An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"I cannot stay by your side, nor do I have the right to do so. However, I will continue to pray, even after my death. Eletia, my beloved daughter, may endless happiness be poured upon you at all times. May you walk the path of happiness as warm as the sun and gentle as the moonlight."

"……Father……!"

At this moment, Tinreed's eyes drifted a little. It must be because he imagined that there was someone beside Yue, watching this video with her.

"My beloved, please accompany me. No matter what form it takes, please make her the happiest girl in the world. I beg you."

"...Of course, I promise."

Ding Lide certainly couldn't hear what Hajime said.

However, Tinrid in the image had a satisfied smile on his face, as if he had heard Hajime's assurance.

He must have been convinced that someone in the distant future who heard these words would agree. In every way, Tinrid was truly an extraordinary figure. He was truly worthy of being Yue's father.

The image began to fade, and Tinrid's figure gradually dissipated in the air, as if his soul was about to be taken to heaven...

Yue and Hajime clung to each other, determined not to separate, their eyes fixed on the image before them. Meanwhile, Tinrid uttered his final words.

"...Farewell, Eletia. May everything in the world around you be filled with happiness."

The cries echoed deep in the forest.

The sound was sad, but it wasn't just sadness. It was a warm sob of emotion.

Yue turned over and placed her face on Hajime's chest from the front.

Holding the orb that recorded the last words, whose light was fading in his hand, Hajime gently held Yue and the orb in his arms.

I don’t know how long it took.

Yue slowly raised her head, her cheeks wet with tears.

Hajime gently wiped away her tears with his fingertips, then gently cupped her cheeks with his hands.

"moon."

"……Um."

His tone was filled with deep determination. His eyes were full of pity.

This made Yue feel a tightening deep in her chest, and she looked into his eyes with the same passion as his.

"I am the happiest man in the world. The proof is right here in my arms."

"...Yeah. I am the happiest woman in the world, too. The fact that I am being embraced like this is the best proof of that."

Their faces were close together, their lips almost touching, they looked at each other, felt each other's breath.

Suddenly I found it funny and laughed softly.

Hajime slowly took out a ring. It was a simple silver ring, not endowed with any special abilities, but with one unique characteristic: it was difficult to destroy by any existing means.

The ring gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Yue's eyes also gleamed as she gazed at the ring.

"……Proposal?"

He had said something like this half-jokingly before, when he received the magic crystal series accessories in the [Orcus Great Labyrinth]. Hajime couldn't help but complain bitterly at that time, but this time was different.

"That's right."

“…Hmm.”

This time, Shi confirmed her words in person.

The sincere look in his eyes showed that Hajime was absolutely serious. This made Yue extremely shy, unable to even utter the usual "...hmm", and her face turned red as an apple.

"In Japan, it's customary to ask the girl's father, 'Please give me your daughter.' We understand your father's wishes here. I wanted to ask you in this place."

“…Hmm…”

Since I couldn't talk to her father, I had to talk to her herself.

"Yue, I want you. Please give me your future and everything."

“…Hmm.”

Yue gently rested her forehead against Hajime's chest. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she couldn't speak immediately. She felt so overwhelmed with emotion and happiness that she felt as if she was losing her mind, and her fingertips tensed.

However, her answer had already been decided long ago. It was a natural answer.

She raised her head, and a smile like a blooming flower appeared on her face. It was the most adorable flower in the world.

If this flower has a language, it must be "happiness".

With a smile like a blossoming flower, Yue responded with a resolute tone, as if for the whole world to hear.

"……Um!"

Yue stretched out the ring finger of her left hand and put on the ring that symbolized eternity.

Hajime took out another ring. Yue took it and put it on Hajime's finger.

The two looked at each other and laughed softly again.

This is a beautiful scene full of happiness.

The branches of the large trees swayed unnaturally, their movements too great for a breeze. The rustling of branches and leaves, reflecting the light, scattered in the wind.

It was as if the big tree Uya Aruto was also blessing the two of them.

At this time, noisy sounds began to be heard in the distance.

It looked like their time alone together was over.

Yue looked like a mischievous child as he poked Hajime's cheek.

"...Besides this, how many other rings did you prepare?"

"... Yue, you really shouldn't say things like that at this time."

“…Hmm~ Next, let’s give it to Shia.”

"Don't you know how to enjoy the aftertaste?"

Yue raised the corner of her mouth and smiled mischievously. Hajime deliberately corrected her by using the words Yue had just said in the square.

Yue smiled happily, her eyes full of conviction, and spoke firmly.

“…Hajime. If it were you, you would definitely make everyone happy.”

"From a common sense perspective, I'm a complete jerk."

"...We don't need that kind of common sense. As long as we're happy, we can even change common sense, right?"

"What a terrifying statement... Of course, I've made up my mind and won't be lost. Everything is mine."

“…Well, this is my Hajime. But—”

Yue's eyes reflected a red light like ruby, and her charming eyes, full of incomparable confidence and love, firmly grasped Shi's heart.

then……

"Your 'special' can only be me."

She declared, then took Hajime's lips.

"Ahhh~!?" Xia and others rushed out from the depths of the forest and started shouting again.

The quiet space, which was originally full of mysterious beauty, suddenly became as lively as a vegetable market.

Yue finally touched Shi's lips lightly with her lips, slightly distanced herself from him, and smiled at him.

Then, the two of them snuggled up to each other, turned around and opened their arms to welcome the most "important" people to them.

They are the many precious things they have gained since their lonely journey, and they are also the happiness that will illuminate the future.

End of Volume 13

A mass mysterious disappearance.

That was a tragedy that happened to students at a certain high school about a year ago.

One day, thirty-two students and a teacher in the same classroom suddenly disappeared.

This incident is truly incredible.

It couldn't have been a mass kidnapping. It happened during lunch break. Students and teachers were everywhere on campus. It would have been impossible to abduct so many people without being seen.

In fact, no one witnessed this scene. There was not even a commotion.

Therefore, the primary suspect is the lone teacher who vanished with the students at the time of the incident. Some believe the teacher subtly brainwashed the students with words, causing them to go somewhere on their own accord. In other words, this is a semi-voluntary mass disappearance.

However, the investigation team and the general public do not believe this statement.

Because according to the news reports, only half-eaten lunches were left in the classroom. There were also hastily taken out homework, half-erased blackboards, and even a number of tables and chairs that had been half-moved, presumably to sit with their peers for lunch.

In other words, what remained at the scene was a completely normal scene.

There was absolutely no sign of a planned disappearance; the students were spending their lunch break as usual, and then suddenly they disappeared—judging from the signs left at the scene, that was the only possible conclusion.

This was further corroborated by the testimonies of students from the next class and those who happened to be passing by the corridor in front of the classroom.

Every student who witnessed the incident described seeing a blinding flash of light inside the classroom. Students inside were visibly panicked, and some heard the teacher urgently demanding that students leave. Consequently, the search team was completely at a standstill.

It was like a modern-day Mary Celeste incident. The mysterious disappearance of a group of people on a high school campus in broad daylight had become an urban legend.

Of course, the whole society paid attention to this incident at the same time, causing a commotion.

The media exaggerated the incident not only in Japan but also abroad.

Media and occult researchers from around the world flocked to the school to investigate. Furthermore, numerous bizarre religious groups and organizations broke into the campus, causing countless crimes.

To protect the students, the school decided to temporarily suspend classes, and the world's curious eyes turned to the families of the missing students.

Not only are the students' families thrown into chaos, they are also forced to face various scrutiny from the public and are exhausted physically and mentally due to anxiety.

Even so, the trends of the world, like time, are ruthless for both good and bad.

Just over half a year has passed, and even with this alone, the public's attention to this incident has subsided a lot.

Fewer and fewer media outlets are airing special programs on the incident, with only brief news reports on the progress of the search.

Those pundits who pretend to be smart in front of the camera and those self-proclaimed experts on mysterious phenomena who want to gain some fame from this incident still want to put forward various insights to keep this topic going, but the focus of public attention has shifted to topics such as celebrity scandals and politician misconduct, just as before.

And those strange groups that harassed the school were no longer rampant because they were taken care of by the police.

"...Sumi, it's almost time for bed. You stayed up late last night too, didn't you?"

In a corner of a residential area, there stood a rather large, imposing single-family house. The nameplate on the house read "Nanyun."

In the living room of this house, a somewhat hoarse voice whispered this.

He was a tall, thin man, about forty-four or forty-five years old, with short curly hair. His name was Nan Yunchou. Needless to say, he was Hajime's father.

He sat at the table in the living room, his eyes glued to the laptop screen.

"I'm fine, husband. But you should get some sleep."

Sitting across from the man was a woman with medium-length black hair. Like Sou, she was focused on her homework as she responded. She was Hajime's mother—Sumire Nangumo.

Hajime would be surprised if he saw his parents' current appearance.

Hajime's parents, who used to be energetic and humorous, are now skinny and listless.

The two were busy calling for information about the missing person on online message boards, confirming each one, and creating a missing person notice. However, their movements were as stiff as if they were pre-programmed machines, and they didn't even look at each other.

"Your work is very hard right now, isn't it? Your body won't be able to take it."

"Don't worry, my colleagues at the company are all very reliable. They even told me to go home and not come to work. They also said that my ghostly face would only bother them if I went to the company."

"...Me too. I've been on hiatus several times, and I should have gotten back on track... but my assistants and the people at the publishing house have always been so considerate of me."

The world no longer pays attention to or has lost interest in the disappearances, and it seems as if the incident itself has come to an end.

Even so, for the families of the missing students, the incident is naturally not over.

They didn't just passively wait for the police to notify them. After the incident, they immediately formed a community called "Family Association" and actively exchanged information on the search for their children.

People who work with parents also understand their situation.

Cho is the boss of a gaming company, while Sumire is a popular shojo manga artist.

They were completely unable to work during this period, and under normal circumstances they would have completely lost their social credibility. However, their subordinates, colleagues, and long-term trading partners all expressed understanding and actively cooperated.

Since Shi had often appeared at his parents' workplace and helped with their work since he was young, everyone was familiar with this child and was concerned about his whereabouts from the bottom of their hearts.

Most importantly, thanks to the help of people around them, the couple avoided the dilemma of losing their jobs.