Mai

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Mai Zenin (真依) 45
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Female 1
Affiliation	Zenin Clan, formerly; Kyoto Jujutsu High; Investigation Bureau 45 49 50
Occupation/Role	Jujutsu student; Naomitsu Zenin’s older sister and later his student 1 45
Status	Alive; living in Naomitsu’s household after leaving the Zenin Clan 49 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “Naomitsu Zenin” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Low cursed-energy reserves	1	Manifests very little cursed energy at age three. Naomitsu’s energy display shows her reserves in the tens.
Construction Technique identified	4	Tells Naomitsu that a recent clan test identified her innate technique as Construction; her low reserves remain a limitation.
Practical Construction use	6	Creates a lightweight, custom-fit sheath for Naomitsu’s Soul Liberation Blade, exhausting her cursed energy. Naomitsu replenishes her afterward.

Background / History

Childhood in the Zenin Clan

Mai is Maki’s younger twin sister and an older sister of Naomitsu, Ogi Zenin’s youngest child. Ogi despises the twins for their low cursed energy and treats their birth as inauspicious. Their mother attempts to defend them but has little power to restrain him 1.

When Naoya mocks the sisters, Mai talks back, prompting him to lash out. Maki fights to protect her and is subsequently punished by Ogi. Naomitsu redirects their father’s attention by asking to learn Iaido, then supplies medicine after Ogi kicks Maki. Mai regards her little brother as the first person besides Maki to give her a sense of familial warmth 1 2.

As Naomitsu grows, Ogi shifts his attention toward him and increasingly ignores the twins. Mai and Maki stop trying to greet their father and instead build their daily lives around their brother, bringing him meals and joining his training 4 14.

School and Family Life

Mai attends Kyoto Prefectural Elementary School in the same class as Maki, Naomitsu, and Megumi. She competes with Maki for the seat beside Naomitsu but ends up sitting behind him 15.

When Naomitsu trains in Tokyo, Mai visits him on his fifth birthday with a homemade lunch and complains that he has not kept his promise to return during the holidays. On the twins’ subsequent birthday, he gives her a hamster named Moji; they celebrate with Maki and their mother while Ogi is absent 22 25.

Naomitsu also pursues a longer-term plan involving Hiromi Higuruma: he hopes Higuruma’s Deadly Sentencing can confiscate Mai’s cursed energy and allow Maki’s Heavenly Tyrant physique to awaken fully. He later bargains with Kenjaku to have Higuruma brought to him. Neither the confiscation nor its intended result occurs in the supplied chapters 23 35.

Mai later enrolls at Kyoto Jujutsu High alongside Maki and Zhenwei, becoming one of Naomitsu’s students. She is paired against Noritoshi Kamo in the first-year midyear assessment and fails to pass; Yuta is the only first-year who succeeds 44 45 46 47.

Leaving the Clan

After Naomitsu’s falling-out with Ogi, Mai chooses to leave the Zenin Clan with him, Maki, and Zhenwei. The twins hesitate because their mother remains at the estate, but ultimately join his new household in a rented villa near Kyoto Jujutsu High 49.

The move precedes a devastating attack on the Zenin estate. During the subsequent upheaval in Jujutsu Society, Naomitsu keeps Mai and the other Kyoto students on the safer Investigation Bureau assignments. She continues sharing household duties with Maki, including preparing beef meatballs for communal meals 49 50.

Personality

Mai is openly affectionate toward Naomitsu, expressing her attachment through hugs, homemade food, and frequent concern for his safety. When he returns from dangerous training under Toji, she struggles to formulate a stern threat and finally says she will stop talking to him if he repeats the risk. After another unexplained absence, she tearfully clings to him, behaving more like a younger sister than an older one 9 22 29.

Her warmth is accompanied by teasing and possessiveness. She jokes about Maki’s jealousy but also becomes jealous herself when Maki monopolizes Naomitsu’s attention. She resents Naoya eating tempura she spent an afternoon making, and later sulks over the time Naomitsu devotes to Zhenwei. Her longstanding bond with Zhenwei keeps that jealousy restrained 4 6 10 44.

Mai can also be outspoken: her refusal to silently accept Naoya’s mockery triggers the childhood confrontation in which Maki defends her 2.

Abilities & Skills

Construction Technique

• Object creation: Creates a custom sheath suited to Naomitsu’s oversized Soul Liberation Blade 6.
• Low reserves: Her limited cursed energy restricts her use of the technique; making the sheath leaves her exhausted 4 6.
• External replenishment: Naomitsu transfers 100 units of cursed energy into her after the construction, helping her recover 6.

Physical and Jujutsu Training

• Practices hand-to-hand combat with Naomitsu and Maki during childhood 1 4.
• Receives training at Kyoto Jujutsu High under Naomitsu 45.
• Fails the first-year midyear assessment following her assigned match against Noritoshi Kamo 46 47.

Cooking

• Regularly prepares generously packed lunches for Naomitsu 14 22 46.
• Makes tempura and helps Maki prepare eel rice and communal meals 6 10 50.
• Learns Naomitsu’s method for hand-pounded beef meatballs 50.

Possessions

• Moji — A hamster Naomitsu selects and gives her as a birthday present 23 25.

Relationships

• Maki Zenin — Older twin sister and childhood protector. Their close bond includes playful arguments and competition for Naomitsu’s attention 1 2 4 6.
• Naomitsu Zenin — Younger brother, protector, and later teacher. Mai supports his training, worries about his absences, and chooses to leave the clan with him 4 9 22 45 49.
• Ogi Zenin — Abusive father who belittles the twins before largely withdrawing from their lives 1 14.
• Her mother — Attempts to shield the children from Ogi and participates in the twins’ birthday celebration. Concern for her makes Mai and Maki hesitate before leaving the clan 1 25 49.
• Naoya Zenin — Childhood bully. Mai talks back to him and remains resentful when Naomitsu shares her cooking with him 2 10.
• Zhenwei Zenin — Fellow student and household companion. Mai is jealous of Naomitsu’s attention to her but restrains those feelings because they have known each other for a long time 44 45 49.

Notable Quotes

“Mitsu-chan! I told you it’s fine! We’re family!” 4

“You never come back to see us, Mitsu! You promised you’d come home during the holidays!” 22