Turning to look out the window, they indeed saw Iluna, whom they had not seen for over a week, at the very back of the crowd.
Everyone from her Ring Arcanist Squad had come to the station to greet her. The men helped carry her luggage, while the brown-haired girl chatted with a smiling lady whose lips were painted purple.
"She's back."
After more than a week apart, Iluna had not changed much aside from the fatigue brought on by her journey.
Shade and Luvia remained seated in the restaurant. It was a full twenty minutes before they saw Iluna hurrying over along the street.
The two of them also left the restaurant to greet her:
"Oh, I'm back!"
She was only seventeen years old, after all. Though she had experienced many things, she still seemed immature.
Right there by the street, Iluna first gave Luvia a very enthusiastic hug, then turned to Shade with a radiant smile:
"Good morning, Shade. How have you been lately?"
The smile on her face was even brighter than this foggy morning.
Shade had very much wanted to say that he had been living leisurely lately, earning plenty of money with little to do. But neither exam week a week ago nor the recent Coldwater Port mermaids allowed him to say such things.
"Did you run into something again while I was away?"
The young girl said with a smile, looking quite understanding:
"Trouble is always waiting for us, but we can solve it together. Shade, Luvia, now that I'm back, leave everything to me!"
Who knew what she had encountered in The Church? Iluna seemed rather confident:
"I learned more information and secrets from my identity as a Chosen One. There are some things I haven't even told The Church. But there's no