A father, too

Megumi Fushiguro's voice was babyish, but he had a steadiness beyond his years.

"Let's not buy ginger today, Tsumiki."

His childish instincts told him that the sales assistant in front of them was very suspicious.

Miwa Chisei shifted her gaze to the bewildered Tsumiki Fushiguro and took out a sheet of white paper.

"Draw a little flower and you can get some for free. Everyone gets one chance."

Children this young probably couldn't write their names yet, so she could only obtain a sample of their handwriting in this strange way.

Sure enough, Tsumiki Fushiguro broke into a delighted little girl's smile.

"It's free! Megumi, let's both get some. Mom will be really happy."

As expected, Megumi Fushiguro hesitated for a while, then sighed and nodded in agreement.

The child still struggled a little to hold the pen, but drew it carefully, stroke by stroke.

It was a very cute little flower.

As the black ink spread across the paper, Miwa Chisei activated Jujutsu: Divination.

Miwa Chisei was somewhat surprised, because she sensed a connection between this little boy and Satoru Gojo, two people who seemingly had nothing to do with each other.

Moreover, this child would grow very strong in the future. Barring any surprises, he would become an excellent jujutsu sorcerer.

Black shadows entwined his cursed energy, seemingly poised to spring into action.

While Miwa Chisei concentrated on sensing this information, Megumi Fushiguro, who had just finished writing his name in front of her, suddenly raised his head and looked at her very seriously.

That look suggested he had noticed something.

But Miwa Chisei gave nothing away. She turned and handed Tsumiki Fushiguro two bags of ginger.

"Thank you for shopping with us."

"Thank you, miss."

Tsumiki Fushiguro smiled brightly, clearly satisfied with today's unexpected haul.

Watching the two children leave to look for their mother among the other displays, Miwa Chisei decided it was time to withdraw. She had obtained the information she wanted.

But Megumi Fushiguro actually turned around and looked at Miwa Chisei again.

Wasn't he a little too perceptive for a child?

She waited a while longer before quietly leaving through the Employee Passage and heading to the parking lot.

Having changed back into her own clothes, Miwa Chisei put on her sunglasses. Mei Mei's car was parked beneath a tree, and when she saw Miwa Chisei emerge, she rolled down the window and waved.

Miwa Chisei got into the passenger seat, took off her sunglasses, and gave Mei Mei a thumbs-up.

Intelligence gathering complete.

"That child has cursed energy, and he'll be very strong in the future. If I'm not mistaken, he'll inherit the Zenin Clan's Ten Shadows Technique."

Admiration flickered in Mei Mei's eyes. Uncovering that much in just ten minutes was impressive.

But Miwa Chisei left some of the information unspoken, such as why this child would have a connection to Satoru Gojo in the future.

If they were connected because he became a jujutsu sorcerer, that would be nothing unusual, but their lives would overlap for a long time.

It would happen in just a few years, when Megumi Fushiguro would only be in elementary school.

Miwa Chisei pondered it for a while, then stopped dwelling on it when she couldn't find an answer.

After all, that guy Satoru Gojo was capable of doing all sorts of strange things.

Mei Mei started the car and dropped Miwa Chisei off at Jujutsu High first. She apparently had other matters to attend to, and after telling Miwa Chisei to wait for her good news, she drove away.

Yet just as Miwa Chisei turned and stepped into Jujutsu High, she saw a black-haired man crouching beneath the torii at the entrance.

He propped his cheek on one hand and studied Miwa Chisei with keen interest.

It felt like being watched by a venomous snake.

How had this guy managed it? Jujutsu High was covered in barriers. A curse user should never have been able to enter.

Even a heavenly restriction only reduced cursed energy to almost nothing, rather than making it disappear completely. Unless this man had completely erased his cursed energy.

Was that why he had gained such immense strength?

She had thought coming to Jujutsu High would give her a layer of protection, but things were even worse than she had imagined.

Miwa Chisei was already weighing whether she could cry out faster than that man could move.

If all else failed, she would make enough of a commotion to alert everyone at Jujutsu High!

"Relax. I'm not stupid enough to try to capture you alive at Jujutsu High."

He didn't move, but simply crouching there, he was as dangerous as a lurking black panther.

"You went to see little Megumi, didn't you?"

His tone was certain, then turned teasing.

"What did you find out? Tell me."

After leaving the Zenin Clan, Toji had fathered little Megumi with a woman.

That woman had softened the delinquent, socially maladjusted personality Toji Fushiguro had developed in the Zenin Clan, making him a little more polished and steady.

But not long after little Megumi was born, his biological mother passed away.

Toji then took his son and married into the household of Tsumiki Fushiguro's biological mother, and both he and his son took the surname Fushiguro.

He was very curious just how mysterious the so-called mystical jujutsu of the Miwa family, whom the Three Great Families had driven out of Jujutsu Society, really was.

Miwa Chisei couldn't sense any killing intent from him, leaving her somewhat baffled.

The two remained five meters apart, neither moving.

"You're a pretty terrible father."

Miwa Chisei wasn't deliberately insulting him. She was telling the truth.

Hearing that assessment, Toji Fushiguro couldn't help laughing aloud.

"Hey, hey, you're not letting your feelings get in the way, are you, little girl?"

"I do respect my own jujutsu," Miwa Chisei said, unoffended. She continued, "You made some kind of deal with the Zenin Clan involving that child, didn't you?"

Toji Fushiguro's smile faded a little as he studied the girl before him.

What a surprise. He had thought it was nothing more than a rumor, since he had never witnessed it himself.

"I can more or less see why you were struck from Jujutsu Society's rolls. What an annoying ability."

He joked in a dangerous tone.

Behind her sunglasses, Miwa Chisei couldn't help rolling her red eyes.

You're the one who wanted to hear it, and you're the one insulting me afterward. You've had your say either way. What else can I say?

"But that child's connection to the Zenin Clan will be relatively weak in the future."

Right, his connection to Satoru Gojo will be much stronger.

"Is that so?"

Miwa Chisei wasn't sure whether she was imagining it, but the man before her seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Wasn't he the one who used his own child to make a deal? Why was he suddenly growing a conscience? What a strange man.

"Since you've told me so much, how about I let you and your two-hundred-million-yen bounty go?"

That surprised Miwa Chisei. She tilted her head, her expression distrustful.

"Why?"

"Capturing someone alive really is a pain. I prefer killing them outright."

In truth, after their previous fight, Toji Fushiguro had decided that capturing Miwa Chisei alive would be tricky. He placed great importance on bounties, but there was no point if it meant risking his life. That was his principle.

He had a feeling that if this girl went berserk, she might take him down with her.

"Besides, a new bounty's come up lately. Looks a lot easier. I'll make some money to blow first. Hanging around watching you all the time is boring."

After saying that, Toji Fushiguro stood and stretched, and Miwa Chisei's gaze grew wary.

But he really did seem to have little interest in her. He only asked one question.

"Will little Megumi live a long time?"

In that seemingly out-of-the-blue question, Miwa Chisei heard a faint trace of concern.

However irresponsible he was, did he still have a soft spot deep down?

"He'll at least live safely to adulthood. Miwa Family Jujutsu can't see through all of life's mysteries."

At those words, a fleeting tenderness appeared in Toji Fushiguro's eyes.

That's good, little Megumi.