"Jason!"
Janet hurried forward and jumped into Jason’s arms happily, and Jason laughed as he swung his sister around! Janet had been shocked when she first sensed the sheer power Jason had been releasing earlier, but right now she didn’t care how powerful Jason was! Janet was just happy that Jason was back! Gina and Juliet hugged happily as Juliet welcomed her back, and Francis bowed respectfully to Gina to welcome her, but Gina just rolled her eyes and pulled him into a brief hug! Francis was always so formal about everything!
When Jason and Janet separated, Janet looked him over closely with a wide smile, and she spoke while comparing their heights.
"Did you grow taller again? I can barely reach your shoulder anymore! And your hair’s so long. When last did you cut it?"
Jason just laughed at that, and he ruffled Janet’s hair playfully while telling her that she was the one who grew shorter! Janet blushed and hit Jason’s chest angrily, and Jason chuckled as he asked Janet how she had been.
"Have you been taking those magic stones like I told you to?"
Jason had left behind instructions for Janet and Maya to eat as many mana stones as possible so that they could grow stronger! Jason knew that Janet wasn’t interested in getting involved in the superhuman world and fighting against monsters, and Maya was too young for Jason to allow her to fight against dangerous monsters, but even though they couldn’t fight, it was still possible for them to get stronger using mana stones. Janet blushed slightly when Jason asked her this question and Jason spread out his senses to see how much strength Janet had now. Jason hummed when he saw that she was only an A Rank, and he flicked Janet on the forehead with a small frown.
"You’ve been slacking on your training, haven’t you?"
Janet held her forehead and exclaimed in pain!
"Ow! I-I haven’t been slacking! I still train every day! It’s just that... well... the mana stones are pretty bitter. I don’t like eating them."
Jason huffed in exasperation at his sister’s reasoning! Never in Jason’s life did he think he would hear something like this! Jason knew that mana stones weren’t the most delicious thing to eat, and a lot of them tasted like eating a weird combination of rock, metal, and blood, but when it came to gaining strength, Jason didn’t really care about how bitter or sweet something was! As long as he could get stronger from it, then he would eat it all the same! Jason patted his sister’s head again, and he spoke with a dangerous smile.
"Your current instructors are way too lax. I don’t mind you skipping training, but those mana stones are important for you. Maybe I should get someone who’ll kick your ass for not eating your mana stones? There’s a subordinate of mine that’s really good at that kind of stuff."
Janet smiled nervously and stammered out a promise that she would definitely eat the stones from now on, and Jason just chuckled as he ruffled her hair again while telling her to make sure she did just that! Jason finally turned towards Juliet and held his hand out to her! Juliet walked forward eagerly, and she sank into Jason’s arms in a desperate hug. Juliet felt a tremor travel through her body as Jason wrapped his arms around her, and a sense of security came over Juliet as she let out a shuddering breath. Juliet had missed Jason far more than she thought she ever would, and there was no doubt that she was one of the happiest people to have him back! Jason pulled back a few seconds later, and he smiled as he saw tears falling down Juliet’s face.
"Did you miss me that much?"
Jason said this with a coy smile, and Juliet just scoffed while trying desperately to clean her tears, and she said:
"These are just tears of joy, you know. I’m just thinking about all the paperwork I won’t have to do anymore. There’s enough work piled up to last you for at least a few years, so don’t even dream of going anywhere for a long time."
Jason laughed nervously as he patted Juliet’s head softly and thanked her for all her hard work. Jason knew that Juliet was one of the core pillars that held up his guild during the time that he was gone. Juliet didn’t have to do all the things that she had done. As his personal representative, Juliet’s only job was to make sure his public image was stable and to act as the bridge between him and Tenet, but Juliet had gone above and beyond her call of duty, and she took on a role that was at least twenty times as taxing as what she had been hired for! Jason decided that he would definitely get Juliet a reward for working so hard!
’Especially since I’m definitely going to leave Earth again in the future. Juliet is going to have to keep working hard in the future as well.’
For some reason, the second Jason had this thought, Juliet felt a shiver go down her spine, and she glared up at Jason with narrowed eyes, but Jason expertly avoided her knowing glare so she wouldn’t figure out what he was thinking! The last person to greet Jason was Francis, and Francis walked forward with his usual impassive look before saluting Jason respectfully! There was a split moment when Jason’s eyes narrowed at Francis, and in that moment, Francis felt the fear of God enter into his body as he felt Jason’s aura wash over him! But the moment came and went far too quickly, and Francis could only stand in shock as Jason shook his hand.
"When things settle down, you and I are going to have a long talk about my sister."
Jason leaned forward and whispered this to Francis during their handshake, and Francis’ eyes widened even more as Jason pulled back and patted him on the shoulder calmly. Each pat on the shoulder felt like an executioner’s blade was pointed at Francis’ neck, and Francis flinched slightly as he tried not to show how terrified he was! Jason nodded to Francis to ask him if he understood, and Francis nodded back desperately! There wasn’t a single person in the room who missed the strange greeting between the two men, but when Jason spoke, they could all tell that Jason meant his next words.
"I hear you stepped up to take charge of the combat unit while I was gone. That’s good. You’ve worked hard to make sure the fighters came home safe every time. I’m proud of you, Francis."
Francis felt surprised when he saw the look of genuine appreciation on Jason’s face, and at that moment, Francis felt a surge of pride pouring out from his heart as he smiled! Francis gave Jason another respectful nod, and Jason patted Francis’ shoulder one more time before Mira finally spoke up!
"Now that everyone is done with the greetings, it’s time for us to eat!"
"!"
Mira suddenly stopped as a new mana signature washed over the restaurant, and Jason hummed with a small smile as he recognized the mana signatures that were approaching. Gina sighed in amusement, and Jason turned to his surprised mother and spoke to her.
"Mom, there’s someone that I’d like you to meet. She’s a bit... eccentric. But she’s a good person. I promise. Just don’t take her personality too personally."
Mira was obviously confused about what Jason was talking about, but Mira saw the way Gina was smiling, and Mira realised that this was probably someone that Jason and Gina were close to. Was it someone that they met during their journey? Mira nodded to Jason and told him that she understood, and in the next moment, the sound of horses galloping echoed through the street!