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CHAPTER START---
---June 23rd, 2014, London, 7 AM…
"Never bring me back here again," Mei Mei says the moment Taiyo wakes up.
"Why do you wake up so early?" Taiyo asks as he sits up in their bed, leaning against the headboard.
"Money never sleeps," Mei Mei says as she sits on the single seat at the small table in their room, drinking her coffee and working on her laptop. "And why do you sleep so much? Aren't athletes supposed to be morning people, waking up before the sun to train and all that?"
"I do archery and shooting for a reason, you know," Taiyo says as he reaches over for his phone and checks his inbox. "Why do you hate London, anyway? You didn't enjoy watching me win some more medals?"
"An adult fighting toddlers would be more competition," she says. "But I was surprised by how respectful you were."
"I like to encourage my competition. It helps keep things fun."
"Don't do that in Jujutsu. You'll find it comes back to stab you in the neck."
"You almost sound worried."
"I don't like losing such a promising investment," Mei Mei says as she finishes her drink. Then walks over in her robe and sits beside him in the bed. "And for the record, the weather here is terrible. My skin needs some sunlight."
"And yet you're almost perfect."
"Almost?" she looks over to him, narrowing her eyes at him. "What part of me isn't perfect?"
"Your hair could be longer."
Mei Mei huffs, "Nothing pleases you men, any longer, and it would be a liability in battle."
"Says the woman who fights with a braid blocking half her face."
"My right eye is always sharing vision with my crows," she says. "And my hair is halfway down my back. What more do you want?"
"Another foot?"
"You're always so demanding after sex," Mei Mei huffs and briskly walks over to the bathroom to clean up.
"Enough is never enough!" Taiyo says. "I figured you would understand that!"
Mei Mei pokes her head out before throwing her robe at him. "I'm a priceless resource, the one exception. Now let's get ready for our flight. You're taking me for lunch before we go to the airport."
Taiyo sees a message from Kusakabe and immediately calls the man, hopping out of bed and walking over to the window.
"Finally woke up. Is it morning in Croatia?" Kusakabe asks.
"I'm in England. Croatia was the first stop, my flight back to Tokyo is in a few hours."
"Right, well, I had bigger things to worry about," Kusakabe says.
"How big?"
"Another of the Registered Special Grade Cursed Spirits got taken. We're sure it's Geto."
"Right, which means Gojo isn't willing to get involved."
"Yeah, and the higher-ups are fuming. Yaga says they're planning to drag you into this mess when you get back."
"Which means you'll be right there with me," Taiyo says. "Perks of teaching a Special Grade, right?"
"Don't remind me. But look, when you get back to Tokyo, don't head back to the school immediately. Head back to your house, I'll be there. I need to fill you in on some things before they call you over to headquarters."
"Is it that bad?"
"Potentially yes, they'll either call you to the Kyoto school or Headquarters in Tokyo. From there, we don't know what those old shits are planning."
"Okay, got it. I'll call you when I land."
"Got it," Kusakabe says before hanging up.
Taiyo looks out at the dreary, overcast sky and smiles.
'The conservatives are planning something stupid, and Gojo is probably going to put a foot in their ass for it. But since I've been doing missions for them with Mei Mei, they probably won't strong-arm me into anything.
And Gojo still has those favors, so if they try to make us kill each other, he'll just use one of those to turn me to his side.
Yeah, only he and I know about that, so I'll keep it that way. The sooner he uses them all, the better.'
While Taiyo is considering the nonsense, he'll have to deal with after arriving back in Japan, he feels a wet hand wrap around his shoulder, and then two large, bare breasts press against his back.
"Should I be insulted that you've left me waiting in the tub?" Mei Mei asks.
"No, Kusakabe called. I'll likely get pulled into some nonsense when we get back home."
"A business opportunity?"
"Or a political annoyance."
"Those are the same thing," Mei Mei says.
"Fair enough, so long as it doesn't get in the way of my training," Taiyo says before turning around and holding her waist, pulling her to his chest. "Now let's get our morning started."
Mei Mei rolls her eyes. "I'm naked in your arms, and all you think about is training and fighting Gojo."
"Well, help me clear my head…"
---Hours Later…
"You know, I figured for a woman so consumed by her pursuit of wealth, you'd be a bit more averse to spending money," Taiyo says.
He and Mei Mei are walking through the busy streets of London, and of course, she has him carrying a few shopping bags, from outrageously overpriced brands.
"I'm not cheap with myself," Mei Mei says. "Besides, when you work as hard as I do, it's important to treat yourself."
"I see, well, whatever, it's not my life, so I really don't care that much," Taiyo says.
While walking to the next store, they cut through an alleyway and see a man mugging a woman, threatening her with a knife.
"Never coming back here," Mei Mei mutters as they continue walking through the alley, approaching the two from the side.
"It's not that bad, and I like how they're more relaxed with the rules than Japan," Taiyo says.
"A society without rules would be terrible," Mei Mei says.
"Yeah, unless you're in charge, or strong enough."
With that, Taiyo casually kicks a pebble, coating it in Cursed Energy as it rockets through the man's skull like a bullet, exploding his head.
"AHHHHH!" The woman screams as blood splatters across her face before she runs away, not even noticing Taiyo and Mei Mei.
"You shouldn't do that," Mei Mei says as they walk toward the corpse, only to stop in front of it.
"What, you're about to grill me about Jujutsu regulations? All that crap about only using Jujutsu to protect humans and not using it against them…so boring."
"What I meant was, never do anything for free," she fishes through the man's pockets and takes his entire wallet.
Taiyo watches her pocket the money before handing him the wallet, which he immolates.
"There, now you've been paid," she says as they continue shopping.
After buying a new dress, and having him help her pick which looks best, they make their way to the airport.
But not before struggling to force all her purchases into her luggage.
She refused to pay for an extra suitcase.
He was not amused.
And now they're sitting in first class on the long direct flight back to Tokyo, just after the plane gets to a steady cruise in the air.
"Fourteen hours on a plane with other people. I hate you," Mei Mei says quietly as she types away on her laptop.
"I'll be sure to get us a private jet for long flights like these, next time," He says jokingly.
"Why would I ever join you for another trip?" Mei Mei asks. "You've already mastered Simple Domain, you don't need me anymore."
"Arm candy?"
"That'll cost you."
"I can afford it," Taiyo says. "I'm leaning more into the celebrity side of things now. It's a lot more profitable."
"And pisses off headquarters even more. Are you trying to get yourself into trouble?"
"I'm making the public familiar with me, getting them to trust me, that's all for now."
Mei Mei stops typing and looks at him, gently holding his arm and leaning close. "If you plan to do what I suspect you're building toward…my business could be put at risk."
Taiyo turns and leans in close, whispering in her ear, "For a moment there, I thought you had a heart, that you were worried about the millions that could die…assuming your assumptions are right, of course."
"And, are they?"
"No," Taiyo kisses her on the cheek before leaning back in his seat, "You think too small…"
END CHAPTER---
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pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene [Read ahead & support me]
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