The Celestial Spirit King was the ruler of the Spirit Realm. When he saw Kaien—so young, so arrogant—he had intended to teach him a lesson. But in the end, he was the one who had been taught.
That kid wasn't bluffing when he said he could kill him—he actually had the power to do it.
To possess such transcendent strength at such a young age… The Spirit King had never seen anyone like him.
Kaien returned to his normal appearance.
"You flatter me, sir. This isn't the Spirit Realm—you couldn't unleash your full strength here. I just had the advantage. And… apologies for my earlier rudeness, Elder. I got a little hotheaded trying to save a friend."
The Spirit King blinked. He was having a hard time reconciling this polite young man with the audacious punk from a few minutes ago.
"Bahaha! What's wrong with a little arrogance in youth?! If I had your strength when I was your age, I'd have been ten times worse!"
Despite his loss, the Celestial Spirit King was in high spirits. Knowing his old friend was surrounded by such loyal companions gave him peace of mind.
Together, they returned to the waterfall.
"Leo," the King said, "as promised, I now grant you permission to return to the Spirit Realm."
Lucy jumped with joy.
"Really?! That's amazing!! Loke, you can go home now! Long-bearded Grandpa, you're actually pretty nice!"
The Spirit King chuckled at Lucy's compliment.
"Brother, that's wonderful news."
Virgo, still trussed up in bondage rope, wriggled toward them like a caterpillar.
Lucy glared. "You're still here?!"
Loke was speechless, his eyes glistening with emotion. He had mentally prepared himself for death. He was ready to pay for his crimes.
"Leo," said the King, "your punishment is lifted. Thank the stars that guided you here. If you still wish to make amends… serve this friend well. Protect her with all your strength."
With a dramatic sweep of his cloak, the Celestial Spirit King dissolved into starlight.
The world returned to normal.
The frozen waterfall resumed its flow.
CLANG—
Behind Loke, a golden gate appeared. The door opened, and his body began to shimmer into particles of light, being drawn inside.
"Kaien, Lucy… thank you—truly. From now on, please keep looking out for me."
With those heartfelt words, Loke vanished—leaving behind a single gold key marked with the Leo of the Zodiac.
Lucy grasped it tightly. She was thrilled to gain a new key, yes—but more than that, she was grateful her friend was still alive.
Kaien felt the same. Loke had become a real friend to him. They'd eaten, drank, and joked together—just like all good men did. Once you shared drinks, you were brothers.
Honestly, even if it had been any Fairy Tail member, Kaien would've done the same.
With great power… comes great responsibility.
Kaien returned to the guild dorm to reassure everyone. Hearing Loke was safe, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Later, Kaien headed home—only to find Mirajane waiting at his door.
Seeing a girl waiting for him outside his house—it hit him right in the chest.
'So this… is what "home" feels like.'
"Kaien, what happened to Loke?"
"Don't worry. He's fine now."
He didn't feel like dragging the night out, so he offered to walk Mirajane home. On the way, he explained everything that had happened.
"I never imagined Loke went through something like that…"
She knew the name Karen Lilica—a once-famous Celestial Spirit Mage from Blue Pegasus, reportedly killed on a mission years ago.
"Loke did nothing wrong protecting a companion. And neither did you. But… Kaien, please be careful."
Kaien grinned.
"Relax! I'm really careful. If things go south, I'll be the first one to run!"
He wasn't lying. Kaien loved fighting, but he wasn't the type to throw his life away. Back in the Troll Kingdom, he'd reserved just enough mana to transform into the Fifth Hokage and escape if needed. He hadn't used it—those trolls got so scared, he simply walked out.
"Pfft—!"
His goofy expression made Mirajane giggle.
Before long, they reached her home.
"I'm here."
"Mm."
Kaien replied casually. Even though they saw each other every day, saying goodbye always felt oddly heavy. Back when they'd first met, he would've said goodbye and just walked off without looking back.
"Want to… come in for a bit?"
That offer made Kaien hesitate for a moment. Tempting—but…
"Nah, it's late. You've had a long day too. You should rest."
"Yeah… that's true. You need some rest too. See you tomorrow?"
"See you."
Kaien waved and turned around to leave.
Just as he turned—he heard her voice.
"Kaien!"
"Hm?"
He turned back—and felt something soft press against his lips.
Mirajane's beautiful face was mere centimeters from his own.
Before he could even savor it, she quickly stepped back, hands clenched nervously behind her back, flashing a dazzling smile.
"See you tomorrow!"
She bolted inside and slammed the door behind her like a startled rabbit.
Kaien stood there, stunned.
"…She kissed me."
He touched his lips.
"Not bad. Could've been longer though."
Still… it was a win.
Firsts led to seconds, seconds to thirds.
It was only a matter of time now.
Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.
He was fired up again.
Behind the door, Mirajane's cheeks were bright red.
She hadn't expected herself to be that bold.
Touching her lips gently, she murmured,
"…So this is what a kiss feels like."
She had never kissed anyone before.
That was her… first kiss.
—
Back home, Kaien sat cross-legged on his bed, practicing Sun Breathing while watching the clock.
He'd gone to Cana earlier for another fortune reading.
She told him his lucky time would be 10 PM.
Honestly, he still half-suspected Cana was scamming him—but her readings were always spot-on. With no proof to the contrary, he could only trust her.
DONG—DONG—DONG…
The clock struck ten.
Kaien's eyes snapped open.
He instantly pulled up the System Interface.
[Would you like to perform a 10x Draw?]
"Confirm."