mamoritai | f. megumi

二

"Stay here for now, will you?" Nanami begins to say, turning around and squatting in front of Momoka to level with her. "I'll come back for you later, okay?" He proceeded to give her a small smile. "I won't be long."

"Yo, Kento!"

Turning his head to where the voice comes from, in comes Geto Suguru, wearing a white button and black pants with his long, black hair tied into a bun, carrying two little girls in his arms, slowly folding his knees to plant their feet back on the ground.

"While I'm not here, you can play with the other two. Be nice them, alright?" Nanami spoke again to Momoka, who in return, received an assuring nod from the four year old. Placing a hand on top of her head, both Geto and Nanami entered Yaga's office, the door closing in on them.

"Satoru's still outside." Geto begins to say, taking a peak behind the blinds to check on the three children left by themselves in the lounge room. "Heard that he's got the mercenary's children. He got so excited to pick them up from school that he didn't know they would be out in the afternoon." He continues, chuckling to himself.

"I don't think were fit to take care of them." Nanami voices out, arms crossed over his chest. "Were trained to be sorcerers, why are we suddenly becoming parental figures to these case children?"

Geto, who is the only one inside Yaga's office as the teacher isn't still present, answered to his question. "I don't think you fully understand the scope of this mission entrusted to us, Kento kun." He begins to say, letting go of the blinds.

"They're only children who are already at the ripe age to see curses. If they can see curses, most likely they'd feel it too. And would you just let them be treated less humanly by civilians who don't think of them as normal as they are?" He asks, taking a seat in front of him. "To have absolute faith and put our lives on the line to save them is the scope of this mission. So, don't beat yourself a little too hard, Kento kun!" Geto beams, giving him a tight lipped smile.

"I'll tell you about mine since I got the village case twins. There is a rumored cursed spirit thought to be causing sudden deaths and disappearances within the village. As I was gathering information from the locals, I discovered that...it isn't a cursed spirit at all, rather, those two girls. Should I have punished them by killing them for killing others? I can't just do that." He explains.

"They're doing it to protect themselves. Like I said, they are at the ripe age to see and feel curses. Even at their age, they are already able to use their technique. So, instead of just leaving them in the village, I happily took the offer of becoming a father to Mimiko and Nanako!" Geto finishes, smiling with his eyes closed.

"What about you?" Geto asks, opening his eyes to look at the blond male. "You've got the orphanage case kid. What's her story?"

"She calls the cursed spirits she sees as swirly swirly in the orphanage house. It seems, she is the only one among the rest of the children who can see curses." Nanami replies, opposite side of Geto. "But I don't think her technique has revealed yet. It's yet to come and unfold."

"For someone at a young age, Mimiko, Nanako and Momoka are already at an above average level of cursed energy. The emotions and feelings inside the orphanage house and within the village must have crept into them." Geto responded.

"Control over cursed energy requires innate skill and vigorous training. All I know is that Mimiko and Nanako have an innate technique. But, just like you said, Momoka's yet to come and unfold hers."

After saying so, both Geto and Nanami got up from their seats and peaked through the blinds of the window, looking after three little girls in the still same room.