"Do you like that one?" Leon asked as he saw me swinging a sword around. We were currently at a weapon store down by the plaza.

"It definitely feels right in my hand but. . . The problem is that I'm not going to fight monsters anytime soon," I replied, looking closely at the sword before putting it back. "Soon I'm going to outgrow the sword without having even used it."

There really were a lot more weapons here in the capital than in the city. I've already found several that fit my stature. "Yeah, I know what you mean," Leon replied. "And I agree. You should get a larger-sized sword so that eventually, you'll grow into it."

"That's the plan but I don't know what size to get since I don't know how big I'll grow," I pointed out as I started at Leon. Hm? Why don't I just use him as a reference? "Do you remember what kind of sword you used back when you were a teen?"

"Hm?" he let out, knowing where I was getting at. "Let's see?" he said as he began to look around. Genetically speaking, since Leon is my father I'm guessing I'll follow the same growth pattern as he did.

After some time of looking, he came back with a sword in hand. "Here's one, the only one in fact," he said, handing me the sword.

"Is this really the only one?" I asked to which Leon nodded in agreement. Taking a long look at the sword I noticed it was a bit too fancy for my taste.

The grip was dark while the pommel and guard were silver-colored with golden designs. The blade was also dark and very thin. Giving it a few swings I noticed it didn't feel all that off but not all that right either. "I guess this is the one."

Having purchased the sword I went ahead and strapped it on my hip. As I walked I noticed a string dangling off the fancy sheath. And that's when I realized that I probably looked like a spoiled brat to other people.

A little noble boy having a fancy sword on his hip. So embarrassing. I thought as I then removed the sword and asked Leon to hold on to it.

We then moved on to a place that sold all kinds of artifacts. "Hello, sir," I spoke, walking up to the front desk. "Do you happen to have a strong box-shaped artifact with a complex lock that I can use to store valuable items?"

"My, my, how very specific but yes I have just the thing," the man replied. "Follow me," leading me further down the store he stopped before several boxes that were lined up all with different sizes. "Here they are."

"Wow!" I let out as I took in the sight in front of me. The crates were cube-shaped and looked to be made out of some kind of metal. But there was a part that stood out, literally, it was a small circular layer that stood out. Which had six symbols written on it, three on the top and three on the bottom as well as a handle.

"These safe boxes are made from one of the toughest metals found in this continent. Inside, there is a sigil that runs along every wall all connecting here," the man said pointing at the layer that stood out. "You have to imbue mana to all six points in a specific order which will break the sigil temporarily allowing the small door to open. When closed the sigil will once again reconstruct and keep the box tightly shut. . . Now, take your pick."

"Hm," I let out deep in thought. Sounds just what I'm looking for. The reason why I want one of these is because the maids walk into my room constantly to clean and they reach every spot. It's been more than once that I had to take out the Exosia orb from the fear that they'd find it. With this safe, they should take the hint to leave it alone and not open it.

"This one looks good," I said out loud. I chose a decent-sized box big enough to store the Exosia.

"Great!" the man exclaimed. "Now, wait here a moment," having walked away for a second. He came back shortly after, with some kind of file folder in hand. Quickly flipping through it he pulled out a small piece of paper the size of a card. "Here it is! Now, just to make sure it works."

Looking intently at the paper, which I assumed was the combination, the man then began imbuing mana onto the symbols in a specific order. After he was done the box let out a low humming noise before the man pulled on the handle which then opened the small door. "Yup, it works! Here ya go kid," he said handing me the paper.

"Thanks!" I said as I looked at the paper briefly, noticing a number on the top corner as well as six separate symbols which were the same as the ones on the box. I assume this is the order they go in. I thought as I stashed the small piece of paper in my pocket.

After closing the safe box the man then picked it up. "Huh!!" he let out in a struggle as he then carried it to the counter. "Phew! These things sure are heavy, you better let your dad carry this for you," the man said showing a smile. "Anyway, that'll be fifteen gold coins."

"Here you go," said Leon, who had been silent all this time, as he handed the coins to the man. Then he looked at the box for a second then back at me. "You can carry it, right?"

Letting out a sigh I reached my hands up and picked up the heavy metal safe as easy as if it were a cardboard box. "Let's go," was the only thing I said as I walked behind him. Thanks to my gravity magic I am able to carry this thing with ease.

"Pleasure in. . . Doing business. . . With you," the man who sold us the safe said, sounding confused as he witnessed what had just happened.

After our little shopping trip, we headed toward the carriage that was waiting for us. Having entered with all my things, the carriage began moving.

-----

Sitting alone in my room I focused my mana at the tip of my finger. Imbuing each symbol that was carved on the box in the same order that was written on the paper. Pulling on the small handle, it opened.

Carefully placing the Exosia orb in the center I then closed it back up and then moved the safe, hiding it deep in my closet.

And as for the combination. . . Hm? I thought as I began to look around, my gaze landing on the bookshelf on my wall. Perfect! Walking over to it I got one of the many books and placed it in a small pocket that was inside the hardcover.

Now that I got that out of the way. Next is. . . I walked back to my closet and grabbed my old sword. You, my old friend. My very first sword, the same one I used to kill several monsters up in Canavar.

Clenching it hard in my hand I began to walk out of the room and made my way to the backyard. There I found Leon waiting for me, leaning against a tree that rested atop a small hill.

Using his earth magic he dug a small hole. Before disposing of it I took a look at it one last time. It was rusty, chipped, and slightly bent out of shape. Since it was my first sword I didn't really know how to take care of it so it gave out quickly.

Placing it back inside its sheath I threw it in the hole. "Any final words," Leon said as he covered it back up, the blade now well buried underground.

"Oh, my unnamed sword. I still remember the day I found you hung up in a storage room," I spoke, feeling a bit sad to let go of my old weapon. I didn't think I'd get this attached to a sword. "Goodbye."

"Here you go," Leon said handing me the new sword I had bought earlier. "This one will last far longer than your last, so try not to get too attached," only giving him a nod in response, I took the sword.

"Hellooo!!" I heard Hanna's voice come from behind me. "What are you guys doing?" she asked walking closer, peeking her head over my shoulder. "Wow!" she let out as her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Is that your new sword!? It looks so cool! Lemme see!"

Reaching her hand she grabbed my sword. "Wow!" She repeated as she slowly slid it off its sheath. "So cool! Hehe!" she spoke while she swung it around.

Leon and I looked at each other for a second, giving me only a small shrug we turned our attention back to Hanna. "When are you going to buy me one?" she asked, looking at Leon.

"You're still in training so keep using practice swords. Once you learn internal mana control I'll get you one," Leon said.

"Deal!" she exclaimed happily. "Here you go, brother," she said handing me back my sword.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting your things ready, you're leaving tomorrow morning," I pointed out. Tomorrow is Hanna's first day of school. It is a requirement for students to stay in the dorms.

Her expression visibly turned a little bit sad after hearing my comment but she looked back at me with a smile. "Yeah, yeah! I know!" she said then walked away.

Later that night we had a family dinner. Since both Hanna and Alexander were leaving we decided to have one last meal together.

Taking my seat I noticed that the atmosphere around the table was a bit down. "Hehe, what's with the awkward mood here," Nina said with a clearly forced laugh. "Let's just enjoy this time we have together."

"Y-Yeah, she's right," followed Theodore. "It's not like she's leaving forever. . . Plus, we'll all be going to the same school soon," he pointed out in an attempt.

As I listened to them comforting Hanna my gaze drifted off and landed on Flare. She was eating on the floor some distance away. As I looked at her I noticed she chewed on a piece of lemon. Then her face twisted into a funny expression due to the sourness of the lemon.

"Yeah, I know," replied Hanna. "But it's still a bit scary. . . What if. . ." she started to say but hesitated. ". . . What if I can't make any friends?" she finally said.

"Ha," I chuckled quietly to myself due to Flare's antics, trying to forget it had just happened.

"Of course you can," Nina told Hanna, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "You're one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends."

"You. . . Really mean that?" Hanna asked her face conveying a variety of emotions.

"Of course I do," Nina replied as if it were a simple matter of fact. Hanna stayed quiet, the corners of her lips curving up into a warm smile.

"Hehe!" I let out once again a bit louder. Then a loud slap resounded as I smacked my own mouth shut. As I tried to clear my mind I felt several pairs of gazes being directed at me. But the more I tried to forget the clearer the image in my brain got and finally. "Hahaha!!!!" I broke into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

Now that I had released all that pent-up emotion my laughter died down quickly. Shifting my attention to the other guys I noticed them looking at me with incredulous expressions. "I'm sorry," I spoke wiping a tear from my eye. "Don't mind me," I said, brushing them off with the motion of my hand. "Just keep talking."

But instead of continuing their conversation, they looked at me, in complete silence, with the same expression. "What?" I asked.

"Arata. . ." Theodore spoke, his tone of voice the same as the expression on his face. "What is wrong with you?"

"Huh?" I let out, visibly confused as everyone looked at me weirdly. "W-What do you mean? What's going on?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed due to being the center of attention.

"We're having a serious discussion here. And you find it funny," Said Theodore, his tone conveying that I should know better.

"Wait what? N-No, this is just a misunderstanding," I said, but by the look on their faces, they weren't buying it. "If you could've only seen what I saw then you would've burst out laughing too."

"Ugh," He let out a sigh with a roll of his eyes. "Please enlighten us, what did you see?" he asked, his voice exaggerated as he spoke.

"Hm!" I stiffened a bit as they all waited for me to show them the cause of my laughter. "Okay, check this out," turning my head to my side I found the person I was looking for. "Flare, come here!" At my call, she came running to me and hopped on my lap.

I then picked her up so that everyone could see her better. I grabbed a stray piece of lemon from my plate and squeezed it into her mouth. "Grraa!" a mysterious sound escaped her snout as she made the same expression she had made earlier. Seeing that, I once again began to laugh, not as much as before.

Looking back at the other guys I noticed that Nina, Theodore, and Mia's cheeks had inflated with air as they tried to hold in their laugh. And what finally made them break was Hanna as she began laughing with the same intensity as me.

"Huh?" I was a bit at a loss for words as I watched them. If I'm being honest, I didn't think I'd get this reaction out of them. But looking as they all laughed together brought a smile to my face.

"So stupid," said Alexander without looking at any of us as he stood up and walked away from the room. This caused everyone's laughter to stop.

"What's his problem?" questioned Theodore with a curious gaze as he watched him walk away.

------

The following morning we were all outside saying our last goodbyes to Hanna. She was there waiting there with her luggage while wearing her school uniform. Which was a dark blazer buttoned on top of a white long-sleeve shirt that had a large bow tie wrapped around her neck. For her lower body, she had a skirt that exposed her legs as well as tall socks and dark shoes.

Alexander had a similar uniform except that he didn't have a skirt, just dark pants along with a normal tie, unlike Hanna's bow tie.

"Be careful out there," said Emma, giving her one last hug. "And stay out of trouble,"

"If you need anything you can always send us a letter," followed Leon, giving her a hug as well.

"I know, I know," Hanna said as if she had heard these things several times in the past.

"Bye, bye, sister," said Mia wrapping her arms around her.

Since Hanna was taller she reached down and caressed the back of Mia's head. "Bye, Mia."

Having let her go she turned her gaze on me, expecting me to do the same. "Let's not make this harder than it needs to be," I said, letting out an audible sigh. I walked close to her and gave her a hug as well. "Goodbye, sister."

"Bye, Arata," I heard her mumble against my ear. Hearing her words I kind of felt myself grow a bit sad since we weren't going to see her until the next season. But I couldn't let her see that.

As I slowly pulled away I looked her in the eye. "You should get going now. You don't want to be late," I told her, showing her a smile.

"Right!" she said returning the smile. She then grabbed her things and walked toward the carriage. "Goodbye!" she called out one last time with a wave of her hand before entering the carriage.

I then looked beside me toward Alexander who also began to walk to the carriage. I noticed that his mother had a troubled expression as she watched her son walk away.

But I didn't have time to wonder about their family problems as I then moved on to comfort Emma. Small tears began leaking from her eyes as she watched the carriage ride away. Leon had his arm wrapped around her shoulder while Mia and I stood close by.

See ya later, Hanna.