Several months after Kurato and the others had thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the Kashiwa Real Tournament, on a certain day.

It was around the time when the sun had just begun to tilt slightly from directly overhead.

Yanagi was kneeling on the ground, pulling Kurato close against her chest without showing any concern for her long skirt getting dirty.

Her glasses were fogged over and from beyond that opaque glass, a single tear slipped down.

And Kurato, held tightly in her arms, was looking up at the person standing before Kurato and the others.

That person was directing a sharp gaze at Kurato.

“Kurato, do you hate your older brother… Raito?”

The person who hid her mouth behind a folding fan was Ryuko, dressed in a kimono.

Kurato furrowed his brow even more deeply than it already was from confusion.

“…Huh? Um, do I hate Raito? Uh… huh?”

It was a question suddenly posed by Ryuko.

Even without that, Kurato had already spent an extremely intense half-day and his thoughts could not keep up, causing him to let out an incoherent response.

Yes, today really was one of those ‘what kind of day is this?!’ days.

Especially the last thirty minutes had been exceptionally dense and the meaning of Ryuko’s question was probably hidden somewhere within them.

Kurato decided to recall what had happened during that time and search for an answer…

* * *

Thirty minutes before Ryuko’s question.

It had arrived without any warning.

Ding-dong.

As Kurato and Raito were playing in the children’s room as usual (Kurato playing while circulating his magical power), various sounds came from downstairs.

The sound of the doorbell and Yanagi’s unusually loud voice as she responded, a desperate voice calling for their mother.

It seemed their mother had reached the entrance and furious shouting like the end of the world, along with shrill screams, could be heard repeatedly.

And then suddenly, an explosion.

More than once.

With multiple angry shouts mixed in, it seemed like a battle was breaking out.

On any ordinary day, faced with such abnormal noise so far removed from daily life, Kurato would have grabbed Raito and fled.

But—

“Raito. Are you ready?”

Kurato and Raito were calm.

It was nothing special.

Today was the final weekend of March.

The day Hisame-sama had warned them about.

An escort had come from the Makishima main house to take Raito to the Special Zone.

It seemed their mother, who had not been told until the last moment, had gone half-mad and attempted to intercept them, but there was no way she could win.

The opponents were Makishima’s elite and Kurato had never once seen their mother train.

“…Yeah.”

Raito tightly gripped the shoulder straps of his small backpack, yet made no move to take Kurato’s hand.

“Raito. We promised, didn’t we?”

At Kurato’s question, Raito nodded faintly.

He must have remembered the promise he had made with Kurato.

That he would definitely chase after him.

With his other small hand, Raito took Kurato’s small but firm hand.

When the two went downstairs, a scene of devastation spread out before them.

The entrance was half-destroyed and traces of an ability battle were carved everywhere.

At the center of the battlefield lay two women in black suits and their mother, collapsed.

‘Oh? She managed to take down two of Makishima’s people. Not bad at all.’

Kurato stepped over their mother and the SPs (security police) and went outside.

Outside, several SPs were standing at attention.

“Well! Kurato-sama! You came all this way to greet us yourself? Thank you very much.”

Karan stood there in black attire with less white than a butler’s uniform.

Kurato bowed deeply to the adults.

“It has been some time, Karan-san. My mother was terribly rude. When it comes to Raito, she loses all restraint. Please forgive her.”

Seeing Kurato as calm as ever, Karan broke into a smile.

“I have heard as much. So that is your older brother, Raito-sama, correct?”

Although Raito and those around him called Kurato the older brother, on paper Raito was the elder.

Confusing, but unavoidable.

“Yes. This is my older brother, Raito. Raito, this is Karan-san from the main house. You’ll be under her care, so greet her properly.”

Kurato took Raito’s hand as he hid behind Kurato’s back, guiding him forward half a step.

“Ah… um… Rai, to, is…”

He was looking down, but for Raito this was good enough.

It was easy to forget, but he was extremely shy.

Just standing before people and speaking at all was difficult for him.

That meant he was resolved.

Kurato wanted to believe that the fierce battle at the tournament had not been in vain.

“Please take care of me, Raito-sama.”

Karan opened the door of the luxury car they had arrived in, placed Raito’s backpack inside and gestured for him to get in.

“Ah, Karan-san. May I borrow Raito for a moment?”

When Kurato looked up at her, Karan stepped back as if to say of course.

Kurato beckoned Raito closer, wrapped an arm around his back and gently hugged him.

“Raito, I don’t know how many years it’ll take, but I’ll definitely go to the Special Zone too.”

“Yeah… yeah, I’ll be waiting, big brother.”

His voice was already trembling with tears.

Kurato tightened his arms slightly.

“Just waiting isn’t enough. Be ready for me. I’ll train. This body and my abilities. I won’t suffer a crushing defeat like that again. Never.”

Everyone at that venue praised Kurato and the others.

A giant killing, an uprising of the weak.

But Kurato was frustrated.

The opponent had clearly been holding back and if they wanted, they could have ended it instantly at the start.

If that had been a real battlefield and the opponent a hostile enemy intent on killing, it would not have ended with Kurato alone losing.

The people behind him could have been dragged into the same fate.

That was why he had to become stronger.

Much stronger.

So that he would not lose anyone ever again.

“I’ll become strong. Even if I can’t win with raw magical power, I’ll pile up technique and experience until I reach them.”

“Yeah… yeah! I get it, big brother. I’ll get stronger too.”

Strength returned to Raito’s voice.

Kurato released the hug and looked at his face.

It was a mess of tears and snot, but there was a solid smile like during that battle.

A face full of fighting spirit.

“Aah!”

Kurato replied in kind.

And so the car carrying Raito drove away.

Raito safely departed one step ahead onto a new stage.

He had gone, but…

A few minutes after Raito left.

“No! Madam!”

“Let go! Yanagi! I can’t! Without Raito, I can’t!”

Another commotion broke out.

Their mother, having regained consciousness, immediately tried to chase after Raito and began thrashing about.

When Yanagi explained that Raito had been called back to her family home, she declared she would return to the main house as well.

“There’s no way you can! You ran away!”

“Th-then at least, at least let me be near Raito!”

“What about Kurato-sama?!”

Yanagi grabbed their mother’s shoulder tightly.

This was the moment Kurato saw Yanagi’s true anger.

Her words were sharp, but more than that, her eyes were fierce.

It was a different kind of fear from dragons or demons.

“Ku…rato?”

Their mother turned toward him.

It had been a long time since she called his name, so Kurato met her gaze.

‘Oh? You remembered my name?’

Kurato raised his evaluation of her slightly.

Then it immediately crashed.

“But… but! I need Raito! Without Raito, that man, that man can’t come back!!”

Kurato felt something off in her words.

‘That man? Was there some concrete reason for her dependence on Raito?’

As Kurato pondered—

He sensed a wave of magical power from their mother.

A faint reaction that occurs when activating an ability.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me?!’

Kurato instantly jumped between Yanagi and their mother, raising a shield.

He followed up with a kick bash to her side, sending her flying.

As she flew, a Water Cutter misfired from her hand.

Kurato angled his iron shield and barely deflected it.

The ricocheting water blade grazed Yanagi’s cheek and sliced clean through the shoe cabinet and full-length mirror at the entrance.

Seeing this, Kurato looked down at his mother with his eyes completely changed.

“What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill someone?!”

A roar burst from his mouth.

Kurato glared down at his mother collapsed on the entrance porch, spittle flying.

‘That was close.’

If he had been even a moment slower, Yanagi would have been in pieces.

To think she would turn a blade on Yanagi, who was practically his benefactor…

Kurato could not suppress his emotions and yelled at his mother relentlessly.

“I-I’m sorry, Kurato. But I, I…”

The mother spoke weakly and staggered to her feet.

Perhaps confused from being yelled at, but recalling Raito, she slowly turned her back on them and suddenly began to run.

‘Where was she going?’

As Kurato watched, she ran to the parking area and grabbed the door of her car.

“Makiko!”

Yanagi caught up and shouted.

“What are you thinking?! What about this house? What about Kurato-sama?!”

At Yanagi’s harsh cry, the mother looked back, then immediately turned away, unlocked the door and got into the car.

Yanagi’s eyes flared even more.

“Don’t be ridiculous! If you leave now, I’m cutting ties with you!”

Confronted with absolute severance, the mother ignored Yanagi’s words, revved the engine and sped off.

An electric car tearing down the narrow road at incredible speed.

‘Yeah, that’s well over the speed limit.’

Which would be faster, her catching Raito’s car or the police catching her?

As Kurato watched in disbelief, his hand was suddenly grabbed.

Looking up, Yanagi was pointing at another car, the one she usually used.

“Kurato-sama, let’s pursue her. We know where she’s going.”

“Well… there’s no need to chase her.”

“Huh?! But—”

“Even if we catch up, her mind is full of Raito. It always has been. Let’s give up.”

In that desperate state, she would never listen.

He had never checked, but Kurato was certain her zodiac sign was Boar.

Absolutely.

As Kurato was thinking something that would anger boar-year people nationwide, his vision suddenly went dark.

Yanagi was gently embracing him.

It was warm and smelled reassuring.

“Ah, Kurato-sama. You’re so very precious, yet Makiko is truly… truly unbelievable. To abandon her home, to abandon her own child…”

‘…So that’s it. I was abandoned.’

Yanagi’s lament finally made reality sink in for Kurato.

And then his blood ran cold.

First, the ownership of this house would be lost.

With no money on hand, they couldn’t even pay Yanagi and the others, meaning they’d lose their jobs…

‘What a woman…’

Leaving Yanagi and the others stranded.

They’ll get unemployment benefits, right?!

“Yanagi-san, do you have prospects for your next job?”

“That’s not what matters! This is about you, Kurato-sama!”

Kurato asked timidly and was sharply scolded.

But Yanagi quickly softened, gently patting his head and crouching to meet his eyes.

“Kurato-sama. If you don’t mind, I will become your guardian.”

‘That means taking custody. That means Yanagi would become my mother.’

An incredibly attractive proposal.

Yanagi would be the best mother.

Thinking that, Kurato shook his head.

“No, Yanagi-san.”

“…So I truly can’t be a mother…”

“No, that’s not it.”

Kurato cut her off before she could say she wasn’t qualified.

Without a doubt, Yanagi could be a good mother.

That was exactly why she shouldn’t pick up a burden like him.

She was still young.

She needed to live her own life.

He explained that vaguely.

Yanagi collapsed in tears and hugged Kurato again, crying.

At some point, the other servants had gathered.

And then—

“My, this is quite a situation, Kurato.”

A super luxury car stopped in front of the house and from it emerged Ryuko, descending in a kimono like the proprietress of a yakuza film.

* * *

End of recollection.

And then…

‘Yeah, I still don’t get it.’

Kurato gave up and decided to ask Ryuko directly.

“Um, I don’t hate Raito. If you were asking whether I hate my mother, I’m a bit angry. She struck the servants and carried out layoffs without any prior notice. When I think about it… it’s not just a bit. I’m pretty angry.”

As Kurato reported with a troubled expression, Ryuko’s eyes widened in surprise.

But they soon softened and she opened her mouth, then closed it again thoughtfully.

Then she spoke.

“Don’t worry about the layoffs. I’ll employ this house and all of you. You as well. Raito and your mother won’t be here, but everything else will stay the same.”

Kurato was shocked by her offer.

“Really?! Thank you very much!”

Kurato leapt up and performed a jumping dogeza.

It was unconscious.

People say when you’re truly grateful, you bow without meaning to and this was exactly that.

Ryuko had resolved not only his problem, but Yanagi’s as well.

To spend such a large sum for someone who wasn’t even her real child…

Perhaps sensing Kurato’s feelings, Ryuko smiled slightly and opened her fan.

“And if that fool ever gives up your custody, I’ll take it.”

“You’ll be my mother?!”

When Kurato snapped his head up, Ryuko laughed so hard she couldn’t hide it even with her fan.

“That’s a bit early.”

She shook with laughter for a while, then departed as briskly as she had arrived.

Left behind were Kurato and the others.

“Well then, first comes cleaning. Ah, before that, our employer is changing, but will you all continue working here?”

And so life returned to normal, save for a change in the house’s owner.

* * *

A little later.

While sweeping the entrance, having calmed down, Kurato tilted his head.

‘But why did Ryuko ask that? And why did she show up at such perfect timing?’

Her actions were as if she had known this would happen.

‘Well, maybe it’s some kind of ability.’

With that, Kurato quickly reached a conclusion and moved on.

* * *

Kurato’s guess was correct.

Ryuko’s appearance that day was no coincidence.

She had seen it beforehand.

“…I see it. One boy being put into a car with several people in black.”

Ryuko had asked her personal future prediction ability user, Prediction, to look into the day Raito would be picked up.

What she saw matched reality perfectly.

Raito’s departure and the mother’s rampage had all come true.

However, there were differences.

First, the scene of Raito’s departure.

In the prediction, Raito was restrained by black-clad figures and Kurato glared at him.

Though no voices could be heard, Kurato’s expression looked like he was hurling hatred.

That hatred was directed solely at Raito.

Raito was crying.

His face pale, trembling slightly, tears streaming down.

But reality was different.

Though there were tears, the brothers shared a passionate embrace and firmly swore promises of reunion.

It was the exact opposite of the future she had seen.

Another difference was that all the servants survived.

In the prediction, Makiko rampaged and sliced one of the servants to pieces.

From what could be seen, the servant was barely alive.

For that reason, Ryuko had brought a chronokinesis user along in the car, but they never had to act.

She had even gone out of her way to summon them from a certain distinguished house.

The future changed because Kurato blocked the attack with his shield.

The predicted future and reality had diverged greatly.

Still, it didn’t matter.

Future prediction only shows one of many possible futures.

It shows the most likely one, but Ryuko could not imagine Kurato hurling abuse at anyone.

‘This time, there must have been some element interfering with the vision.’

In any case, Ryuko was satisfied that she seemed able to secure Kurato.

“But that lightning-fast dogeza… and calling me Mother… pfft.”

Rather than satisfaction, it was suppressed laughter.

For a while, the car was filled with a warm atmosphere.

* * *

Memo

Foresight… a future-prediction ability. The power to predict the future from several days to several years ahead. A similar ability exists called Privote (future sight), but that one allows the user to see only several seconds to several minutes into the future. The former has a large range of possible future variation, while the latter has greater certainty but more limited practical uses.