Zenin Toji finally put into motion the plan he had been delaying out of sheer laziness. He packed a simple bundle, slung it over his shoulder, and stepped out of his room.
"Finally done with this godforsaken shithole."
Toji let out a short sigh, his resolve hardening as he marched forward. At the estate perimeter, he was met by the guards of the Kukuru Unit.
"What's this? Why are you out at this hour? Thinking of running away?"
"Heh... Looks like it. Finally crawling out, are we? For someone without a lick of cursed energy, you managed to linger here quite a while."
Looking at the sneering faces of the men mocking him to his face, the last shred of Toji's hesitation vanished. A thin, predatory smirk pulled at his lips. He tossed his bundle to the side and exploded forward, his body a blur of sheer kinetic violence as he began to hammer the guards.
"You're so full of yourselves, aren't you? Must be nice, being born with cursed energy. Right? You piece of shit."
With every strike, the sickening crunch of bone echoed through the night. The guards, their bodies breaking under his monstrous strength, couldn't even find the breath to scream, let alone answer.
Toji stopped his rain of fists, grabbed one guard by the hair, and yanked his head back to hiss into his ear.
"Pathetic. You're all so damn weak. Hey, call the rest of the Kukuru Unit. Every last one of them. Now. A member of the clan is leaving, and there's no one to see him off? You rude bastards need to be taught some manners."
"I'll... I'll call them..."
"Actually, forget it. Give me the radio. I'll handle it myself."
Toji rummaged through the broken man's uniform, snatched the radio, and spoke into it with a deceptively playful tone.
"Testing, testing. Is the duty officer listening? All personnel of the Kukuru Unit, assemble at the front of the estate. Anyone who's late is dead."
The duty officer, who had been half-dozing, jolted awake and barked back into the receiver.
"Who is this? Who dares threaten the Zenin—"
"It's Zenin Toji. Does it matter who I am? If your security is breached, you should be worried about stopping me. Or do you want to see these guards die?"
"Damn you... You arrogant brat... Stay right there."
The transmission cut. Moments later, the entire Kukuru Unit had gathered in front of the estate. Toji scanned their faces one by one, nodding slowly.
"Perfect. Every single one of you has talked shit to me at some point. You're all catching these hands today."
The moment the words left his mouth, he charged. It was a massacre. A single man, using nothing but his bare fists and feet, was systematically dismantling an entire squad of sorcerers. The Kukuru Unit Captain, watching from the back in sheer terror, met Toji's gaze.
"Stay right there. If you run, I'll just catch you and hit you harder."
Watching Toji laugh with a tinge of madness as he pulverized his men, the Captain felt a suffocating weight of fear settle in his chest, forcing him to collapse onto the gravel.
Having finished off the rank and file, Toji stood before the Captain.
"Was I really that annoying to you? Then try to kill me now. If you think you can, that is."
As Toji prepared to throw the finishing blow, a roar erupted from behind him.
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing? Have you finally lost your mind?"
A man with the rugged appearance of a bandit and a massive, muscular frame stepped forward. It was Zenin Jinichi—Toji's biological elder brother.
"Ah... What's this? Why weren't you out here with the rest, you prick? I was waiting for you. Or should I be calling you 'Dear Brother'?"
Toji dug into his ear with a pinky, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Infuriated, Jinichi immediately activated his cursed technique.
Massive spectral fists began to rain down from the sky like meteors. Toji watched them descend, then accelerated with an explosive burst of speed, leaping into the air to smash his fist directly into Jinichi's face. The impact sent Jinichi flying, canceling the technique. Crashing into the distance, Jinichi scrambled back to create range and unleashed his technique once more. This time, he poured every drop of his cursed energy into a single, colossal fist and launched it.
Toji stared at the incoming mountain of cursed energy.
'How much despair will he feel if I crush his ultimate move head-on?'
Toji let out a wicked laugh and deliberately threw himself toward the flying fist.
"Has he... gone mad? Why would he do that? Well, no matter. This is my victory."
Jinichi turned away, not even bothering to look. But after a few steps, he realized he hadn't heard the sound of Toji's body being crushed by his technique. He whipped around, only to see Toji standing right in front of him.
"Yo. You call that a cursed technique? That move of yours was weaker than my left hook. To think a maggot like you is treated like a human just because you have cursed energy... I really should have flipped this place sooner."
'What...? He neutralized my technique just by swinging his fists a few times? That's impossible. It can't... be...'
"Did you forget? This is what a Heavenly Restriction's Physical Gift looks like. So, how does it feel? Can you see your future, 'Brother'? The future where you get beaten like a dog by the monkey you looked down on?"
Toji gripped Jinichi by the hair and began to pummel his face relentlessly, as if he had been waiting his entire life for this moment. With every strike, Jinichi's face caved further inward, accompanied by the wet, sickening sound of shattering bone. It was a display of pure malice that froze the Elders who had rushed out to investigate the commotion.
Toji stared blankly at Jinichi's ruined face before tossing him to the ground like a bag of trash. He then locked eyes with the frozen Elders.
"Oh. I was going to go looking for you lot, but you saved me the trouble. Should I say thank you?"
"Don't... Don't come any closer. Please, stay back...!"
"Did any of you ever listen when I begged? You're nothing but rotten old fossils. I'm going to make you wish for legalized euthanasia."
After giving the Elders a thorough 'education,' Toji stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed.
"Ah, that felt good. I should have done this a long time ago. If it weren't for that brat..."
The image of the Young Master, Zenin Touya, flashed through Toji's mind. Touya was the only person in this family who treated him like a friend, like a brother. Whenever Toji wanted to leave, that boy was the one who held him back. What would Touya think of him now? As he lost himself in thought, a voice called out from behind.
"Whoa, Toji. You certainly did a number on this place. It's a complete disaster... and so is the Zenin Clan."
The owner of the voice was the man whose clan Toji had just dismantled—the Clan Head, Zenin Naobito.
"Ah, it's just the old man. So? You here for a round?"
"Do I look insane? I'm well aware that Toji-kun is the natural enemy of my cursed technique. I simply... came to tell you that you did well."
"Are you really the Clan Head? Your family just got trashed. You're out of your mind."
"About that... I do feel some regret regarding you. I took the seat of Clan Head shortly after you were born, and I didn't have the leisure to look after you. Honestly, I'm almost grateful you 'cleaned up' the clan like this. I felt it was already sliding out of my control."
Naobito spoke with uncharacteristic sincerity.
"Hmph. Say whatever makes you feel better. I'm leaving. If you have something to say, say it now."
"I've said my peace. Ah, right. You're welcome back anytime. By the time you return, Touya will likely have inherited the position of Clan Head."
Toji tried to imagine a Zenin Clan led by Touya, but the image wouldn't quite form.
"That's not going to happen, old man. I still don't believe it. This house will never change."
"Well, do as you please. Send word if you ever have a kid. I've raised six myself, so I can give you some pointers. And if your child inherits the Ten Shadows, bring them back. I'll make sure they're raised with everything they could ever need."
"Don't make me laugh. There's no way two Ten Shadows users would exist in the same era."
"Hahaha! Why not? Even Naoya inherited my Projection Sorcery. Just think about it. The Zenin will be different in the future... under Touya."
"Whatever. I'm going."
"Aren't you going to see him before you go? Ah, looks like he's here. I'll head inside first. Have your chat."
A small child stepped out from behind Naobito. It was Touya.
--------
I couldn't stay asleep with all the noise. It wasn't easy to dream when agonized screams were echoing through the estate. I patted the waking, whimpering Naoya on the shoulder.
"Naoya, go back to sleep. It'll be quiet soon. Brother just needs to step out for a moment."
"Mmm... where are you going? I'm sleepy... You have to hug me when you get back, Brother..."
"Yeah. I'll be back."
After giving Naoya a quick word, I left the room. With every step I took, the scent of blood grew thicker. Entering the courtyard, I saw the soldiers of the Kukuru Unit scattered everywhere like discarded dolls.
"Man... he really went overboard, didn't he? Well, they had it coming."
Walking past them, I saw Zenin Jinichi lying motionless, his face reduced to a bloody pulp. Toji's brother.
"Yeah, I figured he'd beat this guy particularly hard. You never disappoint, Toji."
I nodded to myself and kept walking until I saw the estate entrance. Toji was there, talking to my father. Noticing my arrival, Father left after a final farewell.
Once we were alone, I spoke.
"Are you really going, Toji?"
"Of course I am. Staying in a place like this makes my brain feel like it's rotting."
"I see. That's a shame. Having my family around didn't change your mind, then?"
I felt a pang of regret, but I kept my voice calm. I didn't want to force him to stay. Even if our immediate family treated him well, it wouldn't erase the scars the rest of the clan inflicted on him. Those wounds likely ran deep, carved into his soul since childhood.
"So? What are you going to do out there, Toji?"
"Haven't thought about it."
"You know, once you're out, you have to work to earn your own keep. You okay with that?"
Toji grimaced.
"Ugh. That sounds terrible. Isn't there an easier way to make a buck?"
"No such thing. They say your own job is always the hardest in the world. Oh, by the way—do you have any start-up capital? You need a place to live."
"I was planning on sleeping rough. I don't really feel the cold."
"Absolutely not. Follow me. I'll get you some money."
"Forget it. I don't need it."
"Come on. Even runaway teens steal from their parents' wallets. Just follow me."
Toji let out a sigh and followed me back into the estate. We walked until we reached one of the internal warehouses.
"Hey. You're getting money from a warehouse? What kind of money is stored in here?"
"Right there. Cursed Tools."
I pointed toward **Playful Cloud** and several other high-grade cursed tools.
"Toji, you take Playful Cloud for yourself, and sell the rest. You'll get a fortune for them. Playful Cloud is basically a weapon meant for someone like you; you'll find it incredibly useful."
Toji froze for a moment, visibly stunned that I was handing over the clan's treasures so casually. He looked at me, his eyes searching for an explanation.
"Why go this far for me?"
I answered immediately.
"Because you're family, Toji. It's only natural."
Toji looked flustered, his eyes darting around before he finally let out a short laugh.
"I guess this is why I stayed as long as I did, even when I wanted to leave."
He pressed his hand down firmly on my head, ruffling my hair.
"Thanks, Touya. For accepting me as family."
...Did Toji just say my name?
"Toji! What did you just say? Say it again!"
Toji turned his head away, clearly trying to hide his expression.
"Shut up. Once was enough. It's the middle of the night. Go back and get some sleep."
"Aww, man! That was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Oh, right, Toji. Did you take care of *that* person?"
Toji started stuffing the cursed tools into his bundle, answering distractedly.
"Who are you talking about? There's more than one person I needed to 'take care of.'"
"You know. *That* one."
Toji paused, thinking deeply, before clapping his hands as it clicked.
"Ah. Right. Are you a genius? I almost forgot that one. Let's go right now."
A short while later, another scream erupted from within the estate, where everything was supposed to have ended.
"You piece of shit. Everyone else is out here fighting and you're hiding in your room trembling? Did you think I wouldn't find you? How does it feel, knowing you'll have to be spoon-fed because all your fingers are gone? You're worse than a monkey."
Toji spat the insults into the man's ear and walked out of the room. Finally, we reached the estate gates. I waved to him.
"Go on. I'm tired and need to sleep. Write letters often. If you don't, I'll send people after you and make your life a nightmare."
"You're such a pain. Just go inside and sleep. You won't grow if you don't get enough rest. I'm off."
I watched Toji walk away into the night, waving his hand over his shoulder. I headed back to my room. Naoya was breathing rhythmically, deep in sleep again. I pulled her into a hug and closed my eyes.
'I guess it's really just me and Naoya now. Satoru hasn't been coming by lately either... It's going to get lonely.'