For the first time ever, Haruto conjured runes when taught by Tokino. It made her the happiest woman in the airship. She hugged her husband and vowed to help him utilize Runic Art.

One hour in, the family could now see Coelestis in the distance. Harald, the king, tasked his brigade mages to lock the three demon generals behind bars. Once Yama made the call, they would be set free.

For the efforts of Hokori and his family, one million Geld was added to each bank account—except Kakunō and Yukino due to age regulations. Haruto scratched his head and looked at his wife, “I never knew you had a bank account….”

Harald chuckled in front. “Tokino had many during her duty days on Novus. We only accepted one account, however. One that tied to our central bank.”

Haruto became embarrassed over the revelation; cheeks reddened. He always thought he knew everything about his wife, given they were now married for three years. Tokino giggled at his expression. “It’s okay, honey. I shouldn’t keep secrets from you at all.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Their daughter Yukino blushed in front.

With all that, the family walked on the mansion’s hallway to exit. “Woohoo!! We got a lot of moolah for once!” Hokori raised his arms.

“You’re just gonna spend it again on illegal fireworks….” Kenkō looked at him with eyes drooped down.

He turned to her, “Well, duh! Two days from now will be very special!”

“Why is it special, Uncle?” Yukino looked up at him.

“Celestial Solstice, kiddo,” Hokori smiled, “…Think of it as our Fourth of July. Tomorrow, however, will be a different event. Seventh Day Leisure! You can rest all you like—and go out anytime you like….”

Yukino gasped with a smile and turned to her parents. “Can we go to the mall again?” Her eyes widened.

Tokino giggled and patted her head. “Anything for you, honey… Always.” Hearing those words, Yukino jumped in glee. Her excitement did not fade even when running around the hallway.

As the family walked, a caped boy bumped into Hokori. He appeared slightly shorter than Kakunō. The “accident” in question looked more like a shove. Hokori turned around with his eyes narrowed. “Hey!!! Could you like fuck off from my sight for once? Go stick an icicle where the sun don’t shine, will ya?!” he pointed.

His uncalled-for rage startled the Minagawa family except for Tokino; she looked worried. The other two expected him to react that way and continued walking.

Outside their estate, Richard stood by in front. He announced his leave back to Vetus. “Aren’t you going to stick around, sir?” Tokino walked closer. He shook his head at her question. He decided to report back to Vetus’ king Clovis; their plan was successful. As the Pegasi carriage flew up in the sky, Tokino and her daughter waved.

From afar, the airship changed back into its boxed form and went back inside the garage.

After dinner, Hokori sang “INNOCENCE” by Aoi Eir in the karaoke room. Once again, he made up his lyrics. Haruto walked in to view the said room for the first time. Hokori turned around and chuckled. “Hey, look, boy! I’m signin’ a tribute to you!” he pointed at the screen. It showed two peculiar anime characters.

Haruto immediately found the notion preposterous, sighing and shaking his head. He even doubled down that he was nothing like his associated character. Hokori would not let this slide easily. He stood up, “Oh, c’mon now, boy! Just admit it! Ya even got his hair down to a science. With your dual-wielding and brooding demeanor, it’s like you’re the Black Swordsman’s long-lost twin brother! Now, ain’t I right, ‘White Swordsman’?” he smirked.

Haruto grunted with eyes narrowed. “I told you, I’m nothing like him! I was never fond of video games. Let alone virtual reality RPGs. Pokémon was the only thing that piqued my interest. And besides all that—even if Tokino had chestnut hair, she would still be herself.”

Hokori raised an eyebrow. “So you be sayin’ you won’t like her if she had chestnut hair?”

“No, of course not! She would be gorgeous with it. Not that she isn’t, already…” he blushed while looking away.

Hokori gestured his hand, “What about your kid, then? She can read people’s ‘hearts.’ And her face is literally the same.”

“She’s nothing like Yui, either!” Haruto became defensive, “Yukino is strong. She is an excellent fighter, and she can’t just shrink herself and grow wings….”

Hokori chuckled. “Boy, all I hear is you pulling excuses up your bunghole to make it look like y’all are different. Too bad my eyes don’t lie to me,” he shook his head. They bickered for half an hour. Hokori joked about how Haruto was the Japanese government’s attempt of cloning anime characters. Ultimately, it ended in mutual disagreement.

Hokori held his shoulder, “No offense, boy. I was just messin’ with ya.” he let go. “It’s pointless, anyway. Cuz I was a fan of the original Black Swordsman—compared to the teenage faker.” Surprisingly, Haruto knew who he talked about and agreed wholeheartedly. They now shared stories about how they reacted to the associated manga author’s death. Hokori refused to play online with his friends for three weeks. Haruto did not eat for three days straight and neared hospitalization; he despaired further upon realizing the man died long ago.

Haruto came back to bed after fist-bumping his brother. When he laid down, Tokino moved closer until she was on top. She closed her eyes and spoke softly, “I’m grateful, honey… I truly am. I’ll never regret our new life. We really are a family….”

Haruto sighed and turned to her. “Is Hokori family to you…? He’s my dear brother, now….” he smiled intimately.

Her expression sullied. Tokino could not bear to say it straight to his face. “I-I’m sorry, honey… M-Maybe it’d be better if you asked me that—some other time…” she laid closer.

Haruto’s smile did not fade. He figured out as much how his wife felt. He stared blankly at the ceiling for five minutes until Tokino spoke again. “I don’t like—or accept him yet… I made up my mind on that. But he’s family, no doubt…” she closed her eyes and slept through the night.

Haruto closed his eyes as well, still smiling.

“He sure is….”

Morning came with a beautiful golden shine throughout Coeslestis. Seventh Day Leisure was now in full swing. Numerous clouds hung above, but no rain showered. In response, Hokori—outside the estate—played “Your Sunday” by Sunny Shin and Ampoff.

The citizens relaxed as if the world depended on it. Even employees had a day with serenity at their stations. The rivers and lakes calmed to a halt. Fishermen hummed through songs from The Every Hub’s holographic interface. They never minded not cathing a bite for hours.

Music of pure solemnity permeated the cafés from afar. Citizens spoke to each other of the calming scenery around them—and reminisced about their treasured experiences. Airships parked everywhere unused, and barely any vehicle drove by. When they did, it was an open window stroll across the city.

Even with all of that, the parks remained busy. Children played endlessly, the elderly competed in chess like no tomorrow, and couples teased each other forever till the end.

Pigeons never minded for a second that they neared people. Pets of every kind in every home took their time to sleep undisturbed. In every home, residents poured coffee over their mugs.

Even the hardened mages hopelessly fell in love with the dawn, lying lazily on top of hills.

At Hokori’s estate, everyone utilized serenity to its fullest. Kakunō played “Your Sunday” as well throughout the house. He told the Minagawa couple about the joys of listening to lo-fi music. They nodded immediately.

Kakunō went back to his room and tinkered with his weapons. He also created new ones. This time, he had Yukino happily help him. Her luck-based innate ability proved very useful in careful crafting.

Kenkō went in touch with her colleagues, who were at home. She asked if the boy was doing fine; she was given a yes. She also found out that her superior, Dr. Gregory Hugh, would never rest. Even in such events as Seventh Day Leisure.

Haruto and Tokino cooked in the kitchen with no breaks. However, they shared their perpetual teasing. Every time Tokino tapped her husband’s forehead, Haruto tickled his wife’s sides from behind. As they set the table, breakfast today was tonkatsu, full English, tataki, Sunday roast, ramen, and shepherd’s pie. A French-pressed brew of espresso complemented the dishes.

Kakunō went outside the house to tell Hokori the food was ready. The latter sat on the middle fingertip of the giant hand statue, simply viewing the sunrise with a smile. Hokori jumped down and flash-stepped to the door inside. He realized nobody sat in his favorite spot. He thanked them all for saving it.

“Be careful, honey… It’s still hot,” Tokino told her daughter, who held her mug away from the handle.

Both Hokori and Haruto gave their usual thanks in Japanese before eating. It made Tokino realize that she forgot to tell Yukino to do the same. “I believe we should do it every day, Yuki. It was bad luck not to where I come from.” a nearby Kakunō explained.

Kenkō placed her coffee down. “We’re not living in your nation, country boy. You don’t have to enforce foreign customs everywhere.”

He chuckled and smiled. “It ain’t about the custom itself. It’s the overall principle behind it. I find it highly uplifting for the spirit—and very respectful on the table.”

She sighed with her eyes closed. “Whatever… Let’s agree that people should be allowed to do whatever they want. I’m not here to belittle anyone.”

Yukino asked Kakunō if his country was similar to where her father was born. He revealed it was more like the Edo period than anything else. As a result, he did not speak well of it. His nation had similar outdated laws—present even today. He explained further he defected because of two promises he made. Finding it very depressing, Hokori interrupted their conversation to cheer them up. “Aight, fam. Time for us to hit the road, ya know I’m sayin’?” He smiled.

They all agreed with a nod.

After breakfast, the family stood outside within the runic sphere at the center of the estate. Instead of being transported to the king’s home, they were transported to a station only accessible to mages. They decided to take transit.

On the train, Yukino noticed entire skyscrapers from afar disappearing abruptly. They reappeared in empty locations. Hokori told her that it was a case of companies buying their assets. In the one instance that Yukino noted, it was a literal merge of two corporate buildings.

They settled at the plaza. Not only did it have countless restaurants, but a fair and outlet mall was also nearby. They were accessible through rune portals that citizens would go in. By command, concrete platforms levitated to different desired locations.

Yukino rode a flying roller coaster with her older siblings at the fair. Later on, she competed against opposing ship riders at a space opera simulation. Kakunō was the first to be downed, while Kenkō held on until the last second—when the top player got the better of her. In the end, Yukino dethroned him with the help of her innate ability.

At the outlet mall, Tokino decided to become more childlike than usual. She tapped Haruto’s forehead when he least expected it. She also began retaliating to his infernal tickling with her own. When Haruto bought bubble tea, the cup disappeared from his hand. All of a sudden, another tap occurred when he turned around.

Hokori from afar chuckled at the scene. “Let’s see if this fits perfectly…” he played Doja Cat’s “Say So” via his Hub interface.

Tokino wrapped her arms around Haruto’s shoulders; she smirked with eyes drooped down. “Find me before I’m gone again, Hopeless Haruto… Otherwise, I’ll find you myself…” she whispered to his left ear.

In a flash, she disappeared from his sight.

Moment to moment, Tokino peeked from her hiding spot. Every time Haruto noticed her said peeking, he would lunge forward and fail miserably at catching her. Every time he was so close, he would feel his wife’s presence just behind him and turn around constantly.

At the end of the charade, Tokino pounced on Haruto in front. He tumbled on his back at a ring-shaped public bench—encircling a tree.

Before Haruto fell, it was as if the whole world slowed to a crawl. All he could see was Tokino’s vibrant complexion, smiling at him. He even perceived her smooth, lustrous lavender hair as waving around in zero gravity.

Tokino giggled while laid on top of him. “Once again… the Triumphant Tokino wins! Your heart is mine…” she moved her husband’s head to her and made the first move.

With both of their eyes closed, the session lasted for two minutes. It became too steamy for the public to handle. Several teenage girls from afar pulled up The Every Hub for footage. They screeched in pure excitement, seeing their favorite archmage in person fuel their fantasies for their original work online.

It was not just them who took pictures. An adult man nearby had a Eureka moment, yelling that their session was the perfect material for his new comic. For the other adults, they blushed at their presence, including other couples, who were asking themselves if they should do that more often.

For the elderly, they lambasted the mage couple’s risque actions—and yelled at them to get a room. Even when they ended the session out of respect, an eighty-year-old man complained ceaselessly about how lust poisoned the new generation.

Tokino turned to Haruto and giggled. She grabbed his wrist and whispered to him again. “Time for you to make good on my reward for winning the ‘fight.’ Follow me wherever I go. No matter what…” she touched his lips once more and walked to a German-themed buffet restaurant.

Haruto sighed and smiled with his eyes closed. He walked toward the restaurant.

“Tokino… You’re the brightest light of my life… It’s a miracle—that you never fade….”