"Alright, you're already grown, so why are you still causing trouble here? Jogo, Satoshi is teaching you Kidō to master it, not to fight with sorcerers, right?"
With Toji stepping in, the farce came to an abrupt end.
The golden rope binding Yuto's wrists and restraining his body was torn apart by Toji with his bare hands.
"Yuto, Jogo is now stronger than you. From now on, Jogo will hold more authority than you in the Yorozuya."
Hearing Toji's declaration, Yuto immediately felt disheartened.
I've always been able to suppress Jogo before, but now that he's mastered Kidō, he's surpassed me in strength!
How am I supposed to hold my head high in front of Yuta from now on?
No, I can't lose to Jogo. Anyone else, fine, but not him.
Meanwhile, Jogo looked at Toji in shock. Seeing him tear apart Kidō with his bare hands, he realized there was still a massive gap between them.
In this world, only Toji and Satoshi could shatter Kidō and Cursed Energy with sheer physical strength.
Oh, maybe that bespectacled little girl will join that list someday.
Jogo glanced at Maki, sighing inwardly. Even though he was growing, others weren't standing still either.
For a moment, the cursed spirit felt a pang of emptiness.
Nine years had passed since he had lived among humans. Had he really adapted to this world? Even he wasn't sure anymore.
"Uncle Jogo, Uncle Jogo, I want to learn!"
"Me too!"
Yuta and Megumi clung to Jogo's legs, eyes sparkling with admiration.
The two thought Jogo had looked incredibly cool earlier when he cast Kidō, both silently with Hainawa and Six Rods Light Prison, and with a full chant when he fired Shakkahō.
To them, these abilities felt like something out of anime, far more dazzling than ordinary jujutsu.
Jogo's loneliness melted away instantly under their eager eyes.
"Alright then, but first you need to master Cursed Energy. Without refining it properly, you won't be able to handle Kidō at all.
"As for whether you can truly learn it, Uncle Jogo can't promise. But you can always ask your Uncle Satoshi for guidance. He's the founder of Kidō, after all. He sees it differently from the rest of us. Remember, Cursed Energy is the foundation of everything."
Jogo's words filled Yuta and Megumi with determination.
Even Maki and Mai were captivated.
Especially Maki. When she first heard Kidō was tied to Cursed Energy, her heart sank. But then she heard Jogo mention that Satoshi had created Kidō, and hope flickered within her.
Satoshi and Toji both carried Heavenly Restriction. If that was the case, wasn't it possible for her too?
Maki wanted nothing more than to become stronger.
But if she had known that Toji himself had never been able to master Kidō, would she still feel that hope?
While the four children focused intently on Jogo's words, Toji turned to Maki and Mai, tapping their foreheads gently.
"Eat up. Once you're finished, go home."
He had no idea how to arrange things for the girls. To avoid trouble, he thought it best to simply send them back to the Zenin household.
But his words instantly killed their appetites.
Images of their cold father, who had used them as shields, and the merciless Zenin clan filled their minds. They shook their heads furiously.
"No, Toji-nii-san! We don't want to go back. We want to learn from you!"
Maki's voice was firm, and Mai nodded repeatedly beside her.
Megumi froze when he heard the Zenin twins call his father "nii-san."
Why are two girls my age calling him brother? Did they get it wrong?
He stared at Toji, waiting for him to correct them.
But to his shock, Toji didn't deny it at all. Instead, he frowned slightly.
"Study with me?"
"I can't take care of kids, nor can I teach you much. If you want to learn jujutsu, the Zenin family's library is full of it. Why not study there?"
At that moment, Megumi finally understood. The two little girls were of the same generation as his father. Though they were about his age, in terms of seniority, they were above him.
Meanwhile, Toji was conflicted. He already found it troublesome raising Megumi and Yuta in the Yorozuya. Adding two more girls would only make things more chaotic.
"Forget it, you should just go home."
That was his final answer.
But Maki's response was something he hadn't expected.
"Toji-nii-san, let's submit a commission! That big brother just said the Yorozuya accepts any request. Then let's commission you!"
She pointed firmly at Yuto, determination burning in her eyes.
Yuto raised a brow. "What kind of commission? You're not asking us to escort you home, are you?"
Maki shook her head vigorously, then declared word by word, "We're commissioning the Yorozuya to teach us how to become stronger, to become true sorcerers!"
The Yorozuya had never taken on a teaching commission before.
Even Yuto fell silent. After all, the leader of the Yorozuya was Toji, not him.
Toji frowned. In his eyes, this commission was pointless. But rejecting a request wasn't the Yorozuya's way.
He studied Maki for a moment, then spoke flatly.
"If you want to commission us, you have to pay the price. Do you have anything valuable enough to tempt the Yorozuya?"
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)