There was a lot going on, including Kojiro and Kaede arguing, but me and Roomba kept talking to Haru and Shuichi and the others as if we were saying goodbye to them.

　However, the time to say goodbye came early, and just as the sun was climbing into the middle of the sky, Tori called out to me from the ship.

'Master Alfried!　It's time to get on the boat!

Yeah, okay!

　I reply to Tori and then turn to Haru and Shuichi.

　It's the end of my long and short Kagura life.

'Well then, me and Rumba will be leaving now.

'Right. I would have liked to tell you more, but I can't help it!　But you'll definitely be back next time, okay?

　I wondered for a moment if he was going to growl again at the end, but it seemed that Spring had already made up his mind, and he had a really sunny smile on his face.

'Yeah, I'll be back next time,'

Yeah!

'You'll hear from me again then. You can come to the castle in person if you want, okay?

　As me and Roomba reply to Spring, Shuichi says in a slightly nasty tone of voice.

'It's a castle, Al. I'd like to go inside for a minute.

'I hate it. I'm sure they're going to give me a stiff reception or something...

　I'm curious to see what's going on inside the castle too, but it's definitely going to be a pain in the ass.

'I'd best stay at the inn with the proprietress and play at the shrine with Haru and Shuichi.

'Gahaha!　Well, that too!

Next time we play, it will be at a shrine!

　Spring starts laughing too, as Rumba laughs.

　Shuichi and I also saw the two of them and had a small laugh.

''Take care of yourself, Kojiro, okay?　Can you make me a good eel bowl?

Yeah?　Make me something better than Al, okay?

Yeah, I got it!　I'm going to be the best eel bowl shop in Kagura!

　As me and Roomba cheer, Kojiro clenches his fist and declares on a high note.

　Kaede, who was listening to that, only snickers with a "humph".

　Kojiro glares at Kaede in an abhorrent manner.

　I wish he'd be as calm as he was when he saw me off. But I'm partly to blame for that, too.

''Well....

'Although he had an influence on me that I didn't want on my foolish brother, Lord Alfried has been a good friend to Haru-sama and Shuichi-sama. For that, I am grateful.

　Good. He doesn't seem to be completely angry.

'Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry about something about Kojiro?　But it's true that Kojiro wants to make unadorned rice bowls, so you'll have to try them again sometime.

..........

　When I finally say that, Kaede looks a bit bummed out.

　Even if you can't forgive her emotionally right now, there will be a day when you can, I'm sure.

　They seem to be good friends for some reason, and I'm sure that day will come.

'Take care of yourself, Suke-san and Kaku-san. Now that Kojiro is gone, you'll have to work harder and be a better companion.

You don't have to be the one to tell me that!

Senior Skeletor's name is on the line.

"Say 'midshipmen'!　And don't laugh at that!

　Ske replies and I watch Kaku tease him happily as me and Rumba walk towards the ship.

　Haru, Shuichi and the others also start walking towards the breakwater in the ship's path.

'Sorry for making you wait,'

That's fine. It's not easy to make friends in a foreign country.

"Why don't you treat your friends well?

　When me and Roomba return, Tory and Douglas call softly to me.

　Then the sailors move in, remove the planks that were hanging from the harbor to the ship, and raise the anchor.

　I look up and see that the sailors are already up the shroud and ready to go.

'All right, lads!　Set sail!

Hey!

　Douglas let out a loud, wild shout, and the sailors responded and spread the rope in unison.

　Then the sails that had been squeezed open and slowly swelled up in the sea breeze.

　Perhaps because the wind was stronger than in the port city of Esports, the sails spread out faster.

'Alright, let's set sail!'

　The ship, with her sails fully spread out, was slowly pulling away from the harbor under the force of the wind.

　Then Mr. Douglas, the coxswain, caught the wind and the waves, and the ship went gung-ho.

'Well then!　Aloo!　You'll be back!

I'm ready!

　Haru, Shuichi, Kojiro, Kaede, and Kaku-san waved to me as I moved to the limit of the breakwater, raising my voice.

'Yeah, we'll be back!

'Oh!　See you later!

　Me and Roomba answer that briefly and continue to wave to Haru and the others.

　Eventually the ship advances and the city of Kagura, the harbor, and Haru and the others become more and more distant.

　And finally, Spring and her friends in the harbor are out of sight.

　But even after they disappeared, Roomba and I continued to wave to them for a while.

　It's not often that we all get a chance to come together, but I can always come back through spatial magic transfer.

　I know that, but for some reason my heart was a little lonely.

　I'm not sure if she saw that, but Lumumba tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You'll be able to go back some time.

"We'll go again sometime,

'Yes. Let's go back to Coriat Village.