"......"

I hear a voice from somewhere far away.

"...... ni"

I know that voice.

"......Ni."

A familiar voice. The voice you've been longing to hear.

"...... Jin bro."

Jin opened his eyes.

"......I know that ceiling."

Jin woke up in his room on Horai Island.

"Jin ......"

"Elsa,......"

It was his beloved wife, Elsa, calling for him.

Jin slowly pulls himself up from the futon.

"Wake up, are you okay?"

"Yes."

Jin turned his head lightly. There was nothing wrong with his body.

"Yes, that's good. ......"

Erza, who was slightly teary-eyed, told me that suddenly a transfer magic circle appeared in front of the institute and Jin appeared.

Since Jin was unconscious, he was immediately taken to and treated, but there was nothing wrong with him.

After that, Jin did not wake up for three days and three nights.

"...... Are you sure it's Elsa?"

"Yes."

"......What year is it?　What's the date?"

September 20th, 3459.

Coincidentally, it was the same date as the day we left the other side.

"Well, ......, you're back. ......"

"Welcome back, Brother Jin."

And Jin's foggy head finally cleared.

"Elsa."

Elsa.

Elsa!

Brother Jin?

Jin hugged Erza, who was right in front of him.

It was not an illusion, but a solid presence in Jin's arms.

"Oh, you're back. ......"

"Welcome home."

I'm home, Elsa.

"...... welcome home."

Elsa was going to say welcome home as many times as she could until Jin was satisfied.

And then there was another shadow.

"Father!"

Reiko can't stand to just watch from the shadows anymore.

"Welcome home!"

Reiko jumped on Jin.

"I knew you would come back."

Reiko, I'm home!

Then more people came.

Jin-san, welcome back.

Hey.

Mother-in-law, ...... and ......?

Meine and the baby in her arms.

That's Mio. It's your daughter.

Mio. ......

"Welcome home, little girl!"

And another one, Hannah, with a baby in her arms.

"Abubu!"

"Chloe, look, it's your father!"

"Chloe ......"

The room around Jin became lively at once.

"So these are my children. ......"

Jin looked first at Mio in Meine's arms and then at Chloe in Hannah's arms. Both of them seemed to be in a good mood, as if they knew they were fathers.

"Thank you, Elsa. ...... and I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you were going through the hardest time."

"No, that's okay. I'm sure it was much, much harder for you, Jin. ......

"But still. I'm sorry. And thank you for giving me such a good baby."

Jin gently hugged Erza once more.

He noticed that the people around them were smiling ...... and staring at them, Hannah's face a little red, but Jin did not let go of Erza's hug.

Erza, Mio, Yu, Meane, Hannah, and Reiko.

Surrounded by his close friends, Jin felt that he had finally returned home.

* * * * * * * * * * *

That night, all the gathered to celebrate his return.

"Welcome home, Jin!

"Welcome home, Jin!

"Welcome home!"

Everyone was truly happy for Jin's return.

"Thank you. ......It took a lot of hard work, but I'm glad to be back.

"I'd like to hear more about that."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"...... I know, I know. But ......

But what?

But first, we have to retrieve all of the wards that have been deployed.

That's right.

Then we can talk about what happened. But ......"

But what?

There are parts of my memory that are hazy and hazy. Mostly magical-technical things, you know."

<<< Is it interference from the world to prevent the occurrence of contradictions due to time travel? >>

Here the old man starts to say something difficult.

"Is it possible that a corrective force was at work to prevent a time paradox from occurring?"

Hannah says something similar.

"That may be so. ......"

"But what happens eventually happens, right, honey?"

"Yeah."

Jin takes a sip of Citran juice to quench his thirst.

"I also thought I came here without getting any unnecessary information to avoid ...... time paradoxes as much as possible,......."

Jin wonders now if the ambiguity was superfluous information.

"I can't remember what the descendants of me and the rest of the ...... family have been up to."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah, but I did have Zion and Zion's descendants to take care of me over there. And Marikka.

What?

Is that so?

Yes. I'll talk to you when I've done what I have to do.

I'll look forward to it.

I'll look forward to it." Jin laughed and said, "Maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

And just as he had declared, the next day or two later, Jin finished all the work of retrieving the he had placed and told the members of the < what he had experienced.

* * * * * * * * * *

......."

Jin's long story is over.

"Welcome back, Jin."

Reinhardt said,

"Welcome back.

"Welcome home."

< greeted him with renewed welcome.

(This was definitely the place I was going to return to. ......)

Jin thought sincerely.

The season was autumn.

A cool breeze blew through the island of Horai.