(Heartfelt thanks to 'Kaede no Chōrei' and 'Yingyue Youth' for their rewards!)
"I'm back!"
With a spirited cry, Astrea rushed into the Heart of the Eras' main hall, followed by Shokuhou Misaki, Kinuhata Saiai, Frenda, and Takitsubo Rikou. The five girls poured into the hall together.
Only after entering did Astrea and the other four realize that Purple was not the only one present. Hinagiku, Mikoto, Ikaros, Yekusaya, and Yuzuru, who had gone to the Phil Empire, were there as well. Kotori, Kurumi, Tohka, Origami, Miku, Yoshino, and the other Spirit girls were also present. With their arrival, all the girls who had set out for the Three Great Empires had gathered once again.
"You're all back?..." Shokuhou Misaki looked at Mikoto and Kotori in slight surprise.
"Did you come back on the airship too?..."
"If only!" Mikoto did not even bother bickering with Shokuhou Misaki. She glanced at Ikaros, who stood in a corner of the hall with her indigo eyes fixed on the entrance to the corridor, then rolled her eyes.
"To catch up with Ikaros, we flew straight back at top speed. By the time we were nearly out of strength, we were already almost here!"
"How could an ordinary airship compare to my Fraxinus?..." Kotori answered even more directly.
"At full speed, it wouldn't even take a day to get back!"
"Then, where is Master?..." Astrea asked timidly.
"Why isn't Master here?..."
"He hasn't come out yet..." Purple, who was leisurely drinking tea on the sofa, spoke with a light laugh.
"Ever since he returned, he has shut himself in his room. It's probably been a day already?..."
Hearing that, Shokuhou Misaki, Kinuhata Saiai, Frenda, Takitsubo Rikou, and Astrea understood why everyone had gathered in the hall, and why Ikaros had been staring fixedly toward the