All the girls rushed inside the store. There, Seiko picked up the phone and dialed Ms. Seki’s cellphone number. She didn’t have to wait long.

-Hi, Ms. Seki? It’s me, Seiko- greeted Seiko. -Yes, yes, I’m fine, don’t worry. Yeah, let me talk, I’m at the patisserie with Doremi and the others. Yeah, we… we have talked and… everything’s fine now. Really, I’m not lying, I promise. Yes, I will wait here for you. Bye.

-How was she?- asked Hazuki worried.

-Well, she was worried. She even thought I was lying again, but well, I already did that, I can’t blame her- said Seiko jokingly. -She’s coming right now.

-Then we should wait outside until she arrives- said Onpu.

The whole group sat down on the stairs in front of the store and kept talking about magic, the store and Witch Rika. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of an engine and saw Ms. Seki arriving at the gate in the street with her motorbike. The teacher took her helmet off and rushed downstairs and Seiko stood up and walked towards her. As they met midway, Ms. Seki crouched a bit, panting and with tired look.

-Se… Seiko…- muttered Ms. Seki between her gasps.

-Hi, Ms. Seki… I’m… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for causing you all these problems, for running away… and for kicking your knee… I’m sorry for worrying you so much… I...- said Seiko.

However, Seiko’s words were interrupted as Ms. Seki approached her and hugged her. Seiko was astonished, and even though she couldn’t see her face, she heard her teacher sobbing.

-Don’t you ever do that again… Please, don’t leave again...- begged Ms. Seki in low voice.

As tears filled her eyes, Seiko surrounded the teacher with her arms and smiled gently.

-I won’t run away anymore. It’s a promise. Thank you for everything, Ms. Seki- said Seiko.

The two of them kept hugging for a while, with the other girls watching from afar. After a while, Ms. Seki looked at Seiko.

-Are you alright? Are you hurt?- asked Ms. Seki worried.

-No, I tripped once but I’m OK- answered Seiko.

-And what about the girls? Is everything good?- asked Ms. Seki.

Seiko turned around and looked at her friends, who smiled at her.

-Yeah- said Seiko smiling. -You were right: they are really great.

Ms. Seki stood up and made a sign to the other girls. Doremi and the group approached them.

-Girls, thank you so much for finding Seiko… and for helping her- said Ms. Seki.

-Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?- said Aiko smiling.

-I’m glad to hear that- said Ms. Seki. -By the way… you are all grounded.

-What? Why?- exclaimed all the girls in shock.

-Why? You skipped class, spied my documents, got inside Seiko’s apartment (and I still don’t know how) and when I told you to go back to school, you didn’t- listed Ms. Seki. -Oh, for sure you are grounded.

-Wait, that’s not fair!- exclaimed Seiko. -They did all those things for me! If you should ground someone, it should be me!

-Oh, you sure are grounded as well. You understand now how much you worried everybody, right?- said Ms. Seki with a snarky smile.

-What?- exclaimed Seiko. -Oh, I thought it would work…

-Don’t worry, Seiko- comforted Hazuki while patting Seiko’s head. -Ms. Seki can be hard sometimes…

-I better remember it if I’m living with her- said Seiko laughing.

-What did you say?- asked Ms. Seki surprised.

Nobody said anything, as Seiko’s words took everybody by surprise.

-Well… I’ve been thinking… If the offer is still available… And you’re sure I won’t be a bo… No, wait, someone asked me not to say that word ever again- said Seiko looking back at Aiko, who blushed a bit. -What I mean is… If you don’t mind taking care of me, then… I’d love to live with you.

The surprise in Ms. Seki’s disappeared as she smiled gently to Seiko. She approached the girl and hugged her.

-Of course. It will be a pleasure to take you in- said Ms. Seki.

The girls were happy to see their reconciliation. Then, Doremi approached them.

-Hey, Ms. Seki… If Seiko is living with you now… can she come over to my home and spend the night some times?- asked Doremi.

-Yeah, you can come to my house and eat something with me and dad. You will eat the best takoyaki in the world!- exclaimed Aiko.

-Well, my house is big enough. We can do a pajama party all together- proposed Hazuki.

-Yeah, pajama party! With movies and popcorn!- exclaimed Momoko. -You are joining us, right, Onpu?

-Well, if my schedule allows me… it will be a pleasure to go- said Onpu smiling.

After a short chitchat about future plans, Ms. Seki gave Seiko another helmet to wear and both rode Ms. Seki’s motorbike.

-Can I trust this time that you all will go back to school by yourselves?- asked Ms. Seki to Doremi and the others, who simply agreed. Then, she started her bike and rode away.

-Aren’t you taking me back to school?- asked Seiko.

-No, we are going to the police station to show that you are fine- said Ms. Seki. -And since we’ll have time, would you like to take your things to my place? Only if you want, I don’t want to pressure you.

-Don’t worry. I’d love it- answered Seiko.

-About tomorrow… Kids will probably ask you what happened or there will be gossips. If you have any problem, just tell me, OK? I will prepare a story- said Ms. Seki.

-Actually… I have another idea- said Seiko with a confident smile.