Leon's body went rigid, as if every joint had suddenly rusted. Slowly, he turned his head.
A woman stood in the open doorway.
She looked to be around forty—somewhat similar to Leon, yet clearly different. Both shared black hair, dark eyes, and the same gentle curve at the corners of their brows, but the resemblance ended there.
Leon's gentleness was usually an act, a harmless mask he wore to keep others from seeing the blade hidden beneath.The woman's gentleness, however, was genuine—softness that seemed to flow from the inside out, the kind of quiet grace people compared to the ideal Yamato Nadeshiko.
And yet, faced with her, Leon reacted like a mouse spotting a cat.
"Y-You… why are you here?"
"My son stays out all night, and I'm not allowed to check on him?" she replied calmly.
This was his mother—Kamo Mayumi.
"Of course you can," Leon said quickly, nodding.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Gardevoir. A moment ago she had been standing beside him; now she was kneeling politely to the side, posture perfectly composed, an innocent expression on her face. With her psychic senses, she had noticed someone outside long ago—but since it was Leon's mother, someone she trusted, she hadn't reacted.
Leon silently resolved to ask Gardevoir to warn him earlier next time. He carried too many secrets—some he didn't even want the woman who had raised him to discover.
He swallowed. "Mom… how much do you know?"
"I've always known," Mayumi replied. "You sneak out every few nights. There's a cursed spirit in the area, and you deliberately left a fragment of it alive—just enough to track its movements."
She slid the door shut, then knelt across from him on the tatami and gestured for him to sit.
"I didn't marry into the Kamo family by luck alone," she continued. "My ability as a sorcerer is more than adequate. The clan sent us here to keep this region clean—so naturally I noticed."
Leon chuckled lightly. "As expected of the clan. They never overlook anything."
Mayumi's eyelids twitched. "Earlier, you said you wanted to 'show your cards.' What exactly are you planning?"
"We move," Leon said without hesitation. "This place is dying. Young people have already left, the elderly are gone, and soon no one will remain. Abandoned towns only create more curses. Now that the main threat has been eliminated, there's no reason for us to stay."
He paused—and noticed her expression growing increasingly serious.
"This assignment came directly from your father, the clan head," she said. "Have you thought about the consequences of disobeying him?"
"I have. Most likely, nothing happens. The five-year observation period already passed, and no one has checked on us for three years. Even if the clan notices, eight years have gone by. Whatever judgments were made back then won't suddenly change."
"And if the Kamo family intervenes?"
Leon smiled faintly.
"I'm not the same person I was before. Even if that so-called father of mine shows up personally, it won't matter. With Gardevoir here, unless we run into special-grade threats, we'll be fine."
The gentle mask vanished from his face, replaced by a sharp intensity Mayumi had never seen before—the edge of a blade hidden for sixteen years finally showing itself.
Sensing the shift in his resolve, Gardevoir let out a soft cry, her psychic aura flaring.
Invisible force rippled outward.
Tables, chairs, the bed, bookshelves—every object in the room rose smoothly into the air, suspended in her telekinetic grip.
Mayumi's pupils shrank. "This is—?"
"Mom," Leon said calmly, "forgive the rudeness."
A moment later, she too was lifted off the ground.
Startled, Mayumi tried to resist—first with physical strength, then with cursed energy—but nothing worked. Gardevoir's psychic hold didn't budge.
"This is only a fraction of what she can do," Leon said. "If you want, we can step outside and let her demonstrate at full power."
"No need," Mayumi replied quickly. "There's no reason to damage the land."
She had seen powerful cursed spirits in her youth—grade-one and even near-special-grade threats—but none had displayed pressure quite like this. No wonder Leon was so confident.
At Leon's signal, Gardevoir gently lowered everything back into place and released her telekinesis.
"Mom," he said quietly, "please trust me. I can protect you."
"I do."
Relief crossed her face, though a trace of worry remained.
"Leon… tell me honestly. Have you ever thought about returning to the Kamo family? Taking back what was lost… becoming Kamo Notsuna again?"
"No." He shook his head without hesitation. "From the moment we left, that name stopped belonging to me."
"Do you still hate them? Do you want revenge?"
"It would be a lie to say I feel nothing," Leon admitted. "But revenge isn't necessary. The heir they value most is still there, and my biological parents treated me well before everything happened. Leaving was my own choice. As long as the Kamo family doesn't come after me, I won't make the first move."
"You are also my most important child," Mayumi said softly.
"I know."
They trusted each other—eight years of living side by side had built something unshakable, and Gardevoir's sensitivity to emotions confirmed it.
"But Mom," Leon added gently, "one day this will hurt you."
"Why?"
"Do you remember what Haruto said when you left? That he would come for you someday."
A distant look entered Mayumi's eyes as the memory resurfaced—
A long slope covered in falling autumn leaves.A young boy, tears streaming down his face, clutching her sleeve.
"Why does Mom have to leave?"
Holding him tightly for the last time, she had whispered, "If I stay, it will only make things harder for everyone."
And the boy, voice trembling yet determined, had said:
"I'll become stronger. One day, I'll bring you back. Please wait for me."
Mayumi had nodded to comfort him—but when she walked away through the ancient mountain gate, she never looked back.
Outside, another child had been waiting quietly—expression blank, standing like a puppet cut loose from its strings.
That child was Leon.
The two of them left the historic Kamo estate together, abandoning the name they were no longer permitted to use. Their records were erased, their existence quietly removed from clan history.
The memory faded, and Mayumi sighed. "That was years ago. Haruto was just a child."
"Children remember more than adults think," Leon replied. "Some promises never fade."
"I've never underestimated either of you."
There was something Mayumi had never forgotten:
Leon—then Kamo Notsuna—had not been required to leave. Only she was meant to be expelled. He could have remained in the clan, even without legitimate heir status.
Instead, he had personally requested permission to leave.
"If my existence brings shame to my parents, then disappearing is the best choice," he had said calmly. "Even if my status is changed, rumors will spread. It will still harm them. Aunt Mayumi lost a son—then I'll become her son instead. I like her."
Standing outside the room that day, Mayumi had listened in silence, stunned. The words hadn't sounded like those of an eight-year-old child, but of someone far older.
She hadn't been wrong.
Inside Leon lived a mind far beyond his years—because the boy known today as Leon carried memories from another life.
He understood this world better than anyone else.
After all, in his previous life, this very reality had existed as a manga called Jujutsu Kaisen.