Up in the air, Daytona sat at Max’s presumed head, while the others sat close behind. Downtown Marlia City reappeared, and the usual bustle was still present with no sign of slowing down. Numerous vehicles still clogged the city streets from below, and many flying mages mounted on brooms, boards, mabeasts, or simply used their own wings as they soared the skies a few altitudes below them in a variety of directions.

Hotaru had suddenly gotten a headache as soon as the cumulus took to the sky and was now lying on her back, head resting in Chiaki’s lap. 

“Think it’s a side-effect?” asked Will.  

“It has to be,” Hotaru groaned. “I was fine just a minute ago.”

“At any rate, you should take it easy for a bit.” The witch girl reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle with blue liquid. “Here. This should help with your headache, although, it will make you feel a tad drowsy.”

She removed the cork, raised Hotaru’s head slightly, and gently poured the contents into her mouth. Hotaru downed the bottle in seconds before coughing slightly. 

“Whoo, that’s bitter!” She grinned. “Thanks, Chi-Chi!”

“No problem!” Chiaki beamed and Hotaru felt her face grow hot. She was just so pretty when she smiled at her like that. Hotaru’s body had long developed an instant response to this phenomenon that now she could hardly do a thing to quell it. 

“......”

“Are you well, Ms. Hotaru?” Goldie’s voice reminded Hotaru of his continued presence and immediately brought her mood down. She looked up to see him leaning over her. 

“Hey, you’re way too close, buster!” She growled at the troglodyte, but only for a moment, for it was then that something had finally dawned on her. “Dammit, we didn’t even get to finish our duel…”

Goldie sighed. “Yes, I do share in your disappointment. But, alas, it wasn’t in the cards for us to conclude our duel.” He crossed his arms and nodded to himself. “But worry not, there will come opportunities for us to spar again. And while we’re on the subject, I must commend you for your incredible display of power, Ms. Hotaru. You’ve become a lot stronger since our last duel!”

The boy’s words took Hotaru aback. For some reason, they gave her a strange sense of warmth and she didn’t like it. Not one bit. 

She scoffed at him. “Tch, please. You’re just tryin’ to butter me up.” 

But he shook his head. “No, I am being quite serious when I say these things. You have come a long way and you’re only going to get stronger.” He pounded his chest with his fist. “And I don’t intend on falling behind!”

“Uh...” This gave Hotaru pause. He’d worn a look of conviction when he spoke those words and she didn’t know how to respond. It was always hard to hate him whenever he got like this. 

“W-Well…”

She felt a thumb wipe away one of her neon-pink bangs. Hotaru looked up to see Chiaki staring down at her, looking a bit unsettled.

“Are you sure?” her hazel-colored eyes seemed to ask her. 

Her silent question was regarding Hotaru’s earlier decision not to tell Inspector Gamma about her infection. After her parents disappeared, she’d been distrustful of government officials and the way they chose to handle the aftermath of the incident. Mr. Pete was a powerful mage and an expert on magical genetics. If anyone could siphon this yōma gene out of her before it festered, it would be him. 

Hotaru smiled and nodded. Her eyes stared back at her as if to say, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure.”

Chiaki’s expression brightened and she ran her finger through Hotaru’s bangs, which caused the latter’s heart to thump rapidly in her chest. She rested her hands over her sternum. Her smile grew closer and closer to overtaking her entire face. This right here was the closest she'd ever come to paradise.

“Hey, John! You and I have to spar one of these days, too!” Daytona turned to the blonde boy and grinned. “That geyser spell you cast was hella epic!”

“You flatter me, Daytona,” Goldie chuckled. “T’was not easy to master when I first contracted Marina. I nearly drowned myself more times than I care to remember. Thankfully, after many weeks, I’d finally mastered the incantation. I’m glad it turned out quite well outside of training.”

He brought his attention over to the lanky boy beside him. ”And Will! You’ve certainly made strides as well, I see! I could feel the ground shake when your gyro field was unleashed. Simply incredible!”

“You can say that again!” Daytona concurred.

“Yeah, well, most of that stemmed from my anger, so I dunno if that’s worth praise…” Will stopped to look at Hotaru and gave her a slight smile before returning his gaze to the other two. “But…thanks, John, I know what you’re getting at and it’s appreciated.” 

His eyes then landed on Daytona. “Speaking of. Can we talk about the pure craziness of your electro-magic?” He raised an eyebrow. “Electromagnetism? And to top it off, you made it look effortless despite the drawback. You, um…you wanna take us through that one?” 

“Oh!” Nervous, the blue-haired girl rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. “W-Well, y’see, my dad, he…”

She went on to explain the training regimen she had to undergo in her youth, the details of which just about every mage on the planet could relate. The five of them engaged in more idle chatter and shared a few fond memories until the conversations eventually died down. 

They all sat there in silence for a while, taking in their surroundings. Max made his way down Hullington Road and over a neighborhood where rows and rows of two-story abodes came into view. Like most buildings in southern Marlia City, these houses had brownstone exteriors and interlocking black ceramic roof tiling. The breathtaking view then disappeared as quickly as it came once as the sentient cumulus soared back up and through a body of stratus clouds.

“Hehehe…”

Hotaru’s eyes shot back up to see her best friend giggling to herself. 

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Oh, well, it’s nothing serious, It’s just…Ah, how can I explain it?” She put a hand to her chin, mulling it over for a bit. Finally, she rallied and said, “Hm. Well…It seems as though whenever you’re around...something interesting is always bound to happen.”

“Oh…” Hotaru blushed. “I-Is that…a good thing?”

“Mmm…More or less.”

“M-More or less?!”

Chiaki giggled again, sending Hotaru’s temperature to a boiling point. 

She’s so cute…

Noticing this exchange, Daytona, with her legs still crossed, bounced in between the boys and over to Hotaru where she stopped and leaned in close to her face. 

“Oh, I see,” she whispered. “So she’s the one you—”

Hotaru turned away from her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Whoa, what’s that reaction? And why are your cheeks so red?” She stuck out her index finger and poked her left cheek. This only made Hotaru’s face redden even further.

“Daytona, shhh!!! She’ll hear you!”  

“Aw, that’s so cute,” Daytona gushed quietly, nudging her.

 “C-C-C-Cut it out!” Hotaru nudged her back, now reduced to a stammering fit. She then looked up at Chiaki, fearing that she may have heard them. 

“......”

“......”

But Chiaki paid them no mind. She was looking up into the big blue sky that came into view once Max had flown through a massive sea of clouds. The breeze danced through her frilly ash-blonde hair. 

“What a beautiful sight this is,” she said. 

“Yeah, it is,” Will agreed. “It’s things like this that make you forget all the craziness for a while.”

Goldfinch nodded. “Aye.”

“Skies are pretty nice in Lotan,” Daytona stated, “but this is somethin’ else. A girl could get used to this!”

“......”

While the others took in the scenery, Hotaru didn’t join them, as she couldn’t take her eyes off Chiaki. Her heart felt as if it were beating ten times its regular speed. 

Chiaki removed her hat and let the wind dance through her long hair. Her eyes lit up when they caught sight of something above them.

“Wow…look at those birds!” Chiaki pointed to a couple of birds flying a few altitudes higher. Hotaru, Daytona, and the boys looked up at them as well. 

“Whoa, check those out,” Will said. 

“Oh, I’ve seen these creatures somewhere in a book before! They are called…Uhhh...” The Goldster paused and mulled it over, but he drew a blank. “Ah, the name escapes me. What were they called?” 

“Those are spear-beaked herons,” Daytona pointed out. “They must’ve flown over from the east. We have lots of creeks and rivers in New Dragonia, so we see ‘em a lot!”

“Haha! That’s so cool!” Chiaki looked at the herons with childlike glee. “I’ve never seen them in person!” 

“......”

Seeing Chiaki smile so brightly made Hotaru’s heartbeat increase even more. Just then, a memory from eight years ago resurfaced in her mind’s eye.