Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

"Oh no! We've been caught off guard."

Renji spat out the words briefly and kicked off the ground. His legs were wrapped with Doushi Silveight as he naturally activated Body Enhancement. His eyes were covered with Night Vision Magic as he ran through the dark forest.

Earlier, a large explosion had erupted in the sky. It was probably happening right where Itsuki was fighting, but the sudden silence after the explosion was terrifying.

Even though Itsuki had immense magical power as a Seventh Rank, magic alone doesn't ensure victory in battle. Experience and skill matter just as much, and Itsuki, despite his potential, was still a child with limited combat experience.

The thought of what could happen sent a chill down Renji's spine.

"Please, be safe, Aya, and Itsuki-kun…!"

Initially, they had only come to hunt the bear. They never imagined they would be facing a Rank Five monster.

And to top it off, the opponent could use Teleportation Magic. If they had known they would be fighting such a high-level monster, they would have prepared more thoroughly. At the very least, they wouldn't have brought children along.

They say regret comes too late, and Renji's mind was flooded with thoughts of the worst-case scenarios he had witnessed with other exorcists.

He was even praying to a god he rarely called upon. When Renji finally emerged from the forest, he saw Itsuki standing there, trembling in front of a massive boulder.

"Itsuki-kun! Are you alright?!"

Relieved to see him alive, Renji quickly scanned the surroundings.

"Ah, Renji-san!"

As Itsuki ran towards him, Renji hugged him by the shoulders, bent down to meet his eyes, and asked:

"What happened to the monster?"

"Um, well, I crushed it..."

"…What?"

Renji asked again, not fully understanding what Itsuki meant by "crushed." Itsuki pointed straight at the boulder and explained.

"I dropped this meteor on it and squashed it."

"...…"

Renji fell silent. He had no choice but to.

What else could he do?

The fact that a five-year-old had not only survived a battle with a Rank Five monster but also managed to crush it? How could that even be possible…?

Renji, finding it hard to believe, looked at the boulder Itsuki had supposedly dropped.

It was enormous… truly enormous. It was probably created using Attribute Transformation, but Renji wasn't even sure if he could create something this large himself.

This made Renji catch his breath.

"…Did you really create this, Itsuki-kun?"

"Yes. I used Attribute Transformation: Earth to make it..."

Itsuki explained calmly, with no awareness of the extraordinary feat he had accomplished.

This is a genius. This is the power of a Seventh Rank exorcist…!!

Renji understood this deep down and regretted missing Itsuki's fight.

As an exorcist, as a man, he had wanted to witness his battle. It must have been like something out of a legend.

But as he pondered this, a question suddenly rose in Renji's mind.

"Itsuki-kun. Why do you seem so scared if you've already exorcised the monster?"

"Um, well, there's just one thing I'm worried about."

"Yeah? What is it?"

Worried? What could it be?

Did the monster have allies? Or did it escape without being completely defeated?

As Renji considered all the possibilities, Itsuki's response was so anticlimactic it caught him off guard.

"I made a hole in the road. Is that going to be okay…?"

Renji, who hadn't anticipated this response, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

I definitely overdid it.

――――――――――――――

That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the meteorite I had dropped on the ground.

Black mist, the remains of the monster, was rising from beneath the ground, so I had exorcised it. That was good. Renji-san and Father should be coming back here after seeing the explosion earlier. So, that's not an issue.

The issue is the hole I made in the road.

…What should I do?

Should I fill it in with Attribute Transformation or Form Transformation...?

No, this happened because the monster had Healing Magic. It would have healed any small wounds, so I thought I'd hit it with something stronger, but I went overboard. I never imagined I'd make a giant hole in the road...

Am I going to have to pay for this…? As I pondered the cost, Renji-san conveniently emerged from the forest.

So, I explained what happened and timidly asked:

"I made a hole in the road. Is that going to be okay…?"

Renji-san suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ah, don't worry. The cleanup crew will take care of something like this."

…The cleanup crew?

Hearing this new term for the first time, I asked Renji-san.

"Hey, Renji-san. Who are the 'cleanup crew'?"

"Oh, I see. You haven't heard about them from Souichirou yet."

Renji-san began gently explaining as he led me back to the car.

"Do you remember the other families at the Shichigosan ceremony?"

"Yes, I remember!"

How could I forget? It was the first time in my life I'd been stared at by so many older men.

"There are ten exorcist families… Well, eleven if you include the Kamiarizuki family. They're the top ten exorcist families."

"The top ten…"

"Yes, that's right. They have a long history and know many exorcism techniques. I believe you've also learned the Yato Style swordsmanship?"

"Yeah! My dad teaches me."

"That makes sense. The Yato Style is exclusive to the Kisaragi family."

"Wait, really!?"

"Yes, really."

That's the first I've heard of it!

So, if the Kisaragi family has its unique swordsmanship, does that mean the other families have their own special sword styles…?

"And it's not just swordsmanship. Each of the ten families has a unique magic called Soden. You probably haven't learned it yet."

"…Soden."

Not electricity transmission… but rather, like in 'Ichi Soden,' passing down from one generation to another.

…What? There's something like that!?

"I haven't heard about it! Do you think the Kisaragi family has it too?"

"Absolutely. I've seen Souichirou use it before. You'll probably learn it when you turn seven at the Shichigosan ceremony."

Oh great, another Shichigosan tradition. Why do exorcists place so much importance on Shichigosan?

I wanted to learn about Soden magic…

"Let's get back on track. There may be ten exorcist families, but they're not the only ones who can become exorcists. Branch families, or children who have lost their families to monsters, sometimes train and become exorcists."

Hearing this, I felt a tight squeeze in my chest.

…There are other children like Hina out there.

"But, you know, most kids from ordinary families aren't born with enough magic power to fight as exorcists. Those kids work with the police to do the 'cleanup.'"

"I see…"

I suppose ordinary kids could increase their magic power through training, but that kind of training has to be done before they turn three. And I have my reasons for not wanting to talk about that training. So, regular kids likely won't increase their magic power. Sorry, but the training I came up with is just too ridiculous…

"That's why, Itsuki-kun, you don't need to worry about exorcising monsters."

Even though he said that, all I could muster was a wry smile.

When we got back to the car, my father was already there. It seemed he had anticipated that I would defeat the monster and had stayed back to protect Aya-chan. As expected of him.

Before my father could say anything to me, Aya-chan burst out of the car and hugged me tightly.

"Itsuki-kun! I'm so glad! You're alive!!"

"…Aya-chan."

"I was so worried! You idiot, Itsuki-kun!!"

And with that, she started crying, and it took a lot of effort to calm her down.

I felt a bit happy that she had been so worried about me, but considering how much I had made her worry, I knew I deserved the trouble of calming her down.