"Gojo-kun, what are you looking at?"
Marin Kitagawa tilted her head slightly as she followed Gojo Satoru's gaze.
Her violet contact lenses shimmered under the bright afternoon light as she looked at him curiously.
Gojo smiled faintly.
"Oh, nothing. Just thought I saw an old friend."
His tone sounded casual—too casual. There was even a hint of amusement hidden in his voice. 'There is nothing wrong with it~'
Old friend?
Marin frowned slightly, beside him. As she turned her head to look in the same direction Gojo had been staring.
What she saw—
Was a female cosplayer standing near the stage area, posing dramatically while cooling herself with a handheld fan.
Her costume was flashy.
Her movements were exaggerated!
But she looked completely ordinary for a cosplay exhibition.
Marin blinked. Then she slowly turned back to Gojo.
"…Old friend?"
Her lips twitched slightly.
You call that an old friend?
She became speechless.
Meanwhile—
Standing beside them, Shirakawa Shiroha also noticed the direction Gojo had been staring toward.
Her silver eyes narrowed slightly, expression gradually became colder.
Seriously…? Two beautiful girls are standing beside you…and you're staring at some random cosplayer!?
A faint trace of irritation appeared on her face.
'That "wild flower"…Does she really look better than the two of us?'
Both girls silently thought the same thing.
'Next time…Should I dress a little cooler…?'
But almost immediately—
Both of them rejected the idea internally.
'No! It's fine if Gojo sees…But if strangers see too much...That would be annoying.'
Their thoughts aligned perfectly without them realizing it.
Just then—
Gojo's voice suddenly broke their train of thought.
"Hey. What are you two thinking about? Let's move." His voice sounded close to their ears.
Both girls snapped out of their daze.
"Huh?" Marin blinked. "I… I was just thinking about something."
Shiroha quickly turned her head away. "…Nothing important."
Then Marin suddenly brightened as something caught her eyes.
"Oh!" She pointed forward excitedly. "Look! That area ahead looks like the Kamen Rider cosplay section!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she pulled Gojo's and Shiroha's arm.
"Gojo-kun, Shiroha—let's go check it out!"
Gojo nodded casually, as he let himself be pulled, "Sure."
Shiroha also nodded slightly.
With different thoughts hidden in their minds—
The three of them continued their exploration.
.....
Meanwhile—
Not far from the main exhibition hall—
Inside a crowded maid cafe.
The air smelled of sweets and coffee.
Cute maid uniforms filled the room.
Customers chatted loudly.
And in the middle of that lively environment—
One man sat completely out of place.
Seigen Amawaka.
He sat calmly at a corner table. A cup of unsweetened coffee rested in front of him. His sharp eyes remained expressionless as he glanced around without a change of expression.
Around him—
Several girls dressed as maids moved busily between tables.
"Welcome back, Master~!"
"Your order is ready!"
The cheerful voices clashed sharply with Seigen's cold aura.
Across from him—
A cheerful girl sat happily eating cake. She had yellow-green curly hair, bright eyes, and a cute face.
Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed on the piece of cake.
Despite her adorable appearance—
Her slightly messy hairstyle gave her a rebellious look.
This girl was—Mayura Otomi!
Seigen Amawaka's daughter.
"Mm~! Delicious!" She hummed happily. Her voice carried a cute nasal tone as she lifted another forkful of cake into her mouth. "So tasty…~"
Seigen sighed quietly at the sight of his adorable daughter, "…Why did you drag me into a maid cafe, Mayura?"
There was clear helplessness in his usual cold tone.
Ever since returning to Tokyo—He had kept his promise.
Whenever he returned, he would spend time with his daughter.
But today—
Instead of a normal outing—She had dragged him into a maid cafe near the comic exhibition.
He rubbed his forehead slightly.
'I am one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals…The White Tiger…And here I am… sitting in a maid cafe...'
If some white haired bastard ever found out—then he would definitely tease him endlessly!
Probably for the rest of his life if he could....
Mayura puffed her cheeks slightly at her frustrating "father", she spoke while pretending to act cute. "I've never been to a maid cafe before! I was curious…So I wanted to try it with you, Dad."
Seigen snorted quietly, "…Never been here?"
He gave her a sharp look.
"Don't pretend. I know you came here before. With that brat."
Mayura froze.
"…Dad...." Her voice became stiff. Guilt instantly appeared on her face. She naturally knew who her father meant.
She then quickly stuffed another bite of cake into her mouth to hide her embarrassment.
While, Seigen took another sip of coffee as if to show that he doesn't care about it.
Then, His eyes slowly shifted toward the window.
Outside, Various cosplayers walked past the window.
The colorful costumes moved like a strange parade.
Meanwhile—
Mayura lowered her voice slightly, as she looked at her "father" from the corner of her eyes, her head still lowered,
"…Dad." Her tone sounded cautious, as she continue softly, "Mom has been talking about you recently. Why don't you go see her?" She raised her head sightly to looked at her father, her eyes hopeful.
But—
Silence followed after she finished talking.
Heavy silence as even the usually noisy cafe looked to have gone still.
Seigen didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed outside the window.
Time passed slowly.
5 seconds....10 seconds.....30 seconds.....
Mayura's hopeful expression gradually faded.
Just when disappointment started to show—
Seigen finally spoke as if he didn't noiced her clue. "…There's no need."
His voice sounded calm as he continue without a change of expression. "She and I divorced long ago."
Mayura clenched her fists slightly under the table, as she spoke again with a same expression, "But Mom never remarried!"
"She's still waiting for you! And you didn't remarry either! So why—"
"Enough."
Before she could finished her sentence, Seigen interrupted her calmly.
His voice remained steady. "Don't continue, Mayura. If you want me to leave now…Keep talking."
His eyes remained fixed on the window.
Mayura lowered her head, her lips pressed tightly together as she swallowed the words that she wanted to speak.
She didn't speak again.
Because she already knew.
She naturally knew her father's difficulties.
The divorce had never been about hatred.
It was a form of protection. About allowing them to live ordinary lives without any harm from the supernatural world....
But—whenever she think about her mother, who is still waiting—Still lonely—Made her chest ache painfully in the cruelty of the situation.....
In the lively maid cafe—
The silent father and daughter looked strangely out of place.
Finally, Seigen finished his coffee.
After which he placed the cup down quietly, as he stare at his silent daughter. "…Let's go."
Mayura nodded slowly. Her expression still looked slightly disappointed.
Both of them stood up.
As they walked toward the exit—
Several maids waved cheerfully.
"Welcome again next time, Master~!"
Their cheerful voices echoed behind them.
....
Outside—
Seigen glanced sideways, his expression cold as usual.
"Anything else you want to do? If not, I'll head back."
"..."
Mayura paused. Her soft pink lips pressed together to form a thin line.
Then suddenly—Her eyes lit up as she got an idea. She clapped her hands excitedly.
"Let's go to the Exhibition!"
Seigen froze slightly. "…Exhibition?"
His mouth twitched faintly.
He really wanted to turn around and leave.
But—
When he saw her hopeful expression—
Her shining eyes that was staring daggers at hik with expectations....
He sighed heavily.
"…Fine. Let's go."
Mayura instantly smiled brightly.
"Yay! Let's go, Dad!"
Seigen followed reluctantly.
But—
Just a few steps later—
His expression changed instantly.
His calm eyes sharpened.
His right hand rose instinctively in a battle stand.
"Get behind me." His voice became serious as his face tense up.
Mayura blinked.
"Huh?"
She looked confused.
But seeing her father's serious face, she obediently stepped behind him. Her light blue eyes scanned the surroundings.
All she saw—were groups of cosplayers walking normally.
"…What's wrong, Dad?"
Seigen didn't answer immediately as he asked a question in return, "…You can't see it?"
He paused slightly.
Then realization struck him.
Right…
Mayura, while normally had powerful spiritual sensitivity. But—Gojo Satoru had once given her a protective talisman. It suppressed her spiritual perception, preventing her from seeing supernatural entities.
At the same time—It concealed her own spiritual presence.
That was why she saw nothing now.
Just when he was able to tell her to be careful and don't run away from his side.
A voice suddenly echoed.
Old. Heavy.
Filled with curse presence.
"You…Can you see me?"
The voice sounded like that of an elderly man.
It reached Seigen's ears clearly.
Seigen slowly lifted his eyelids.
Without moving much—His right hand quietly pulled out a talisman.
His gaze sharpened even more with a cold glint
"You...Are you the new monster Tsuchimikado Arima mentioned?"
A brief silence followed.
Then—Recognition struck instantly.
"…Jogo." The name escaped his lips quietly, as he finally let himself be known.
The volcanic curse spirit—Had appeared.
...
If you'd like to support me and read chapters in advance, feel free to check out my:
Patr**on.com/Zero0000683
Discord:- NmKxzWGEPf
.....
Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
.....
Word Count — 1,550