System's POV

After making the final calls, Thirteen hugged Sherry and kissed her lips. It wasn't a deep kiss, only three quick pecks, enough to let her know that he loved her very much.

After their kiss ended, Sherry gently rested her head on his shoulder. "It's really happening again, isn't it? Another war."

Thirteen sighed. "It always comes back to that."

Her fingers intertwined with his own, holding him firmly.

"But this time… we'll be with you," Sherry said.

"I know." Thirteen's tone softened. "That's what worries me."

Sherry smiled faintly. "You always worry too much."

"Someone has to."

"Zion. I'm glad I met you."

Whenever she slept at night, she would often dream of her first encounter with Zion during her first wandering.

After seeing that journey to its end, she realized that she might have been enslaved by the Lizardmen if he hadn't been there.

She could have also died when the Ratmen and the Lizardmen continued their war against each other.

And that wasn't even the worst-case scenario.

If the Goblins, the true masterminds behind the scene, had decided to attack the two factions after both of them had been weakened, Sherry and the other Wanderers might have become their slaves, or worse, breeding vessels for the goblin brood.

"I'm also glad I met you, Sherry," Thirteen looked at her with an affectionate gaze. "You and Erica taught me what love is like."

A faint blush appeared on Sherry's cheeks because his words touched her in a way that made her happy.

She and Erica had indeed worked together and taught Zion what they called a "human touch".

Her heart fluttered at his words, and she couldn't help but rest her forehead against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"You've gotten smoother with words, Zion," Sherry said. "Did Xynalia teach you that?"

"Maybe," Thirteen lightly patted her head. "But I think it's because I've been around you all for too long."

Sherry wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Then I'll take that as a compliment."

A few more minutes of silence passed between them, the world outside of the hotel long forgotten.

It had been a while since they shared an intimate moment like this, just the two of them without the other ladies around.

"I wish moments like this could last forever," Sherry murmured.

"They can't," Thirteen said softly. "But that's what makes them precious."

Perhaps knowing she would not be spending time with him once she returned to her family, Thirteen decided to carry her like a princess and took her to his bedroom.

Once they were inside, Thirteen gently set Sherry down on the bed.

The soft lamplight cast a warm, amber glow through the room, accompanied by the lingering fragrance of roses from the air freshener.

Sherry looked up at him with a small, wistful smile. "You know, every time you carry me like that… I feel like I'm dreaming."

"Then I'll keep doing it," Thirteen replied. "So you never wake up from a good dream."

Sherry giggled. "You're getting better at this, you know? If Erica heard that line, she'd be proud."

"Don't tell her," Thirteen said before planting a kiss on her lips. "She'll never let me live it down."

The rustling of clothes echoed faintly inside the room as the two rekindled their feelings for each other before their short separation.

———

"Are you both ready to go?" Thirteen asked Erica and Sherry, who had packed up, and bid goodbye to their acquaintances in Casimir City.

Shana and Erica had made friends with the Valkyries, so they decided to bid them a proper goodbye before leaving.

The two noticed that Zion and Sherry seemed to have just finished taking a bath together, making Erica smirk.

However, she didn't say anything, not wanting to tease Sherry too much.

Thirteen had already talked to Cranky a few minutes ago and asked him to take them to Sirius and Aldebaran.

Cranky readily agreed to his request, especially since the final destination was Aldebaran.

He even promptly sent a message to Shasha, telling her that they would arrive in Aldebaran soon.

The Celestial now had a communicator, and after learning how to use it, he immediately added Shasha, Remi, and Rhia, who were always together in their house, to his contacts.

But there were still three other people going with them on their trip.

He was none other than Cristopher, who had decided to also accompany Thirteen to Antares.

Since his mother was also under the care of the Leventis Family, he wished to spend a few days with her before heading to Artem with his Master.

Mikhail had invited Siri to come with them to Aldebaran once more, so she could spend more time with his family.

Siri agreed without hesitation. In any case, she was already treating Alessia and Gerald as her in-laws.

The first stop of their journey was the Sirius Continent.

Thirteen told Cranky exactly where to go and landed on the Summer's Residence, where Shana's mother was already waiting for her arrival.

They didn't stay long and politely turned down Cynthia's invitation to stay for a day or two in their residence.

It might have been Thirteen's imagination, but it seemed that Cranky had flown faster when they were returning to Aldebaran.

They first dropped off Erica and Cristopher at their homes before heading to Zion's residence.

"Brother!" Rhia immediately ran toward Thirteen as soon as Cranky landed in their front yard.

Thirteen picked up his little sister and hugged her before kissing her three times on the cheek.

Rhia happily pulled her brother to the front door, where their family was waiting for them.

The teenage boy didn't miss Shasha's gentle wave toward Cranky, which made the corner of his lips rise into a smirk.

Mikhail and Siri had also appeared after getting off Rocky's mobile fortress, and Alessia looked very happy to see her once more.

She was quite fond of her daughter-in-law, who was also a Majin Princess who hailed from Antares.

While the guys rested in the living room, Alessia, Shasha, and Siri headed to the kitchen to cook a feast for everyone.

Thirteen watched his family with a gentle smile on his face, thinking how much he would miss this scene once he embarked to Antares to prevent the Artemians from even planning a second attempt to invade their world.