A few days after Maki left the clan for Tokyo Jujutsu High, Jinsuke was greeted by a furious visitor — Mai.
She arrived at his house looking utterly dejected, like someone who had been abandoned by the world itself. When she finally raised her head to look at him, her voice trembled.
"My... My sister abandoned me."
Jinsuke's cheek twitched.
"Abandoned? Please. She just didn't tell you beforehand."
He sighed inwardly but, seeing Mai's teary eyes and pitiful expression, decided not to tease her too much.
"So, you already found out?" he asked.
"I overheard her talking with the clan head," Mai said quietly. "I kept waiting—waiting for her to tell me herself. But she never did. I only heard that she left the clan."
That could only mean one thing to her — her sister didn't trust her enough to say goodbye. Maybe she was too weak, too useless.
"Don't be so sad," Jinsuke said with a light smile. "Maybe Maki just didn't want you to worry."
He had long foreseen this rift between the sisters.
"So that's why she told you, but not me?" Mai asked, suspicion and hurt written all over her face.
Her tone carried a sting of jealousy.
Jinsuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you… jealous?"
The glare she gave him said it all.
"Of course not! Why would I be jealous of you?" she huffed, turning away, her lips pouting slightly — though it was obvious enough to hang a vinegar bottle right on her face.
"Alright, alright. If you really want to know the reason, go to Jujutsu High and ask Maki yourself. Sitting here being jealous won't help."
"I said I'm not jealous!" Mai shot back, cheeks burning red. "And I'm not going after her. If she looks down on me, I'll just have to prove her wrong!"
Her eyes shone with a new, stubborn determination.
"You silly girl," Jinsuke chuckled. "And how exactly do you plan to prove that? By being stronger than her?"
"I'll prove that I can help her!" Mai clenched her fists tightly. "She thinks I'm useless? Then I'll show her I'm not!"
Jinsuke couldn't help but laugh, a loud, genuine laugh. "That's the spirit, Mai. I believe in you."
He wasn't trying to mock her, but from his perspective, the idea of Mai defeating Maki was… let's just say ambitious. Unless she somehow fixed the flaws in her innate technique, the odds were slim.
"You're laughing at me again! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Her face puffed up in frustration. Sure, she knew beating Maki was nearly impossible, but at least she had to try.
"I'm going to Kyoto Jujutsu High! You and Maki better wait — I'll make you both eat your words!"
She stormed out, still fuming.
Jinsuke watched her go, shaking his head with a faint grin.
"Still just a kid," he muttered. "Her body's grown, but her mind hasn't caught up yet."
He figured a few years of experience out in the world would sort that out.
After dealing with Mai's tantrum, Jinsuke didn't stay home long either. He decided to check on his nephew — after all, by next year, the boy would probably be entering Jujutsu High himself.
The Zenin clan's environment didn't suit him. Even at his age, Megumi could already sense the hypocrisy of the clan's forced politeness.
When Jinsuke arrived at a small restaurant later that day, the place was nearly empty.
"Boss! Bring me one of everything on the menu!" he shouted confidently as he walked in.
The man behind the counter turned, face instantly darkening.
"Can you even finish all that?" Toji glared at him.
Ever since taking in Megumi and Tsumiki, Toji had used what little money he had left to buy this restaurant and run it as a small business.
The assassin jobs were drying up, and with two children to care for, he couldn't afford unnecessary risks.
Besides, even when he did take jobs, he always eliminated everyone involved — too much blood on his hands already. Better to lay low.
"Don't underestimate me," Jinsuke said, waving him off. "Just bring it all out. Stop whining."
Toji ignored him completely, turning to one of the staff. "Give him the cheapest set on the menu."
"Yes, boss!"
"Hey, come on, Toji! Don't be so stingy!"
But Toji didn't answer. He had two kids to feed and a business to run — he wasn't about to waste money on this freeloader.
Tsumiki's medicine alone cost a fortune; every yen mattered.
Still, Toji was already planning ahead — if Megumi refused to return to the Zenin clan next year, he'd send him to Jujutsu High.
It'd be safer, and his unreliable brother-in-arms was already a teacher there.
"So," Jinsuke said between sips of water, "how's your training going? Have you managed to open the fourth gate yet?"
It had been years since Toji first came to him to learn the Eight Gates technique. If he hadn't been slacking off, the fourth gate should be within reach.
"Soon," Toji replied. "Probably in the next few days. But tell me something—how far can this martial art really go?"
After ten years of training, he could feel how terrifyingly powerful the Eight Gates truly were — but also how demanding they became.
Each step forward felt exponentially harder than the last.
"Five gates?" he guessed. "That's got to be the limit, right?"
Jinsuke chuckled. "More or less."
He didn't elaborate further.
Toji wasn't wrong — for a normal human without cursed energy, the fifth gate was usually the wall they could never break through.
If not for his own… "advantages," Jinsuke would probably still be stuck there too.