Morning sunlight spilled over Sakura-machi, the quiet cherry-blossom town where the Kurotsuki family lived. Inside a small but lively home, the peaceful hum of the neighborhood was drowned out by chaos.
"Tenkai! Stop climbing the sofa! You'll break it again!""Not break, Mom! Testing durability!"
Six-year-old Kurotsuki Tenkai stood proudly on the living room couch, holding his backpack like a hero's cape. His mother, Akane, a beauty salon owner and part-time chaos manager, had a towel in one hand and a look of despair in the other.
"Testing durability—? You're six, not a scientist!" she scolded, chasing him down as he hopped off the sofa and zipped past the dining table.
"I am a scientist!" Tenkai shouted back. "I'm researching… um… child kinetics!"
From the hallway, Kurotsuki Masaru, vice principal of Kokoro Gakuen High, peeked in while knotting his tie. "He's got a point, Akane. At least he's using science terms. I didn't even learn 'kinetics' until college."
Akane turned sharply. "Masaru, do not encourage him."
Masaru raised both hands defensively. "I'm just saying, he's already smarter than me!"
"That's not an achievement," Akane shot back.
Tenkai giggled, ducking behind his father's leg. "Daddy gets it! Daddy's cool!"
Masaru crouched to Tenkai's level, whispering conspiratorially, "You think I'm cool, huh? Then don't tell Mom I forgot my lunch again."
"Masaru!"
"Oops."
Akane sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Between you two, I don't know who's worse. One's a six-year-old with too much energy, and the other acts like one."
Masaru winked. "That's how I stay young, dear."
Tenkai laughed so hard he almost dropped his backpack. "Mom, you're the boss at your salon, right? You should give Daddy a brain perm! Maybe it'll make him smarter!"
Masaru gasped. "Tenkai! You've betrayed me!"
Akane smirked. "You know, that's… not a bad idea."
Flashback — March 1995
When Tenkai was only three months old, Masaru had hidden his emergency savings beneath his infant son's crib, figuring it was the one place burglars would never check.
He had underestimated his son.
Somehow, the baby—barely able to crawl—had accessed the Abyss Ledger, trading those 100,000 yen for an esoteric knowledge package titled:
"Shingan Ryū: The Flow of Cursed Essence"
The ancient guide taught how to circulate, balance, suppress, and conceal cursed energy throughout the body. With his AI assistant, Aion, translating the metaphysical process into pure logic, the infant Tenkai had prevented his overflowing energy from leaking and attracting curses.
That "borrowed" money became the foundation of his control—and his first step toward godhood.
Back in 2001, the family's morning routine resumed its familiar chaos. Akane packed bentos while Masaru tried to find his shoes.
"Masaru, they're right next to the umbrella stand," Akane said without even looking.
Masaru blinked. "How did you—"
"Wife's intuition."
Tenkai, sitting at the table, munched on toast. "Mom's scary sometimes."
"Scary accurate," Masaru muttered.
Akane gave both of them the look. "I heard that."
Tenkai gulped. "Love you, Mom!"
"Mm-hmm. Eat your breakfast."
Between bites, Tenkai said, "Hey, Mom, can I get a laptop? Please? I wanna learn programming."
Masaru raised a brow. "Programming? At six?"
"Yes! I need it for… research!"
Akane frowned suspiciously. "Research into what?"
Tenkai froze. "Uh… hair dryer technology?"
Akane narrowed her eyes. "Nice try, little scientist. That's my field, not yours."
Masaru laughed. "Looks like he's trying to invent competition for your salon!"
Akane crossed her arms. "If he ever tries, I'll patent his bedtime."
Later That Day — Sakura-machi Kindergarten
During lunch break, while the other kids ran around the playground, Tenkai sat under the shade of a cherry tree, unwrapping his lunch. The petals drifted lazily in the breeze as he took a quiet bite of onigiri.
Inside his mind, a familiar voice spoke."Good afternoon, Tenkai. Energy levels stable. Any new calculations for today?"
Tenkai smiled faintly. Aion, initiate the creation of a binding vow. We'll set up an energy reserve protocol.
"Understood. Please specify the conditions."
Store 80% of my total cursed energy until I turn fourteen. Release only when I say the phrase 'Echo Break.' That'll be my emergency battery.
"Acknowledged. Constructing vow... complete. Note: your current energy output exceeds normal parameters. Recommendation: eat more snacks."
Tenkai snorted softly. "Good advice, Aion. I like snacks."
A curious classmate peeked from behind the tree. "Hey, Tenkai, who are you talking to?"
Tenkai grinned. "My assistant."
"Assistant? Like a teacher?"
"Sorta. He's just in my head. Don't tell the teacher or they'll make me see a doctor."
The kid blinked, unsure whether to laugh or run away.
From a classroom window, Akane and Masaru—who had come early to pick him up—watched their son talking animatedly to thin air.
Masaru whispered, "He's definitely mine."
Akane sighed. "No, he's too smart to be yours."
Masaru puffed his chest. "Hey, I'm vice principal! I have authority!"
"Authority doesn't make up for forgetting your lunch again," she teased, holding up the bento he'd left at home.
Masaru groaned. "Ah… busted."
Tenkai waved from under the tree, grinning wide. "Mom! Dad! Look, I finished lunch and made a new friend!"
Akane smiled warmly. "That's wonderful, sweetheart. What's their name?"
Tenkai paused, then smirked mysteriously. "Aion."
Masaru tilted his head. "...Is that a foreign kid?"
Akane shook her head. "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, Masaru."
As the cherry petals swirled through the air, Tenkai looked up at the sky—his galaxy eyes faintly glowing beneath the sunlight.
"Alright, Aion," he thought. "Binding vow set. Let's start planning for the next step."
The wind rustled the branches, whispering faintly—as if the universe itself acknowledged the deal of a six-year-old prodigy.
Meanwhile, his parents argued over who forgot the house keys again.