Kaito and Rika land softly against the ground, Rika's magic cushioning the fall.
"Alright boss, we're free now so what's the plan?" She asked.
Kaito giggled softly. "Plan? Getting you was the plan!"
Rika stared back and blinked, dumbfounded. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN?!"
"When do I ever have a plan?"
The conversation interrupted by a boulder slamming into the ground, they broke apart, Rika quickly spotting a route for their escape.
Kaito carves a path forward slicing apart the obstacles in their way, as Rika guides them through the carnage with a practiced ease.
"Kaito, we need something big!" She shouts, pointing towards an opening in the roof.
Kaito smiles as he uses enhancement magic empowering himself. He slams his foot into the ground, the ensuing explosion propelled them both through the air at a speed neither was prepared for.
Outside Dante and the others had managed to escape. Dante quickly looked around for Kaito and Rika fearing the worse for them.
They all waited with hushed breaths looking towards the entrance, but alas it caved in entirely.
As he bowed his head, his mourning was quickly shut down by the two of them slamming into him. "AGH!" Dante blurted.
Rika and Kaito laughed, staring down at him. "Guess who's home Icy!" Rika teases.
Dante coughed. "Hooray…" he cheered before passing out.
Haruko lifts Dante atop her shoulder. "I love that you kids are having a reunion," she points to incoming soldiers. "But we've gotta scram."
The two guilds return to Haruko's carriage, Rika having the same awe the others first did when they encountered it.
As they began making way back to Fellshire, they finally let out a breath of relief.
Nanami sat beside Rika, "it's relieving to see you here safe," Nanami said before awkwardly hugging her. "I missed you Rika."
Rika smiles nervously, still a bit worried they might feel a way that she left so abruptly. "I know, it's hard not to miss me."
As the two caught up Haruko pulled Kaito aside. Tossing him an arrow that resembled a bees stinger. "While we were running out of there, so giant bee attacked us, no idea why it was so mad though." She shrugged.
Kaito couldn't comprehend a possible reason either.
Haruko shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I used an appraisal stone, you have a bow don't you?"
"Woah! So is this like, some kind of forever arrow?!" He asked.
"As long as it doesn't break yeah."
Everyone broke off into their own conversations as the journey back went smoothly. But something everyone found off, was how silent the usually talkative bard was.
"You ok?" Rika asks. No response came so she gave another try. "Toni?"
He seemed lost in thought before looking over to her. "Hmm? Oh, yeah i'm fine friend."
Haruko stretches, "i'm gonna go take a nap, let me know when we're back."
In fact everyone slept on the way back, well everyone but Kaito, seeing how large the gap between him and Rell was, and the even larger one demonstrated by Haruko showed him just how weak he was once again.
He did handstand push-ups on the roof, as he recounted Haruko's talent. "If Haruko didn't come with us…" Be thinks how Rell could have easily disposed of them multiple times.
He lies on his back staring up at the sky once more, the bright stars shining overhead. "I have to keep getting stronger."
Mr Harlow's words rang in his head as exhaustion took him. "The ones next will make him feel small."
His restless mind brung a forgotten memory to light.
A punch from his father, left a young Kaito groveling on his knees vomiting. "Come on Kaito! Is this all you can do?!" His father's words burned.
The young Kaito hacked an apology. "I..i'm sorry."
His father snatched him by the face. "I don't want your apologies. I want progress, I want a warrior, I WANT a weapon!"
He tossed Kaito down, "stand up! We're starting from the beginning!"
Kaito was jolted awake by something approaching him, his guard quickly dropping when he saw Rika had also climbed up to the roof.
A soft smile painted his face. "You couldn't sleep either?"
Rika shakes her head. "Sadly not, the traveling nap must wait!" She threw her arms around in an exaggerated manner.
"Oh, wait!" Kaito suddenly began rummaging through his bag, nearly turning it inside out in his search.
"Here."
He pulled out a lunch box and held it toward Rika. "I started packing lunches for everyone, but…" He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "I kept making yours too."
Rika stared at the lunch box. For a moment, she didn't reach for it. "You… thought about me that much?"
Kaito blinked. Then he simply nodded, as though the answer should have been obvious.
Rika slowly took the lunch box from his hands. Upon opening it, there was a terrible silence.
The food inside had been completely destroyed. Whatever Kaito had originally intended it to be, it certainly wasn't that anymore.
Kaito's face went pale. "NO!"
He dropped to his knees.
"IT'S RUINED!"
Rika stared down at him. "It's…"
"I worked so hard on that!" Kaito mourned.
Rika couldn't help but smile. She picked up a bite.
Kaito looked up at her, horrified. "Wait, don't eat that! It looks awful!"
Rika paused, looking at the food again.
It was messy. Spilling from the corners. But despite that he made it for her. She took a bite.
Kaito watched anxiously. "Well…?"
Rika swallowed. Another bite. Then another. Her eyes began to sting. She blinked, confused. A warm tear slipped down her cheek. She didn't notice it.
Kaito, however, did. He practically jumped to his feet. "Is it that bad!?"
Rika shook her head. Slow and soft as the wind. She took another bite, forcing herself to keep her voice steady. "It's delicious."
Kaito stared at her. "But you're crying."
Rika touched her cheek. Her fingers came away wet. She hadn't realized she began crying. Why was she crying?
She looked down at the lunch box in her hands. It wasn't the taste. It wasn't how perfectly it was made. It was the fact that, somewhere in the middle of his ordinary day, Kaito had thought of her.
He had remembered her. He had made something for her simply because she was important enough to remember.
And somehow, that meant more to her than she knew how to say. So she kept eating. Every last bite.
And with every mouthful, Rika felt a little more grateful that, somehow, she'd been lucky enough to meet someone like Kaito.