"..."
When I opened my eyes quietly in bed, I remembered what had happened yesterday.
After finishing once, we ended up going several more rounds...
...
What happened after that again?
"...Huh?"
The door leading outside was open, and a note had been left beside my pillow.
"Congratulations. So you're finally dating too."
"Please take good care of my daughter."
The note, written in two different handwritings, turned to dust the moment I finished reading it.
"This is just teasing me, isn't it..."
After Aiz woke up, we tidied up a little and left the room.
When we stepped through the narrow doorway, a vast plain spread out before us, and about a kilometer away, Urrs and Aria were watching over us.
"..."
In addition, I could feel several presences nearby.
They were similar to Urrs's presence, so they were definitely spirits.
"Are they calling us over..."
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Ignoring the gazes around us, we headed toward Urrs and Aria.
"Did you enjoy the night?"
"..."
Honestly, it had been good.
I'd been able to confirm my feelings, and it had felt pretty nice too.
"Now then, let's go back."
Urrs picked up a single piece of firewood, swallowed it, then exhaled flames to create a translucent portal.
"Then what about Mother..."
"Aiz... I can't go."
"Why...? Why not!?"
"It's a spirit's rule. A spirit that returns injured can't descend to the Lower World again until it's fully healed."
"Hasn't enough time passed already?"
"Unlike other beings, spirits have to heal their wounds through their own will. Aria was wounded by the Black Dragon, and right after she came back, she went into a deep cave to heal because she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Aiz behind alone. So..."
"You'll need to stay here for at least three months."
"..."
"Don't make such a sad face. This isn't a permanent goodbye."
Aria gently embraced Aiz.
Aiz looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment, but she forced herself to smile.
"Don't hate anything too much. At the end of hatred, there is only ruin."
"Yes..."
Wind began gathering around Aiz.
"Oh? Looks like the wind loves Aiz."
"That sounds... kind of strange."
"If Loki heard that, she'd probably faint."
Unlike Urrs, who was laughing softly, I felt strangely uneasy.
We returned through the portal Urrs had opened, and Aiz.
Aiz blushed as she told me she loved me, then returned to her Familia,
"..."
"Yeah, getting caught again is a certainty."
The next day, Aiz returned with the news that she had reached LV.7.