Arriving in Tokyo, Hearts Ablaze

Tokyo, Taito Ward, an utterly ordinary three-bedroom apartment.

The three members of the Akesato family—Akemi, Akesato, and Gardevoir—sat around an oak dining table and raised their glasses together.

"To our new home and our new life. Cheers."

Nearly half a month had passed since the mother and son's late-night talk. Though they had decided to move to Tokyo, they had spent the past eight years living in the countryside, so they had needed to carefully research and plan how to move, where exactly to live, and what procedures they needed to complete.

Thankfully, the internet was widespread and well-developed. Otherwise, it would have taken not half a month, but a month or even longer.

Having finally found an apartment they liked and settled down, they naturally had to celebrate properly. The three members of the Akesato family worked together to prepare a small family feast.

Akemi handled the cooking, Akesato chopped the vegetables, and Gardevoir took care of everything else.

It had to be said, Psychic really was an excellent skill. It could attack and defend in battle, while also being convenient in everyday life.

Take washing vegetables, for example. Gardevoir could casually manipulate the water with Psychic, ensuring everything was perfectly clean. At the same time, it counted as training.

Akesato's Pokémon Trainer System could indeed see a Pokémon's level, but reality was ultimately not a game. In games, one simply selected a move and attacked; in reality, all kinds of factors had to be considered.

The same kitchen knife was completely different in the hands of a professional chef and a novice.

Thus, ever since Ralts had been born, Akesato had constantly trained his partner's control and fine manipulation skills.

Of course, the countryside also did not have enough monsters to grind, so they could only train on their own.

The current Gardevoir could grace a living room, work in a kitchen, take to the battlefield, and get down to... those who knew, knew.

Three hands and three glasses clinked together, producing a crisp sound.

Akemi took a small sip. Gardevoir held her glass with both hands and drank delicately. Akesato had the worst manners of all, gulping down more than half his drink before letting out a burp.

Seeing this, Akemi frowned slightly. "Watch your manners. You're not a child anymore."

"We're at home. There are no outsiders here." Akesato smiled, unconcerned.

Although she had left the Kamo family, Akemi had retained many of the habits she had developed there. Akesato, on the other hand, was more influenced by the habits he had formed in his previous life.

"Be careful, or Little Sa might start disliking you." Little Sa was Akemi's nickname for Gardevoir.

"Would you dislike me?"

Akesato asked Gardevoir. She shook her head vigorously, even making one more sound than usual.

"Garde~ voir~"

"There, there, there, there~"

Akesato also drew out several extra sounds as he skillfully stroked Gardevoir's head, making her eyes curve into crescents.

"Why does it feel like making you sleep in separate rooms only made you closer?" Akemi muttered softly.

"It's like a spring. You can't tell when it's relaxed, but once it faces pressure, the rebound becomes even stronger."

Akesato could tell that Gardevoir had become clingier than before. It was probably because they spent eight to ten fewer hours together each day.

If the system had not stated that Gardevoir's personality was "reserved," calling her "afraid of loneliness" would not have felt out of place. Maybe he should give her a name like "Lena," though that name was better suited to Kirlia's other evolutionary branch, Gallade.

"As long as you two are happy." That was all Akemi could say.

If this had been before, when she had not yet left the Kamo family, she would have invoked traditional etiquette and rules. But now, she no longer clung to such things. She only hoped her child could live well.

Akesato, Kamo Noriki, and even Gardevoir—she had always raised Gardevoir as if she were her daughter.

Thus, Akesato once again shouted, "Mom is the best!" Gardevoir obediently stretched out her head, and Akemi expertly stroked it as well. Smiling, she said, "Little Sa is such a good girl... Don't worry, Mom won't disturb you during normal interactions. From now on, I'll be going out to work during the day."

"Why would you think that?" Akesato found it a little strange.

The Kamo family had given them a severance payment, enough to ensure that mother and son would never lack food or clothing. Mom had not worked for eight years. Every day, she tended flowers and plants, practiced calligraphy and tea ceremony, and cultivated herself to the utmost.

"Because this is Tokyo, not the countryside of Shikoku."

Akemi only needed to explain a little for Akesato to understand.

As the ancients said: living in Tokyo was no easy thing.

The Tokyo mentioned by the ancients referred to Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.

However, the saying suited modern Tokyo just as well.

Whether ancient Tokyo or modern Tokyo, both were true capitals and international metropolises.

The places were large, the populations vast, and the cities prosperous. Accordingly, prices were high, and the cost of living remained steep.

The Akesato mother and son had lived in a two-story house in the mountains of Shikoku, with plenty of space to do whatever they wanted. Once they came to Tokyo, they could only live in a three-bedroom apartment.

This expense alone had eaten up more than half of the severance payment.

The standard of never lacking food or clothing for a lifetime applied in the countryside, not Tokyo.

It was not that the Kamo family could not afford more. Rather, it was a form of indirect restraint and subtle warning: you should spend the rest of your lives in the countryside.

For the sake of making a living, working was inevitable.

"Ari, you don't need to worry about Mom. Mom has a degree from Kyoto University. Finding work won't be difficult."

"Didn't you graduate from Kyoto Jujutsu High, Mom? When did you attend Kyoto University?"

Kyoto University was one of Japan's finest institutions, standing alongside Tokyo University. It was first-rate even on a global scale, the dream of countless students. Akesato had never heard his mother mention such a glorious past.

"That was a byproduct of graduating from Jujutsu High. To make public activities more convenient, and to provide for life after retirement due to injury or other reasons, someone arranges academic credentials and graduation certificates for graduates. Kyoto Jujutsu High graduates default to Kyoto University, while Tokyo High graduates default to Tokyo University. You can request other credentials as well, and there usually won't be any problem."

Upon hearing that, Akesato's hand trembled as he picked up food. A piece of Tempura slipped from his chopsticks, but Gardevoir was quick-eyed and quicker with Psychic. She caught it immediately and moved it into Akesato's bowl.

Akesato also placed a piece in Gardevoir's bowl, not forgetting to sigh. "Those benefits are pretty great. Looks like the higher-ups aren't all useless."

Giving out the most prestigious degrees sounded outrageous, but on closer thought, it was perfectly normal.

Jujutsu Sorcerers were always in short supply, and because it was a combat profession, the risks were extremely high. Disability and death were commonplace. Without eye-catching rewards and benefits, who would be willing to do it?

Akemi might look gentle and refined now, but who knew how crazy she had been in her youth.

That all Jujutsu Sorcerers were crazy was not just empty talk.

Although Akesato was quite curious what his mom, who followed the Yamato Nadeshiko route, looked like when she went crazy, as her son, he hoped he would never need to find out.

"With a degree from Kyoto University, finding work certainly won't be hard. But Mom, you really don't need to push yourself so much. Just keep tending flowers and plants, practicing calligraphy, and drinking tea. Leave earning money to me. That's a man's responsibility. I promised I'd support you for the rest of your life."

As he said this, Akesato felt a little fortunate that he was in Japan, where the housewife atmosphere was strong. Here, saying men should work and women should handle housework came with an innate sense of righteousness, especially since the mother and son came from one of the Three Great Families.

In other places, though? Three words—shiver, rage, cold.

Her son's feelings moved Akemi, but she still shook her head.

"Mom knows how you feel, but you're only sixteen. It won't be too late to support Mom once you become an adult."

"It won't be too late, but since I have the ability, the earlier the better. I've already arranged the money-making part. Little Sa, bring me my laptop."

"Garde~"

Gardevoir crooked a finger, and the laptop floated into the air.

Akesato skillfully opened the browser, switched to the MF Light Novel Web Edition, and opened "Infinite Stratos," one of the top-ranked works.

"This is a light novel I wrote. Based on its popularity rating, getting it published by a library shouldn't be a problem. I've already finished the drafts for the first ten volumes, enough to last until I'm an adult and then some."

Akemi stopped eating and stared fixedly at the computer. She confirmed that the website itself, the author account, and the work all matched. It truly was her precious son's work.

"When did you do all this?"

"Back in Shikoku. After all, I had nothing but time."

The so-called restraint of Shura and the Dragon King was more like having too much free time and finding ways to disgust himself.

True restraint was hiding one's Hidden Talent and waiting for the right moment.

During those eight years in the countryside, and even when he had still been Kamo Noritsuna, Akesato had been quietly making plans. He had long since prepared a complete set of plans.

Light Novels were merely the tip of the iceberg.

PS: Lena should actually be Raina, the male protagonist of The Legend of the Legendary Heroes. Half of the "Demon Afraid of Loneliness," "Afraid of Loneliness," was sealed within his body.