"My dear fellow students, please welcome yourselves to the end of an era. These past few years at school have been a blast and a truly enjoyable experience, but the end has to come some time."

The speaker that was nominated by all of the teachers of the school was now currently hosting the graduation ceremony. With a strong and refined voice, aura, and appearance; Akari Akazawa addressed her classmates one last time before they would all go different paths.

Akari managed to become the valedictorian of her school year, while Takei became the salutatorian due to his hard efforts to try and catch up. Since he had devoted himself so wholeheartedly, his dream of reaching Akari's level was getting closer and closer.

"As we move forward in our lives, people that used to be around us our whole lives may no longer be there. It's a hard fact to swallow, but being an adult means that you have to be able to make sacrifices."

Akari sadly looked downwards for a moment to emphasize her deep regret and sadness, but she lifted her head with an optimistic smile. "We also have to do boring stuff like doing taxes, which I'm sure everyone is looking forward to!"

Her joke at the end managed to get a few giggles and chuckles from the audience. She had written and practiced her speech with Takei beforehand, so she was as ready as she could be to deliver a good speech.

"What I mean to say is... Things may change over time and the future might look bleak compared to now, but just take a deep breath and calm down. Everything's going to be just okay."

Akari delivered the line with an incredibly caring and gentle voice that made everyone feel peaceful at the sound of it. It was as if she was a goddess that descended from the heavens just to take care of the poor lost souls in the mortal realm.

"Even I get lost at times, but the people around me always help me find the right path again. That's why it's okay to not know what you're doing, we're still young and learning. Make as many mistakes as you can now while you're a kid, so you can learn from them and become a better person."

Akari paused and took a deep breath to help emphasize the importance of her coming words. "Since we're running out of time and there's not much else to say other than that... I'll wrap it up with one last piece of advice for everyone."

She looked around the room to see the bright faces of the people who would run the nation in the future and let out a happy sigh.

"Everyone, please do your best and give it your all. Even if times get tough and there's no foreseeable end to the tough times, do not ever give up. As long as you don't give up, you are still alive and can try again. Please, never give up."

Akari left her podium and went to the front of the stage to bow to everyone. As evident by everyone's expressions and the loud sounds of clapping and cheering, it was clear that all the students felt refreshed and excited about graduating now.

The gloomy atmosphere that was here before was no longer in sight. Just by the goddess' speech alone, the whole audience was now riled up and ready to proceed with their new lives,

Even Takei, who had heard this speech a countless number of times due to practicing with Akari, felt the raging emotions that were a result of a phenomenal speech being delivered. He was one of the people who were loudly clapping and cheering in the crowd.

Once Akari finished her speech, the teachers helped her transition into the next phase of the graduation ceremony. The next phase would be Akari reading off the names of her fellow students that graduated and handing over their diplomas.

Since she was reading the names of the graduating class, the teachers announced her name first and handed the diploma to Akari. Once that was done, Akari proceeded with her task of naming the graduating class.

"Eiji Hasegawa... Rikka Hasegawa..."

Listing off the names one by one in alphabetical order by last name, Akari skillfully handed the students their diplomas as they walked up to the stage.

After a while, a certain person's name finally came up on the list. Akari read over the name first in her mind and smiled once she realized who it was. "Takei Tanaka!"

With his name being called, Takei left his seat and walked up to the stage to claim his diploma. Receiving a diploma straight from the hands of the goddess was an old dream of Takei's from long ago, but it was finally fulfilled today.

Once he got into close enough range, Takei whispered his thanks to Akari. "Thank you for being the light in my life. I don't know where I would be without you."

Akari faintly blushed and leaned in closer to Takei. "How are you going to show your appreciation for me?"

"This is how..." Takei said as he leaned his body forward and stole a kiss from Akari's lips.

"!" Akari and the crowd were shocked by the sudden development, but no one was complaining. It was the last day they would all see each other, so letting loose a bit was par for the course.

After letting go of Akari's lips, Takei merrily received his diploma and returned to his seat. A few students heard him hum a happy tune as he was on the way back to his seat, which felt strange since they all knew him as an aloof boy.

"Ahaha, Akari's gonna yell at me later for doing that~"

Takei nonchalantly said such a thing as he reveled in the feeling of victory over the goddess.

—

Graduation arc (4/5)

One more chapter for this arc!

Serious-san: We're almost out of high school!

Sugar-chan: College is next~!