Chapter 34 – Clang, Clang! Surprised or Not?
At the center of the wide courtyard, the two faced each other.
"How do you want to do this?" Shinsuke asked calmly.
"Just give me pressure. Make me feel it."
Mei Mei tied her hair back tight, rolling her wrists and loosening her shoulders.
"Pressure? That, I'm good at."
A faint smile tugged at Shinsuke's lips. Applying pressure was practically his specialty.
"Alright… I'm coming!"
She lunged, closing the gap in an instant, driving an upward hook toward his chin.
Shinsuke tilted back just slightly—the fist swept past his face, sharp wind brushing his cheek.
Good power, he thought, but the speed's lacking.
Before Mei Mei could withdraw and reset, a broad hand pressed against her ribs.
"Bang!"
The strike felt like being slammed by a speeding truck—she was blasted off her feet.
She flipped mid-air, rolled with the momentum, and slid back several steps before steadying herself.
Her ribs throbbed with pain.
So this is what he means by "pressure."
"…Looks like I've still got a lot of room to grow."
She surged forward again, legs coiling like springs, her form blurring into a shadow as she reengaged.
This time, with Shinsuke deliberately holding back, she began to adapt, patching gaps in her technique as they traded blows.
The clash whipped up gales so fierce that Mai and Maki could only huddle behind a tree to watch.
Maki's eyes glittered with awe.
"So this… this is what a real fight between the strong looks like. This is the power of Master…"
She had no real measure for levels of strength, but this duel in pure taijutsu struck her to the core.
For the first time, she knew—even without cursed energy, even without a technique, she could become strong. Truly strong.
Like her master.
Her resolve hardened further.
"Brother and that lady are both amazing. I can't even see them clearly anymore," Mai muttered, dizzy from the blinding speed.
"Sis, who's stronger—cousin or that lady?"
"Obviously Master. Do you even need to ask?" Maki shot back.
"Mm… I guess so. Big brother's the strongest," Mai agreed solemnly.
---
An hour passed.
Mei Mei was drenched in sweat, panting, her stamina draining fast.
Shinsuke, meanwhile, Shinsuke hadn't even broken a sweat—his body was like a perpetual engine. Whatever he spent, he recovered faster.
Time to wrap it up.
He caught her incoming fist in his palm and ended the bout.
"That's enough. Your stamina's nearly gone."
For a jujutsu sorcerer, fighting without cursed energy burned through strength quickly.
"Haaah…"
Mei Mei retracted her hand, drawing on her energy to restore herself. She smiled faintly.
"As I thought—I've still got room to improve. Thanks for this."
She could already feel the gains. Once she dissected the details of this spar, her strength would rise again. Stronger meant richer, and richer meant more to save. Just thinking of it made her happy.
"Alright, I'm off. Next time there's good money to be made, I won't forget you."
She waved lightly as she headed for the gate. If he was really strapped for cash like he seemed, she'd make sure he got a cut someday. Consider it repayment.
"Oh? That doesn't sound half bad."
Shinsuke walked her to the gate. He'd thought to invite her to dinner, but knowing her personality, she'd refuse anyway.
He pulled the gate open—
"Clang, clang!"
"Surpriiise! Didn't expect me, huh?!"
Yuki Tsukumo burst in with a wide grin, helmet still on her head. She'd rushed here straight off the plane, determined to shock Shinsuke with her grand return.
The timing was perfect: she arrived just as the gate opened. Truly fate.
But then her eyes fell on Mei Mei—sweaty, smiling, standing at Shinsuke's side.
Her grin froze.
In an instant she shrank into a chibi caricature, eyes welling up with tears, lips quivering in a pout.
"Why…? I was here first!"
She hadn't even been gone that long, and he already had a "new flame."
Her heart ached like mad.
If I'd known this would happen, I never would've played coy last time. I should've just gone all-in!
Hearing that, both Shinsuke and Mei Mei froze for a moment, exchanging a glance.
"You must be Special-Grade Sorcerer Tsukumo Yuki, right? You're mistaken. I was only sparring with him in taijutsu," Mei Mei explained with a calm smile.
Sure, the guy was handsome, with a body like steel—but he wasn't her type. Or rather, she never even thought in that direction. As far as she was concerned, life was about money. Money, and her little brother.
"…Really?" Yuki dabbed at her big, teary eyes, turning to Shinsuke for confirmation.
"It's really just that," Shinsuke said flatly. "And you—couldn't you have given me a heads-up before barging over? What if I wasn't home?"
He shot her an exasperated glance. For a special-grade sorcerer, she sure acted like a kid.
"Heh, I wanted to surprise you."
Yuki slipped off her helmet, tossing her hair back. The gloom of a moment ago vanished as if it had never existed.
"Well then, I'll get out of your way. No need to intrude on your reunion."
Mei Mei chuckled, gave them both a knowing once-over, and left gracefully.
Still, she hadn't expected to stumble on such juicy gossip: Special-Grade Tsukumo Yuki and the "cursed-energy-less failure" of the Zen'in clan? Now that was valuable intel.
Once Mei Mei was gone, Yuki dropped all pretense of formality, slipping into the house like it was her own.
"Go make dinner. I haven't eaten yet. Oh, and I'll be staying here a few days."
"…Don't tell me you're broke again?" Shinsuke deadpanned.
"Eheh." Yuki stuck out her tongue. That was answer enough.
"Wow, another pretty big sister! First one leaves, and now another shows up!"
Mai's eyes widened as she pointed at the blonde woman who had just walked in.
"Oh? Two kids? And what's their relation to you?" Yuki leaned down, studying the twins with curiosity.
"I'm Zen'in Mai, this is my sister Zen'in Maki. We're our brother's little sisters," Mai said brightly, introducing them without hesitation.
"…Zen'in, huh?" Yuki's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "So you really have let the clan go, Shinsuke. Or… do these two have something special about them?"
She activated her cursed energy perception, and the moment she felt the strange imbalance within the twins, her eyes widened.
"…Ah. No wonder."
"Are you eating or not?" Shinsuke snapped, breaking her train of thought.
"Eating! Of course I'm eating!"
"Then go wash the vegetables."
"Roger that!"
Yuki strode off toward the kitchen with no shame whatsoever.
Watching her go, Mai tugged at her brother's sleeve, her face unusually serious.
"Big brother… I think that lady likes you."
Maki crossed her arms and turned away, frowning.
"Hmph. Who cares."
But her expression said otherwise.
If Master gets a girlfriend… will he still have time to train me?
Women really did nothing but slow down the path to strength.