"I understand. Sorry for the trouble."
Even though his uncle, Naraku Isayama, was on the phone across the room, Kenmei could still pick up fragments of the conversation.
"Something happened at the Isayama branch house. Mr. Yuu Isayama and Miss Mei Isayama are both missing."
"We will conduct a search, but Mr. Naraku, please be mentally prepared..."
And so on.
As Kenmei expected, burying the entire mansion and destroying all evidence had successfully minimized the impact of this heinous incident on the Isayama family. (As for the servants, when Kenmei visited, there were no living people left in the branch house anyway.)
Let alone a single Sorcerer going missing, the Sorcerer Association archives were filled with dozens of cold cases where entire Sorcerer families vanished overnight. It wasn't uncommon.
Typically, the Association would put on a show of searching to appease the family, then let it fade away. If there was no news within six months, they'd be declared dead, and the funeral banquet could begin.
So, the truth behind Mei's disappearance remained solely between Kenmei and Toji Fushiguro.
"Kenmei-chan, the Association notified me too."
"Yuu and Mei... sigh."
After hanging up, Naraku seemed to age instantly. He swayed on his feet, leaning heavily on his cane as if he were about to collapse.
Kenmei immediately went over to support him, helping Naraku to the sofa and handing him a glass of water.
He could hear his uncle muttering the same phrase over and over.
"The Isayama family cannot end with me."
The Isayama clan was already thin on numbers. Losing the entire branch family in one go was a critical blow, reducing the total population to three. It was a life-or-death crisis for the lineage.
"Uncle?"
Kenmei suddenly felt Naraku's gaze turn a little scary. It felt less like he was looking at a nephew and more like... livestock? It gave him the creeps.
In his desperation, Naraku had turned his sights on his nephew.
Kenmei had pure Isayama blood, plus the blood of the Kamo clan—one of the Three Great Families. There was no better pedigree than this.
Even though Kenmei had no talent for Jujutsu himself, his descendants might inherit the techniques.
"Sorry, Kenmei-chan."
Realizing he had lost his composure, Naraku shook his head. He had just considered a method to revitalize the family that was a bit... unorthodox.
"More children, more blessings"... getting old really made one's mind wander into strange territories.
"Kenmei-chan, move in with us."
Naraku pushed the weird thoughts aside and changed the subject.
"There are more and more Cursed Spirits out there. Yomi goes out early and comes back late every day killing them, but she can't keep up with their spawn rate."
"I can't rest easy knowing you're living alone."
The disappearance of his brother and niece had sounded a massive alarm for Naraku, crossing his bottom line.
If he lost Kenmei too, the Isayama bloodline would effectively be extinct. Naraku couldn't bear that cost.
"It's fine, Uncle."
Kenmei rejected the offer instantly.
"I'm used to living alone."
Are you kidding? Just the fact that he had at least eight Cursed Spirits locked up on his third floor constituted "illegal rearing of Cursed Spirits." That alone was enough for the Association to execute him ten times over.
The Association couldn't touch the Three Great Families, but for a civilian like Kenmei, researching Cursed Spirits would get him labeled a "Curse User" and put on a hit list.
Not to mention the Tyranids, each one cuter (more terrifying) than the last. Moving all those shady assets?
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
So, moving in was absolutely out of the question.
"Then how about I have Yomi move in with you? You two can look out for each other."
Sensing Kenmei's resistance, Naraku didn't force it but proposed a compromise.
He trusted his adopted daughter's strength. Having her protect Kenmei would be perfect.
Of course, Naraku had a selfish motive: Yomi was his chosen successor.
Protect who?
If Yomi knew Naraku was thinking this, her eyes would probably pop out.
"Kenmei needs MY protection?"
"Dad, you didn't see him slice the Heavenly Tyrant in half with two swings."
But that event was too shocking, so Kenmei had forbidden Yomi from mentioning it to his uncle.
"Uncle, I appreciate your kindness, but I'm really fine on my own."
Hearing that his uncle was still worried and wanted to send Yomi over, Kenmei sighed helplessly.
"Let Sister Yomi stay here and keep you company."
If he didn't produce some evidence to convince his uncle, Yomi would probably be kicked out of the house and sent to his place by tonight.
"You're worried about me having an accident living alone?"
Kenmei chuckled lightly and shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning back on the sofa and crossing his legs lazily.
Naraku wanted to say more, but after hearing two crisp claps, the words stuck in his throat as he saw what appeared before him.
"Uncle, I've always been a law-abiding citizen."
Kenmei looked Naraku straight in the eye, stating a fact calmly.
"I don't look for trouble, but I'm not afraid of it."
"I can protect myself."
Naraku fell silent.
Kenmei had given him quite the "fright."
Three terrifying monsters, possessing aura as dreadful as the Isayama family's ancestral Shikigami "Nue", were currently sitting quietly beside Kenmei like tamed hunting dogs.
But "quiet" was relative. Just being looked at by them made Naraku's heart race.
These massive beasts, covered in hard scales, had vertical, slit pupils glowing with a cruel, eerie red light. Their jaws, filled with razor-sharp teeth, exhaled breath as hot as magma.
These three Flesh Hounds, symbolizing the Blood God's rage, were Kenmei's answer to Naraku's worries.
"Uncle, I have things to do, so I'll be going now."
Kenmei stood up to take his leave.
"I'll visit you more often in the future."
Naraku watched his retreating figure and smiled helplessly.
---
After walking out of the Isayama estate, Kenmei immediately made a phone call.
It connected quickly.
"Kenmei?"
The background noise on the other end was loud. Kenmei could hear another person's voice, sounding a bit excited.
"Who is it? Getou, it's rare for anyone to call you."