Hajime was spending his free time with Kaori and Kaede.
The three had gone to an amusement park shortly after leaving school, finding themselves in front of the entrance, preparing to buy tickets to get in.
The two girls were clearly having fun. They both wore bright smiles on their faces with every ride they visited.
The same couldn't be said for the boy who was accompanying them.
Hajime had an expression of bitterness that had been etched on his face for several days now, one that didn't seem to want to go away.
Of course, his little sister and his best friend had noticed. Anyone would have, considering the [mage] didn't make any effort to hide it.
Both girls, as well as the adolescent's mother, had asked him if something was wrong.
He had been attending the new school for months now. And despite the unsettling rumors circulating about the school, Goto's stepson seemed to have adapted well enough that he didn't seem troubled by his school situation.
Even the incident, or rather, the fight that led to his expulsion from his old school seemed like something he had overcome. Something unpleasant, but now in the past.
This is what the two girls and the woman thought. After all, if he had forgiven Kaede, it meant Hajime was trying not to dwell on that event, right?
So what was the reason for his bad mood?
His best friend, Kaori, and his mother Aina had no answers to this question.
Today, they had come here to try to lift his spirits. Spending a nice day in their company to see if they could get him to open up to them.
It wasn't good for him to keep all his problems to himself.
Kaede's plan and that of Goto's biological daughter was not going well.
The young [mage], as much as he tried to give the impression of having fun, couldn't hide the bitterness and frustration he felt in his heart for more than ten minutes when his two companions looked at him.
Who could he turn to?
He had been sidelined. Excluded in every way from the plans and missions of the [New Dawn]. A clear sign of how little Yukihime trusted him at this moment.
Could Hajime blame her? No. At least not entirely.
The [omega mage] expected from him, even if she never said it, the same determination as all those who were beneath her.
The determination necessary to watch a friend die, to maintain the secrecy of their mission: to overthrow Goto, his allies, and subordinates.
The silver-haired teenager had succumbed to the pressure. It had been his mistake. There was no denying it.
Even the promise he made to Chloe weighed heavily on the situation. But Hajime couldn't blame her, a girl who feared losing a member of her family and had gotten so angry with him that she struck him when she saw him risking his life to keep his word.
This is why he didn't tell anyone, not even Kuro, about that promise.
If Goto's stepson went down, he wouldn't be so petty as to drag her down with him.
His rational side thought this way.
But his immature, sentimental, and instinctive half hated Yukihime with a passion at the moment.
Because of the little vampire, he couldn't become stronger.
During these days he had often thought about new ways to use his powers, given his free time.
His frustration stemmed from the fact that he didn't have a safe place to use his [magic], now that he wasn't allowed to go to the bunker.
While his bitterness came from what had happened with Kohaku before he left the base.
It was clear as day that [the esper] wanted his revenge at any cost. A bit like him. The only thing that differentiated them was that Hajime would protect Kaori and Aina from anything, even if it meant sacrificing the chance to kill Goto.
Kohaku wouldn't have done that. At least, that's what he thought.
Hajime felt that if the time came, the leader of their group would sacrifice them to avenge her parents.
The bitterness of the young [mage] stemmed from the fact that if he were asked whether he would let Kuro or Chloe die to achieve his goal of protecting his mother and little sister, he would say yes, albeit with a lot of pain.
It was sad to think that there was no way to save everything and everyone.
These days had been unproductive from the standpoint of gaining strength and combat experience. But they had allowed the boy to think a lot about how similar he was to Kohaku.
For this reason, he could hardly hate her.
"Onii-chan, shall we go for a ride on the Ferris wheel?" (Kaori)
"Yes, Hajime, we should go, it's a new attraction. We have to try it." (Kaede)
"Okay." (Hajime)
As they walked toward their destination, the possessor of the [Grimoire] couldn't help but think about the guards who followed Kaori to protect her. Looking around, the boy couldn't find them.
"(Should I practice spotting them? After all, I have nothing to do.....if only.... Maybe I could use [physical enhancement] on my senses?! Why didn't I think of that before!?)"
Why hadn't Hajime thought of it before? It was because the frenzy of his missions, and the stress of living a double life had worn him down more than he realized.
This "vacation" was doing more good than he believed. There could be no denying that.
"(I should find a place to practice...but where? The [Black Corps] who know me won't give me a glance, but if someone saw me and called the [White Corps], it would be a mess......damn!)" (Hajime)
"Onii-chan, you look angry again." (Kaori)
"Oh? What?" (Hajime)
"You have the face of someone who wants to smash his head against the wall!" (Kaede)
"What an exaggeration!" (Hajime)
Putting on a fake smile, the silver-haired teenager went with the girls to the Ferris wheel.
"(I have to try to give the impression that I'm happy... I don't want them to start suspecting something.)" (Hajime)
The sight of the city from the ride offered Hajime a chance to relax a bit.
From that moment on, he tried to have fun.
At least for the sake of Kaori and Kaede.
In the end, it wasn't such a bad day.
After dropping his little sister off at home, the silver-haired boy took a stroll with his friend until late in the evening.
"Here we are. It was a fun day, Hajime."
"Yeah, it wasn't bad."
"You know if you have any problems you can tell me; if you don't want to worry Kaori-chan."
"I know, don't worry, I'm fine."
"Do you want to come in? I'll offer you something to drink."
Hajime accepted her offer, and they spent another half hour together before the teenager decided to leave.
Or rather, he tried to.
But someone stopped him.
"Hajime, can you come here to the kitchen for a moment? I could use your help."
"As you wish, Veronica-san."
Veronica White was not foolish. No, she was a cynical assassin who knew how to notice details and particulars.
The moment she had seen Goto's stepson today, she noticed everything that was going through his heart. A smile spread across her face.
She had heard from her daughter about what she thought of the young [mage]'s mood these days, and had drawn her conclusions.
"(Vampi-chan, what could you have done to put Hajime in that state?... hmmm would I be a bad person if I ignored it, right?)"
"Veronica-san? Is there a problem?"
"Yes, could you help me unscrew this jar? I don't think I'll be able to finish preparing dinner today, eheh."
"Mmmmh... yes, of course."
The [Scarlett Queen] knew how to let someone's guard down. Being friendly and showing a little more cleavage had already put Hajime in an ideal state for what she had in mind.
"Done."
"Thank you, Hajime... you've grown into a wonderful boy since I've known you... I'm curious, can I ask you a question?"
"...... well, I'll answer if I can."
The gentle smile that Veronica had until this moment disappeared, replaced by a fierce smile, like that of a wolf.
"Are you a [mage]?"
A chill of fear ran down the boy's spine. The expression the [Scarlett Queen] gave him made him break out in a cold sweat from fear.
In a burst of speed, the woman lunged towards the teenager's throat with her hand.
The confused and scared mind of Hajime couldn't comprehend what was happening, but his body and his [Grimoire] did.
Energy surged through his body as [physical enhancement] activated to help him escape the danger, dodging the [omega mage]'s attack by tilting his neck sideways to avoid being hit.
"(What the hell!?)"
"Ah, so this is your [magic].... a part of me was afraid I might be wrong about you. But now I'm pleasantly surprised to know that you have such a unique power, and you've managed to hide it from me for so long."
Goto's stepson could hardly think. Was this the same person who had baked cookies for him and Kaede a few years ago? The same one he had a crush on?
"I wonder if Yukihime knows..... I'm sure she must have recruited you into that circus she calls [New Dawn]........ your power will be wasted there."
"(H-how does she know all this!?)"
"I noticed you've been frustrated and bitter lately. Don't tell me the little vampi-chan punished you...... what a stupid woman. She wants everyone to be heroes at the expense of their personality. I guess you disappointed her somehow."
Veronica carefully examined Hajime's pale and sickly face. Now she knew she had hit the jackpot. It was just a guess, but she was sure she was right.
Now it was time for the final blow.
"My dear Hajime, I want to make you an offer: become my apprentice. I can teach you so much about what you can do...... and become."
The 40-year-old, with unmatched speed, moved close enough to the possessor of the [Grimoire] to bring her lips to his ear.
"Trust me, Hajime-chan, you'll like it."
A shiver of excitement and fear coursed through the stepson of Goto's body.
Something that would radically change him and perhaps transform him into something that he would hate in the future.