Chapter 54 — Comfort
"What?" Ren's shock was written plainly across his face.
"So if I had the choice," Maki continued quietly, "I'd rather not have this ability at all."
"The world of jujutsu is a world of cursed energy. Without cursed energy, what kind of sorcerer am I?"
"Even physical strength can be enhanced through cursed energy."
She stared at her own hands.
"This kind of trade-off… isn't worth it at all."
Ren fell silent.
This situation was something he had never encountered before.
It was worse than any of the cases he had seen previously.
Miwa Kasumi didn't have a cursed technique, but she still had cursed energy.
Zen'in Mai had very little cursed energy, but she could at least use a technique.
Ren had once thought those situations were already unfortunate enough.
Yet now there was Zen'in Maki.
And considering that she had been born into the Zen'in Clan, one of the great families of jujutsu society—where expectations were heavy—having zero cursed energy made her situation even more awkward.
The pressure and disappointment she must have faced were obvious.
…But after thinking about it carefully, Ren realized things might not be that simple.
Maki lowered her head and gave a bitter smile.
"Actually… when you found out I had no cursed energy, you were disappointed too, weren't you?"
"Uh—"
Ren choked on his words and hurried to correct himself.
"That's true," he admitted seriously.
"But I was disappointed in myself, not in you."
"I wanted to challenge a strong opponent to improve myself."
"That wasn't disappointment directed at you, Maki."
"What's the difference?" she asked, widening her eyes, clearly annoyed by what sounded like clumsy damage control.
"Isn't that basically the same thing?"
"No," Ren said firmly. "It's completely different."
"Challenging strong opponents is my own wish."
"And you," he paused, his tone resolute, "have no obligation to meet anyone else's expectations."
"Not the Zen'in clan's. Not mine. Not anyone's."
"My disappointment came from my own misjudgment."
"In the end, it just means my own ability to judge people was lacking. That's my fault—not yours."
Before Maki could dwell on the argument further, Ren quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, from my perspective, having no cursed energy isn't necessarily a fatal flaw."
Under Maki's puzzled gaze, he organized his thoughts and raised two fingers.
"Cursed energy basically has two main uses."
"First: strengthening the body."
"Your physical strength is already stronger—far stronger—than most sorcerers I've ever seen."
"Even if they reinforce themselves with cursed energy, they still can't match you."
"I think that's the benefit of Heavenly Restriction."
"The physical enhancement it provides is on a completely different level from ordinary cursed energy reinforcement."
"Second: activating innate techniques."
"Sure, without cursed energy you can't use techniques."
"But that problem… can be solved with cursed tools, right?"
"Many cursed tools already contain techniques. And every sorcerer normally only has one innate technique anyway."
"So if you just carry several cursed tools with techniques built into them, that solves the issue."
"And the physical advantages granted by Heavenly Restriction are something ordinary cursed tools can't easily compensate for."
"Plus," Ren continued, "your powerful physique allows you to bring out far more potential from cursed tools than most sorcerers."
"Take your glasses, for example."
"If a normal sorcerer wore those glasses, could they make the same use of them as you do?"
"That's because normal sorcerers don't need these glasses," Maki replied bitterly, glancing at the battered frames in her hand.
"…Right." Ren coughed awkwardly, realizing his example had backfired.
"Well then—what about other cursed tools?"
"For example, the naginata you used during the exchange event."
"If someone else held it, could they produce attacks as powerful as yours?"
"I've met sorcerers who fight with cursed tools while enhancing themselves with cursed energy…"
Sorry, Miwa, Ren thought silently.
To cheer her up, I'll have to sacrifice you as an example for a moment.
"But in terms of physical ability, mastery of cursed tools, and the actual combat power they produce—none of them can compare to you."
The gloom on Maki's face finally eased a little.
"Come to think of it," Ren added, "since the Zen'in family is such a prestigious clan, you should have plenty of cursed tools like that, right?"
The faint relaxation in Maki's expression vanished immediately.
Her brows knitted together again.
"There are some," she said with a cold snort. "But…"
Oops.
Ren could roughly guess her relationship with the Zen'in clan.
A so-called "disappointing" child of a prestigious family usually didn't have the best relationship with the clan—and likely held a low status within it.
He had basically hit a sore spot.
"Well, if you really can't get any, that's fine too," Ren said, scratching his head casually.
"I'll just get a few for you in the future."
"You…" Maki suddenly turned toward him. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Caught by her bright, piercing gaze, Ren felt a bit flustered.
But honestly, he had spoken without thinking too deeply about it.
"It's… not really that big of a deal," he muttered awkwardly.
And that was the truth.
Ren had extremely high confidence in himself.
With his talent and strength, he was certain he would thrive in the jujutsu world in the future.
Obtaining a few cursed tools would be easy—nothing more than a small favor.
"I just think it would be a waste," he said after a pause, looking at her seriously.
"You've got such an incredible body."
"If you could also master a few good cursed tools, you'd definitely become an amazing sorcerer."
"Me?" Maki gave a faint, self-mocking laugh. "Amazing?"
But beneath that self-deprecation, something else stirred inside her.
A quiet mixture of surprise… and unease.
This was the first time someone had ever said she was impressive.
(Not because of a misunderstanding.)
It was also the first time someone had praised her body—the very body she believed to be cursed.
She suddenly felt like a child receiving praise from an adult for the first time.
She didn't know how to react.
"Just imagine it," Ren said, noticing her lack of confidence and trying to encourage her.
"In your left hand, a blade that can cut through anything."
"In your right hand, the ultimate shield that can neutralize any technique."
He waved his arms dramatically.
"At that point you'd basically be invincible!"
"There's no such overpowered cursed tool," Maki said with a snort, unable to hold back her laughter.
"And if something like that existed, even a dog holding it would be unbeatable."
"…Yeah, that's true," Ren admitted awkwardly.
"Anyway—even if the cursed tools aren't that powerful, someone with superior physical ability can bring out far more of their potential."
"That's pretty obvious, right?"
"That part I agree with," Maki said.
It was the first time she had openly agreed with him.
She lifted her eyes and looked at the cheerful boy in front of her.
Suddenly, a faint blush appeared on her face.