The instant the Monkey King broke free from his seal, Athena materialized silently beside Yusei, gently slipping her arm through his. She had returned to her petite, loli form.
Yusei reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair under the blue knitted cap and asked with a soft smile, "Is everything finished?"
"Yes, this one has completed all tasks as her husband requested."
"Good. Then it's time for me to return to my own home. Will you come with me? Wherever that may be?"
"Wherever my husband goes, that is where this one shall be."
Athena gazed up at him, a serene smile on her face.
Yusei gently stroked her cheek before turning his attention to Luo Hao.
"Luo Hao-nee, our deal is complete. It's time for me to take my leave. You can handle this monkey by yourself, I assume?"
"You're leaving so soon? Very well. I suppose having two Campiones lingering in one place would send the more timid souls into a panic. As for this simian..."
A mischievous grin played on Luo Hao's lovely features. Her form blurred and vanished, reappearing directly beside the roaring Monkey King.
A single, devastating punch sent the deity hurtling through the air to crash into a distant mountainside, the impact shaking the very ground.
"...he is decidedly not enough of a challenge for me."
Watching Luo Hao effortlessly display her power, Yusei simply chuckled and gave a respectful nod of farewell.
A soft breeze swept across the peak, and when it settled, both Yusei and Athena were gone.
…
The two reappeared in a deserted, a windswept location, with only Athena for company.
Yusei felt no lingering attachments to this world.
The Copper-Black Cross had served him diligently, and he believed they deserved a reward. Athena's earlier absence had been at his request… to assist Erica in refining and perfecting numerous valuable magical arts.
With the Goddess of Wisdom's intellect guiding the process, those enhanced arts would secure the Copper-Black Cross's position at the very apex of magical societies.
Of course, a Campione's own power was in a league of its own. But believing in rewarding loyal service, Yusei had also instructed Athena to extend an offer for them to align themselves with Luo Hao's organization should they wish.
With all loose ends tied, Yusei turned his focus inward, to the system interface.
[Series Quest: Elements Required for World Construction]
[Current Mission: Nurture the World Tree's Seed]
[Objective: Search within the [Campione!] World for the World's Origin to nurture the World Tree's Seed.]
[Status: COMPLETE!]
[Return to Main World available. Proceed?]
Seeing the prompt, Yusei gave the mental command.
'Return.'
A brilliant white light enveloped him and Athena. On that desolate mountain peak, the two vanished, leaving behind nothing but a pair of shallow footprints.
…
Northeastern Japan, a Hidden Realm.
A golden-haired beauty, who had been sleeping soundly and drooling slightly, suddenly twitched. Her eyes snapped open, a look of deep oddity and disbelief on her face.
"A god... still alive? One like Suwako and the others? No... the feeling is different. How... interesting."
She murmured the words to herself, but the moment of alertness passed as quickly as it came. Within seconds, her breathing evened out again, and soft, gentle snores filled the quiet space. For her, surprise was merely a brief interruption to a good nap.
When Yusei's senses returned, he found himself standing amidst a vast, golden sea of wheat.
It was autumn, the season of harvest.
The sight gave him pause, 'Autumn? If the return timing is accurate... has it really been nearly half a year? But I was certain I hadn't spent that long in the Campione! World.'
"Husband? Is something the matter?"
A mellower, more mature version of Athena's voice reached him. He looked down and realized his head was resting in her lap. She had shifted to her mature form, likely to provide a more comfortable pillow.
"Just surprised by the time difference between worlds," He admitted with a wry smile, "I was almost afraid it might be the autumn of the second year."
"I see. This is this one's first journey to another world, so such matters are unfamiliar. However, the ambient spiritual power here feels incredibly thin. It is difficult to imagine her husband growing into such strength in this environment."
Yusei got to his feet and helped Athena up. He took a moment to get his bearings, sensing the familiar lay of the land, and pinpointed a direction.
"Let's go. We'll head home. Then we'll know for sure how long it's been."
"Mhm."
At the word 'home', Athena's eyes lit up with a spark of excitement. She had been deeply curious about the place Yusei called home for a long time.
…
Tokyo, Bunkyo Ward.
Her classes finished for the day, Asuna made her customary trip to her husband's house to prepare lunch for their daughter and her husband's younger sister who lived there.
She opened the door, her eyes sweeping over the familiar, unchanging interior. A silent sigh escaped her as she walked towards Shiro's room.
Inside, Yui was keeping Shiro company. But Shiro wasn't immersed in a video game, her usual pastime. Instead, she was hunched over a desk, studying with intense concentration.
With her super-genius level intellect, Shiro could master most subjects with minimal effort.
For her to be studying this diligently meant she was pushing her knowledge to its absolute limits.
The reason for this sudden shift from problem gamer to dedicated scholar was simple: her brother was gone.
Yusei had been missing for half a year.
Everyone knew he had said he was traveling to a distant place. But his prolonged absence was a constant, gnawing worry.
Tohru and Kanna had scoured every conceivable corner of the planet, but they found nothing.
This confirmed Shiro's suspicion: Yusei wasn't on this world anymore. He had traveled to another dimension, or perhaps into the depths of space. She strongly believed it was the former.
Her research now was singularly focused: the laws of space and time. She was determined to build a device capable of piercing through dimensional barriers, something that could locate Yusei by tracing his unique signature.
Asuna knew exactly what Shiro was attempting. It sounded like science fiction, a pipe dream.
But she would never stop her. This was a little sister's desperate hope to find her brother. What right did she have to stand in the way? Even their daughter, Yui, did her best to help her Aunt in this seemingly impossible task.
In her roles as 'sister-in-law', 'mother', and 'wife', Asuna's duty was clear: to care for these two girls and for Yusei's parents.
She was still a student at Tokyo University, but the prolonged worry and responsibility had forced a deep maturity upon her.