Chapter 9. Akeno Himejima

"How was your day, Houtarou?" Akeno asked, comfortably settled on the swing. She waved her hand invitingly as if saying, "Go ahead, you can start!"

I smiled at her cute, childish behavior, but I still took my place behind her and started pushing the swing gently.

"Nothing special," I lied, shamelessly. "I mean, what could be interesting about a walk to the park where I'm forced to play with a bunch of kids?"

"You're always like that," Akeno chuckled, swaying her body in rhythm with the swing's motion. "At this rate, you're going to end up alone for the rest of your life... Houtarou — the weirdo and eternal loner!"

"Aren't you the same way?" I teased.

"Hmph!" Akeno huffed, glancing back at me over her shoulder with a playful pout. "Mom says when I grow up, I'll have boys lining up for me... Though Dad always looks tense and grumpy when she says that, and when it comes to you…" She trailed off, mumbling the last part under her breath, but my enhanced hearing picked up every word clearly.

What can I say to that? Fathers are meant to protect their daughters from any potential threat, even if it's just a small kid. Sure, there's hardly any logic in thinking a little boy could pose any real danger, but since when has parental love been constrained by logic? The important thing is that the parent has some logic, at least.

That's where my mom totally missed the mark, I couldn't help but chuckle, thinking about Mikoto.

Akeno noticed my strange expression and what was clearly a mocking laugh, and immediately furrowed her brows, trying to look as serious and important as possible.

"What's so funny? Just wait, the number of boys I'll attract could form a line that wraps around the entire school."

I smirked, still smiling.

"I don't doubt it, Akeno. You'll definitely be popular," I said, continuing to push the swing, trying to avoid her "wrath."

Honestly, I never really thought about what Akeno would be like when she grew up. After all, she's just a six-year-old girl. If I had any opinion about her, it usually involved words like "kid," "strong," and "not that annoying." Besides, we all looked more or less fine as kids, so predicting how attractive you'd be in ten or fifteen years was pretty pointless.

However, looking at her now and remembering her mother — who always greets me with a sweet smile and a playful pinch on the cheek — I suppose this girl really does have good genes.

Noticing that I was studying her, Akeno tilted her head slightly and let out a cheerful laugh.

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand," she said, swinging higher with newfound confidence.

Seeing the smug look on her face, I couldn't help but grin, thinking about some of her more amusing personality traits.

"I wonder if I'll be popular when I grow up," I exaggerated my seriousness and curiosity in a mockingly over-the-top tone.

However, Akeno suddenly stopped swinging and froze in place. Sure, she was a pretty possessive girl, but I didn't find that strange. First of all, she's a kid, and to children, other kids are like living toys. So, when someone threatens to "take" their toy, they naturally feel upset. Secondly — and this was probably the main reason — I was the only child Akeno played with. If I left her, she'd essentially be left all alone.

Thinking about it now, maybe that was a bit too much... I caught myself in this thought, staring at Akeno's stiff, unmoving back.

"Well, if I end up being popular and you're popular, why don't we be popular together?" I tried to lift her spirits, even if my attempt was pretty weak.

Thankfully, Akeno was still just a six-year-old, and even something as silly as that seemed to brighten her mood.

"Do you promise?" she asked, her tone a mix of uncertainty but with a determined push behind it.

At what point did this turn into a rom-com anime? Specifically, one of those backstories where the main character makes a childhood promise to the heroine that he'll conveniently forget?

"I promise," I said with a warm smile.

How embarrassing… It feels like I'm tricking a child. No, wait! That's exactly what I'm doing! My thoughts spiraled in the wrong direction.

To my surprise, in the next moment, Akeno jumped off the swing and tossed a simple wooden board into my hands. Then she turned and walked toward me with the most serious expression I'd ever seen on her round little face, making the whole situation feel twice as ridiculous.

"On our pinkies," she said, holding out her hand, with just her pinky finger extended.

"Huh?" I glanced from her pinky to her face in confusion.

"A pinky promise!" Akeno raised her voice slightly. "That way, neither of us can break it, no matter what!"

And then it hit me. I might not have considered Akeno a "friend" — after all, I was an adult in a kid's body, and relationships like that, first of all, didn't interest me, and second of all, they were either illegal or at least frowned upon by society. But for Akeno, things were different. She wasn't human, and fitting into human society, especially as a child, was clearly tough for her. So, finding someone who didn't reject her...

Or more accurately, someone who rejects her but not because she's different, but because I'm far more unique.

Finding someone who didn't mind her oddities, and who was also far more interesting — at least much more engaging than any other kid her age — Akeno clung to me with a kind of desperate tenacity. To her, this promise was a guarantee that, no matter what happened next in her life, I'd still be there, pushing her on the swing.

Is this the work of that A-rank luck? I smirked inwardly, remembering my stats.

"A pinky promise," I replied, smiling gently at Akeno before locking our pinkies together.

Even though we'd only known each other for a couple of months, she had become like a little sister to me, someone I couldn't help but care for. And if something as simple and childish as a pinky promise would make her happy and give her a sense of security, then so be it. After all, it was just a pinky promise...

Seeing my smile, Akeno beamed brightly in return, her eyes squinting in contentment.

"And now, push me again!" she said, already sitting back down on the swing, as serious as ever.

And so, it continued. I pushed Akeno on the swing while she chattered away, telling me about how her mom was teaching her the duties of a miko, about her boring classmates, how her dad was teaching her self-defense, and how she was going to ask her mom to transfer her to my school. She'd already complained a million times about how unfair it was that we didn't go to the same school. Still, I made an effort to listen with interest, understanding that these moments were important to her.

That being said, I did catch something interesting amidst the chatter — specifically, that her position as a miko was likely connected to the supernatural world, or that her strange father was teaching her something beyond ordinary self-defense. Or maybe both.

"What are your plans for the future, Houtarou?" Akeno suddenly asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Plans?" I paused for a moment, and before I realized it, I'd subconsciously activated "Accelerated Thinking."

Plans... After yesterday, my priorities had definitely shifted.

Initially, I had planned to live this second life for my own enjoyment. I was going to go back to high school, then university, and this time, I intended to fully enjoy every moment of it. One of my goals had been to buy a few thousand bitcoins in 2011, which would've allowed me to stop worrying about money once I finished university. I also wanted to try drawing manga that didn't exist in this world, or at least become a scriptwriter for one, since my artistic skills were horrendous. Although, no one said I couldn't learn to draw in the future, especially since I wouldn't have any financial concerns. In short, my original plan was to use all my resources to fulfill the desires of my inner child, who longed for carefree high school days and dreamed of doing whatever he wanted without worrying about money or other adult nonsense.

However, everything changed when I discovered that this world was filled with magic and the supernatural. Now, I couldn't afford to just go with the flow, especially since it turned out my family had old enemies in the form of the "Holy Church," which, while no longer hunting witches, still maintained a strained relationship with them. Plus, devils, fallen angels, and yokai didn't exactly inspire trust. And relying on my knowledge of the future now seemed foolish, as the world I found myself tied to was completely unfamiliar.

So, realistically, I needed to form a strategy, figure out what I wanted to achieve, and how to get there. But that's where the first problem arose — what exactly did I want? The first thing that came to mind was learning magic. However, that answer was vague, like saying you wanted to learn how to code—lots of ambition, but not much specificity. It was a goal, but not one that could be easily achieved without a clearer direction.

I didn't want to become the strongest fighter, a great scholar, a powerful leader, or anyone else with such grand ambitions. No, that's not to say that once I started studying magic, I didn't want to be the best at it — because if I didn't aim for that, there wouldn't be any point in starting at all. At least, that was my logic. But dreams of fame and power? They held no appeal for me.

So, given all that, I came to a single conclusion — I was still going to live as I originally planned, but with a "small" adjustment: I'd study and master magic. At least, that would be my focus until I finished school.

"Ask me again when I've graduated," I replied, slowly organizing my thoughts. "And really, how could you ask something like that of a six-year-old? You know most kids can barely think about what they're going to do later in the day, and you're asking me about my future."

"Is Houtarou an ordinary kid?" Akeno giggled into her hand and shot me a teasing look over her shoulder.

"I'm still a kid," I muttered through gritted teeth.

Internally, I grumbled, Says the pot to the kettle!

Akeno just smiled even wider, like she'd caught me in a lie, then suddenly jumped off the swing.

"I'm bored of this — let's play!" Akeno suggested, already losing interest in the previous topic.

Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand and tugged me back toward the playground. Her energy and enthusiasm seemed limitless, and she wasn't about to waste a single minute. We returned to the playground, but this time, Akeno had different plans.

"Tag! You're it!" she yelled, bolting away before I could protest, glancing over her shoulder to make sure I was chasing her.

Suppressing a sigh, I sprinted after her, feeling my heart race from the sudden exertion. The next hour and a half turned into a full-blown marathon: we ran, hid, swung, and played all sorts of games that Akeno came up with on the spot. And all the while, I struggled to keep up.

As the sun climbed higher, I began to feel the strain. My brain and nervous system might've been enhanced, but the rest of my body was still entirely ordinary. Sure, I knew this "ordinary" body had insane potential, but it still needed refinement before it could become anything truly remarkable. Meanwhile, Akeno seemed tireless, her energy never waning no matter how much time passed. Every time I started to slow down, her bright voice would encourage me.

"Come on, Houtarou! You can go faster!"

Her words sounded like a challenge, and like the idiot I am, I couldn't help but accept it.

Damn my stupid pride! I genuinely regretted that there wasn't someone around to smack some sense into me in moments like this.

Finally, when Akeno's mother called her to come home, I felt such a wave of relief that I mentally began praying to a God I didn't even believe in before...