Zenin

"Those outside the Zenin Clan are not jujutsu sorcerers; those who are not jujutsu sorcerers are not human."

In a courtyard, Naobito Zenin lay on the veranda, admiring the old pines as he drank alone from a flask of sake.

Hurried footsteps sounded behind him. The sliding door to the courtyard was yanked open, its frame striking the track with a dull thud.

Naoya Zenin burst into the courtyard, slightly out of breath, a few strands of hair across his forehead disheveled from running.

Showing none of the respect owed to his clan head or his father, he stood below the veranda and demanded loudly, "Toji-Toji is dead!? Is that true?"

Naobito Zenin ignored his son's rudeness. He raised the flask, tipped his head back, and took a long gulp, draining the last of the sake down his throat. He set the flask heavily on the wooden floor with a dull thud, then spoke slowly. "It's true. That divine child from the Gojo Clan did it."

Naoya took half a step back. In an instant, his expression twisted from shock into rage. His lips moved a few times, as though he were trying to find the words, or as though every word had caught in his throat. "How could that happen! Toji was clearly-"

"Satoru Gojo!" Naoya forced the name through clenched teeth, bitter and hateful.

Seeing how strongly Naoya reacted, Naobito Zenin slowly rose. His movements were unhurried, and the alcohol made him sway slightly, but his clouded eyes still held the authority of a clan head. "Satoru Gojo has become the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in the world."

He picked up the empty flask from the floor, stretched, and strolled toward the other end of the veranda, humming an unfamiliar tune. He did not stop as he passed Naoya, merely leaving him with a few words. "I suggest you stick to your own duties."

"I'm off to get more sake."

Left alone in the courtyard, Naoya understood everything Naobito Zenin had said. He had witnessed Satoru Gojo's strength long ago. Even before awakening, that divine child with the Six Eyes had already been acknowledged as a monster throughout Jujutsu Society. Now he truly was the strongest. He could probably do whatever he pleased anywhere in Jujutsu Society.

At the thought, Naoya trembled all over, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, nearly drawing blood. A fire burned inside him.

After standing there and taking deep breaths for a while, he left, slamming the door behind him.

A maid stood in the corridor outside. She was his personal servant, dressed in a plain kimono, waiting beside the door with her hands lowered. She had probably been waiting for Naoya to come out all this time.

Naoya saw her and, without breaking stride, slapped her across the face. The sharp crack rang through the corridor. "I already told you, you useless piece of trash. Don't stand so close to me."

The maid fell to the floor. The struck side of her face swelled almost instantly, her eye turned bloodshot, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. The hem of her kimono spread across the floor, and one wooden sandal flew off. Yet her face remained expressionless. She got straight up, then knelt and bowed, pressing her forehead against the cold wooden floor.

Naoya turned away, clicking his tongue in disgust.

"Useless lapdog."

He straightened the cuff that had slipped out of place when he slapped her and continued down the long corridor. The maid silently rose and followed three paces behind him.

When he reached a garden, he saw two girls walking through it-Maki and Mai.

Maki walked in front, holding a branch and practicing some sort of movement as she went. Mai followed behind her, cradling a little flower she had just picked beside the path. They had not yet learned to make themselves inconspicuous. They still did not understand that, in this household, children like them should stay out of sight as much as possible.

Naoya stopped.

Standing in the shadow of the corridor, he watched the two girls, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then he stepped down into the garden and stopped directly in front of the sisters.

When Mai saw Naoya approaching, the flower fell from her hands. She instinctively took half a step back and hid behind Maki, clinging tightly to her sleeve.

Naoya looked down at them, his lips curling in contempt.

"Have you forgotten even basic manners, you little bastards?"

When the two remained where they were, timidly looking at each other, Naoya's expression chilled. He kicked them both away.

Maki and Mai fell to the ground. Maki had stood in front, taking the full force of the kick in her chest. She landed on the gravel path, the raised pebbles digging into her back, and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Mai fell beside her and began to cry.

Maki propped herself halfway up on an elbow, blood staining the corner of her mouth, and looked up at Naoya. Her eyes held neither fear nor surrender, only a hatred far beyond her years. "You bastard." Her voice was quiet, but every word seemed forced through clenched teeth.

Naoya laughed, spreading his hands as he walked toward them. "Just as I thought. Trash breeds trash."

Approaching the sisters, he slapped Maki as she glared at him. Her head snapped to the side, and her glasses flew off, landing on the gravel. The lenses shattered into several pieces. Mai cried even louder, the little girl's wails echoing over the garden.

Naoya clicked his tongue, reached out, and lifted Mai by the throat.

Mai was too terrified to make a sound. Her legs kicked weakly in the air, and tears kept spilling from the corners of her eyes, running down her cheeks and dripping onto the back of Naoya's hand. Seeing this, Maki lunged at him, grabbed the hem of his clothes, and screamed.

Through her tear-blurred vision, Mai searched desperately until she finally spotted someone-her mother.

The woman stood beneath the veranda on the other side of the garden, dressed in a light-colored kimono. She glanced their way, and her eyes met Mai's-then she coldly looked away, turned, and left.

The faint hope in Mai's eyes gave way to utter despair. She closed her eyes, her tears flowing even harder.

Naoya realized what she was thinking and followed her earlier gaze, spotting the woman walking away into the distance. He looked back at Mai, whose face was turning blue in his grip, and sneered. "You're counting on that useless woman? A woman who can't even manage to walk three paces behind a man?"

Still sneering, Naoya was about to throw Mai to the ground too, when suddenly-he heard a voice. He frowned and glanced around. The corridor was deserted, the surface of the pond remained still, and the maple leaves did not stir.

There was no one else.

But a strange instinct made the hairs on his body stand on end, leaving him uneasy. He looked back at Mai in his hand, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"Your head is too high."