While their journey often required camping under the stars, they occasionally found respite in local inns. It was rare to find an establishment with a room large enough to accommodate all four of them, so they typically split into pairs.
More often than not, the room assignments fell into a steady pattern: Hikari stayed with Hapty, while Laguna paired with Falce.
Back then, magic tools were nonexistent. Within the dim interior of a room illuminated only by the flickering, amber glow of a lantern, Hikari finished her diary entry and looked up.
Across the room, her companion was busy. Hapty had laid out an array of knives on the floor, inspecting each one with a look of intense concentration.
Maintenance was a nightly ritual for her. Regardless of whether she had actually drawn her blades that day, she meticulously checked every single tool in her kit before she would even consider sleep.
Hikari watched her for a few moments until Hapty finally finished her work and packed the tools away. Then, as if on cue, the girl produced a block of what looked like cheese.
This was another of Hapty’s nightly habits—a small snack before bed. It might be dried meat or fruit; the choice was arbitrary, but she never went to sleep without a single bite of something. For Hikari, the appearance of food was the signal that the day was truly over.
Hapty sliced a small piece of cheese and offered it to Hikari. Following their usual routine, Hikari accepted it, and they both ate in comfortable silence.
Normally, they would extinguish the lantern and go to sleep immediately after finishing the snack. However, that night was different. Even after she had finished her cheese, Hikari made no move toward the light. She wore a heavy, contemplative expression that caused Hapty to tilt her head in curiosity.
"Hikari?"
"Hapty... If, and this is just a hypothetical... if I said I wanted to run away from all of this, what would you do?"
Hikari found it difficult to explain even to herself why those words had escaped her. Perhaps the weight of their long travels had finally caught up with her.
Perhaps being alone with the one person she felt truly at ease with had allowed her carefully maintained guard to drop, letting her inner fragility leak out.
Or perhaps it was simply because, if she aligned the calendar of her home world with this one, tomorrow would be her birthday. She was, quite simply, a little homesick.
Confronted with this sudden confession of weakness, Hapty didn't hesitate. She didn't even stop to think before replying with her characteristic breezy nonchalance.
"Huh? Well, in that case, let's just run away together! We can become chivalrous thieves. You’re a total amateur, so I’ll have to show you the ropes!"
"Pfft... ha... Ahaha!"
"Hey, what are you laughing for?"
Hikari couldn't help but burst into laughter. The answer was just so perfectly like her.
Ultimately, Hapty had always been consistent. She had said it before when they discussed their reasons for fighting: she was only on this quest to slay the Demon King because she wanted to be with Hikari. If Hikari chose to flee, she would have no reason to stay behind, so she would simply follow.
No matter what choice Hikari made, Hapty would remain by her side. To a girl summoned to a foreign world and forced to fight, that simple assurance—that she was not alone—was an incredible source of strength. It made her more grateful than she could put into words.
"Because you're not a chivalrous thief, you're just a common thief."
"Hey! Personally, I think I have a real 'rob from the rich and give to the poor' vibe going on!"
"Ahahaha!"
"Is it really that funny!?"
Hikari laughed until she was breathless, using the mirth to mask the tears of relief that threatened to spill over. It was exactly the answer she had hoped to hear.
Eventually, Hikari offered a profuse apology to the pouting Hapty. As they finally prepared to blow out the light, Hapty spoke up as if she had suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh, right. It’s a bit early, but I might as well give you this now."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"A necklace I found at a street stall. It’s got a weird design."
"Why are you giving this to me...?"
Hapty handed her the piece of jewelry. As she’d said, it was strange—neither particularly cool nor conventionally cute. Hikari tilted her head, looking at the gift with confusion.
"Tomorrow’s your birthday, isn't it? So, consider it a present."
"You... you remembered?"
"Well, yeah. I’m not going to forget a friend’s birthday."
Hapty did indeed know the date. Early in their travels, they had spent time figuring out how her world’s calendar correlated with this one. Hapty had asked for the date then and had clearly never forgotten it.
"Thank you. Truly."
"Don't mention it."
Hapty gave a playful grin. They chatted for a few more minutes before finally extinguishing the lantern to rest for the coming day.
By the time Hikari closed her eyes, the lingering loneliness had completely vanished, replaced by a deep, gentle warmth.
Hapty was the first friend Hikari had made in this world. She was a precious best friend, the only person Hikari trusted enough to reveal her heart to.
That was why the shock was so profound when Hapty vanished without a trace after the Friendship Treaty was signed. Hikari had hidden her pain from those around her, even feigning a smile and saying it was "just like her," but inside, she was devastated.
She had believed their bond was irreplaceable. She had felt a genuine friendship between them and had assumed, as a matter of course, that they would remain together forever.
Yet Hapty had left without a single word of farewell. Hikari had wanted to scream, to demand an explanation.
Determined to maintain appearances despite the hollow ache in her chest, Hikari accepted an invitation to live at Kuromueina’s castle. The very day after she moved in, a letter and a small parcel arrived.
The moment she saw "Hapty" written on the sender's line, Hikari’s heart raced with a chaotic mix of emotions. She tore the letter open.
In it, Hapty revealed that she was a subordinate of the Phantasm King. She had been ordered to make contact with the Hero to evaluate her.
However, the letter clarified that while the initial contact was an order, the decision to remain on the journey had been Hapty’s own.
She wrote about how their travels together had been loud and chaotic but incredibly fun. She admitted that while she’d intended to leave once the Demon King was defeated, she had enjoyed herself so much that she ended up staying until the treaty was finalized.
The revelations were startling, yet Hikari felt an immense wave of relief wash over her. The letter explained everything Hapty had been hiding. There was even a postscript asking Hikari to keep it a secret from Laguna and Falce, which made Hikari realize she was the only one Hapty had truly confided in.
Most importantly, she felt saved by the knowledge that their time together had been by Hapty’s choice, not just an obligation.
She was happy that Hapty had finally told her the truth. At the very least, she knew now that the friendship she felt wasn't just in her head.
With tears of relief in her eyes, Hikari read on, hoping for news of a reunion. But the serious tone of the letter ended there.
'Anyway, right now I’m treasure hunting in a lost seabed city. I found some coral with a really gross color, so since your birthday is coming up, I’m sending it as a gift. Getting back to the point, I heard that the treasure in this city is...'
The rest of the letter was a rambling account of Hapty’s recent exploits—or more accurately, her obsession with treasure. Hikari opened the parcel to find a piece of coral with a truly bizarre, sickly hue.
"Good grief... she really hasn't changed," Hikari muttered, a helpless smile spreading across her face.
The letter ended with a promise to send another one on her next birthday. Hikari knew then that this wasn't the end of their connection.
She could already imagine Hapty sending more strange gifts year after year, and the thought made her laugh.
True to her word, Hapty sent a letter and a package every year as Hikari’s birthday approached. The letters were usually filled with wild tales: stories of an ancient Takoyaki Civilization or a fallen Taiyaki Kingdom.
And every time, a bizarre item from her travels arrived as a gift.
Because Hapty was constantly on the move, their correspondence was one-way for quite some time. Eventually, however, Hapty obtained a magic box that would teleport back to its owner. By placing her replies inside that box, Hikari was finally able to write back.
They continued their once-a-year correspondence for centuries. At Hapty’s request, it remained a secret from Laguna and Falce. Only Hikari knew for certain that Hapty was still out there.
After seeing off Hapty—who had finished her story and departed for the Adventurer Guild with Kaito and the others—Noin let a smile reach her eyes.
"She certainly was a lively one, wasn't she?" Fia remarked.
"Yes. She really hasn't changed at all," Noin replied, nodding with a soft chuckle.
Even though they had exchanged letters, this was their first face-to-face meeting in a millennium. Yet Hapty had treated the occasion with such casual lightness, as if they had only seen each other yesterday. It was quintessentially her.
But this meeting had been a major turning point. A thousand years ago, magic tools weren't common enough to bridge the distance, but now they had registered each other’s magic power. They could speak via Hummingbird whenever they wished.
Furthermore, as a demon, Hapty didn't seem to view a thousand years as an particularly long time. When Noin had asked her to visit more often, Hapty had readily agreed.
Hapty had never broken a promise to Noin. Now that the word was given, she would surely find the time to drop by whenever she was bored.
"She truly is exactly the same as she was back then. Whimsical as a cat, free-spirited, obsessed with money, and a total trouble-maker... my most precious friend."
"I see..."
Indeed, nothing had changed. Even after a thousand years, Noin felt the same unbreakable bond with the girl.
She looked at the uniquely shaped pouch Hapty wore at her hip. It was well-worn, showing signs of numerous repairs, yet it was meticulously cared for. It was a pouch Noin had sent as a return gift for a birthday present about a hundred years ago.
It had been custom-made specifically for the weapons Hapty used. Seeing that Hapty still cherished it a century later was a testament to the thief's surprising loyalty.
Perhaps I should send her a new one next time, Noin thought. She watched the path her oldest and dearest friend had taken, her gaze filled with warmth and affection.