Harold woke up in the Kane Academy medical ward. As he shifted his body up, he heard the bag of potato chips crumple right next to him. "Oh, hey, you're awake." It was Harlibue, loudly crunching on some potato chips. Harold's whole body ached with every movement, and his mind felt numb. "Mister Harlibue... how long was I out for?"
The words Harlibue followed up with were, "Only for a few days," and he finished off with another crunch of his potato chip. "Whatever you did in that battle, you pushed beyond what your body could handle. I hope in your next battle, you don't do the same thing." He finished his bag of potato chips by crushing it into a ball and tossing it in the trash bin.
"I'll try not to." Harold's eyes met the objects on the small table positioned next to his bed. The items on the bed were gift baskets, teddy bears, flowers, and snacks. Many letters were left on the assortment of items, each having a different name on them.
"Get better soon!" - Linia and Esmeralda
"Thank you for your help. Let's train together one day." - Stephen
"May you be blessed with a great recovery!" - Yun
Harold noticed that of all the gifts, the only one that wasn't there was Mina's. Harold immediately imagined the worst that could happen in the attack. "Mister Harlibue, where's Mina's gift? Is she alright!?"
Harlibue covered his mouth with his hand, giving him a small teasing wave. "Oh, you worrywart, she had no time to make a card. Because every day, she'd come in, smother you with kisses and cuddles while you slept." Harold's face turned unamused at what he was saying. "Harlibue, please stop teasing me... If you're joking like that, I'm sure she's fine."
"Yeah, I saved her from trouble. Don't worry, I made sure she and the others evacuated safely. Your little girlfriend is safe, Harold."
Harold's reaction of unamusement moments earlier shifted to a crimson red. The jolt of the words "little girlfriend" made his heart skip a beat. He stammered his words, only managing to force them out in a failed attempt at recomposing himself. "W-We're not dating! I-I told you to stop teasing me like that!" Harlibue snickered at the flustered mess he caused, keeping his hand over his mouth. "Hehe, not dating yet. I shipped you two the moment I paired you both together!"
At this stage, Harold was trembling at his breaking point of embarrassment.
"YOU GROWN-ASS MAN, SHUT THE FU-"
Meanwhile, down the hallway, Mina happily strutted to Kane Academy's medical facility. The academy was still undergoing repairs, but classes were still active. "Lalalala, I can't wait to see Harold again! I love to kiss and cuddle with him every day!" Sorrow suddenly emerged in the palm of her hand. "Mina, that is unladylike! Listen, if you want to win his heart, you need to become more proper! You can't just keep kissing and cuddling him while he's still recovering! You look desperate!"
"B-But I can't help it... I'm just super happy Harold survived. And I heard from mama that kisses and cuddles would make anyone feel better."
"Listen, you're making great progress; you two are looking closer than ever. Just keep being yourself, and you'll do good, okay? Stop pouncing on him every moment you get!"
"Okay... fine." Mina responded with an adorable pout, muttering under her breath. Once she reached the door to the room that held Harold, she opened it. Right away, her gaze met with Harold's, and her heart skipped a beat. Harold was awake, and upon their interconnected gazes came a tender smile from Harold. "Hey, Mina. Have you been well?"
Running to him, she leapt and gave a warm hug around his waist. "Harold! I'm so glad you're awake! I missed you so much!" Her words were muffled against his body, and Harold began to pet her head soothingly. "I missed you too, Mina. I'm happy you're safe." Harold's hand slid over Mina's curly, silky, and smooth lengthened hair as he spoke with Harlibue. Mina slowly grew more pliant to the headpats, sinking her face into his lap in a dozed state.
Harlibue cut into the wholesome moment with a sharp tone. "I'm glad you both are happily catching up together, but I have to get to more serious topics now." Harold's face shifted to Harlibue. His happy contentment turned to concern in an instant. Even then, his headpats to Mina never stopped. "What do you mean?"
"According to the police, in the aftermath of the attack... your father was found dead."
Harold's world stopped, his hand halting on Mina's head with a noticeable tremble. "D-Dead?"
"Yes, I am sorry to say that your father has unfortunately passed. He died tragically in the attack."
Harold tried to find any hint of a lie in his expression or his words, but he couldn't find any. "How did he die?" Mina looked up in concern, hearing that his voice was weak. His face was pale, and he was hyperventilating. "Harold, no! Don't cry!" Mina leapt from his lap and pulled his face close to her chest. She kept her hug with a gentle nuzzle, her breath brushing his ear. "Calm down, Harold. I'm still here for you, okay? Just breathe, there, there."
Her warmth was a barrier to his emotions that were about to pour out. And just for a slight moment, he felt it. The feeling of comfort and safety had enveloped him, the same feeling that was given by his own mother. "M-Mina..." he grasped her waist as he pulled back, meeting his face with hers. "Thank you..."
"As for how your father died, he was murdered." Harlibue dropped in the middle of their intimate moment.
Harold's attention snapped to Harlibue within an instant. "Who was the person who killed my father?"
"I'm unsure, but his wounds did not look like he died from the Nevality attack. He was purposely targeted with one swift blow." he responded. Mina looked at Harold's eyes at the information. A glint of anger, fear, and anguish came from his eyes. "Harold..." she sadly murmured. She wanted to do something for him, but couldn't think of anything else to do besides being there for him.
Harold slumped back in his bed, having Mina's body rest on top of his. Her face nestled in his chest before her gaze averted back up to him. "I—don't know what to do anymore." His voice was in defeat as he felt his whole reality in utter shambles.
Harlibue then dropped an offer. "How about this? I'll set you on a field trip to clear your mind. And by doing this, I'll graduate both you and Mina with this trip."
"A field trip?"
"Yes, a field trip! Since you're going through a lot, why not go on an adventure to clear your mind? Better than doing some lame math questions at this academy. You'll just have to do one thing in particular to get your credits to graduate."
Mina's attention perked up as well, turning her head to Harlibue. "What would that be?" she asked.
"Linia, the student council president, is actually not from here. She's from an entirely different place called "Kasus". And within one month, summer break will begin for the academy. Linia is going to go back to her home to visit for the summer break, and she needs someone to escort her there safely."
Harold resumed his headpats to Mina before asking Harlibue, "Okay, but why does this reward us with graduation? I'm so confused."
"Well, escort duty is a job, and a job on this level should surely be a learning experience, right? Technically, this counts as a class! Also, I highly doubt anyone would look into it anyway if I allowed it!"
"R-Right..." Harold replied.
"By the way, what are your goals after graduation, Harold? Same with yours as well, Mina." Harlibue spoke with genuine curiosity.
"After graduation, I was hoping to find my mother or at least get proper closure on her. Before, she suddenly disappeared from my life, but now, only recently, have I gotten a sign of her." Harold summoned a glimmering light in his hand before Grand Radiance emerged. "And it's this Artifact. She sent a clockwork from wherever she was to give this to me. I was told that this Artifact is owned by some 'Yula Kingdom' place, so I'm hoping to find clues there."
Harlibue touched his chin, observing the Artifact and squinting at it. "Ah, yes, the Yula Kingdom. That indeed is the place that originally had Grand Radiance. I wouldn't recommend going there, though. You'll most likely just get killed, or they'll use a Harvester on you to extract your Artifact. Either way, your Artifact is going to get taken."
Harold was taken aback by the sudden conclusion. "Wha-, what?"
"You heard what I said. It's their precious Artifact, so they'll use any means to get it back from you. You're not strong enough to face them either; it'll be a brutal beatdown for you."
"I'll just be stealthy, and it'll be all good!"
"Nope. Too risky. The moment they see you summon your Artifact, they'll send an entire army after you. I wouldn't risk it at all if I were you, especially when you're young. I'd love to help you with your little side quest, but the kingdom is across the entire world, and I have more important matters to attend to."
"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" Harold's eyes squinted at Harlibue as he questioned him.
"I have to deal with world-ending threats, silly. Do you think I just laze around all day?"
Harlibue then glanced at Mina, who was listening to the conversation. "And what are your goals after graduation?"
Mina hesitated for a moment, her gaze swapping between Harlibue and Harold before taking a deep gulp. "If it's fine with you, Harold... I want to stay with you. I'm lonely, and I like being with you, so please?" Harold's eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly in awe, but it shifted to a tender smile. "Yeah, don't worry about it, Mina. I was planning for you to tag along anyway. We're pals after all."
Her face shifted to a warm smile as she clutched her heated chest with a deep sigh of relief. "Yeah, pals!" she chirped delightfully.
Harlibue chuckled at the wholesome moment, standing up. "Before you travel anywhere, I want you to make a full recovery. The nurse wants you to take this healing potion every week and focus on not moving too much." Harlibue tossed a healing potion at Harold, which was swiftly caught. "Erm, what if I get bored and wanna go out? Or need to go to the bathroom?"
"You'll have an assigned caretaker for you to help you with your daily needs."
Mina quickly raised her hand. "Ooo, me, me! I wanna be the caretaker, I wanna be the caretaker! I promise I'll take care of Harold every day! Please, please!"
"Hm, alright. Doesn't really seem like a big deal to me." Harlibue says before turning the doorknob. "D-Didn't you agree to that too easily?!" Harold was baffled, unlike Mina, whose legs were kicking in the air in glee. "It doesn't matter who it is as long as they take proper care of you, but I'm also just too lazy to find someone. Anyways, don't go off into that Yula Kingdom place and die like an idiot. If you need a job, I can get you employed somewhere." Harlibue dropped as he finally walked off.
The footsteps of Harlibue grew more distant and quiet, and once they weren't able to be heard, Harold looked down at Mina's face. "Mina, I'm going to the Yula Kingdom anyway. You wanna go or not? If not, I'll ask Harlibue to get you settled somewhere while I slip away."
Mina shook her head. "No! I said I wanna be with you, so I wanna be with you!" She held a cute pout before shoving her face into his chest.
Lying back in bed, he closed his eyes, resting his hand on Mina's head. "Alright. I'm going to rest now." Mina's eyes grew heavy shortly in the relaxing mood before falling asleep as well.