It had been a week since the incident with the dungeon outbreak. The monsters seemed to have given up on entering the town and had returned to their origin, the distant dungeon. Everyone was relieved that no one had been injured during the time Yuna and her friends were casting the long-range barrier that now covered the entire town.
As the group sat in Yuna's home, they began to discuss Miyu and Shiro, whom they hadn't seen for a while.
"Now that I remember, what happened to Miyu and Shiro?" Yuna suddenly sat up from the couch.
"Now that you mention it, the last time we saw them was at the guild, right?" Yukki replied.
"Hmm..." Yuna sighed. Just as they were talking about them, there was a knock on the front door, and they heard a familiar voice.
"E-Excuse me! Yuna, are you there?" Miyu yelled.
"I'll get them," Nerium said, heading to the front door and opening it.
"Welcome," Nerium greeted.
"Ah... Is Yuna here?" Miyu asked, looking at Nerium with concern.
"Yes," Nerium replied.
"Thank God... Can I meet her? We have some business with Yuna," Miyu said urgently.
"What kind of business?" Yuna suddenly appeared behind them, tapping their backs.
"Woah, you startled me!" Miyu jumped back in surprise.
"Wait, how did you even get behind me?!" Miyu exclaimed.
"Never mind that. Anyway, what kind of 'business' do you have with me, Miyu and Shiro?" Yuna asked, looking at them seriously.
"I-I..." Miyu began to tear up due to Yuna's stern tone.
"I'm sorry... It's just that ever since I drank the ultra mana potion, my emotions have been a bit off," Yuna apologized to Miyu with a sincere tone.
"N-No... I'm sorry for barging into your house without notice and trying to invite you to this meaningless party," a tear escaped from Miyu's eye. Of course, Yuna wasn't doing this on purpose; the mana potion had affected her emotions.
"And about this 'party' of yours... Can you explain it in detail?" Yuna asked, wiping away Miyu's tear.
"Understood... A party is a group of adventurers who team up for advantages. It makes adventuring easier, as you have people to rely on. But nobody wants to form a party with us because we're associated with Red. So we're here to ask you to join our party temporarily! Please!" Miyu bowed her head to Yuna again.
"Red? Ah, that guy..." Yukki muttered.
"Can you at least join us for a month? No, even a week!" Yukki shouted.
"I'll accept for a month," Yuna said, touching Miyu's cheek, noticing the tears still flowing.
"Eh?" Miyu was taken aback by Yuna's sudden response.
"I can't bear to watch a girl bowing her head and crying like this. Plus, I'm sure you have a good reason for this," Yuna explained, and Miyu could only nod.
"I'm an orphan who was protected by the church around town. We were so poor that people died every year. I was always talented in magic, but because I'm an orphan, nobody wanted to hire me. The sisters from the church who supported me saved money to enroll me in a magic academy. But... But!! I was bullied every day! Everyone at the academy was from high-class noble families. In their eyes, I was just another commoner who could use tools... And then, and then..." Miyu's words were interrupted by Yuna's sudden embrace.
"I'm sorry... I never realized that. It must have been tough trying your best all alone," Yuna murmured comforting words to Miyu.
"And then... And then..." Miyu started sobbing.
"And then... I ended up getting kicked out of the academy for being inferior... Because of that... Because of me," Miyu sobbed even harder.
"So..." Miyu looked into Yuna's eyes.
"It's okay. Leave it to me," Yuna embraced Miyu, glancing at Shiro. It seemed Shiro had teared up a little too, but she was holding back. Shiro didn't mind being kicked out of the academy; Yuna could see it in her eyes. Shiro simply didn't want Miyu to be lonely in the world.
"Miyu, Shiro, rest here. You must be exhausted from walking all the way here," Yuna patted Miyu and Shiro. They were adventurers, but they appeared to be around 15 years old.
"Are you sure?" Miyu looked at Yuna with questioning eyes.
"It's fine. Don't worry. This isn't even my home, after all," Yuna said, looking at Yukki with a playful grin.
"Now that I remember, it's only been 2 months since you arrived here, Yuna. And you're already acting like you own the place... What's with that smug face?" Yukki sighed.
"Well, I don't mind. Not like I don't appreciate it," Yukki smiled at Yuna, who was still embracing Miyu.
"Nerium, take Miyu and Shiro to my room so they can rest," Yuna instructed. Nerium gently lifted an exhausted Miyu and carried her to Yuna's room, with Shiro following.
"So... Yukki," Yuna sat down on the couch next to Yukki.
"Yeah. Let me tell you about the magic academy," Yukki smiled, seemingly already knowing what Yuna was going to ask.
"It's as if we've known each other for a long time," Yuna returned the smile.
"Magic academy... As the name suggests, it's a place where you study magic and gain knowledge. But it's only for high-ranking nobles who can afford to enroll. This is just a hypothesis, but I suspect the sisters who helped Miyu enroll in the academy might have pulled some strings to make it happen," Yukki explained seriously.
"No, I checked her memory. It seems like she got involved in something more serious than that," Yuna replied.
"Involved in what?" Yukki smacked Yuna's head.
"Ow! Since when did you get so strong, Yukki?!" Yuna complained.
"Fufu, I might not look it, but us beastmen are much stronger than average humans," Yukki said with a smug expression.
"That makes sense. In other dimensions, beastmen are usually stronger," Yuna muttered.
"By the way, where are you from, Yuna? I never knew your origin," Yukki sat up straight.
"...I'm from a dimension far, far away from here. It's so distant that I don't even know if I can get back or not. But it's not a beautiful dimension. Humans have wars every year, and demons are expanding their territories rapidly. Other races like elves, dwarves, and beastmen live in their own kingdoms, separate from humans," Yuna hesitated as she spoke.
"I see... What about your family?" Yukki asked.
"My entire family... They were killed," Yuna's voice shook, and her hands trembled.
"Y-Yuna... I'm sorry for asking such a stupid question," Yukki regretted her inquiry.
"No, it's okay. I'm used to this," Yuna forced a smile.
"Yuna... Do you want to join my family?" Yukki muttered.
"Wait, what?" Yuna's eyes widened.
"N-N-N-Nothing!!! Ahahaha! I'm going to check on Miyu!!" Yukki rushed into Yuna's room.
"Yukki... It's a bit unfair when you just run away like that. Idiot," Yuna smiled, her trembling hands gradually calming down. She started tearing up.
"How can I not be happy after hearing that? My family was gone since I was 13. I'm basically an orphan too," Yuna smiled.
"But I'm pretty sure she won't bring up that topic again. Well, I guess I'll bring it up someday," Yuna sighed and got up, walking into her room to find Miyu still sleeping.
"Sup, Miyu... Ugh, still sleeping, huh? She must be really exhausted after that journey," Yuna muttered.
"I'm sorry for borrowing your bed, Yuna," Shiro bowed her head to Yuna.
"No need to be so polite. We're going to be a party now, remember?" Yuna patted Shiro's head, and Shiro gasped.
"N-N-N-Nobody has ever patted my head before... It's kind of embarrassing," Shiro muttered, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
"Then I guess I'm the first one to pat your head," Yuna chuckled, and now Shiro's face turned as red as a tomato.
"It seems like Miyu is going to wake up soon," Yukki said, and as if on cue, Miyu began to open her eyes.
"Morning, Miyu. Did you have a nice dream?" Yuna smiled.
"Yuna...? Why are you here?... Wait, where am I?" Miyu looked around, confused. Then her memories came flooding back, and she blushed profusely.
"T-T-T-To think that I-I did something inappropriate like that! I'm sorry, Yuna!!!" Miyu stammered.
"It's okay! You don't need to be so formal. We're in a party now, remember?" Yuna smiled at Miyu.
"Eh... So that means..." Yukki's eyes twinkled with excitement.
"That's right. I've accepted your invitation. And of course, Yukki and Nerium too," Yuna made an "OK" sign with her hand, causing Miyu's eyes to sparkle even more.
"T-T-Thank you so much!!" Miyu bit her tongue in her excitement, her face turning as red as a tomato. Everyone burst into laughter, and the day became the liveliest they had experienced. However, unbeknownst to them, something was lurking in the dungeon - a silhouette waiting for someone, someone who was coming for them.
To be continued