The woman was just as gentle as she looked.
From her calm expression to the way she carried herself, everything about her gave off the impression of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko. Her manners were graceful, and even her smallest movements seemed refined.
Yet the moment Akira saw her, he froze like a mouse that had run into a cat.
"Y-you... Why are you here?"
The woman looked at him with a gentle smile.
"My son sneaks out in the middle of the night, so naturally, his mother gets worried. Is there something wrong with that?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
Akira hurriedly shook his head.
The woman standing before him was Akemi Aki, his mother.
After answering her, Akira couldn't help glancing toward Gardevoir.
Just a moment ago, she had been standing across from him. Now, however, she was kneeling obediently to the side, sitting in a proper posture with an unusually well-behaved expression.
Seeing this, Akira immediately understood what had happened.
With Gardevoir's abilities, there was no way she hadn't noticed someone approaching from outside.
However, that person happened to be his mother.
Apart from Akira himself, Akemi was the person Gardevoir was most familiar with. She also knew that Akemi would never harm him, so naturally, she had seen no reason to warn him.
'Next time, I'll have to ask Gardevoir where Mom is before doing anything.'
Akira secretly made up his mind.
After all, he had plenty of secrets, and some of them were things that absolutely couldn't be exposed.
Even though he and his mother had depended on each other for years, there were still matters he had no intention of telling her.
Unfortunately, judging by the situation, it seemed that some of those secrets had already been discovered.
After hesitating for a moment, Akira cautiously asked, "Mom... You already know?"
"I know."
Akemi nodded calmly.
"I've known for quite some time, actually."
Akira's expression stiffened.
Akemi continued, "You occasionally sneak out at night, there are Cursed Spirits appearing around the village, and even though you have the ability to get rid of them, you deliberately leave a few behind instead of exterminating them completely."
"..."
Akira fell silent.
So she really knew.
Akemi walked into the room and gently closed the door behind her.
Then, she knelt on the tatami and gestured for Akira to sit across from her.
Since she had decided to confront him tonight, there was no point in pretending she hadn't noticed anything.
"Akira, don't forget that I was once able to marry into the Kamo Clan. My abilities as a sorcerer might not be exceptional, but I'm certainly not someone who can't notice a few Cursed Spirits."
"I suppose that's true..."
"Besides, that person didn't send us here simply to exile us."
Akemi looked at her son.
"He also wanted me to watch over this area and make sure the Cursed Spirits didn't cause any serious trouble."
Hearing this, Akira gave a short laugh.
"Heh. As expected of the head of one of the Three Great Clans. Even when throwing someone away, he still makes sure to get some use out of them."
His voice carried a trace of mockery.
Akemi's eyelids twitched slightly.
For a moment, she seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she held back.
Instead, she changed the subject.
"Anyway, didn't you say you had something important to discuss with me? You even said you wanted to lay all your cards on the table."
"Ah, right."
Akira straightened his posture.
"Actually, Mom, I want us to move."
"Move?"
"That's right. There's no reason for us to keep living in this village anymore."
Akira began explaining his thoughts.
"This place is too remote, and there's nothing here. Most of the younger people have already left, while the elderly have either moved away or passed on. At this rate, the village will disappear sooner or later."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And without people, there won't be any new Cursed Spirits forming here. The ones that were already around are practically gone, too. So there's really no point in staying."
"Besides, the weather has been pretty good lately. If we start preparing now, we could probably..."
Akira gradually stopped talking.
He had noticed that his mother's expression was becoming increasingly serious.
"Akira."
"Yes?"
"Do you understand what you're suggesting?"
Akemi looked directly at him.
"Coming here was your father's decision. More precisely, it was the decision of the head of the Kamo Clan. Have you considered what might happen if we leave without his permission?"
"Of course I have."
Akira nodded without hesitation.
"First of all, there's a good chance they won't even notice."
"..."
"The original agreement was five years, remember? Those five years ended a long time ago, and we've already stayed for another three years. During that entire time, no one from the Kamo Clan has come to check on us."
He continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Even if they do find out, I doubt they'll care enough to do anything."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because it's already been eight years, Mom."
Akira looked at her.
"Eight whole years. Whatever decisions they needed to make have already been made. Whatever they wanted buried has already been buried. There's no reason for them to suddenly start caring about us now."
Akemi remained silent for a moment.
Then she asked, "And what if they do care?"
"Hm?"
"What if the Kamo Clan refuses to let us leave? What if they decide to take action against us?"
There was a reason Akemi was so concerned.
The Kamo Clan was one of the Three Great Sorcerer Clans, a family that had maintained its position in the jujutsu world for generations.
Their influence, connections, and accumulated power were far beyond what an ordinary sorcerer could oppose.
Even if they had been forgotten for eight years, defying such a family was no small matter.
However, Akira didn't seem particularly worried.
"That's fine, too."
He answered calmly.
"I'm not the same person I was eight years ago. Even if that cheap father of mine personally comes looking for trouble, I can handle it."
"Akira..."
"And besides, I have Gardevoir."
Akira glanced at the white figure kneeling beside him.
"As long as we don't run into a special-grade opponent, there's nothing to worry about."
As he finished speaking, something about him changed.
The awkward boy who had been nervously facing his mother's questions was suddenly gone.
His expression became calm, and the confidence in his voice was completely different from before.
Akemi stared at him in surprise.
For the first time, she felt as though she were looking at someone unfamiliar.
It was as if the boy who had spent eight years quietly living beside her had been hiding a sharp blade all along.
No, perhaps it had been hidden for even longer.
Sixteen years.
And now, he was finally allowing her to see a small part of it.
Even that much was enough to make Akemi uneasy.
"Sha..."
At that moment, Gardevoir suddenly made a sound.
It was different from her usual gentle cry.
For some reason, the sound almost resembled the word *kill*.
Gardevoir naturally preferred gentle and beautiful emotions. However, when it came to Akira, her loyalty came before everything else.
If he wanted her to protect someone, she would become the strongest shield she could be.
And if he wanted an enemy eliminated, she would become a sword without hesitation.
After spending eight years together, Gardevoir could already understand what Akira wanted from the slightest change in his expression.
There was no need for him to explain anything.
She remained kneeling on the tatami.
However, an invisible force suddenly spread throughout the room.
Psychic power.
More specifically, telekinesis, one of the signature abilities of Psychic-type Pokémon.
By using her mental power to interfere with the physical world, Gardevoir could manipulate objects without touching them.
And right now, she was demonstrating that ability.
The table began to rise.
Then the chairs.
The computer, the bed, the bookshelf, and everything else in the room followed.
Within moments, every object was floating in the air.
There was no shaking or loss of control.
Even the heavier furniture remained suspended as though gravity had simply stopped affecting it.
"This is...?"
Akemi's eyes widened.
Although she had already known that Gardevoir was unusual, she had never seen her display this kind of power.
"Mom, excuse me for a moment."
"Huh?"
Before Akemi could understand what he meant, her body suddenly left the tatami.
"W-what?!"
She had been lifted into the air!
Akemi instinctively struggled.
She tried moving her arms and legs, but an invisible force held her firmly in place.
Realizing that ordinary strength was useless, she immediately circulated her Cursed Energy.
However, the result was exactly the same.
No matter how much she struggled or how she used her Cursed Energy, she couldn't break free.
Gardevoir hadn't even changed her posture.
She was still kneeling obediently beside Akira, controlling everything with an ease that made the situation even more shocking.
Akemi looked at her in disbelief.
'What kind of power is this?'
She could feel that the force restraining her was overwhelming.
Yet Gardevoir showed no signs of exertion.
"Well, that's roughly how it works."
Akira looked up at his floating mother.
"But this is only a small part of what Gardevoir can do."
"Only a small part?"
"Yep. If you want to see her full strength, we can go outside and fly around for a bit. I can also have her demonstrate some of her stronger attacks."
Akira spoke casually, as if he were suggesting an ordinary evening activity.
"That should give you a better idea of what she's capable of."
"..."
Akemi looked at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head.
"That won't be necessary."
"Really?"
"Yes. The land and plants outside haven't done anything wrong. There's no reason to destroy them just to show me something."
Hearing this, Akira blinked.
Then he smiled.
"Well, if you say so."
Although Akemi had never been an especially powerful sorcerer, she was far from inexperienced.
In her younger days, she had fought on the front lines and encountered many dangerous Cursed Spirits.
Among them were opponents approaching first grade, as well as genuine first-grade Cursed Spirits.
She knew very well how terrifying such enemies could be.
However, even those Cursed Spirits had never displayed anything resembling the overwhelming control Gardevoir had just demonstrated.
And according to Akira, this wasn't even her full strength.
'So that's why he's so confident...'
Akemi finally understood.
Her son hadn't made his decision without considering the danger.
He genuinely believed he had enough strength to protect them both.
Seeing that his mother had no interest in watching further demonstrations, Akira signaled to Gardevoir.
"That's enough, Gardevoir."
"Chiru~"
Gardevoir responded immediately.
The floating furniture slowly returned to its original positions.
The table, chairs, computer, bed, and bookshelf all settled back into place without the slightest disturbance.
Finally, the invisible force holding Akemi disappeared, allowing her to lower herself back onto the tatami.
Everything looked exactly as it had before.
It was almost difficult to believe that the entire room had been floating just moments ago.
Akira turned toward his mother.
"Mom."
"Hm?"
"Please trust me."
His expression had returned to normal, but his voice remained serious.
"I'm strong enough now. Whatever happens after we leave this village, I can protect you."
Akemi looked at him quietly.
After a moment, she smiled.
"I believe you."
Those words came from the bottom of her heart.
After seeing what Gardevoir was capable of, she no longer had much reason to doubt Akira's confidence.
And as his mother, knowing that he had grown strong enough to protect himself naturally made her happy.
However, alongside that happiness, she also felt a little sad.
The child who had once needed her protection was now sitting in front of her, promising to protect her instead.
Before she knew it, he had grown up.
Akemi lowered her gaze for a moment.
There was something she had wanted to ask him for a long time.
Since they were finally talking openly, perhaps tonight was the right opportunity.
"Akira."
"Yes, Mom?"
"There's something I want you to answer honestly."
Seeing her serious expression, Akira nodded.
"Go ahead."
Akemi hesitated briefly before asking, "Have you ever thought about returning to the Kamo Clan?"
"..."
"Taking back everything you lost and becoming the person you were originally supposed to be?"
Akira answered almost immediately.
"No."
His reply was so quick that Akemi was momentarily taken aback.
"You're certain?"
"Of course."
Akira looked at her calmly.
"From the day we left the Kamo Clan, I stopped considering myself part of that family."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
As far as he was concerned, the matter had been settled eight years ago.
Akemi studied his expression for a moment.
Then she asked another question.
"Then... do you still hate them?"
Akira didn't answer right away.
Akemi continued, "Do you ever think about taking revenge on the Kamo Clan for what happened back then?"
This time, she looked directly into his eyes.
She wanted to know what her son truly thought.
After all, she understood better than most how much he had lost because of that incident.
And now that he possessed such strength, there was nothing stopping him from considering revenge.
Akira thought about her question for a moment.
Then he gave a small shrug.
"Well, it would be a lie to say I don't hate them at all."
Akemi remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"But revenge? No, I don't think that's necessary."
"Why?"
"Because there's no point."
Akira spoke calmly.
"Besides, the child you care about most is still living in the Kamo Clan, isn't he? If nothing unexpected happens, he'll eventually become the next clan head."
Akemi's expression changed slightly.
Akira continued before she could respond.
"And my biological parents are still there, too. Whatever happened afterward, I can't deny that they treated me well before that incident."
He had no intention of pretending those years had never existed.
"More importantly, leaving the Kamo Clan was my own decision."
Akira looked straight at his mother.
"I made that choice, and I don't regret it."
"..."
"So there's really no reason for me to go back and cause trouble."
He leaned back slightly.
"As long as the Kamo Clan leaves us alone, I'll leave them alone. I have my own life to live, and I'm not interested in wasting it on revenge."
Akemi listened without interrupting.
She could tell that he meant what he said.
There was no trace of hesitation when he rejected the idea of returning, nor did he seem particularly interested in reclaiming his former position.
After eight years, the Kamo Clan no longer held the same importance to him.
For a while, Akemi simply looked at her son.
Then she spoke softly.
"Akira, you know..."
"Hm?"
"You're also the most important child to me."
Akira paused.
He looked at his mother, who was watching him with the same gentle expression she had always worn.
Then he smiled.
"I know."