(POV Mei Mei)
The second possibility was far more unsettling. Kenji had been lying from the very beginning, weaving a fabricated story to protect himself.
Yet due to a lack of experience—or perhaps because he was too composed—Kenji had unknowingly slipped fragments of truth into his lies. The truth leaked out, unintentional, and precisely because of that, it was the most dangerous kind.
I frowned slightly. The second option was far more intriguing. And far more risky.
If the first was true, then Kenji was a cautious child. A child who understood that raw honesty could be a double-edged blade.
But if it was the second… then Kenji was a dangerous child, even without realizing it himself. Not because of malicious intent, but because of ignorance wrapped around potential far too great for a body that small.
I let out a faint smile, one that resembled an old habit more than any genuine warmth. A smile I used when appraising the value of an object—not to enjoy it, but to decide whether it was worth taking or discarding.
This child had survived an encounter with a Cursed Spirit, killed the creature, and now Kenji stood before me with his Cursed Energy completely sealed, as if the jujutsu world no longer recognized his existence.
As though Kenji stood outside the system that was supposed to bind all living beings. Somehow, that was not something that could be ignored so easily, even if I wanted to pretend not to care.
If that was the case, then it would be foolish to simply let Kenji go. The world is never kind to potential left to grow wild. I could train Kenji. Guide his steps before he strayed too far.
Not out of compassion—I do not work for free, and pity rarely leads to good results. Compassion often gives birth to nothing but regret.
But because potential like this, if allowed to grow without direction, could become a serious problem, a disaster merely waiting for time to pass before it exploded without warning.
On the other hand, if guided properly… it could become an extremely profitable asset. A long-term investment, high risk with rewards to match. And I have never been one to overlook opportunities like that.
We then exchanged questions and answers. I deliberately tossed out light, casual questions, as if they were nothing more than meaningless small talk, while observing Kenji's reactions—the slightly too-regular pauses between his breaths, the way his shoulders tensed whenever the topic drifted close to a sensitive point before slowly relaxing again, the way he chose his words as though weighing every syllable before letting it leave his mouth.
Kenji answered honestly, or at least tried to appear honest, and that effort alone spoke volumes.
Forced honesty always leaves traces, and Kenji was not yet skilled enough to conceal them completely. In the end, I presented my offer, without beating around the bush, without unnecessary embellishment.
I would help Kenji understand the world of jujutsu. Teach him the basics he needed to know so he would not die a stupid death someday, so he would at least know when to run and when to fight, and when to swallow his fear and pretend he had never seen anything at all.
In return, if one day I needed assistance, Kenji would have to help me without asking too many questions, without demanding lengthy explanations.
This world does not always allow time for explanations, and I had no intention of accustoming Kenji to that luxury.
In addition, I would also train Kenji in combat. I would come at the end of every month. No more often than that. Not for free. My time and my knowledge have a price, and Kenji needed to understand that from the very beginning.
Kenji accepted without hesitation—almost too quickly. There was no bargaining, no follow-up questions. Either because he had no other choice, or because he was smart enough to realize that this was the only safe path left for him.
The way Kenji nodded at that moment looked far more like the resolve of an adult than that of a child his age.
Before leaving, I explained the fundamentals of the jujutsu world—about Cursed Spirits and how they are born from the decay of human emotions, about sorcerers and a way of life that rarely ends happily, about the risks Kenji would face if he chose to step deeper into a world that was meant to remain hidden from ordinary people.
Kenji listened with intense seriousness, his eyes never leaving mine. There was no excessive fear, no trace of rejection.
Only a sharp focus, as if he were memorizing a map leading to a battlefield he had never seen before.
The sky began to darken. The sun was almost gone, leaving behind a faint orange glow that slowly faded beyond the line of trees. The air grew colder, and shadows stretched long across the ground. I took my leave soon after.
There were still reports I needed to submit. This mission was finished—at least on paper. But as I walked away, one thought remained behind, spinning endlessly in my mind, refusing to settle.
If this child truly carried out a Binding Vow, just as Kenji had said… then one day, when that seal was opened again—Kenji would become something very interesting. Or very dangerous. And in either case… I had no intention of letting Kenji go so easily.
…
…
…
(POV Kenji)
After Mei Mei left, I immediately let out a long breath, one that felt heavy, as if I had been holding something inside my chest for far too long.
The air slowly escaped my lungs, accompanied by a sudden wave of exhaustion that spread throughout my body. Yes, no matter how I looked at it, I had just deceived someone, and even if it was necessary, that sense of discomfort clung to my heart like a faint stain that refused to fade.
Yes, everything Mei Mei saw was exactly what I wanted her to see. Every word, every gesture, even every expression I showed her had been carefully arranged.
After all, only through methods like this would Mei Mei be willing to cooperate with me, and in the cruel world of Jujutsu, cooperation was often far more valuable than naïve honesty that could easily lead to death.
Even so, it never once crossed my mind that I would actually meet Mei Mei in person, let alone under circumstances like this.
That fact alone still felt unreal. So the faint explosion I heard last night had been Mei Mei fighting the dog-shaped Cursed Spirit—the same one I had killed earlier.
That realization came late, but when it did, it struck my mind with full force. It was shocking, and at the same time, it made me realize just how thin the line was between coincidence and death in this world.
After all, I hadn't expected Mei Mei to already be an active, money-loving Jujutsu Sorcerer even when she was still a child. Her calm, sharp, and calculating nature wasn't something that had formed recently—it had been rooted in her from a very early age.
My thoughts trembled briefly at that realization, as I became aware that I had been dealing with someone far more dangerous than her appearance as a small girl would suggest.
My heartbeat slowly returned to normal, though remnants of tension still lingered in my shoulders and back. My muscles felt stiff, as if I had just survived a life-and-death situation, even though technically I was still standing there uninjured. My body remembered the danger in its own way.
That aside—damn it! Child-version Mei Mei is ridiculously adorable! Mei Mei's calm face looked incredibly cute, with eyes that were cold yet clear.
Her relaxed yet unmistakably sharp demeanor, like a blade neatly sheathed, replayed itself in my mind like a shadow that refused to be shaken off, making the corner of my lips almost lift on its own.
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