“Well why would I bother wasting mana on physical enhancement when I could just train my body harder and use my mana to use other techniques. Besides, lately I’ve felt that there is a limit to both mystic arts and martial arts. It doesn’t feel like it’s enough to fight with platinum rank beasts. The micromanagement of mystic arts that enhance the body and startup time of the techniques take too much time and focus. Every second matters in a high-level battle.” Owari had really felt like something was missing. He once read a book on mystic arts that implied it was merely a stepping stone, but where he was stepping to was shrouded in fog and a barrier blocked him.

“You’re right, I’ve heard a bit about it. There’s apparently some secret to overcoming the gold to platinum barrier just like how you have to be able to kill silver rank beasts with martial and mystic arts on their own to be gold rank.” Rebecca had heard a few things from the gold ranks whenever they would teach her things. She had even gotten a lesson from a platinum rank who didn’t seem to think much of mystic arts.

“Sounds about right. The question is what that secret is. It feels like I have all the pieces but can’t put them together yet. It’s annoying.” Owari sighed, if he could find that secret he could reach platinum rank after all.

“I bet it would be easy for you who is approaching high gold rank, if you haven’t already.” Rebecca smiled wryly, she was barely able to reach low gold rank these past few months, and even then it was because she was slowly mastering her mystic art and not because she was able to kill silver ranks with her bow alone.

“You just need to practice your archery without mystic arts. Get a feeling for how the bow shoots and learn how to maximize the benefits.” Owari had a feeling about what she was thinking of. After all she was the weakest in their group of four so she often felt like she was lagging behind.

“I’ve tried that. Nothing comes to mind though.” Rebecca sighed.

“Then maybe the problem isn’t that you don’t know how to use the bow. Just that your bow isn’t strong enough. If you’re having problems piercing the hide of strong beasts it’s because the power behind your shots is too weak.” Owari suggested.

“I’m already using the strongest bow I can handle though.” Rebecca refuted him.

“Then the problem is your physique. If you want I can teach you some strengthening exercises that should increase the strength of the muscles required for draw strength. That should be the joints and the upper body right?” Owari felt Rebecca was too quick to dismiss this idea.

“I’m in great shape though.” Rebecca wanted to refuse. “But I should probably give it a try at least. After all, I’ve tried everything else.” She got a pen and paper for Owari who wrote down some exercise instructions. “I’ll be sure to practice these when I can.”

“Good. Once you’re stronger you’ll be able to put more power behind each shot. Just because you’re in good shape doesn’t mean the muscles needed for bow use are in top condition. For example I might be good at pulling a bow and maybe even using it, but my body is more suited for the sword. Same goes for fighting unarmed, I’m not as suited for it as I am fighting with a sword.” Owari entered teacher mode as soon as he was given the chance. This was something he had started to do after instructing Erica so much.

“I think I get it.” Rebecca nodded, what he said made sense.

“There, now you’ll make steps forward and you’ll be feeling better in no time.” Owari smiled.

“Thank you.” Rebecca said sincerely.

“No problem, what are friends for?” Owari didn’t find it weird to help out a friend now and then.

“Right.” Rebecca nodded. Friends help each other, if she got the chance she would help him or Noel or Lance without a second thought or need for thanks.

Erica walked over at this moment and seemed to hesitate for a second. “Can I have a real sword yet?”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask Rebecca or the agency. Personally I had a sword of my own by your age, but I had been practicing longer. Then again it’s important you learn to respect a real sword and the danger it poses. She should at least get a dull blade.” Owari said the last part to Rebecca.

“I’ll see what I can do. Normally she would have been practicing for a while now and would be given a weapon for whatever mystic art she chose, but she hasn’t chosen. Even the other kids have begun their training.” Rebecca looked at the three kids all playing innocently off to the side.

“No need to look so down, after all if they don’t want to fight they can get desk jobs.” Owari chuckled, he felt she looked rather motherly.

“You’re right.” Rebecca sighed.

“You people and your sighing. You and Lance would make a great pair.” Owari laughed.

“Oh please, why would I like a battle maniac like him? No offense to you three but I’d rather not be tied to someone who could go off and die without me knowing one day.” Rebecca instantly shot him down.

Owari was amused by her reaction. “I didn’t say you had to be a couple. Where did that come from?”

“You implied it.” Rebecca’s mouth twitched.

“I just said you’d be a good pair. Pair of friends, pair of comrades, so on and so forth. You were the one who instantly turned to dating.” Owari teased her.

“So what? I’m allowed to think what I want.” She rolled her eyes.

“Well I’ll leave you to stew in your own thoughts on that one.” Owari chuckled. He watched as she ran circles around her own mind trying to jump through hurdles to justify her reaction.

“You’re way too good at messing with people. Weren’t you antisocial a year ago?” Rebecca found it hard to believe it was the same Owari as back then.

“I’ve got great friends who helped me come out of my shell. I’ve also experienced so much more since I came here and broadened my horizons.” Owari seemed to be deep in thought as he spoke. He was answering her seriously which she didn’t expect.

Hearing his response though she laughed lightly. “You’re also not a bad friend yourself. I pity those old friends of yours for missing a chance to get to know someone like you more deeply.”

“They wouldn’t have liked who I was deep down anyway. Or at least Lucus wouldn’t. Milly would have just treated me even more like a doormat.” Owari now knew his old friends were quite awful now that he had real friends.

“Well I’m sure they’d be jealous to see you now. Especially that Milly girl. After all just look who you ended up with.” Rebecca laughed.

“Noel is infinitely better than her.” Owari agreed.

“That old friend of yours who is supposedly a talented guy would be jealous of how quickly you grew. After all you never saw him at that annual meeting of geniuses.” Rebecca had heard about the details from Noel.

“He’ll probably be there this year.” Owari knew that Lucus had a talent for the sword, and with his mana, if he was given a fitting mystic art he would be able to reach gold rank. Even if he couldn’t do so himself he would be able to convince the Howling Wulf Agency to get him a gold rank beast to tame. After all the hunter organization doesn’t care how you killed a gold rank beast, even if you used a tamed beast.

“Probably if he actually puts in the effort to grow. I’m more inclined to believe he went sleeping around.” She knew all about Lucus’ exploits back in his hometown.

“He probably did both. I didn’t see Milly back when I visited so she’s probably still with him. I wonder if she knows yet or not. Or who knows, maybe he had a wake-up call and is genuinely trying to have a functioning relationship. Personally I hope it’s the latter.” Owari seemed to be genuine when he said that.

“You’re surprisingly nice considering what they put you through.” Rebecca wasn’t too surprised though.

“I don’t hold any ill will towards them. I had known for a while that things wouldn’t work out. In the end there is no reason to wish disaster on people you barely even know. After all if I’ve changed this much, how much could they have changed?” Owari really wondered what kind of people they were now, more out of curiosity than interest.

“Well I’m sure you’ll see them again one day if they’re still alive.” Of course as hunters there was always the chance Lucas died.

Owari looked at the window. “It’s getting late. I think I should head home.” Owari knew staying later would be inappropriate.

“Alright, see you again another time.” Rebecca waved him off. No need to force him to stay longer.

“See you later Erica.” Owari called out.

“Goodbye teacher.” She looked up and waved a bit before going back to her drawing.

Owari made his way out and went straight home to do some reading. He could go without sleep for a long time now, and if he did sleep he only needed six hours of meditation to restore himself to full mental capacity. He also had a lot more mana by this point. His methods of increasing his mana were allowing him to rapidly grow. He used meditation, mana breathing, and he even used up all his mana at least once per day when he was in the city. By this point he had nearly four times as much mana as he had when he first came to the city. His physical body was also much stronger because of this.

The days passed swiftly as Owari locked himself up and read as much as he could. He spent days without sleep slowly completing all of the books he had yet to read. He learned a lot during this time. However on the last day he made sure to meditate with his mind completely empty to restore himself all the way to full capacity. He wanted to have a perfectly clear mind for his date.

The day came for the date and Owari left early to go over to Noel’s. He had already made some plans for the day, though like usual it was more of a guideline than a hard set of rules. When he showed up he was a bit early so he had to wait longer than usual. Eventually Noel came out and walked over to him, he looked over as he recognized her footsteps. She was wearing a different outfit from the usual date attire. She was wearing a long black frilly dress and had white gloves with black leggings.

“You’re going to get hot in that.” Owari chuckled.

“I can handle some heat. Besides I have this.” She twirled her red parasol.

“Fair point. You look cute.” Owari didn’t hold back his praise.

“You look the same as usual.” She glanced over his attire.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Owari smiled.

“I agree.” Noel shared his smile. “So what are your plans for today?”

“First come with me.” Owari held out his arm and Noel looped her arm through his naturally.

The two walked like that for some time until they reached a semi-busy part of town near the market district. Owari led the curious Noel to a bench and the two sat down. “Sitting at a bench?” She didn’t seem to be angry or upset, just curious.

“We usually walk around, so isn’t this an interesting change of pace? Besides I wanted to show you a little bit of how I see the world.” Owari said mysteriously.

“How you see the world?” This piqued her interest.

“Yeah, look out at everyone walking by. Don’t look at individual people, just the crowd in general.” Owari leaned in towards Noel.

“So this is how you see the world?” She chuckled it seemed so simple.

“That’s the start. What stands out the most to you about this crowd of people?” Owari asked her opinion.

“They’re all going about their lives?” She wasn’t sure what to answer with.

“All of them are going about their different lives in the same way. Everyone of them is a unique and storied person, yet they all act as one when they go about their lives.” Owari explained.

Noel looked closer and realized he was right. Even though there were differences in their mannerisms and appearances, at the end of the day they were all taking the same actions. “Wow, how interesting.”

“Each of these people is different despite all of this. It’s these differences that create chaos, and it’s from that chaos that the most interesting parts of life come from. Spontaneity, emotions, friends, enemies, all of it comes from this orderly chaos in front of you.” Owari continued his explanation. Even Morgana couldn’t help but listen in and think about it.

“So that’s how you see things?” Noel was shocked.

“Not fully. Here take these.” Owari pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

“What are these for?” Noel took them and put them on. “Oh wow, things look so much more bearable like this.”

“You look quite cool like that.” Owari complimented her. “Now then, back to the topic. Look at the clouds in the sky.”

Noel did as asked and found that the brightness that usually blinded her wasn’t present. It helped that Owari chose a place in the shade. She felt he was far more considerate than he might appear at first. “I should have tried sunglasses a long time ago. I never thought they’d help this much.”

“I suppose not everything is as obvious as it might seem. What some people consider obvious others consider abstruse. Now then, what stands out to you most about all of these clouds?” Owari got back on topic without ignoring her.

“They’re all moving in one direction.” This time she was more sure of her answer.

“All of these clouds that appear so different are moving the same direction, blown by the wind. But what do these clouds and people have in common? The answer is simple, chaotic order. These clouds seem so simple and ordinary. But anyone could become a raging storm, or dissipate into nothing. Some might only become a light drizzle. No two storms no matter how similar are the same. Just like people.” Owari slowly laid his feelings bare.

“How… fascinating.” It took Noel a moment to think of a word to describe the feeling she had.

“Everything is connected in the grand scale of things. It’s all the same when you look at things from the outside. But what matters is the small scale. Those little details that are different that aren’t reflected on that grand scale. It’s those differences that make life worth living. How I see the world is at times on the large scale, like when I am thinking about a complicated topic, but when I’m with you or just interacting with people in general, I stop being that observer who only sees the large scale. As my first real friend you helped me come back down to the small scale and appreciate the beauty of life. It took me a while but I figured out that this was why you were special to me.” Owari finally told her what he had been feeling for some time now.

“Wow, how beautiful a sentiment.” Noel couldn’t help but lean closer to him. “I’m glad I could show you something you needed so badly.”

“Now you know how I see the world.” Owari looked out at the crowd and just watched for a few moments.

“I think I get it.” Noel didn’t really care if she understood. She was too wrapped up in her feeling of content and happiness from what Owari said. She never thought she played such an important role in his life.

“You remember how you said you owe me your life?” Owari suddenly brought up.

“Oh yeah.” Noel almost forgot about it.

“I think you paid off that debt a long time ago.” Owari said with a refreshed smile. It was as if a load on his heart had been lifted.

“I see.” Noel didn’t say whether she felt it was true or not. It didn’t really matter. Even if she owed him for the rest of her life she would be happy to pay it back by being in his company and striving to make him happy.

The two sat in contentment on the bench just watching people go about their lives for a while. Eventually when lunch was coming around Owari led her to the restaurant they usually go to. “Now that we’ve done something different it’s time for something familiar. When we first came here we kept a certain distance from one another, we even paid for our meals separately. Now look at us.” Owari smiled as he reminisced.

“Right. Looking back it feels as though we were needlessly complicating things.” Noel couldn’t help but say.

“True, it isn’t really like me to make things so complicated. But it was necessary so we both knew one another's boundaries.” Owari had both positive and negative feelings about that period of time.

“Right, it was necessary. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Noel smiled, she mostly had negative feelings. After all she had been worried the entire time whether or not Owari would accept her feelings and return them.

“Now there’s no need to worry.” Owari seemed to read her thoughts as he bent over and kissed her head.

“Of course.” Noel smiled at the now-familiar display of affection.

The two continued to reminisce as they ate. After finishing they got up and began walking around the city on their now very familiar path. It was strange how much changes in so little time. Less than a year ago they had been strangers in different worlds with no chance of meeting. Then one sudden event caused them to come together and they’ve been practically inseparable since. Not only that but both of them had been naive children back then, but now they were both more mature and aware of the world around them.

Eventually dinner time came and the two made their way to the Sapphire Agency’s retirees restaurant. “It was here that I finally got over my past and embraced my future. In a way it was thanks to that day that I was able to accept my feelings for you.” Owari explained why he chose this place as the two made their way to their room.

“It has a very homely atmosphere. I quite like this place.” Noel also preferred this type of place over some fancy over the top place. It was a good choice in her opinion. It was also familiar but different. First they did something different, followed by something familiar, and ended with something with a little of both. Surprisingly Owari could plan something so romantic.

The two ordered their meals and ate in comfortable silence. It was rare for them to just sit and enjoy one another’s company. But when they did it was always a welcome change of pace. It fit that they would do something like that at this time. When the time came Owari ordered something rather interesting for dessert for them both.

“What’s with the cheesecake?” She asked curiously.

“You wanted to try it that day but instead you ordered something else. When I asked you what I should get, you had me order it instead. It was quite good so I thought you should give it a try.” Owari really did enjoy it, hence why he ordered it every time he came here.

“Surprisingly you saw right through me.” Noel smiled.

“I noticed you were fidgeting and looking across the menu. I noticed you kept looking at three different things.” Owari could still remember that day quite vividly. It was an important day for him after all.

“You really were paying attention to me huh?” Noel smiled even wider.

“Of course, you’re quite eye-catching. After all, you're very beautiful.” Owari complimented her, causing her to go slightly red.

“Of course I am aware of that.” She was quite confident with her appearance, but she was more easily embarrassed today due to all the reminiscing and shared feelings. It made the atmosphere much more gentle and sensitive.

The two continued to enjoy this atmosphere all the way until dessert was over. They both got up and Owari paid the bill as they left arm in arm while making their way towards Noel’s home. When the two arrived Noel went straight to her room to get changed. Owari on the other hand went and sat on the couch to relax as though it was his own home. The two decided not to go straight to sleep since they wanted to continue to enjoy the sweet atmosphere between them.

Noel walked out from her room in the same outfit she slept in last time. Instead of lying on the couch however she walked over and sat on Owari’s lap. Then she turned towards him and hung her arms around his neck. He looked down at her curiously. She looked up with a sly smile. “We’ve already slept together, are you really going to say this is too much?”

Owari bent down and kissed her, lingering for a moment then retracting just as she tried to take it further. “Don’t tease me or you’ll get a taste of your own medicine.”

“How mean of you to play with a poor maiden’s heart.” Noel said in mock offense.

“Alright, if you say so you poor maiden.” Owari leaned in and kissed her for real, taking her off guard. However she quickly joined him and the two shared a clumsy but exciting kiss.

“That was something.” Noel said as she pulled away from Owari.

“Agreed.” Owari just smiled.

“So how has business been?” Noel changed the subject and hid her red face by burying it into Owari’s chest.

“Which one?” Owari chuckled, he knew she was running away but he didn’t call her out. He was also a bit embarrassed as well after all.

“Any of them.” Noel finally looked up at him with a calm smile.

“Well the electrum and orichalcum mine are doing very well. They even started building a small housing area around it for all the miners. It was Tristain’s idea after realizing the city wouldn’t have enough space for all the migrant workers.” Owari started with his most successful business.

“What about the music box?” Noel was curious about this, she wanted one herself so she kept tabs on it to some degree.

“It should be out of development within a few months and they’ll be releasing the first version. I’ve actually been called in to sit in and help think of marketing strategies, not that I’m any good at that stuff.” Owari smiled a bit hopelessly. It wasn’t exactly mandatory but they strongly advised he be there. He was the largest shareholder outside of the joint shares of the original developers which amounts to 40%. They were very desperate for funding. Everyone was shocked by Owari’s willingness to invest.

“That will be interesting.” Noel laughed.

“Want to come?” Owari asked curiously.

“Can I?” She was somewhat interested, if only to break up the monotony of her daily life.

“Sure, as my significant other my decisions reflect on both of us.” Owari knew it wasn’t quite so simple, but he could easily say she is an aide if they get all technical with him.

“Significant other?” Noel chuckled at the term.

“What? Does fiancee sound better to you?” Owari teased.

“Wife would be the best.” Noel fired back.

“Look who’s getting confident. Alright, I’ll one-up you. How about we start planning the wedding?” Owari stared into her beautiful amethyst eyes.

She blinked a few times in surprise. “You win.”

“You have beautiful eyes.” Owari didn’t acknowledge what she said.

“You can’t just change the subject.” Noel felt cheated, she even admitted defeat, but he ignored it.

“Let’s go to bed.” Owari lifted Noel up and carried her.

She let out a squeak and wrapped her arms around his neck tighter. “Warn me next time.”

“Alright, but I won’t. That squeak was too cute.” Owari placed her on the bed and laid down on the other side.

“You really like to tease me.” Noel pouted.

“It’s because I love you.” Owari said nonchalantly as he looked at her.

Her head snapped around when he said that and she pouted even more. “You can’t just drop that on me before bed. Now I’ll be too giddy to sleep.”

“Why’s that?” Owari looked at her curiously.

“Because I love you too obviously.” Noel smiled confidently.

“There it is.” Owari kissed her. “Now let’s really sleep.”

“Alright fine.” With that the two really did go to sleep. They were both tired and content after such a long day.