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# Chapter 13: Welcome Home (Season 1 Finale)

The Spirit World began to crumble at its edges, breaking apart with a sound like shattering glass.

Wrapped in Master's mana, Enaga, Akebi, and Chia were pulled into a swirling vortex of light.

*(Ah... once we're back, I need to eat until I'm stuffed. And then... I need to properly say "welcome home" to Master.)*

Enaga thought that, and slowly closed her eyes.

...

............

---

**The Real World**

**A Wasteland**

The instant her vision opened, what Enaga felt first was a silence so cold it seemed to freeze the air itself.

"...ngh, cough, cough..."

A throat-scorching stench, rust and the burnt-out remnants of mana.

When Enaga finally opened her eyes, what stretched out before her wasn't the Village of Beginnings from the Spirit World — it was scorched black earth, torn apart without mercy.

"Akebi...? Route...?"

Nearby, she could see the two of them collapsed, motionless.

Enaga stumbled to her feet on unsteady legs and looked around.

The sky overhead was clear, an unsettlingly perfect blue.

"...Master?"

She tried calling out.

Only the wind answered, a hollow *whooosh* sweeping past.

"Hey, Master! Where are you!? Quit hiding and come out already! You still owe me a cowlick re-tie!!"

No response.

On the ground, there wasn't so much as a speck of dust left — not the huge witch hat Master had been wearing just moments ago, not the ribbon, nothing. It was as if no one had ever been there at all. An overwhelming, absolute *nothing*.

Akebi crawled to his feet, staring at the empty space, his voice trembling.

"...He's not here. He's not... anywhere, Enaga..."

Route just kept staring at the spot where he'd fired his own spell, utterly speechless.

The friends who had only just reconciled were now, once again, three people left alone in the world.

The past Master had shared with them, the warmth of that clumsy hand on Chia's shoulder — a crushing wave of emptiness gripped Enaga's chest, the sickening thought that all of it might have just been a fleeting daydream she'd seen in her final moments.

"No way... this can't be real. He was right there... right there with us..."

Enaga sank to her knees, digging her nails into the parched earth.

No tears came.

There was only color draining out of the world, sound fading away, a deep, bottomless grief so heavy it made her forget why any of them were even standing there anymore.

A minute passed. Maybe an hour.

A silence of despair, stretching out like it might never end, wrapped around the three of them.

*Rustle.*

From behind a nearby rock came a familiar, oddly lazy sound.

"...Phew. Man, that other world really did a number on my shoulders, heheh."

All three of them spun around like they'd been struck.

There, tilting his beat-up witch hat at a lazy angle and yawning, walked Master.

**Master:** "Hey Akebi, what are you making today, huh? lol"

**Enaga:** "............ ...huh?"

**Akebi:** "......eh?"

**Route:** "...ah, ...............?"

Master tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled at their three faces, drained of everything but despair.

"What, what? You're looking at me like I'm a ghost. You want to get back to training or something? Wanna hit up outer space again? lolol"

Whatever crushing emptiness had been suffocating them a moment ago shattered violently under the sheer weight of Master's ridiculous, casual tone.

Rage, relief, confusion, and an overwhelming *"what is WRONG with this guy"* all exploded inside the three of them at once.

**Witch Enaga:** "...Welcome home. All of you."

---

**Master:** "Well then. Guess it's time the four of us start living together, huh."

**Akebi:** "Yes!! ...but man... ugh... I'm gonna miss Kuromame so much..."

**Master:** "Oh— gah— *(black history intensifies)*"

**Enaga:** "Ahahaha lolololol"

**Akebi:** "Eheheheh lol"

**Master:** "Well, then... oh, I know, let's just make another one."

**Route:** "..........huh?"

Master began gathering brilliant white mana in his hands.

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful — like watching a galaxy take shape.

**???:** "Chimi-chimi..."

**Route:** "Wha— ??????"

**Master:** "So, what do we name this one, huh? lol"

There, chirping "chimi-chimi," sat a tiny bird — small enough to fit in one hand, pure white, unlike Kuromame.

**Akebi:** "...!......AAAAAHHHH!!! IT'S SO CUTE!!!"

Akebi scooped it up immediately, hugging it close.

**Route:** "Why... why is this... what even IS this..."

Left completely ignored in his confusion, Route just watched as the naming ceremony began without him.

**Akebi:** "How about... Shiromame?"

**Enaga:** "You've really got a thing for beans, huh..."

**Route:** "............am I the only sane person left here..."

**Master:** "Shiromame, huh..."

---

**???:** "Chimi-chi...!"

The little fluffy white bird hopped up onto Route's hat.

**Route:** "Whoa—!"

**???:** "Chibi!"

The little bird pecked curiously at the diamond-shaped gem attached to Route's hat.

**Route:** "Oh cra—"

**">>>> FWOOOOSH!! <<<<"**

A rainbow-colored aura burst outward, scattering across the surroundings.

**???:** "Chimii..."

**Akebi:** "Whoa— wait... EH!? SO CUTE!!!"

The little bird's whole body glowed with rainbow light, its appearance suddenly gorgeous beyond words.

**Enaga:** "Ahh... okay, seriously, Route, I've been wondering this the whole time — why do you even wear a Spread Stone?"

*(A Spread Stone is a gem that, when triggered by external stimulus, deploys a shimmering rainbow-colored barrier aura around whoever's wearing it.)*

**Enaga:** "Are you really that weak that you need it? Just cast your own barrier."

**Route:** "It's not that I can't take a hit without it, I just—"

**Route:** "...I just think the rainbow's really pretty, okay......"

**Akebi, Enaga, Master:**

*"lolololololololololol"*

**Akebi:** "It's cool though, right? lol"

**Enaga:** "It IS pretty, right lol"

**Master:** "Yeah, exactly lol it's adorable lol"

**Route** *(slumping down, sitting on the ground, utterly defeated)*

**???:** "Chimi... chi..."

**Akebi:** "Spread Stone... Spread... how about the name 'Spread'!?"

**Master:** "Spread, huh... eh, why not? lolol"

**Enaga:** "Sounds good lol"

**Route** *(groaning to himself)*

Route's stomach growled loudly.

**Master:** "...Man, I'm hungry."

**Enaga:** "Yeah, honestly..."

**Route:** "Akebi."

**Akebi:** "...on it."

Akebi immediately got a fire going and pulled out ingredients.

**Master:** "Alright, that's enough emotional reunion and naming ceremony for one day."

Akebi whipped up curry rice at lightning speed.

The air filled with that unmistakable curry roux smell — sweet, but with a sharp, spicy edge underneath.

**Akebi:** "It's ready! Let's eat!"

**All of them:** *"Let's dig in!"*

---

Looking up at the sky, now fully dark with night, Master spoke.

"Well... just like the prophecy said, all five of us are finally together.

...Next, we go take the Demon Lord's head."

"But before that—"

**Enaga, Route, Master:**

*"Seconds, please."*

---

**Author's Note:** First Cour.

That's it for now — complete!

Thanks for reading!