"Huh?" She blurted out in surprise.

"What? It’s been on my mind all day, thought you’d have at least considered the idea."

"Well, yes, I did think about it, but...it’s not possible. The ritual to send Heroes back to their world only works on the Heroes, you see. I don’t know the exact specifics, but based on how Reritea explained it, the ritual analyzes the effect of the original summoning ritual that brings the Heroes here, and then reverses that effect, sending them back to the world they were brought here from. So, it won’t work on anyone from this world," She replied with a shake of her head.

"Mhm, I already figured as much. That said, if you stay in the Pocket Dimension when the ritual is activated, you should be brought right along with us," I informed her.

Ai already confirmed as much, that this method will work.

"W-Wait, I-...hold on...," She stuttered, her eyes wide.

"Uh...you okay, mom?"

"Y-Yeah, I...I just...," She shook her head tearfully, before clearing her throat, "I’d resigned myself to thinking that, once you and your friends leave, it’ll be the last I ever see of you.

So, I was intent on making the most of what time we have...and now you’re telling me it doesn’t have to be that way, that I can come with you? Heh, sorry...my emotions are all over the place right now, it’s hard to gather my thoughts."

"I hope you aren’t going to say that you feel responsible to stay here and oversee Vruxtrus as the Demon Lord. Cuz if that’s the case, I’m more than happy to kill everyone in Lynocyes," I replied with a thumbs up.

"H-Hey, now, no killing innocent people. I can just barely accept you killing bad guys, but please don’t kill unnecessarily," She frowned disapprovingly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Yeah, I know, I was mostly kidding," I laughed in response.

"Hm, mostly?"

"Anyway...what do say? Wanna go back to Earth?" I prompted her.

"I-...yeah. I do, I really do. I certainly don’t hate this world, but I do miss modern conveniences, and of course, more than anything, I miss you. Yeah...when you go back, take me with you," She smiled warmly.

"Deal."

"Hm...wait, I didn’t just set off one of those death flags, did I?"

"Hey, come on, don’t say stuff like that," I responded nervously.

"Well, we still have some time, so for now, let’s just enjoy the moment. Oh, are you looking forward to tomorrow? The dino hunt, should be fun."

"Yeah, I still have some doubts over whether it’s the best idea to take them to our world...but fuck it, if there ends up being any consequences, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it."

"Hm, language."

"Come on, I’m not a kid anymore. As far as my mental age goes, I’m over thirty at this point," I sighed wistfully.

"Perhaps, but I’m mentally well over a hundred now," She pointed out with a laugh, before adding, "Oh, speaking of, when can I expect some grandkids?"

"Huh? I, uh...haven’t really put any real thought towards that. I mean, I am immortal, so there’s really no rush," I replied sheepishly.

"What about getting married?" She asked me.

"Aria and I have discussed that, and we’re both open to it, but again, we’re in no rush. Plus, the way I see it, it’s just a formality. We’ve been living together for a while now, after all, so I doubt anything would actually change," I surmised in response.

"Yeah, maybe not. But, from my experience, it feels like a big deal when you go from referring to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife."

Hm...actually, thinking about calling Aria my wife does make me feel kinda warm and fuzzy. Yeah, maybe we should discuss the topic again soon.

"Guess I’ll put some thought into it, and get Aria’s thoughts on it too."

"Mhm, it’s important to communicate openly in a relationship. On another note, how do you usually spend your free time, Kai? Got any hobbies, kiddo?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I have a few, none that I’d call particularly productive, though. Let’s see, sleeping in, watching movies, shows and anime, gaming, getting drunk and high, good food-...," I began.

"Huh? Wait...you do drugs?"

"Oh, uh...well, only weed," I admitted sheepishly.

"Hm. Well, I suppose that’s not so bad. Make sure to stay away from the synthetic stuff, cocaine and meth and whatnot," She warned me.

"Don’t worry, I have no interest in trying those. I’m mostly a stoner, alcohol is more occasional, and I don’t partake in any other narcotics or intoxicants," I assured her.

"Good, see that you don’t. Also, don’t smoke weed or drink alcohol too often."

"Yeah, yeah, I won’t. Though, there’s literally no harm...my regeneration gets rid of all the harmful side effects."

"Oh, right...my regeneration does the same with alcohol, though I haven’t tried any drugs in this world. It is convenient...but don’t use that as an excuse to over-indulge. Addiction isn’t limited to getting chemically addicted. You can also develop addiction through habit-forming. Even if something isn’t addictive, if you make it a part of you routine, you’ll get addicted."

"Mhm, I know, I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, did you try any drugs on Earth?" I inquired curiously.

"Huh? I, uh...well, if I’m being honest, I was a bit of a stoner myself, in my college days. I also tried mushrooms, and LSD a few times," She admitted sheepishly.

"Heh, that’s kinda hard to imagine."

"Of course it is. Once I became a parent, I cleaned up my act, I had to set a good example."

"I’d say you succeeded at that. You’re probably the reason I didn’t become a total shithead after the way my first life ended," I smiled, before stifling a yawn.

"You should go get some rest, kiddo. It’s been a long day, I’m sure you’re worn out. Go on, we can talk more tomorrow," She remarked, patting my head.

"Yeah, okay...I guess I could use a snooze. Aren’t you coming, mom? Only Aria and I can open the Pocket Dimension, and there’s no way to contact us on the outside while we’re in there," I reminded her.

"Actually, I’d like to speak with Ariella too. You go take it easy and ask her to come out here. She can let me in afterwards."

"Huh? Uh, what exactly do you want to talk to her about?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. But she’s effectively my daughter-in-law, so I’d like to get to know her better, that’s all."