Chapter 43 — The Limits of This Martial Art
It had only been a few days since Zen'in Maki left the clan for Tokyo Jujutsu High when Shinsuke found himself facing Zen'in Mai's tearful "complaint."
She showed up at his house looking utterly dejected, like someone who had just been abandoned, her expression pitiful enough to tug at anyone's heart.
"Brother… Sister abandoned me." Mai's voice was faint as she lifted her head, eyes clouded with confusion.
Shinsuke's cheek twitched.
Abandoned? Really?
Wasn't it just that Maki hadn't discussed things with her?
He almost laughed, but seeing Mai on the verge of tears, he swallowed his sarcasm and instead asked gently:
"You already know?"
"I overheard her talking with the clan head," Mai admitted, her voice trembling. "I waited… I kept waiting for her to tell me herself. But the only news I heard was that she had already left the Zen'in family."
That could only mean one thing—Maki had left her behind.
Was it because I'm useless? Mai thought bitterly. Because I'm too weak?
"Don't be so heartbroken. Maybe she just didn't want you to worry," Shinsuke offered. He had long expected the sisters' relationship to splinter like this.
"So that's why she told you before she left—but not me?" Mai's lips tightened. She was no longer the little girl who could be tricked with a few comforting words.
"You're jealous?" Shinsuke raised a brow.
The moment he caught that resentful little glare, it all clicked. Mai wasn't truly angry about being left behind—she was sulking because Maki had confided in him but not in her.
"No way! Why would I be jealous of you, Brother!" she snapped, turning her head aside. But her pout gave her away completely—like she had hung the vinegar jar right off her lips.
"Alright, alright. If you really want answers, go to Tokyo and ask Maki yourself. Beats sitting here stewing in jealousy."
Shinsuke sighed. Honestly, what was with this kid's possessiveness? She might as well just marry her sister and be done with it.
"Brother! I told you I'm not jealous!"
Mai whipped back around, cheeks flushed red—not from anger, but from the embarrassment of being seen through so easily.
"And I'm not going to her. If she looks down on me… then I'll prove her wrong!"
Her eyes burned with a determination Shinsuke rarely saw.
"Prove her wrong? How? By being stronger than her?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
"I'll prove that I can stand beside her. That I can help her!"
If her sister thought she was useless, then she'd prove otherwise—no matter how hard it was.
"And how exactly are you planning to do that?"
"I'll defeat her!" Mai clenched her fists tightly, as if making an oath.
"Pffft—hahahaha!"
Shinsuke burst out laughing. From his perspective, her declaration was just too funny. He didn't want to crush her spirit, but the truth was… beating Maki would be nearly impossible.
Unless Mai could somehow patch the fundamental flaw in her cursed technique, her chances were slim.
"Brother! You're laughing at me again! I won't forgive you!"
She stomped her foot, cheeks puffed. Deep down, she knew it was a near-impossible goal. But still—she was a sorcerer, wasn't she? If she worked hard enough, maybe… just maybe… she could do it.
"Brother, I'm going to Kyoto Jujutsu High! Just you wait—one day I'll prove you wrong!"
With that fiery declaration, Mai stormed off, her little figure practically vibrating with indignation.
This time, she was serious. She'd break ties if she had to. She'd fight her sister, and she'd keep fighting until even her brother had to stop laughing at her.
"…Still just a kid," Shinsuke muttered, shaking his head as he watched her disappear into the distance.
Her body had grown, but her mindset was still childish. A few years of hardship outside would probably fix that.
After sending Mai away, Shinsuke didn't linger at home. Instead, he decided to check in on his nephew. By next year, once school was finished, that kid should be enrolling at Jujutsu High.
After all, the boy had never liked the Zen'in clan much.
While living there, Fushiguro Megumi had always felt the clan members were deliberately trying to curry favor with him. It wasn't the kind of place he could call "home."
Shinsuke arrived at a small restaurant. The lunch rush had long passed, and the dining hall was nearly empty.
"Boss, bring me one of everything on the menu," he called casually the moment he stepped inside.
Behind the counter, Toji's face darkened the instant he saw that familiar face. "You gonna eat all that? Or are you just here to bankrupt me?"
Ever since taking in Megumi and Tsumiki, Toji had used his last savings to buy out a small restaurant. With work for assassins drying up and two kids to care for, he had no interest in making more enemies.
Sure, every mission he had taken in the past was tied up cleanly, but there was always the chance someone slipped through the cracks. Better to give up the assassin life altogether.
Now he ran this place as the owner, hired a few workers, dropped by when needed—and spent the rest of his time training.
"Who do you think you're underestimating? Just bring it all out, less nonsense," Shinsuke said, making himself comfortable like he owned the place. After all, he never paid anyway.
Toji shot him a look, then turned to the waiter clearing tables. "Give him the cheapest set meal we have."
"Got it, boss!"
"Hey, hey, don't be stingy, Toji!" Shinsuke protested.
Toji ignored him. He had two kids to raise, and Tsumiki's expensive nutrient solutions for her condition weren't cheap. He had to save where he could.
In fact, he had already made plans—if Megumi refused to go back to the Zen'in clan for the inheritance, then he'd send him off to Jujutsu High. With his unreliable older "brother" working there as a teacher, at least someone could keep an eye on him.
"By the way, Toji," Shinsuke asked, brushing past the stinginess, "how's the training going? You open the fourth gate yet?"
It had been years since Toji asked him to unlock the fourth acupuncture gate. If he hadn't been slacking off, he should be just about there by now.
"Give me a couple more days," Toji replied. Then, almost reluctantly, he asked: "Tell me—how far can this taijutsu really go?"
He had been cultivating the Eight Gates for over a decade. The deeper he went, the more terrifying the technique felt—but also the more difficult. Each new stage took exponentially longer.
Just producing a wisp of blood-energy now felt a hundred times harder than it had when he first started.
"How many do you think there are?" Shinsuke chuckled, tossing the question back.
The Eight Gates were nothing like cursed techniques. A genius sorcerer could develop their technique to the limit at a young age, reaching their peak early.
But this taijutsu was different. It required grinding down the flesh and bone over time—slow, patient refinement of the body itself.
"…Five?" Toji guessed.
Each gate he had opened gave him an entirely different feeling, each amplifying his strength more than the last. At this rate, he figured his ceiling was the fifth. Any more than that felt impossible.
"Close enough."
Shinsuke didn't elaborate. Toji wasn't wrong—an ordinary man without cursed energy usually topped out at five gates.
If not for his "cheat," Shinsuke himself would likely have been stuck there as well.
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