"If you don't agree, I'll keep kneeling until you do."
Maki's tone was exceptionally firm.
She didn't know why her cousin didn't want to teach her, but that was how it always went on TV. As long as she knelt and kowtowed, there was a good chance he'd agree.
If he still didn't, then he was testing her. All she had to do was keep kneeling.
"..."
Shinsuke Zenin couldn't help laughing at Maki.
He'd just thought she seemed rather mature, but no matter how mature she acted, she was still just a kid.
"Get up."
"You agree!" Maki was instantly delighted.
"What are you thinking? It's not that easy. Don't you know there's a test you have to pass before someone takes you on as a student?"
Shinsuke said this with a straight face.
"I guess so." Maki thought it over seriously. What he said made sense.
"Then go ahead and test me!"
Compared with gaining greater strength, a little test was nothing.
"Heh. All right. Here's the condition: when you can exorcise a Grade 1—uh, let's say Grade 2 Curse on your own, I'll teach you how to get stronger."
Shinsuke had originally planned to set the bar at Grade 1, but after considering her circumstances, he decided to give her some hope.
Being strong enough to defeat a Grade 2 Curse should just about meet the bar for getting stronger.
"Okay! It's a deal!"
Maki had no idea how strong a Grade 2 Curse was, but she believed she'd be able to do it someday.
After getting the answer she wanted, Maki finally left, pulling along her grumbling little sister.
Shinsuke shook his head with a smile.
The Zenin Family would eventually be destroyed by its own arrogance.
Shinsuke didn't care at all what happened to the Zenin Family. He was planning to ask old man Naobito to use his connections to get him a job where he could collect a paycheck without working.
They were doomed sooner or later anyway. He might as well fleece them for what he could while he still had the chance.
The next day came.
Shinsuke was a man of action. After his workout, he swaggered into the Zenin Family estate, earning the displeasure of everyone there.
But he loved seeing those people hate him and be powerless to do anything about it. If they couldn't stand him, they could come after him—if they thought they could.
"Damn it, that guy's way too cocky."
Only after Shinsuke disappeared from sight did they dare start whispering.
"Shh—keep it down. Don't let that freak hear you. He might go berserk again."
"Seriously, is he really that strong?"
Some of the younger members had gone on missions back then and hadn't seen Shinsuke lose control with their own eyes. They couldn't believe that someone with no Cursed Energy had nearly slaughtered his way through the Zenin Family.
"That's why they call him a freak. Both brothers are freaks."
In a corner, Maki once again witnessed this scene. Her resolve grew even stronger, and she felt a touch of admiration for her future teacher.
Was this what it felt like to be strong?
Those ugly people only dared talk behind his back.
Of course, Maki wasn't the only one watching. A young man was witnessing the scene from elsewhere.
Sixteen-year-old Naoya Zenin hid behind a building, watching Shinsuke's back from a distance. His eyes held both fear and admiration.
Big Brother Shinsuke was still so strong.
He was even more terrifying than before.
Naoya had been lucky enough to see Shinsuke transform into a tyrant, and ever since then he'd been his devoted fan. Even so, he only dared sneak a distant glance at his idol.
The scene shifted to the Family Head.
Shinsuke didn't bother being polite to Naobito.
"Old man, get me a job where I don't have to work."
Asking the Zenin Family for money outright would have seemed a little rude.
But asking for a job shouldn't be a problem, right?
Naobito's whiskers twitched at the words. He immediately realized this freeloader had come to fleece him.
"What do you want to do? With your abilities, are you really short on money?"
Naobito didn't agree right away, afraid the kid was setting a trap for him.
"Making money isn't hard, but it wastes too much time."
He needed to spend his time training. When it came to making money, taking it for free was obviously more convenient.
He couldn't go around with empty pockets forever. This was the modern world, after all, and there were plenty of things to spend money on.
"Then work part-time as a teacher at Jujutsu High. I can arrange it."
Naobito knew the kid wanted something for nothing. Luckily, it was just an easy job, and the Zenin Family had enough influence to make the arrangements.
As for why he didn't just give him money...
Naobito had one thing to say: did Shinsuke really think the Zenin Family was rich?
The family valued Cursed Energy and Cursed Techniques above all else. If they wanted money, they could earn it themselves.
Even he, the Family Head, sometimes had to take on missions to earn extra money for household expenses.
"What? Teach at Jujutsu High?"
Shinsuke was stunned.
He'd thought the old man would arrange some cushy position for him at a publicly traded company. Sending him to teach at Jujutsu High was ridiculous.
"You want someone with no Cursed Energy to teach all those sorcerers?"
Teach what? Hand-to-hand combat?
"Ahem. It's just an honorary position. You don't actually have to teach."
Naobito explained.
"Didn't you want an easy job? At Jujutsu High, as long as you don't take any missions, you can collect a paycheck every month without doing anything.
"The pay isn't much, but at least there's no risk. Doesn't that suit you perfectly?"
The base salary for teachers at Jujutsu High wasn't high, but the bonuses for taking missions and exorcising curses were pretty substantial.
If you didn't want to take missions, you'd be a little short on money, but at least you'd be getting it for free.
Take Yuki Tsukumo, the Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, for example. She didn't take missions, but she still got a little bit of pocket change deposited in her account every month.
"Fine, fine."
Shinsuke waved a hand.
It was free money. He'd be a fool not to take it.
If he couldn't get by, he could always return to his old line of work and go out to make a quick buck now and then.
Whatever happened, he absolutely would not work.
That was his principle.
Once the money was sorted out, Shinsuke left, satisfied.
Naobito then made a phone call. Using the connections the Zenin Family had built up over the years, he got the higher-ups in the Jujutsu World to do him a favor and arrange Shinsuke's employment at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Favors cost nothing, so he might as well use them.
"Now the kid should think a little better of the Zenin Family, right?"
Naobito murmured.
He'd never looked down on Shinsuke and his brother the way the other clan members did. He'd simply taken a hands-off approach.
He didn't value them, but he didn't mock them either. He treated them as ordinary members of the Zenin Family.
He hadn't even minded when Toji stole some of the Zenin Family's powerful Cursed Tools.
It was just that the Zenin Family had the importance of Cursed Energy and Cursed Techniques engraved in its bones. Even he was no exception.
But as the brothers displayed more and more of their strength, Naobito gradually changed his hands-off attitude.
He did his best to smooth over the relationship between the Zenin Family and the two brothers.
Even if they couldn't be family, at least they didn't have to be enemies.
Naobito believed that Shinsuke coming to him for help meant he still accepted his identity as a member of the Zenin Family. If Naobito did his best to meet his needs, Shinsuke would surely remember it.
It was a lovely thought, but the truth was quite the opposite...
Shinsuke had only come with the intention of getting something for free. If you gave it to him, he'd take it for free. If you didn't, he'd take it by force.
Before you continue