Chapter 32 — Fixing the Stick?
"Uncle, I'll be heading home now."
Fushiguro Megumi stopped at the gate, giving a polite farewell to Zen'in Shinsuke.
Because of certain agreements, Megumi would come to the Zen'in estate every weekend to study the Ten Shadows Technique.
The markings of that hereditary technique were etched into his very being—meaning that, for the first time in decades, the Zen'in clan finally had the potential to produce another special grade sorcerer.
When the clan first learned that Toji's son had inherited the Ten Shadows, they were both furious and elated. Furious that their sacred technique had awakened in someone outside the family. Elated that, since he still carried Zen'in blood, there was a chance of bringing him back into the fold.
But that joy quickly soured. Toji had sold Megumi to the clan, yes—but later regretted it, making his son's connection to them tenuous at best.
Now, Megumi treated the clan like a cram school: a place to study, nothing more. He came only to deepen his grasp of the technique and tame more shikigami.
And so, aside from Naobito, most of the Zen'in resented him. Or rather, resented Toji.
Why should a man with no cursed energy father a son blessed with their most prized technique? They could not understand it—and could only choke on their own bitterness.
"Mm. Be careful on the road."
Shinsuke glanced at the spiky-haired boy. If not for Toji and himself standing guard, the clan would have long since forced Megumi to change his surname.
Then again, even without them, there was still Gojo Satoru.
The kid was lucky—very lucky.
"Hey! Little nephew, only saying goodbye to big brother?"
Mai stood beside Shinsuke with her hands on her hips, nose tilted high, glaring down at Megumi. She and Maki had always been the lowest of the low in the clan. And now this outsider nephew appeared? She had to act the elder somehow.
"Tch. Boring."
Megumi curled his lip and ignored her, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder as he walked away.
Someone his age, expecting him to call her aunt? Not a chance.
"Ugh! Brother, did you see that? No respect for his elders at all!"
Mai stomped her foot in frustration. She'd finally found someone with lower standing than herself, but of course he had to be a thorn.
She tugged on Shinsuke's arm, whining to salvage her lost dignity.
Shinsuke, however, could only shrug. They were all just kids—he wasn't about to pick sides.
Mai, seeing her brother unmoved, puffed out her cheeks in a sulk and swore to ignore him for three whole hours.
---
A short while after Megumi left, there was a knock at the gate.
Standing there was a tall woman in black, her long ice-blue braid falling over her shoulder—an unmistakable figure.
"Mei Mei? What brings you here?"
Shinsuke raised an eyebrow. Don't tell me she came to demand compensation for that dulled axe he'd borrowed? She'd said he didn't owe her anything…
"Shinsuke-sensei, your weapon broke during the last battle, didn't it? I came to repair it for you."
Mei Mei's voice was calm, her face serious. She wasn't joking.
After all, how could a single axe repay a life-saving debt? She'd noticed his cursed tool was snapped and figured, since she was free today, she might as well lend a hand.
"Hss—! How much is this gonna cost me? If it's expensive, I'll pass."
Shinsuke grimaced, thinking of the shattered Playful Cloud still lying inside his house.
Repairing a special-grade cursed tool cost a fortune. He'd left it sitting, planning to dump it on Maki later—let her figure out how to pay for it.
And now Mei Mei was at his door? He immediately remembered her reputation: a money-hoarding miser.
"Pfft."
Mei Mei's eyes crinkled as laughter slipped out. She hadn't expected him to react like that.
So, he was stingy about money too? She never would've guessed. Then again, he did take every curse-extermination job he could… it made sense.
"Are you really that broke? If you need it, I could lend you some money. Of course, with interest."
Free weapon repairs, sure. But loans? Those were always high-interest. That was her line in the sand.
"No thanks."
Shinsuke waved her off. Of all people, she was the last one he'd borrow money from. His salary wasn't nearly enough to cover Mei Mei's kind of interest.
"Hahaha, just kidding. Really though—give me the weapon. Five days, and I'll return it good as new. No charge."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Her eyes were firm, her tone sincere. For once, no hidden tricks.
A little confused, Shinsuke fetched the broken Playful Cloud and handed it over.
"I'll get it back to you—no corner-cutting."
Mei Mei turned and left, as if she'd truly come just to fix his weapon.
For the first time, Shinsuke's opinion of her shifted. Maybe she wasn't just a money-grubber after all. Maybe she knew how to repay debts.
"Oh, right. Your taijutsu's incredible, isn't it? Next time, let's spar. No weapons."
Not far from the gate, Mei Mei called back with a grin.
Her own power was built mostly on hand-to-hand combat. But his surpassed hers by far. If he agreed, maybe—just maybe—she could learn something.
She wanted to get stronger—for one reason only.
So she could make more money.
Save it all.
Hearing Mei Mei's parting words, Shinsuke couldn't help but feel… something was off.
"Brother, who was that pretty lady?"
Mai tilted her head curiously, staring after Mei Mei's retreating figure.
"A skilled sorcerer who really, really likes money," Shinsuke replied flatly.
"Then… is she your girlfriend?"
Mai blinked up at him, her big eyes sparkling with mischief.
Shinsuke froze. Against his will, that woman's face flickered through his mind.
He shook his head furiously.
"What the hell are you thinking?!"
Then his glare fell on Mai. "Tell me, is your skin itching for a beating?"
Little brat—already prying into his personal life? Did she want to overthrow the heavens?
"I was just asking…"
Mai puffed out her cheeks, lips trembling with mock grievance.
"No more asking. Be good, go train with Maki. Look at you—so weak you couldn't beat anyone. If you keep this up, the only thing you'll be able to do in the future is cry alone when you get bullied."
For a moment, Shinsuke wondered if he needed to reshape the image he held in his little sister's heart.
"Nooo, I don't wanna train! I don't need to—since I've got you and sis, nobody dares to bully me!"
Mai threw herself at his leg, clinging tightly and whining.
Over the years, she'd completely mastered the art of acting spoiled. She knew exactly who her biggest shield was. As long as she stuck close to her brother, not even the Zen'in clan would dare touch her.
"You really are…"
Shinsuke sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
This girl had truly achieved enlightenment—understanding that ninety percent of life's problems could be solved with well-placed whining.
The remaining ten percent were simply the things he absolutely refused to budge on.