Akira's body stiffened, turning his head bit by bit, as if it were rusty.
Standing in the open doorway was a woman.
She looked to be around forty, somewhat similar to Akira, yet not entirely.
The resemblance was in their black hair and black eyes, both possessing high-level looks and the same soft curvature at the corners of their eyes.
The differences lay in their facial features and the aura hidden beneath them.
Akira's softness was often a habitual disguise, meant to make him appear harmless, like a sheathed sword.
The woman's softness, on the other hand, was genuine, exuding an elegant, traditional Yamato Nadeshiko-like grace that seemed to seep into her very bones.
Yet, despite her gentle appearance, Akira was as terrified as a mouse meeting a cat. Dryly, he stammered, "Wh-why are you here?"
"A mother can't be concerned when her son goes out for a late-night adventure?" She was Akira's mother, named Hayami Minami.
"Of course, you can."
Akira nodded hurriedly, sneaking a glance at Gardevoir by his side.
Just moments ago, Gardevoir had been standing next to him, but now, at some point, she had sat down, kneeling in a proper and obedient manner.
With Gardevoir's abilities, she had certainly sensed someone outside the door long ago. But since it was Akira's mother, the second person she trusted most, there was no need for her to be on guard.
Akira realized this and made a mental note to ask Gardevoir about his mother's whereabouts in the future, to avoid being caught off guard.
Akira had plenty of secrets, far more than he could share, even with his mother, with whom he had lived alone for years.
In a weak attempt to probe, he asked, "Mom, do you know?"
"I know. I've always known. How you sneak out every now and then at night, how there are cursed spirits in the village, and how you deliberately leave some 'embers' behind instead of fully exorcising the curses."
Hayami Minami closed the door and knelt on the tatami mat, gesturing for Akira to sit down as well.
Since she had chosen to gank her son at this moment, there was no point in holding back anymore.
"Don't forget, your mother married into the Kamo clan. My jujutsu skills aren't bad. That man sent us here to make sure I maintained this area's purity and didn't let curses run wild."
Akira scoffed with a half-hearted smile, saying, "As expected from the head of the Big Three sorcerer families, leaving no loose ends."
Hayami Minami's eyelids twitched slightly, but she refrained from saying more. Instead, she asked, "You mentioned wanting to talk to me about something. What is it?"
"Moving. This place is remote and isolated, with no future or development. All the young people have left, and even the elderly are either gone or dead. Soon, this place will be nothing but a memory. Without people, no more curses will form. Now that the curses have been wiped out, there's no reason for us to stay. The weather's been nice lately, perfect for…"
Akira trailed off as Hayami Minami's expression grew more serious with each word.
She said, "That was your father's decision, the head of the Kamo clan. Have you thought about the consequences of defying it?"
"I have. The most likely outcome is that they don't find out. The agreed-upon five years have already passed, and three extra years have gone by without anyone coming to check on us.
"Even if they do find out, the chances are high they'll turn a blind eye. After all, it's been eight years. Everything that needed to be decided has already been decided, and anything buried has been buried deep."
"And what if the Kamo clan takes action?"
The Kamo clan—one of Japan's oldest jujutsu families, with deep roots and immense power.
"It's fine. I'm not the same person I was back then. Even if my cheap old man himself came, it wouldn't be a big deal. As long as Gardevoir is with me, anything less than a Special Grade curse won't be a problem."
In that moment, the softness on Akira's face disappeared completely, replaced by a sharpness Hayami Minami had never seen before. The sword that had been sheathed for eight years—no, sixteen years—was finally showing its edge.
Though only a glimmer, it was enough to make one's heart race with fear.
Sensing the change in her master's mood, Gardevoir's cry also took on a different tone.
It was still "Gar," but it sounded like "Kill!"
Positive emotions were Gardevoir's preference, but loyalty was her creed. As long as her master gave the command, she could become the sharpest sword and the strongest shield.
After eight years of perfect understanding, there was no need for Akira to say much. Gardevoir knew exactly what to do.
Without moving from her kneeling position, an invisible force surged forth—it was Gardevoir's signature move, a hallmark of Psychic-type Pokémon: Psychic.
Using her mental strength to manipulate the world, she moved objects.
The table, chairs, computer, bed, bookshelf—everything in the room floated under Gardevoir's control.
"What is this?" Hayami Minami's pupils shrank as Akira spoke.
"Mom, forgive me for the rudeness."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Hayami Minami herself was caught in the psychic grip, lifted off the ground.
At first startled, she immediately tried to break free, but no matter how much physical strength or cursed energy she used, she couldn't shake off Gardevoir's Psychic.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you'd like, we can fly outside and let Gardevoir unleash her full power."
"There's no need for that. The earth and plants have done no wrong; there's no reason to destroy them."
Though Hayami Minami wasn't the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, she had fought on the front lines in her youth and had seen her share of powerful enemies. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that none of the strong foes she had faced, including Grade 1 and Semi-Grade 1 cursed spirits, possessed the kind of strength Gardevoir wielded.
With power like this, it was no wonder Akira was so confident.
Seeing her shake her head, Akira didn't insist. He shot a glance at Gardevoir, who immediately returned everything to its original place and released her Psychic.
"Mom, trust me. I can protect you."
"I do trust you."
Hearing Akira's words, Hayami Minami felt both relieved and a little bittersweet.
"Akira, be honest with me. Have you ever thought about returning to the Kamo family, reclaiming what you lost, and becoming Kamo Noritsuna again?"
"No." Akira shook his head firmly, without a trace of hesitation. "From the day we left the Kamo family, we've had nothing to do with that name."
"Then do you still hate the Kamo family? Do you seek revenge on them?"
Hayami Minami looked deep into her child's eyes, as if peering into his soul through a window.
"To say I don't hate them at all would be a lie, but as for revenge, I'll pass. The child you care about most is still there, and he'll eventually take over as the head. My biological parents are there too, and before that incident, they treated me well. Breaking ties with the Kamo family was my own choice. As long as they don't come looking for trouble, I won't bother them."
"You are also my most important child."
"I know."
Just as Hayami Minami believed Akira wasn't lying to her, Akira trusted Hayami Minami too. Eight years of living together wasn't a lie, and Gardevoir's sensitivity to human emotions wasn't either.
"However, Mom, if that's the case, there will come a time in the future when you'll be in pain."
"Why do you say that?" Hayami Minami asked, confused.
"Do you remember what Noritoshi said to you when you left? That one day, he would come to bring you back?"
Akira's words caused a distant look to flash in the woman's eyes. A buried memory resurfaced vividly.
It was the season of falling leaves, on a long slope, where a boy, around Akira's age, stood with tear-stained eyes, clutching her clothes with one hand and wiping away tears with the other. Suppressing his sobs, he had asked:
"Why? Why must you leave, Mother?"
The woman, tears streaming down her face, had knelt down to embrace her biological son one last time, holding him tightly.
"I will be an obstacle for Noritoshi if I stay here."
As she walked away from her son for the last time, she had heard his hoarse yet resolute voice.
"I will become strong. One day, I'll bring you back. Please wait for me."
As if to ease the boy's mind, the woman had nodded, though she never looked back, dragging her suitcase as she walked down the long path and out of the ancient mountain gate.
Outside the gate, another child had been standing, emotionless like a puppet.
The woman had looked at him, unable to hide the complex emotions on her face—anger, resentment, and a shared sense of sorrow. Eventually, she had remembered something and softened.
Taking the boy's hand, she had said gently, "From now on, we'll live together."
The boy had simply nodded, leaving with the woman, abandoning the ancient family that had existed for millennia.
That boy was Akira, and for eight years, he had lived with Hayami Minami, even changing his last name from Kamo to Minami.
They had been banished from the Kamo family, forbidden to use the family name, and their existence erased.
The chaotic sea of memories calmed once more as Hayami Minami sighed. "That was a long time ago. Noritoshi was just a child."
"Mom, children have good memories. Some things, once remembered, can never be forgotten," Akira disagreed. "Don't underestimate children."
"I've never underestimated either of you, not Noritoshi, nor you."
There was one thing that Hayami Minami had never forgotten, even after eight years.
Her banishment from the Kamo family had been inevitable, but the then-named Kamo Noritoshi could have stayed. He simply couldn't retain the status of heir.
Akira's departure had been his own request to his father, the family head, and his mother, the head's wife.
"If my existence brings shame to you both, then leaving for good is the best option."
"Even if you publicly claim that I'm not the heir, there are too many people in this family. Who can guarantee that the secret won't get out? In the end, you'll be the ones who suffer."
"Aunt Hayami lost a son, so I should give her one. I've always liked Aunt Hayami."
"I didn't inherit the family technique, so I have no place here. Please let me leave."
At that time, Hayami Minami had been standing just outside the door, listening to every word clearly.
In that moment, she had felt that it wasn't an eight-year-old child speaking, but a mature adult, more thoughtful and coldly rational than she herself.
Hayami Minami hadn't realized it then, but her feelings were spot on.
Akira, though in the body of a child, had the mind of someone far beyond his years, because within his body lived the soul of an adult.
That's right, the boy who had once been Kamo Noritsuna and was now Akira Minami had a secret profession—he is a transmigrator.
He knew more about this world than anyone else, even more than the natives of this world, the world known in his previous life as Jujutsu Kaisen!