"Oh no! Since your work is so dangerous, doesn't that mean Mukuro might be in danger?"
After the embrace, Onshin suddenly remembered the younger brother who had gone chasing after the mastermind but still hadn't returned.
"You don't need to worry about that brat. Don't let his cocky attitude fool you. There aren't many in the entire jujutsu world stronger than him."
Toji had noticed the two little mice hiding behind the ginkgo tree earlier, and that only confirmed his suspicion. All those curses had been conjured by none other than Mukuro.
Still, he accepted the sentiment behind it. He had also come to realize, especially in the past two years, that the boy's strength had grown to the point where it might have already surpassed his own.
"So that's how it is. Mukuro really is amazing. To make these ginkgo trees bloom so brilliantly, and out of season too…"
Onshin spread her arms and let the golden leaves drift around her. She stood quietly in the wind, enjoying a golden world that felt as if it belonged only to them.
This was a place she had cherished for a long time. She had dreamed of coming here one spring, standing beneath these trees with Toji, and making a vow of a lifetime together. Afterward, they would submit their marriage application at the nearby office and officially become husband and wife.
But when Mukuro found out, he suggested setting the date for today, Toji's twenty-seventh birthday. They wanted him to forever remember this day, and that his birth wasn't meaningless.
At the time, Mukuro had even promised her that he could perform a kind of magic, making all the trees bloom at once. She thought he was joking, or maybe planning to spend money on fake flowers. She never imagined it would turn out to be real.
Ring~
Just as Toji was gazing at her with warmth, his pocket vibrated.
"Heh." Pulling out his phone and reading the message, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"What is it, Toji?" Onshin's cheeks flushed instantly. She thought he was laughing at her silly behavior.
"Let's submit this today, then go on a date, and after that, we'll look for a house. We'll buy a place that's just ours."
He held up the registration form, the corners of his mouth lifting.
The message had been from his younger brother. In the backpack Mukuro left in the car, he had already prepared every document needed for their marriage registration. It even held all the money the two of them had saved over the years, along with most of Mukuro's private stash, placed onto two bank cards.
"Eh? So fast? But… what about Mukuro?" Onshin was caught off guard. Her gaze wavered as she shyly tried to avoid his eyes.
"He's already caught the one behind all this. Right now, he's delivering him to the jujutsu higher-ups for processing." Toji raised his phone slightly, showing her the message.
Now, the forest really was empty, leaving only the two of them behind.
* * *
Meanwhile, high above the ground.
"You made me lose hundreds of low-level curses in one go. How are you planning to compensate me for that?"
Mukuro sat on top of the manta ray curse alongside Suguru. Neither of them wanted to hang around as third wheels, so after catching a glimpse of the couple's moment, they quickly left.
But that didn't stop Suguru, who had rushed all this way to help, from feeling annoyed. Fortunately, he had stumbled across a nest of low-grade curses some time ago. He had absorbed the entire swarm into one ball, refining them in advance. Otherwise, there was no way he could have given Mukuro so many flies to burn through.
If he had tried absorbing them one by one, he'd probably have vomited himself to death.
"Don't sweat it! We're good friends, aren't we? Come on, let's head to the Zenin estate first. Then later, we'll get Nanami to treat us to dinner!"
Mukuro slung an arm around Suguru's shoulder, brushing it off. Almost bankrupt from his impulsive behavior, he was already plotting where to freeload his next meal.
"You really are something. Nanami's going to curse you for this."
"He won't."
Over the years, Mukuro and Suguru had visited each other's cities from time to time. Naturally, that meant the latter had also gotten to know Nanami and Mei Mei.
"But not this time. Tomorrow's New Year, and my parents are waiting for me at home for dinner." With a casual laugh, Suguru declined the invitation.
* * *
An hour later, Mukuro was dropped off at the gates of the Zenin estate. Suguru, without wasting a second, shot off on the manta ray, rushing home.
"So impatient," Mukuro muttered, rubbing the back of his head before walking through the gate.
This time, instead of heading to his room, he made his way toward the courtyard reserved for the clan head.
"Mukuro Zenin, did you take a wrong turn? This isn't a place for useless trash like you."
That familiar irritating voice rang out. Mukuro turned his head, unsurprised to see Naoya's sneering face.
Genius. The sole heir of the clan head. The future clan leader. Titles like these had long been hung around his neck by the servants. At last, Naoya felt like he had gained an upper hand against this nuisance before him.
"What's wrong? Want to give it a try? I won't even use a weapon." As usual, Mukuro responded arrogantly to the provocation.
"Tch. Who wants to fight a monkey?" Naoya's eyes twitched, but he refused firmly.
In the past five years, whenever he made progress, he would go looking for Toji, hoping to show his growth. But every single time, Mukuro stepped in and beat him down.
So he endured. One day, when he was older and stronger, he'd reclaim his dignity. The only one who deserved to stand at that man's side was him, not this brat.
"What are you two doing?"
Right then, the door to the inner room in the courtyard slid open. Naobito, still gulping down wine, walked out and spotted Mukuro. A bad feeling sank in instantly.
"You came out just in time. I only wanted to say hello." Ignoring Naoya, Mukuro strode forward and got straight to the point. "Toji and I are moving out."
His brother was probably already out with Onshin, house-hunting. The plan was to move today.
"What?! Cough, cough! That wasn't part of the deal! I've only been head for a few months!" The sudden news hit Naobito so hard he choked on his drink, pounding his chest to clear it.
In just these few months, the brothers had already taken several high-grade cursed tools from the vault. And Toji, that bastard, despite having money, had pulled tens of millions from the clan's accounts just to gamble it all away. Every last yen lost.
Naobito had let it go, thinking the tools and the money were nothing compared to the two of them. But now, only a few months later, they wanted to leave?
"Toji's getting married. We can't let his wife and their future children live in this garbage dump." Mukuro words carried no attempt to hide his disdain for the clan's rot.
"Impossible! A man as strong as Toji, there's no way he'd seriously care for some ordinary woman! He must just be playing around!"
Before Naobito could respond, Naoya snapped, his face twisted with disbelief. In his eyes, women were nothing but accessories. For a man to abandon his clan for a woman was unthinkable.
"Watch your mouth. Or I'll kill you." Mukuro's eyes glinted with killing intent.
"Projection—"
Naoya, overwhelmed by rage, nearly unleashed his technique.
"I understand!" Naobito suddenly raised his hand, stopping him before the fight could ignite. "But if you came here personally, it can't just be to say goodbye. Knowing how you two usually act, you'd have left without a word. There must be something else you want to say."
He knew the brothers well enough to guess there was more.
"The matter we agreed on before, about Toji's future children, still stands."
"Hahaha! You're leaving the Zenin clan yet still want a share of its legacy?" Naobito burst into laughter but didn't deny it.
If Toji's descendants truly had talent, why not hand them the entire clan? It didn't matter who the head was, as long as the blood still bore the Zenin name.
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