Shinku woke up the next morning in the home of Kazuki Ryota. "What the hell am I?" He suddenly jumped out of bed with no one in sight. "Well, wherever I am, I need to get out of here." He tried to sneak out again, not trusting his strange unfamiliar environment. He got to the living room where he smelled someone cooking. "Something smells good in here."

Ryota saw him trying to escape. "Hey kid, I’m making breakfast, sit down to eat." Shinku, still reluctant to trust him, slowly walked over and sat at the table, glaring at him until he served breakfast. He began to eat and instantly started crying after the first bite. "Woah, are you okay? You just started crying all of a sudden."

"Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just the first time in a while that I’ve gotten decent to eat at all. Don’t think I’m gonna thank you for it though." Ryota looked at Shinku and smiled as he enjoyed his food. "Hey, you want some more?" Shinku instantly raised his plate, accepting another helping.

"Damn, I knew you were hungry, but I didn’t think you would finish four plates. But now it's time for some answers."

Ryota tried to get information on Shinku’s backstory. He refused to answer most questions, only complying with a few. The major revelation to Ryota was Shinku's abnormal level of intelligence. "Who taught you how to use magic? I was amazed to find out you could do it."

"Nobody taught me. I kind of just figured it out on the spot. It wasn’t perfect—simple movements of the earth, like throwing rocks or making mud piles, is all I can really do now."

"Are you really ten years old? No normal person can just figure out magic like that. This is amazing. He’s only ten, but he’s been through so much. I could never imagine a normal 10-year-old going through all that trauma alone and being the same ever again."

Ryota continued to cross-examine him about his magical abilities. Ryota believed that Shinku might be the youngest person in history to ever unlock an advanced element. He thought back on a conversation he had with his co-workers, discussing what they should do with him.

"He’s proven that he is a danger not only to himself but to the public as well. Who’s to say he won’t go on another rampage?"

They all pitched their own ideas, but Ryota voted to take him under his wing. There was one lieutenant named Orochi Kenji, who believed they should take this child into custody and report him to the higher-ups.

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"In a case like this, we should report him. What you are suggesting would mean, at some point, you intend to bring him into the force. But he is a dangerous liability and should not be trusted, child or not."

"I know he’s done some damage, but he’s only ten years old. I mean, who here, when they were ten, wouldn’t have gone completely crazy after what this kid is going through? He’s living on the streets all alone, but not only that, he has power—magic power. Even you can't deny that would be beyond useful. But not only that, I found out something.

At first, I speculated that he had fire magic because of the incident I told you guys about. But while searching for him, I think it's something else entirely. He might have unlocked an advanced element."

When they listened to him, they agreed to allow him to take Shinku under his wing. Lieutenant Kenji grit as he thought to himself, "Damn it Ryota, why couldn’t you have just kept your mouth shut? The boss wants this kid. How can I get him to the boss without it being too suspicious?"

Ryota explained this proposal to Shinku, and he instantly went on the defense. "I don’t need you to replace my family. I was just fine on my own."

"I’m not trying to replace your family. You’re just a kid, so it only makes sense that you should have someone to take care of you."

Shinku thought that he did not have the right to tell him that as he had been taking care of his family by himself, and he didn’t need anyone to take care of him because he didn’t know how it felt to have to take care of himself from such a young age.

Ryota opened up to him, saying that he was only a child and knew nothing of the rest of the world. He didn’t mean to undermine his experiences. "Don’t worry, kid. I can relate to how you feel. I’ve been around way longer than you have."

He opened up to him and admitted to how he grew up in an orphanage where he was beaten badly for being mixed race and showed Shinku the scar on his back that he had had since the age of 5. He then told him how he was kicked out, and since then, he lived on his own on the streets. He was on the verge of death until he was lucky enough to find someone who was kind enough to take him in—an unwanted, mixed-race, street rat like him.

And because of that one act of kindness, he was where he was today, and he bonded with him, revealing his own disdain for the societal elites. He emphasized that he did not want to replace his family.

"It’s okay. As long as you have them in your heart, your family is always with you. They may not be physically here, but they are with you. But without them here, you need someone to guide you and take you down the right path. If you don’t mind, I would like to be that person."

Shinku reached out and shook his hand. "Remember, I'll kill you if you ever betray me, okay?" Ryota laughed,

"I promise to never do that to you. I vow to do everything in my power to make sure you have a fulfilling life." Shinku then explained his dream to Ryota. He was then suggested to pursue a future with the police, and if he wanted, he could soon begin training after school enrollment.

Shinku was dumbfounded and began to thank him with tears in his eyes, believing that he would have never gotten the chance to enjoy life again and he could still keep the promise he made to himself and his family beyond the grave.