Mahito stood frozen in place. He had no idea what had just happened; it all felt like a dream.
Could it be that I really hadn't woken up yet?!
Aikawa Kaze paid no mind to Mahito's shock. Quick on the uptake, he held Mahito in place with one hand and smilingly handed the little girl a pile of arcade tokens with the other.
"All right, he admitted he was wrong, and this big brother here witnessed his promise too. Take these and go play something else!"
"Okay! Thank you, big brother! Bye-bye!"
The little girl ran off happily. With those tokens, she could play for quite a while longer.
Mahito finally realized he had been set up. This was no dream.
Now, suppose the conditions for establishing a binding vow required a witness, both parties contributing cursed energy, and both agreeing to each other's terms.
Then what had just happened?
Yuta Okkotsu had walked over and served as the witness, while Aikawa Kaze had coaxed Mahito into saying he was willing to do only good deeds.
Although Mahito had planned to go back on his word afterward, at that moment, he genuinely believed he could make a temporary concession for the sake of his own safety.
He would agree first and back out later-it made no difference. In other words, his agreement to the terms at that moment had indeed been voluntary.
Likewise, Aikawa Kaze had voluntarily said he would "supervise" the arrangement.
"Even if you had the terms, consent, and a witness, I never voluntarily contributed cursed energy..."
"Are you sure?"
Aikawa Kaze smiled mysteriously as he watched Mahito.
Mahito faltered mid-sentence. He suddenly remembered that fleeting moment when something had felt off.
Once Aikawa Kaze touched him, Mahito had been unable to use his cursed technique. He couldn't