Isaac was in his office looking out onto the city again, but this time it wasn't raining. It was sunny, an uncommon occurrence. He was expecting someone to arrive, meanwhile pondering about how different the city was when it basked in the light. Someone promptly entered the office, it was Ellen.

"Isaac, it's complete. The device is prepared."

Isaac adjusted his tie.

"How long will it take to scan the whole country?"

"A month at most. We've acquired a satellite which will significantly quicken the process, and we've got free way of doing anything we need. It's only a matter of time until we find it."

"If there's anything to be found..."

Isaac sighed.

"But I digress. Have them attach the device and start the process at once. If we don't find it in Japan, we will search the whole world if we must. Everyone is jumping on our inventions, even if they don't want to."

"I'll make sure it's done."

Ellen was about to leave, but Isaac gestured for her to stop.

"One more thing, Ellen. Tell Elliot and Karen to come to my office when you come across them."

"Sure thing. I bet they have some time to spare anyway, hehe..."

Ellen then left Isaac's office, leaving him to his own presence again.

"It's only a matter of time now, Spirit. I won't let you escape once more, no matter what I must do. If you don't come willingly, I'll just have to get rid of you. A shame would it be, but with the Spirit Formula... Eventually, I could get another one of you."

He looked up towards the Sun.

"You don't belong here, Spirits... this is our world."

***

Half an hour passed since Ellen left, and someone knocked on Isaac's office.

"Come in," said Isaac.

The door opened, and Elliot and Karen walked in.

"Hey, Elliot. Hey, Karen. It's nice to see you."

"Hey, Isaac," responded Elliot.

"Hi," responded Karen.

"You wanted to see us?" asked Elliot.

"Yes. I want to share the latest development with you about the hunt for the Spirit. If all goes well, we should locate it within a month."

"That's quick. But why are you telling us this?"

"Because I will require your aid when I corner it. I don't intend on asking a bunch of humans for help, that would reveal our secrets. That's why I need you to come with me. Can I count on you two?"

Elliot was unsure, but Karen didn't seem interested at all.

"I'm not going to prey on a young girl. And besides, didn't you say she was most likely behind the spacequakes? Because even if she is, they stopped already," said Karen boldly, a rare move from her.

"We don't even know what she is, and who knows if she resumes her rampage, or even multiplies it? It's better for everyone if she's kept in check."

"What do you plan to do after? You saw what she can do, won't she just escape?" asked Elliot.

"If we catch her off guard, we should have plenty of time to prevent her from escaping. So how about it, friends?"

"I don't think I'd be of much help," said Karen. Isaac didn't seem to mind her negative response.

"Very well. And you, Elliot?"

Elliot didn't want to accept his request either, but he wanted to be there to prevent Isaac from doing anything harsh.

"Fine, I'll come with you."

Karen was surprised by Elliot's response.

"Elliot...!"

"It's okay, Karen. This must be done one way or another, you had no hand in summoning her."

"We're doing the right thing, Elliot. Even humans would consider this the right thing, especially those affected by the Spirit's actions. I'll let you know when the time comes. Now if you excuse me, I must go arrange something. Goodbye, Elliot. Goodbye, Karen," said Isaac before leaving his office, leaving Elliot and Karen inside.

"Elliot, are you sure about this?"

"I'll make sure Isaac doesn't do anything he would regret. And personally, I'd like to see the Spirit with my own eyes again."

"Sounds similar to what you said before you summoned the Spirit using the Spirit Formula."

Elliot was caught red-handed.

"True, but this time I know what to do. And if Isaac does decide to do something nonsensical, I will stop him."

Karen smiled sadly.

"I hope you're right. I trust you to make the right decision."

"I realise that, and I appreciate it. Oh, but check this out! The view from Isaac's office is truly spectacular!"

Both of them walked up to the windows.

"I can see so many people from here, but they look like ants," giggled Karen to ease the mood.

"And I spot the Sun. From up here, you can really see how much it lights up the world."

"Mhm... That it does," said Karen while basking in its glory.

***

A few days later, in the Takamiya family home, Shinji and Mana learnt a crucial piece of information.

"Schools re-opening in two weeks!" said Mana when she found out. Shinji didn't seem to excited.

"Really? I was starting to get used to a life without school."

"What's school?" asked Mio, curious.

"A school is a place where people like us, students learn things!"

"...Basically, sit in a chair for a few hours listening to boring lectures and taking tests every once in a while," added Shinji.

"Is learning that bad?" asked Mio.

"Learning isn't bad in itself per say, but schools are," responded Shinji.

"You're just lazy, Shinji. Dictionary definition!"

"I'm definitely not, or at least I wasn't."

Their mom and dad walked up to them in the middle of their chatter.

"Kids, we just learnt something you might want to know," started their mom.

"We're going back to work in two weeks, like before," finished their dad.

"Already? I don't want to sound pessimistic, but what if another spacequakes occurs?" asked Shinji.

"So far, they seem to have stopped. And besides, two weeks is a lot of time. You're going back to school in two weeks too, right?"

"Yeah, except Mio here. But she's already so smart I don't think she even needs school."

Mio was caught off guard by Shinji's comment, so she became a bit flustered.

"Very well. We're going on a walk; do you want to join us?"

Mana instantly lit up.

"I do!"

"What about you two?" asked their mom.

"Actually, there is this place I wanted to show Mio. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. All right, you two have fun. Mana, start preparing."

"Mana went upstairs, but Shinji was left a bit flustered by his mom's comment.

"Do you actually have someplace you want to show me?" asked Mio, again curiously.

"Y-Yeah. It's an arcade, to be honest with you. There's a lot of stuff to do there. So... Want to come with me?"

"Of course! It sounds like a lot of fun!"

Shinji sighed in relief.

"Then shall we prepare, since they are too?" asked Shinji. Mio agreed, and so they both prepared and headed out of the house once more, this time towards the arcade.

***

It's only been a few weeks since the spacequake in Japan hit, but life was already slowly returning to normal, no doubt thanks to DEM containing the fear of every citizen. The streets were filled with children, parents, people, and couples. Surprisingly, the arcade itself wasn't too filled.

"Well, here we are!" said Shinji upon entering the arcade with Mio.

"Wow... It's so large!"

"Used to be smaller, but they expanded it not so long ago."

"Did you want to play some games here?"

"Yeah, if you want too of course. We can have a little competition."

Mio's eyes lit up.

"You're on, Shinji!"

The two went to a machine and started playing. Shinji taught Mio the basics, and she quickly learnt the rest. Then they duelled each other, and the victor was clear. It was Mio, who displayed extraordinary skills when squaring off against Shinji. He was amazed at how good she was even though she played this for the first time.

"Well played, Mio. I got my absolutely handed to me, haha..."

"Good game, Shinji! That was a lot of fun!"

"You're good at that game, Mio. I've been playing this since my childhood, and you beat me first try. I guess I'm getting rusty."

"That's okay! I think you did a good job, but someone must win, right?"

"Haha, I suppose so. Let's walk around a bit more."

The two explored the arcade together, until they came across a prize corner. The man behind the counter greeted them upon seeing them.

"Why hello there, young fellows! Would you fancy participating in a game of hit-the-target speciate? The prize for hitting the moving target is a very special one indeed: A teddy bear you or anyone you choose to gift it to can treasure! Isn't it so adorable?"

The teddy bear was light blue and yellow and quite small. Shinji didn't see much appeal in it himself, but Mio did.

"Look at it, it's so cute! Are all bears like that?"

"I suppose they're adorable in their own way, but not like this teddy bear."

"Can I try my hand at this game, mister?"

"Of course, fair lady. All you need to do is hit that target with this dart gun. Here you go."

Mio aimed the dart gun at the target and fired, but barely missed. She appeared disappointed.

"Can I go again?"

"Sorry, but only one try per person. Everyone should have a chance at winning. How about you, young man? Would you like to give it a shot?"

Shinji saw Mio's disappointed face and decided to try winning the teddy bear for her. He wanted to make her smile.

"All right, I'll try."

Mio was surprised Shinji accepted the offer and watched him play carefully. Shinji aimed the dart gun ahead of the target, and to everyone's surprise he managed to hit it successfully. Mio was instantly charmed by how much effort Shinji put in hitting the target.

"A good shot indeed! As advertised, the prize is yours. Here you go."

The man gave Shinji the teddy bear, and the two of them walked forth a bit before stopping.

"Mio, um... Do you want this teddy bear? You looked like you'd treat it better than me."

"R-Really? Can I really have it?"

"Yeah, consider it a souvenir from our visit. And maybe a gift too since you wanted it."

Shinji gently handed the teddy bear over to Mio, who instantly hugged it close to her chest.

"Thank you, Shinji! I'll treasure it forever!"

Even though she probably wouldn't, Shinji found it adorable anyway when Mio said that.

"I'm glad you like it. What do you want to do now?"

"Let's go home~"

"All right."

The two of them walked home together, in comfortable silence. Mio was still overjoyed thanks to the teddy bear Shinji gave her. When they got home, Mana and their parents weren't there yet. It was about time for lunch, so Mio began making lunch for everyone, not just herself. When Shinji saw her making lunch, it caught him off guard.

"You can cook, Mio?"

"I learnt it from you guys! And since you treat me with so much kindness, I wanted to do something in return."

"You're already helping out a lot, but if this makes you happy..."

"It does. And besides, I want to know how my cooking tastes~"

Shinji occasionally looked at Mio when she was cooking, until she was finished. He helped her lay out the dishes on the table, after which Mana and mom and dad came back from their walk.

"Mhm... Something smells wonderfully in here; I wonder what it is?" said mom while looking at Shinji.

"It does, but I haven't cooked it. Mio here did."

"Really? Your cooking looks amazing, dear. We're grateful for it."

"It looks delicious! I can't wait to try it!" said Mana.

"Patience, Mana. The food's not going anywhere," said dad.

"You guys do so much for me, more than I could ever repay, so..."

"That's not true, Mio. But if you insist, then let's just establish that no one is indebted to anyone. We've all done a lot of things for each other, there's no reason to consider oneself indebted for every little kindness," proclaimed mom.

"That said, at least I still owe you a huge one, no matter what mom here says," added dad.

"Thank you... I hope you enjoy the food!"

"Very well, let's get into it," said dad.

Everyone got seated at the table and ate the food that Mio cooked. It didn't fail to meet their expectations, and they all enjoyed it. Mio was most interested in what Shinji thought, so she sneakily glanced at him when he first tried her food. He seemed as englamoured about it as everyone else, so she considered it all worth it.

After they finished eating, Shinji's and Mana's mom wanted to talk to Mio in private. Shinji and Mana went to their respective rooms, and their dad went outside to tend to the garden. Mom started cleaning the dishes.

"Mio, I wanted to talk with you because Shinji told me you never experienced these things, but... Do you know what it means to like someone?

"You mean like their traits or how they act? As a friend?"

"No, I'm talking about the other meaning of like. When your feelings go beyond simple friendship, when you view that person in a different light than everyone else."

"Then I don't know what that means... What does it mean?"

"I doubt you've missed it completely, but my son treats you that way. Differently, I mean. That teddy bear you're holding close to your heart... Did he give you that?"

"He won it for me in a game in the arcade. He took me there today!"

"He was always a hopeless romantic. Always believing love triumphs above all, that mindset made him the person he is, but it always faced him with hardships. But tell me, since you hold that teddy bear so close... What does it mean to you?"

"Huh? It's... a gift from Shinji. I promised him I'd always treasure it. But you mentioned love triumphs above all... What is that? What is love?"

"It's hard to describe. It's a special feeling, like liking someone, but the word is much stronger than like. Love doesn't have to be this or that, it can be between a child and their parent, or between a boy and a girl. It's... a bond."

"But why are you telling me all this?"

"I've seen what you do for him too. You make him happy. He is happy when you are happy. So, I thought maybe... you two liked each other. But it doesn't matter if you do, what matters is that you know what it means. Platonic, romantic... I just want you two to be happy. So, learn to identify your emotions and feelings, and maybe... Maybe you'll know what you truly feel. Both of you would benefit from not cutting corners, haha."

"I think I understand... But I'll have to think on it. Thank you for taking your time to talk to me about this, though. I need to do some self-reflection."

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end. Whatever happens, you two are seriously mature. Anyway, I must put these dishes back and then I'll go outside to see dad.

"All right. I appreciate your kindness, and I too will go do something now."

Mio and mom then went back to their activities and chores, with Mio intending to self-reflect. She hadn't done that since she opened her eyes, but it was time. The clock was ticking for her and the Takamiya family as a whole, since every second brought DEM closer to their goal.

***

End of chapter.