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The warm aroma of freshly brewed tea and grilled fish filled the Nakamura household as the sun peeked through the windows.
Liam sat at the dining table, arms crossed, his face unreadable. But the way his fingers tapped against his arm—the slow, deliberate rhythm—was enough to make Tsumiki's stomach twist.
She knew she was in trouble. So, she took her time eating, chewing slower than usual, as if dragging out breakfast would somehow protect her.
But Liam wasn't fooled.
"Are you done?" His voice was calm. Too calm.
Tsumiki hesitated. "...Almost?"
"Good." Liam leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. His eyes darkened. "Now, explain to me what kind of brain damage made you think sneaking out past midnight to play some stupid horror game was a brilliant idea."
Fujinuma, who had been trying to shrink into her seat, flinched. Tsumiki swallowed hard.
Liam's voice turned sharper, colder. "You could have died. Both of you."
His piercing stare locked onto Tsumiki, pinning her in place. "Did you even stop to think about what would happen if something went wrong? Did you think about what your mother and father would feel if something happened to you? What about Megumi?"
His voice dropped lower, every word cutting deeper. "How was I supposed to explain this to Toji, huh?"
Tsumiki lowered her head. "I... I just thought it would be fine. I didn't expect—"
"Exactly!" Liam snapped. "You didn't expect it to be dangerous! But guess what? It was! You were cursed, Tsumiki. If I had been one minute later—just one—do you have any idea what could have happened?"
Fujinuma clutched the hem of her skirt, eyes glassy with guilt. "We didn't mean to—"
"But you did it anyway," Liam cut in, voice low with frustration. "You didn't mean to, but you still made the choice. A stupid, reckless choice. Do you think an apology is enough to fix that? You think a simple 'I'm sorry' would have brought you back if you had died?"
Tsumiki's hands clenched into fists on her lap. Her shoulders trembled. "...No."
Liam exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. His voice was quieter now, but no less firm. "Tsumiki... I promised Toji I'd take care of you and Megumi. That means keeping you safe, no matter what. But I can't do that if you go around making such stupid mistakes."
Tsumiki's lips quivered. "...I'm sorry."
Fujinuma quickly bowed. "I'm sorry too, Nakamura-san! We really won't do it again!"
Liam studied them, his eyes lingering on Tsumiki's face. He wasn't just angry—he was worried.
"...Good," He said after a long moment. "Because from now on—"
He pointed directly at Tsumiki, "—you are not leaving this house alone. Either I, Megumi, or Mei Mei will go with you. No exceptions."
Tsumiki opened her mouth to argue, but then she saw the look in his eyes.
That wasn't Liam the cool and spoiling uncle. No, That was Liam the protector.
She swallowed her words and nodded.
Liam turned to Megumi. "You."
Megumi, who had been silently watching, blinked. "What?"
"Make sure she doesn't pull another stunt."
Megumi sighed. "I'll try, but you know how she is."
Tsumiki scowled. "Excuse me?"
Liam smirked slightly, ruffling Megumi's hair. "That's my boy."
Megumi scowled harder. "Stop that."
"Never."
Even with the lingering tension, Tsumiki felt some of the weight lift from her chest.
Liam wasn't just mad. He just cared for her.
And that was enough.
With that settled, Liam had Fujinuma escorted home while Aiko took care of Tsumiki. He was just starting to relax when his phone rang.
Brr... Brr...
A certain white-haired menace had entered the chat.
Liam answered the call with a sigh. "What do you want, Satoru?"
"Good morning to you too, sunshine~" Gojo's voice was annoyingly chipper. "Busy being an overprotective dad?"
Liam groaned. "Not in the mood, Gojo."
"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Didn't get enough sleep? Oh wait—you were too busy playing hero last night, weren't you?"
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you have a point, get to it."
"Alright, alright, sheesh." Gojo's tone turned a little more serious. "I need a favor."
Liam immediately narrowed his eyes. "No."
"You haven't even heard what it is yet!"
"I don't need to. If you need a favor, that means I am about to be dragged into a mess I want nothing to do with."
Gojo gasped dramatically. "Liam! How could you say that after all the times I've helped you? You wound me!"
"You're an idiot, Satoru."
"An idiot who's calling in a favor."
Liam sighed. "Fine. What is it?"
"Some Jujutsu sorcerers investigating a major incident were killed," Gojo explained, his voice dropping its usual playfulness. "I'm supposed to handle it, but I've got my hands full with another matter. So... I was hoping you could take a look for me?"
Liam blinked. "So, you're dumping your workload onto me. Great."
"It's not dumping, it's delegating," Gojo corrected smugly.
"You mean forcing."
"Tomato, tomahto."
Liam groaned. "Why me?"
"Because you're smart, handsome, and totally not doing anything important right now."
Liam deadpanned. "I was dealing with a situation all night. You do realize I barely got any sleep, right?"
Gojo hummed. "Sounds like a you problem. Anyway, I helped you so much before, shouldn't you return the favor?"
Liam frowned. "That's your reasoning? I've helped you plenty too, you know."
"But I'm Gojo Satoru," He said smugly. "That automatically means I'm right."
"...I hate you."
"Aw, love you too, buddy~"
Liam sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. I'll look into it. But if this turns into some giant catastrophe, I'm blaming you."
"Noted! Have fun, Liam!"
Click!
Liam stared at his phone, debating whether or not it was too late to strangle Gojo.
Megumi, who had been listening, sipped his tea. "You know he does this on purpose, right?"
Liam exhaled. "Oh, I know."
"Yet you still fall for it."
Liam scowled. "Don't start with me, Megumi."
The boy smirked, looking far too amused for Liam's liking.
Despite his complaints, Liam knew he couldn't ignore the situation Gojo had dumped on him. If Jujutsu sorcerers were dying, it meant something dangerous was lurking. And he had a good idea of what it was.
With one last sigh, he finished his tea, grabbed his coat, and prepared to head out.
As he left, he muttered under his breath, "Gojo owes me so much after this."
Somewhere, Gojo sneezed.
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The titles of the next three chapters! (🔥Spoiler🔥)
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Chapter 81: The Cursed Child
Chapter 82: A Curse Called Love
Chapter 83: Forging Strength
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