"Oh, everyone's back," Maiuri greeted warmly as she arranged the plates across the dining table.
"Dad!"
Lily immediately sprang from her chair, nearly knocking it over in her excitement.
"How did it go? I saw on TipTop that you three basically closed Hell's Gate without any backup! The entire platform is exploding with videos! People are saying the military barely had time to arrive before it was already over. Seriously... how did you do it?"
She stared at the trio with pure admiration, practically vibrating with excitement as she waited for an answer.
"What else?"
Jonathan smirked, clearly enjoying her curiosity, and casually reached out to place a hand on Lily's should—
"It was the power of friendship."
Young Aether interrupted without hesitation. He placed his hand over Lily's shoulder and gently pulled her away from Jonathan, his expression remaining completely devoid of emotion.
"…"
