Everything was going well; Hajime felt more relaxed and invigorated after spending a few hours with his little sister. It was as if his batteries had been recharged, granting him a renewed impetus to pursue the path he had chosen.

The young man resolved to focus on the beautiful moments he recalled, knowing that in the not too distant future, he would begin working to dismantle the [Black Corps].

A part of him, however, harbored lingering doubts. Would he truly be capable of committing heinous acts to save the two people he cherished most?

"What shall we do now, onii-chan?"

"I don't know. How about a slushie?"

"You’re always hungry, aren’t you? We’ll spoil our appetite that way!"

" Do as you wish, Kaori-chan. I understand that you’re still young and..."

"I'm not young! I'm already fifteen, and you're seventeen, so don’t treat me condescendingly as if I were a child!"

"Eheheheheheh, how adorable you are when you’re upset!"

"*Blushes in embarrassment*!"

The two siblings teased one another and enjoyed each other's company for a while longer before they set off to get a slushie together.

"Shall we sit on a bench to eat?"

"That’s fine with me, onii-chan."

As they relished the view of the park they had visited for years, Kaori couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness. A touch of "normalcy" was needed by both.

"It’s been so long since we’ve spent time together... I’ve missed these moments."

"Me too... onii-chan, how are things going at your new school?"

The adolescent stiffened slightly at the question, before feigning indifference. Unfortunately for him, his little sister had noticed his subtle panic.

"After what happened, I’m fortunate to even be able to attend school... thanks to Goto."

The last part nearly made him gag as he uttered it, but there was nothing he could do; the fictitious tale fabricated by Goto claimed that Hajime had instigated a brawl, in which he incurred the most significant injuries, and as a result, he was expelled from his school and barred from all other prestigious institutions. Only thanks to the magnanimity of the leader of the [Black Corps] was the teenager still able to attend school at Howaitotaiga.

Of course, things had not transpired in such a manner.

Goto's stepson had been beaten to a pulp by his stepfather, the entire story of the brawl was fabricated, and if anyone had dug just slightly beneath the surface, they would have easily uncovered the truth.

For Goto, it had not been difficult to "persuade" the principal of the school, along with several witnesses, including teachers and students, to testify falsely. A little bribery here, a touch of intimidation there, and a sprinkle of silence from those who knew and said nothing, and in the end, he emerged victorious.

"So I suppose I shouldn’t complain."

"Will you tell me a bit about it? I heard it’s not a pleasant place... how are the teachers? What are the lessons like? Have you made any friends? Or is there someone bothering you? And..."

"One question at a time, damn it!"

"Sorry..."

Hajime felt immediately regretful for raising his voice at his little sister. A part of him cursed himself; Goto’s incessant machinations were truly getting into his head, not to mention the matter of his [Grimoire], Kohaku, and the others.

"No, I apologize... I just don’t like being reminded of the brawl."

"I understand, but you haven’t told me why you started it."

"...I-I really don’t want to talk about it."

The cheerful atmosphere that had existed between them dissipated. The two siblings ultimately decided to return home after finishing their slushies. As they headed towards their residence, the young [mage] noticed that someone was following them.

"Are Kaori-chan’s guards doing nothing? Perhaps it’s not a threat... or are they targeting me?)"

It was impossible for the carefully selected members from Goto to not sense someone tailing them if Hajime had. If it had been someone suspicious, they would have intervened already, so it was possible that they knew the individual on their heels and did not deem them a danger to Kaori.

"Let’s see if I’m right."

"(Onii-chan seems very distracted... he still doesn’t want to tell me what his problems are...)"

"Kaori-chan, I just remembered that I need to take care of something. I’ll see you later at home."

"Okay, see you later, onii-chan."

The adolescent dashed away so swiftly that he failed to notice the dejected expression on his little sister's face.

Entering an alley, the young [mage] began to play cat and mouse with the one who had been following him.

"It’s better if I take myself somewhere secluded."

Since Kaori’s guards were tasked with protecting only her, they often turned a blind eye to what the adolescent did. If he were to be in danger, the leader of the [Black Corps] had instructed them to save him only if his beloved daughter were present during the incident.

For this reason, none of them followed him when he started heading toward a secluded location.

"At least I won’t have to worry about Goto’s eyes and ears... Here they come... now!"

Emerging from his hiding place, the young man grabbed the neck of the person who stepped out from the alley he had just traversed, while his other arm poised to unleash a flurry of punches at any moment.

"Who the hell are you...? Kaede?!"

After Hajime started attending an elite school alongside Kaori, he met a girl named Kaede White, a peer and classmate who became his best friend for the following six years.

Until the day Goto brutally assaulted the silver-haired adolescent.

Kaede was a beautiful girl with shoulder-length hair and orange eyes, possessing a slender yet well-developed physique. She hailed from a prestigious family and had an American father (hence her surname, White).

From the outset, she and Goto's stepson got along famously; Kaede was a shy lover of plants while Hajime was a sociable eleven-year-old who found her company preferable to that of the other snobbish students at the school.

Together, they formed a small circle of friends. The holder of the [Grimoire] was ready to admit that he harbored strong feelings for his former best friend at that moment, and no one was truly positive.

"Hajime, wait, I..."

"What do you want!? Why were you following me!?"

The young [mage]’s anger was entirely justified. After waking up in the hospital, having fainted from the pain inflicted by the leader of the [Black Corps], Hajime had discovered that his "friends" had concocted a phantom brawl that he supposedly instigated, with his best friend among them.

The silver-haired adolescent knew it was his stepfather's doing—no genius was needed to deduce that—but ultimately, it mattered little.

Betrayal hurt, a great deal, especially considering his feelings for Kaede.

"I-I just wanted to..."

"WHAT!? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!?"

Hajime was truly on the verge of using his powers to smash the skull of the girl he was grasping by the neck.

It was somewhat absurd. Just a few months prior, he would have fought tooth and nail to defend his best friend and secret crush.

Now, however, he had to clench his jaw to avoid harming her on the spot, a testament to how wounded he felt by her betrayal—far more than by any of his other friends.

"Talk! I just want to talk!"

Kaede was pale and trembling as her ex-best friend tightened his grip on her neck, while she was a breath away from being struck by his fist.

She had seen Hajime with Kaori by chance and, following her instincts, had decided to pursue him, even though she knew that she followed him to a secluded place, contrary to her better judgment.

"WE HAVE NOTHING TO SAY TO EACH OTHER!"

The young [mage] pushed his fist forward while the seventeen-year-old he held by the neck closed her eyes.

There was a loud thud as the adolescent's knuckles made contact with the concrete wall behind Kaede.

"!?" (Kaede)

"Tsk!"

Goto's stepson wanted to tell himself that he hadn’t struck her only because it would complicate his life even further, but he knew that if he did, it would be a lie.

The boy truly wanted to unleash his rage upon his ex-best friend, but before he could do so, he altered the direction of his punch; the memories and feelings he held for her prevented him from committing an act he would later regret.

"Don’t ever show your face in front of me again, or next time, you’ll regret it!"

Leaving her there, sobbing and terrified, the adolescent chose to return home. His mood was decidedly soured.

A part of him wondered if he should have listened to what she had to say, but that thought was swiftly crushed in his mind.

"(Damn it! Damn it! Damn her and all the others! Why the hell should I listen to someone who turned their back on me and betrayed me!?)"