In the blink of an eye, more than a week passed, and once again Mukuro faced the start of a new school term.
At the Zenin household.
"Today, Onshin is heading to Tokyo to check out the university. I'll drive her there. You can head to school on your own, brat."
Early in the morning, Toji yawned as he got out of bed. He stretched lazily, then reached over to shake his brother, who was still sound asleep.
"Huh? Are you talking about me?" Still groggy, Mukuro rubbed his eyes, dug a finger in his ear, and looked doubtful, wondering if he had misheard.
"Who else? Stop whining. Worst case, I'll make it up to you with some late-night snacks when I get back." Toji's words were muffled as he brushed his teeth with his right hand, pointing at Mukuro with his left. His expression left no room for debate.
His brother was not like an ordinary kid. Treating him as a simple brat would be a mistake. Toji always thought of him more as a 'grim reaper in an elementary schooler's body.'
"But hey, doesn't it look suspicious for a jobless bum like you to suddenly show up in a luxury car to pick her up?" Mukuro got up reluctantly while speaking. He dragged his half-asleep body to the sink and picked up his own toothbrush.
Sure enough, only two days after collecting their commission, the brothers had gone to Kyoto and bought themselves a high-end SUV.
As for a license? For someone like Toji, getting one was effortless.
"Don't worry about that. I already told her we won the lottery jackpot." Toji had planned ahead. He and Mukuro weren't ready to tell Onshin about the jujutsu world yet.
"Fine, fine. Go already." Mukuro waved him off lazily. A rotten guy like his brother had somehow run into an angel. As a younger brother, he wasn't about to stand in the way.
Splash!
After rinsing his face, Toji threw on a jacket and headed outside. Moments later, the roar of an engine echoed.
"Tch… What a pain. He couldn't have woken me a little earlier? Now I've got to eat breakfast first, which means I'll be late for sure…" Mukuro slung his backpack over his shoulder and muttered.
Running to school was out of the question. He would never take studying seriously enough to run for it.
But when he stepped out into the hallway, he stopped. At the far end stood a small figure waiting for him.
"What's wrong? Got abandoned by Toji, didn't you? Useless loser!" Naoya's obnoxious voice rang out, full of arrogant mockery.
"Give it a rest, kid. No matter how much you jump around in front of us, Toji won't ever look your way. And neither will I, for that matter."
Though only a year older, Mukuro deliberately acted like an elder. Shaking his head in feigned disappointment, he clicked his tongue at Naoya's attempt at provocation.
"You damn failure…"
Mukuro's words cut straight into Naoya's pride. His small, pale face flushed red with fury. He looked like a rat whose tail had just been stepped on, seething with impotent rage.
He cursed under his breath but didn't dare make a move, glaring helplessly as Mukuro walked right past him.
As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't beat the other boy right now. All he could do was swallow his anger and endure.
"Just you wait. I'll show you. The only one qualified to stand beside that man is me!"
Muttering with venom, Naoya stormed back into his own courtyard.
* * *
Mukuro paid Naoya no mind. He left the estate and walked straight toward school. Along the way, his eyes wandered left and right, searching for a good breakfast spot.
"Zenin! Long time no see!"
As he neared the school, a familiar voice called from behind. Mukuro turned his head and saw Nanami waving, jogging over to him.
"I told you, just call me Mukuro." He sighed and shook his head. Growing up in that clan, and always being at Toji's side, he had never been able to feel any attachment to that surname.
"I don't know. Calling you Zenin just feels more natural to me…" Nanami had tried calling him Mukuro for a while, but somehow it never felt quite right on his tongue. So he had gone back to calling him by his family name.
"Whatever, do as you like. Have you had breakfast yet? If not, let's grab something to eat," Mukuro said while rubbing his chin, eyeing the different food stalls lining the street.
It was still early. Plenty of meat in the morning wouldn't be bad, right? He was still a kid, after all, and kids needed nutrition.
"Eh? Breakfast? There's no time for that." Nanami raised his arm to show his watch. He was the type who always arrived just on time, so to him, getting this close to school meant classes were about to start.
"Then you go on ahead. I'll grab something first. Not my fault that my brother didn't bother waking me on time. And skipping breakfast isn't good for kids, you know." Mukuro waved him off and headed toward a nearby ramen shop.
"Too free-spirited…" Nanami couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, watching Mukuro stroll away. But with a sigh, he turned back and headed for the school gates.
"Boss! One deluxe ramen set, please!"
Mukuro plopped down at a table the moment he stepped inside, shouting his order without even glancing at the menu.
"Huh? Little guy, you're here alone? You won't be able to finish all that. Just the signature bowl will be plenty…" The shop owner hurried over when he noticed there were no adults with him.
"Just make it." Mukuro casually pulled several thousand-yen bills from his pocket and waved them.
The owner scratched his head awkwardly but returned to the kitchen. It didn't matter whether the boy could finish or not. The money was in hand.
* * *
Ten minutes after the school bell rang, Mukuro finally emerged from the shop, rubbing his slightly bulging stomach with satisfaction. The other customers had looked on in astonishment the entire time.
"Hey, kid! Hold up!"
He had barely taken a few steps toward school when someone called from behind.
"What is it?" Mukuro turned and saw a group of boys running up. He recognized them; they had been in the ramen shop earlier.
If he remembered right, they were sharing a single bowl of ramen among several of them.
"We're from Teitan Elementary, fifth grade. Your seniors! Must be fate that we ran into each other…" The one in front grinned while speaking in a falsely friendly tone. He even reached out, trying to sling an arm over Mukuro's shoulder.
"Get lost." Mukuro slapped the hand away, glaring at their smug expressions. He then turned to leave.
"Don't rush off, kid! We just want to borrow some money. We'll pay you back in a few days, promise…"
Two others darted forward to block his path, revealing their real purpose.
At school, they were known troublemakers, always extorting younger kids for pocket money. Having seen how freely Mukuro had spent at the ramen shop, they had pegged him as some spoiled rich kid.
"I see. You've got guts, I'll give you that."
"Of course we do! We're super gutsy!" they said proudly, stretching out their hands for cash.
Mukuro's lips curled in disdain. He was about to teach them a lesson himself when a clear voice sounded.
"Kid, what do you say? For just a little payment, your senpai here can handle them for you."
Overhead, a crow flapped its wings, gliding past. From not far away, a girl with striking blue-and-white hair approached with graceful steps.
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