Chapter 296: Epilogue
“Kaede!”
The door to the conference room swung open with a force, and in rushed Jushiro. Startled by the noise, Kaede jumped, but the moment she laid eyes on Jushiro, she stood up from her chair.
“…Ah.”
A small voice escaped her lips, but she couldn’t continue. As she gazed at Jushiro with trembling eyes, a single tear fell from her cheek. Jushiro, taken aback, furrowed his brow, but it seemed he could no longer hold back his emotions as his expression twisted with pain. He took a step closer, inching forward until he stopped just two steps away from Kaede.
“Kaede… Welcome back.”
With a gentle voice, he spoke, and finally, Kaede could no longer contain herself. She leaped into Jushiro’s arms, crying out.
“Father… I’m home… Uwaaaah!”
Jushiro embraced her tightly, as if vowing never to let go.
“Welcome back. I’m so glad… you’re safe. Truly, I’m so relieved.”
“Uu, sniff… I’m so relieved too…”
Beside them, Ivan was tearing up, and Rio had tears glistening in her eyes. Phonia silently clung to Ivan’s leg, burying her face against him. Perhaps she was reminded of her father, even though her parents were no longer with her. Noticing Phonia, Ivan crouched down and hugged her tightly.
“Kaede-chan… I’m really glad.”
Rio wore a joyful smile, but her brows were slightly furrowed, revealing a hint of sadness. I couldn’t help but recall the time when she first arrived in Japan, frantically wondering if she would meet her parents.
“Ah… Yes…”
I gently pulled Rio closer, wrapping my arms around her back. How long had we stayed like that? After a while, the door to the room burst open once more.
“Ka-Kaede!”
Gasping for breath, Mr. Jinpei entered.
“Grandfather!”
Kaede lifted her face from Jushiro’s shoulder and leaped toward Mr. Jinpei.
“Kaede! You’re safe…”
He murmured with deep emotion, gently stroking Kaede’s head and letting out a heavy sigh.
“You’ve grown so much, Kaede.”
“Yeah… Yeah.”
Kaede nodded vigorously as Mr. Jinpei embraced her with warmth. After confirming Kaede’s safety, Mr. Jinpei and Jushiro turned their attention toward us.
“Shuu-kun, Rio-kun. And Ivan-kun and Phonia-chan as well. Thank you so much for finding my granddaughter.”
“We can’t thank you enough. Really… thank you so much.”
“No, it’s truly a relief that we found Kaede.”
“Indeed. In that world, it was a place where one could die at any moment.”
“If we hadn’t received help from Shu and the others, we might have perished too…”
Ivan spoke with a tone filled with sincerity, causing Jushiro and Mr. Jinpei’s expressions to tighten.
“Was it that dire?”
“Ah, yes. Our circumstances may differ from yours, but I believe it wasn’t much different.”
Although Ivan and Phonia had been slaves, the classmates summoned in the Arclight Kingdom were also bound by the Collar of Subjugation. Indeed, there might not be much difference.
“Haha, well, as they say, all’s well that ends well.”
“Then shall we take our leave for now?”
“Yeah… We wouldn’t want to intrude on a family reunion.”
I glanced at Ivan, who nodded in agreement. Since Kaede had just returned, it was best for us to step aside.
“Ah, it’s truly unfortunate, but you don’t need to worry about us.”
Though I intended to be considerate, Jushiro’s expression was genuinely regretful as he furrowed his brow.
“…That’s true.”
Mr. Jinpei also wore a troubled expression, glancing at his wristwatch.
“I left work unattended… I wonder how many more minutes I can cover for…”
Oh dear. So that’s how it is. But still, it’s hard to believe that after five years of being missing, they can’t take a day off to celebrate. Then again, they are the president and chairman, after all… I don’t really understand the responsibilities of such important figures, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Ah, I also haven’t had the chance to thank those who helped me… And I want to properly explain things to the children at the orphanage.”
“Orphanage?”
“Yeah. I worked at an orphanage in that world.”
“Is that so…? You’ve really become independent.”
Jushiro’s expression was complex. Like us, he should have been in high school, and perhaps he had his own thoughts on the matter.
“I only changed my clothes, but I was brought here in whatever I was wearing.”
I conveyed this with a wry smile, and a small chuckle followed. Jushiro and Mr. Jinpei seemed to genuinely laugh.
“I see, I see. If you say you were helped, then we would like to express our gratitude as well.”
“Ah, yes.”
Mr. Jinpei’s words were met with Jushiro’s nod. But still…
“Though the language barrier might be an issue.”
“Haha, that’s true.”
Mr. Jinpei placed a hand on his forehead, chuckling wryly. But rest assured.
“We’ll take care of the gratitude on our end, so don’t worry. We won’t let the children at the orphanage go hungry.”
“In that case, we’ll leave it to you. Of course, we’ll also express our gratitude generously.”
“Ah, please don’t hold back.”
“Haah… Well, if that’s the case…”
I felt like we had already received quite a bit, but it seemed rude to refuse, so I nodded ambiguously. Whether or not I would actually accept anything could wait until I saw what was offered.
Thus, the pleasant conversation continued until Jushiro and Mr. Jinpei’s subordinates arrived, their foreheads creased with tension.
End of Part Five
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