Decision(1)

"I want to thank you for taking care of Kazuhiko when we weren't around, Kumiko-chan," said Kazuhiko's mother gratefully.

"You didn't have to do it, Haruko-san. I just wanted to accompany him," replied Kumiko modestly.

She smiled awkwardly as she saw the sincere expression on Kazuhiko's parents' faces.

Meanwhile, Kazuhiko stood next to his father, watching Kumiko with a blank expression.

"Kimiko, why didn't you return from school early today?" Susumu asked.

"I haven't been feeling well for the past two days, so I asked for permission to leave early," Kumiko explained.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry you had to take care of my son while feeling unwell," Susumu apologized.

"What are you saying Susumu-san, I was the one who needed to thank Kazuhiko. When I was around him, I felt energetic and got a lot of positive vibes... now my headache is almost gone..."

"Hey Kazuhiko, why are you standing there without saying anything? Come here and say your thanks. It's basic etiquette," Susumu said as he dragged Kazuhiko and made him bow his head to Kumiko.

Kazuhiko couldn't help but sigh, 'Why do I need to thank her even though I was the one who saved her?'

But even still, he said his thanks with a polite tone. "Thank you so much for accompanying me safely home, Kumiko-nee-chan."

Only after hearing his polite tone did his father take his hand from Kazuhiko's head.

Usually, when his dad behaved aggressively like this, his mom would always scold him.

But when it came to respecting the opposite gender, his mother wouldn't compromise easily.

She wanted Kazuhiko to respect the opposite gender equally.

All Kazuhiko learned was that she didn't want him to be like 'them'.

Kazuhiko didn't know whom his mother was referring to, but he could guess they must be from the Zenin family.

Even though the situation right now had nothing to do with respecting the opposite gender, his mother didn't get involved.

After Kumiko went to her home, Kazuhiko received a good scolding in his home.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to go outside? There are a lot of bad guys out there you know? What should we do if something happened to you?"

'Here we go again, it's all because of Kumiko-nee... Tch...'

Usually, he would return before his parents would return but his parents returned sooner than usual timing.

If he was alone he would have deceived them saying he was just around nearby but Kumiko was with him this time.

Looking at their serious faces, he could guess they were really worried about his safety and didn't want him to go outside without them.

Usually, he would have apologized when they became like this, but not this time.

"I was bored. Mom and Dad wouldn't play with me at all... So, I went outside to play... If you're worried about my safety, then teach me how to protect myself from the bad guys you spoke of. I want to learn about barrier techniques and talisman creation techniques..."

He wanted to use this situation to ask his parents to teach him the barrier-creating techniques and talisman-creating techniques of this world. Barriers are zones or territories established with jujutsu.

They are generally used to conceal, contain, or deny entry to entities within that space.

Cursed techniques that erect barriers are known as barrier techniques.

Talismans are paper tags that can be imbued with cursed energy and cursed techniques.

They are high-utility items in sorcery that are used by sorcerers for various purposes.

Even non-sorcerers can make use of them.

Talismans can serve as an intermediary for shikigami, sealing material for cursed objects, or aiding in constructing specialized barriers, among other uses.

He is curious about these techniques since he was fairly skilled in sealing techniques, barrier techniques, and evil spirit rituals in his previous life.

A deep frown formed on his parents' faces when he asked them to teach him those techniques.

They looked at each other without speaking before letting out long sighs.

"I am not good at creating barriers and talismans like your mother... ask her..."

His father said with a shrug as if he didn't want to be involved in this.

"Ah! Susumu! What are you saying? Kazuhiko is just two years old... his hands didn't even develop enough to hold a brush. You want me to teach him?!"

Haruko looked at her husband with a menacing look, as if only Kazuhiko wasn't present here, she would have punched her husband in the face.

"Yu-*cough* *cough* Haruko, didn't you underestimate the user of six-eyes too much? They were living in different dimensions from us. Just like 'him'."

'Whoa~ Oyaji was about to say mom's real name! She hated it when her real name was mentioned, he barely missed getting knocked out... and who is he referring to by 'him'?'

Kazuhiko's face was full of grins, as he saw the argument between his parents.

Whenever they argued, they unintentionally spit a lot of pieces of information without knowing.

Which was so amusing for him to hear.

"Don't compare our son to that 'monster'... our son doesn't need to get involved in the world of sorcery... If he makes a 'Binding Vow', he can weaken and hide his six eyes from everyone..."

'Huh? Binding Vow? What was that?'

That was the first time Kazuhiko heard that term.

Seeing that his wife didn't seem to agree with him, Susumu gently held Haruko's hand as he soothed.

"Haruko, I know what you are worried about, but whether getting involved with them or not just needs to be decided by our son, not us. If you ask me, he already passed the line to live a normal life, the moment he was born. 'Biding Vow' could only weak and hide his six eyes in return for something, it's not completely able to hide his eyes all the time. Even though there are a lot of sorcerers who would do anything for money, we couldn't protect him all the time using our wealth. In the worst case scenario, he had to rely on himself in the future."