On the display of the Moon unit, Oliver saw a communications request pop up. Oliver accepted it. Oliver could see Aria in the corner of the display, her smile made her shine brighter than any star he had seen.
“We’ll be taking off to the skies soon, Oliver!” Aria said with a joyous tone.
“I am ready, but where are we going?” Oliver asked.
“You’ll see once we get there! I just know you’re going to love it.” Aria answered. “Let’s go!!”
Oliver could hear that Aria had activated the flight module on her Moon Unit, so he did the same. The sound of the engines on the flight module engulfed the whole training field. The Moon Units were levitating a couple of feet off the ground. Suddenly, Aria started flying up at full speed. The wind kicked up from her Moon Unit pushed Oliver back a bit. Oliver soon followed Aria up to the skies at full speed. As he went up, Oliver could feel the inertia pushing him back into his seat. He started to feel more excited as the force increased in strength and his speed became faster. He saw Aria go through the clouds and as he followed, he saw Aria flying horizontally. He kept following her through the clouds. On the display he could see Aria’s happy expression.
“Are you having as much fun as me?” Aria asked.
“Flying through clouds feels so exciting and the view is beautiful.” Oliver replied. “Your smile makes my heart feel at ease!”
“You know, I love piloting my Moon Unit quite a lot!” Aria was blushing. “Flying through the skies with you makes me enjoy it even more.”
“The last time I piloted a Moon Unit was when I had to take my Pilot Exam.” Oliver said. “This is a completely new experience for me, taking the Moon Unit freely through the skies.”
“Oliver, we are about to get out of the clouds. Make sure to look down as soon as you are out.” Aria said with excitement.
When Oliver got out of the clouds he looked down and could see the ocean down below. The waves crashed on the rock formations. The more he observed the ocean the more he felt as if he did not have a worry in the world. He continued flying mindlessly until Aria’s voice snapped him out.
“Oliver! Are you listening?” Aria said, pouting. “You keep ignoring me.”
“Sorry, I got lost in my mind for a minute.” Oliver responded. “I love the view, Aria. Thanks for setting this up for us.”
“Next up is landing.” Aria said with a big smile. “We’ll be going to my favorite place. Let’s see if you can keep up!”
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“I'll try my best just for you, Aria!” Oliver declared as he sped up trying to keep pace with the speeding Aria. “It feels so liberating traveling at such high speeds, but it’s getting difficult to control the Moon Unit.”
“I must say, you’re pretty good for someone who has so little experience piloting Moon Units.” Aria said as she lowered her speed. “Oliver?”
“What’s up?” Oliver asked.
“We have been to a few monster hunting missions this past month and we have observed the same phenomenon we encountered in Muna. Some of the Magic Stones had no Magical Energy.” Aria said. “Has my Mom discovered anything?”
“She came to the same conclusion as me. The Magic Stones had all or most of its Magical Energy used up.” Oliver explained. “This shouldn’t be possible unless the Magic Stone was damaged when the monster was killed, but all those Magic Stones were intact. This is not my area of expertise or Mrs. Hashimoto’s, so if this becomes a widespread issue, then someone else that specializes on Magic Stones would have to investigate it.”
“I see.” Aria replied. “Look Oliver, we are almost there.”
Oliver looked towards where Aria’s Moon Unit was pointing and saw an open field covered in flowers and some trees that extended as far as the eye could see. Oliver became mesmerized by the view of the field. Deep into the field a large tree with light pink leaves was visible.
“We’ll land near that big tree.” Aria began to speed up.
Oliver followed behind Aria and in no time the tree occupied most of Oliver’s field of view. Oliver now recognized the massive tree as a cherry blossom tree. Oliver and Aria slowly descended, landing underneath the cherry blossom tree. When Oliver got out of his Moon Unit, he could feel a gentle breeze hitting him. He walked up to Aria’s Moon Unit and when she opened the cockpit she jumped into Oliver’s arms. Oliver caught her and she wrapped her arms around him.
“Do you like this field, Oliver?” Aria asked.
“It’s so beautiful, especially the cherry blossom tree. It’s so big that it reaches the clouds.” Oliver answered.
“This island is known as Eternal Rest Island. According to the legends, the Hero that killed the Demon King secluded himself in this island and lived the rest of his life here. He was the one who planted the cherry blossom tree at the center of the island” Aria enthusiastically said as she got out of Oliver's arms. She then looked at the cherry blossom tree. “One day I was flying around in my Moon Unit and noticed this big cherry blossom tree. It was as if it was calling to me, so I landed and discovered this beautiful place. Immediately, this place became my favorite spot, so I began investigating and found that legend.”
“If the legend is true, then I must say the Hero knows how to choose a place to live. I would love to spend my final days in this place. So much beauty and it feels so relaxing just being here.” Oliver said as he approached Aria and started holding her hand. “I am glad I decided to become Mrs. Hashimoto’s apprentice, otherwise I don’t think I would have met you!”
“Yeah, by becoming my Mom’s apprentice we became connected.” Aria said, looking into Oliver’s eyes. “You know I told Mei that you were undecided between me and Nicole. She told me that I shouldn’t entertain the idea of being with you if you were such an indecisive person.”
“Your little sister did?” Oliver was shocked. “I guess I made a bad impression on her already.”
“So, Oliver, I’ll give you a month to give me your answer if I don’t hear anything from you, then we are done.” Aria had a serious expression. “Both me and Nicole can’t just sit around and wait for you forever.”
“You’re right. I am just being a coward unable to decide and wanting to keep going like this will only hurt everyone.” Oliver responded.
“Platoon 12 is having a barbeque on Friday. Roger told me that you were invited. He said you were an honorary member of Platoon 12.” Aria said.
“Now I know why Jin-Woo asked me if I was free this Friday. That’s four days from today. I’ll be there and I’ll have Elemental Guns made for each one of you guys.” Oliver replied.
“That would be great, but don't overwork yourself. You need to rest.” Aria remarked.
“Thanks for worrying but making them shouldn’t take long.” Oliver said, then as he looked at Aria, he felt something within him. He kissed her forehead.
“You …” Aria was blushing. She then decided to hug Oliver tightly. “Don’t move and let me enjoy this, I don’t know what you’ll decide, so I am going to take advantage of the moment.”
Oliver hugged Aria and Aria’s smile became even brighter. Oliver enjoyed the moment and hoped it would last an eternity. The only sound that could be heard was the wind moving the cherry blossom tree. The wind began to carry petals from the cherry blossom and Oliver and Aria held each other tightly as the petals fell around them.