After a hot, damp kiss, Shizuku finally hopped down from Gelman.
Gelman couldn't see any change in Shizuku's expression, but he could read the worry, confusion, relief, joy, and other emotions in her wide eyes.
The two stood in the moonlight, speaking softly to each other.
"I told you Gelman would be fine."
A familiar figure appeared in the darkness. The petite Biscuit stepped out, her twin ponytails swaying.
"They're so cheesy..."
Though she said that, Biscuit, who was prone to tears, had watery eyes and had to take out a little handkerchief to dab at the corners of them.
She had truly been afraid that the two people she'd watched along the way would be separated by death.
If that had happened, they would undoubtedly have become one of the tragic couples Biscuit had shipped over the past fifty-odd years.
"Their bond is special." Morel stood his Giant Pipe upright and rested both hands on it, using it as a cane. "Youth really is wonderful."
He was a sentimental man too, but with Biscuit sobbing beside him, he had to stay strong. He couldn't very well get so worked up that he started crying along with her.
Biscuit sighed softly, then turned her head. "Well, now six of us have reunited. That's not too bad."
Shubika also emerged from the cave, along with Menchi, who limped with Shubika's support.
Seeing Gelman, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
With the team's strongest fighter here, along with their guarantee of a safe return, the sense of security he brought was hard to describe.
Especially after such a frightening day.
When Gelman followed the others into the cave, Morel, ever diligent, once again used water vapor to create a fantastic illusion and conceal the cave.
At the same time,