"Alright, alright, I understand."
"Ken will be in your care for the time being. Goodbye, Master."
"Please take care of your health."
"Yomi-nee, are you on the phone?"
Having finished his shower, Kenmyo walked out to find Yomi Isayama sitting on the tatami mat, whispering into her phone.
"It's nothing, just some work-related matters," she replied.
"Oh, okay." Kenmyo didn't give it much thought. Beside Yomi lay a slender object wrapped in high-quality red silk, placed carefully within reach—something she clearly valued deeply.
After hanging up, Yomi stared at her phone for a moment, her expression shifting into something unreadable, as if she were processing the news she'd just received.
Master said her 'useless' younger brother had awakened his own Innate Technique?
And that he had dealt with a weakened Grade 1 Cursed Spirit by turning it into a bomb? No wonder Yomi had suddenly sensed a spine-chilling surge of Cursed Energy earlier tonight. For a moment, she had thought a Special Grade had appeared, especially with that pillar of fire visible across all of Tokyo.
Was that all her brother's doing?
"Ken, you..."
But when Yomi decided to ask Kenmyo exactly what had happened, the words caught in her throat like a fishbone. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"What is it, Yomi-nee?"
Kenmyo was standing in front of the now fully-stocked fridge, happily gulping down a large glass of chilled barley tea. Yomi had a habit: every time she visited, she would fill his fridge to the brim with enough food to last him for days. Kenmyo was currently enjoying the perks of that habit.
"Hmph. I was going to say that you haven't even eaten yet! Drinking ice-cold drinks on an empty stomach will give you a stomachache," Yomi said sternly, putting on her "big sister" persona.
"You're so strict, Yomi-nee," Kenmyo sighed, putting the tea back.
"Alright, come and eat."
Yomi gestured for Kenmyo to sit while she took the spot opposite him. She had prepared four dishes and a soup: eggplant claypot rice, grilled eel, braised beef with potatoes, pan-fried tofu, and a bowl of miso soup. Both the color and aroma were top-tier—simple home-cooked meals that were anything but simple, enough to make anyone's mouth water.
Taking the rice bowl from Yomi, Kenmyo realized he was starving; his stomach let out an audible growl.
"Aren't you eating, Yomi-nee?"
Despite his hunger, he noticed there was only one set of utensils on the table. He didn't start eating immediately, choosing to ask first.
"I'm not hungry; I ate earlier," Yomi explained with a smile, resting her chin in her hands. "Besides, I was just stopping by during a mission to see how you were doing. Go ahead and eat. Once you're done, I'll clear the table and head back out."
"You still have to work this late?"
It was already after 8:00 PM when Kenmyo got home. By the time he'd showered and sat down, it was nearly 9:00 PM. Yet Yomi said she had to continue her mission after he finished.
Damn, those 'old dogs' at the Sorcerers Association really aren't human, Kenmyo thought with a frustrated click of his tongue. Complete bastards.
It was supposed to be rest time, yet they were dispatching a 19-year-old girl on a mission. What about labor laws?
"Yomi-nee, even if your mission completion rate is high, the Association shouldn't exploit you like this."
Yomi Isayama held another title: the "Prodigy of the Jujutsu World." At 19, she was already a Grade 1 Sorcerer and had gained the recognition of the Isayama family's ancestral Special Grade Cursed Tool, [Shishio]. It was essentially confirmed that she would be the next head of the Isayama clan. (A status that meant she couldn't marry out; she would have to take a husband into the family.)
With her stunning looks, immense strength, and cold demeanor, she was like a rose with thorns. She was often compared to the only current Special Grade sorcerer in the Association, Yuki Tsukumo. While the latter was an unruly, willful lady who ignored orders, Yomi was a terrifying "mission machine." Simultaneously, reviving the declining and depopulated Isayama family was Yomi's duty as the heir.
"It can't be helped. The Association is short-staffed as it is."
"Short of people who actually do work, you mean."
Kenmyo was sick of this trash Association. If they kicked out all the Grade 1 and 2 sorcerers who spent their days reading newspapers, drinking tea, and sitting in offices, he didn't believe for a second that an organization consuming a quarter of the Japanese government's budget would be "short-staffed." The ones who did the actual work stayed at the bottom, while the sycophants who wagged their tails for leadership got promoted.
Look at Mr. Akutagawa and the others—they had given everything to the Association, and what did they have to show for it? A Grade 1 certificate and bodies covered in scars.
"Yomi-nee, since Mr. Akutagawa gave me two months off, let me help you."
Kenmyo knew Yomi always worked solo.
"Two people can look out for each other. Oh, I forgot to tell you—I actually awakened my technique. I won't be a drag. Let's build up the Isayama name together!"
The Kamo clan meant nothing to him. The Isayama family, which had taken him in and allowed him to grow up in peace, was his true home.
"Ken..." Yomi was genuinely moved to hear her brother offer to lighten her burden.
Yomi found it hard to trust others. Even her cousin, Mei Isayama, and her uncle, whom she'd lived with for nearly a decade, still looked at her with the eyes of outsiders filled with jealousy. If family was like that, strangers were even worse. This was why she was always cold on missions; emotions were redundant. A cold heart ensured no hesitation when she drew her blade.
"I'm sorry, Ken. I can't."
"Why, Yomi-nee?"
"Because my work is far more dangerous than the jobs you do with Master and the others."
As an active combatant, Yomi didn't just face horrific Cursed Spirits. She also hunted those who used Cursed Energy for evil—people who used guns, explosives, assassination, and poison. "If something happens to me, at least our family still has you."
"Then let's make a bet." Kenmyo didn't give up. To get points, he had to prove his value. "If I complete the mission the Association gave you before you do, then you have to agree to let me join your team."
"No, it's too dangerous!" Yomi thought of her current task; it was not something a rookie who just awakened a technique could handle.
But Kenmyo's next words shook her resolve.
"You know, Yomi... Sakura is gone. You're the only sister I have left. As your brother, how can I let you work dangerous jobs alone in the dead of night while I curl up and sleep at home?"
Kenmyo's persistence finally wore down the girl's defenses.
"Alright. Fine."