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A few minutes later, Kanata and I were sitting next to each other, just spacing out without doing anything special.

When I shot a glance at where the statue was standing, I saw Rir, likely the most fearful among us, touching it. The next moment, her knees jerked, and she looked at her surroundings in wide-eyed surprise. Mika, Shuu, and Sakura had similar expressions on their faces.

After judging that Rir had finished perusing the shop, I went to the side of the other three with Kanata.

“What do you all think?”
“…I can go home? I’m able to return together with you, Ayumu… that’s a good thing, right? And we can come and go as we want… that’s also great, isn’t it!?”

When Mika rushed towards me with teary eyes just as Kanata had done earlier, I caught her in an embrace.

“You’re right.”
“Woo-hoo… awesome! I can see Mom and Dad again…!”

I caressed her head, even though we were the same size. She looked adorable.

“Eh-heh… this is amazing, Kanata!” Sakura cheered. “We can go home together with Big Sis and Ayu-nii…!”
“Yep… Although once we’re back, we’ll have to tell our parents that we’re dating.”
“Oh… y-yeah! We have to… I guess…”

They both were just like Mika and I.

On that note… for the two people who found love across worlds…

“Awoo…! Awoo…!”

Rir, who had left the statue’s side and joined us unnoticed, looking disheveled, pulled Shuu into an embrace. He returned the hug strongly.

…I need to give my thanks to Lord Jizou. The statue looks so much like the familiar deity… it might very well be the same¹. He clearly aided us in some manner with his divine grace.

That thought suddenly came to me, as I held Mika close.

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“…How will we proceed from now?”

Before we knew it, we all had started crying, resulting in a veritable chorus of sobs. Once we calmed down, there was no more reason to stay in the dining hall, so we moved to Mika’s and my suite. Kanata had asked that question, as he watched Sakura smile and chow down on strawberry Daifukus², which had been placed in a basked on the table.

“This whole mess still isn’t completely over, let’s stay here and not return via Soul Separation for the time being. At least for a week, or so.”
“I agree with Alim’s suggestion,” Mika commented, after she had stopped Sakura with a “you’re eating too much” when the latter tried to grab her fourth Daifuku.
“Yep… I also think that would be better,” Kanata agreed. “What about you, Sakura, Shuu?”
“I’m alright with that, y’know.”
“I also agree. Ah, Big Sis, let me eat that~…!”

Mika blocked Sakura, as she tried to grab another Daifuku.

“You’ll get fat if you’re eating that much, you know?”
“What are you saying, Big Sis? Neither you nor I ever put on weight. Don’t you remember that time when I ate 24 slices of cake at a buffet and didn’t even put on a single kilogram?” Sakura explained as she was about eat another Daifuku. It looked like Mika had given up.

On that note, Rir showed a keen interest in the snacks she was seeing for the first time. It was rather funny to watch her bring it close to her nose and then nibble on it.

“I can’t deny that, but… don’t put too much trust into that, alright?” Mika told her sister. “Hey, Kanata, what will you think if Sakura becomes obese?”
“Even then, I shall love my dear Sakura,” he replied, dead serious.

When Mika, Shuu and I heard that, we couldn’t help but grin, which made Kanata close his mouth in a hurry. Sakura’s face had turned a daunting strawberry red.

“M-More importantly!” Kanata tried changing the topic. “Uhm… What should we do for now, Big Sis?”
“Hm~? Aren’t you fine sharing a room with your sweetheart, Kanata? The furniture of the room you’re currently occupying won’t stay dirty for more than a second thanks to the enchantments, so you can use it however you want. Of course, the same goes for Shuu’s and Rir’s room.”

When I told them that, Rir showed a delighted expression. Even supposing they were to perform the final act towards adulthood, the room wouldn’t get filthy. Now it was Kanata’s turn to blush strawberry red, while the hue on Sakura’s face changed to something resembling tomato purée.

“Heh-heh. Well, for now, let’s take a break.”

They all agreed to that suggestion.

It felt as if we all had a load taken off our chests. We all had different reasons, but right now, we undoubtedly looked rather relaxed. For me, I was simply happy I’d see my parents again.

I’ll have to tell them that I started a relationship with Mika.
Heh-heh.

TL notes:
I assume Alim being addressed as “Big “bro” and “Ayu-nii” here is intentional, since everyone is extremely hyped up and not noticing. Just keep that in mind for later.

1. I mentioned this before, but this novel uses two different denominations for Lord Jizou: お地蔵様 and 幻転地蔵様. My best guess is that the former is a general type of Bodhisattva, while the latter is a specific one. I don’t know enough about Buddhism to be sure. Alim usually refers to the statue as お地蔵様, which I normally translate as “Jizou statue” when in this context.
2. The original is イチゴ大福. Daifuku is a type of Mochi, usually filled with sweet red bean paste, but other fillings are also possible. Strawberry in this case.

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