Kays Translations

Chapter 13: Meeting 1

Soichiro thinks.

He wonders what Itsuki was.

To put it in words, he’s definitely a genuis.

He is a genuine genius, a once-in-a-hundred-years kind.

A genius like that is rarely born to an exorcist.

I have heard such stories many times.

So I was happy when I found out that Itsuki was one of them.

The thing is, exorcists have a high rate of death.

No matter how strong Soichiro was, he had seen countless comrades die in front of him because of monsters.

I’m lucky to be able to spend time with my family without dying, and I don’t want Itsuki to die.

That is the natural parental love.

That's why I felt relieved.

At least, I thought he wouldn't die in front of the monsters around here.

--If he trained properly.

The world of an exorcist isn’t a sweet world.

It is a world of tireless training. The effort to push oneself to the very edge of death.

It may not always be rewarded, but training is necessary to exorcise monsters.

Itsuki, I thought it would be good if he could learn that by the time he was seven years old.

Even though exorcists are in short supply, it wasn’t necessary for a child who had just turned five to fight monsters.

Until we met a monster on the highway.

A powerful monster that can talk to people and destroy the soundproof walls of the highway is a monster of the third rank.

An ordinary exorcist would have had a tough time with it. It would be impossible to defeat it.

At that time, if it had been another exorcist instead of Soichiro, he would have sent a call for backup.　

No, even if he had escaped from that place, it‘s not something to be blamed.

It is impossible to defeat a monster of a higher rank than yourself.

But, but, but!　 

Itsuki had exorcised such a monster with a magic he had never seen before. He defeated it!

In the face of a monster that no other exorcists had any chance of defeating!

Unexpectedly, I trembled.

I forgot to breathe.

At only five years old, he had enough magic power to dismember a huge monster that looked like it could fit on a five-ton truck.

And even though he had accomplished such a feat, Itsuki seemed somewhat dissatisfied as if he had yet to show us the bottom of the barrel. I have such an illusion.

He’s a seventh rank.

A genuine genius that hasn’t been born for hundred of years.

Soichiro thinks.

He wonders how far Itsuki will go.

With that thought in mind, he glanced at Itsuki.

"Wow......"

Soichiro thought as he looked at Itsuki, who was a little freaked out in front of the stairs of the  Kamiarizuki house.

But still, isn't our son too cute?

 ---------------------

The stairs of the  Kamiarizuki house, which I hadn't seen in two years, were crazy long, and I was amazed at how I used to climb these stairs by myself when I was three years old.

When I climbed up those long, long stairs, there was a big mansion standing right there.

Last time, I only saw the building and didn’t go inside, but this time was different.

Of course, the meeting was to be held inside the building.

And it will be the first time for me, the next head of the Kisaragi family, to show my face. Well, I'm nervous.

No matter how mature I am on the inside, I’m not used to such an unveiling.

In fact, I used to work behind the scenes and hold positions because I didn't like to stand in front of people like that. It would be impossible not to be nervous.

I entered the Kamiarizuki family mansion with such excuses in mind. I tried to take off my shoes.

"It's all right. It's our job.”

I pulled my hand back as I was told by the older man in the black suit. 

How many servants are there in this house?

As I say out loud, the more I think about it, the more help I get in this house.

To begin with, it was the Kamizatsuki family who drove us here.

I know they’re uncommonly rich, but is being an exorcist such a lucrative job?

It is bothersome to think about future job income at the age of five, but earning money is important.

That said, it's hard to be that short of money if, like me in a previous life, you're living like a dried-up person with almost no hobbies.

“The head of the family and the next head of the family please come this way. The wives, please go over there."

The man in the suit who was helping me put on my shoes said this and took me to a different room from my mother. There you go, natural gender discrimination. Because there are such thing as exorcists.

As I was looking at the man in the suit with half aghast, my mother kindly told me 'Be a good boy’ and we headed to the other room.

To be honest, I would have preferred to be in the same room with my mother as I don't want to be seen in public, but that's not going to happen.

“The head of the Kisaragi family, Soichiro and his son, Itsuki, have arrived.”

“Oh, welcome. Come in."

A familiar female voice echoes from inside.

The man in the suit opened the door as if guided by the voice, and all the eyes of the men inside were on us at once.

“I have high expectations, Itsuki.”

“...... is that so?”

“Of course. The men gathered are here to see you.”

I looked at the adults who were looking at me the other way when my father told me this.

Every single one of them has the kind of appearance that if you take them out in front of a healthy child, they will cry in one shot. Eh, isn't there someone more gentle!

However, an exorcist cannot have such an ordinary face, and I was wondering if I would end up like that when a man approached me.

“How have you been, Itsuki-kun.”

“Renji-san!”

There he was, Renji-san, the head of the Shimotsuki family.

Does that mean that Aya-chan is also with him? That's what I thought, and when I turned my head, there she was...  Aya-chan.

It had been about a year since I had seen Aya and Renji-san.

From the age of three to four, Aya had been training with me for  shijutsu and Renji-san was always guarding me when my father was away, but their schedules gradually became incompatible, and before I knew it, my training had spontaneously ceased. We were like friends from college.

“Aya, this is Itsuki-kun, the one you’ve been wanting to meet.”

“Eh? You’ve been wanting to meet me!?”

Hearing Renji-san's words, I couldn't help but be happy.

I've never had a child, but it's not that I don't like children. No, there’s no adult that doesn’t love being near children in the first place. Well, I look like a child.

I waved my hand at Aya-chan.

"Aya-chan! Long time no see!”

“............"

But Aya just turned away and didn't say anything.

Huh? Does she hate me?

“I'm sorry, Itsuki-kun. Aya always says she wants to play with you at home.  Aya, Don't you have to say hi?"

Renji-san held out his hand to Aya as he spoke to her, but she brushed his hand away and blackmailed him.

“I hate you, Papa!"

“I'm in trouble."

Renji-san scratched his head.

I couldn't grasp her mind at all, so I involuntarily folded my arms and groaned.

Hmm… I don’t understand girls.

“Take your seats. It's time to start the meeting.”

And then, as if she had timed it right, the blonde woman from the Kamiarizuki family spoke.

As she spoke, ten men sat down on the cushions that had been prepared for them.

I sat down next to my father.

“The children will be bored if I talk about trivial things. I'd like to meet them first and then talk to the adults later. Is that okay with you? Hmm?”

The adults nodded silently without objecting to her words.

Is she a great person after all?

“Now that I seem to have obtained consent, let's start with the hopefuls who have shown great promise. The hero who exorcised the monster of the third rank at the age of only five.”

Who is it?

Aya-chan and Rin-chan are the only two who are the same age as me, but Aya can't use magic enough to exorcise monsters yet. So, I wonder if it's Rin-chan.

As I was thinking that, the blonde lady’s eyes caught mine.

Huh? Me?

I widen my eyes at the unexpected timing of being chosen.

“You all know very well that he is a genius that appears once in a hundred years. A genius who has obtained the Seventh Rank and who, at the age of three, can handle the Kaijutsu and the Shijutsu.”

After saying that much in one breath, she smiled.

“It’s Kisaragi Itsuki.”

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