"Cheers!" A chorus of voices filled the small room as glasses clinked together.
The day had finally come for Rei and Orchid to leave, and Monika had lent them a room for a small farewell party.
Rei, Orchid, Lecia, Monika, and a handful of Enforcer members—those who managed to take a break from their duties—gathered to bid farewell. Most members could only stop by briefly, offering their thanks and toasting with juice before rushing back to their responsibilities. As they left, others would arrive to do the same. The atmosphere was lively despite everyone's busyness.
Gulp, gulp "Ahh, so refreshing!" Rei said, finishing his glass of juice.
"It seems like the chef really outdid themselves today. This food is amazing," Lecia commented happily as she enjoyed the spread.
"Hmmm… I want to try that drink called beer," Orchid said, sounding a little disappointed as she glanced at the juice in her cup.
"Maybe next time," Monika said, patting Orchid's back. "We can't have Rei drunk while he's flying, right?"
"Not gonna happen," Rei replied casually. "I've got resistance to something like that so unless I decide to let it affect me i will not get drunk."
"Hah!? That's cheating, you Astral! Meanwhile, I get drunk so easily! I like drinking, but you can drink as much as you want?!" Monika exclaimed, grabbing Rei's shirt in mock frustration.
"Monika, calm down!" Lecia intervened, quickly pulling Monika away from him.
"You know what? Hey, you!" Monika suddenly called out to an Enforcer member nearby.
"Y-yes, Vice Commander?!" The man saluted nervously, startled by her tone.
"Go get me some beer—now!"
"Y-yes! Right away!" The man stammered before dashing off toward the warehouse.
"Monika, what are you doing?! Drinking in the middle of the day?!" Lecia exclaimed, shocked.
"It's fine! Even if I get drunk, Rei can just heal me. Let me drink until I'm satisfied!" Monika declared confidently.
And so, the farewell party descended into chaos. Monika, true to her word, began drinking heavily and encouraged others to do the same. Soon, the room was filled with the sound of laughter, shouting, and clinking glasses as more and more Enforcers gave in to the merriment.
"Pweh…" Orchid made a face as she tried a sip of beer, setting the cup down immediately. "This tastes weird. Why do people enjoy this?"
"They probably drink it for the effects, not the taste," Rei explained, gesturing toward the rowdy crowd.
"Ha-ha-ha! Drink up, everyone! No punishments today—we've got Rei to heal us! Let's have fun!" Monika's voice boomed as she raised two bottles triumphantly.
"Yeeaaah! Thank you, Vice Commander!" the others cheered before continuing to drink.
"See? Like that," Rei said.
"…I see. I still don't understand emotions much, but I'm looking forward to learning more," Orchid said softly, watching the chaotic scene with a faint smile.
Though neither Rei nor Orchid could get drunk, they decided to join in the festivities, laughing and playing along with the others. The party went on for hours until, one by one, everyone fell asleep from exhaustion and drink.
Orchid had quietly slipped out earlier, the smell of alcohol proving too overwhelming for her.
Rei, however, remained in the room, stuck in place. Because Lecia with her face flushed red with drunkenness, was clinging to his right arm, preventing him from moving or healing the others.
"Heyy, Reeii… How are you so strooong? Is it… 'cause you're an Astral?" Lecia slurred, her voice sluggish and unsteady.
Her behavior reminded Rei of Narmaya's drunken antics, except instead of spoiling him, Lecia seemed determined to vent her frustrations.
"That's not fair at all… I've been trying so hard since I was a kid… but you're so much stronger than meee…"
"Well, I can't do anything about that," Rei replied, knowing arguing with a drunk person would be a losing battle.
After that, Lecia fell silent, still holding onto his arm. She began absentmindedly tracing her fingers along his hand and palm, occasionally caressing his arm.
Amidst the snores of the other sleeping Enforcers, Lecia broke the silence in a low, soft voice.
"Thank you for everything…"
"Hmm?" Rei tilted his head slightly to hear her better.
"For our town, for our people, and… for me. I want to thank you again," she said, slowly tilting her head back to look up at him.
Her face was still red from the alcohol, but her expression was serious, her gaze sincere.
"Thank you for protecting this island," she said firmly.
"You're welcome," Rei replied with a warm smile.
Seeing his face up close made Lecia's heart race. Her blush deepened, this time not from the alcohol but from the fluttering feeling in her chest. Embarrassed, she quickly buried her face against his arm.
The party eventually ended with everyone fast asleep. The quiet room was now filled only with the sound of gentle breathing and the occasional stir of someone shifting in their sleep.
-----
"Ow, ow, my head hurts..." Monika said, clutching her head, which was throbbing intensely.
Even though Rei could restore their bodies, his healing ability wasn't good enough to fix the side effects. They could all feel the hangover after drinking so much.
At the very least, their bodies could move properly, but the pounding in their heads remained.
"It's your fault for forgetting that my healing ability isn't perfect," Rei said, shaking his head.
The other Enforcer members had already left since they had duties to attend to. Even with their hangovers, they still needed to do their jobs.
Lecia was also feeling the effects. Her head hurt so much that all she could do was lay down on the long chair.
"Are you okay?" Orchid asked, looking at Lecia's condition.
"Haha, I'm fine. It's just my head. Let me rest for a few moments," she said with a strained smile.
"I see, but I think we should leave now since it's going to take us a few hours to get back to Former Capital Mephorash. You two can rest here—you don't need to walk with us," Rei said to them.
"I see... I'm sorry, but my head still hurts. Once again, thank you for everything, Rei. Orchid, see you two later. Also, say hello to the others for me," Monika said with a small wave.
"Alright, I'll tell the others. See you two later if we meet again."
"Goodbye, Monika, Lecia," Orchid said as she followed Rei outside the room.
Now, only the two of them remained in the room.
"Are you sure you don't want to follow them, Lecia? I can tell you've already progressed so much with him. It would be good for you to go with them," Monika finally said after a few moments of silence.
"Why are we having this conversation again? I already said I'm not going to follow them. I have my duties as the commander of the Fourth Hall Enforcers," Lecia replied.
Monika knew she would answer like that, so she began to set her plan in motion.
Meanwhile, Rei and Orchid were walking slowly toward the outside of the Enforcers' building.
Since this was the last time they would see the city for a long while, they took their time enjoying the walk.
"It's too bad we can't enjoy the city when it's not ruined like this," Orchid said, looking at the town still in the process of rebuilding.
"We can come back after the city finishes rebuilding, and then we can meet Lecia and Monika again," Rei said with a smile.
The two walked together, hand in hand, watching the scenery until they finally arrived outside the building.
"I can't use my twelve wings right now, so it'll probably take us longer to get back to the others. You're okay with that, right, Orchid?"
"Yeah, it reminds me of the time when you, me, and Lyria flew toward that island to get Akasha," Orchid said with a smile.
"Ah, that... I can't believe it's been a year since that happened. Those were fun times," Rei said, reminiscing about the past.
After a brief moment of reflection, Rei continued forward, and six dark wings appeared on his back.
Orchid stepped closer so Rei could carry her as usual, but before he could, they suddenly heard someone calling out.
"Wait!" Lecia's voice rang out as she hurried toward them.
"Huh, Lecia? Did you forget something?" Rei asked, confused as to why she was here.
When she reached them, she clutched her head again. "Ow, my head... Running while hungover is such a bad idea..."
After giving her a moment to calm down and let the throbbing subside, Lecia looked at the two of them with a serious expression.
"Please bring me along, too!" she said, bowing to them.
"Huh? Why so sudden?" Both of them seemed genuinely surprised by Lecia's request.
Without answering immediately, Lecia pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Rei.
Rei opened it while Orchid watched curiously.
"It's filled with so many names," Rei said after reading the paper.
The document listed numerous names from Monika and the Enforcers' members. At the top, it read: Agreement to Letting Commander Lecia Use Her Break Savings.
"What is this for?" Rei asked, confused.
"We, the Fourth Hall of Enforcers, created a set of rules for ourselves," Lecia explained.
She elaborated that one of their rules allowed decisions to be made if 80% of the members agreed. This could include electing a new commander or even stepping down from a position. In this case, 100% of the members, including Monika, agreed to force Lecia to take a break from her commander duties. Since she had never taken any breaks before, her unused days had accumulated over the years.
With everyone's unanimous agreement, Lecia had no choice but to accept Monika's decision, and so here she was.
"And so, please let me go with you two," Lecia pleaded.
Rei and Orchid stayed silent, still processing her decision.
"What do you think, Orchid?" Rei asked with a small laugh.
"Of course, we agree!" Orchid said with a thumbs up.
"Then welcome to the crew, Lecia!" Rei said.
Hearing this, Lecia's face lit up with happiness. She bowed once again, thanking both of them.
Now, with Rei carrying Lecia in his right arm and Orchid in his left, they began their journey back to the others.