[ Haneda Airport; A Week Later ]
It was finally time for Amano to leave and begin a new chapter in her career. Though it was a moment she had anticipated, it came with a heavy emotional toll.
During the week leading up to her flight, the little family did everything they could to cherish their time together—visiting parks, eating out more often, and even spending a day at an amusement park with the rest of the Otani family. They filled each day with laughter to distract themselves from the inevitable.
But when morning arrived and the suitcases rolled out, the emotional weight Amano tried to suppress resurfaced with cruel intensity. With nothing but the truth laid out in front of her, the distractions almost felt useless. She stayed in her room longer than she intended, unwilling to face them with tear-streaked cheeks. However, despite her efforts, the two of them continued to look at her with worried expressions.
The ride to the airport was quiet. Even as they entered the terminal, not a single word was exchanged. Mihara clung to Amano's arm, while Eiko slept half-awake against her chest.
On a normal day, she would be over the moon for an adorable display of both of their clinginess. Today was not that day. It only reminded her that she would not be able to feel this kind of peace in a long time.
An agent soon approached. Amano recognized him as her senior in the company's online orientation for new hires. He must be the one escort them to the private jet that would take her and several others to I-Island.
When it was time to say goodbye, Amano expected tears and Eiko's pleas to stay. What she experienced was none of that.
She felt herself tear up as she looked at the bracelet placed on Eiko's small hand. It was a simple bracelet made up of different types of small seashells. She could tell that Eiko was granted the opportunity to help Mihara make it in one section that the design felt misplaced. The effort, the love, and the care placed in a single accessory was felt as she openly sobbed.[1]
As Mihara clasped it around her wrist, the weight felt unnatural—even heavier than the luggage that she carried.
In a blur, she pulled the Mihara in and kissed her hand while handing over Eiko. Eiko's grunts of protests were silenced as Amano gave her one long kiss on her forehead.
"I love you both so much..." were her final words before she turned to follow the agent. She didn't dare look back, afraid that doing so would tempt her to abandon her job entirely just to stay with her family.
Amano wouldn't forgive herself to do that. She reminded herself the reasons she chose this job. She needed to make sure her family lived comfortably. For Mihara to shed the weight of her past. For Eiko to grow up with a bright future.
As they watched her walk away, Eiko felt a loss unlike any she had ever known.
***
[ Otani Apartment; A Day Later ]
With Aunt Amano gone, her mother was left alone to face a potential crisis. If Eiko's magic flared up in her sleep, Mihara would have to handle it by herself. Even if she used Amano's techniques to contain the danger, Eiko's growing power made that prospect increasingly uncertain. Eiko herself refused to let things reach that point again.
It was already an embarrassing oversight to have ignored the warning signs that the divine being had gone out of their way to tell her. The Gods that resided in the divine realm had praised her—no essence had ever gathered as much divine energy as she did in a single lifetime. Even considering her previous life and how she gathered overpowered strength, it was naïve to think her powers would obediently wait for her to mature through infancy.
She was, and would always be, a warrior—one who transcended the limits of any world or body she inhabited.
She briefly considered visiting the divine realm for their permission to release the constraints of her lock, but the thought was dismissed before it finished forming. Time flowed differently there and by the time she finished her business, ten years might have already passed on Earth.
Different worlds operated with different fluctuations of time. Even if there was a large chance that her world's flow of time was almost identical to that of the divine realm's, it was still a chance she couldn't miss.
Her only other option was to open the lock herself—a far more delicate task that required immense energy, control, and focus. The lock was, after all, a divine construct. If she could trace the its energy patterns and unravel them layer by layer, she could release it on her own. It would take a few months or so, even longer if she didn't have a solid foundation.
She began by checking if she had the complete prerequisites to perform this operation.
Her focus was already molded through lifetimes worth of training and battlefield experience. There wasn't much she could do to improve that aspect as it would only be redundant.
The reason there was this big problem in the first place was because of her mana overflowing in her body's reserves. Because there was no formal outlet, it decided to automatically resolve the problem.
What she currently lacked was her control and awareness. She didn't notice that her mana was unlocked, she didn't notice that she had been performing unbelievable feats in her sleep, she didn't notice that her family was struggling a financial burden. The timeline of taking apart the lock stretched for a few weeks, however, she was confident that she could do it.
Training began immediately. That night, when her mother left her in the nursery to prepare dinner, Eiko began.
She quieted her thoughts and reached out to the world around her, circulating mana through her body until she could see it. The process was nearly instantaneous—a reflex as natural as flexing a muscle.
Looking over her hands, the sight of the swirling blue mana cloaking her fingers sent a chill down her spine. The energy was wild and violent, something she had only seen when Gods descended from the divine realm. Had she grown so strong that she matched the higher level beings of the divine realm?
However, the quantity and purity of her mana didn't make sense. It was monstrous for her background and age. Normally, cultivating mana took dedicated meditation and years of training precision to ensure a balanced flow throughout her body. To have achieved such energy before her first birthday was unthinkable. She combed through every memory—even her time in the womb—but found no explanation.
This wasn't how the system was designed to function. The realm's laws did not speak about this kind of anomaly.
Then she remembered the divine being's words before her rebirth—that she had the potential to ascend, to become the next Almighty One. A mere divine essence, ascending to godhood.
Turning her attention back to her glowing hands, she attempted to concentrate the energy—compressing the mana inward and circulating it through her body. The result was as expected. Such complicated process felt like trying to move a mountain with a single finger and a broken dream. Her control was practically nonexistent.
Next, she tried to conjure an element she knew well: fire. She aimed carefully toward the open window and willed her mana to form the pattern of the element's nature.
The result was instantaneous. Flames engulfed her hand before shooting outward in a brilliant burst. The power behind it was terrifying—enough to burn down a building in hours. Thankfully, she had aimed for the sky, and the fire fizzled harmlessly into the night air.
Still, the experiment gave her valuable insight. She understood what she where she should put her focus to train effectively and efficiently. And to do that, she needed to overcome a certain hurdle: her mother. She needed to let her mother know.
Speaking of...
"You're awake," Mihara said softly as she peered into the crib. She smiled as she lifted Eiko into her arms. "Dinner should be ready soon. Do you want to watch some TV?"
Eiko's thoughts continued to wander. By her standards, she was out of control. One mishap, one misinterpreted action filtered by the system and she could kiss the family she came to love goodbye in a pile of ashes that would leave her wake.
She couldn't afford it. She didn't even want to think about it. Her mother needed to allow her to train, doing so in secret wasted effort and time.
"Mom..." Eiko began hesitantly. She didn't look up, afraid of the answer she might hear. "Am I dangerous?"
The question froze Mihara in place.
She looked at her daughter, her lips parting and closing several times before she finally sighed. "If I'm being completely honest, then yes. You're a very dangerous child."
Eiko absorbed her mother's words quietly before speaking again. "Then... would you help me become less of a danger? I'm certain that I can control it. I just need to train."
Mihara smiled, both proud and heartbroken. "Sometimes it's hard to believe you're barely a year old," she said. "Of course, my darling. I'll be with you every step of the way. No matter how dangerous, you're still my daughter—your aunt's niece—and nothing will ever change that.
But first, we need to understand the extent of your quirk. This was also another reason why your aunt is so far away now. Quirk assessments of any category are extremely expensive."
Eiko groaned, "But we don't need thaaat—I can feel it, Mom! It talks to me. See?"
Mihara's eyes widened as she noticed the fog of blue energy that surrounded her daughter. Fascinating as it was, she knew better than to trust instinct alone—no matter how gifted the child. If her daughter wanted to train, then it must be done in a controlled environment and a proper structure.
Brushing a strand of hair from Eiko's face, she said gently, "We still need those procedures, sweetheart. Amano and I discussed this. Even if it talks to you, we need to be sure what it's saying. We can't take any chances, especially with a quirk as powerful as yours."
Eiko understood and nodded, resigned but accepting. This was better than being dismissed outright—or worse, sneaking behind her mother's back.
Mihara smiled. Her daughter truly was remarkable. The display allowed for thoughts of Amano to linger in her mind, stirring an ache of longing in her chest. A day has yet to pass and she missed her best friend dearly.
"Oh! The curry should be done by now," she said suddenly. "Do you want to eat in the kitchen or the living room?"
Eiko's face lit up instantly. Now that the plan was settled, she allowed herself to return to being a child. She tugged at Mihara's shirt with eager hands. "Living room! The evening news should be starting soon—we need to hurry, Mom!"
***
[ Otani Residences; Two Weeks After Amano Left ]
The following weeks were difficult for the little family. Though other members of the Otani Family visited often, none could fill the void Amano's absence left behind.
They spoke with her over video calls, but as Eiko expected, it wasn't the same. They couldn't hold her, smell her, or feel her warmth. Her beloved aunt had been reduced to a handful of pixels.
Fortunately, those moments of melancholy came rarely. Mihara had fully stepped into both roles as her caretaker, carrying Amano's kindness within her own gentleness. It wasn't easy, but she made the transition bearable.
What Eiko didn't know was that Mihara felt the same way toward her. Every time she saw her daughter bud with Amano's qualities gave her hope that in the future, things would be better.
During this time, Amano's first paycheck arrived. The amount of numbers that trailed behind one another in the check was absurd. This was what they paid their fresh hire?
Mihara and Amano spent two days debating how the funds should be divided between their family and Amano's personal funds.
Amano insisted that all of the money go toward sustaining the household, supporting Eiko, and helping her parents and brother. After all, most of her expenses like shelter and food among other things were covered by the company. She had no need for anything else.
Mihara argued that it was unfair for Amano to give everything away. She deserved to have savings of her own, to pursue her passions—like those expensive tech expos she'd always dreamed of attending, as well as finally get around creating personal gadgets that she had set aside when she dedicated herself to raising Eiko.
Eventually, Amano relented. She realized she couldn't keep pushing without crossing a line. She was, after all, Mihara's friend and Eiko's aunt first. No amount of giving could buy affection or erase Mihara's sense of fairness.
Mihara proposed a compromise: an 85/15 split. Amano would still support the family while keeping enough for herself to live comfortably on I-Island.
With finances stabilized, Mihara began reevaluating their household management. She wanted to preserve their way of life but ensure a more secure future.
That single paycheck paid off their debts in full, repaired and refurbished every furniture in the apartment, and pushed them out of near-poverty. Mihara immediately began building emergency funds, investing in savings accounts, and planning for long-term growth.
She also opened two new accounts—one for Eiko's education, the other for a potential startup. If she couldn't find a job, she would create one. One day, she would stand as an equal beside Amano, not as someone dependent on her.
Naturally, Eiko didn't care about the details as long as it meant they weren't struggling anymore. Her mind was still muddled with training regimes she needed to accomplish.
They celebrated this newfound freedom with pasta. Amano complaining that she couldn't taste it even when Eiko tried to feed her.
***
a/n: forgive me for not uploading yesterday, I didn't have time to finish editing this one :')
[1] https://in.pinterest.com/pin/654218283399599146/