Tokyo, Taitō Ward, a perfectly ordinary three-bedroom apartment.
The three members of the Mei household—Tsubaki Mei, Yuzaki Mei, and Gardevoir—sat around a solid-oak table and raised their glasses.
"To our new home, to our new life—kanpai."
Half a month had slipped by since that midnight talk under the eaves. Deciding to move to Tokyo had been simple; actually doing it was another matter. After eight years in the countryside, they had to research everything—how to relocate, where to live, which forms to file, which offices to visit. If the internet hadn't existed, the job would have taken a month, maybe more.
At last, they'd found a place they liked, and a little celebration was in order. The three of them cooked together, a modest housewarming feast.
Tsubaki took charge of the stove, Yuzaki handled the knife work, and everything else—seasoning, timing, plating—was left to Gardevoir.
Telekinesis really was a cheat skill. In battle, it could attack or defend; in daily life, it was pure convenience. Washing vegetables, for example, Gardevoir simply coaxed the water into swirling spirals, lifting and tumoring every leaf until it sparkled. She called it part of her training.
Yuzaki's "Pokémon-Trainer System" could display levels, but reality wasn't a video game. In the games, you picked a move and pressed A; here, you had to weigh angles, timing, and collateral damage. The same stir-fry tasted completely different in a chef's hands than in a rookie's.
So, ever since Ralts had hatched, Yuzaki had drilled her on fine control and micro-manipulation. There were no wild Pokémon to grind EXP against in the mountains; deliberate practice was the only option.
Nowadays, Gardevoir could grace a ballroom, command a kitchen, dominate a battlefield, and… well, other places. Use your imagination.
Three hands, three glasses met with a bright crystal chime.
Tsubaki sipped delicately. Gardevoir cupped her glass in both hands and took bird-like sips. Yuzaki, hopeless as ever, gulped half the juice in one go and burped.
Tsubaki's brows drew together. "Manners. You're not a child."
"We're at home, no outsiders." Yuzaki grinned, unrepentant.
Even after leaving the Kamo clan, Tsubaki kept many of its habits; Yuzaki, raised in another life, followed his own rules.
"Gardevoir will start scolding you."
"Would you ever scold me?"
Yuzaki looked at Gardevoir. She shook her head so hard her green hair swished, adding an extra syllable: "Gar-Gar~"
"There, there, there, there~" Yuzaki echoed, stroking the curved crest of her head until her eyes curved into crescents.
"Separate bedrooms and they only get clingier," Tsubaki muttered.
"Like a spring," Yuzaki said. "you don't notice it; the moment you compress it, the rebound is twice as strong."
He could feel Gardevoir sticking closer than ever—probably because they now spent eight to ten fewer hours together each day. The system listed her nature as "Calm," but "Afraid of Loneliness" would have fit just as well. He'd even toyed with naming her Lena, though that suited Gallade's other branch of evolution better.
"As long as you're happy," Tsubaki sighed. Once, she would have lectured about tradition, propriety,and the way things were done. Now she only wanted her children safe and content.
Yuzaki, Kamo Noritoshi, Gardevoir—she had raised the Pokémon as a daughter, too.
Yuzaki bellowed, "Mom is the greatest!" Gardevoir offered her head; Tsubaki scratched behind the red horn and smiled. "Good girl… Don't worry, I won't disturb your normal routine. I'll be working outside the house from tomorrow."
Yuzaki blinked. "Why?"
The Kamo family had given them a generous severance—enough to live on for life. For eight years, Tsubaki had tended flowers, practiced calligraphy, held tea ceremonies: a life of quiet refinement.
"Because this is Tokyo, not rural Shikoku."
Ancient proverb: To live in the Eastern Capital is hard.
The proverb had meant Kaifeng in the Song dynasty, but it fit modern Tokyo just as well. Huge, crowded, dazzling—and expensive. The cost of living never blinked.
In the mountains, they'd owned a two-story house with land to spare. Here, a three-room apartment had already swallowed most of the severance. "Lifetime security" had been calculated for the countryside, not for the capital. Not that the Kamo couldn't afford more; the modest sum was a gentle leash: stay where we put you.
For independence, work was unavoidable.
"Don't worry, Mom's got a Kyoto University degree; jobs are easy."
"Wait, I thought you graduated from Kyoto Jujutsu High. When did Kyoto Uni happen?"
Kyoto University—top tier, said to be equal to Todai, dream uni of millions of students.
"It's a decent perk. The school provides full cover identities, including academic credentials. A Tokyo Jujutsu High diploma is recognized as one from Todai. Kyoto's is the same for Kyoto University. You can even request a specific focus if you need it for a cover career."
Yuzaki's chopsticks jerked; a piece of tempura slipped off. Gardevoir's telekinesis snatched it mid-air and floated it back to his bowl. He returned the favor with another piece.
"Nice safety net. Maybe the higher-ups aren't all useless."
Handing out fancy diplomas from prestigious university sounds absurd until you remembered: sorcerers died young, lost limbs, went mad. Without eye-watering benefits, who would sign up?
Tsubaki looked every inch the gentle Yamato Nadeshiko, but in her youth, she must have been terrifying. Every jujutsu sorcerer was half-crazy; it came with the uniform.
Yuzaki was curious what that version of his mother had looked like, but there are some things a son should never witness.
"A degree makes jobs easy, but you don't have to push yourself. Keep gardening, keep brewing tea. Earning money is my job—that's what a man does. I promised to support you for life."
He thanked whatever god had landed him in Japan, where "man works, woman keeps house" still sounded reasonable, especially for former clan heirs.
Tsubaki's eyes softened, yet she shook her head. "You're ten, Yuu. Wait until you're an adult."
"No harm starting early. I've already set everything up. Lil gar, fetch the laptop."
"Gar~"
A finger flick, and the computer drifted through the air. Yuzaki opened the browser, navigated to MF Books Web, and clicked on the rankings. Infinite Stratos sat near the top.
"I write this. With these numbers, a print deal is guaranteed. First ten volumes are already drafted—enough to carry me past adulthood and then some."
Tsubaki forgot her rice. She stared at the screen, checking the site, the author account, the analytics—everything matched. Her son, no mistake.
"When did you—"
"Back at our old place. We had a lot of time."
The so-called "endurance" of exiles had looked more like boredom. Real endurance was hiding your blade until the moment came.
During those eight rural years—even before, when he was still Kamo Noritoshi—he had schemed in silence. The light novel was only the tip of the iceberg
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Add to Library
Leave a review/comment if you like the story.
Bonus chaps for every 100 Power Stones!
Read advance chapters at Patreon.com/Yuuma046