Decisions and farewells

 Airin's eyes widened when he heard Shin's words.  Was he right.  She just wanted to be stronger.

 "I will help you."  Shin said.

 "W-What?"  Airin couldn't believe what he was hearing.

 "Don't you believe you can get better? Some people are born with talent and some aren't, so they think geniuses are unattainable, but that's not true."

 Airin listened carefully to Shin's words.

 "I'm not going to tell you that everyone can achieve what they want. Some things can't just be done with effort, but if you can't reach your goal… try to stay close to it."

 Airin thought about Shin's words.  She knew that effort was a means to achieve your desires, but effort sometimes isn't enough.

 "Have you ever heard of the stairway to heaven?"  Shin asked suddenly.

 "Stairway to Heaven?"  Airin asked, confused.

 "There are people who are born at the bottom of the stairs. Others go up so fast that they fall. Some go up so slowly that they stop. The last ones… decide not to go up alone."

 "Airin, all I can offer you is a way to achieve what you want. Whether or not you can get there is up to you."

 Airin clenched his fists as she heard Shin's words.

 "I… can I get stronger?"  Airin asked with tears in his eyes.  She was shaking right now.

 "Yes, you can!"

 Airin couldn't take it anymore and his tears accumulated for years finally fell.  She laid her head on Shin's chest and started to cry.  Her tears had mixed emotions.  Shin stroked her head as she shed tears on his chest.

 -

 "Princess Alvin-Sama is so talented. You should learn from him."

 "Princess, why are you training so hard? Just have fun and let Alvin-Sama take care of everything."

 "Glad the Queen has Alvin-Sama."

 "Princess Alvin-Sama won the Elves Tournament. You should congratulate him."

 (...)

 "Why do you try so hard? This is useless."

 "You have no talent."

 "Just stay home."

 "A disgrace to royalty."

 (...)

 She has listened to these silent phrases for over a hundred years;  however, she never gave up on her training.  She continued training day after day, year after year.

 -

 *Snif!* *Snif!*

 Shin continued stroking her head to calm her down.

 "Are you better?"  Shin asked.

 "Un."  Airin nodded shyly.  She was very embarrassed right now, so she kept her head down.

 "Well, we should go back. Tiana might be worried about you."

 Only then did Airin realize she was in public.  She was about to pass out when she thought her mom saw her hugging Shin.

 "Don't worry, I made a barrier to keep them from seeing you."

 "Th-Thank you!"  Airin said relieved.

 -

 "What the hell are these two doing?!"  Mari asked with an annoyed expression.  She was about to jump to destroy the barrier Shin had placed.

 "Calm down, Mari."  Ryuu said.  "He may have his reasons."

 "Humph! If he doesn't have a reasonable explanation, I'll hit him."

 When they were thinking about it, the barrier disappeared.  Shin and Airin left with calm expressions on their faces, but Airin was still a little flushed.  Shin walked towards his group and saw Mari looking at him with a murderous look.

 "I'm gonna explain."  Shin lied to them and just said that he saw Airin's Awakening and thought about inviting her to the group.  Mari calmed down when she heard Shin's explanation.

 "Well, your Awakening is very good."  Ryuu commented.

 "In fact."  Naomi nodded.

 The group still didn't have a person who focused entirely on swordplay.  Mari was a swordsman, but she was also good at magic and martial arts.  Shin would describe Mari as: "A complete kit."

 "Well, let's go visit Elf country. I want to learn a little about their cooking."

 -

 Shin spent a few days in the Elf Realm.  The Kingdom was a giant forest full of houses and vegetation;  however, Shin found a beautiful setting.  Even the air was cleaner in the Kingdom of Sandarim.  He tasted their cuisine and had to admit it was very good.  Tiana also delivered the recipes for Elvish cuisine and some foreign cuisines.

 "Do you want to learn how to cook?"  Naomi asked suddenly.

 "Well, I think I might need it someday."  Shin replied.

 "Men who can cook are more charming."  Naomi commented with a teasing smile.  Shin smiled at Naomi's comment.

 -

 "Airin, why did you call me here?"  Tiana asked.  Airin had called Tiana in for a chat in her room.

 "Mom… can I follow them?"  Airin asked suddenly.

 "Follow them?"  Tiana was confused by the question.

 "Allow me to follow Onii-Sama and her group."  Airin said with a pleading expression.

 "Airin… what the hell are you saying?"  Tiana was in shock when she heard her daughter's request.

 "Mom, I can come back in a few months to see you. Please, Mom! Please!"

 "Airin…" Tiana didn't know why her daughter was so insistent on this subject, but she was still hesitant.  She didn't know anything about Shin's world and the others.

 "Mom! If you don't let me go… I'll run away from home!"  Airin said with a determined expression.  She would follow Shin no matter what.

 "W-What?"

 "Mom, I can get stronger by following Onii-Sama. If you don't let me go… I won't forgive you!"

 Airin was adamant about the matter.  At first, she was still hesitant to follow Shin;  however, when she heard that she could come back in a few months or at most a few years, she immediately agreed.  Elves are very long-lived, so their perception of time is a little different from humans.

 *Sigh*

 "Okay…" Tiana nodded, but she still decided to talk to Shin about it.

 "I love you, mom!"  Airin hugged his mother with a happy expression.

 'I'm really weak against this girl.'  Tiana thought.

 -

 Shin, Naomi, Mari, Ryuu and Airin were looking at the people who came to see her departure.  It wasn't just Tiana, all the leaders of their nations came to see the "heroes" depart.  They were confused when they saw Airin in the middle of the group, but Tiana told them that she wanted to visit another world and would come back later.

 "Mom, I'll see you later."  Airin said with tears in his eyes.  Even though she had prepared herself, it was still difficult to part with her mother.  Tiana also tried to remain calm, but ended up hugging her daughter to hide her tears.

 "Take care, okay?"

 "Un."  Airin responded with a nod.

 "Hahaha. See you later, Tiana."  Mari said, smiling.

 'She really can't read the weather.'  Shin thought.

 "Well, we're going to pay a visit."  Naomi said.

 Tiana smiled and nodded at both of them, then she looked at Shin.

 "I know! I know! I promise to take care of her."  Shin said with a helpless smile.

 "Humph! I think it's good!"  Tiana snorted and said.

 "Heh… won't you hug me too?"  Shin made a false face of sadness.

 "W-What are you talking about!? Idiot!"  Tiana said with a flushed face.  She almost jumped up to hit this guy, but they were still in public.

 "Well, see you later."  Shin said with a smile and walked away.  Tiana watched Shin walk away and flashed a smile.

 'See you later.'

 -

 [Are you ready?]

 "Yes" 4x

 When they confirmed, a space portal opened in front of them.

 "Let's go."  Shin said.

 They nodded and headed towards the portal;  however, when Shin was about to enter the portal along with the others, he felt someone hug his back like a koala.

 'This…' He couldn't finish his thoughts, because the space gate closed.