MEMELAND

The silence lingered.

Taai opened his mouth.

"...Choco, I—"

Chocomint raised a hand.

He smiled faintly.

"Taai already told me everything."

"The battle."

"The attack."

"...Akari."

The room became quiet again.

Taai lowered his gaze.

"...I'm sorry."

Chocomint slowly shook his head.

"You don't need to apologize."

He stood up.

His calm eyes drifted toward the window.

"I'll find her."

No hesitation.

No anger.

Just certainty.

"...And I'll bring her back."

A loud snore interrupted the atmosphere.

Andrew, still asleep while standing, suddenly spoke.

"I'll..."

"...get that bitch myself..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Then he immediately resumed snoring.

Kai blinked.

"...Did he just sleep-talk?"

Taai sighed.

"He does that."

Andrew scratched his nose without waking up.

"Nn..."

"...Mine..."

"..."

"..."

"...Scythe..."

Silence.

Kai looked at Taai.

"...How?"

Taai shrugged.

"I stopped questioning it years ago."

Even Chocomint couldn't help smiling.

The mood lightened.

For the first time since Kai entered the room—

It almost felt normal.

Almost.

Taai leaned back carefully against the bed.

"...The city's still recovering."

"The casualties weren't as bad as they could've been..."

"...but they were still casualties."

He looked toward Kai.

"You did well."

Kai immediately shook his head.

"I passed out."

"You still fought."

Taai replied.

"If you hadn't..."

"...more people would've died."

Kai remained unconvinced.

Taai simply smiled.

"We all did what we could."

Andrew suddenly mumbled again.

"...Shoot..."

"...the ugly one..."

"...reload..."

Chocomint chuckled.

"He really dreams about fighting."

Taai nodded.

"That's Andrew."

Kai finally laughed.

A genuine one.

The laughter faded.

Taai's expression became serious again.

"The city still has a long road ahead."

"Many people lost family."

"Many lost homes."

"But..."

He looked toward the window where workers could be seen hauling lumber despite the late afternoon.

"They're rebuilding."

"That's all we can do."

Kai quietly nodded.

"...Will you be alright?"

Taai laughed.

"Me?"

He lightly knocked on the bandages wrapped around his chest.

"I've survived worse."

Andrew suddenly raised one finger in his sleep.

"...Liar..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Then started snoring again.

The room burst into laughter once more.

Even Taai couldn't hold it in.

"...He's awake."

"No."

"He just talks."

Kai looked at Andrew.

"...Maybe he's both."

Nobody disagreed.

...

The following days passed quietly.

The wounded recovered.

The dead were buried.

Funerals were held throughout the city.

Blacksmiths repaired weapons from dawn until dusk.

Carpenters replaced shattered homes one beam at a time.

The streets slowly regained their voices.

Children who had once hidden inside shelters were seen playing again.

Merchants reopened their stalls.

The smell of grilled meat returned to the markets.

Life—

Stubbornly—

Moved forward.

...

Two weeks later.

Muscle City had changed.

The western district still bore scars.

Collapsed homes were slowly being rebuilt.

Fresh timber replaced shattered walls.

Stone masons worked from sunrise until nightfall.

The northern gate stood once more.

Not completely finished—

But functional.

Soldiers resumed their patrols.

Merchants reopened their stalls.

Children ran through the streets again.

Life refused to stop.

Kai spent those two weeks helping wherever he could.

Lifting rubble.

Carrying supplies.

Repairing barricades.

Whenever his body protested—

He stopped.

The doctors had warned him repeatedly.

His wounds were healing.

His Magic Circuits were not.

Several times he attempted to activate them.

Every attempt ended the same way.

Pain.

A faint glow beneath his skin.

Then silence.

The power refused to stay.

Kai eventually stopped forcing it.

"...Not yet."

...

Night.

Kai stood atop the inner wall separating the eastern and southern districts.

A cool breeze brushed against his face.

Below—

Lanterns illuminated the streets.

Restaurants bustled with customers.

Blacksmiths worked late into the evening.

People laughed.

Talked.

Lived.

Kai rested both hands on the stone railing.

"..."

"...It's hard to believe."

"Two weeks ago..."

"...this place was a battlefield."

He watched workers replacing stones in the outer wall even under moonlight.

Somebody below complained about carrying bricks.

Another laughed and told him to quit whining.

An old woman handed drinks to exhausted workers.

The sight made Kai smile.

They weren't pretending everything was fine.

They were simply refusing to let tragedy be the end.

Footsteps approached from behind.

Kai didn't turn.

"...Couldn't sleep either?"

Chocomint stepped beside him.

"...Not really."

The two quietly looked over the city.

For a while—

Neither spoke.

Finally, Chocomint broke the silence.

"You protected it."

Kai shook his head.

"Everyone did."

Chocomint smiled.

"...That's probably why it still stands."

The breeze carried the distant sounds of hammers and laughter.

Kai watched workers repairing another rooftop.

"...People recover faster than I expected."

"They always do."

Chocomint answered.

"...As long as they have something worth rebuilding."

Kai quietly nodded.

Then—

A bird landed on the stone railing.

It wore a small leather tube attached to one leg.

Chocomint calmly removed the message.

The bird immediately flew away.

He read it once.

Folded it again.

Then handed it to Kai.

Kai looked at it.

"...For me?"

Chocomint nodded.

"From Master Zane."

Kai opened it.

The message was short.

Come to the Order Headquarters.

Nothing more.

Kai folded the letter.

"...I figured this day would come."

Chocomint smiled.

"So?"

Kai looked toward the city one last time.

The rebuilt walls.

The lanterns.

The people.

Then slowly nodded.

"...Yeah."

"I'll go."

The two stood quietly.

Above them—

A full moon illuminated the recovering city.

A new journey was waiting.

And this time—

Kai intended to find answers.