The Heavenly Knight

Chapter 5 - New Family

“Son, what’s your real name?” asked Haruki Enjou after finishing dinner.

“My name is Shinra Kazan, sir!” replied Shinra Kazan, who made no secret of his real name.

Knowing that only six people were aware of his real name—his father among them, long since dead—Shinra Kazan purposefully revealed it;

Shinra Kazan believed his face was so altered that only his own generation, long gone, would identify him. In addition, he had maintained a facade since his adolescence.

“Shinra Kazan! Do you remember the name of your village?” Haruki Enjou asked again.

Shinra Kazan just shook his head, pretending to have forgotten his village.

“Do you remember why you were with the old woman who kidnapped you, and how she died?”

Shinra Kazan realized that Haruki Enjou was trying to interrogate him. Shinra Kazan pretended to be scared when Haruki Enjou started asking about Aira.

“You’re scaring him, Haruki!” said Haruki Enjou’s wife as she approached Shinra Kazan and hugged him to calm him down.

“Shinra! If you really don’t remember where your village is, you can stay here and be part of our family! Once you remember everything, I’ll definitely take you back to your parents!” Haruki Enjou stated.

Shinra Kazan just nodded; he simply hadn’t expected that the person he’d once nearly killed was now the one helping him.

He couldn’t imagine how Haruki Enjou would react if she found out his true identity.

Haruki Enjou’s wife looked at Shinra Kazan and then sat down so she was at the same height as Shinra Kazan.

“Shinra, would you call me ‘Mom’?” asked Haruki Enjou’s wife.

“Mom?” Given the significant age gap, Shinra Kazan likely never anticipated being the child of individuals he should address as “Dad” or “Grandpa.”

“Yes, Mom! If you want, starting now, you can call me Mom and him Dad! So, what do you say? You’re in, right?”

Shinra Kazan didn’t answer right away; he was still trying to figure out whether it was appropriate to make the two of them his parents.

The future, not their age, was what troubled Shinra Kazan. Despite having prior training plans, Shinra Kazan agreed to the couple’s adoption request because of their sincerity.

Shinra Kazan’s nod profoundly touched Haruki Enjou and his wife. Despite Shinra Kazan’s handsomeness not being fully apparent yet, they were confident he would become a very attractive young man.

“From now on, you will be part of our family, and everyone will call you Young Master!” said Haruki.

“Thank you so much, my son. Now, we’d like you to call us both Mom and Dad!” Mrs Haruki and her husband eagerly anticipated Shinra Kazan addressing them as Dad and Mom.

“D... Dad! Mom!” Shinra Kazan stated, a bit timidly.

“Sayuri, tomorrow I’ll announce this to everyone—we’re having a son!” said Haruki Enjou, to which his wife, Sayuri Kazane, replied with a quick nod.

Their happiness resembled that of people who had found their most precious lost treasure, and it also caused a slight tear to Shinra Kazan’s eye as their emotion swept him up.

Shinra Kazan now felt he had a complete family, and he promised himself he would protect his new family as a way of repaying them.

However, he will still carry out his plan to train and regain his skills, because if he wants to protect them, he’ll need sufficient strength given the many threats in the Tsukigawa Kingdom.

***

The next day, Haruki Enjou proclaimed Shinra Kazan as his son to everyone. If Haruki Enjou weren’t a respected official in his community, people would surely have scoffed at him.

Following Haruki Enjou’s announcement, important figures and residents of Kasen have constantly visited his home.

Many residents wanted to see Shinra Kazan, as rumors said he was very handsome.

Most of those who came to see Shinra Kazan were mothers; Shinra Kazan’s face, which was already showing signs of his good looks, charmed them even though he looked to be only about five years old.

“Wow, your adopted son is so handsome, Mrs. Haruki!” said the women, and some of them couldn’t wait to touch Shinra Kazan’s face, while others were looking for a chance to pinch his cheek.

Shinra Kazan could only resign himself to it as the women pinched his cheeks until they turned slightly red. He wanted to scold them all, but he didn’t because he realized it was his physical condition that had prompted them to do so.

“Kenzou Sensei! I thought you weren’t coming!” Haruki Enjou greeted the three new arrivals and addressed one of them, who looked to be in his 50s or 60s.

“Mr. Haruki, how could I possibly miss visiting you on days like this! Oh, right—I have a gift from my wife for Mrs. Haruki and your son!” said the man named Kenzou Arata, the teacher at the Golden Lion Sect.

“You really shouldn’t have brought gifts like this for my family; your visit alone is more than enough for me,” said Haruki Enjou, then invited Kenzou Arata and his two students inside.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Haruki. I haven’t been able to visit these past few days because my grandchild has just recovered!” said Kenzou Arata.

“Why didn’t Kenzou Sensei tell me that Princess Aoi Mei was sick?” asked Haruki.

Aoi Mei is Kenzou Arata’s second granddaughter; she is the daughter of his daughter, who is married to the student from the Great Sect.

Aoi Mei is his only granddaughter, since his first grandchild is a boy who is currently at the Eagle Eye Sect with his father.

Aoi Mei is now 3 years old. She came to visit her grandfather, Kenzou Arata, for two days, and on the third day, she came down with a fever.

“Mr. Haruki seemed tired after returning from a meeting with Commander Souta, so I didn’t want to bother him!” replied Kenzou Arata.

“You’re really going too far, Kenzou Sensei. I’ve always considered you family, but you treat me like just another stranger!”

“Unlike Mr. Haruki—ah, never mind! Where’s your adopted son, Mr. Haruki? I can’t wait to see him,” said Kenzou Arata.

“He’s inside with Sayuri!” replied Haruki Enjou, then he led Kenzou Arata to where Shinra Kazan was.

There were still a few women there surrounding Shinra Kazan; they all immediately turned to look at Haruki Enjou, who had arrived with Kenzou Arata.

“Ladies, please let us speak with Haruki first!” said Haruki Enjou.

The women immediately excused themselves from Sayuri Kazane, leaving only Haruki Enjou, Sayuri Kazane, Shinra Kazan, and Kenzou Arata in the room.

Shinra Kazan felt surprise when he saw Kenzou Arata;

“So this is your adopted son? He’s so handsome!” said Kenzou Arata, then he ruffled Shinra Kazan’s hair.

Shinra Kazan felt something flowing into his body; he was sure Kenzou Arata was examining him.

Kenzou Arata’s face seemed surprised as he sensed something inside Shinra Kazan’s body.

“What’s wrong, Kenzou Sensei?” asked Haruki Enjou.

Kenzou Arata didn’t answer for a moment, and then he took Haruki Enjou to another room because there was something he wanted to discuss regarding what he had discovered while examining Shinra Kazan’s body.