Chapter 337

The Oakfall dark elves and Princess Amira's entourage gathered to see us off. With the mirror artifact repaired, we were ready to head home. I almost didn't want to leave. The City of Everlight had been nice to us due in large part to the peace treaty the last time I came. Elendir and Shayle were in the middle of saying goodbye to Tirnicia, the portalmaker Kiere, and the other dark elves. They looked like they were having a hard time parting ways.

"Will you be alright? How do you plan to return to Oakfall? If needed, I can have Shayle open a portal for you with the mirror," Elendir said.

"And risk cracking the artifact? Foolish, Queen Elendir. I never took you for a naive woman," Kiere chided.

"We'll be fine, Elendir." Tirnicia rubbed the back of her head. "The rest of us plan to take a boat back to your manor. From there, borrow a few carriages and horses to complete the journey. You have a new life on Earth." She gestured to us and winked at me. "With them."

They shared a few more words too quiet for me to hear, but as Elendir returned to my side, the content smile on her face told me those two had resolved their past at last.

"Ready to go?" Shayle asked, readying the mirror artifact.

"Yep. Fire away," I said.

Shayle opened a portal back to Earth, or more specifically to my apartment. Casey, my old roommate from university, was staring wide-eyed from the other side. She was about to poke her finger through until Kairi yanked her back.

"Bye, Saeko! Next time you come back, be sure to bring souvenirs, or it will be your head I'm taking!" Amira shouted.

"I got it already! Thanks again for your help, Amira. See you next time!" I yelled back.

We stepped through and came right back to my apartment in Japan. Kairi and Casey backed away to make room for us. As soon as Mio and Elendir emerged from the portal, Shadow and Snowball wouldn't stop meowing. Both cats rubbed themselves against their owners' legs.

"Shadow, my best bud!" Mio scooped her right up.

"I've missed you, too, Snowball." Elendir kneeled down to scratch the blind cat behind his ears.

"Welcome home, you guys! How was your trip?" Casey asked me.

My former roommates had been living in the apartment and taking care of the cats while we were away. By the look of empty cup ramen, blankets on the couch, and a video game on the television, they certainly made themselves at home.

"It had a lot of detours, but we had fun. Right?" I patted Nyra on the head and elicited an excited nod. "What's the date today anyway?"

"New Year's Eve. Classes are starting up again soon. Vacation ended so soon…" Kairi stared defeatedly at the calendar.

"As much as we'd like to stay and spend one, we gotta get going now that you're back." Casey sulked, too.

"Thanks for looking after the kitties, guys. I'll text you later. We'll hang out." Mio performed a secret handshake with Casey that immediately struck me with jealousy.

"Wait. When did you two come up with that?" I asked.

"Ah, ah. That's between me and Casey." My succubus girlfriend sneered.

They helped around to clean the apartment before leaving. Shayle passed out on the couch and fell right to sleep. The rest of us weren't tired though. We came back from Elza when it was noon after all. Mio was playing with both cats, Elendir searched for a spot to place her earthenware vase gift from Tirnicia, and Kana realized he had brought the enchanted buckler shield to Earth with him.

I was about to take the trash bin out to empty when I noticed a flyer inside. It advertised an amusement park at the Tokyo Dome that was taking place today on New Year's Eve, with a fireworks show at midnight.

"Hey, if no one's tired, how about we go to this amusement park?" I suggested, holding up the flyer.

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Muse… park?" Nyra tilted her head.

We all got ready quickly and set right out. I drove us there in my car. Despite it being New Year's Eve, the traffic was surprisingly fair, and we arrived in a little over half an hour. The famous Tokyo Dome's glass panels blinked with festive lights, and a digital display of fireworks exploded in an array of colors.

The amusement park proper was situated outside of the Tokyo Dome, but there were more amenities set up inside according to the flyer. Mascots of Donchuck and Lala, a human-like beaver couple, waved enthusiastically and beckoned people to hop into line.

When we did, Lala came right over to Nyra and gave her a lollipop as big as her own head.

"Thank you!" Nyra exclaimed without being prompted, then crunched down on it like taking bites out of a cookie.

Lala recoiled, taken aback by how the girl was eating it.

The line moved quickly. There were as many people coming as there were leaving. We almost never stopped shifting forward until reaching the front to get our tickets. The ones we got gave us access to the amusement park, Tokyo Dome itself, and the entertainment venue LaQua.

"Amusement park, woohoo!" Mio cheered and ran ahead with Nyra on her shoulders.

"Amusement park, whooo!" Nyra repeated after.

"Slow down, or we'll lose you to the crowds!" I shouted.

Mio grinded to a stop and spun around. Nyra waved to us from afar. Kana, Elendir, Erma, and I power walked to catch up. Hundreds of people filed in at a time into the amusement park from the ticket booth behind us. It was New Years Eve, and everyone wanted to spend it with friends, families, and loved ones. As a result, we were practically shoulder to shoulder with other guests.

Shrieks came and went as a roller coaster sped by. My mouth watered from the savory scent of street food empowering the air. The towering ferris wheel loomed over us, still draped in green and red Christmas lights that blinked against the backdrop of night. A large Christmas tree, which was the centerpiece of the amusement park, hadn't been taken down yet.

"This is certainly overwhelming. There are more people gathered in one place than Princess Amira's name day. What exactly do you do at an… amusement park?" Erma asked.

"It's in the name. You go around and have fun." I grabbed her hand.

We walked together to a game that I figured Erma might enjoy. It was a strength test game called High Striker, where someone smashed a mallet into a pad that sent a weight up to a bell. Normally, people didn't hit that hard because it was rigged or needed to be incredibly strong. Mio and I would break the thing for sure, but Erma didn't have the supernatural succubus strength.

"What do you think, combat sports specialist?" Elendir patronized.

"Very well. Step back and allow me to demonstrate my strength." Erma lined up to take the challenge. When it was finally her turn, there was nothing but absolute confidence on her face. The legate picked up the hammer, hoisted over her shoulders, and brought it crashing down.

However, the weight only sprung up two-thirds of the way. That was actually much better than the contestants who had already gone in front of her. But for someone who wanted to win, she slinked back to us dejected and sullen.

"So much for demonstrating your strength," Elendir teased.

"I kind of expected that. Games like these are rigged. Even body builders have a hard time with this," I explained.

"How frustrating… Elendir, cast a spell on me to bolster my strength. I will seize victory," Erma said seriously.

"Wait, I don't think—"

Elendir humored Erma anyway, drawing a wand from her sleeve to cast a spell that wreathed the legate's arms in magic. Empowered, she hopped into line again. The game attendant gladly took her money for another attempt and sneered, having seen her fail previously.

The light elf took her position in front of the pad, lifted the hammer, and slammed down with all her might. This time, the weight shot up and popped the bell off the top, flying into the sky. The attendant stared in disbelief, and the contestants lining up to play dispersed because the High Striker game was broken now.

"Well, ya fuckin' broke it. Pick one prize and get lost." The attendant groaned.

Erma grabbed a large dolphin plush and returned to us triumphant.

"I did it! I'm not exactly sure what kind of sea creature this is, but would any of you like it? Nyra, perhaps?" Erma offered her the plush.

"Mmm. No!" Nyra turned the other cheek.

"Oh…" She sulked.

"Don't worry. Nyra's still attached to the cat plush Mio gave her. She probably doesn't want anything else," I said.

"I suppose I'll hang onto it now, but Saeko, I'm beginning to understand the 'amusement' in amusement park. Let's go find other games!" the elf insisted eagerly.

Nyra tugged on my arm and pointed at the merry-go-round called Venus Lagoon. Fanciful music blared from the speakers as children giggled upon the animals they chose to ride on. Horses, lions, elephants, giraffes, and even a unicorn.

"Sure, Nyra. We can go there," I said.

"Er… You guys go ahead. After the airship, just looking at the carousel makes me queasy." Kana shied away and pressed a hand to his mouth.

"I'll stay with Kana then," Elendir volunteered, then whipped out her phone. "I'll also be sure to record you all for the occasion."

Mio, Erma, Nyra, and I entered the short line leading up to Venus Lagoon. There was enough space to accommodate us all. Most of the mounts had already taken, since we were among the last ones on. The only picks we had were two chariots, a brown horse, and a giraffe.

"These are all fake? Do they come to life with magic?" Erma turned to me.

"No, nothing like that…" I rolled my eyes.

"Which one do you wanna ride on, kid?" Mio asked.

Nyra stared at each option, troubled. Her eyes lingered on a lion that was already taken by a little girl with pigtails, wearing a knitted red scarf.

"You want the lion, huh? It's already taken though. We can come back earlier later if you want," I suggested.

Nyra sighed, and the little girl on the lion noticed us staring.

"Oh, you can get on if you want. I don't mind." The kid smiled.

"It's fine. Really!" I insisted.

However, the girl, who looked about six at best, began to dismount anyway.

"Hey, why don't you guys both get on it? You're both small, and the saddle's big enough for two," Mio said.

The kind girl thought for a moment and came to the same conclusion. She settled back into the seat and offered Nyra a hand. But Nyra being Nyra, the demon child jumped on herself.

"Wha—?" The girl gasped.

"Sorry, Nyra's just excited to ride on it," I explained.

"Nyra? That's a funny name. I'm Yoko! Hang on tight, Nyra. I don't want you falling off." Yoko grabbed Nyra's hands to put on her waist.

"We're about to start, so please get in a seat!" the attendant man shouted.

He circled the merry-go-round to check. A brief moment of panic flashed in his eyes when he saw Nyra and Yoko on the lion.

"Excuse me, you—"

I grabbed the attendant's arm before he walked past me.

"Everyone's all set. Start the carousel," I whispered, not wanting to ruin the children's fun.

"You're right. What was I thinking?" He hopped off and returned to the controls.

Poor quality fanciful music started playing on the speakers above us, the lights blinked, and the carousel began to rotate. It picked up speed first, then the pole from which each mounts were attached bounded up and down. Although I was behind Nyra, I could tell she had a big smile on her face. Their laughter was just barely audible over the music.

Every once in a while, I caught a glimpse of Elendir and Kana waving to us from behind the fence. They were holding their phones up to record.

As the carousel slowed down, so did the gleeful giggles from children. It came to a full stop, and everyone descended from their mounts to move on to the next amenity. Nyra and Yoko helped each other down.

"Bye-bye! It was nice meeting you, Nyra!" Yoko waved and raced back to her parents who were waiting at the sidelines.

"Bye-bye!" Nyra returned the gesture with a big smile.

We got back to Elendir and Kana, who showed us the recording on their phones. Nyra was so happy about making a new friend. I searched our immediate surroundings to find Yoko and her parents, hoping to exchange contact information so they could stay connected. Unfortunately, the family was already gone.

Some of us started getting hungry. Kana suggested we head to where the food stalls were to grab a bite. We entered a walkway stretch where tents and stands had been set up. The air mixed with all sorts of food smelled heavenly.

Everyone wanted to eat different things. We split up in different groups. Kana and Mio craved fried chicken. Erma and Elendir wanted yakisoba. Nyra, as the child she was, drooled at the sight of octopus balls called takoyaki.

The two of us joined the crowded line which was served by a trio of older ladies. When we got to the front, they doted on Nyra for dressing up, much to the girl's confusion. The women probably thought her horns were for a costume. But because of how cute Nyra was, they gave her an extra few takoyaki for free.

We came away with the delicious morsels, and Nyra squealed after every bite that reminded me of Mio when she had fried chicken for the first time.

A drunk stranger bumped into me and knocked the takoyaki box from my hands. Growling, Nyra pounced onto the man's back.

"Ahhh! Get this wild animal off me!" he cried.

"Nyra, down!" I pulled her off, but not before she had ripped off a tuft of his hair.

"Y-You crazy cunts! I'm going to—"

I seized the drunk with my aura and made him quiet down before we drew too much attention.

"You lost us our takoyaki. It's only right you buy us a new batch," I said.

"Sorry about that, and sure thing…" He slinked up to the food stand.

We got a brand new order of takoyaki, and the others came back with food of their own to share. For the next two hours, we enjoyed all that the Tokyo Dome and the amusement park had to offer, even heading to LaQua for a brief spa treatment. The evening picked up the closer it got to midnight. People funneled to higher ground in the amusement park. We wanted to catch the ferris wheel, but it was full.

As midnight approached, we found a spot among the crowds. Nyra reached up to me, and I put her on my shoulders for a better view. The crowd began to countdown when it was one minute away from the new year, and three… two… one…

Behind the Tokyo Dome, whistling fireworks shot into the sky. They exploded in an array of colorful and flowery explosions that illuminated the dark sky. Nyra's eyes glistened, and she let out an awe-struck gasp.

Once the fireworks ended, the amusement park let out an announcement that it would close soon after. Fireworks still continued across the city though, but park guests mosied on to the exit, us included.

"I'm tired." Mio yawned into her hand. "Not too tired that I'd say no to a row when we get back after putting Nyra to bed."

"Aww, look at her. Out like a candle." Elendir smiled.

"She did play a lot," Kana added.

Nyra had fallen asleep on my back. She clung tightly, snoozing so deep that no one could wake her up.

"Saeko, perhaps I'm not understanding your culture. Why celebrate the new year? Is it not just another day like any other?" Erma asked, still holding the large dolphin plush she had won earlier in the evening.

"It's special to a lot of people, because for them, the new year is like a fresh start. Nyra gets a new start, too. No more Demon King. No more succubus queen. Just us," I said.