"Ah?! A... a mouth..."
The person who reacted the most was Yuji. His jaw nearly hit the floor as he pointed at the girl in disbelief. That little mouth looked almost identical to the one Sukuna manifested when he possessed him.
"Long time no see, Megumi. And Fushiguro-san."
Ignoring Yuji's shocked reaction, the girl smiled directly at Mukuro and Megumi.
"I'm Hana Kurusu."
Especially when her gaze landed on Megumi, a faint blush appeared on her face.
"Kurusu... You're that little girl?"
Megumi rested his hand on his chin and thought for a moment. After a brief mental struggle, he finally remembered who she was, though his way of referring to her was perhaps a little inappropriate.
"You actually know each other? And who is this 'Disgraced One?'"
Yuji instantly transformed into a curious child, his eyes darting back and forth between Megumi and Hana. For some reason, he felt like he had accidentally stumbled into a conversation he wasn't supposed to understand.
The others nearby wore similar expressions. Everyone had completely forgotten that they were supposed to be discussing a critically important battle.
"How should I explain this..."
Megumi scratched his eyebrow. Their meeting, or rather, the first time the three of them crossed paths, had happened roughly ten years ago.
* * *
On a bright and sunny day near Kyoto, at the foot of a mountain.
A very young Megumi walked behind Mukuro with a look of utter dissatisfaction on his face. The word "annoyed" was practically written across it.
On one of his rare days off, he had somehow ended up on a camping trip.
"Why am I following you again today?"
"Uh... Your parents have something to do."
Mukuro used the exact same excuse every time. He didn't even bother pretending anymore.
The truth was...
* * *
The night before, after dinner, Toji wrapped an arm around Mukuro's shoulder and dragged him into a corner.
"Hey, watch Megumi for me tomorrow."
"What are you up to this time? Besides, isn't Tsumiki at home now?" Mukuro sighed helplessly.
He was a special grade sorcerer. He was busy.
"Onshin has been spending all her time taking care of that brat lately. She hasn't had a chance to go out and enjoy herself." Toji frowned, clearly unhappy about it.
How could his own son monopolize his wife's attention?
To be fair, Toji wasn't the type who enjoyed going out. But that depended on who he was with. If it was Onshin, anywhere was fine.
"What about Tsumiki? She's basically Megumi's sister now. She should be able to handle it." Mukuro glanced toward the little girl helping clean up dishes nearby.
"She's got extracurricular classes all day tomorrow." Toji sounded helpless.
When Tsumiki had first joined the family, she had been timid and cautious. After all, the Fushiguro family were related by blood. She was the outsider who had been taken in, so naturally she struggled to feel like she belonged.
Taking care of Megumi had once felt like a sacred duty. She acted almost like a little maid within the household, and that was exactly what Onshin couldn't bear to see.
Her kindness had healed even the deeply scarred young Toji. Helping a troubled little girl was naturally no challenge.
She genuinely treated Tsumiki like her own daughter. She accompanied her to school, bought her the best clothes, and made sure she ate well. When she discovered Tsumiki's interest in the arts, she discussed it with her and enrolled her in several of the most prestigious classes available.
Now, this place was no longer just a shelter. It was home.
Taking care of Megumi was no longer an obligation. It was simply what an older sister should do.
Toji actually liked that outcome. He didn't want his wife to go through the trouble of having more children, and having someone occasionally help look after Megumi wasn't bad either.
The problem was that ever since Tsumiki started attending all those classes, his alone time with Onshin had become much rarer. So he had no choice but to call on his younger brother.
"Only when you say you're taking Megumi out does Onshin actually allow herself a day off," Toji added.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You're so annoying."
* * *
Not far behind the two men, little Megumi tilted his head in confusion as he watched them whispering to each other. Only the next day did everything finally click.
"They just want to go out and have fun. They could've left me at home."
Megumi kicked a small stone along the path. Feeling bored, he formed a hand sign and summoned Divine Dog. The shikigami trotted faithfully beside him.
"That's what I think too." Mukuro nodded in agreement.
Unfortunately, Onshin didn't think so. In the Fushiguro household, Toji might have been the head of the family on paper, but at home, she was the real authority.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Divine Dog seemed to smell something. It slipped free from Megumi's hand and ran toward the mountain.
"Probably sensed a cursed spirit. Let's go."
Low-level cursed spirits were everywhere, and Mukuro had long since gotten used to them. As long as they couldn't harm people, he usually didn't bother exorcising them. Still, since Divine Dog had already gone after it, there was no harm in taking a look.
The two followed at a leisurely pace.
Several minutes later, Divine Dog returned.
And behind it was a little girl.
Her clothes were tattered, her body was filthy, and a foul odor lingered around her as though she hadn't bathed in a very long time. Beneath her tangled hair was a pair of empty, lifeless eyes.
She stood there silently, watching Divine Dog return to Megumi's embrace.
"Are you okay?"
After confirming his shikigami wasn't hurt, Megumi shifted his attention to the girl. There wasn't the slightest trace of disgust in his voice, only simple kindness.
"Uh..."
The girl opened her mouth, but no words came out.
After spending so much time in the mountains, she had begun forgetting how to speak. Because children who cried or made noise would disappear.
Yet as the warm sunlight genuinely fell upon her body, something stirred within her eyes. The world that had once contained only black and white slowly began to gain color.
And the very first color she saw was the boy standing before her.
"Call the police." Mukuro handed his phone to Megumi.
"My... children..."
At that moment, a cursed spirit covered in numerous eyes shuffled toward them. Its speech was slurred and distorted.
The curse's gaze immediately locked onto Megumi. A plump and healthy child like him looked far more appetizing than the ones it kept in the mountains.
The moment the girl saw it, her entire body trembled.
It was the "mother" of all the children trapped in the mountain. It brought them garbage to eat.
And then it ate them.
"Food..."
Drooling greedily, the cursed spirit charged toward Megumi with its arms spread wide.
"Die."
Mukuro couldn't even be bothered to raise a hand. The number in his right eye shifted to "3."
An invisible claw materialized in the air and slammed downward. The cursed spirit instantly exploded into a pile of mangled flesh before dispersing completely.
"The police will be here soon. Take them to the others still trapped here. They'll handle everything properly."
With the matter settled, Mukuro looked at the girl. It didn't take much thought to guess there were probably other survivors hidden in the mountains. This girl had simply been the one who happened to follow Divine Dog.
But he wasn't running an orphanage. He couldn't take care of a bunch of children. That sort of thing should be left to professionals. Besides, those children likely weren't homeless. They had probably been kidnapped and kept as food.
"Let's go."
Mukuro's superhuman senses had already detected people approaching, and there happened to be a police station at the foot of the mountain. The identity of the newcomers was obvious.
He prepared to leave with Megumi.
"I… Ha… Hana… Ku… Kurusu…"
Just as they turned around, the girl finally gathered enough courage to speak. The words came out awkwardly and slowly.
"Hm?" Megumi looked back in confusion.
"Mukuro Fushiguro," Mukuro responded to her introduction.
"Megumi."
Simple and direct.
The three then parted ways.
Yet the figures of the uncle and nephew became deeply engraved within the young girl's heart and remained there ever since.
* * *
Now, Hana stood before them.
After becoming the host of the Angel, she could finally say the words she had wanted to say for so long.
"Let me help you."
**
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