Rays of golden stripes pierced through the early morning mist of the quiet the training grounds of Jujutsu High .
Yuta Okkotsu layed across the cold grass with his head sprawled on top of Rika's thighs. The lap pillow felt extremely comfortable due to the soft smooth skin and the heat temperature of her body.
"Oh aren't you too spoiled babe? Asking such a request before torturing that zenin girl, don't you have a heart"
Yuta who had his eyes closed to enjoy the soft hand ruffling his hair, hummed in agreement.
" Hmmm~You could say I am helping her building character."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" She raised a single eyebrow in mock amusement , her giggles filling the air like a melody" at least we will be having some fun."
Maki arrived exactly on Time. Her ponytail swaying with each determined step she took. Her eyes were filled with desire and fire until they landed on the passionate couple.
Lost for words, maki could only stare in bewilderment at the shamelessly flirting duo.
* Okkotsu "she greeted curtly not knowing what else to say. "Let's start if you are done with... whatever you are doing"
Yuta's lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile. " How Eager, pretty good just make sure to keep the same energy later...
before we begin… sit down. There are things you need to understand."
Maki raised an eyebrow but complied, sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Yuta was planning on remaining in his comfortable position, but the way his student was looking down at him made that thought vanish as fast as it came to existence.
Lifting himself from the lap pillow made Rika frown at being separated from her love.
Seeing the obvious disappointed expression on her face, yuta could only sigh internally .
Rika had the bad habit of being too obsessed with Yuta. While he finds it hot, her crazy demeanor sometimes got out of hand.
Taking hold of Rika's hand to calm her ,yuta focused back on the other person in the room.
"You rely on cursed tools too much."
Maki expression shifted between confusion and dissatisfaction . "And what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing..." Yuta answered calmly. "If your goal is staying mediocre."
The insult landed instantly.
Maki's grip tightened around her naginata.
Yuta ignored the killing intent aimed directly at him and continued speaking casually.
"Your body is your greatest weapon, but you're treating it like a backup plan."
"The fact you can keep up with trained sorcerers despite your cursed energy levels already proves your physical abilities are abnormal."
Maki scoffed as if she heard that before. "Abnormal doesn't mean enough."
"That's is because you haven't reached half of your real potential..mYou and Mai… you were cursed from birth" Yuta nodded in agreement with her words.
"In the jujutsu world, twins are seen as one person. Your potential is split between you two. Mai was born with a strong technique but almost no cursed energy. You… you should have been born with no technique and an overwhelming amount of cursed energy."
Maki's expression darkened slightly. She already knew parts of this, but hearing it laid out so coldly still stung deeply.
"Your Heavenly Restriction took most of that cursed energy in exchange for your physical gifts. That's why you're not like Toji zenin
the man the entire Zenin clan feared. The Heavenly Restriction that made him the strongest of his era , a sorcerer killer with zero cursed energy.
He could have wiped out the entire clan if he wanted. And you…" Yuta's eyes gleamed with something almost resembling excitement "you have the potential to surpass even him."
Maki's hands tightened into fists. "Then why am I still this weak?"
" because you still possess traces of cursed energy due to your connection with Mai..."
Someone pointed out the truth but this time it wasn't yuta. The other two turned to look at Rika who just shrugged.
Deciding not to dwell on why Rika is even bothering with Maki, Yuta just nodded in conformation .
"And how do I break this connection"
Yuta could only smile helplessly knowing that the only path they had now , was a path Maki isn't willing to take.
Seeing the look in his eyes, maki didn't need any words to know what needs to be done to serve this connection. Even if they were on bad terms, the two sisters still loved each other, they simply weren't willing to show it.
Deciding it was enough of an explanation Yuta formed a hand sign creating a swirling portal in front of them. Without hesitation he gestured for her to follow, as stepped through.
Taking deep breaths maki closed her eyes and jumped in the portal.
The cold air hit her like a truck.Freezing winds howled across an endless white landscape.
.Bone-chilling temperatures instantly bit into her skin and Her breath came out in visible clouds as her body began shivering violently.
"What the—?!" Maki gasped, hugging herself tightly.
"Is this the north pole?"
Yuta stood completely unfazed not even acknowledging her question, as if the arctic hell was a mild spring day.
With a casual wave of his hand, dark bands materialized around Maki's wrists, ankles, and waist.
"These weights adjust automatically," he waved his hand in a strange maner and the shackles glowed brightly. "Every time your body adapts, they grow heavier. They'll push you past every limit you think you have."
Maki took one step and nearly fell. The bands were already incredibly heavy.
Yuta's voice was calm and merciless as he gave her instructions. "Keep moving or freeze to death. This is both physical and mental training.
The cold will try to break your mind. You need absolute calmness. Stopping means dying. That pressure will forge your willpower and teach you how to conserve energy even when your body screams for rest."
Maki gritted her teeth and forced herself forward the simple motion already proving to be too much. "You're insane…"
"If you have energy to talk back" Rika who had followed them through the portal said flatly "you have energy to walk."
Seeing the two team up on her could only curse them loudly not even bothering to hide it this time .
For hours, Maki pushed through the blizzard.
Every swing of her naginata felt heavier. Every step sank deeper into the snow. The cold clawed at her thoughts, whispering for her to stop, to rest, just for a moment.
Yuta circled her like a predator approaching a prey.
"Stop relying on your eyes!" he barked loudly in her ear.
Maki blinked snow out of her vision. "What?"
"The human brain processes nearly eighty percent of information visually."
He kept walking.
"That's why your brain becomes lazy, depending on sight and neglecting everything else."
Another violent gust struck them.
"Hearing.
Smell.
Temperature changes.
Vibrations.
Instinct."
"Humans abandoned their animal senses in favor of logic and comfort."
Yuta glanced back at her.
"And sorcerers are even worse."
Maki narrowed her eyes her brain working to understand while struggling to maintain pace.
"When your vision fails..."
Yuta suddenly disappeared and ahand tapped her shoulder from behind freezing maki dead in her tracks.
"...what do you rely on then?"
Maki growled but obeyed. Pushing his hand away,she closed her eyes.
A harsh gust nearly knocked her over but She forcibly corrected her stance using nothing but the feeling of the wind on her skin.
"Better," Yuta commented somewhat impressed, not that he was going to show it. "But not enough."
the pressure increased, the he weights grew heavier and the he cold bit deeper.
But that didn't break maki's will.
She swung her weapon again and again, refining her form, forcing her body to move with efficiency despite the fatigue and pain.
Sweat froze on her skin almost instantly. Her muscles screamed in agony. Her lungs burned.
She could only complain between gritted teeth. "This… is fucking torture…!"
Yuta only smirked. He was going to train the Zenin's failure to become their destroyer , she didn't need gentle guidance for that only an unbreakable wall she needs to cross.
Maki lasted longer than he expected. But eventually, her body reached its limit.
Her vision blurred followed by her legs giving out mid-swing shortly after. She collapsed face-first into the snow, unconscious.
But before she could hit the snow Yuta appeared beside her instantly. He canceled the weights and scooped her up effortlessly.
stepping back through a new portal to the warm training grounds of Jujutsu High.
He laid her down gently on the grass and placed a hand on her shoulder, using a small amount of Reverse Cursed Technique to stabilize her physical state.
Maki's eyes fluttered open after a few minutes. She was exhausted, freezing, and sore everywhere… but there was a new fire in her amber eyes.
Her body felt way lighter then it should,as if this experience had already broke her previous ceiling.
Yuta crouched beside her. "Day one. You did better than expected.... This will help you in the long run when I find a way to cut off your connection"
Maki stared at him for a long moment, breathing heavily but a hint of appreciation for not taking it easy on her, was present.
"…Why are you helping me like this?" she mumbled quietly in an almost unhearable tone.
Yuta stood up, turning away with a small, she couldn't see.
"Because I want to see how far the Zenin clan's 'failure' can go. And because watching someone break their limits… is entertaining."
He began walking away not looking back at her because he didn't want her to see the look of pity in his eyes. People like maki despised getting pitied the most. It was an insult to her.
"Rest well tonight. Tomorrow we continue same time."
Maki watched his retreating back, fists clenched with newfound determination.
She would get stronger no matter how brutal the training became.