— — — — — —
Kazuma didn't accept the mission right away. He first wrapped up a few things in his guild, then finally, "Accept mission."
The moment he confirmed, the world around him shifted. The old cobblestone streets dissolved into sleek metal roads, humming with technology and neon light.
A small girl appeared in front of him—Silver hair, filthy clothes, a whitish gray blindfold covering her eyes. She was barefoot, clutching a sign that read:
"I'm a Cursed Child from the Outer Area."
She was humming softly, a cracked bowl set before her. People passed by, tossing in scraps—like a pull-tab from a soda can. Of course, they initially made her think it was money.
"Thank you so much," the blind girl said brightly, smiling despite everything.
"You're disgusting," a man sneered.
"Hey, it was me who threw that in," another laughed.
"Good job. Cursed Children from the Outer Area should stay where they belong."
"Trash should stay in the trash heap."
Their mockery cut through the air. But the girl didn't react. She just smiled, like she couldn't even hear them.
"Hey, little one," Kazuma said as he walked up to her. "Did you make a wish once? Something about finding your family?"
"Hmm… maybe," she murmured. "I heard a voice—it asked what I wished for. So I answered. But…" She lowered her head. "I didn't have anything to offer in return, so I didn't want to bother it."
She reached into her bowl, fished out the lone pull-tab, and tucked it into her pocket.
"That's just a piece of scrap metal," Kazuma said.
"I know," she replied with a soft laugh. "But even a pull-tab has its uses. Having one is better than nothing."
She could easily tell the difference between a coin and junk, but she thanked them anyway. It was how she survived. Smile, no matter what.
"Sweetie," Kazuma said kindly, "I've never failed a mission. You made a wish, and I'll make it come true. You ask, I deliver. But my payment… you can't afford it."
"I… I don't have any money."
"Then give me the pull-tab you just got."
She froze.
"The… pull-tab? That's worthless."
Her hands trembled slightly. Though blind, she turned her head toward him as if trying to read his face.
Was he mocking her? Tricking her? Why? She had nothing worth stealing. Maybe he just wanted to toy with her hopes before crushing them.
But Kazuma's voice stayed calm. "It's worth enough to me. You want to find your mother, right? I can do that. But whether she accepts you or not… that's out of my hands."
He remembered this girl's story—how her mother had poured lead into her eyes because she hated their red color, then abandoned her in the streets.
And now she wanted to find this mother?
"..." Kazuma didn't care about completing the mission anymore. Once he found the mother's place, he'd fire a magical cannon right through it.
He didn't even care if the blast would level the whole town. Humans in this world were disgusting anyway.
"No," the blind girl whispered. "There's no need. She didn't want me. Left me when I was small."
"If she doesn't want me, I won't bother her."
She hesitated, then held out the pull-tab. She didn't understand why he wanted it—but she gave it anyway.
"So I was wrong, huh?" Kazuma smiled, taking it from her. Then he reached out and placed his hand gently on her head.
She flinched, trying to shrink away, but his grip was steady.
"Kid, I'm creating a guild here. You know what that is?"
She shook her head. "No…"
"A guild is a group of people who help each other out. Everyone has their strengths, and their weaknesses. We fall, we stumble, but we keep going—together."
He smiled. "That's what a guild really is. A family. So, what do you say? Want to join mine?"
At that moment, Kazuma realized the "family" mentioned in his mission wasn't about blood. It wasn't the girl's mother.
It was the people willing to accept her—the ones the world rejected. All she needed was a place to belong.
The girl's trembling slowly faded. She heard no pity in his voice, no fake sympathy—only sincerity.
"Can I… can I touch your face?" she asked hesitantly. She wanted to believe him, but she was afraid.
"Sure," Kazuma said. He took her grimy hand and guided it to his cheek. He didn't care that she smeared dirt across his skin.
"You look… handsome," she said softly, as an image of him formed in her mind. For the first time, she smiled—truly smiled.
Maybe he was lying. Maybe it was all a trick. But she wanted to believe. Somewhere inside her, that little spark of childish innocence still burned.
"I think so too," Kazuma chuckled. "So, will you join my guild?"
"Okay… but can I know your name?"
"It's Kazuma. And you?"
"My name's Kayano. Can I call you Onii-chan?"
(A/N: The blind girl earlier didn't have a canon name in the anime, so I used her voice actress's name, Kayano—it fits nicely.)
Kazuma smiled, "Of course."
[Ding~]
[Guild creation complete. Achievement unlocked.]
But the mission wasn't over. Becoming family wasn't about words—it required action.
"Alright," Kazuma said, his tone turning serious. "I'll teach you how to survive in this world. Lesson one: how to kill."
He looked over at the two men who had mocked her earlier.
No one insulted him—or his family—and lived to tell about it.
"Kill…?" Kayano hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. I'll listen to you, Onii-chan."
She was just a child, no matter how tough she tried to act. If someone finally wanted to be her family, she wouldn't disappoint them.
Moments later, shadow soldiers dragged the two men back, dumping them at Kazuma's feet.
Bang.
Kazuma shot one in the head without hesitation. Then he handed his gun to Kayano.
"Your turn," he said gently. "Don't be afraid. I'm right here."
He rested a hand on her head. Touch was the best comfort for someone who couldn't see.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the remaining man screamed, trembling. "I shouldn't have mocked you! Please, don't kill me! The militia will arrest you—please!"
Tears ran down his face.
"Onii-chan… he apologized," Kayano whispered. Her hands shook as she gripped the gun. She knew that if she pulled the trigger, the man who'd called her trash would die.
"He's not sorry because he regrets it," Kazuma said. "He's sorry because he's scared."
He paused. "Tell me, Kayano—do you have anyone you care about?"
"Yes… my sisters." She thought of the other cursed children back in the Outer Area. To her, they were family.
"Then imagine this," Kazuma said. "One day, someone tries to kill them. You've got a gun. If you kill the man in front of you, they'll live. If you spare him, they'll die. What would you choose?"
"I… I'd save my family," Kayano said after a moment's hesitation. Then she pulled the trigger.
BANG
The shot rang out, clean and final.
"I'd make the same choice," Kazuma said. "Strangers dying doesn't matter. Only the people you care about do."
He turned away. "Come on. Let's go fix your eyes."
He had his shadow soldiers dispose of the bodies, then walked off with Kayano. When she reached for her sign—the one declaring she was a "Cursed Child"—he stopped her.
"That sign? Forget it. 'Cursed Child,' 'trash'—just names people give to things they don't understand. You don't need it."
He looked back at her, eyes sharp. "Remember this: it's not that the world abandoned you. You abandoned the world."
He shot the sign, shattering it to pieces—and with it, the last bit of self-loathing she carried.
They made their way to the Outer Area. Kayano's home was nothing more than a ruin, barely standing.
Kazuma rummaged through his Treasury and pulled out a few healing artifacts, using them to restore her eyes.
When Kayano finally opened them again, her gaze met his for the first time.
"Onii-chan," she whispered, smiling. "You really are handsome."
Kazuma grinned. "I think so too."
The first thing she did after regaining her sight was to take a good look at her Onii-chan.
"I think so too," Kazuma replied with a grin.
Kazuma studied her carefully. Her big, bright eyes made her look even cuter now that he could see them properly.
Kayano mumbled, lowering her head. "My red eyes look weird, don't they?"
Her voice carried a hint of shame. Her mother had hated those eyes—so much that she'd poured molten lead into them.
"Who said that?" Kazuma said firmly. "They're beautiful. Like rubies."
"Rubies?" Kayano blinked. "What's that?"
"Well…" He smiled. "It's hard to explain. Something shiny and beautiful. Like this."
Kazuma rummaged through his Treasury again, then pulled out a small red gemstone—technically a magic crystal, but close enough.
Kayano's eyes widened. "It's so pretty!"
"Take it," Kazuma said, threading a string through it and hanging it around her neck. "A gift for our first meeting."
"This must be expensive," she said hesitantly. "Are you sure I can keep it?"
"Don't talk yourself down like that," Kazuma said, rubbing her head. "In my eyes, you're worth more than any stone. You're priceless."
"Priceless…" Kayano whispered.
When she looked up at him, he seemed to glow with warmth—bright and steady, like the sun. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like some cursed child that the world wanted to throw away. She felt precious. Wanted.
"Can I… hug you?" she asked shyly.
"Hug me? Of course. Hug me as long as you want," Kazuma said, pulling her gently into his arms.
Kayano nestled against him, giggling softly. "Hehe…"
Her laughter was pure, unguarded. For that moment, the world didn't seem so cruel.
"Alright," Kazuma said after a while, his tone shifting. "Next, I'll teach you how to fight. It's going to be tough, but that's what it takes to survive in this world."
"I'm not going to coddle you like a baby forever. You'll need to learn, practice, and eventually fight on your own. It'll be dangerous—but are you willing?"
He looked her straight in the eye, his expression serious. He wasn't here to shelter her from reality. He wanted her to stand on her own, even after he was gone.
Kayano nodded without hesitation. "I'm willing. Um… what about my sisters?"
"They can join too," Kazuma said. "They'll be part of our guild—our family. I'll teach all of you how to survive."
"Really?!" Kayano's face lit up. "Okay! Wait here, Onii-chan, I'll go get them!"
She ran off, full of excitement. Her world was small, and in it, "family" still meant sharing food and keeping each other warm at night. If she could bring her sisters into this new home, maybe life would finally get better.
...
A little while later, Kayano returned, dragging along four small girls.
"These are my sisters!" she said proudly. "This one's my second sister, that's my third sister, and this one's my youngest. Oh, and this girl—I don't really know her. I met her on the way here, but she's like us too. A Cursed Child. She didn't have anywhere to go, so I brought her."
Kazuma looked at the group—tiny, thin, all with wary eyes that spoke of hunger and fear.
He smiled gently. "Kayano, don't call yourselves Cursed Children anymore. Don't let other people's labels decide who you are."
He sighed inwardly. Kids were still kids. Changing how they saw themselves would take time.
"I'm Kazuma," he said, standing before them. "From now on, you're all members of my guild. You're my family. I'll teach you how to survive—not to make life perfect, but to make you strong."
"Any questions?"
The girls looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison. "No."
Just having a home was enough. Everything else could be endured.
"Family?" one of them suddenly said. She had crimson hair and dull eyes, her voice flat and cold. "Onii-chan, you're human, aren't you? You're not like us. Sooner or later, you'll abandon us too. Everyone does. We're cursed—rejected by the world. No one wants us."
Kazuma met her empty gaze. Something about her seemed familiar, though he couldn't quite place it.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Enju," she said quietly.
Her eyes didn't waver, didn't even flicker with life. It was the look of someone who had already given up on hope.
.
.
.