"Hey! We were just having a little chat with our junior. This has nothing to do with you, does it?!"
The older boys froze after the girl appeared, stepping back a few steps unconsciously. After a moment they realized they'd overreacted and forced themselves to move closer again, puffing out their chests as they challenged her.
"Who knows~ If this kid here becomes my customer, then of course I'll have to keep him safe from small-time thugs like you."
The girl walked forward, placing herself between Mukuro and the group. They were all taller than her, but her young face showed only composure and absolute confidence.
"Damn it… Let's go! Witch, you just wait!"
When she raised a small white fist, the boys' bravado collapsed. They turned and bolted toward the school gates, still yelling empty threats over their shoulders as they fled.
"How about that, kid," the girl turned back, her eyes narrowing into playful crescents as a sweet smile lit up her face, "I helped you chase away the bad guys. Shouldn't you give me a little something in return?"
She stretched out her palm expectantly.
Mukuro replied in a casual tone, "Sorry to disappoint you, but you saved them, not me. I was just about to knock them all flat."
"What? If I hadn't shown up, who knows what those older kids would've done to a little bean like you!" Her cheeks puffed slightly in irritation as she marched closer, jabbing a finger almost against his nose.
Mukuro shrugged. "It's just bullying some monkeys with cursed energy. It's no big deal. I could do it without cursed energy too."
He turned away and headed toward the school. He already knew why the others had been scared of her. Putting aside that easily recognizable face, he had seen the faint trace of cursed energy on her fist. Even a little bit of that was enough to create a huge gap in strength, especially against a group of powerless elementary schoolers.
"Huh? You've awakened an ability too?! I'm Mei Mei, third grade. What about you?"
Instead of leaving, she stuck to him like glue.
"My name's Mukuro. What do you want?" He glanced at her fresh, innocent-looking face. She was younger than the version he remembered, but he wasn't fooled. Knowing her money-loving nature, there was no way she had approached him just out of kindness.
"Well… what class and grade are you in? After class, I want to talk business with you."
Having met another one like her, Mei Mei clearly had other plans.
"Fine," he said simply and told her the truth.
* * *
By the time the first period was nearly over, Mukuro finally made it to his classroom door.
"Zenin? Finally! I even tried calling your home, but no one answered…"
The homeroom teacher, who had been lecturing with a worried face all period, let out a huge sigh of relief when Mukuro knocked. He hurried him inside and pointed toward his seat.
The bell rang right then. Mukuro, who had spent the morning stuffing himself with ramen, had effectively skipped the first class.
"Zenin, you took forever with breakfast. I thought you'd only be ten minutes late at most." Sitting in the corner with his chin resting on his hand, Nanami gave him a look.
Both of them, able to see curses and aware of things beyond ordinary kids, were outsiders in class. It was only natural they had gravitated toward each other, forming a tiny group of two that the rest of the students couldn't quite mix with.
"Ran into a little problem." Mukuro didn't hold back. He recounted the morning's events and emphasized that Mei Mei had been the one who had saved the older bullies.
"Mei Mei?! You mean the one they call the Witch? I heard she's never lost a fight in school! She's notorious."
Nanami's relaxed attitude vanished at the name. He sat up straight, his expression suddenly tense.
"Is that so? I didn't know I was so famous~"
A teasing voice echoed beside him, making him flinch so hard he nearly fell off his chair. He turned his head and saw Mei Mei outside the window next to them, smiling.
"Let's go. Let's hear what she wants."
Mukuro got up and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking every bit the delinquent king, and motioned for Nanami to follow.
"Me?!" Nanami hesitated, but he rose anyway.
Together the three of them walked to the far end of the hallway. Students passing by noticed Mei Mei and immediately gave the trio wide berth, unwilling to get too close.
"This one…" she began.
"He's Nanami. He's awakened a technique too," Mukuro interrupted before she could finish.
"That makes things easy!" Mei Mei stroked her chin, a sly grin on her face, and laid out her plan to the two boys.
Bullying in elementary and middle schools was rampant. Mei Mei had earned a fearsome reputation at Teitan Elementary by stepping in for weaker students, of course, for a fee. Even at her young age, she had learned to manipulate cursed energy, which made her virtually unbeatable at school.
Now with Mukuro and Nanami, she intended to expand her little "business," bringing in students from nearby schools as clients as well. In short, protection fees, but she actually did the work she promised.
"Hey, that's basically the mafia, isn't it?!" Nanami's eyes widened, his jaw dropping as he looked between the two.
"What do you mean 'mafia'? You're being shallow. We just get paid to do a job. And we're not doing anything bad; that's called work! In this world, money is very important!" Mei Mei patiently explained. Kids their age couldn't earn money through ordinary jobs, so this was a practical solution.
"I'm against it!" Nanami was firm. He believed they shouldn't be doing such things. The two sides reached an impasse.
"Hey, I have a better idea." Mukuro raised a finger, cutting off their argument. "What's the point of taking money from kids? If we're going to earn, we should take from adults, like real jujutsu sorcerers. We exorcise curses and get paid for it."
He spoke with confidence, ignoring the stunned looks on their faces.
"You really are a kid… Do you know how dangerous curses are? Do you think anyone will hire children to do that?" Mei Mei sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"There's always a shortage of sorcerers. And most low-grade curses never even get handled because ordinary people can't find help, so there's actually an opportunity here," Mukuro continued analyzing, even bragging about defeating a semi-grade 2 sorcerer in a Tokyo mall, enough to sound impressive, but not too outrageous.
Mei Mei lowered her head, looking thoughtful. "If that's true… then it might actually work. My technique is good for gathering intel. What about you two?"
Nanami didn't answer, just glanced at Mukuro.
"My ability is fighting," he said vaguely, offering no further details.
"Fighting… plus one," Nanami followed, giving his quiet agreement. He trusted Mukuro, and he saw this as both a chance to train his ability and save money to reach the place described in the books.
"All right, I'll handle finding clients. We'll start with easy jobs first."
Mei Mei wasn't fully convinced, but judging by their expressions, it seemed worth trying. She could already imagine piles of cash flying her way.
And so, a small group of young sorcerers was formed.
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