Normality is overrated

by lone ranger22

Summary: He is not a hero but even he couldn't let that kid get hit by a car. Fortunately, he managed to save him but at the cost of his life or so he thought, instead of dying he found himself on his bed an hour later with game-like abilities, no it's more appropriate to say his entire life has changed into a game. Who is this soul king and why is he talking to him?

4. Chapter 4

The Unexpected Discovery

The trip to the supermarket was faster than he had expected since he had covered the distance quickly, probably he was subconscious of the fact that it was already way past his time schedule or may it's the fear of vampire mugger who preys on people after dark or the most plausible one was that he did not want to meet any of his former friends after all he had abruptly left them without listening to anything they had to say, not that they had anything proper in the first place nor was he interested in it anyway, not after their de facto leader Ichigo said that there was a complicated reason why he was ditched or left behind in the first place and he really doubted others would tell him the actual reason without offending /upsetting/ angering him. But he did say that he would tell them the real reason why he had cut ties with them once Ichigo tells him the actual truth after he had uncomplicated it, it's a fair deal that is if he wishes to tell him in the first place.

And also, he didn't like the way Ichigo compared his actions and plans with some random guy who according to him had caused harm to someone with his scheming whereas he didn't harm anyone other than himself and his motives are clear as a glass whereas the one he was compared his motives are not known and Ichigo wasn't even willing to try to find out about that guy's motives.

Don't get him wrong he doesn't condone such people who harm others just for the sake of doing it or for fun but if the motives are good, he would be willing to give him/her a benefit of the doubt and would try to find out a better way provided if that the person was willing to change his ways. But on contrary if the person had been wronged and had retaliated then he wouldn't judge them, its hypocrisy at its finest how can one party get away with what they had done, while the one who retaliated is considered as a bad guy. Judging someone based on their action alone is not a good thing but unfortunately, that's how the world works, there is nothing he can do about it, other than follow his ideals no matter what.

While walking he noticed that the streets were less crowded than usual and it's not even 5:00, nothing unusual in this area but not common either especially on a Friday evening. Well, if the supermarket is like the streets than it means he can do the shopping quickly and peacefully. In ten minutes, he had reached the supermarket, and which was emptier than he had expected.

"Damn either people are really afraid of the vampire mugger or today was a special occasion" he thought to himself.

But it makes it easy for him to finish the shopping really quick. He had purchased a vanilla flavored ice cream which was his sister's favorite along with tender chicken, egg, Capsicum, and noodles. He was planning to make fried egg noodles and Chicken gravy which goes well together.

There were three elderly women ahead of him, the topic of their conversation with the cashier was about the mugger, seems they weren't worried about the mugger from what he heard the mugger was specifically targeting particular age group so far and coincidentally the victims were all men. Apparently, they knew some of them and according to them those guys are really good people and they hoped/wished that they get well soon something which the cashier didn't agree with from the looks of it but didn't show his disagreement outwardly but anyone can clearly see that written clearly on his face unless one has an issue with their eyes or wasn't paying attention to their surroundings. He patiently waited for his turn and after 7 minutes his turn came and while the cashier was billing his grocery, he was curious to know why he wanted to disagree with them and if he knew something which the woman didn't know or didn't care.

"Excuse me, I was paying attention to the conversation those elderly women were having and you looked like you wanted to disagree but didn't, so I'm bit curious to know why?"

The man looked surprised for a second, frankly speaking he wouldn't have expected a high school student to show interest in a topic like that but the jokes on him because he was more into the mysterious and unknown than the common day to day stuff.

The surprised expression morphed into nervousness when the man realized that he was really interested in it not just doing a small talk, which further confirmed that there was more to these attacks than he had thought previously.

"You don't have talk about it if you are not interested" he gave the cashier a small smile before adding

"I am sorry if I made you nervous/uncomfortable"

The man studied his face intently as if he was trying to find any lies or deception, after what it seemed like an eternity, he laughed loudly

"I think I can trust you lad, but you gave me a quiet a shock, not many kids of your age show interest in things like these"

Keigo laughed slightly

"Well, I'm always the odd one from the childhood till now, though it didn't do me any good" he shrugged his shoulder

The man sighed

"Aint nothing wrong in that, just means you aren't thinking and acting like others which makes you stand out from them which is a good thing."

He sighed

"How many of the kids of your age are curious about this? As far as I know not many. Heck even the adults weren't taking this seriously till now and besides they just think that this is some serial killer type attack which isn't" he frowned before continuing

"I mean no injuries internal and external. Nothing taken but the victims were found unconscious. This is as if something beyond our normal understanding is involved and besides the victims aren't as innocent as they seem outwardly. This ain't an attack by a serial killer or hooligan. It's a punishment or some kind of execution carried by her"

For a normal person, this might seem like a superstitious rambling but not for him. He had thought about the same thing like this man and he was almost sure that something was going on, some beyond human comprehension. This confirms his theory, the only thing he couldn't find out was why these people were specifically targeted but from what this guy said it looked like these guys have some dark shady stuffs going behind the scenes and that they are using their philanthropic status as a smoke screen for it or at least that's what he is implying. And lastly but more importantly this guy says that the person who is doing this is a female implying that he had seen something.

"You said the victims weren't as innocent as they seem, why is that? And why do you think this is a punishment or an execution?"

"Because I know that those guys are involved in various criminal activities like theft, drug cartels and the most heinous crime human trafficking. All of them were in one way or another were involved with that traveling company /agency owned by that brute. The bastards didn't even spare children and those who tried to expose them or stood up to them vanished as well. As for how I know this, I witnessed it first-hand happening in my old neighborhood ,they choose their target based on a reading from some weird devices. Then he or she who was selected would be offered an unofficial training for some job which was not publicized with great benefits and after a month or two that person disappears, the officials there didn't give a damn about some random nobody missing and even if they did which was a rare case, they were silenced through bribery or threat depending on the person. So whoever doing this ,is really serious about their intention"

Keigo was taken aback by what he had just heard, he knew about the human trafficking or at least partially but he never thought that things were this bad .He was furious, the government agencies knew about this but didn't do anything until someone important was affected. Is this what the world has become, prioritizing people's life based on their value , usefulness, status and power.

For the first time in his entire life he felt absolutely disgusted for being born as a human. Now his fury was directed towards the gods or whatever beings ruling over them, if they are real and if they really exists like how they are portrayed in various religions, where were they? What are they doing and how could they let things like these happen? Do they also judge lives unequally or they don't care at all?.

Keigo took some time to calm himself , he knew where Reiji senior was hiding so did the cops but so far they haven't taken any actions yet. He wasn't sure they will, he knows he is letting his emotions cloud his judgement and is thinking that every other government agents and workers as the same just because few are corrupted. But at this moment he didn't care which was hypocritical of him considering how he thought Ichigo was letting his emotions cloud his thinking, while here he was doing the same thing.

He sighed, he still needs to find out about that "her" and how this guy saw her so getting emotional won't be helping him in any way. So he took some time to reign his emotions before he questioned him.

"You said that person doing this was a woman, how do you know that and what makes you think that this isn't an act of a human being?"

"I happened to be there when she was following target, for anyone it might look like some normal woman walking in the streets but to me she looked like a predator stalking her prey, waiting for right time to strike and just like that next day the guy was found unconscious in an alley not far from this store. I was only able to look at her silhouette in the dark which helped me to determine her gender, her hair might be brown in color and it looked like she was wearing a black leather jacket or was it a coat, not sure kid because of the lack of lighting, but one thing is certain the attacker is a woman."

Keigo just nodded his head, witnessing it would have been a coincidence and besides the guy looks perceptive and wiser than many of the adults so identifying her as the attacker seems plausible. He was curious about why he didn't tell the authorities but he does have a hunch and it's probably got to do with the corruption in the authorities. But he had to know for sure if this person is conducting these attacks ,because she wanted to punish these people for their crimes or she has an ulterior motive like she and someone close to her were involved with these trafficking& disappearance and now that Reiji senior's activities were discovered by the authorities ,those who are involved trying to cover up their tracks by finishing off the loose ends, if it's the former he would help her in her endeavor but if it's the latter then he has to notify the authorities immediately because Senior Reiji is the only evidence left and if they loose him too ,then those who were involved wouldn't be punished .

"But aren't you curious about the motives of this woman? I mean what if she or the group she belongs to has a part in all these and now that the crimes have come to light, what if this is a way or method to eradicate or remove all the evidence pointing towards them to avoid further scrutiny? That's a possibility, too right?" he questioned innocently.

The cashier looked thoughtful as if he hadn't thought about this ,well cant blame him to see the people who had tormented his neighborhood being targeted or punished by someone ,his thought process would be to think about positively and besides any normal person would think like that, he is just an exception .Keigo chuckled

Before the Cashier could reply, Keigo heard someone clearing their throat, he turned around and was shocked to see his mom standing behind him with an annoyed expression on her face

"Mom !, what are you doing here?" he blurted out without thinking "Aren't you supposed to be in a conference at Saitama?" he continued before pausing, he noticed something odd about his mother she was wearing an attire which he had never her wear before, she was wearing a black vest and a red tie?

"And what's with this attire? Are you planning to go for a fancy-dress competition or something? Because it looks really funny "he laughed.

What he didn't notice was that his supposed mother had an annoyed expression which turned into confusion when he called her mom which followed by a look of recognition or realization which turned into an emotion crossed between happiness and bitterness but when he started laughing at her attire the woman was appalled and offended at his audacity which he hadn't noticed yet.

The woman looked like she was about to lash out at him but for some reason calmed herself at the last moment

"Excuse me? mom? I believe you have mistaken me for someone else bra- young man "she spoke in an annoyed tone though one can sense slight affection in it.

It was then Keigo noticed how he had screwed up; the woman's voice wasn't like his mother's and it didn't have the affection and warmth whenever she spoke to him ,the woman Infront of him looked like a younger version of his mom ,her eyes looked exactly like his mom's except that they were filled cold and bitterness something which he hadn't seen in his mother's eyes as far as he could remember and the attire was a dead give away ,his mother would never wear such a ridiculous outfit no matter what ,hell even for a Halloween party both his parents dressed themselves regally as if they were some royalty or something. He was mentally berating himself for noticing the obviousness while trying not to wince at the woman's stare.

"I'm really sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to offend you. You look exactly like my mom just that you are way younger than her which was why I got confused." he replied in an apologetic tone which didn't reduce the intensity of the stare.

Realizing that his apology didn't work ,he decided to go for the comedic route hoping that at least it would put her at ease and would solve the unnecessary tension, it always worked whenever his mom or his sister were in a bad or crestfallen mood ,heck even his dad who rarely smiled would laugh at his antiques provided they were genuine .if he tried those fake lame annoying jokes and antiques he did in the school ,it wouldn't go well over with them especially his parents ,specifically his dad who for some reason didn't want him to demean himself to make others happy and that's the first time he had seen him loose his calm regale character.

He gave her huge playful grin ignoring the look on her face

"But I have to ask, are you sure you are not related to my mother? Perhaps a long-lost sister or a twin" he mock whispered "Or her secret daughter whom she had to give up to protect from dastardly villains just like in the movies or are you a clone of my mom released into the society by some top-secret organization to cause chaos or troll people in the world "he spoke jokingly.

But no sooner the words in the last sentence left his mouth, he felt a chill run upon his spine. The woman was grinning at him but not in a good way, it was dripping with anger and malice. Geez what's with her, it was just a joke, no need to get your knickers twisted lady, he thought sarcastically.

The bitterness he could sense from her was too much, so he backed away making a peace sign while having the same grin on his face, imploring her to purchase her products and leave since it was partially his fault that she had wait in the raised an eyebrow at him in surprise, if she expects him to get scared she is mistaken since Keigo had been in the receiving end of his mother's death glare compared to that this is nothing, even though she looks almost like his mother now when he thinks about it there are lot of differences between them, for example she hasn't mastered his mother's patented death glare, he could also sense a lot of despair, loneliness and bitterness from her which his mother lacked.

Even if this person isn't related to him or his mother, it doesn't feel right for him to see someone to have this amount of negativity, what sort of life is/was she forced to have /lead, which made her this way he wondered. He felt really sorry for her and he hoped that whatever was making her life miserable would disappear, no one should suffer this much.

"I don't need your pity or compassion brat" the woman snarled as if she had just read his mind.

"Who do you think you are? Hasn't your mother done enough to make my life miserable? Wasn't that enough but here you being, with your presence making me feel like a complete failure compared to that mother of yours"?

She paused for a second to control her emotions

This actually surprised him, he was joking when he mentioned this woman being related to his mother but apparently that wasn't the case. From the way she is speaking its as if there is a history between his mother and this woman. Before he could ask her about it, she continued her tirade

"Had your mother stayed, there is no need for me to exist in the first place. I was always a replacement for him, do you know how hard it is to be treated as a replacement through your life? All of this could have stopped if your mother had not stopped your father but she chooses to show compassion to the person who didn't deserve it. And I am one of the byproducts of that. Does she even know about my existence or what happened after your father humiliated him? "she spoke heatedly, though she was initially angry as she proceeded the anger turned into self-hate and despair.

To say Keigo was confused was an understatement ,he couldn't make head or tails of what she was talking .When it looked like he was onto something ,she says something else which forced him back to square one .It seems like this mysterious "him" is the sole reason for the problems and despair in this woman's life or that's what she just implied ,not to mention from what he had deciphered from her rant this guy couldn't get his mother so he is/was using this poor woman as her replacement ,what a disgusting monster ? But what was that about his mom showing compassion to a wrong person? And this woman being one of the byproducts? Then what does she mean by his mother knowing about her existence as if she was created artificially or something like that? There were a lot of questions in his mind, the answers only the person before him could provide may be his parents but that would be the most difficult job since his parents have a tendency to avoid/evade questions regarding issues which they feel shouldn't concern him. He feels that this would be one of those.

He noticed that the woman had stopped her rant midway, probably due to the confused expression on his face. Before he could question her about what she had just said she cut him to it

"I am sorry I shouldn't have lashed out on you like that, you were being polite and compassionate, something I haven't had the liberty to enjoy in my short life due to circumstances, not to mention you called me mom another thing which I couldn't experience in my life, so I reacted in such a way. And seeing you here in person made me realize what sort of life your mother has been leading and what I couldn't" she stopped for a moment before shaking her head as if clearing her mind

"But enough of that, what's your name brat? And what name does your mother go by now? Since I have officially taken over her position in her former merry band" she questioned sarcasm evident in her tone.

Keigo blinked, he wasn't sure if this woman was capable of feeling anything other than anger and despair but here, she is proving wrong by trying to be sarcastic.

He chuckled before replying

"My name is Keigo, Keigo Asano. And my mother's name is "he hesitated, suddenly realizing what if this woman told that "him "about his mom's whereabouts and what if that group comes after his family.

The woman gave him an unamused look as if she read his suspicions

"For god's sake kid, I left that group long time ago. It seems I'm more like your mother" she scoffed before continuing

"And if your suspicions are really true then we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place I could have easily tricked you into coming with me or knocked you out the moment you left this shop and would have taken you back to the group as a hostage forcing your parents especially your mother to accept our conditions "she paused for a moment to let it sink in before continuing

"You are still, here aren't you? So that means I am no longer a part of them, so trust me I'm as wanted as your mother. Seems my thought process and behavior are as same as your mother's." she chuckled humorlessly.

"What else one can expect from a carbon copy?" she muttered /questioned to herself but due to the short distance between them he was able to hear it.

Keigo was even more confused and the questions he had only increased, but he was certain of one thing, his parents especially his mother was involved with some dangerous group and his mother had left them on his father's insistence, he never imagined his old man would be a cool bad ass agent or something like that, but to be frank he always had a calm charismatic cheerful presence around him which made it harder for him to assume his profession as anything but a researcher.

But coming to the current issue ,he was joking when he asked the woman if she was a clone but from the way she has been reacting as if she believed herself to be a clone ,the muttering about being a copy cat ,the talks about being treated as a replacement and finally the way she got angry after he called her a clone jokingly ,thinking about the incident which occurred few minutes ago he realized that she didn't get angry when he called her a younger sister but she exploded the moment he called her a clone .That was a dead give away ,but how could that be possible ?

He knew about cloning and he also knew how it works, so there is no way this woman can be a clone of his mother not to mention cloning of human is not acceptable even though its technically possible. But so far no one have proven it, even those who had claimed that they have cloned a human have failed to show proof or proven as fraudulent. So far Mitalipov group have reported that they have successfully cloned human embryos from human embryonic cells, and making two human embryonic stem cell lines from those cloned embryos. And even they didn't make any effort to transfer human embryos made by cloning into women for possible pregnancy and birth. As far as he can tell, neither has anyone else. So, this entire idea of her being a clone seemed really ridiculous and absurd, but he couldn't help but think that there might be something entirely different at play here and the answer for all this is standing in front of him in the forma of the woman who is looking at him expectantly waiting for his reply.

"Fine,I trust you .My mother's name is Yukina "

The woman chuckled

"How unoriginal or should I say daring? I expected her to change her name to something completely different not close / almost similar to her original name. That's what I would have done if I were in her position, but considering who your father is and how powerful he is I should have expected this" she looked at him for a second taking in his reaction before replying

"Seems you have a lot of questions?"

He just nodded his head, completely dumbfounded how eerily similar she looked and acted like his mom when she asked that question and how easily read him just like his mom.

"Ask but im not sure what I can tell you more than what your parents had already told you?"

He blinked stupidly at her. The woman gave him a unamused glare thinking that he was pulling her leg but when he gave her the same look, her eyes widened and she spoke slowly in a concerned tone

"Your parents didn't tell you anything about who they are and what they are capable of? How they met? Did they at least tell you their real name?"

He shrugged

"They didn't say anything but from what you told me I initially assumed that my mom was a part of some gang and my dad was an undercover agent or something and he had somehow managed to bring her to his side and in that process he had humiliated the boss big time .Then I assumed the boss as a sick fuck obsessed with my mom found someone similar to her in appearance most probably her sister or a close relative which is you as a replacement or so I thought ."he gave her an awkward /nervous smile .

"But from what you had been muttering and talking in riddle, I initially assumed that the boss of gang or the merry band as you had termed it some how managed to clone a human, something which well-known religious cult like the Raëlians have failed to do, but I tossed that thought away considering how absurd and ridiculous it sounds but now I am not entirely sure what to believe or what not to believe. One thing is for sure though my parents are not normal and so are you. Or that's what you were implying I presume and that there are things which are beyond my knowledge and imagination at play here "he paused before continuing

"so, you are the only person who can help me in this. That is if you want to?"

The woman was looking at him with concern taking in everything he had just said, she opened her mouth to reply something before shutting it immediately, it looked like she couldn't find words for whatever she had in her mind.

"Just to be sure, your parents didn't tell you anything and you were just joking. And I had inadvertently informed you something which you shouldn't have known at all, in a fit of rage and now you want to know the full truth instead of the titbits. Am I correct?" she asked in a shaky voice and even graced him a smile which looked really difficult for her to maintain it as if she had never smiled before, considering the life she led at the least the parts he had deciphered he could understand her difficulty.

He simply nodded in return.

The woman gave a humorless chuckle

"In your dreams kid."

"Oh, come on, why the hell not?." he exclaimed in disbelief, the swear word slipping into his speech involuntarily.

The woman calmly replied

"Because I don't want you get into any trouble and I don't want to be the reason for it. Besides you are teenage kid, so things like these shouldn't concern you. Its Friday evening, go watch a movie or go to the arcade or if you are courting someone, invite her out for a candle light dinner, do the fun stuffs and leave these boring serious stuffs to the adults "she grinned again but this time it came naturally without much difficulty.

He frowned and couldn't help but feel that both his family and this woman are thinking/considering him as a kid who needs to be coddled and protected.

Noticing his frown, the woman spoke again in a calming motherly tone

"I don't think you are not weak kid and neither are your parents thinking like that, but there are issues which are beyond your abilities and can only be solved by an adult. Besides your parents are trying to protect you from the things they had faced in their lives, trust me "she paused for a second as if contemplating whether she should say anything further before making up her mind, she started speaking again

"Trust me I may not have given birth to you but seeing you here makes me want to protect you and your innocence, to shield you from the horrors of the world which we have faced. And I think your family thinks like that from more than I do and longer than I have, probably from the moment you were born."

He perfectly knew what she just said and he want to whole heartedly agree with it. But he had always felt that he was the only one in the family that didn't have something special they all had and because of that he was being kept ignorant. Its like he was the only one doing nothing in the family and if for someone reason his family were to face a threat or a problem, he might be the only one doing nothing and would be the only needing protection or worse might be the reason for putting his family in danger in the first place. He didn't like this feeling of helplessness. And it might be even become a reality, from the little info he had deciphered so far.

Looking at his downtrodden expression the woman ruffled his hair suddenly in an affectionate manner pulling out of his despair surprising him at the same time and spoke in the same motherly tone

"So what's troubling you kid? No lies, be truthful "

And so, he told her about his worries, his feelings and his thoughts without hiding anything. The woman listened patiently

"So you are thinking that you might put your family in danger because you feel you aren't as special as them and you think that's the reason why they are not saying anything dangerous to you and you feel like you are doing nothing but being a leech ? Have I got it all right?"

He just nodded. The woman snorted which in turn turned into a full-blown laughter. He frowned at her. The woman continued to laugh for some time before stopping. He gave her unamused glare

"Glad I could be of an entertainment to you "he drawled sarcastically.

The woman had the decency to look sheepish

"I haven't laughed like this for a long time, so thanks for it. Now the reason why I was laughing was because how hilarious your concerns and worries are even though you don't know the actual truth, still I couldn't help it. Let me make this clear there is nothing wrong being normal, having special powers might look great initially but as time passes one will realize it's both a blessing and curse, more appropriate to say a double-edged sword" the woman had a distant look on her face which didn't go unnoticed by Keigo but he remained silent letting her continue.

" And as for your concerns and worries , I wouldn't care much about them if I were you because your parents especially your father is one of the strongest person I had ever known though I didn't meet him personally , from his rant I was able to learn that your father used only a fraction or even less than that to completely defeat my old group and not to mention your mom would have grown in power as well since her maternal instincts to protect her only child from any dangers would have overridden all the inhibitions she had unlike me . Finally, you have to understand that there is nothing wrong in being protected and spoiled, if they can't do it for you then who else will they do it for. If I were to be in their position, I would do the same"

"Then why are they not behaving like this with my sister? Why am I the only one?" the woman gasped at this new information but he continued to talk ignoring it slightly

"I understand and agree with everything but it makes me feel like an incapable, I want to help too like my sister does. I want to be strong and I don't want to be too dependent on my family or my fr-"he stopped himself from saying that word , realizing he didn't have any friends at the moment . Then there was a really awkward pause for a short time. Both of them remaining silent for an entirely different reason.

Then finally she spoke

"You have a sister?" she questioned in a calming voice but Keigo could sense some satisfaction in her voice and dare he say she look elated, which confused and amused him at the same time.

"Elder sister actually, like almost 3 years elder to me and my mom's favorite, according to her words she dreamt of having a daughter, I am a welcome surprise though "he replied without any ill intent or jealousy, but couldn't help but ask "You are happy about it? May I know why?".

The woman shrugged before replying

"I always dreamt of having a son" at this she was looking at him with affection," not a daughter but to think that she not only had a daughter first but also a son and is living happily with them and that she unlike me dreamt of having a daughter first made me realize that I'm not a carbon copy of her like I had thought previously. I have been living in bitterness and self-hatred for a long time. By meeting you here, you have indirectly helped me in realizing it." She gave a contented sigh before continuing

"You deserve some truth or at the very least you should know about your origins. So, I will indeed tell you a little bit about your parents, about your mum's previous life and about how I am connected to her" hearing this Keigo felt elated and couldn't keep the grin off his face.

She gave him a pointed look

"But only which I deem necessary. Frankly speaking I was initially confused about why she hadn't told you anything at all. But from your conversation with me and this shop keeper, I realized the reason and that's got nothing to do with you being different from your family, but everything to do with your nature."

"What is that got to do with my nature?" he spoke with confusion clouding his face.

"Haven't you heard the saying curiosity killed the cat? You are curious, far too curious for your own good that coupled with your raging teenage hormones and desire to prove yourself is a disaster waiting to happen "

Keigo was aboute deny it but she cut him off

"Don't lie , you would have definitely tried to do something like seeking or finding more about "him and his merry band" or worse your sense of morality /righteousness would have forced you to carry out your revenge on them which would have put you in trouble or in worst case scenario you might have been seriously hurt or even killed."

Keigo couldn't deny her claims if someone had his family in the past, he would obviously try to find that fucker and would try to make his/her/ their life as miserable as he could and wouldn't stop until he is satisfied. Besides prior to having this conversation with her, he indeed wanted to seek out the vampire mugger and help her out without knowing her motives.

"Well, you are right. I would have definitely tried to find those miserable bastards and would have tried to make them pay for they had done to my mother. Hell, I still will but now I have another reason" he replied looking directly at her shocking her and himself simultaneously. He himself didn't understand why he had said but he knew for sure that he wasn't lying.

"Why would you say that? You don't even know me." She exclaimed looking at him in shear shock.

"No one should be treated like the way you have been treated and besides you are my mom's clone, aren't you? It's not that difficult to understand that as absurd as it sounds. And as for why I am not shocked, well it hasn't sunk in yet not to mention I already knew that there are lot of mysterious stuffs going on in this town like those random glass breakings in different homes and how no one could find out the reason , that incident at my school where the students went crazy and started attacking each other and the next day no one remembered anything, then there was a girl named Rukia in my class, she mysteriously joined the school and then mysteriously left the class and again no one remembered it and finally this vampire mugger the victims haven't lost anything except their consciousness" the woman tensed at the mention of the vampire mugger but he continued "and according to this good man " he pointed at the shop keeper who was looking at their discussion with interest "she was punishing those people because they were involved in some real shady stuff and the government or at least the local administrative officials knew about it but didn't care .So its hard to surprise me anymore " he chuckled before replying "May be I might get surprised if I get killed and then mysteriously wake up in my room with no injuries but with proof that it had happened "he chuckled again but the woman didn't find his death and resurrection joke amusing neither did the shop keeper.

"And these are some of the few incidents I had noticed, I'm pretty sure there are many more incidents which hasn't gained attention, hell there might even be some sort of secret club house for superpowered people where they gather around and plot for some shady stuff. This is just a small town in Tokyo and there is a whole large world out there not to mention the skies, galaxies and beyond it, who knows what sort of wonderful unimaginable stuffs one could find there?" he mused.

The woman was looking at him like he had grown three extra heads or something, whereas the cashier looked like he wanted to tell him something important.

But the woman beat him to it

"You are crazy and that's coming from me who has travelled all over the world and met wide variety of people. You aren't pulling my legs when you said you don't anything right?" he nodded in affirmation.

"If you had said yes, I would have left with satisfaction that you knew the dangers and how you can protect yourself from them but you had to say no, didn't you?" she sighed before continuing

"Now it falls to me to keep you safe as long as I am here" she chuckled playfully.

"But thank you for including me in your need to carry out your retribution as stupid and reckless as it sounds, no one has ever done that to me before.".

The woman moved closer to him and gave him an affectionate hug, the hug keigo felt that it was genuine and realized that the woman had never had the opportunity to hug anyone in her life, so without thinking he hugged back just like how he used to hug his sister and mother surprising her.

Keigo could feel that woman was unaccustomed to receiving affections, she was scared and her whole body was shaking. She was trying to move away but Keigo wouldn't have it. He considered the scenario where his mother hadn't gotten away from that group and instead of this woman ,he might have been hugging his mother ,well technically she wouldn't be his mother since she wouldn't have met his father ,hell he and his sister might not even exist and that made him realize how lucky he was which was replaced by sadness for this woman who hadn't gotten any affection ,now that he knew she is indeed a clone of his mom ,so he might as well treat her like his mother and give the care and affection she needed. It's the least he could do at the moment until he figures out how to deal with those bastards who are still a threat to his family and made this woman's life miserable. He can deal with normal human beings without any difficulty but it seems like these guys aren't one and is he even a human to begin with? if he isn't, then what is he? what are his parents? He shook his head pushing those questions to the back of his mind focusing on comforting this woman in his arm who had stopped shaking and is returning his hugs albeit reluctantly.

After what seemed like an eternity but in reality, it was mere 3 minutes, the woman freed herself from his hug. Keigo acted as if he didn't notice the tears welling up in her eyes to spare her the embarrassment. This woman no, his other mother for her part tried to act as if everything was normal.

The cashier for his part tried to look indifferent as if this was a natural occurrence in his shop. It was then he noticed the stuffs the woman had placed on the table, packets of instant noodles and ten bottles of water. He realized that she may not have enough cash to buy enough stuffs but didn't know how to breach the subject and offer his help without insulting or offending her.

He stood there awkwardly while she was wiping the tears from her eyes

"I didn't get your name?" he abruptly asked her. She chuckled

"Isn't that first question you were supposed to ask" she questioned in a playful tone. He shrugged giving her a sheepish smile as if to say it slipped form my brain.

"Well, my name is Yoshino Soma and it was your mother's birth name before I was cloned/created, before she left, she went by that name and now I'm going by that name" she replied.

He awkwardly thanked her and asked her to go ahead and pay the bill. While the cashier was billing, she looked at him and spoke

"You know its been ages since I was this emotional and all thanks to you, it's all because of you I started to feel again, prior to meeting you I was just living just for the sake of living, no goals, no dreams, only self-hatred and bitterness but after meeting you it has changed, not sure why but I hope I discover the reason before it's too late" in a melancholic tone.

"Pardon me ma'am but there seems to be a slight problem" the cashier spoke up. Upon their questioning look he replied

"It seems you are short on cash" he didn't say how much but from the look on his face it seems to be a slightly huge margin even though he tried to be professional but couldn't stop himself from feeling sorry slightly. Yoshino for her part looked really embarrassed. This was the moment Keigo waiting for, so he quickly picked up some more noodles, fruits, vegetables, Cold beverages, instant food and placed it on the table along with her stuffs.

"Add these to her list and I'll pay for everything" he spoke in determined tone. Yoshino tried to refuse it of course, prideful like his mother he thought but he wouldn't have it

"And I would not take a no from you." He cut her off before she could come up with another refusal or an argument. He sighed

"Like I said previously im not pitying you. I offered you to go ahead of me was because you reminded me of my mom but now I know who you are "he paused for a second to gauge her reaction,she was looking at him expectantly but he could also sense that she was really tensed about what he is going to say.

"I want to do this as your son. I have come to view you as my mother too, so please let me do this mom. You yourself said that you wanted to have a son of your own, so until that day comes please allow me to fill that role. don't ask me why, because frankly speaking I myself don't know for sure, may be because you look act like my mother but at the same time so not like her, may be because I feel that I want you feel and enjoy mother hood like my mom had, maybe because I don't want you to face any hardships anymore or maybe I kind of feel guilty that my mom has been leading a really good life while you haven't experienced any basic kindness in your life. You choose" he ended his speech earnestly looking at her.

Yoshino for her part didn't say anything when he spoke but once he finished talking, she had a look mixed with disbelief, happiness, suspicion, anger on her face. She was intently looking at his face, searching for any foul play /treachery, but when she couldn't find anything she immediately started crying. Keigo slowly moved closer to her to comfort her, but to his immense surprise he was pulled into an almost bone crushing hug by her which he returned immediately. She was sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulders. He swiftly signaled the cashier to bill the products using the credit card he had placed moments ago on the billing counter, which he did before giving him an approving smile. He patiently held her in a comforting manner till she calmed down which took about 5 minutes. Once she calmed down still in his embrace

"Feeling alright? if I had hurt you because of what i had said before. I sincerely apologize for it but I meant each and every word I said before, I would like you to consider me as your son, but I'm not forcing you. If you don't like it I can understand, but if there is a chance I can wait as much as you want me to"

Yoshino remained silent for some time then she relieved herself from his embrace and looked at him, more appropriate to say his face specifically his eyes, then she gently cupped his cheeks like a mother would do to her son

"No im not hurt, if anything its opposite of hurt. Surprised yes, shocked yes,but hurt no. I-I never imagined that I would be called as a m-m-other in my life but even if you didn't call me that directly ,I can sense and understand that you have started to see me like that. " here she paused as if she was having an internal argument with herself then she shook her head before continuing

"As much as I wanted to accept your affections it's all completely new to me, feeling these emotions after repressing them for a long time, I'm scared of what would happen if accept it completely. I am afraid that I would be horrible at being a mother". Keigo was about to interrupt her to tell her that he would gladly accept her as how she is. But she didn't let him

"I know what you were going to say but I don't want to hurt or disappoint you in any way and chase you away from me besides that if I did accept the role of being your other mother without being ready for it, I am afraid that I would lose it completely "the words lose you completely were left unsaid.

"Besides I have to be as good as my original aka your mom" she joked or at least tried to but Keigo could sense self-doubt and lack of self-esteem dripping through her voice.

He tried hard not to sigh, the woman in front of him in spite of her tough, hardened exterior has a heart/ inner self which is still haven't healed from the wounds from the past and is afraid that she might get hurt no matter what, so the fact that she didn't downright reject him proves that she is willing to try albeit slowly and hesitantly. And the concept of family, love and affection seems new to her so he realized that forcing things won't be helping her or him in the long run and he might end up being like those who had hurt her unintentionally and that's the last thing he would ever want to happen. So, deciding that he would take things slowly, he nodded with a smile on his face

"As the lady wishes "

which was followed by an over dramatic exaggerated bow from him. Yoshino tried not to laugh but failed miserably, even the cashier had joined in laughing at him. Keigo mock glared at them which only increased their laughter. He was happy that he was able to make her laugh and if he continues this, he is sure that she will be able to create more happy memories which she deserves and if things go well, he may even be able to introduce her to his sister first. He is not sure how either of his parents will react to, him meeting her since they have taken a lot of steps and measures to make sure that he remains ignorant to certain aspects of their life especially his mom if she is even aware that someone cloned her to satisfy their sick twisted fantasies.

Once he had paid for the stuff, he asked Yoshino to let him carry her stuffs for her till the place she lives. She was about to refuse it but, for some reason she changed her mind and agreed reluctantly. When they were about to leave the cashier stopped him and spoke

"Lad you were jokingly mentioned about a group of super powered people meeting and planning nefarious stuffs, well to be frank there is indeed a group like that in one of the districts of the naruki city and they go by the name xcution not sure if they are planning nefarious stuffs "

This piqued Keigo's curiosity

"naruki city xcution "he noted down the names in his mobile phone ,ignoring the disapproving glare from Yoshino who for some reason doesn't look pleased at all.

"Sounds interesting, do you know anything else about that group? like members, how one can find them, any criteria required to join them or who leads them?But is" he questioned him without stopping.

The old man gave him a sly smile

"I find their intentions as just; I mean most of the members were treated really bad because of their powers and the man who leads them felt betrayed by the one's he trusted which was actually true and so he went on a rampage against them before vanishing into the human word and has remained hidden here for a long time. He had started the group initially to protect people like him but as time passed, he has grown power hungry, and his motives have changed "he gave an audible sigh and shook his head in pity and sadness.

Keigo noticed how the man specifically mentioned that the leader had vanished into the human world as if there are many worlds other than this and how he looked sad as if he knew each and every one of them personally.

"You talk as if you know them personally?"

The man gave him a strained smile and was about to reply when Yoshino had enough.

"Will you please stop" Yoshino snarled besides him, she looked absolutely furious

"What the heck is wrong with you old man? Are you trying to lead this idiot into more trouble when I am trying to prevent from doing anything stupid", she poked Keigo on the chest ignoring the "not an idiot " and "wont don anything stupid " comment from him, focusing her complete attention on the cashier.

"I overheard about all the stuffs you were telling him. There is no need to tell a teenager about all those stuffs even if they are true. Are you trying to get him in trouble? And for an old man working in a small store, you know a lot of stuffs which even the most perceptive person wouldn't notice. What's your deal? it feels like you are deliberately giving out the information so that this self-righteous idiot will play hero and get himself in serious trouble. Is that your goal or is it that you enjoy others getting hurt? "she noticed the old man flinching at her words ,guilt and sorrow clouding his face ,years of experience living with a sadist and sociopath helped her to identify ill intentions in people , she for sure knew that this man doesn't mean any harm based on his expressions and body language but she also could sense that he was hiding his true intentions even if they are harmless , something seems off about him but couldn't pinpoint what it is , but harmless or not ,still it didn't settle well with her so she would do her utmost to make sure this little naïve idiot would stay safe and no she is not doing it because she started caring about him but out of pity and common courtesy and that little idiot might get some unwanted attention which would/might eventually lead "them" to this town spoiling all her plans ,that's why and she turned towards keigo and spoke in a harsh concerned filled tone

"And you, just because you believe in stuffs doesn't mean you have to get involved in them as well, leave it to the people who are capable of taking care of it "her voice softens for a bit seeing the look on his face "until you have means to do things on your own. Tell me something, what are the skills you have? Do you know how to fight or getaway when situation becomes tough, or can you at least sense spiritual energy properly?"

"Well, I can hack, I mean I am good with technical stuffs, I know multiple languages, I am agile i.e can run away from bullies faster when needed. If sensing spiritual energy meaning seeing these weird black creatures in white masks during the night, tailing me wherever I go as if they are my bodyguards, then yes, I think I can but if it isn't then I'm not sure. Oh, I am good at bluffing aka bullshitting and diverting people' attention, I can also confuse and annoy people so much that they lose their cool e" he gave her a shrug as if that was enough to face the danger.

Yoshino looked at him in disbelief and shock, the boy her almost son( even if she tried to deny it she knew deep inside she had accepted him as such, its just she has some sort of self-imposed restrictions which she has to break before she accepts it openly) just admitted that he doesn't have any fighting skills or means to defend himself from both humans as well as supernatural beings .And what more is that he cant even defend himself from his school bullies which was made her angry more than she had imagined and had control herself from asking the details about those idiots so that she can pay them a visit and thank them in her way for treating her no this boy like that. No, that can wait for the time being. He isn't as powerless as she had thought initially, he can only see hollows which itself is a big deal since not many can see them but other than that he can't manipulate spiritual energy or sense other beings using it. So, he is practically defenseless and can only serve as a bait or at the very least a distraction unless he has some latent skills or powers. Something about the way he had described the hollows got her curious, hollows are beings who wouldn't just follow someone without harming them and he did say that they just follow him like bodyguards. Did someone order them to keep him safe or to spy on him or was that this kids power, she couldn't guess, but that's a different story.

What the hell she wanted to scream and shake the kid hard so that he would come to his senses, what was her original and her husband were thinking by shielding this kid from the everything? don't they realize what sort of impact it would have on this kid mentally when he discovers the actual truth not the titbits, she had given him? But even those titbits would have caused a normal person to have a small freak out but this kid remained unfazed and even joked about only dying and resurrection would surprise him, which wasn't funny at all. Putting those aside if they were to somehow discover this kid's presence wont it put him in unnecessary danger or ,did they have some other hidden means to protect him considering how reckless he is? Something about the way he had described the hollow's behavior he had noticed during the night when he went outside, made her thoughts stop in its track. Did they somehow manage to get the hollows under their control and are using them as bodyguards as absurd as it sounds it's the possible explanation she could come up with since hollows will attack anyone and anything with elevated spiritual energy based on her experience in the past. It doesn't matter if he has some hidden body guards, she will make sure that her -this kid remains safe as long as she is alive even it means spending more time with him and no this is just a her fulfilling her selfish petty desires of having a one over the original or more appropriate to say that she is a better mother than her original and by no means she wants to spend more time with him and get to know him. She shook her head in denial and before she could speak, the old man spoke again but this time he was less guilty more amused, he even had a knowing smile on his face as if he read the thoughts going through her mind

"I am nothing but a simple old man trying to lead my life as a petty cashier. I have met and will be meeting a lot of people; most of them don't even care about my presence here. Only few people talk to me and even then, they are not a teen like this kid here who was genuinely interested in what was happening around him and especially in the supernatural aspect instead of ignoring it like other teenagers the kid here tried to get some more information from someone like me so I got enthusiastic and elated, wanted to share the information I knew forgetting the fact that he is just a kid and hasn't gotten any powers as of now. But considering how he has faced some interesting situations ,I'm not talking about the conversation you were having minutes ago but about the incidents which had happened in his school and was able to retain his memory of the incidents while others couldn't so I went along the flow .I apologize mother of the kid , I didn't have any ill intention and wouldn't even dare/think about harming this kid considering how he is my grandso-," the man stopped before he could fully complete the sentence and then he started speaking again after recomposing himself

"Sorry about that, the kid reminds me about the grandson for whom I couldn't be there in his life due to various reasons so that's why I nearly called you my grandson "and then he started laughing awkwardly but everyone present there could see that he was trying to hide his pain by laughing and making it as a joke.

Keigo felt sorry for the old man, poor guy he thought to himself, to call some random kid whom he had met, as his grandson he must really love his grandson and not being for him must be really hurting him. He wonders why he couldn't be there for him but didn't want to ask him that since it's too personnel and might bring him some unwanted memories. Surprisingly Keigo didn't notice how confident the old man's tone was when he said that he hasn't gotten his power yet implying that he might get it in the future but Keigo didn't put much thought into it, if he gets any sort of power so be it if doesn't, well not his problem.

Its just like Yoshino said just because he doesn't have power doesn't make him inferior or less special ,at least not for Yoshino and his family (considering how they have gone to extreme extent in keeping it a secret from him whatever it is and he knew that his family was trying to keep him from getting harmed and from the way Yoshino was describing ,he could be certain that his father and his mother would be having more enemies excluding Yoshino's ex group mates, since powerful people usually tend to become overly ambitious and power hungry gaining enemies in the process. Though he hasn't seen any such signs in his family, but appearances can be deceiving, an important lesson he had already learnt today).And besides it's not like he is need of those powers desperately at the moment .First of all he needs to understand who he is ,the supernatural world ,his newly developing/blossoming relationship with the clone of his mother whom he has started considering as his mother too and how he had abruptly met her in a supermarket which he rarely visits and how he is going to keep it as a secret from his family which is going to be difficult since he has never been able to lie to them and finally like Yoshino said he has to learn and develop skills so that he can defend himself until help arrives if he found himself in a position facing someone or something of a different caliber.

Yoshino unlike Keigo was still suspicious about the old cashier's story and real identity. The way he was so confident about Keigo getting powers and the way he called him as his grand son before going back on the it and the reason which he gave for his mistake even though believable she still can't completely accept it as it is and the way the man gave her a knowing smile immediately after she had finished her inner argument and monologue didn't sit well with her either. But what bothers her the most is the story about his grandson and from the way

"May I know why you couldn't be there in your grand son's life? I mean you seem like you really miss him "

The old man gave her a pained smile

"Its not a big secret, I'm the boy's maternal grandfather. I was never in touch with her due to – he stopped as if trying to find an appropriate word before continuing "issues and situation I was in because of my extended family. So, the she has to suffer a lot, first from the people around her because she was different from them, got bullied a lot to the point that she wanted to end her life but was stopped by someone like her, convincing her to join his group consisting of people like them. She initially thought was a good guy but turns out he was an abusive sociopath who had nefarious plans for her, realizing his true nature and intention she ran away from him but unfortunately that was futile, that bastard along with his cronies had cornered in an isolated alley where he tried to –"the man looked really uncomfortable now .

Yoshino also noticed that the man wasn't looking at either of them for some reason. Keigo for his part looked pretty uncomfortable as well, as if he understood why this guy was feeling uncomfortable, not that she didn't understand it's just she is bit mature not to mention had seen situations like this when she had travelled the whole world with "them" ,not to mention "that bastard" for some reason only insulted ,belittled and treated her like a trash but never once had he dared to touch her even though there were occasions where he wanted to get physical with her ,the look in his eyes at that time would creep her out .The emotions he saw in those eyes were cross between lust, rage and incapability , but for some reason he wouldn't and during that time that guy will remember something ,the look he had after remembering whatever it was, was as if he had seen death in person .

"Er, you don't have to tell us anything further we can understand what had happened and im sorr-"before Asano could finish his sentence ,the old man cut him off with a polite wave

"Good ness me, nothing of that sort which you have imagined had happened "

"Oh, ok sorry I misunderstood but you were being uncomfortable so I assumed that something untoward had happened" Keigo replied in an apologetic tone.

Yoshino herself had assumed that the guy had forced himself on that poor woman, but it looks like that wasn't the case. Now she wanted to know what had happened, and for some reason she could see similarities between "that bastard "and "this bastard ".

"Its all right lad, it's partly my fault for not being clear about it. Now, where was I?. After he had cornered her in a secluded alley, he was about to force himself on her or atleast that's what his intentions were but like a god send, a stranger along with his two subordinates had arrived on time to stop him. That bastard and his cronies might have been stronger and powerful than my dau -her but these three were of different level. They toyed with him and his gang like they were nothing more than a bunch of unruly children even though they were outnumbered three to eight or more appropriate to say two to eight since that stranger didn't even raise his finger and within few seconds all the eight members had been dealt with. But that bastard wouldn't go down that easily and he had tried to kill her since if he couldn't have her no one should which was a big mistake because it resulted in him loosing his nether region/organ courtesy of that stranger who once again used a single finger specifically his pinky finger first to knock him down which was followed by a beat down he had ever seen in his entire life and then that stranger cut of his manhood ,I won't say how since its too grotesque .

Then to add further insult to the injury my daughter went willingly with this stranger and his subordinates, not before she had given her first kiss to the stranger right Infront of the bastard and his crew which surprised the stranger himself since he himself didn't expect that and was taken aback before reciprocating it. And that's the beginning of a wonderful relationship even if its once sided on her part in the beginning, now my daughter is happily married to him and has two children with him a daughter and a son.

Now you might wonder why my son in law hates me, well it turns out that he is an acquaintance of my extended family and he hates the way my family acts, the way they follow outdated ideas of the past and how everyone blindly follows those rules without questioning it ,the way they have unnecessary rules like anything or anyone who are mildly different from the norms are not welcome among them and that they think those people as abominations which is pretty foolish considering the era we are also hated the fact that in spite of them harming me and my daughter and people like her I still haven't done anything to punish them and that I am incapable of being the head of the family.

That was before he knew my daughter intimately but after that it became too personnel for him. Initially he was against our family because he felt that they were wrong and wanted to change everything by using any means necessary but now he wants to make them suffer just like my daughter had suffered by betraying our family recently by taking control of a family who can be considered as our mortal enemies or that's what the rest of my family thinks but I don't, I believe his anger is justified and that I'm guilty of not stopping my family when they had hurt others in the past.

And so he believes that I might get my grand son in trouble just by interacting with him since his existence is completely unknown to my family not that they know of my grand daughter but unlike my grand son my grand daughter has means and methods to protect herself. Oh, by the way I am interacted with all three of them regularly except my grandson since both my daughter and my son in law her husband had asked/demanded me to stay away from him. So as to respect their intentions I was staying away from my grandson so far, but today I met him"

The moment was so quick for a normal person like Keigo to notice, but not for Yoshino and years of studying body language helped her as well, from the way the old man looked at Keigo when he mentioned meeting his grandson today caused her suspicions to increase even further, something wasn't right but she couldn't figure it out so far.

"a perfect blend of my daughter and his father. As curious and intriguing as his father and righteous and gentle as his mother. Only if he can believe in himself a little bit and that he is as good as his family "the old man sighed before continuing "But no matter what I am glad I had met him though he wouldn't know that I'm his grandfather but still I'm happy "

Again Yoshino noticed the old man's eyes drifting towards Keigo and the story about his grandson being a perfect blend of his daughter and his son in law and that he has to develop his self-confidence caused an alarm in her mind since it was too familiar with Keigo and his situation and the way his daughter had met her husband was familiar to how the original yoshino had met her lover/husband which cannot be a coincidence but the thing which prevented her from confirming that both the stories were same was the original Yoshino never had a father and her family were all dead years before she had met "him". And as for her husband he was a Shinigami captain making other shinigamis as his surrogate family or so she wanted to think but if that had been the case then keigo would have mentioned about relatives or family members but that wasn't the case ,besides from what she had heard Shinigami considered people like her as an abomination and had actively sought for their destruction ,this somewhat closely matched with the story about the old man's daughter being hated by her family for being different and technically the Shinigami are a part of their extended family since their race was created from the DNA of the Shinigami who worked on a research and a mistake had resulted in them being born in this world. So, either this guy is one of those involved in that research or it's a mere coincidence that the life events of the original Yoshino is similar to his daughters. But if it's the former then why hasn't he recognized her like Keigo or was she just overthinking it. She was brought out of her thought by Keigo

"Well, im so sorry that you had to go through all this. I hope whatever problems and issues you have with your daughter's family gets solved so that you can meet your grand son without any restrictions. And your grand son would love to have you as his grand dad, I am saying this because if I were in his position, I would feel the same "

The old man had a relieved look on his face for some reason and he just gave him a smile and a nod. Yoshino who was listening to this ,suddenly sensed a huge spiritual presence approaching them something about it felt familiar yet strange at the same time and she couldn't pinpoint to whom it belonged to and considering how faint she had felt it ,seems that he/she was far away them and she noticed that the old man was also looking in the direction she had felt the presence with a curious expression on his face initially but it soon morphed into alarm and concern ,not for him but for them as if he knew whoever it belonged to might be a trouble for them.

As much as she wanted to stay there and demand the old man to answer all the questions she had, her eyes sought Keigo who remained calm and unaware of what was happening around him, she didn't want him to get hurt and she didn't want to be the one to put him in that position. Sensing her intentions, the old man gave her a slight nod towards the direction of the exit as if indicating they should leave. She gave him a nod in return and the she spoke

"All right, all right enough with this emotional mushy stuff. Its about time we leave brat since It will take some time to reach my place and it goes without saying you are going to accompany me" she spoke in a loud voice surprising Keigo.

"What? Why?" he questioned before speaking again "Not that I have any problem in accompanying you, it's just so abrupt. I mean we were all having a nice conversation so I didn't even get the information about the vampire mugger and the kidnapping incidents which have been happening and have to come light recently, the person involved being the father of one of the bullies in my class. Can't you wait for some time?" he spoke in tone filled with childish curiosity.

Yoshino for the first time in her entire existence cursed her original for something other than being the cause for most of the problems in her life, she cursed her for the brat's lack of common sense and self-awareness. She could feel a head ache forming but she knew that she can't be harsh with him either for being curious and wanting to know about things. In a way he reminded her of what she would have been if things had been different. She sighed before deciding to try a different approach

"Listen brat the reason why I want us to leave is because I want to know more about you ,what do you like, your hobbies ,your interests, your school life, your fri -she paused after seeing the look on his face and she understood it was a sensitive subject "I mean if you have a girl friend or a girl you like ,your family and many more. And I would rather have that conversation in the comfort of my home ,besides" she slightly lowered her voice " I also want you to know about me ,your mother and your father ,the supernatural world , the dangers and the amazing things in it and we cant talk about it here where anyone can listen to us unless you want the normal people to admit us into a mental institution or call the cops on us for being weird and if the wrong person hears about it either we would be targeted for various reasons ,not to mention there is a high chance that we might come across your family members which wouldn't do any good for me or you. Your mom might kill me and as for your dad I don't want to think about it. And further more I want to teach and train you in everything I know from martial arts, raising, sensing and manipulating spiritual energy then knowledge about different type of beings, different realms and many more. Cant let you wander around without training you but since your parents haven't done it for some reason I am taking over that particular role "she paused realizing what she had just said and her face flushed in embarrassment about her openly admitting that she has started caring for him, the huge grin on Keigo's face didn't help her either, she glared at him before composing herself and she continued as if nothing had happened pointedly ignoring the grin on his face

"besides I would love to see the looks on their face especially your mother when she realizes that I aka her clone was the one who taught and trained you, not her "

Keigo shrugged nonchalantly

"When you put it like that how can I not refuse besides, even if you deny it by giving reason even a child can see clearly that you have started caring about it. So, I would be happy to accompany you back to your place now." And ignoring the glare Yoshino was sending his way, he grabbed the bag containing the groceries.

Yoshino for her part couldn't do anything other than the glare which she had sent his way which wasn't making the desired impact like she had expected it would since in the past even "that bastard " would step away slightly when she had glared at him but seeing this normal brat undeterred confused and wounded her pride slightly.

What she didn't know was that said brat had received glares and looks worse than this from his mother who is also the one from which she was created/cloned and had the natural ability to silence that brat with a look which comes with role of being his mother, not to mention unlike her, her original doesn't lack the experience on dealing with him .Fortunately for her she wouldn't get to know about this from the brat who already knew why the glare didn't work on him but had enough decency and sense not to tell her the truth ,knowing very well what it would to her.

"All right see you old man sir, err sorry didn't get your name " Keigo scratched his neck in embarrassment.

The old cashier chuckled

"Its all right, things far more important than my name was discussed today so I understand, you forgetting to ask my name and it's also partially my fault for not introducing myself. My name is Reiō by the way"

"Reiō" what a powerful and ancient name Yoshino thought to herself. Only in the scriptures and in the tales of the past had she heard this name mentioned, that too very reverently as if he or she was a celestial being. So, to say she was surprised was an understatement but managed not to show it in her face. But apparently Keigo didn't because the old man was looking at him with a cheerful expression

"Surprised aren't you lad? A weird name, isn't it?"

"Yes I am surprised but no I don't find it weird. It's really an old name dare say ancient, came across it in a book stashed up in the attic, explaining about a being who is/was responsible for maintaining the balance between the world of living and dead and the cycle of soul recycling and stuffs which I couldn't comprehend. But I do know what the name means, (rei) meaning "tinkling of jade" but when combined with (o) making it as the "king". So that makes you the King of your family "

"Hahaha, that's one way of calling my role in the family except the ruling part"

Keigo chuckled as well, Yoshino had an exasperated on her face indicating that she is getting annoyed. Keigo laughed in his mind seeing how similar she looked like his mother now especially that expression on her face but he wasn't stupid enough to say that to her face, knowing very well how it would affect her.

"Allright I think it's about time I leave before she" pointing his finger at Yoshino in a dramatic fashion

" drags me away from the shop by my ears. But before I leave can you at least tell me the family name of your grand son aka his fathers name so that I could check in my school and the neighboring ones"

The old man remained silent for few seconds before replying

"All right, his father's name is Aizen, Sosuke Aizen"

Note: Thank you for everyone who had liked, commented and subscribed to this story. I hope I didn't bore you with this chapter, tried to be as less canonical and more realistic as possible. This is just a world building /introduction of some more characters chapter. The cloning aspect and how the bount leader had managed to achieve it will be covered in the upcoming chapters. And as for how Aizen and the Original Yoshino's relationship developed will also be explained in the future chapters like around 25th chapter ,but the next chapters will solely focusing on how Asano gains power and how the clone Yoshino will develop her relationship with him, why the hollows follow him everywhere during the night , him not surprised about what he had just discovered ,Tatsuki and Cos reaction to what Asano had told them ,her realization about the way she had been treating and also her suspicion about something unnatural going among her friends ,there is obviously going to be a fallout between her and rest of the karakura gang, appearance of her real father ,a glimpse of Aizen's plan and how the presence of Yoshino had changed everything among the arrancars and of course Ichimaru who unlike his canonical counterpart isn't aiming for the death of Aizen or atleast not in the way he had wanted in the cannon and unlike the cannon Gin and tousen care for something other than revenge . A different bount arc. Will be trying to incorporate the bleach light novels in this story. And more importantly the soul king and his body guards aren't going to be useless unlike in the cannon no offense meant and you guys will be able to see a glimpse of them in the next chapter. And as for asano's power I had taken a reference for it from light novel "Living in this world with Cut and Paste" which is an interesting novel with some modifications from the original. Please let me know how do you feel about this chapter. And I would be focusing on my other stories so I wouldn't update this for a week.