227 "Are you fine, my love?"

"Hn?" Fumio swivels his head eastwards.

His small movement is caught by the 11 others who are currently standing in the vast open field that is the middle of Antarctica.

Soon enough, they see the figure of a man standing on a flying sword, appear in the blue summer sky of late August, heading towards them.

Chihiro, Kanon, Osamu, Ran, and Taishiro tense up in anticipation but soon enough, with their sharp eyes, the anticipation turns to confusion.

Instead of their big brother Eitaro, or much better yet, their adoptive father Kichirou who they were hoping to see, it is instead a Caucasian man who looks to be in his late 20s, wearing a white linen shirt and well-fitted khaki pants who lands in front of the group.

"Hisashiburidesu…" The man greets Kotone, Fumio, and Yoshiko with a nod and a warm smile.

"..." The three meanwhile, are stunned but they are quick to process and assume how the man ended up in this place with them.