[Year 2003]
This year, the Fushiguro family welcomed a huge piece of good news.
Fushiguro Toji and Sasajima Yumi’s precious child was born.
“Waaah!”
Inside the delivery room, the baby’s cries were loud and strong, as if he wanted to tear the ceiling down.
Holding the wrinkled, red little baby in his arms, Toji wore the dumbest grin anyone had ever seen on his face.
Carefully, he brought the child to Yumi and unconsciously lowered his voice, “Look at him.
Isn’t this little guy adorable?”
“Even his crying has style!”
Leaning weakly against the bed, Yumi looked at the expression on her man’s face and couldn’t help laughing.
Yukio leaned over and stared at the baby’s face for a long while before suddenly bursting out laughing.
“Haha!
Bro, look at his eyes.
They’re exactly like yours!”
“He’s already got that ‘don’t mess with me’ look at such a young age!”
Hearing that, Toji nearly raised his chin to the sky, “Of course!”
“Just proves my genes are strong!”
He lowered his head and looked at the little guy in his arms.
His voice suddenly became gentler.
“Fushiguro Megumi.”
“Starting today, you’re the little prince of our family.”
Yumi reached out and took Megumi into her arms.
“Megumi.”
Strangely enough, the little guy who had been crying his lungs out just moments ago instantly quieted down when he heard his mother’s voice.
Blinking those eyes that looked exactly like Toji’s, he stared at Yumi.
Watching this scene, Yukio suddenly felt a little emotional.
He and Toji had crawled out of darkness.
Without each other, they might have died long ago in some forgotten corner.
But now, Toji had Yumi.
He had Megumi.
This family was complete.
Half-jokingly, Yukio said, “Bro, do you think Megumi might have a Heavenly Restriction too?”
Toji didn’t even think about it.
“Who cares whether he does or not.”
“Even if he’s an ordinary person, I’ll protect him for the rest of his life.”
“I’ll never be like those bastards and throw my own kid away like trash.”
Yumi glared at them both, “Can’t you two say something nicer?”
“What Heavenly Restriction or whatever.
The most important thing is that the child grows up healthy!”
The two looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.
Toji wrapped an arm around Yumi.
“Right, right!
My wife is absolutely right!”
“Our Megumi is definitely going to be a genius!”
Time flew by, and it became 2004.
This year, Fushiguro Megumi was over a year old and had started learning to walk.
As for Fushiguro Toji, he had completely turned into a full-time stay-at-home dad.
Ever since he started dating, he had hardly taken any jobs.
After Megumi was born, he stayed home with the child every day and never left his side.
But it didn’t matter.
The money he had saved before was enough for their family to spend until Megumi’s generation.
One afternoon, sunlight streamed into the living room through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Yumi was preparing dinner in the kitchen while Toji crouched on the floor, patiently teaching Megumi how to walk.
Holding onto the sofa, Megumi took a shaky step with his short little legs, then plopped onto the floor.
“Wah!”
The little guy didn’t cry.
Instead, he excitedly clapped his hands.
Just as Toji was about to help him up…
“Bro!!!!”
The basement door was suddenly thrown open.
Holding something high above his head, Yukio rushed upstairs like a gust of wind.
His face was full of uncontrollable excitement.
“I did it!!!!” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Toji froze…
Then his eyes lit up.
“Seriously?”
Megumi grabbed onto Toji’s pant leg and looked curiously at his suddenly crazed uncle.
Yukio handed the ring in his hand back to Toji.
It was Toji’s wedding ring, which he had borrowed earlier for research.
“Of course it’s real!
Hurry up and try it!”
Toji took the ring, looking confused.
“This thing…
how do I use it?”
Yukio took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
“Put a drop of blood on it and establish a connection.”
“Then you can use it through your mind.”
“That mystical?”
Half-believing him, Toji bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the ring.
The next second, he froze.
Inside his mind, he clearly “saw” a space.
It wasn’t large, but it was enough to store all of his weapons.
Yukio proudly raised his head.
“Well?
Your little brother is a genius, right?”
“I separated part of Shadow Face’s ability and transplanted it into this ring!”
“Hurry and see if you can store weapons inside!”
Instead of testing it immediately, Toji asked first, “Will this affect your Shadow Face?”
“If it does, then I won’t use it.”
“At worst, I’ll just find a cursed spirit that can store things.”
Yukio picked up Megumi and urged him.
“It won’t affect it, it won’t affect it!
Just try it already!”
Hearing that, Toji stopped hesitating.
He walked into the basement and stood in front of the weapon rack.
With a thought, the space in front of him suddenly split open into a black crack.
‘Shadow Face!’
He reached out and placed the Split Soul Katana inside.
Shadow Face disappeared.
Then he reached out again, and another crack opened in the space to his right.
He pulled out the Split Soul Katana.
The entire process was smooth and natural.
Standing beside him, Yukio explained, “This Shadow Face will appear within three meters of you.
You can control where it appears with your thoughts.”
“If you want it on the left, it’ll appear on the left.
If you want it on the right, it’ll appear on the right.
If you want it above you, it’ll appear above you!”
“Once you get used to it, you’ll be even faster.”
Watching what looked like a magic trick, Megumi excitedly clapped his little hands and giggled.
Toji tested it several more times and stored all his weapons inside the ring.
Then he turned around and patted Yukio on the shoulder.
“Thanks, little brother”
Yukio handed Megumi back to him and laughed.
“Since when are you being polite with me?”
Toji took his son and suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, I just thought of something.
Help me buy a cursed tool from the black market.”
“I won’t go myself.”
Yukio raised an eyebrow, “What thing?
Why aren’t you getting it yourself?”
Toji lowered his head and played with Megumi without even looking up, “I need to spend time with my wife and son.”
Yukio rolled his eyes, “I think you’re just being lazy!”
“It’s called the Chain of a Thousand Miles.”
“If the base of the chain can’t be seen, then the chain can extend infinitely.”
“I’ll leave the base inside Shadow Face, and then I can extend it infinitely and use it together with my other weapons.”, He paused.
“It should be Grade 1.
Because it’s too limited, nobody has ever bought it.”
As Yukio listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
“Holy shit…”
“That’s awesome!”
He held out his hand.
“Give me the money.”
Toji lowered his head and said to Megumi, “Let’s go see if Mommy’s finished cooking.”
Then he carried his son away.
Yukio: “…”
That move was very Toji.
[Black Market]
Yukio wore a hoodie and a mask, completely covered up as he entered a shop.
After confirming the store name was correct, he walked straight to the counter.
On top of the counter sat a chain that looked completely ordinary.
Price tag: 20 million.
“Boss, I want this one.”
The owner looked up at him.
Although Yukio was covered from head to toe, the youthfulness in his voice couldn’t be hidden.
Still, the owner didn’t ask questions.
Anyone who could casually spend 20 million wasn’t someone he could afford to provoke, regardless of age.
There was a reason he had survived in this business for so many years.
He had brains.
“How would you like to pay?”
“Bank transfer.”
The transaction went smoothly.
Yukio tucked the Chain of a Thousand Miles into his clothes and was about to leave when the owner suddenly spoke.
“Young man, there’s going to be an auction at the black market soon.
If you’re interested, you can come take a look.”
Yukio paused.
“What good stuff will be there?”
The owner revealed a mysterious smile, “A special-grade cursed tool, Playful Cloud.”
“It’s a three-section staff.
Estimated value is no less than 500 million.”
“It has no cursed technique attached to it.
It relies entirely on physical force, and its power depends heavily on its user.”
Yukio narrowed his eyes.
“What’s your name?”
“Ryota.”
“Thanks.”
He turned and left.
After returning home, Yukio told Toji about the Chain of a Thousand Miles and the black market auction.
After listening, Toji’s eyes lit up.
“Playful Cloud?”
“This thing is practically made for us!”
“You can go again when the time comes.”
Yukio curled his lips, “No thanks.
I don’t even know when it’ll start.”
“And I’m in my third year of middle school now.
I might be in class by then.”
“Besides, something worth several hundred million is a big deal.
It’s safer if you go yourself.”
Toji laughed loudly, “Fine, fine, I’ll go!”
Then he suddenly sighed.
“Looks like…
I still need to make more money.”
Outside the window, the sunset was just right.
In the living room, Yumi carried the dishes out from the kitchen while Megumi wobbled toward Sasajima Yumi.