In addition to Ryuichi Inoue, seated in the back seat of the black luxury vehicle was a young girl dressed in a crisp black-and-white maid outfit, her long black hair styled in twin ponytails. Her striking features and calm, composed demeanor gave her a quiet, refined beauty.
This poised girl was Kurosaki Yuka, the personal maid assigned to Suzuki Seimei by the Suzuki Clan. Beyond just managing his daily affairs, she acted as a bodyguard, guardian, and support system, carefully handpicked and trained by the Suzuki Family's internal academy.
Despite her youthful appearance, Kurosaki Yuka was no ordinary maid. She had mastered an array of support and survival techniques, including culinary arts, water-based rescue, battlefield first aid, and emergency joint resetting—a skillset that rivaled lower-tier Anbu medics or CP5-level field agents in training.
An orphan taken in by the Suzuki Foundation at an early age, she was raised under strict doctrine emphasizing loyalty and service, not unlike the Cipher Pol's grooming of intelligence assets from a young age. It was precisely this deep-rooted indoctrination and her unshakable allegiance that made her the only suitable candidate for protecting Seimei—a child whose reincarnated soul carried otherworldly clarity.
"Whoa~"
When Suzuki Seimei appeared at the corner of the street, Kurosaki Yuka instantly stepped out of the car, gracefully received his schoolbag, and gently ushered him into the vehicle—her movements smooth and trained like a shinobi escort on silent duty.
With Seimei and Yuka secured in the back, Ryuichi Inoue started the engine and drove toward the sprawling Suzuki Manor, keeping a smooth, tactical pace. His driving was calm yet subtly alert, as if trained to anticipate interception or tailing—a detail that hinted at the Suzuki family's connections with elite-level intelligence circles, not unlike the shadowy clans of Konoha or CP9's observational division.
Suzuki Manor resembled a traditional Japanese noble estate, but on a scale befitting Wano's daimyo or the estates in Mariejois. The land stretched across rolling green lawns, as wide as a battleground in the Fourth Ninja War, where even shinobi would require chakra to sprint across efficiently. Seimei, only seven, found it exhausting to navigate on foot—he half-wished for a chakra-enhanced scooter.
"Master Seimei."
"Good afternoon, Master Seimei."
"Master Seimei, welcome back."
As they passed, household staff offered warm greetings. Their smiles came not from obligation but genuine affection, since Suzuki Seimei was not only impossibly adorable but also mature beyond his years. Unlike the bratty heirs of other noble families, Seimei's actions were dignified and respectful—more akin to how Itachi behaved as a child than, say, a spoiled noble from Dressrosa.
┐(?～?)┌
Internally, Seimei felt a tinge of helplessness. While his physical form was still that of a child, his mental age, shaped by a previous life and adult memories, made him act with a self-restraint uncommon in children. He didn't dare behave too unusually and risk exposing his reincarnation secret, so he simply leaned into the polite, sensible image.
Compared to most kids, Seimei's composed nature and cuteness made him irresistibly charming—earning universal fondness across the household.
"Hmm?"
As Kurosaki Yuka held Seimei's hand and approached the living room door, her eyebrows twitched subtly. She paused, detecting a shift in the air—not unlike how a kunoichi might sense a lurking presence. But the feeling vanished quickly, replaced by a soft smile as she continued forward with Seimei.
Moments after they entered, a figure slipped out from behind the door.
The intruder motioned for Yuka to stay quiet, then swiftly reached over and covered Seimei's eyes. "Guess who I am?"
Without hesitation, Seimei answered flatly, "Obviously, it's the universe's most invincible beautiful girl—my cheerful, ridiculous older sister, Sonoko."
"Boom blah blah…"
The words hit Suzuki Sonoko like a barrage of Haki-infused compliments. Her face lit up, and she wrapped Seimei in a bear hug, planting kisses on his cheeks like an overly affectionate elder from the