This was the first time Shien was leaving the Zenin compound. He had memories of Kyoto, though this world was animated and his previous one was not. Shien was basically vibrating with excitement, finally experiencing the world for real and not through a TV screen. He could see people walking around, oblivious to the wonders around them.
The city was lively with billboards and stores. Shien could see office workers in their suits and ties with coffee in hand, middle school students on a field trip all wearing matching hats and carrying the same bags, and tourists stopping to take pictures of even the most mundane things.
And Shien saw the cursed spirits latched onto some of them.
Flyheads, the weakest of curses, little more than fodder—parasites that fed on misery. He pitied these poor souls who walked around oblivious to the disgusting creatures wrapped around them.
Maki sat in the back seat watching Shien's face pressed to the window as he gawked at everything. Shien was a very different person than she had assumed him to be. He was usually locked up in his quarters, kept away from the clan. The prodigy with the highest cursed energy in the world had to be kept away from the likes of her and her sister.
The few times she had seen him were at the training yard, fighting grown men, and despite being half a year younger than her he was a head taller. Shien was almost stone-faced, walking around with the bell necklace tied around his neck. Maki had heard rumors around the Zenin estate that the necklace helped control his monstrous power.
She could not see or sense cursed energy, but she understood fighting, and Shien was faster and stronger than anyone his age. Despite all his status, why he would even bother with the likes of her and Mai still baffled her.
"We are here!" Shien said, bouncing in his seat.
"Patience, Shien-chan," Sayo-san chided.
The car arrived at AEON Mall in Kyoto. They got out at the entrance, and Shien immediately ran to the nearest billboard with a map of the entire mall. Shien pointed at Uniqlo and said, "There, third floor. Let's go!"
Shien handed the credit card he had gotten from Naobito to his mother. He had insisted they all get clothes. Watching his mother look at different outfits, try them on, and ask his opinion gave him more joy than he could describe. Still, Shien couldn't keep his eyes away from the flyheads. Nearly ten percent of the people in the mall had some kind of curse attached to them.
Shien knew his birth had disturbed the balance of society and caused curses to grow stronger.
For a second, he felt guilt.
I am contributing to the suffering, he thought.
Then he saw Mai tugging his sleeve, pointing toward a Fourth Grade curse lurking near the mirror of the changing rooms. "Shien-kun… I'm scared," she said softly, clutching the clothes she meant to try on.
Jinichi stood nearby staring into nothingness, and Shien couldn't help thinking he looked like an idiot with elevator music playing in his head.
Shien snapped his fingers, and the curse was incinerated in a puff of purple fire and smoke.
"Don't be scared, Mai-chan," Shien said with a smile meant to assuage her fear. "Go try on your clothes. We'll go get some food after."
Jinichi scowled at him. "Don't use your cursed technique. We are in public ! "
Shien returned the scowl and rejoined his mother as they checked out. As they moved through the mall, Shien killed the flyheads he came across with his bare hands, swiftly and subtly swatting them off unsuspecting people.
It was less about helping strangers and more about killing the curses, because their very existence disgusted him.
This was a mall, a place of happiness and excitement, and while places like this did not spawn curses, people still carried their own curses on their backs.
As they went to the food court on the highest level, Shien could see the whole mall below him, a sea of humanity. There was no way he could possibly save them all, no matter how strong he got. Save yourself. The world can wait, Shien told himself.
Sayo carried the Uniqlo bags while the children walked a few steps ahead of her, and she kept her pace even so she would not look overwhelmed by the crowd. The mall was loud in a pleasant way, full of chatter, music, and footsteps, and nobody watched them with the judging eyes that were ever present in the Zenin compound.
Shien led without meaning to, shoulders squared, taking in every sign and corridor before moving on. Maki and Mai stayed close behind him. Mai was timid in crowds and kept glancing around as if she expected someone to scold her for being in the way, while Maki tried to project confidence even as she stayed near her sister.
Neither of them spoke much, and Sayo could feel the stiffness in their posture, the way Zenin life had trained them to shrink.
When they reached the food court, Shien stopped decisively.
"KFC," he declared. "I want two buckets."
Sayo blinked. "Two, Shien?"
Shien looked at her like she had forgotten something obvious. "Mama, you know my appetite."
Sayo sighed. "Alright," she said. "Sit down. Don't run off."
Shien nodded once like he was granting her permission, then turned to the twins. "You two, sit."
Maki hesitated as if expecting to be corrected, then sat with her back straight. Mai slid in beside her, hands folded in her lap.
Sayo joined the line while keeping them in sight. From afar she could see Shien talking, his mouth moving quickly while his hands gestured as he described something animatedly. Mai nodded shyly. Maki listened without expression, yet she didn't pull away either.
When Sayo returned with the trays, the food was piled high: two buckets of chicken, fries, biscuits, and drinks. Mai's eyes widened openly this time.
"Wow…"
Shien looked pleased. "Good, right?"
Mai nodded quickly, then caught herself and lowered her gaze. "It smells really good."
Shien pushed the fries toward the twins and folded his hands together dramatically. "Before we eat," he said solemnly. "Itadakimasu."
Mai copied him immediately, small hands pressed together. "Itadakimasu."
Maki followed a heartbeat later, a little stiff. "Itadakimasu."
Sayo smiled and joined them softly. "Itadakimasu."
The moment they began eating, Mai transformed. She took one fry, then another, then another, like she was afraid the food might vanish if she waited too long. Sayo was happy her son could spend time with children his own age instead of constantly being lectured to by grey old men. The girls ate with fervor, their timidity gone—especially Mai, who was almost inhaling the fries.
Shien watched her with faint amusement. "Those fries are good, aren't they?"
Mai froze mid-bite, cheeks reddening. "Sorry…"
Shien waved a hand. "For what? I like them too."
Mai relaxed, then nodded. "They're tasty."
"They are," Shien agreed solemnly as he wiped ketchup from his chin.
Maki ate more carefully, gaze lowered, taking small bites and still a bit reserved. Shien glanced at her.
"Maki," he said, his voice as authoritative as a six-year-old could manage, "here, eat more," he added as he put another piece of chicken on her plate.
Maki stiffened. "I will."
Maki's fingers tightened around her cup as she bit into the chicken.
Mai looked between them, then quietly slid a biscuit toward Maki. "Here…"
Maki hesitated, then accepted it. "Thanks," she murmured.
Sayo watched the three of them bickering lightly over the fries, Shien trying to steal an extra piece of chicken, Mai giggling, and Maki pretending not to be amused, and she stored the scene carefully in her heart, because days like this were rare.
After KFC, Shien led them to the arcade like it was the next step in his plan. The noise hit them immediately—music, the clinking of coins, flashing lights—and Mai instinctively moved closer behind Shien. Maki stayed near her sister, eyes forward, absorbing everything with awe.
Shien looked delighted. "This place looks fun," he announced.
Mai nodded. "It really is."
Shien turned to them with exaggerated seriousness. "Don't get lost. If you do, I'll leave you here."
Mai's face went pale for half a second. "E-eh?"
Then Shien grinned. "I'm kidding."
Mai exhaled shakily. "Shien-kun…"
Maki stared at him, unimpressed. "That wasn't funny."
Shien smirked. "Yes it was."
They stopped at the claw machines. Mai stood in front of the glass, eyes drifting to a bunny rabbit doll, then flicking to Shien's face as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to want anything.
Shien noticed immediately. "Mai, which one?"
Mai hesitated. "…That rabbit."
Shien nodded and inserted coins. He moved the claw with careful precision, then dropped it. The claw grabbed the rabbit cleanly and delivered it into the chute on the first try.
Mai gasped. "No way…!"
Shien scooped it up and pressed it into her arms. "There."
Mai hugged it instantly. "Thank you, Shien-kun…"
Shien smiled and patted Mai's head, then turned to Maki. "Maki, pick."
Maki's posture stiffened. "I don't need one."
Shien raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Maki fell silent, then pointed sharply without looking at him. "That bear."
Before Shien could put in coins, Maki stepped forward and fed the machine herself, jaw set. "I'll get it," she said quietly.
She tried once and failed. She tried again and failed. The third time the claw almost grabbed the plush, then slipped at the last second, causing Maki to grind her teeth in frustration.
Maki stared at the glass with burning hatred in her eyes.
Shien laughed mercilessly at her failure.
Maki snapped her head toward him. "Don't laugh."
Shien tilted his head. "Then win."
Maki's cheeks puffed out. She pointed again, sharper. "Just… get the bear."
Shien inserted coins calmly, aligned the claw, and dropped it. The bear fell into the chute on the first try.
Maki froze, then snatched it up quickly and hugged it to her chest for half a second before forcing her arms to relax. "Thanks," she muttered.
Shien leaned closer. "Louder."
Maki glared. "Thanks."
Shien nodded like a teacher approving an answer. "Good."
Mai giggled quietly, clutching her rabbit like it was priceless.
They moved to a basketball shooting game. Shien's eyes narrowed in concentration as he began tossing balls with quick, efficient movements, and the machine rattled under the rapid pace.
When it was Maki's turn, she threw hard and scored well, yet Shien still beat her by a frustrating margin. Mai failed abysmally but Shien gave her the prize he won so was happy in the end.
Maki clicked her tongue, refusing to show irritation. "Again."
Shien grinned. "Later."
By the time they finally left the arcade, Shien bought ice cream for all three of them without asking, handing the cones out as if it was natural. Mai smiled wide and began eating hers immediately, bunny rabbit doll still clutched in her other hand. Maki accepted hers with a small nod and ate more slowly, still pretending she didn't care.
Shien ate his in three bites and complained. "Too small."
Sayo adjusted the shopping bags in her hands and followed them through the mall, listening to their chatter about games and prizes they had won, feeling content.