My phone rang as I was navigating the narrow backstreets.
I checked the caller ID. It was Toji.
"Yes? Is something wrong?"
"Ah, Boss. Nothing major, but it looks like we've got an uninvited guest trying to crash the party. Sorry, but do you think you could give him a pass?"
"An uninvited guest? Who?"
I was confused. Who would dare try to wedge themselves into a private gathering like this?
The sheer audacity was almost impressive.
"The high and mighty Head of the Zenin Clan. Ring a bell?"
"Zenin Naobito? What the hell is he doing there?"
"He says he wants to talk to the Boss."
As soon as the words left his mouth, it clicked.
He must have seen Naoya's sudden growth and couldn't restrain his curiosity anymore.
"Ah… honestly? I don't particularly feel like meeting him."
"He slapped down a hundred million yen just for a single look at your face. He's standing right in front of me."
"Well then, we have to meet him."
A hundred million? Wow.
That was far too much money to decline over a simple meeting.
I gave my consent immediately and hung up.
Toji would likely keep the old man occupied until I arrived.
"Master. Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Koyanskaya of Darkness—the Foreigner—asked as she walked in step beside me.
She was the only one with any real connection to Toji's family, so it was only right that she accompanied me.
Meanwhile, Koyanskaya of Light and Ibuki were back at the apartment, deep into their Magecraft research. Shuten was simply lounging about.
While Shuten-douji was perfectly capable of using Magecraft, she was an Oni at heart. Her nature was to crush things with overwhelming physical force.
Delicate, precise work wasn't really her forte.
Neither was it mine, to be fair.
"Yeah, it's fine. He's the kind of guy who can actually be reasoned with, and his apathy makes him one of the better ones in that circle, oddly enough."
"If you say so. Is he rude?"
"By normal standards? Extremely. But then again, do polite jujutsu sorcerers even exist? Most of them have no manners to speak of."
The polite ones I could count on one hand: Ieiri, Geto, Yaga, Nanami, Haibara.
Maybe a few others.
I wasn't sure about the rest, but the general consensus was that they were all unbearable. After all, you had to be a little insane just to hold the job title.
"How absurd," the Foreigner murmured, shaking her head.
I couldn't agree more.
"So, don't worry about being polite yourself. If they don't have manners, I won't either."
"It may not be the 'right' response, but it certainly sounds appropriate. Shall I lean into the arrogance as well?"
"I prefer the Yaskaya who speaks politely, though."
"Oh? What a charming thing to say."
She gave me a coy, shimmering smile.
I liked seeing her genuinely pleased whenever I showed her a little affection. It was a stiflingly hot summer day, and the warmth between us made it feel like my insides were going to cook.
Fortunately, I had a Mystic Code equipped to ward off the heat. Without it, I probably would have collapsed on the pavement blocks ago.
"We're here."
I stopped in front of Toji's house. I assumed they were already inside.
—Who is it?
I pressed the doorbell, and a woman's voice crackled through the intercom. It was Zenin Sae.
"It's me. May I come in?"
—Ah! Come right in. We've been waiting for you.
Her voice was bright and welcoming as soon as I spoke. I could tell she genuinely meant it. It put my mind at ease as I stepped onto the property.
It was a proper two-story house.
'No wonder the man is always broke.'
A detached, single-family home in the middle of Tokyo—even if it wasn't the dead center—was no small feat. Either Toji had been exaggerating his poverty, or Sae had a significant nest egg saved up.
"Welcome," Zenin Sae said, opening the front door with a wide, cheerful smile.
"Hello. I hope you've been well?"
"Of course! Thanks to you, everything's been wonderful. And Miss Koyanskaya, please, come in. It must have been such a struggle walking here in this heat."
"It was no trouble at all. However, it would be rude to come empty-handed, so I prepared a small gift. It isn't much, but I hope you'll accept it."