blush. “The moon is very beautiful tonight,” she told him, turning to him with a smile.

Tatsuya couldn’t help but smile along with her. “Yes, yes it is."