[Zenin Compound - Year 2006]
Takashima Zenin, the current head of the Zenin clan, and member of the Hei has died.
The cause of death was not disclosed publicly which left many in speculation. Though most of them were not of a death by cursed spirits.
A special grade 1 sorcerer very rarely falls in battle with one, even if they are a special grade cursed spirit.
Furudate, a trusted executor within the compound, was appointed personally by Takashima to carry on his will.
The will in question requires the presence of both Ogi Zenin and Naobito Zenin for it to be read in full.
<=>
A soft knock echoed through the small room, asking the person inside for permission to open the shoji door.
"Enter."
A short and simple command carried by a voice that audibly belonged to a man, one in his later years as an adult.
The door to the room slides open smoothly without a single scrape or scratch being heard from the wood.
One of the many faceless servants stood in the doorway, interrupting the sunlight from spilling in.
They bowed at the waist.
"Ogi-sama, your presence is required at Takeshima-sama's medical room."
After they finished speaking, they stepped aside and quietly waited with endless patience.
Ogi closed the book he was reading and stood up, grabbing his katana leaning against the nearby wall before stepping out of the room.
The female servant closed the door behind him and followed at an equal pace to his, always remaining a few steps back so as to not bump into him if he were to abruptly stop.
Workers within the clan moved away from his path like a wolf in a herd of sheep, always maintaining a suitable distance even if it interrupted their work.
No one voiced a complaint, no one dared to even show any form of dissatisfaction inside the Zenin clan.
Ogi kept walking through the corridors, eventually reaching an area of the medical wing reserved for high-ranking members, the Hei, and the clan elders.
The supplies were restocked often, always containing the most experienced medical staff available, and it was located at a more secured area within the compound.
He stopped at a door, with the servant behind him stepping up and opening it.
As he stepped inside, his eyes went to the only other person sitting within the room. If the smell of top-shelf liquor permeating around the quarters did not give him a hint, then the familiar yawn and drunken snoring did.
With gray hairs already forming on their head, a short mustache covered in spilled drops of alcohol, and a loose dark blue yukata underneath a gray haori.
The heavily flushed face and opened gourd spilled on the ground next to him made Ogi's eyebrow twitch heavily, with nothing else showing on his face that betrayed his thoughts.
'How careless.'
He ignores the scene and walks to the other side of the room, as far away from the drunken mess known as Naobito as possible.
"Finally here, huh? Took ya long enough."
Despite being intoxicated, Ogi still knew that he was as aware as ever. Not even his words slurred despite his blood-alcohol levels being past the legal limit.
"I have no time for your drunken ramblings. My presence here is to receive the title of Clan Head and nothing else."
His persistently annoying laugh returns yet again.
Ogi completely ignores it in favor of keeping his eyes on the other door in the room.
Several sounds and muffled conversations occur throughout his wait. None of which are spoken loud enough to understand them in their waiting room, leaving it in complete mystery.
A few minutes pass before any other changes occur. Three small knocks come from the door before it slides open, revealing a middle-aged man of a particularly short stature.
With hair curled up into a twist and several paling hairs already streaking between the strands, with large circular lenses fitted into black glasses.
His posture was straight and formal, a show of respect that is reflected in the way he immediately bows and takes a seiza seating position as to remain lower than people he is speaking to.
"Takashima-sama passed away moments ago, your presence was requested here as a result of this."
The words spoken did not receive any form of shocked expression, only a quiet acceptance from someone that confirmed their suspicions were true.
The executor's eyes flicker towards the other figures in the room briefly, if only to confirm the identities present.
Ogi's eyes carry a certain sharp intensity as he briefly meets them, both arrogance and expectation without a hint of fear radiating off of them. He's standing at his full height as he always does, making sure that he is always looking down on everyone he crosses.
Naobito only has his ever present gourd and mocking smirk across a flushed face. His slouching makes him seem unguarded and full of openings yet anyone reasonable knows that his speed and experience in jujutsu lets him act casually.
Both men straightened up slightly in a show of attendance and that their attention was placed onto him.
The short man clears his throat and grabs a piece of paper from behind his back.
"I, Furudate, was assigned personally by Takashima-sama to read his will in full."
He squints his slanted eyes at the paper, reading every word carefully so as to not make a single mistake in reading it out.
The atmosphere in the room turns sharp. Sweat starts layering Furudate's forehead with several loose strands of hair sticking to it, and is worsened by the predatory gazes locked onto his small frame.
He swallows a bit of built up saliva and drops his gaze back to the paper.
"If there are no objections, I will proceed with the reading."
Several seconds pass with only the impatient tapping of Ogi's foot filling the room, nudging the short man to continue speaking.
The executor takes the silence as confirmation, raising his head once more to speak to the entire room before him.
"The 26th head of the Zenin clan is to be…"
Ogi's heart races in excitement, the anticipation gnawing at him like starving wolves.
For years he had dedicated everything to being stronger and smarter than his brother.
He had spent years– no, decades outside in the blistering heat of the summer sun and the bone-chilling cold of the harsh winter. Training with everything from wooden practice swords to forged steel.
Whether against cursed spirits, humans, or other swordsmen. He had worked himself to exhaustion to become the strongest.
Years spent increasing the control and flow of his cursed energy, to master the Falling Blossom Emotion technique alongside his own innate technique.
His body and mind was trained to the level of a Special Grade 1 sorcerer.
All to stay ahead of his own brother.
All to claim the title of Clan Head when it passes onto the next most suitable candidate.
The scars of countless duels ached beneath his clothes, the pain of countless nights still engraved into his body.
Everything. To become Clan Hea–
"Naobito Zenin."
.
..
…
'what?'
He felt his mind blanking out– all outside stimulation not registering in his head despite reaching his senses just like normal.
The scars covering his body ached, and not from the usual strain of an overworked body that he had gotten so used to.
Sound did not reach him for a moment but he could almost hear the muscles of Naobito's smirking face contracting, and they were most definitely directed solely at him.
'How–'
A fervor filled uncontrollable laugh spilled from the new clan head's lips.
"Naobito is to inherit all assets belonging to the Zenin clan within the compound and the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High Scho–"
Within the blink of an eye he was standing outside the room– the door closed behind him with the sound of it closing still hanging in the air.
If he stayed within that room with his brother laughing wildly, he might have attacked someone and completely soiled the image he has crafted.
…
Does that image even matter anymore?
He did not gain the title of clan head.
Ogi's eyes didn't leave the floor, his vision wide yet blinded by disbelief.
'Why?'
Why was Naobito made clan head, what made him a more suitable candidate than he– who had worked so hard for so long.
Their academic, jujutsu sorcery, and strategy was rated evenly throughout the years they lived inside of the compound together.
His feet started moving on their own– Whether to his personal quarters, the small teahouse that he spends his afternoons at, or the training ground he commonly uses– he did not know.
His self-proclaimed usually sharp mind was in complete turmoil.
He never fell behind, he never stopped before him, he always remained ahead.
Where was he superior where he himself was inferior?
'Where am I inferior?'
His breath became ragged and uneven.
His shoulders started shaking in tandem with his breath.
'Where am I inferior??'
The world had told him since birth that he was excellent in the field– that he was the pride of the Zenin clan– that he would grow to be among the strongest.
His katana sitting on his left hip felt like a lie, that every swing ever made with it was only a fabrication of what he was trying to be.
'Where am I inferior?!'
No.
It cannot be him.
It couldn't be him.
He was a member of the Hei, one of the Zenin's strongest, an irreplaceable member that has remained among the best.
It was something else.
Not his jujutsu.
Not his swordsmanship.
He never faile–
…
His eyes landed on two heads of green hair playing outside, smiles on their faces and laughter emanating from them.
Maki and Mai.
He could feel his teeth strain between his clenched jaw so much that it hurt.
The two failures he had created several years ago.
He had cut off any connection they had to him on paper.
He had divorced his wife immediately after judging their potential at jujutsu.
It was so obvious.
The only failure he had made in his life was them.
A second Toji Zenin– who was already known as the black sheep of the Zenin– was born from his seed.
Everything he worked for was destroyed by them.
Those failures wasted his chances at being clan head.
Those failures should have never been born into this world.
And he was going to make them regret it.
The mere memory of their pitiful potential in jujutsu already being shown at birth threatened to burst the veins on his forehead.
That someone so weak would destroy everything he had built up.
Sheer anger threatened to overflow his cursed energy reserves into his surroundings, yet was held stable by his sheer will alone.
Several servants working around him flinched back and watched him cautiously as he glared at the two young girls, completely unaware of the fate lying before them.
<=>
The sun had already risen above the horizon, painting the surrounding sky in yellow hues. It floods in through the window of the room, casting gentle rays onto the sleeping faces of two green haired children.
The one on the right moves their head slightly, causing the rays to be directly casted onto their eyelids.
They flutter slightly before slowly opening, blinking several times before fully opening.
Maki gets up into a sitting position on the mattress, feeling a slight tug from her right.
Mai was still asleep, but her hand was holding onto the hem of her shirt without any intention of letting go.
She was laying face down into a pillow, with a small trail of drool coming from the side of it with faint snores.
Maki let out a wide open mouth yawn, still being groggy from waking up herself, before patting her sleeping sister's back.
"Sissy, wake up."
Even if she wanted to let her sister sleep in and get more rest. She was very vocal about wanting to wake up alongside her sister.
It has nothing to do with the entire night she spent awake to get up with her sister after Maki insisted on her sleeping in.
That's when she learned that her sister could be much more stubborn than even herself in certain areas.
The snores coming from the pillows stop, with the fingers curled around Maki's shirt tightening for a second.
Mai's head moves up a bit to show her open amber eyes, still blinking and looking around before landing on Maki's face.
A smile that Maki couldn't see formed on her lips.
"G'Morthihng, Sisshy."
The words were muffled from the fabric and feathers blocking her mouth. Maki could only stare for a few seconds while translating it in her head.
"G'morning."
Mai rolls onto her back and sits up straight, turning to dangle her feet off the side of the bed.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah."
Mai nods to herself with satisfaction before a loud open mouthed yawn breaks through her lips.
"Good, I'm still a bit sleepy myself."
She gets a deadpan stare as a response, before actual words follow.
"You could just sleep in–"
"No!"
Mai shakes her head violently, her expression showing clear dissatisfaction and vehemently rejecting the idea like she was allergic to it.
She slides off the bed and lands on her feet, putting on the sandals next to her bed and starts jumping in place.
"What are you doing?"
"Waking my body up."
"By jumping?" Maki's head tilts to the left.
"Moving always wakes a person up, like when we play tag and you're about to catch up." Mai briefly looks outside through the window in silent bitterness.
"Im 3 times away from you at all times during tag,"
Mai only turns away while continuing her exercises, mumbling about 'cheating' and 'unfair advantages'
"Then you shouldn't have stayed up to watch the stars." Maki says while approaching the table in the center of the room, grabbing one of many drawings on it.
Fully black pages drawn on with white crayons, with small dots spread out across them mimicking the patterns and positions of the stars in the night sky.
"But they're so pretty, it's like a puzzle to try and find shapes in the dots."
She fully stops her jumping and moves her hands around in vague gestures, making lines and spots like she's trying to draw the constellations in the air.
"I want a blanket of stars!"
Both heads turn at the bed in perfect synchronisation, imagining the dull gray sheets being dotted with hues of purple, black and white.
"That would be cool…" Maki says in a whisper.
The expression of wonder falls a second later, going back to her neutral face as she opens their shared wardrobe at the side of the room.
"But it's not like they would ever give us that, we already lost most toys without getting new ones since mom left."
"Im sure if we find the right person–"
"We won't, we never have."
A small smile forms at her sister's optimism, yet the rest of her expression carries anger directed at everything outside.
"How do we know if we don't try?"
"We barely get slightly warm food, and that's only because Nagano-san is really nice."
Mai's disappointment is obvious in her body language, shoulders immediately slumping and her eyelids lowering even while her smile doesn't fade.
Whether it is at her sister's words or that she knows it wouldn't be possible to get such an item is unknown.
"What about Hariko-san? Doesn't she like to sew?"
Maki could only shake her head sadly after hearing her sister's idea.
"She only makes clothing for the Kukuru and Akashi, they don't send her any more fabric than the amount to make them."
It was information she gained from already having tried asking her to make a birthday gift for Mai, even if she didn't know the exact day to give it on.
"And asking any of them for more stuff…"
Her gaze went to the cabinet they stored all of their supplies in. Toys, drawing stuff, toiletries, and whatever else they had gotten.
"We don't have any more band-aids, Suenaka-san's nurse office is a place I will never return to even if I'm bleeding out on death's door, and I don't even want to see you hurt in the first place."
"Dont worry, Sissy, im strong!"
Mai lifts her chest proudly while flexing her right arm into the air, pointing at her bicep that remains unable to be seen under her skin.
Maki's eyes remained slightly playful despite her serious attitude and face.
"I know, Sissy."
"Then let me–"
"No."
Mai's lips pushed together as her eyes narrowed, forming a full on pout directed at her sister.
Facing her twin's visible and fervent displeasure, Maki could only rub the right side of her aching forehead with a sigh.
"We haven't had breakfast yet, let's eat first."
She walks to the door of the room before pausing mid-step, and turning around to look at Mai.
"...After you get dressed properly. And you can't hide your pajamas underneath them again like last time."
"They were just too comfortable to get out of!"
Mai's face becomes tinted in red as she averts her gaze, showing that the wall can be quite interesting while trying to argue back at her sister.
Several minutes, a closet that looked to have been raided in the apocalypse, and a Mai dressed in a pink kimono bearing floral patterns across its fabric later, they were standing in front of the door to the outside.
Mai was bouncing in place, her kimono constantly slipping off her shoulders from being clumsily put on.
"Ooooo, I hope there's gonna be strawberries! It's been so long since I've had some."
A small bit of drool leaks from her mouth and onto her chin that is wiped away by Maki's sleeve.
"Sissy, close your mouth."
"Ah–"
She quickly covers her mouth with her hands and looks back at the unnaturally interesting wall.
"Eh– enough about that, lets just go already!"
Without any more time being wasted, she grabs Maki's wrist and leads them out of the room.
<=>
The door to the cafeteria was pushed open with as much force that a child could muster.
The two sisters walked in alone, like it's been since mom left without a word of warning.
Brightly shining light poured onto the from above, leaving almost no shadow underneath them from the rows of ceiling lamps glowing above them.
Tables were spread out in rows, leaving only enough space for two people to walk uncomfortably between them. Every inch of space is being used for efficiency with hardly any decor.
Most tables were filled with people, leaving only very few seats empty. The noise expected to accompany such a crowd of people speaking simultaneously was nowhere to be found.
Everyone spoke in measured tones like they were practicing a speech.
For the twins though…
Each and every voice was one they had already heard whispering, gossiping, talking when they thought the two were out of earshot.
Thin doors that they expected would keep every word a secret, when it hardly made a difference in the end.
When they were walking through the corridors, peacefully playing outside, or even just trying to enjoy dinner.
The whispers were always there.
'Failed twins.'
'Second generation black sheep.'
'Worthless.'
'No cursed energy'
Insults imprinted into her head, unwilling to leave her memory or perception no matter how much she wished or willed for it.
The pressure of seeing the faces attached to those insults was approaching her from all sides. She could feel her sister's hand clasping hers and trembling.
Their figures seemed to loom far over them despite the insults dying down as soon as they got into their field of view.
Still, even as a child, Maki ain't no bitch.
She gently but firmly grasped her sister's hand and guided her forwards through the crowd of eyes that landed on them after the door opened.
Unlike what one might expect from the comments thrown at them, the gazes they received were not those of disgust or distaste.
Just distance.
Not wanting to be involved in others who might harm their own personal reputation and standing in the clan by association.
Mai felt the squeeze and lifted her head slightly, eyeing the fruit cups on the tables with a trickle of drool flowing from between her lips as her stomach softly growled.
Before she even knew it, they were both already standing at the counter on the other side of the room. An employee wearing an apron with her hair tied back into a ponytail standing before the counter.
Maki stands on her tippy toes to wave over the top of the counter, grabbing the attention of the lady's chestnut coloured eyes.
"Nagano-san, G'morning."
After realising where she was, Mai quickly greeted the lady with enthusiasm that she lacked before.
"Nice morning to you too, Mai-chan."
On the surface her tone was drier than the sahara desert and flatter than Utahime with a detachment from the situation like she was trying to skip a cutscene that was way too long, yet underneath it all remained a softness that one could easily miss.
Anyone that isn't named Maki, of course.
"More long hours, Nagano-san?"
The woman in question rubbed her eyes while visibly fighting back a loud yawn, nearly failing and instead opting to release a long sigh in its stead.
She was neatly arranging the cutlery for the 14th time that day. There really wasn't anything more to do and she couldn't just leave her workspace from boredom.
"You wouldn't believe it…"
If the current conversation wasn't keeping at least part of her brain active, then Mai would've bet her favorite crayon that she would've already been asleep by now.
But if that were to happen then she would get reprimanded for not completing her job and choosing to slack off, so she could only distract herself further by starting a rant while moving to get the twins their meals.
"Fourth time this week that bastard Hashiki stopped by and found a new minor problem to bitch about for half an hour–"
Mai quietly listened as the woman started ranting while grabbing two trays with tableware and utensils already prepared.
Even while talking to kids she did not hold back her crude language, both parties knew they went through and heard worse on a daily basis.
Mostly directed at them.
"--and then the insufferable manchild thought it was a good idea to throw his plate of leftovers at me because he was too goddamn lazy to just hand it over."
A minute consisting of pure ranting later, she placed two platters on the counters in front of the children. A basic combination of brown rice and miso soup for filling, two juice boxes with only a single picture on the front that shows which flavor it is, and fried vegetables with mixed meats for nutrition.
"Nagano-saaaaaan!"
Mai whined while her wide eyes looked at the lunch lady who met her gaze. She held it for several seconds before a slightly teasing smirk appeared.
"Right, right."
She added a final fruit cup to her tray and pushed it forwards towards the bouncing Mai.
Maki leaned over and wiped the spilling drool from her sibling's chin with her sleeve.
"Sigh Sorry for the info-dump again, enjoy your food to the best of your ability too."
"No problem, Nagano-san, you looked like you needed that." Maki responded with a polite smile to one of few that didn't treat them any differently after everything.
"I really did…" She mutters while walking back to organise the cutlery for the umpteenth time.
She glanced over to her sister who still hasn't taken her eyes off of those damn strawberries.
She grabbed her own tray, feeling barely any warmth coming from the rice and soup.
Like everything else, it was a common occurrence at this point. They always had to arrive much later than the others as the hallways used to get between the living quarters and dining halls were shared not only by the servants.
Members of the Kukuru unit and Akashi used them on a daily basis, and are people that Maki would rather not deal with while her sister was nearby. It was always a chore to get from one place to another while she was with her.
Her sister followed suit right after, still listening to Nagano like an obedient puppy with an expression that matched one.
When everything had changed at first, Maki wasn't able to decipher whether or not Nagano talked to them out of obligation or an actual desire to interact with them.
But now, looking at the fruit cup on Mai's tray carrying a few extra of her favorite, she could make a well educated guess.
A guess that brings a smile to her face.
While the servants eating around them don't hold any grudges as they hardly have any place in the jujutsu world. They would rather not be around such despised children with a ten foot pole.
Nagano was one of few that Mai could talk to freely. Though it isn't for long, it always brings joy to her.
"Bye Nagano-san!"
"Mhm."
Mai waved like a golden retriever wagging its tail in excitement before turning around and walking back to their room.
Silence formed between them, with the only noise being that of chatter about cleaning supplies and arguments on tasks assigned by the higher-ups.
Mai shifted around slightly while walking, absentmindedly bobbing her head side to side. Her gaze flickers every once in a while towards her food before finally getting sick of the silence.
She can't eat in the middle of the hallway after all, she might drop one of her precious berries.
"Lets go to the field later and make flower crowns again! I saw some pretty white ones that matched the purple ones."
"At least it's better than you eating them again."
Mai cheeks burned a warm red for the second time today.
If only she hadn't given her sister so much ammunition in the past, then things might've been easier in the present.
She was only a little slow on the uptake alright?!
It's not like she is as stupid as the teasing comments she constantly reminds her of, those were just off days for her.
Just like that time she tried licking a frozen pole in the winter and got glued to it for an hour…
Or when she tried to see if salt made her water taste better since it did the same to her food…
Or when she tried flushing a bar of soap to clean the toilet with it getting stuck–
Alright, alright, you get it now.
Though the last one did make bubbles appear with each flush for the next two weeks.
"They smelled good! Anything that smells good should obviously taste good aswell." She put her hands on her hips like she made a philosophical statement.
Maki replied back without a second of delay. "You were sick for three days after."
Mai awkwardly scratched her burning cheek.
"And mom even had to ask for more medicine because ours was expired."
Her sister immediately deflated with the positive atmosphere dropping.
"Mom…"
A hand is placed onto her shoulder by a totally not panicking Maki, and given a reassuring squeeze.
Her best attempt at a smile carrying the same attempted comfort is given alongside it.
"It will–"
She was interrupted as Mai walked into something sturdy and was sent stumbling backward several steps before being caught by her sister at the last moment.
The tray she was holding onto clattered onto the floor in front of her with all its contents spilled around it.
Mai watches all of her anticipated fruit fall out of its container with despair and anguish.
She stares blankly at it on the ground for a few seconds before snapping out of her daze.
"S-sorry!"
She gives an apologetic look at whatever she bumped into, meeting the eyes of an older man wearing a mask over a majority of his face that causes her to shrink back instinctively.
He leaned down and wiped a few stray bits of rice that were flung onto his training robe, with only his eyes betraying his negative emotions.
"Watch your fucking step, brat."
A tone filled to the brim with disgust and superiority reached her ears. Her breath hitched, not even noticing her sister already rushing to her side while cautiously watching the other person.
He scoffed and walked past the twins, leaning slightly to the left to hit the downed Mai's shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain and shoving her back even further.
Maki glared at his back with her hands clenching tightly as she kneeled next to her sister.
"Hey!--"
As if predicting the event, he was already turning back while sticking his pinky finger in his ear absentmindedly.
"She shouldn't be in the way. Now I'm gonna be late, you damn vermin."
The sound of his retreating footsteps disappeared behind a corner further down the hall,
Mai pulled up her sleeve and rubbed her shoulder where the skin was turning slightly dark, showing the start of a forming bruise.
Right as her fingers touched the edge of the patch, she let out another hiss of pain.
"It's gonna hurt for a while…"
Maki watched and listened with growing anger. Her body tense and ready to bolt after the piece of shit that hurt her sister, if a hand didn't grab the cuff of her sleeve at the last second.
She turned back with confusion at her sister giving her a pleading look.
"Sissy, it's not worth it."
"But Mai–"
"It will only bring more trouble."
Her expression turned complicated, slowly rubbing circles on her forehead again to massage it with her hand slowly drifting to the right.
She was torn between running after a person she knew she couldn't do anything against and helping her sister.
Ofcourse, she still ultimately decided on staying with her sister.
After making sure there weren't any other injuries on her body, Mai's attention went back to the scene around them.
Her food– most importantly her strawberries were split and ruined, covering the floor around her and even a few stray bits of sticky rice on her own clothing.
"Sissy, is everything alright? Any more injuries? I really should go teach hi–"
Mai held up a hand and cut her sister off.
"I'm okay."
With the assistance of Maki she picked herself up off the floor, wiped down her clothing to flick off any stray bits of dirt, and tried to put on a regular smile.
"Im gonna have to go to Suenaka-san's office and get an ice pack…"
"No, let me do it. Just go back to our room and wait."
Mai looked like she wanted to argue but held back, only nodding and heading back to their room as Maki leaned down to pick up the spilled items.
<=>
'I heard there was another one was born similarly to Toji-kun.'
The speed of his footsteps increased, a large grin forming on his face.
His heartrate sped up slightly as he made his way to the servant quarters, anticipation bubbling beneath his skin.
A few hours ago he had caught wind of a second person restricted by the heavens being born into the clan some time ago.
He never bothered to pay any attention to those nobodies, so the news only reached his ears a while after the initial discovery was made.
Some idiots had even tried to eradicate any trace of their existence in the archives.
That idiot ended up being Ogi– because of course it was, he was always a scrub that only followed his binding vow of exchanging brain function for meager skill in jujutsu.
It is truly unfortunate that the result was also him forgetting that he ever made the vow.
He truly tried cleaning the traces on paper and thought it was enough for their existence to be hidden.
Just shove 'em into the moldy areas of the clan to rot away where no one looks.
Complete foolishness, yet similarly expected of the clan.
Even giving them a feminine name at birth to insult his existence even more.
A second man like Toji-kun would logically be treated even worse, especially considering the big spectacle that happened on his departure.
But alas, I am the only one that could understand them. To the stand at the top.
Another person that carries a heavenly restriction…
They must already be quite powerful, no?
He could feel his throat already involuntarily widen at the thought of two Toji-kuns.
From the Akashi to the Kukuru and then to the maistaff– the cursed energy signatures around him kept getting weaker and weaker.
No wonder they were kept so far away, he could hardly tell the difference between them and the ambient energy in the compound.
From a flame that could be compared with a lantern to a–
A cursed energy signature smaller than anything he had ever seen before.
Even the civilians that carelessly pumped out their meager reserves and fear within the cities had more than that.
He was going to absolutely mock the hell out of them later.
Currently he had much more important matters to attend to than to make fun of the weak.
Such as meeting Toji-kun-two.
The door to the room had a small nametag on the front of it with two names written on it.
'Maki & Mai'
All cutesy too, either because of his sister or to ward off pests from bothering them.
Toji-kun always made his room appear nearly identical to the storage closets like his name was Harry Potter.
There was a cursed energy signature waiting inside.
"That must be the twin, Mai." he muttered under his breath while raising his hand.
Three sharp knocks echoed through the corridors.
"Maki-kun! It's your cousin Naoya, I'm here to visit!" He voiced in a half-yell to make sure it was heard from inside.
Small and slow– almost hesitant footsteps came soon after, slowly making their way to the door.
From his left came an annoyed and young sounding voice. It was high pitched and clearly female with a cursed energy signature that matched the pitifully weak one he had felt earlier.
"Who are you?"
The footsteps beyond the door stopped.
He looked to his left, seeing a girl approaching him. Scanning him up and down, clearly assessing him.
She had short green hair and amber eyes that were watching him warily, carrying an ice pack in her left hand with visibly white fingers.
Said amber eyes sharpened when examining the high quality fabric he was wearing.
A mocking smirk made its way to his lips.
He might as well have a bit of fun while waiting.
"Didint anyone ever teach ya to talk respectful to seniors?"
Without missing a beat and narrowing her eyes, she fires back immediately.
"Not when he's creeping around my door."
'Her door?'
Naoya looks back at the nameplate for a few seconds like he was reading an alien language before opening his mouth again.
"So your Mai?"
There was no surprise in his tone, only the voice of someone who had confirmed a previous assumption to be true as mockery shone in his eyes.
A sigh escaped her lips.
"I'm Maki, Mai is my sister."
Naoya's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his smirk grew slightly.
"Feisty hm? Better hope you grow a bod nice enough to counterbalance it."
A beat of silence passed.
"So, you're Maki. The one possessing a heavenly restriction?"
The girl stared back unwavering.
"What do you need?"
Naoya was ashamed– and still is to admit that he needed several seconds to fully get his thought process back on track.
His eyes stopped looking at the surface and started looking through her.
She visibly shivered with her brows furrowing together, watching him with wariness that bordered on hostility.
"You still have cursed energy. A pathetic amount but it's still there."
Maki glared at him.
"So what?"
She continued walking past him and to her door– visibly ticked off but still trying to dismiss his existence.
Her hand was already on her doorhandle when he spoke up again.
"How rude, were you taught no manners?"
Before she could even turn around– the ice pack in her other hand was swiped away by the blond youth who glanced at it for a second.
"Ya supposed to be strong, yeah? Come take it back." He dangled the packet in front of Maki's darkened face. Speaking with a high-pitched voice like one would speak to a baby with.
It was pulled back when a hand reached up and swiped at it, faster than any child should be capable of yet still slow in Naoya's perspective.
He effortlessly sidestepped another attempt at grabbing it back– even letting out an obnoxiously loud yawn in her direction.
The visible tick marks appearing on her head sent waves of satisfaction coursing through him.
"Give it back!"
He watched her expression turn hopeless and her grabs turning more desperate.
No matter how many times she approached, he always sidestepped and slapped her away.
After a minute she was already breathing heavily, supporting her hands on her own knees– an opportune moment for even more mockery.
"I heard Toji-kun was already killing cursed spirits at your age, and this is the best you can do?"
She turned to him in confusion and lunged again.
"Who the hell is Toji?!"
His gaze turned sharp around the edges, meeting her straightforward lunge with a direct kick to her lower abdomen. Infused with cursed energy to make sure it hurts.
"Insolent brat."
She was flung backwards like a ragdoll, stumbling over the engawa and into the garden where she fell on her back directly into a puddle from a previous rainstorm.
Cold muddy water seeped into her clothing and stained it a light brown, making it cling to her skin and causing her to shiver in place.
Small bits of dirt and mud clung to her green hair as tears pricked the corner of her eyes, visibly held back from spilling onto her cheeks flushed with anger and humiliation.
"Hes your better, and so am i."
He dropped the ice pack and lowered his raised foot onto them, pushing the packet into the floor and crushing the insides to bits.
With slow, rhythmic steps he approached her. Making sure that every second of the interaction would be engraved into her memory.
Her form was trembling yet her expression still held a composed look by a thread, clearly a person that refused to show any form of weakness in front of anyone.
The closer he got– the more panic flooded her eyes, something Maki would absolutely not want to show in front of anyone.
The arms and legs that usually stood with strength far beyond her peers flopped around like useless Jell-O. All of her muscles being stiff and not responding to her brain's inputs leaving her unable to stand up.
"Toji-kun probably left because he saw such a weakling trying to impersonate him."
He stopped before her and lifted his foot with exaggerated slowness, dropping his sandal down onto the leg she was shakily trying to support herself with and forcing it back down into the chilling water.
"Argh!"
All he did next was look down at her with his signature smirk, not saying anymore words to the child below him. He didn't need to.
The humiliation was practically coming off of her in waves and he could almost taste it in the air.
Still, the defiant fire burning behind her eyes only intensified like someone had poured motor oil on top of it.
Naoya eventually exhaled, putting more pressure on his foot and drawing another hiss of pain before lifting it– showing her ankle slowly darkening with blue hues.
"Make sure to lick that wound well, I wouldn't want new entertainment to be ruined so soon."
Maki could only glare at his retreating back walking away into the corridors, with her trembling right hand rubbing her forehead.
<=CHAPTER END=>
It's been a week.
Week of writing and lazing.
Another big chapter, I think I got my own writing style figured out and will hopefully improve on it.
There's gonna be around 4 chapters of 'Prologue' before the real divergence happens, I just wanted a bit of backstory not shown in the anime.
The pacing of the 'prologue' might be a bit slow.
The size of chapters will decrease after the prologue.
Please inform me of any errors or anything else.
See you next chapter. Maybe in 3 days, maybe in another week.