Chapter 11: Seika’s Return Home
On the promised day, Hayato, Riri, and Josuke gathered in the international arrivals lobby of Haneda Airport. They were waiting for Seika’s arrival.
“Which flight was it again?” Hayato asked, looking up at the arrivals board.
“The direct flight from LA. It’s scheduled to arrive in about 10 minutes,” Josuke replied, checking his smartphone. Beside him, Riri seemed a little restless, fiddling with the handle of her bag with her fingertips.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing Seika-san again.”
“Yeah. I want to see her soon.”
As they were talking, passengers began to emerge one after another from the arrival gate.
Before long, the figure they had been eagerly awaiting, Seika, came into view.
She wasn’t wearing a white lab coat, but she was walking with several men and women who looked like scholars. All of them were in suits; perhaps they were members of the same academic society or research project. Seika herself was dressed in a sophisticated dark gray suit, her hair loosely tied up.
When Seika spotted Hayato and the others, her serious expression instantly changed to a soft, gentle smile. She said something to a middle-aged man who appeared to be a professor with her, then broke away from the group and approached Hayato’s party. Tall and well-proportioned, she walked with the grace of a model.
“Thank you for coming to meet me,” Seika said with a dignified tone. Then, standing before Hayato, she suddenly straightened her posture and bowed her head slightly.
“And, it has been a long time, Lord Hayato.”
Only towards Hayato did her demeanor completely change, becoming polite. It was an attitude full of respect for a superior, one she didn’t show to those around her. If Seika’s work colleagues were to witness this, they would undoubtedly be astonished. Normally, Seika interacted even with esteemed university professors and company executives with a dignified attitude that could be taken as being on equal footing.
However, it was different only for Hayato. He, who was once the Hero and had saved the world, was special.
“It’s been a while, Celestia. Though now, it’s Seika, isn’t it?” Hayato scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
“Yes. Please call me that,” she smiled.
“So, from here on, I’ll speak more casually. There are people around, after all.”
“Yeah. That’s more relaxing for me.”
Seika reverted to her usual demeanor, and Hayato nodded with a relieved expression.
After finishing only the initial formal greeting, Seika continued her conversation with Hayato in a relaxed manner.
Next, she turned her gaze towards Riri.
“It’s our first time meeting here, but it’s been a while, Lilia.”
“Yeah. It’s been a while, Celestia.”
Tears welled up in Riri’s eyes. Companions rejoicing in their reunion.
The two naturally embraced. The hug between the beautiful girl and the beautiful woman attracted no small amount of attention in the airport. People around them were casting furtive glances.
“But, Riri, you’ve gotten smaller and cuter,” Seika said, placing a hand on Riri’s shoulder.
“Seika, you’ve changed too. You’re so much more mature and have such an air of dignity,” Riri looked up at Seika, a little envious.
The two observed each other’s changes and shared their impressions.
“In the other world, I was still a youngster of about 100 years old, after all,” Seika said in a low voice. “But now, I’m 30 years old. In elven terms, that’s roughly like being 300. So, how I appear has changed.”
“I see.” Riri’s expression turned a little sorrowful. “So, the Seika in this world is human after all, huh?”
“Yes, thankfully.” Seika smiled gently at Riri’s words. “This way, I can spend time with you all. There’s nothing happier than this.”
The two exchanged such words. Their strange relationship, where memories of another world and human emotions intertwined, bound them with an unspoken bond.
After Seika and Riri enjoyed their conversation for a while, Seika turned her gaze to Josuke.
“Thanks for contacting me, John… I mean, Josuke. This has made for a very happy return home.”
“Yeah. That’s good, Seika,” Josuke replied with a gentle smile as well.
Seika had primarily been in contact with Josuke, and had also informed him of her return date today. And Josuke had proactively provided Seika with information about Hayato and the others. The reason the three of them came to pick Seika up today was also because Josuke had arranged it. Thankful for that, the companions shook hands.
“So, what about your luggage?” Hayato asked, looking around.
“My work luggage and larger bags have already been sent by a separate shipment.” Seika indicated the carry-on case she had with her. “This is all I have.”
“Then, can we spend some time together after this? Shall we go to a cafe or somewhere and talk?”
Having successfully reunited, when the conversation turned to what to do next, Seika made a suggestion.
“Before that, there’s a place I want all of us to go together.”
“Where is it?” Hayato asked.
Seika replied, “The hospital.”
“The hospital?” The three of them exclaimed at the same time. It was an unexpected place. To the three who worried that perhaps something was wrong with her, Seika calmly explained the reason.
“Don’t worry, it’s not that I’m sick. …Well, there’s a possibility something might be discovered if we check. But just in case, I want to check on the condition of your bodies.” She continued, lowering her voice slightly. “I want to have the effects of the phenomenon that occurred a few months ago properly checked at a hospital. Hayato, I heard you experienced pain that lasted for a month when you returned to your original world, right?”
“Yeah,” Hayato replied, recalling the month immediately after he returned from the other world.
“I also want to check if the others have experienced any effects from being reborn, or any changes due to the sudden return of their memories from the other world. Preferably today.”
“Is there a need to rush so much?” Josuke frowned.
“It’s merely a precaution,” Seika replied with the calmness befitting an expert. “My intuition tells me there’s nothing wrong, but as a doctor, I just want to confirm it, just in case.”
Hearing Seika’s explanation, the three were convinced and decided to head to the hospital she specified.
“If we’re in a hurry, shall we grab a taxi?”
“No, let’s go in my car,” Seika said. “I left it in the airport parking lot.”
The four of them left the airport with their luggage, filled with a mixture of nostalgia and novelty from their long-awaited reunion and the new daily life about to begin.
They got into Seika’s luxury foreign car, and the group headed towards the hospital. Gazing at the urban cityscape spreading outside the window, Hayato thought.
His companions lost in the other world were now, like this, gradually reuniting in the modern era. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Hayato squinted at the sunlight streaming in through the window. A peaceful daily life, different from the days of battle in the past. He understood more than anyone just how precious that was.