“Are you leaving tomorrow?” Sers asks me, sitting across from me.

  Today we decided to have a lunch just for siblings. We always get together with the girls, and even though at some point during those gatherings the three of us end up talking alone, it’s not the same. Today it’s just the three brothers, without fear of saying anything. I usually don’t hold back my words; Sers and Ritmo are different—they’re more dominated by their women… Is that a consequence of getting engaged?

  “Don’t make that face, he’ll be back in half a year.” Sers smiles awkwardly at Ritmo’s comment, while the eldest of us looks at me. “You will come back, right? Don’t disappear into something strange for a few years again.” His gaze searches my face for any sign of doubt or a lie.

  Sers has always been very open with his feelings, regardless of what others might say, and now he’s even less embarrassed. Ritmo has changed a bit too; he jokes more actively now and shows his feelings in a less indirect way than he used to.

  “I’ll come back for the school holidays.” I take a sip of my juice; having a cold drink in the middle of the courtyard is one of the most refreshing things. “I’m seriously thinking of attending school only this year. Most of my friends are already graduating, and it’s not a place where I’ll learn much more at my rank.” They don’t say anything and let me keep talking.

  “Only two teachers can really help me, and Susan, but that’s not realistic. They’re busy with their own problems. Especially Susan—she has too many daily duties, and asking her to train me would be very selfish on my part.” Everyone is always busy; I can’t keep waiting so long for simple training.

  “You could think about being a teacher for at least one more year. You like teaching and you’re good at it.” Sers proposes something different. He’s seen me teaching several guards mana control and swordsmanship; even Sers himself has taken classes from me these past weeks. By teaching, I’ve managed to improve tiny details I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.

  “I’ll think about it.” It’s not a bad idea. Being a teacher is fun, but I’m very young to dedicate myself to teaching—still, just one more year isn’t a bad plan.

  “Make the most of your time at school. You have to find the last ingredient from the book; you’ll need to lock yourself in the library.” Ritmo touches on the obvious point. My whole family knows about the potion now; they’re all aware of how close I am to completing the formula.

  I feel a bit bad about lying to them about how I obtained it. They think I got the book as a dungeon reward. I took advantage of the fact that the book is in another language; since it was a reward, I’m the only one capable of reading it. Everyone believed me without question. My whole family wants to support me in completing it as soon as possible—it’ll be a huge gain for us.

  “I’ll make use of the time to finish the remaining books. I have a good feeling.” My instincts rarely fail me; this time shouldn’t be any different.

  “Don’t forget—don’t push past your limits again.” Ritmo points his finger toward where my cube is.

  “Defeating an anomaly… sometimes I think you can’t surprise me anymore, and you still do.” It’s not just Sers who’s surprised by my achievement—I am too.

  “This is a small price to pay. I gained more than I ever could have by killing monsters all month.” Not only was I able to rest peacefully with the girls and my family, I also gained multiple skill levels and improved my Banner. Even if I killed grade 3 and 4 monsters every day, I could never gain that many levels.

  “Just don’t overdo it. We’re all worried about you.” Ritmo wears a calm smile, showing both his full trust in me and his concern.

  “I wouldn’t worry about monsters. Just don’t get yourself another woman when you’re alone—there are many cases of men being murdered by their wives while they sleep.” Sers sounds very serious.

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  Those kinds of cases were also common in my previous world. I can’t imagine any of the girls killing me… I picture how roughly they’ve been fighting these past days and reconsider my opinion. I won’t get anyone else—I have no intention of doing so. I’m happy just as I am.

  “I won’t do anything stupid, or at least I’ll try not to.” My brothers give me a positive response to that.

  The days passed, and it was time to say goodbye to my family. There was no special party, and they didn’t seem sad—they’re used to seeing their children off, and it’ll only be a few months.

  “Take good care of yourself, son. Come back soon.” My mother kisses my forehead as she says goodbye. Her eyes are a little sad; a mother’s love is something unique.

  “We’ll be waiting for you. Come back with new and interesting stories.” My father gives me a strong hug. He truly loves my battle stories—he’s always the most focused when I’m telling an anecdote.

  “This time I won’t say anything about women. My words always become reality.” My grandmother places her hand on my shoulder. “Take very good care of yourself, Maki.” Her words are short but heavy; I understand why. She found me on the verge of death—seeing your grandson’s body split in two can’t be pleasant.

  “I’ll do my best. I promise I won’t die trying.” I’m sure I’ll do some stupid things if the opportunity arises, which is why I promise something I actually plan to keep.

  My entire family, including my two sisters-in-law, sees the five of us off. We get into the carriage sent by Marga’s family—it’s huge and packed with features. If anyone asks my opinion: a beauty created using the best possible technology for carriages and a master’s runes.

  This carriage is comparable to a small bus. It even has a kitchen area and a small space with two beds. The materials and runes on the outer layer are extremely durable; a grade 3 monster wouldn’t even tickle it, and if something stronger appears, it’ll have the bad luck of running into me.

  “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay on vacation.” Arisa rolls around on one of the beds, complaining.

  “All good things are always short-lived. Cheer up—the midyear holidays are longer.” Sol strokes Arisa’s head to calm her.

  “It’s only a few months, and we’ll be together again.” Marga grabs Arisa’s feet and tickles her until she’s almost crying with laughter.

  “We’ll miss you too, especially me. I’ve already gotten used to living with you.” Brendu looks genuinely sad. There were days when they spent more time with Brendu than with me; they actively ignored me, and when I tried to join them, I was kicked out. They always said: It’s girls’ time.

  The journey to Marril City was quite comfortable. We spent the entire trip talking—well… mostly them. On occasions like this, I miss being able to watch a movie or play something. I had almost never felt this way before because I usually use teleportation portals or fly directly. If someone ever creates a device to watch movies, they’ll become extremely rich.

  We quickly greet Baron Camux and his wife. I’m happy to at least talk with them a little, and it makes me glad to hear everything is going wonderfully and that the possibility of being promoted to Viscount is just around the corner. They’ve always been wonderful people—if I can help them in any way, I will.

  We arrive at Primaver City. Arisa’s father receives us; the Count is also a good person, much more serious and calm—completely opposite to my father and Uncle Camux. I only need to meet Marga’s father now to know all four of my future fathers-in-law. Maybe I’ll have the chance to do that during the next holidays.

  Julio isn’t in the marquisate; he’s been called to the imperial capital for some important and urgent matters. The issue with the Withered Tree association is still ongoing, but fortunately it seems to have calmed down, and everything is slowly returning to normal.

  “It’s time to go. See you in a few months. I’ll miss you a lot—if there’s any problem, don’t hesitate to tell me.” Our teleportation to Skyblue City is in a few minutes; it’s time to separate.

  “Don’t forget to buy a phone so we can communicate often.” Arisa pokes her finger into my chest.

  “Don’t stop sending letters—we’d like to keep saving them.” Sol’s smile shines far too brightly when she finishes speaking. I can’t refuse her request.

  “No getting pregnant.” Marga looks at Brendu with judging eyes. The princess avoids her gaze; Marga can only let out a sigh. “Don’t joke like that. Take care—we’ll see each other in a few months.”

  We haven’t said goodbye with much emotion because we’ve been saying goodbye for the past hour. They’re still determined not to let me go. If they had the chance to tie me up, they wouldn’t hesitate.

  “The next holidays will be better.” Brendu shouts to them from a distance.

  I raise my hand, waving goodbye to them. The light of the teleportation portal wraps around the two of us, the familiar darkness follows immediately after, and spatial mana cradles us in a layer. Less than two seconds later, the light returns and we’re already at our destination.

  “My last six months studying at this school have begun.” Brendu takes my hand.

  “Let’s go back quickly—everyone must be wondering where we are.” There’s a reunion party organized by our group of friends. The possible last six months in this city and this school.