Chapter 18: what project are you working on?

With Nemuri’s words, the group of six re-entered the shopping mall. Passing by a bowling alley inside, they decided to play a game.

"Alright, it’s time for Onee-chan to show her skills."

"Hahaha, that sounded like a challenge, Nemuri. What happens to the one who comes last?" Tomoko struck a fighting pose, teasing Nemuri.

"Hmm, let’s see. The loser buys dinner."

"I don't have my savings card; I can't bet," Kai immediately intervened, holding a bowling ball and wondering how to fit his small hand into the holes. But Shino quickly responded.

"Children are not allowed to bet, but if Kai-kun wins, we’ll buy you a nice gift together."

"Agreed!" they all shouted.

Once the game started, Kai noticed something interesting about his body that he hadn’t realized before, but he was sure it must have happened after he awakened the memories of his past life.

(This is incredible. My reflexes, coordination, body control, and spatial awareness are off the charts. I had noticed my body control had improved, but this is absurd. My quirk must have undergone a significant change…)

While Kai reflected on his newly discovered abilities, Nemuri and the Pussycats were in disbelief. After all, Kai was playing a perfect game, attracting attention from several people who stopped their own games to watch the little blue-eyed genius.

In the end, unsurprisingly, Kai emerged as the champion with a perfect score of 300 points, crushing the competition as the entire place celebrated his achievement.

"I didn’t know you were so good at bowling, Kai-kun."

"Me neither. I had never played before"

(at least not in this life).

"Hehe, Kai-kun is truly a genius at everything. Let me mark you so no one can steal you away," Ryuko lifted Kai and began kissing him all over, causing Nemuri to hastily stop her and take Kai from her arms.

"Hey, what do you mean by that, Ryuko?"

"That I’ve already reserved Kai-kun for the future, so please don’t separate me from my future darling," Ryuko responded naturally with a small smile.

"So, you were the real shotacon all along, Ryuko." Nemuri pointed accusatorily at Ryuko with one hand while covering little Kai with her other hand, prompting the beautiful blonde woman to quickly retort.

"Hey! That’s Shino. I just appreciate his future potential and am making an early reservation."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, but Kai-kun is off-limits."

"Don’t monopolize him. He’s everyone’s Kai-kun."

"Since when? I’ve been his Onee-chan..."

As the Pussycats and Nemuri started arguing, Kai decided to ignore the world around him to protect his fragile heart and began making plans for developing his aura.

(When I saw the metals, I got the sudden inspiration to learn blacksmithing so I can familiarize myself with different weapons by building them from scratch and then conjuring them with my aura, which could lead to interesting abilities.

As for the other categories, I have some ideas too, but [Transmutation] will be a pain. Killua’s power was great and very strong, but they made it clear that to achieve something like that, you need to undergo unspeakable torture with electricity…)

"Kai-kun, we need to go; we have an appointment to keep."

Kai’s thoughts were interrupted when Nemuri called him.

"An appointment?"

"Yes, a very important one."

"Alright then."

"It was a pleasure having fun with you, Kai-kun. We should keep doing this from now on."

"Yes, I'll come find you whenever I have a free moment. After all, I can't neglect my future darling; I don't want anyone else to get ahead of me."

"Hey! I told you to stop that," Nemuri reprimanded irritably.

"Hahahaha, Kai-kun, let's meet again soon."

"It was a pleasure, Kai-kun."

"It was also a pleasure going out with you all. I’d love to do it again sometime. Thank you for everything."

"GOODBYE, KAI-KUN!!" x4

...

...

Some time later, Kai found himself in front of a very elegant and minimalist café with Nemuri, who entered the place confidently and familiarly.

"Hello, Nemuri-san, your guests are waiting for you in the private room."

"Thank you very much, Toshiaki-san."

"It's always a pleasure."

After the short greeting, Kai was led to a beautiful private room where he immediately recognized a few people: Yumiko Hado and Keiko Yaoyorozu, friends of his mother and mothers of Nejire Hado and Momo Yaoyorozu, who were part of the small group of children he interacted with.

"Yaoyorozu-san, Hado-san, sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don’t worry about that. More importantly, how has my little Kai-chan been?"

Yumiko paid no attention to Nemuri’s words, focusing entirely on the small blue-eyed boy who had entered the room. She quickly approached Kai to lift him up, her face showing a slightly sad expression she tried to hide with a smile.

"I’ve been well, Oba-san."

But Kai’s words wiped the attempted smile off Yumiko’s face, replacing it with a serious and complex expression, mirrored on Keiko’s face. After all, this Kai was completely unknown to them.

The Kai that Yumiko and Keiko knew was always smiling and talkative, their interactions always starting with him talking about the new 'project' (toy) he was working on, with an innocent and hyperactive expression, followed by asking about their daughters so he could share his new 'discoveries' with them.

But the Kai before them now was completely different. He only showed a calm expression, accompanied by a small smile on his lips, speaking in a composed and calm tone, which inevitably made Nemuri’s words echo in their heads like an earthquake.

[... The event was devastating for his mentality; he changed too much from one day to the next. I’m sure you won't recognize him once you meet him. He has a completely different attitude …]

Initially, Yumiko and Keiko imagined Kai would be shattered, crying, scared, panicked, isolated—anything. They thought they had considered all possible scenarios they might encounter.

But this was beyond anything they could have anticipated. What they saw was almost like seeing Alisa's reflection in little Kai, but even more alarming, as his face showed no pain at all, which in itself was a huge red flag.

One might think that Kai simply hadn't processed his parents' death, being in some kind of denial that allowed him to remain so stable. And while that was possible, reality was never that simple, and they, as people who had interacted extensively with the little boy, were very aware of that.

Kai was incredibly attached to his parents, especially his mother, to the point that one night, when he stayed over with Nejire, he escaped the house in the middle of the night, running and crying through the neighborhood trying to get back home to find her, which led to sleepovers being allowed only at Alisa’s house.

For this reason, a single sentence was more than enough for the two mothers to understand Nemuri’s concerns and to realize how serious the situation was. But the shock was so great for Yumiko that she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that the event had not only taken her best friend but also the child she loved as if he were her own son.

In a desperate attempt to see the Kai she knew once more, Yumiko asked, in a soft voice, full of nervousness and fear, about what he probably loved most after his mother.

"And tell me, Kai-chan, what project are you working on?"

The moment Kai heard the question, his eyes lit up slightly, and he began to speak with some excitement as a small, joyful smile formed on his face.

"Oh well, right now I want to start blacksmithing, and I've been brainstorming the best way to do it, but I'm lacking tools since I haven't tried it before. Though today, I was in the engineering store and got an idea of what I needed. It will be a bit expensive, but I think I can make the most of it, so I wanted to buy everything right away. But since I didn't have my savings card, it was impossible.

But as soon as I get my card back, I'll buy all the tools. Also, I'll have to make several changes to my workshop. No, I think it’s better to create a forge room from scratch. It will be more expensive, but it will be better in the long run. I'll be poor again, but it's important, so it’s an investment…"

The moment Yumiko, Keiko, and Nemuri heard Kai talking, they all sighed in relief, smiles forming on their lips, while trying with all their might to hold back their tears. After all, at that moment, they could see the Kai they knew. Although he was not exactly the same, it was a relief for them to know that part of him still existed.

Kai's little outburst was especially comforting for Nemuri, as she had borne the pain the longest, knowing that perhaps the Kai she knew had died that day. That small outburst of childishness, which brought a little sigh of relief, ultimately formed a hurricane of determination within her to give her all.

"Well, Kai-chan, your aunt can’t let her little baby fall into 'poverty' again, right? So your aunt will buy all your new tools as an early Christmas gift"

Yumiko commented with a small smile on her face, looking lovingly at the little boy in her arms. Kai immediately responded seriously, with slight signs of discomfort on his face.

"No, Auntie, it’s too much money. Besides, my savings are enough to pay for it."

"No more talk about it, Kai-kun. Your Aunt Yumiko will buy your tools, and I'll gift you your new forge room so you can use your savings for something else," Keiko quickly replied in a strict tone that tried to hide the relief and joy she felt.

"But Auntie Keiko, it’s a lot of money..." Kai tried to respond, filled with discomfort, but Yumiko quickly added with a smile.

"Well, Kai-chan, as compensation, you can give us some of your works when you’re finished. How about that? The works of a good blacksmith are highly valued."

"Yes, Kai-kun, you can give us your works. I'll make an exhibition at home for them," Keiko immediately joined the proposal, so Kai could only ask with a bit of doubt in his tone.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course we are."

"Absolutely."

Seeing that the pair of beautiful women had no intention of changing their minds, Kai could only sigh softly and then accept, feeling a little defeated.

"Alright, then I’ll send you my works once I become good at blacksmithing."

As they conversed in the room, a powerful voice suddenly resonated.

"I AM HERE!"