After leaving Rohim's house, they all returned to their respective homes, including Shion. He walked through the night, displaying a satellite called BULIK, which gleamed beautifully. On his way home, walking alone in the darkness, Shion felt as if he was being followed.
Shion:"(while walking but slowly) Why does it feel like someone is following me… (shakes his head) Haaah… Maybe it's just the night wind."
Shion really did not care much about that feeling. But the more Shion walked, he still felt like someone was following him. Then Shion stopped walking. Quickly, Shion looked back while breathing unevenly. But when he looked back, he did not see anyone.
Shion:"(Breathing heavily). Hhhaahh... Hhhaahh... Hhhaahh… Is it just my feeling?"
*For a moment, Shion looked behind him, then he started walking again. But the longer he walked, the more he ran frantically*
Shion:"(In his mind) Damn, this is really weird!"
*After that, Shion suddenly stopped and immediately turned around angrily. He did not see anyone, and that made him even more annoyed*
Shion:"Whoever you are, come out…! Don't just hide! I know you're there!"
But again, Shion saw no one, until finally he heard a sound in the bushes on his right side. Shion's eyes immediately focused on the bushes, and he ran toward them while saying:
"There you are!"
*When he arrived, Shion immediately opened the thorny bushes, but there was no one behind them. His anger increased as he pulled out the leaves of the bushes and threw them away*
Shion:"Just you wait! If I manage to see you, I will beat you up! Annoying!"
*Shion said this while continuing to walk home with an uneasy feeling*
In short, in a white palace with every part of its roof painted gold. The palace was also flanked by two hills that adorned it. Meanwhile, Shion finally arrived at his palace. When Shion entered the palace, his father came and approached him without Shion knowing. Then, his father spoke to Shion.
Father:"Shion? (confused seeing Shion)"
*Immediately, Shion was startled and turned around while panting heavily, his face showing shock*
Shion:"HHAAHHH... HHAaahhh... Hhhaahh... Dad, you scared me!"
Father:"It's unusual for you to come home late? You usually arrive by the afternoon."
Shion:"Yes. We got a big boar earlier this afternoon and we roasted it at Rohim's house."
Father:"Oh, I see. Then you don't need to eat dinner, I guess."
Shion:"(Surprised) Eehh!? Why, Dad?! Just because I already ate at Rohim's house doesn't mean I can't eat here too!"
Father:"No, you shouldn't eat too much. It's not good for you. Seeing you eat so much reminds me of your mother, she ate a lot too, but never gained weight."
Shion's expression immediately turned gloomy and displeased. His father noticed the look on his face, smiled, and said:
"Enough. A boy shouldn't be gloomy or sulking. A boy must learn to hide his sadness in front of others."
His father said this while stroking Shion's head. But as he stroked, he accidentally noticed something in one spot. He stopped stroking Shion and also paused his words, because he saw someone behind a large vase. After that, his father smiled again and continued the conversation.
Father:"It seems that when you came home, you weren't alone, right?"
*Shion suddenly felt confused and asked his father*
Shion:"What do you mean, Dad? I came home alone."
*His father then pointed at the vase. In a relaxed tone, he spoke to the flower pot*
Father:"Are you Shion's friend? If you are, there's no need to be shy, come here."
Unexpectedly, a boy named Kharim appeared. Slowly, he revealed himself. Kharim looked hesitant as he faced Shion's father, while Shion's father was slightly surprised to realize that the boy was Kharim.
Shion:"Kharim!? Why did you follow me all the way here? You said you had a place to stay? (realizing) Wait, but how did you manage to follow me here? When I turned back, there was no one. And that place was a wide meadow, with BULIK shining bright. How could I not see you?"
Kharim:"Y-yes. I used the Invisible Jutsu, and that's why you couldn't see me."
Shion: "(Surprised) What?!"
TIME DURING THE WAY HOME
Kharim: "INVISIBLE, KAITEN!"
Then a gentle wind blew, and Kharim disappeared. It turned out that Kharim had used the Invisible Jutsu, "Invisible, KAITEN," which made him invisible, allowing him to follow Shion all the way to the palace. When he faced Shion's father, Kharim immediately hid. During this event, Kharim recounted the story. Kharim looked panicked as Shion kept turning around, and even every word Shion said made Kharim anxious.
Shion: "Whoever you are, come out…! Don't just hide! I know you're there!"
*Kharim, who was too close to Shion, ran into the bushes, making a sound that Shion could hear*
"There you are!"
Shion immediately opened the bushes and didn't see Kharim, who had fallen. Kharim's expression showed surprise as he looked at Shion's annoyed face. Then Shion said:
"Just you wait! If I manage to see you, I will beat you up! Annoying!"
***
Kharim:"All this time I followed you, I used the Invisible KAITEN Jutsu to track you. Unfortunately, you were too aware of my presence. Sorry for following you, Shion."
BACK TO THE PRESENT TIME
Continuing the conversation, Kharim said:
"But even though it's an invisible Jutsu, the presence of me still exists there, and that's what made you feel like someone was there. I still need to practice more so my Invisible Jutsu can be better."
Shion:"(Cheerfully smiling) Really?! So you're the one who scared me? Cool…!"
Kharim:"Are you angry at me?"
Shion:"What are you talking about? I'm not angry anymore after I realized it was you. (laughs heartily)"
*Shion's father looked impressed with Kharim and praised him*
Father:"Wow, I'm impressed with you. You're still a child and you can already use magic, especially using the Invisible KAITEN Jutsu. That must require quite a lot of SHELL."
Kharim:"Th-thank you for your compliment. I'm just doing as my teacher taught me."
Father:"(Looking puzzled) But, why are you dressed like a vagabond? Don't you have a place to stay? Where is your family, or what's the situation?"
However, Shion's father, feeling uncomfortable about his previous words, smiled and apologized, saying:
"Ahh… sorry, I didn't mean to mock you or belittle you. I just wanted to know."
Kharim:"I can understand your meaning, Your Honor."
Father:"So, do you have a place to stay, or where is your family?"
Kharim:"Actually… I don't have a place to stay. The only place I live is in front of people's shops. I sleep in front of their stores and have to leave before the shop owners open. I don't have a family. I'm alone and have nothing. (speaking to Shion) Sorry if I lied to you and everyone else…"
*Shion and his father both had mixed feelings about Kharim, sadness and curiosity. But Shion smiled as he looked at Kharim*
Shion:"It's okay, I'm not angry either."
Father:"Then how were you able to perform that Jutsu? At your young age, it's so difficult to execute a Jutsu like that. Even Shion himself can't perform it yet."
Shion: (Surprised and looking at his father shyly) "Father…!"
Kharim: "I once saw a knight training to sharpen his Jutsu. By coincidence, I passed by and saw him using it very skillfully. Besides being good at Jutsu, he had high instincts and consciously noticed me hiding, then told me to come out of the bushes."
***
NOTE: BULIK is a natural satellite of the planet T-10. Just like Earth has a natural satellite, the Moon. The planet T-10 has three natural satellites. The first, the smallest, is about the size of Pluto and is named Lakshi, the second is named Mehran, and the last, which is also the largest satellite, is named Bulik.