Free Web NovelChapter 166: Sudden End To A Break
After a good night of rest, the group prepared to return to Avagan.
Unlike usual, every one of them rode on a horse-like monster instead of a carriage.
Louis, Zhen and Ren were at the front whereas Mika and the girls rode a bit further behind them.
"Did the king do something to you?" Sylvia asked Mika, who was between her and Lily.
"We were worried, you know?" Lily chimed in with a small pout.
"Haha... Thanks for your concerns but nothing really happened." Mika replied, smiling wryly.
Sylvia felt something suspicious.
"Well, if you say so." she sighed.
"But what happened to the king in the end?" Lily asked curiously.
Mika had a faint smile on his face.
"Shira went back peacefully." he said.
"Shira?"
"So something did happen, huh?"
Sylvia and Lily were egging Mika on to spill the beans.
Meanwhile, the conversation between the three in the front was a lot more serious.
"I see..." Louis murmured pensively.
"H-h-he did what...?!" Ren stuttered shocked.
Zhen was done with reporting to Louis what happened when he and the girls went into the jungle to rescue Mika. He told them about Mika appearing by himself and about Mika and the king of the jungle holding a conversation before they were leaving the jungle.
Louis sighed.
"A talking monster, huh...?"
It seemed like Louis suffered from a headache.
"..."
Flabbergasted, Ren took a look behind himself, where Mika was still chatting with Lily and Sylvia.
While Zhen and Louis kept talking, Ren was immersed in his own thoughts.
Not only did he propose a challenge to Mika previously but he also embarrassed himself by getting completely beaten up by the king. Furthermore, Mika and his father had to come to help them, however, at that point in time, he was already unconscious and only woke up once everything was wrapped up.
"Hm?"
Mika squinted his eyes when he saw Ren slowing down the pace.
It appeared like he wanted to join them. Therefore, the three created some space for him.
"Is something wrong?" Mika asked Ren, who took the spot between Mika and Sylvia.
"..."
Ren looked indifferently ahead of him.
"This is my loss." he stated.
He thought back on his younger days, which he spent with Lily.
Because of his father’s fame, other kids approached him because they were ordered to by their parents. They all used him as a way to get to his father. However, Lily was the first one to play with him without harboring any intentions aside from just wanting to play with him as a friend.
It was the first time he received kindness from someone close to his age.
"But even if I sound like a miserable loser, who can’t keep his word, I will still try to steal her heart."
Ren directed those words at Mika.
Fortunately for him, Lily was not able to listen to them.
"I will train even harder from now on. So let’s fight again soon. And this time, there won’t be any interruptions." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Leaving those words behind, Ren immediately joined the side of Louis and Zhen again.
Mika sighed with a faint smile on his face.
"How stubborn." he remarked.
Sylvia closed the distance between them.
"What will you do now? Seems to me like the number of guys falling for her keeps increasing every day." she teased him with a smirk.
"Why should I do anything? Isn’t she old enough to handle such matters on her own?" Mika replied bluntly without looking at her.
"Hm, is that so~?"
"Tch..."
"Hey, what are you talking about?" Lily, who had no clue, asked.
"Nothing." Mika answered.
Slightly agitated, he hastened the pace.
And coupled with a few breaks, the group arrived in front of the Hayth’s residence after a few hours.
"Welcome back, everyone! How did the mission go?" Lena greeted them joyfully at the entrance.
Lily was the first one to jump into her mother’s arms.
"To sum it up, the problem was solved." Louis answered tiredly.
He shifted his gaze to Mika, who was behind him, for a short moment.
"Anyways, we can talk later about the mission. Let the kids rest for now." he added.
"Sure! Come in, everyone! You must be tired after the trip!"
When Mika and the girls entered the mansion, they picked up a familiar presence.
"Oh, by the way, we have another guest here." Lena stated with a smile.
"Who is it?" Louis wondered. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
At that moment, a woman entered their field of vision.
"Jeez... I came here to get you guys but the first thing I heard was that you were on a mission in the Great Jungle... Didn’t I tell you to get some proper rest?" she complained.
"Ms. Ross?!"
Lily was the first one to react.
"Greetings. My name is Ophelia Ross and I am their teacher." she introduced herself to Louis, Zhen and Ren.
Louis’ expression brightened up.
"Ah, I see. So you’re their teacher! I’m Louis Hayth, Lily’s father. I hope my daughter didn’t cause any trouble at the academy!" he joked.
"D-dad!"
"..."
Zhen stared at her with narrowed eyes.
"I-is something wrong with her, Father?" Ren muttered nervously.
"She seems so familiar..." he pondered.
Mika stepped forward.
"What do you mean by coming here to get us? Did something happen in Loogam?" he asked.
"I thought that we could stay here until the month’s end?" Sylvia added.
"Sorry that I had to cross your plans but our headmaster has an announcement to make." Ophelia explained.
"Another announcement?" Mika muttered tiredly.
"Yes. After all, the third-years have finally returned." she replied sternly.
That answer piqued Mika’s as well as the girls’ interest.
"However, as you have only just returned from a battle, I’d suggest that you stay here for the night. We will depart early in the next morning."
"That’s right! Go and get some rest for now! I will prepare a feast for today!" Lena declared with motivation.
Thus, most of them scattered to their rooms to take a short nap before dinner.
But Mika decided to go up to the mansion’s rooftop.
With the sun setting, the view of Avagan and the fresh breeze soothed Mika’s mind as he leaned on the rails.
Then, he heard the sound of the door to the rooftop closing.
"A beautiful view, right?"
It was Lily, who joined his side.
She had a slight smile on her face as she looked at the same scenery as Mika.
"Don’t you want to rest?" Mika asked.
"I got plenty of rest already. Rather than me, shouldn’t you be the one taking rest?" she replied with a small giggle.
"After all, you had it the most rough out of us all." she added.
"I’m fine. You’re just assuming that I had it rough. But just like I’ve told you already, nothing happened to me."
Mika waved his hand at her in denial.
"Hm~"
She shifted her attention to the view again for a moment.
"I’m sorry for getting you dragged into this mess. I feel like instead of enjoying the stay here, you had to deal with many problems." she whispered.
"No need to apologize. As long as everything ended on a good note, there’s no need to dwell any longer on those matters, right?" Mika replied indifferently as he was still immersed in the view on the mansion.
"Still, I feel that an apology was needed. I will make sure that Mom and Dad will apologize as well."
"You don’t have to go that far."
"Then-"
Mika sighed.
"..."
Feeling still guilty, Lily sheepishly looked at Mika, who was also staring at her.
"It wasn’t just trouble, okay...? I, too, had my fun here..." he stated embarrassed by his own words.
"You still had fun...?"
"W-well, as long as it’s with you and Sylvia, anything we do feels like fun to me..." he added quietly.
Lily felt her face warming up as she took a clear look at the awkward Mika with the setting sun in the background.
"Instead of apologizing about a matter in the past, how about vowing to improve in the future? Let’s just have more fun the next time we come here." Mika suggested.
His blushing would not stop yet.
"..."
Lily looked at him with wide-open eyes.
"Hehe!" she giggled with a wide smile.
"So you plan on coming here again even though you weren’t invited yet? How bold of you." she laughed.
"..."
He felt like he was dying due to the embarrassment.
"But sure! That sounds nice! The next time we come here, I will show you the city! Oh, I also have to show you... " Lily stated happily.
Mika could only smile as he listened to Lily already planning their next trip to her home.
He felt at ease when he talked with her. There was nothing he had to worry about. Only listening to her voice was enough for him.
"Ah! Let’s ask the others from the white class if they want to come along, too! Then, we could..."
It was only until the lamps outside turned on that the two of them got down for dinner.
