Fixing a Staff?

"Uncle, I'm heading back now."

Megumi Fushiguro walked to the gate and said goodbye to Shinsuke Zenin.

Because of certain arrangements, he came to the Zenin Family every Saturday and Sunday to learn all about the Ten Shadows Technique.

The mark of the Zenin Family's inherited Cursed Technique, the Ten Shadows Technique, was carved into Megumi's body. This meant that the Zenin Family might finally have another Special Grade Sorcerer.

When the Zenin Family learned that Toji's son had awakened the Ten Shadows Technique, they were both furious and delighted.

They were furious that someone who had awakened their inherited Cursed Technique was an outsider, but delighted because that outsider had Zenin blood and might still return to the family.

However, their delight soon faded. Although Toji had sold Megumi to the Zenin Family, he had since changed his mind.

So Megumi now came here as if he were attending extra lessons. To him, the Zenin Family was just a cram school.

It helped him better understand his Cursed Technique and tame more Shikigami.

As a result, aside from Naobito Zenin, the rest of the family were displeased with him—or, more accurately, displeased with Toji.

But there was nothing they could do about it.

How could a useless man with no Cursed Energy have a son who awakened an inherited Cursed Technique?

They couldn't understand it.

"Mm. Be careful on your way."

Shinsuke Zenin glanced at his spiky-haired nephew. If Megumi hadn't had Toji and him looking out for him, the Zenin Family would probably have forced the boy to take their surname by now.

Or perhaps not. Even without him and Toji, there was still Satoru Gojo.

The kid sure was lucky.

Shinsuke Zenin thought.

"Hey, little nephew! Are you only saying goodbye to your uncle?"

Maki stood beside Shinsuke Zenin with her hands on her hips, staring haughtily at Megumi.

She and Maki had originally been the two least important members of the Zenin Family. She never expected some unfamiliar nephew to show up, so she had to make sure to act like the dignified aunt.

"Tch. Boring."

Megumi pursed his lips, ignored Maki's childish behavior, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

She was only about his age. There was no way he was calling her Aunt.

"Ugh! Big Brother, did you see that? He has no respect for his elders!"

Seeing Megumi act like that, Maki stamped her feet in anger. She'd finally found someone with even less standing than her, but he turned out to be a brat.

She could only cling to Shinsuke Zenin's arm and pout, hoping to reclaim her dignity as an aunt.

There was nothing Shinsuke Zenin could do.

They were both kids. He couldn't very well take sides.

When Maki saw that her brother wouldn't help her, she could only pout and sulk, swearing she wouldn't speak to him for three hours.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Not long after Megumi left, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. A tall, beautiful woman stood outside.

She wore black from head to toe, and her icy blue hair was braided and fell down her back. She was hard to mistake for anyone else.

"Meimei? What brings you here?"

Shinsuke Zenin looked at Meimei standing outside the courtyard, a little surprised. Had she come to make him pay for the axe he'd dulled?

Hadn't she said he didn't need to pay?

"Teacher Shinsuke, your weapon was damaged in our last fight, right? I came to repair it for you."

Meimei looked perfectly sincere.

After all, he'd saved her life. Repaying him with just an axe didn't quite feel like enough.

She'd noticed before that his Cursed Tool had been broken. Since she was free today, she'd decided to help repair it.

"Yikes—how much will it cost? If it's too expensive, I can't afford it."

Shinsuke Zenin thought of Play Cloud, damaged and sitting inside the house.

Repairing a Special Grade Cursed Tool was too expensive. He didn't have much money to spare, so he'd left it alone, planning to give it to Maki in the future and let her pay for the repairs herself.

Seeing Meimei come all the way here to repair a Cursed Tool, he immediately thought of her love of money and her miserly ways.

"Pfft!"

Seeing how tense Shinsuke Zenin looked, Meimei's eyes curved as she burst out laughing.

She hadn't expected him to think that.

Was he someone who cared a lot about money too? She hadn't noticed.

But come to think of it, he often took jobs exorcising Cursed Spirits, so it made sense.

"Are you really short on money? If you are, I could lend you some, but you'd have to pay interest."

Meimei composed herself and spoke.

She'd repair the Cursed Tool for free, but any loan would come with usurious interest. That was her bottom line.

"No, no need."

Shinsuke Zenin waved his hand. He'd borrow money from anyone, but there was no way he'd borrow from this woman.

His salary probably wouldn't even cover the interest.

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding. Seriously, give me the Cursed Tool. I promise I'll return it looking brand-new within five days. No charge."

"Really?"

"Really."

Looking at the woman's serious expression, and wondering why she'd appeared out of nowhere, Shinsuke Zenin blankly took out Play Cloud and handed it to her.

"I'm off. I definitely won't cut corners."

Meimei took Play Cloud and turned to leave, as if she'd genuinely come here just to fix his staff.

That changed Shinsuke Zenin's impression of her a little. So she wasn't just a miser after all. She knew how to repay a favor.

"Oh, right. You're good at hand-to-hand combat, aren't you? We should spar sometime. No weapons."

Meimei, who hadn't gone far yet, remembered how strong he was and added that.

Most of her own strength came from her hand-to-hand combat skills, and he was clearly far better at it than she was. Maybe he could even give her a few pointers.

If she got stronger, she could make more money—and save every last bit of it!

For some reason, her words sounded strange to Shinsuke Zenin.

"Big Brother, who was that pretty lady?"

Maki watched Meimei leave and asked curiously.

Meimei hadn't adopted that bizarre hairstyle of hers yet, so her perfect looks weren't hidden beneath braids. Any normal person would have considered her beautiful.

"A Jujutsu Sorcerer who's pretty strong and likes money."

That was Shinsuke Zenin's assessment.

"Is she your girlfriend, Big Brother?"

Maki continued asking, her big, adorable eyes wide. Her brother was already so old and still didn't have a girlfriend. She was starting to worry about him.

Shinsuke Zenin froze. For some reason, the woman's face surfaced in his mind.

He quickly shook his head. "Why did I think of her?"

"Maki, are you asking for a spanking?"

Shinsuke Zenin glared at Maki. She was so young, yet already meddling in his affairs. Did she want to turn the world upside down?

"I was just asking..."

Maki got scolded and pouted again, looking a little hurt.

"Don't ask. Go train with Maki like you're supposed to. Look how weak you are—you can't beat anyone. If you get bullied someday, all you'll be able to do is sneak off and cry."

Shinsuke Zenin wondered if he should change the way Maki saw him, just a little.

"No way, no way! I don't want to train. As long as you and my big sister are around, nobody dares bully me!"

Maki immediately hugged Shinsuke Zenin's leg and started acting spoiled.

After spending several years together, Maki had figured out exactly who she could rely on. As long as she stayed by her brother's side, no one in the Zenin Family dared bully her.

"You..."

Shinsuke Zenin shook his head helplessly. This girl had completely figured out how useful acting cute could be.

At least with him, her pleading could solve ninety percent of her problems.

The other ten percent were things he simply couldn't put up with.