I didn't give a damn what kind of schemes those old vipers were cooking up in the grand hall.
Having returned to the guest room, I sat on the edge of the veranda with the sliding door half-open, leisurely smoking a cigarette.
The air of the Zenin Clan was characteristically fusty and damp. The strange surge of rage and bloodlust that had been simmering in my gut since the moment I stepped into this mansion seemed to dissipate slightly, drifting away with the acrid smoke.
"..."
Tap, tap.
That was when I heard it. From beyond the silent corridor came a footfall—softer than a crawling mouse and extremely irregular.
No, it wasn't so much a walk as it was the pitter-patter of a toddler's first steps.
"Maki... the gwon-ups said we s'ouldn't come here..."
"It's okay, Mai."
One voice was a lisping, tearful whimper, thick with anxiety; the other was another young voice, soothing the first with bold reassurance.
I furrowed my brow, holding my cigarette between my fingers as I turned my head toward the hallway.
"...!"
Through the gap in the half-open sliding door, our eyes met perfectly.
Two little kids with identical bob-cut hair were standing there, holding each other's hands tightly. They couldn't have been more than two years old. It was the Zenin sisters, Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin, scurrying around near the VIP room despite the clan elders' strict orders to stay away.
"Gah...!"
As soon as their eyes met mine—sitting on the veranda with the rough, delinquent vibe of a smoker—the two toddlers hunched their shoulders and gasped.
Mai, being the timid one, looked like she was about to burst into tears and ducked behind Maki's back. Maki, despite being visibly terrified herself, glared at me with guarded eyes as if trying to protect her younger sister.
Seeing that tiny, adorable sight, the disgust and anger toward the Zenin Clan that had flared up while I was trampling Naoya just moments ago melted away like it had all been a lie.
"Ah, crap. The smoke."
I swallowed a small curse and, in a panic, stubbed out the long cigarette I had been holding into the ashtray.
Then, terrified that the smoke might reach the kids' lungs, I began frantically waving my massive arms like a human fan, desperately trying to blow away the smell of tobacco.
It was a movement far more urgent and desperate than the one I used when I was caving in Naoya's face.
Once I felt the cigarette smell had mostly cleared, I softened my expression as much as possible, lowered my voice to a gentle tone, and beckoned toward the twins in the hallway.
"Hey, you two. Why don't you come here for a second?"
The two toddlers flinched at my call. They looked at each other hesitantly before very cautiously waddling up to the veranda.
I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out two sweet fruit candies I had swiped from the VIP room, pressing one into each of their small, chubby hands.
"...!"
Maki and Mai's eyes went wide as saucers the moment they received the candy.
Having grown up within this clan as 'failures' with no Cursed Energy, living under the cold glares of the adults, this kind of selfless affection must have been a first for these young sisters.
I very gently stroked the soft hair of the children standing there in a daze with my large hand. I could feel Maki's guard finally melting away under my touch.
"The fact that you two came here is a secret between the three of us. Got it?"
I met their eyes with a smile on my face.
"Now, hurry back to your room before the adults catch you."
At my words, the twins gave a small nod. Clutching the candies to their chests as if they were precious treasures, they turned back toward the hallway.
"See ya nex' time!"
Pitter, patter.
They walked away clumsily, stealing one last glance back at me to bid their brief farewell before scurrying out of sight. I kept my eyes on those small departing backs for a long time.
Knowledge of the original plot.
The terrible, tragic future of these young sisters—persecuted by the clan for lacking Cursed Energy, eventually leading to a fate where one had to die for the other.
I leaned back deeply against the frame and looked up at the night sky.
'Fine. If I've already set foot in this shitty clan anyway...'
I'll destroy the original work entirely. All of that tragedy.
I'll create a world where those kids don't have to sacrifice themselves or get hurt for each other ever again. For the first time, I had found a definitive goal—something I actually wanted to protect within the Zenin Clan.
Tonight, I felt like I could fall into a very pleasant sleep.