Maki stifled a yawn as she walked down the hallway and made her way into the communal kitchen. It was still dark out with only the barest hint of sunlight illuminating the world, but Maki was already dressed in a tracksuit, clearly preparing to go on a run.
Entering the kitchen, Maki flipped on the light before walking her way over to the fridge. Bending down, Maki's eyes scanned over the shelves before landing on the Tupperware filled with onigiri she had made last night.
Pulling out the container, Maki went to close the fridge when she suddenly froze, but only for a split second before spinning around with her fists raised.
In the process, Maki dropped her tupperware, but before it could hit the ground, it was suddenly seized, flying through the air and into Kiniro's palm, who now sat at the once-vacant table. "Careful now, I would hate to see so much food go to waste."
Maki glared at Kiniro in a mixture of confusion and anger, 'How the hell was he able to sneak up on me?! I should have been able to hear him at the very least, with how sensitive my five senses are.'
Seeing Maki's wary gaze, Kiniro smiled and gently placed the onigiri in front of the seat across from him, "I fear we've gotten off on the wrong foot. I came here hoping to make amends."
"How did you even know I was out here? Were you waiting for me?" Maki questioned as she continued to stare at Kiniro somewhat hostilely.
"No, I sensed you walking by my door and figured I'd join you and say hello," Kiniro explained with a smile, though Maki couldn't help but dismiss the feeling that the expression was nothing but a facade.
"And you just happened to be up at this hour," Maki scoffed and crossed her arms.
Kiniro smirked, "To be honest, I never went to sleep to begin with. I've been up all night."
"Doing what?!" Maki asked in disbelief
"Working on my cursed energy manipulation," Kiniro replied and held up his hand, slathering it in a thick layer of cursed energy that oozed like a viscous liquid, "My eyes were opened today, I was given a taste, but I tend to devour the entire experience."
"The experience?" Maki repeated in a questioning tone.
"The experience of Jututsu Scorcery," Kiniro clarified with an elated smile that bordered on aroused, "I want to understand the nature of cursed energy, curses, and scorcerers. In the grand scheme of life and nature's design, what greater purpose do such powers fulfill?"
"There is no greater purpose," Maki deadpanned as her eyes filled with a deep apathy, "Cursed energy is nothing but a tool, used by the strong to justify and enforce their worldview onto others. It's no different from conventional weapons and armor."
Despite Maki's scathing tone, Kiniro seemed delighted by her answer, "You certainly aren't wrong, and such a world view would explain what I feel in your soul."
"What the hell are you on about?" Maki muttered as her eyes narrowed.
A subtle glow emanated from Kiniro's eyes. "There's a deep resentment in your soul; you wish to hold the same power as those you criticize. They believe you are weak because you lack cursed energy, but from what I can tell, that's not nearly as much of a hindrance as I once believed."
Maki glared at Kiniro, "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Souls don't lie," Kiniro argued confidently, "I can see it so clearly now that I know what to look for. Your soul has a different shape, so the mark of corruption can't take hold. And that somehow translates to your physical body being stronger than it has any right to be without relying on cursed energy reinforcement."
"It's called a heavenly restriction," Maki admitted, seeing no reason to try to deny it, "They're an extremely rare form of binding vow placed on a sorcerer's body at birth."
"A binding vow," Kiniro repeated thoughtfully, "A form of contract between two parties or the self, using cursed energy as a currency to enforce compliance, or augmenting preexisting abilities by enacting self-imposed restrictions."
"I thought you said that you were new to jujutsu sorcery," Maki muttered.
"That was just my deduction, but judging from your reaction, I got pretty close," Kiniro replied with a cocky smile.
Maki rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right, you managed to come up with that textbook-perfect explanation on your own, that moron definitely didn't tell you after the two of you ran out of the classroom."
"Well, we didn't really do much talking; he kinda just threw a semi-grade 1 curse at me," Kiniro corrected with a shrug.
"Are you a pathological liar or something? Or do you really think that I'm that gullible?"
"Neither," Kiniro replied with a smile as he leaned against his fist with his elbow on the table, "Fun fact about me, I never lie."
Maki smirked, "Well, you just did, because no one ever tells the truth one hundred percent of the time."
"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive," Kiniro grinned as the light in his eyes turned sinister, "Lying is not the only way to manipulate the truth."
Maki clicked her tongue in dismissal, clearly done with Kiniro's antics as she grabbed her onigiri off the table, "Looks like I'm eating in my room today."
"Is it all right if I ask you one more question?" Kiniro called out as Maki was halfway out of the room, making her pause for a moment, "If it's something stupid, I'm going to slam your head against the wall."
Kiniro smiled and tilted his head back to look Maki in the eyes, "Does your twin have the same heavenly restriction as well?"
In the blink of an eye, Maki stood in front of Kiniro, looming over him as her hand shot out and closed around his neck, with her fingers digging into his flesh like the fangs of a viper.
"Who told you about Mai?" Maki asked through clenched teeth as she glared down at Kiniro, who was smiling despite the situation.
"Your soul did," Kiniro replied in a somewhat breathless voice as his cheeks started to flush and a mark of sin appeared on the back of Maki's hand, "There is a connection between the two of you, that's why you still have cursed energy despite your restriction, and why you'll never fully realize your potential, until you find a way to sever that connection."
"You really don't know when to shut the fuck up, do you?" Maki muttered as she let go of Kiniro's throat with a small shove, sending him reeling back as he coughed, "Not a strong suit of mine, no."
Letting out a derisive scoff, Maki promptly turned and left the room, leaving Kiniro massaging his throat where a bruise was already forming.
"Leviathan"
"Asmodeus"
Kiniro healed himself with a broad grin on his face as he recalled the fury in Maki's gaze, 'So that's the source of your wrath…how interesting. I hope your sibling is just as interesting as you are…Maki Zenin.'
---
"So he took down a semi-grade 1."
"Yep."
"And that was the first time he deployed his innate technique in combat?"
"Yep."
"And you said that his cursed energy has a unique property?"
"Yep," Saturo answered with a smile fixed across his lips, "He was also asking about cursed tools afterwards. I told him he should go to you for any advice."
"For what reason," Masamichi muttered, "With everything you've said, it's clear the boy doesn't need any help when it comes to exorcising curses."
"I don't think he has a true reason," Saturo replied with a faint smile, "I think he was just interested in learning about the subject."
Masamichi let out a dry scoff, "From the little I've seen, it's hard to imagine him as someone who gets worked up over the opportunity to enrich his knowledge."
"Wouldn't you be the least bit interested in exploring things after being controlled for all your life?" Saturo questioned with a smirk, only for Masamichi to shake his head.
"Kiniro wasn't being controlled, Saturo," Masamichi contradicted as he glanced over at his former student, "Out of everyone evolved, Kiniro was the one who benefited the most. He shows no remorse for those the cult sacrificed in his name, or even about the fate of his so-called devoted followers."
Saturo pursed his lips, "What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is that if Kiniro was playing along with the cult out of fear, he should have the moral conscience to feel some level of guilt that people died in his name. And if he truly believed in the cult's doctrine, he would be concerned about the prosecution of his followers." Masamichi explained calmly, "His behavior doesn't match either scenario, meaning at best he's apathetic to both. Innocent blood bears no weight on his conscience, and neither does the value of loyalty."
Saturo was silent as he took in Masamichi's words, "So you think he's an unfeeling psychopath?"
"No," Masamichi replied without hesitation, "I believe that Kiniro's is wholly self-absorbed; he only cares about himself and what brings him joy. He's a sociopath by nature and nurture."