"Surprised to see me?"
Jinsuke glanced around at the tense faces surrounding him, his lips curling into a faint, mocking smile.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not a damn monster."
With that, he pulled his hand off the man's shoulder and started walking toward the inner hall, not sparing a single one of them another glance.
A bunch of self-righteous sorcerers—he couldn't even be bothered to look them in the eye.
"Phew..."
As his back disappeared into the corridor, the group collectively exhaled, faces stiff, brows furrowed. The one he'd touched earlier was drenched in sweat, shirt clinging to his back.
It wasn't cowardice. The pressure Jinsuke gave off was just that overwhelming.
"Mom, who was that?"
Maki tilted her head, tugging at her mother's sleeve as she watched the tall figure fade into the distance.
"He's... technically your cousin," her mother said after a moment, still visibly shaken. She hadn't expected that man to ever step foot in the Zenin Clan again.
A man born without Cursed Energy—mocked, despised, treated like dirt—who somehow forced the entire clan to fear him through sheer physical power alone.
"...Cousin?"
"What's someone like him doing back here? Didn't they exile him?"
Whispers rippled through the onlookers.
"Let's hope we don't get a repeat of what happened back then."
"Hmph. He's just a guy with no Cursed Energy. What's he gonna do, take on the whole Zenin Clan by himself?"
"You clearly weren't around eight years ago. If you were, you'd keep your mouth shut."
"Enough gossip," one of the elders snapped. "Disperse. Now."
Family scandals weren't something the Zenin Clan wanted leaking to the outside world.
As the courtyard slowly cleared, Maki murmured under her breath, frowning. "He doesn't have Cursed Energy either? Then why's everyone so scared of him?"
Her little head couldn't quite piece it together.
Meanwhile, Jinsuke walked into the inner chambers, where an old man sat calmly on a tatami mat.
"Well, look at that. The old man's still alive."
The elder, Naobito Zenin—current head of the Zenin Clan and a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer—poured himself a cup of tea and slid it forward, expression unreadable.
"Eight years," he said casually. "I take it this time you're not leaving again?"
He spoke as if chatting with an old acquaintance, completely unbothered by Jinsuke's reputation. To him, no matter how strong the man had become, he was still just a younger member of the clan.
"Who knows?" Jinsuke took a sip of the tea, immediately grimacing. "Ugh, bitter as hell."
Naobito's lips twitched.
"And Toji?"
"He left after you did," the elder replied. "Cut ties with the clan. Goes by Toji Fushiguro now—took his wife's name."
Despite their friction, Naobito had maintained a surprisingly cordial relationship with Toji. They'd even met not long ago.
"Not to mention," Naobito added, "he sold his son to the clan."
"...Figures." Jinsuke's voice was flat.
He wasn't surprised. He'd grown up with Toji—he knew exactly what kind of man his younger brother was.
"You didn't object?" Naobito raised a brow, noting Jinsuke's indifference.
"Toji made that call himself," Jinsuke said. "Besides, what were we gonna do—two guys with no Cursed Energy teaching him? Please."
He had no intention of reclaiming Megumi. The boy carried a hereditary Zenin Cursed Technique—his future potential was enormous, possibly even rivaling the likes of Satoru Gojo someday.
The clan's resources could cultivate that potential far better than he ever could. Jinsuke wasn't sentimental enough to stand in the way of that.
"Letting the Zenin Clan raise him makes sense," he said simply.
Naobito nodded. "Good. With the Gojo Clan's rise, the Jujutsu World's balance has already shifted. Let's hope Toji's son awakens our family's Cursed Technique. It would help restore that balance."
At the moment, he didn't yet know what Cursed Technique Megumi would inherit. But he'd already struck a deal with Toji—if the boy awakened the Zenin's inherited technique, the clan would pay handsomely.
And by "handsomely," Naobito meant everything.
"Gojo Satoru, huh..."
Jinsuke knew that name all too well.
"So," he said, leaning back lazily, "anything big going on in the Jujutsu World lately?"
Naobito thought for a moment. "If you'd call it 'big,' I suppose it'd be Tengen's five-hundred-year assimilation. It's happening within the next few days."
"Is that so?"
Jinsuke's brow lifted slightly. Guess I came back at the perfect time.
He couldn't help but silently thank Yuki Tsukumo. If he'd stayed abroad any longer, he might've missed the chance to see his younger brother again.
"Anyway, old man," he said, standing and scratching his ear, "don't go dying anytime soon. Without you, the Zenin Clan's done for."
Naobito gave a low chuckle as Jinsuke turned to leave.
Of all the people in this family, only Jinsuke and Toji ever gave him headaches like this. Still... they were his headaches to bear. Anyone else as clan head would've driven the Zenin to ruin long ago.
Outside, sunlight filtered through the courtyard as Jinsuke walked toward the front gate—and spotted two small figures waiting there.
Maki stood tall for her age, chin up, trying to look braver than she felt. Behind her, Mai peeked out timidly, clutching her sister's hand.
"S-sis, he looks scary. Let's just go!" Mai whispered, voice trembling.
Her tiny fingers tightened around Maki's hand, eyes darting toward Jinsuke like he was a monster in human skin.
But Maki didn't move. Her sharp gaze followed him as he approached.
"Hey!" she called out, voice firm. "Why is everyone so afraid of you?"
Her tone wasn't fearful—just curious. Searching.
Jinsuke, who'd been planning to walk straight past, stopped mid-step and looked down at her. A spark of amusement flickered across his face.
"Kid," he said with a small grin, "you've got good eyes."
Then he stepped past her and kept walking.
"Hey! You didn't answer me!" Maki spun around, fists clenched.
"Because they're afraid to die," came his voice, calm and distant, before fading into the wind.
"Afraid to die...?" she repeated softly.
Mai tugged at her sleeve again. "Sis, let's go. Hold my hand, okay? Don't let go."
"Yeah. I got it."
Maki squeezed her sister's hand and led her away, her mind still racing with unanswered questions.
Meanwhile, Jinsuke was already on the road—headed to find his younger brother.
He couldn't help but pity that little girl, though.
He'd sensed it the moment he saw her—Maki had a trace of Cursed Energy, but so faint it was practically nonexistent.
Too little to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Too much to gain a Heavenly Restriction like his or Toji's.
A cruel in-between.
She'd live her whole life trapped between weakness and contempt—mocked by the clan, powerless to fight back.
And there was nothing anyone could do to change that.