It has been days since Akira and Arayuki were grieving with tears and regret about Natsuya's presumed death. They eventually felt better and wanted to talk to Haruka with honesty about their reason for absence. They headed to the shop, finding her sighing and depressed, knowing about his death.
Arayuki: "Sorry for not talking for a long time. I heard about-"
Haruka: "*Exhales sadly* The death of Natsuya? I heard about it, it makes sense you were absent throughout these days. It sounds tragic, but how did he end up in a realm?"
Akira: "Was he still coping with getting rejected?"
Akira and Haruka: *Laughter*
Akira: "Okay. Okay.. We didn't mean to laugh... I mean, it could be worse."
Arayuki: "*Sighing* It's harder for us... We lost a beloved friend. H-He was someone I really cared for... and now he's gone. It feels like we're back to being alone again. I-I shouldn't have told him that the chances were based on luck. He might not have taken it the wrong way."
Akira: "*Patting his back* I also cared for him deeply. Whenever he was in danger, I would defend him, no matter how difficult the situation was. And no matter where things go from here... I'll always trust Natsuya. He makes choices with more weight and responsibility than people give him credit for. I believe in what he decides."
Haruka: "As a whole, we could agree Natsuya was our inspiration, the one who pushed us to carry our ambitions and chase goals we never thought we could reach, even as he hid his own struggles behind that determination."
Akira: "Why did I have to give him anger issues?"
Arayuki: "Why did I have to tell him about that, when he was just trying his best like the rest of us?"
Haruka: "In life, tragic moments are always a burden. Once you face those intense emotions, they begin to feel lighter. For example, I was rejected from the Geometry Honors Class. I felt depressed at first, but this is a good opportunity to give myself a self-reflection, and suddenly, I felt better. Sometimes, you have to set aside unwanted emotions so they don't overwhelm you. Even when you let go of them and find peace, the thoughts never fully vanish. The best way to overcome it is to reconcile with the negative emotions. Grief is always a hard experience to go through."
Arayuki: "I wish I could think like that. It's hard not to be weighed down by everything he left behind. But maybe... maybe that's how he wanted us to move forward, even without him."
Akira: "Grief would never honor him. We may stumble, but we have to keep moving forward."
Haruka: "The future awaits. This is your chance to conquer it. Use it to honor Natsuya yourself."
Akira: "No matter the odds, we'll accomplish what Natsuya thought we never could."
Arayuki: "To reclaim what was ours, we will save Miseong City from destruction, which will please Natsuya if he were here."
Akira: "I will dedicate my life to carrying on Natsuya's legacy for a better future."
With agreement, the three made a goal to honor Natsuya's legacy and face whatever challenges lay ahead.
Meanwhile, at a portal cleared by a group of S-Grade and A-Grade hunters, close to the portal where Natsuya cleared the E-Grade realm. Civilians cheered on the hunters, mostly on an S-Grade Huntress, Hae-yeon. She looks beautiful with golden hair and blue, shining eyes, and is revered by many, calling her the "Stunning Huntress". Statistics show she has unbound mana and an exotic blade that is one of the Mythical swords.
Crowd: "SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I LOVE YOU, HAE-YEON THE STUNNING HUNTRESS!!"
Ignoring the crowd, she noticed the E-Grade portal was cleared and was shocked when she read the statistics inside. Unlike other portals she had encountered, it was an unusual one, with a D-Grade Boss that dropped a C-Grade dagger.
Hae-yeon: "*Talking to an S-Grade Hunter* Excuse me? Uh... do you know who cleared the realm over there?"
S-Grade Hunter #1: "I think that was the same person who died on a high-grade realm recently."
Hae-yeon: "How is he alive?"
S-Grade Hunter #1: "No idea... no hunter could ever survive such an incident. Since he did, he may have a secret power... I think we need him for the corporation."
S-Grade Hunter #2: "He cleared a realm! It requires some mana to clear one. He probably used some, maybe he's part of us now! But he's just an E-Grade!"
Hae-yeon thinks about the hunter, who is Natsuya, and overthinks about his strength and power. From her experience, it requires multiple E-Grades to clear the realm, but somehow, Natsuya did it himself.
She hasn't seen what he looks like, but she has other quests to do, so she may have no chance of finding his real identity.