— There are so many people here! — Emilia commented, holding Kay's hand.

— Yes... Let's go? — he said, with a mischievous smile.

— Huh? But we just got here! — Emilia exclaimed, surprised.

— I don't like crowded places — he admitted.

— Me neither, but we're already here! — she replied, determined.

— I know, I was just joking — Kay replied, laughing.

— So it was a lie? — Emilia protested, laughing along.

— It's true that I don't like crowds, but I can handle it — he said.

— Enough stalling. Let's have fun! — she declared, pulling him excitedly towards the festival.

Kay and Emilia walked through the festival, enchanted by the cheerful atmosphere around them. The colorful lights shone on the stalls, and the sound of laughter and music filled the air. Emilia looked at everything with shining eyes, visibly excited to be there.

“Look, let's go to that stall!” she said, pulling Kay by the hand to a shooting range.

Kay smiled, accepting the challenge. He held the toy shotgun and aimed at the targets with ease. "Want a demonstration, Emmy?" he joked, winking at her.

"I doubt you'll hit them all!" she replied with a smile.

He fired and hit each target with precision, winning a large teddy bear for Emilia. "Here, for you," he said, handing her the prize as she received it, laughing.

"Thanks! But now it's my turn!" she exclaimed, determined to show off her own skill. She concentrated and managed to hit a few targets, which made her laugh even more, while Kay applauded enthusiastically.

Afterwards, the two of them headed to the food area. Kay bought a cotton candy, and Emilia quickly stole a piece, giggling mischievously as the candy melted in her mouth. "You're fast, huh!" Kay said, taking a piece back, making her laugh again.

As they walked, a dance booth caught their attention. The lively music had several people having fun, and Emilia looked at Kay with a challenging look. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Me? Well, not really... but if you want, I'll try," he replied, a little embarrassed.

They went to the middle of the improvised dance floor, and awkwardly, they started to dance. Emilia led the steps, and Kay followed her, trying not to step on her feet. The two laughed so much that they ended up drawing the attention of the people around them, but for them, nothing mattered other than the moment they were sharing.

After dancing until they were out of breath, they sat on a low wall to rest, watching the lights of the festival and the people around them. Emilia looked at Kay with a soft smile. "Today was one of the most fun days I've ever had."

Kay watched her for a moment, feeling genuinely happy. "It was for me too. It's good to be here with you, Emy. I hope we can have more moments like this."

They stood there for a while, chatting about little details of their lives and laughing at silly things. Their time together was coming to an end, but for Kay and Emilia, that day would become a precious memory, a keepsake they would both cherish for the future.

Kay and Emilia decided to take one last stroll around the stalls, enjoying every moment.

Emilia stopped for a moment, watching the sparkling reflections of the water and, without thinking much, took a small ring from her bag and held it up to the glow of the fountain. "The saleswoman said it's a lucky charm," she said, embarrassed, handing the ring to Kay.

Surprised and touched, he accepted the gift with a sincere smile. "Then I'll carry a piece of your luck with me," he joked, placing the ring on his finger. "That means you'll be with me too, even when I'm not around."

Emilia smiled, blushing slightly, but happy that he accepted. "Now you have to promise me that you'll take good care of it!"

"I promise," Kay replied, looking at her with a loving expression

The ride back to the car was silent, but comfortable. They were both tired, but a kind of peace filled the moment, as if words were unnecessary. As they got into the car, Emilia rested her head on Kay's shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment, and he let her stay like that, enjoying that last moment before they returned to the castle.

When the car stopped in front of the gate, the queen was already waiting, watching them

"I see you enjoyed yourself," the queen said, watching Emilia get out of the car with a smile.

"It was an unforgettable night," Emilia replied, holding the teddy bear Kay had won for her,

"I kept my promise," Kay said, looking at the queen with a respectful smile. "She returned safely, and, more importantly, happy."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The queen just nodded, giving a slight smile. "Thank you, Kay."

As they said goodbye, Emilia gave Kay one last look, as if she wanted to prolong the moment a little longer. Kay waved with a soft smile, and they both knew that this memory would stay with them, something they would always carry with them, no matter what the future held.

As they walked into the castle, Emilia hugged the teddy bear to her chest, her heart light and full of happiness. And as Kay walked away, he couldn't help but think about how much that night had changed something in him, giving new meaning to the word "friendship".

As Kay approached the festival, he remembered how lively and relaxed festivals could be. "Festivals are fun!" he thought as he got into the car.

"Where are we going?" the driver asked, with a friendly smile.

"To the festival," Kay replied, checking his cell phone to check the coordinates and times.

The driver continued on his way, dropping him off near the agreed-upon location. "Have fun!" the driver said, giving a final salute.

"Thanks," Kay replied, watching the car drive away. He looked around, trying to spot any sign of the people he was supposed to meet. "How am I supposed to find them in all these people?" he thought, as he tried to see through the crowd.

It was then that the sound of helicopters began to appear in the distance. Kay looked up and laughed to himself. "So that's how I was supposed to know," he concluded, as the noise attracted the attention of everyone around him.

The helicopters landed in the distance, far from the houses, and soon some members of the Liberation Army began to disembark.

"They're here!" several people exclaimed, excitement evident on their faces.

Intrigued, Kay turned to a nearby man. "Why are you so excited about their arrival?"

"Haven't you seen the latest news, young man? The army has been putting on quite a show. Just this week, they discovered how the Ghouls can attack cities by surprise. The chances of us being caught by surprise have decreased a lot!" The man took a deep breath, excited. "And there's more: they recovered Mineford, which everyone thought was lost. We feel like things are finally changing. It's hope, you know?"Kay nodded, absorbing the information. "I see. Oh, and one idea: what do you think about changing the title of squad leader to something more... impactful? How about 'general'?"

The man laughed. "Maybe for the higher-ranking officers, but I think squad or platoon leader already sounds pretty good."

Kay thanked him, saying goodbye with a slight wave, and the man watched, somewhat confused. "Did he even care about what I said about the army?" the man muttered, laughing to himself.

Kay walked away, thinking about what he had just witnessed. The excitement of the people about the army and the festival was palpable, and he could tell that beneath it all was a growing confidence. “I see,” Kay thought with a smile. “They’re celebrating the army’s arrival. Tonight is going to be a party.”

As the group headed toward town, the atmosphere was light, full of chatter and jokes among the soldiers. The festival had brought an air of excitement, and the prospect of new training made everyone restless.

“Finally, a break!” Thais exclaimed, stretching. She looked around, relieved to have some time to relax.

“Yes, but with the kingdom sending so many manpower to Mineford, there’s still a lot of hard work for us,” Slayer said with a sigh. “The process is fast, but we still have to work hard.”

“Having those extra arms would be a good help,” Thais commented with a laugh.

“We just have to learn,” Kay said with a teasing smile.

"As if it were easy!" Thais rolled her eyes, but then turned around, startled. "Since when have you been here?" she asked, surprised.

"Right now," Kay replied, amused by her fright.

"How was the festival?" Mira asked, curious.

"It was fun! Her energy was contagious," Kay said, remembering the memorable moments they had spent there.

"The city is so quiet, is it over yet?" Viviane asked, looking around.

Kay smiled. "Not yet."

"Hey, enough talking. You won't be here long, so enjoy yourself. I'll call you on the radio when it's time to leave," Takemichi said, giving instructions.

Kratos gave Kay a curious look. "By the way, why are you wearing those glasses?"

Kay took off her glasses and shrugged. "They were supposed to be a disguise."

"Disguise? You just look like an idiot!" Fiona said, mockingly.

Kay smiled. "So you're saying you usually think I'm smart?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I said. You just sound dumber than you already are!"

Laughing at the provocation, Kay changed her tone. "I'll need some time for my squad tomorrow. Can you spare them?"

"Your squad?" Takemichi looked puzzled, and the other leaders just exchanged discreet glances.

"They said I was going to lead the recruit squad," Kay explained, relaxing. "If that's not the case, even better, I don't even like being in charge."

"And what do you want them for tomorrow?" Takemichi questioned.

"They've made a breakthrough in their training, I want them to work more on cooperation with the suits. That should take all day," Kay replied confidently.

"Are you sure it won't be too much?" Takemichi frowned, worried.

"We might need to repair the suits later. But to make it work, I'll need some special ghouls... at least three for each one!" Kay said.

The surrounding soldiers exchanged surprised glances. Their tentacle training was advanced, and the idea of confronting real ghouls only heightened their anticipation.

"Will it be physical?" Takemichi asked.

"No. I'm going to teach them how to create the tentacles. Fernanda can supervise and create something to avoid any incidents when we train the other squads."

Takemichi nodded, impressed. "You have my permission. And about the squad leadership, this just proves that you deserve the position!"

Kay gave a quick salute. "Thank you!"

Takemichi, satisfied, turned around. "Okay, guys, let's go ahead, we've already wasted too much time here."

As they walked, Thais approached Kay, smiling. "Are you really going to teach us how to use the tentacles tomorrow?"

"Yes, I will," Kay replied, with a confident smile. "You already have good compatibility with the suits, and I've noticed that the ghouls notice that. But it's important to make it clear to them that it's a partnership. Otherwise, they might end up rebelling against you."

"What do you mean?" Thais was surprised, looking at Kay.

"Since you started, your compatibility has been increasing, but that last training session required a stronger connection. So we need to make it clear that this cooperation is advantageous for both sides," he explained.

"I see, so if we make that clear, they'll have to help us," San said, taking in the idea.

"But how are we going to make the ghouls understand this agreement?" Dan asked, still confused.

"That's why I'm going to be there," Kay said, winking.

Raven grumbled. "That doesn't explain anything. What's the difference if you're there or not?"

Kay smiled mysteriously. "Tomorrow you'll be the first, so you'll understand."

Thais laughed and nudged Raven. "You screwed up!"

Raven gave Thais an irritated look.

Thais jumped, moving away.

Kay looked at the group and laughed. "Like Takemichi said, we better get going or you'll end up falling behind!"

They began walking towards the city, laughing and teasing each other. The trust and camaraderie between them grew.