Kapitel 429: Goodbye, Takanosu

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Takanosu.

October, x785.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Alfonzo asked while climbing into the driver's seat of Rika's Humvee.

Receiving nods of agreement from Elicia, Saeko, Saya, Shizuka, and Kohta, Alfonzo nodded back before sitting down and closing the door. At the same time, Elicia, Saeko, Saya, Shizuka, and Kohta also got themselves comfortable in the Escalade. Then, after waving through the windows at everyone who gathered to send them off at the primary school, they drove away, heading for Rika's apartment.

"*Sigh* They're all really leaving, huh?" Takashi asked as he looked down the road at the retreating magic vehicles.

"Yeah. Even though they weren't here for long, I'm gonna miss them." Rei said with a nod.

"I guess it's easy to get attached when you live through life and death with someone, huh?" Takashi asked. "*Sigh* Maybe joining Fairy Tail wouldn't have been so bad."

"Stop moping." Kiriko said. "It's not like you can't join them later. Besides, we'll all be going on a trip to see the Fantasia Parade in a few days anyway, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Takashi muttered.

"Takashi, it's not the end of the world." Sayuri said as she patted her son's shoulder. "It's not like you don't know where to find them. You can go and visit anytime you want."

With that, she whispered into her son's ear.

"Besides, you have a chance to finally get Rei's heart now that everything is over." Sayuri said sternly at a volume only Takashi could hear. "Just stop being a coward and confess to her. Or do you want another Hisashi to show up and take her."

Hearing that, Takashi shuddered, both in sadness and unwillingness. Hisashi, or Hisashi Igou was Takashi's friend. He, Takashi, Saya, and Rei grew up together. And like Takashi, Hisashi had developed feelings for Rei as they entered puberty. On top of that, Rei had developed feelings for Takashi.

Unfortunately, Takashi was too afraid to tell Rei how he felt about her. Afraid that his feelings were unrequited. Adding to that, Rei had gotten tired of waiting for Takashi to make the first move. And finally, Hisashi had struck up the courage to confess his feelings. As a result, Rei and Hisashi became a couple.

However, their relationship did not last long. Nor was it particularly harmonious. Hisashi knew that Rei had feelings for Takashi, and she was just settling for him. But he did not want to lose her. So, he did anything and everything to make her happy. And Rei truly appreciated it. But her feelings for Takashi never waned and she ended up getting more and more frustrated as time went by.

Meanwhile, Takashi fell into depression over Rei and Hisashi's relationship. However, Hisashi, when everything went to hell in the town, was turned into a zombie while they were first trying to escape the school. And in the end, Takashi was the one who put him down.

"*Sigh* I know, Mom." Takashi said as he glanced at Rei. "I'll tell her."

"Good." Sayuri said as she pulled Takashi into a hug. "Besides, even if you weren't sure about Fairy Tail, Alfonzo and Elicia gave you and Rei a list of guilds you could join if you were still interested."

"Yeah, I know." Takashi said after shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts about Hisashi. "And honestly, that's one of the reasons I feel bad about not accepting their offer. I mean, they did save not only me, but everyone else, too."

"Oh, so you wanted to go to another guild, then?" Sayuri asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, I wanna join Lamia Scale." Takashi replied with a nod. "I mean, the way Jura Neekis uses [Earth Magic] is pretty bad ass. I wonder if he would teach me if I joined.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Sayuri replied with a nod. Then, she gestured towards Rei with her chin. "And you don't have to go alone, you know."

Smiling wryly at his mother, Takashi also turned towards Rei with a resolute expression.

"Well, there's no time like the present." Takashi muttered as he started walking towards his childhood friend. Then, he took a deep breath before continuing. "Hey, Rei, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"That's right, even if it doesn't work, it's better than seeing you all depressed because you never tried." Sayuri muttered as she watched Takashi and Rei step away to talk in private.

"I hope it works out." Kiriko said as she approached Sayuri after Takashi and Rei stepped away. "I never like that Igou kid, anyway. He was too soft, too accepting, too perfect… Made me think there was something going on that we didn't know about."

"*Sigh* Yuuji used to say the same thing before he passed away." Sayuri said. "But there's no point talking about it now, he's dead. And he died in a tragic way."

"*Sigh* You're right." Kiriko replied while shaking her head. "Still, I hope it works out between them. I mean, Rei had been waiting for Takashi to make a move for a long time."

Meanwhile, the Escalade and the Humvee drove through the town with nothing to hinder their return to Rika's apartment. And while the Escalade was full of passengers, Alfonzo sat alone in the Humvee.

"Man, I really hope Lici and I were right about what Rika was going to do." Alfonzo muttered as he drove. "'Cause if we were wrong, it's gonna be a really tight ride back to Magnolia."

["yeah."] Bedlam replied from Alfonzo's inner world. ["I mean, usually with four women, you would just have to put Kohta up front and let the girls squeeze a little bit in the back seat."]

["But with Lici's thick hips, Shizuka's thick…. Well, everything that matters, and the other two, who are, let's be real, pretty thick, too, it would be way too tight."] Riot said, adding to Bedlam's explanation.

"Oh, I'm well aware of how thick they are." Alfonzo replied. "And honestly, I really hope they are receptive to the harem life."

["Oh, you usually like to wait longer to get to know someone."] Bedlam said with feigned surprise in his tone. ["What happened? I mean, even though you knew Lucy from the anime in your past life, you still wanted to take the time to get to know her."]

"*Sigh* I know." Alfonzo replied. "But in situations like what we just pulled them out of, no one hides their true selves. No one other than people like that greasy son of a bitch, Shido, anyway."

["True."] Bedlam said, his tone telling Alfonzo to continue.

"And I think I got a good chance to see exactly what all of them were about." Alfonzo said, continuing his explanation. "Shizuka is… well… Shizuka. She's ditzy, cheerful, and really good at what she does. On top of that, she has a kind heart, wanting to keep everyone safe and healthy. In fact, that's why she probably awoke [Healing Magic] without needing to be taught."

["Yeah, and since any kind of [Healing Magic] is so rare, it makes it even more impressive."] Riot said, a rare hint of appreciation in his tone.

"Yeah, Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Then, there's Saeko. She's extremely loyal, dedicated to getting stronger, and willing to help those who need it. I mean, she should have been able to get out of that school on her own with little effort. Yet, she stayed to help the others, rescuing as many of them as she could."

In response, Riot and Bedlam both nodded their heads.

"But she's also got a dark side." Alfonzo added. "I mean, it was easy to see how much joy she was taking from the act of cutting down those zombies. Even the ones who were made from children. I'm surprised she didn't freeze up like that one time in the anime, though."

["Remember, this isn't the same world."] Bedlam said. ["This world is a lot crueler than the world of HOTD before the zombie apocalypse, her father had probably instilled the thought of putting down a threat without mercy when she was a child."

"Probably." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "And because of that conditioning, she probably pushed through it because they were zombies. I just hope she's not willing to kill living kids like that, too."

["You can play shrink later."] Riot said, cutting off the topic. ["Keep going onto the others."]

"Huh?" Alfonzo exclaimed in confusion. "Am I shielding my thoughts again? Why are you so interested in what I'm going to say?"

["No, we know what you're thinking."] Bedlam said, answering Alfonzo's first question. ["But hearing the way you word your thoughts is the interesting part."]

"I see." Alfonzo replied with a slight smile. "Anyway, next is Saya, huh? Well… From what I can tell, the only thing she wants is recognition. I mean, the way her eyes lit up when I called her a genius was crazy. It's almost like she didn't receive compliments or praise very often, if at all."

["Yeah, I can see that."] Bedlam said. ["Her father didn't seem like the type. And her mother seemed to spend more time teasing her and teaching her the proper etiquette for a marquis's daughter than anything else. Though, it was clear that both of them really love her."]

"Yeah, I noticed that, too." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "So, going somewhere where people will praise her for her accomplishments and justifiably argue with her when she says or does something wrong, or insensitive, will be good for her. And eventually, she'll see the whole guild as a family. Even if she won't act like it outwardly. Damn tsunderes."

At that exact moment, Saya sneezed in the Escalade.

"Miss Takagi, are you okay?" Shizuka asked in a concerned tone. "Did you catch a cold? Do you want me to cast a [Cure] spell on you?"

"No, I'm fine." Saya replied, looking away from Shizuka's concerned gaze as she did so. "It was only a sneeze. But for some reason, I wanna punch Alfonzo, right now. Hmph!"

Hearing that, Elicia could not help but smile.

'Fonzie is probably calling her a tsundere.' Elicia thought to herself.

["Wouldn't doubt it in the slightest."] Scylla replied in an amused tone.

Back in the Humvee.

["And what about Kohta?"] Riot asked.

"Well, there's really nothing to worry about there." Alfonzo said. "Like Saeko, he seems really loyal. He doesn't talk much, though. So, I don't know how well he'll mesh with most of the guild. But after seeing Alzack and Bisca's guns, he'll at least get along with them just fine. Alzack might beat him up for staring at Bisca too much, though."

As he said the last part, Alfonzo couldn't help but smile. After the wedding, Alzack finally admitted to him that he liked Bisca, something that everyone already knew. And he asked Alfonzo for advice on asking her out. Unfortunately, after telling Alzack how he asked Lucy out, he doubted that his advice would matter in the long run.

"However, when Alzack does something to stop Kohta's lecherous gazes, Alzack will probably slip and blurt out his feelings for Bisca in an emotional outburst." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "So, something good will probably come from Kohta being there."

["Yeah, and considering how short the skirts she usually wears are, mixed with the low-cut tops she wears from time to time, it will probably happen sooner rather than later."] Bedlam added with a chuckle.

Nodding in agreement, Alfonzo continued to drive while chatting idly with his [Armament Spirits].

"We're here." Alfonzo said as he pulled up in front of Rika's apartment building.

A moment later, Alfonzo stopped the Humvee in front of the garage, shortly followed by Elicia and the Escalade. Then, all six travelers climbed out of the magic vehicles and made their way over to the front door.

"Okay, let's go in and say goodbye to Rika." Shizuka said in a mix of excitement and sadness as she pulled the key to Rika's apartment out of her purse.

'I was almost certain she was gonna pull that key from between her breasts.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he watched Shizuka retrieve the key like a normal person. 'I mean, hell, it seems like that's every woman's favorite place in the world to keep their belongings. Shit, if I hadn't seen so many, I'd wonder if they actually had a pocket built between those things.'

While Alfonzo's thoughts drifted off in a weird direction, Shizuka unlocked the apartment building's door. Then, she, followed by the others, entered the house with little in the way of hesitation. A few moments later, they had all climbed the stairs. And when they reached the main living area, they were surprised at what they saw.

Sitting on the couch in the living room, Rika, with bags of all sorts and sizes was waiting for them while smoking a cigarette.

"Good, you're all here." Rika said before taking a last drag from her cigarette. Then, after exhaling the smoke and putting the cigarette out in the ash tray on the end table next to her, she stood up as she continued. "You all wanna make it to Magnolia before night fall, right? Then we should get going. We're wasting day light."

In response, Saeko, Saya, Shizuka, and Kohta only looked at Rika blankly. Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Elicia shook their heads with wry smiles on their faces.

"I guess that means you're coming with us, right, Rika?" Elicia asked, snapping everyone else out of their stupor.

"That's right." Rika replied with a nod and a smile.

"You're finally taking a vacation, Rika?" Shizuka asked, excitement filling her expression. "You've been saying you should do that forever. So, after visiting Magnolia, where are you gonna go next? Ooh! Are you gonna stay in Magnolia long enough to see the Fantasia Parade? Where are you gonna go after that? How about Akane Beach? If you go there, can I come with you? I've never been there before! Wait! How much vacation do you have? I mean, you almost never use it, right?"

As Shizuka bombarded Rika with questions, she trotted over to her best friend before wrapping her in a tight hug, once again pressing their sizable breasts into each other.

"Hehe… Panda hug." Kohta muttered stupidly

"Pervert." Saya said while glaring at Kohta disdainfully.

"Calm down, Shizuka." Rika said with a smile while patting Shizuka on her back. "But to answer your first question, no I didn't take any vacation time."

Hearing that, Shizuka deflated visibly.

["Damn, another one whose breasts shrank in real time."] Bedlam said in an amazed tone. ["Do the size of these women's breasts indicate their moods, like a mood ring or something? But instead of colors, they use cup sizes?"]

Hearing what Bedlam had to say, Alfonzo and Riot started to seriously consider his hypothesis. At the same time, Rika continued before Shizuka could get too depressed.

"I retired from the knights." Rika said with a smile. "And I've decided to join Fairy Tail. I can't let you go alone, after all. I mean, someone's gotta keep those boob obsessed men from getting too handsy, right?"

At the same time back in Magnolia, Macao, Wakaba, and Gildarts sneezed simultaneously, spilling their drinks all over themselves in the process. As a result, everyone in the guild hall laughed at their misfortune, which led to a guild-wide brawl.

Meanwhile, in Rika's apartment, Shizuka perked up immediately at Rika's clarification.

'Did her boobs just get bigger?' Elicia asked herself with a critical eye. 'I'm gonna have to redesign those clothes she commissioned from me. And how in the world did her bra not burst from that. She just jumped up to a K-cup. Does she have some kind of magical bra? No, that's impossible. I can't sense any magic power coming from it.'

["On top of that, just a minute ago, they dropped by at least two cup sizes when she thought Rika wasn't coming with us."] Scylla added. ["Then, when she got happy again, they got even bigger. What are they… mood rings?"]

Surprisingly, all the [Armament Spirits] present were having the same stupid thoughts. At the same time, their hosts were seriously considering the possibility.

Still, that did not stop the group from gathering up Rika's luggage. Nor did it stop Alfonzo from bringing Rika's entire gun safe and packing them into the Humvee.

Then, after everything was packed, the group of seven split into two groups, boarded the Escalade and the Humvee, with Alfonzo driving the Escalade and Rika driving her Humvee, and made their way back to Magnolia, bringing an end to the zombie apocalypse that hit Takanosu Town.