Dragged away by her, I was completely defenseless against Utahime's hands, which squished my cheeks as if she had just found a new toy.
Seeing me give up and obediently offer my cheeks, Utahime‘s eyes grew slightly dangerous as she squeezed them even harder. Deciding I couldn‘t take it anymore, I made a run for it, but she chased right after me, spouting things I couldn‘t quite understand.
"Do you really think you can escape, Touya? Why don't you just obediently surrender yourself to your big sister?"
"Utahime! I have no idea what you're talking about, but that sounds incredibly dangerous!"
I ran as hard as my small body could manage, but because I hadn't reinforced my physical body with cursed energy, I couldn't outrun Utahime, who was older and had a much larger physique. Eventually, I was caught again. My cheeks were ravaged once more, and I let out a heavy sigh.
"Utahime... how long are you going to keep doing this? My cheeks hurt..."
At that, Utahime seemed to come back to her senses. She blushed and quickly put some distance between us.
"Whoa... I'm sorry. Your cheeks are just too soft... Wait, yeah. Isn't this your fault? You're just too cute. So it's not my fault. Mmhmm."
Having spiraled into her own train of thought, Utahime pulled out some incomprehensible logic and nodded to herself in agreement. Thinking that statement could be a bit problematic, I cut her off.
"If you keep doing that, I'm going to tell your dad."
"Huh? But... want to take a look over there?"
I looked where she was pointing. Her parents and my father were looking at us, chatting amiably.
"Hahaha. Seeing them get along so well already is reassuring. It seems the Iori and Zenin clans will grow even closer in the future."
"Haha. You're welcome anytime. It seems our Touya has taken a liking to Utahime as well. He's usually a boy of few words and rarely shows much emotion to people he hasn't opened up to."
"Oh my, is that so? At this rate, won't they truly develop a wonderful relationship down the line? Fufu. I'm all for it."
"Honey, it's a bit early to be talking about that. Touya will undoubtedly receive an overwhelming number of marriage proposals."
"There's no way..."
Despairing at that reality, I let out a sigh and muttered quietly to Utahime.
"Go easy on me... please."
Utahime licked her lips and slowly approached me as I sat slumped on the floor.
To soothe my body and mind, which had been thoroughly ravaged by Utahime, I walked over to look at the flowers we had been viewing earlier. After I had been staring at them for quite a while, Utahime approached me.
As I grew scared and took a step back, she waved her hands frantically.
"I won't do it anymore. Don't be so scared. Earlier, I just lost control without realizing..."
Seeing her avoid my gaze, clearly aware that she had been in the wrong, I sighed and didn't stop her from coming closer.
"It's just... I have something I want to ask. Is that okay?"
"What is it?"
"You're... going to be the head of the Zenin clan, right? Won't it be hard? I heard the Zenin clan is massive, and that the bigger a clan is, the more obsessed they are with strength. Our clan primarily raises shrine maidens, but children born with cursed techniques also grow up to be sorcerers."
"You're right. Our clan is actually exactly like that right now. The weak are ostracized and ignored. There's a saying passed down in the Zenin clan: [If you are not a Zenin, you are not a sorcerer. If you are not a sorcerer, you are not human.] Especially for women—even if they are born with a cursed technique, they aren't even allowed to stand on the same starting line as men. I hate it so much. Whether you're born strong or weak, everyone is equally human."
Perhaps shocked by the reality of the Zenin clan—which was evidently far bleaker than she had imagined—Utahime remained speechless. I continued in her place.
"I have a friend... no, a family member. They were abused from a young age simply because they weren't born with cursed energy. I'm going to change this clan to ensure no one like that ever appears again. And to do that, I need to become much stronger than I am now."
Utahime stared at me blankly, perhaps sensing the deep anger I was suppressing beneath my calm tone.
"You know, Touya... Actually, my cursed technique isn't suited for combat either. When I get a bit older, I'm going to enter Jujutsu High to hone my technique and my skills. I don't know if you'll end up going to Jujutsu High too, but if we meet there... I look forward to working with you. I really wish my partner could be someone like you."
As I absentmindedly stared at Utahime's smiling face, my father and her parents called out to us.
"Hey~! Touya. Let's start heading back now. We need to go home and eat."
"Utahime. It's time to go home, dear."
I gave a small nod and took Utahime's hand, pulling her along. Startled by my gesture, she widened her eyes, looked down at me, giggled quietly, and then walked with me back to our parents.
As we approached the adults, who were watching us with heartwarming smiles, my father spoke up.
"Touya. We're leaving now, so say your goodbyes. Make sure to say a proper goodbye to Utahime as well."
I nodded and bowed deeply to Utahime's parents.
"It was a great honor to meet you today. Have a safe trip home."
"Oh my. You speak so beautifully. I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me you were older than our Utahime."
"Hahaha. Yes, Touya. Feel free to call me 'Uncle' from now on. Get home safely. And you can write a letter whenever you want to see Utahime. Pfft..."
Wondering why he was struggling to hold back his laughter while looking at me, I turned my head to find the reason—only to see Utahime, her hand still firmly held in mine. Her neck was completely flushed red, and she had messed up her long hair to hide her face.
Startled, I immediately let go of her hand.
"Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was still holding it."
Seeing Utahime silently shake her head side-to-side as if to say it was okay, I thought to myself:
"Now, say goodbye to the older sister you like so much, Touya. Kuhaha!"
Glaring at my dad for teasing me, I looked at Utahime, whose face was still bright red, and spoke.
"Write to me anytime. We live close by, so it'd be nice to see each other often. And it doesn't matter whether your cursed technique is helpful in combat or not. Anyone can be born strong or weak. That should never be the standard used to judge a person. See you next time."
Hearing my words, Utahime's eyes trembled, and eventually, a single tear rolled down her cheek. As I panicked, pacing anxiously and not knowing what to do, she lifted her head and smiled brightly through her tears.
"Yeah...! Thank you, Touya. Let's definitely meet again. I'll contact you. You have to write me, okay? It's a promise."
She held out her pinky finger. I smiled and hooked my pinky around hers.
"Yeah. We promised, so I'll definitely keep it. Get home safely. Today was fun."
"Me too. Today was so much fun. Bye."
Watching Utahime smile and wave goodbye through her tears as she walked away with her parents, I thought to myself:
"Oho. Is she pretty? You're completely drooling. One thing is for sure: you take after me. Your way with words is something else. Kuhaha!"
"Huh? What did I say? Wait, did I say that out loud?"
"Yep. Said it loud and clear. Are you completely bewitched? If you want, I'll go ahead and arrange an engagement for you. Kuhaha!"
I felt the heat rush to my face. Deeply embarrassed, I shouted at him.
"Forget it! Let's just go home already. I want to rest."
My father backed off, acting as if he wouldn't push it further, but he clearly couldn't hold back his bursting laughter. He tucked me tightly under his arm and sprinted off, laughing the entire way.
"This is the first time I've seen you this flustered over anyone other than Naoya."
"I don't know what you mean. Stop talking to me."
My father's teasing didn't end even after we arrived home. He kept bringing it up straight through dinner.
"Sae, listen to this. I never imagined this kid would get so flustered by a little girl. Turns out he secretly has a type. But he must have gotten used to it eventually because he was talking like an absolute player. If you ask me, he's already won her over."
"Oh my, really? Fufu. He must take after you. He really didn't need to inherit that part of you, though. Be careful not to get stabbed in the future, Touya."
"I'm telling you, it's not like that... Dad, please stop talking about this. Anyway, how is Naoya doing? Is she okay?"
"Yes. Her fever went down and she's doing much better. She's fast asleep right now. Don't worry."
"That's a relief. It's practically the first time Naoya has ever been sick. I think I was a bit startled this morning."
"Right? Neither you nor she has ever really been sick before. But she's perfectly fine now."
Relieved to confirm that Naoya was okay, I chatted with my parents a bit more, finished dinner, and before I knew it, it was time for bed. I returned to my room. The bed felt a bit empty without Naoya sleeping beside me, but I forced myself to shut my eyes. Utahime, whom I had met for the first time today, kept lingering in my mind.
Lost in my thoughts, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
A few days later, after Naoya had fully recovered from her cold:
"Papa, what did you just say?! My big brother got a girlfriend?! Unacceptable. I need to go ask him right now."
Naoya's mind was completely consumed by the sudden, burning jealousy that her beloved older brother might be taken away from her.
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