An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"What are you doing? What for?"

Everyone present suddenly shuddered.

It was then that everyone realized that Kaori had appeared beside Tomokazu without him noticing, and had caught the man's fist with one hand.

The girl, who looked to be only a high school student, smiled quietly and caught the fist swung at her with all her might by the older man with one hand. This unusual sight, coupled with the chill that gave her goosebumps, left everyone present at a loss, unable to move.

Even though Kaori was smiling, her tone was unusually flat as she continued:

"I'm asking you what you're going to do to my dad. Tell me."

"W-What do you want to do? Huh!? Your stinky dad is so unreasonable. I just want to teach him a lesson!"

Faced with Kaori's unusual sense of oppression, the man became angry and yelled excitedly, trying to shake off Kaori's hand.

“You’re right. I’m such a troublesome father, always being so unreasonable. He’s also so overprotective that he still treats me like a child. He gets angry at the slightest provocation and always speaks ill of Hajime.”

“Uh, ah, you…how come you’re so strong!?”

Ignoring the stunned reactions of those around her, Kaori muttered to herself. Even when the man she had grabbed tried to break free with all his might, she paid no heed.

The man struggled desperately, as if his hands and feet were bound by strong metal shackles.

The other men were also bewildered. The scene looked like a pantomime. Kaori's body remained completely still, while her captives practically panicked. This scene before them was clearly no joke, but their minds couldn't comprehend what was happening, and they could only watch in bewilderment.

"But my dad is very gentle and considerate. No matter how busy he is at work, he always tries to find time to chat with me. Even though he's not good at fighting, he always wants to stand up for me. He'll praise me generously if I try hard, and he'll do his best to correct me if I make a mistake."

Kaori didn't even look at the men, literally ignoring them. She only had eyes for her father standing beside her.

"...Dad, I'm sorry. I should have stopped him before you got beaten. I remembered so many things at once that I couldn't act in time. Thank you for protecting me."

"Kaori..."

Seeing his daughter apologizing with drooping eyebrows and a guilty look, Zhiyi didn't know what to do and could only call her name like this.

He had no choice but to do this because, for some reason, his daughter looked very mature now, as if she had left his protection and become a completely independent adult.

Even in such a situation, Zhiyi's heart was filled with loneliness and he was speechless.

Kaori, who was looking at Tomokazu, turned her gaze to the men around her, and her eyes suddenly became as cold as ice.

"My dad is the best dad in the world. People like you have no right to make fun of him..."

"You bitch, why don't you let go—Ugh!?"

The man whose hand Kaori grabbed tried to hit Kaori with his other hand, but Kaori let go as he wished.

──At the same time, he kicked him away with a force as powerful as the sky.

The man flew out, drawing a beautiful parabola in the air. His companions' eyes followed him, like a cat whose attention was completely attracted by a cat toy.

Then, the man fell to the ground with a thud, his whole body convulsing, and he showed no sign of getting up.

The entire night road suddenly became quiet.

"If you leave immediately, I will spare you."

Amidst the dead silence, Kaori's words resounded. The men looked at each other. Faced with such an unusual situation, they should normally have fled immediately, but...

"Sigh... Even though the worlds are different, people like you are all the same. So similar to each other that it's shocking."

The men chose their petty pride over safety, yelling and cursing like mad, their words indistinguishable from what they were saying. Seeing this, Kaori sighed.

Compared to the cold looks and angry words, her reaction aroused the men's anger even more.

"I'm going to kill you—"

The men were so angry that their blood vessels almost burst, and they rushed over fiercely. Before that, they heard a "clang" sound, and the men were suddenly speechless and stopped moving. They only moved their eyes downwards to look at Kaori's hand.

Where did she get this from? Why would she carry something like this with her?

Looking at the special retractable baton held in Kaori's hands, the men's eyes were filled with such doubts.

Could it be custom-made? It looked strangely heavy, at least a meter long. In any case, it was definitely not something a typical high school girl would carry around.

"Uh... Kaori? Where did you get this kind of thing..."

Sure enough, even my cousin Sakura couldn't help but take three steps back.

No one could have imagined that the ring on Kaori's little finger contained two great swords that could cut even steel, as well as various vicious weapons.

The two special batons in Kaori's hand were weapons specially prepared for use in Japan, just in case.

The results are self-explanatory.

“You’re just bluffing! Who would be scared by you—Wuaaaa!?”

Kaori wields two special batons (made of azantium ore, with a thunder-wrapped effect) in a dual-wielding style. The gleam of these weapons flickers on the nighttime seaside road. Through these painful lessons, the young people learn the principles of social life, leaving indelible psychological scars.

"Uncle, that's really great. Look, Kaori is so angry because of you."

"...Yes, yes. And there's a shadowy figure appearing behind me, and it seems even more imposing than before."

Sakura and Tomokazu talked in this way while looking at the men flying in parabolas in the night sky.

Finally, Kaori used soul magic on the stacked men, transforming their memories. Then she returned to reunite with her father and cousin, a brilliant smile on her face.

Although I don't know what she did, it must have been something quite cruel.

Tomokazu and Sakura shuddered, thinking the same thing.

That is──from now on, no matter what you say, you can't really anger Kaori.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Kaori and Tomokazu took a slightly longer route and walked slowly back home along the coast.

Sakura went home first. Seeing that Kaori was obviously fidgeting with wanting to talk to Tomokazu alone, she considerately let the father and daughter be alone.

"Dad, does it still hurt?"

"Yeah, it's okay, Kaori... your magic is truly amazing. I've seen it so many times, and it's strange to say this now, but I'm still very impressed."

Hearing her father say this, Kaori's expression softened. Then, her eyes wandered, as if she was thinking about how to start.

Zhiyi could tell what his daughter wanted to talk about. He suppressed the urge to sigh and said to his daughter:

"Kaori, if you have something to say, feel free to say it. Because I'm the best dad in the world. I'm willing to listen to whatever you have to say."

Hearing her father say this, Kaori blinked, then smiled and said:

“Well… I actually just realized this. I think Hajime is a lot like dad.”

"...Wait a minute, Kaori. No matter how tolerant a father is towards his daughter, there's a limit to his tolerance. You said that father is very similar to that harem man, right? Can father go out and wander for a while? Don't worry, after about a year of re-examining himself during the journey, he should be able to pull himself together."

Tomokazu's expression was clearly one of shock and shock. Kaori couldn't help but laugh out loud, then shook her head and explained:

"Ahaha, no. I'm not talking about the present Hajime, but the past Hajime."

"The old one?"

Tomokazu looked puzzled. Kaori narrowed her eyes in nostalgia.

"Yes, from the past. He's completely incompetent at fighting, but when he judges it's necessary, he'll stand up without hesitation. He's such a weak yet strong person."

That must be why Kaori cared so much about Hajime from that moment on. She had always known that she would be happy if she were with someone like her father. Because her mother was like that.

Looking at his daughter's faint smile, Zhiyi felt very complicated.

Although I am happy, I feel that I shouldn't be happy.

"...It's unbelievable. Looking at him now, it's hard to imagine he was that kind of person before..."

"Yes. When I saw him again later, I was deeply moved. He had changed so much. His situation was so difficult that he had to completely change himself."

"That... should be the case. That's what I heard."

"Yeah. But even so, his most fundamental qualities haven't changed. That's why so many people like him."

If he was really just an unfaithful and dishonest man, there wouldn't be so many people admiring him, right?

Daddy's daughter is not stupid enough to be deceived by such a bad man.

Kaori said so, and it was difficult for Tomokazu to refute it.

Speechless, Zhiyi could only hum in a strange voice and kick the pebbles on the roadside meaninglessly.

"...I understand that he's the one you chose. But, but... even so, as a father, I still can't accept it. It's only natural that any father would only want to entrust his daughter to the man who cherishes her the most and puts her first."

Tomokazu sighed deeply and scratched his head in embarrassment. Kaori happily went over and hugged her father's arm.

"Thank you, Dad. But I have confidence. Although I may not be his number one, I am confident that I can live a happier life than anyone else."

Kaori said this, and held up the ring hanging from her neck on a necklace to show her father. Unlike the "treasure house", it was just an ordinary ring, but it was an eternal ring that carried the vows of her beloved.

Of course, Zhiyi's expression was extremely bitter, as if he had seen something he absolutely did not want to see.

"Dad, Hajime loves everyone in his life. He'll value everything else that the people he values ​​value. So, no matter how much you reject him, he won't give up."

"...A man who climbed out of the abyss solely out of love for his family, a man who would even bring down a god for his lover, will never give up, right?"

"Haha, that's right. Absolutely."

That was really troublesome. Zhiyi couldn't imagine a future where Hajime had given up. He sighed deeply again. He didn't know how many times he had sighed.

"Dad. I know this isn't common sense, and I'm really sorry for causing you worry. But—"

Kaori stared straight at Tomokazu and continued:

"It doesn't matter even if it takes a long time. I hope that Dad will value Hajime. I hope that Dad will value the people I value."

If only the sound of the waves could completely drown out his daughter's words—Zhiyi muttered to himself. If only he could pretend he couldn't hear them forever, how wonderful it would be.

Zhiyi refused to look his daughter in the eyes, but just stared at the dark sea with a reluctant look on his face.

His eyes clearly revealed the inner tangle and struggle. It was obvious that various thoughts were intertwined in his mind.

The silence dragged on for a long time. All they could hear were the faint sounds of footsteps and the sound of waves.

Finally, Zhiyi sighed the deepest he had taken today, lowered his shoulders in frustration, and looked like he had finally surrendered.

"...As a father who truly wishes for his daughter's happiness, he has no choice but to agree."

His voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible. However, he also looked relieved. Then, he extended his hand to Kaori.

"Kaori. Could you please help me contact that guy right now... contact Hajime?"

"Dad... um. Wait a minute."

Kaori pulled out her phone and made a call. Hajime quickly picked up the call, and Kaori explained the situation to him.

Hajime immediately agreed to talk to Tomokazu, seemingly unnerved. His relaxed attitude made Tomokazu's face turn bitter again.

Seeing her father's expression, Kaori smiled bitterly and handed him the phone.

“…It’s me.”

"Hello, the last time we met was at a family gathering. I'm glad to be able to talk to you again."

"Hmph! I never want to talk to you again!"

"Huh? Didn't you contact me because you had something to say?"

"Hmph, you're still the same. You only have a powerful mouth. Is that how you stole my daughter?"

"Of course not. If I had to say it, I should be the one caught."

"What do you mean by that? Are you trying to say that you weren't interested in my Kaori in the first place, and that you gave in to her because she insisted on dating you? Who do you think you are—"

"dad?"

"sorry."

Just hearing Hajime's voice filled Chiichi with hatred. This is already a reflex reaction, so please be more tolerant.

The father gave his daughter this look. Kaori narrowed her eyes and glared at him coldly.

There's a sense of Prajna about to manifest... and because he's my father, I can sense it. Zhiyi broke out in a cold sweat, and after calming himself down, he coughed dryly.

"Ahem... By the way, I... I called to say... I, I'm not completely without thoughts. As a father of a daughter, I can never feel at ease looking at the men around her."

"I understand. I've also made up my mind to become a father to a girl. If my daughter ever brings back a man like me, I'll definitely break all his bones, seal him in a cement canister, and toss him into the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

"Eh? Uh, yeah, yeah. I, I want to do that, too, I guess."

"No, I'm so sorry. This alone won't quell your discontent, will it? I'm sure I'll have to send down at least a meteorite... No matter what's affected, I won't be satisfied until I see rivers of blood... You think so, don't you?"

“………………You, you know it very well.”