Even though she was of the same bloodline, they treated her no better than a slave. And as a woman, her treatment was even worse than Toji's. Despite being a member of the family, she was forced to serve others like a servant, obeying orders without complaint. If she displeased them, she endured insults and beatings without protest.
It wasn't until she reached the age to attend Jujutsu High that Maki stubbornly left the family to enroll.
She worked hard, aiming to become a Grade 1 sorcerer, all so she could one day return to the Zenin family as its next head and completely change the way it existed.
"Well said. But as of now, you're still only a Grade 4 sorcerer."
Roy nodded approvingly, impressed by Maki's attitude.
Yet his words carried no encouragement—instead, they felt like a bucket of cold water.
"That's because the Zenin family has been blocking me at every turn!"
Maki's expression darkened, a cold resentment rising in her heart toward the absent Zenin clan.
The Zenin family would never acknowledge someone they had discarded. They would never recognize Maki, only obstruct her path to advancement at every opportunity.
Given the achievements Maki had accumulated over the past year and her actual combat ability, she should at least be Grade 3 or semi-Grade 2, if not Grade 1. But she remained stuck at the lowest rank, Grade 4—all because of the Zenin family's interference.
"Even without the Zenin family's interference, how far do you think you could ultimately go?"
"..."
Under Roy's relentless questioning, Maki fell silent.
The question was brutally sharp.
Maki's talent lay in her Heavenly Restriction, just like Toji's, granting her physical abilities far beyond an ordinary person's.
But though her physique was strong—far stronger than a normal human's—it still fell far short of Toji's. Even Yuji's physical prowess surpassed hers.
Without overwhelming physical strength, and lacking cursed energy or techniques...
Becoming a Grade 1 sorcerer was nothing short of a pipe dream!
The Zenin family is one of the three great clans in the jujutsu world, with numerous first-grade sorcerers among their ranks. Their strength is second only to special-grade, and they are considered top-tier even among first-grade sorcerers. Moreover, they have more than one such sorcerer, making their heritage and power astonishingly formidable.
"I have no intention of crushing your spirit, but you should understand this yourself—if things continue like this, you will never become the head of the Zenin family."
"...If only Roy-sensei would train me!"
"I'm flattered you think so highly of me, but do you really believe that alone would be enough?"
"..."
Maki's expression flickered with frustration as she lowered her head in resignation.
Her usually upright shoulders slumped as if drained of strength.
"Even so, I'll keep pushing forward!"
"Even if you might gain nothing in the end?"
"Even if it costs me my life!"
"Hmm~"
Roy watched Maki, and for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his otherwise calm face.
"Not bad. If you didn't have that kind of resolve, I wouldn't have bothered helping you."
"...Help me?"
Maki froze.
Had that just been a test?
To see if her will was strong enough?
But... help her?
"How... would you help me?"
Confusion and a flicker of hesitant hope filled Maki's expression.
Her body, naturally cut off from cursed energy, couldn't wield any even if she acquired an innate technique. She was destined from birth to fight solely with her physical strength.
But from Roy's tone, did he have a way to enhance her abilities despite her inherent limitations?
"In the jujutsu world, twins are considered an ill omen."
Under Maki's intense gaze, Roy didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he brought up another matter.
"To modern society, this is nothing but superstition, but in the jujutsu world, there's truth to it—especially in cases like you and your sister, identical twins."
"In the jujutsu world, identical twins are seen as a single person, possessing only one share of power. Yet they are born as two individuals, splitting that power between them. As a result, neither twin possesses a complete strength."
"Originally, if only your sister had been born, her technique's range and upper limits would have been far greater, and her cursed energy reserves would have been vastly larger. Similarly, if only you had been born, your physical prowess would have been far beyond what it is now."
Twins are an ill omen.
This is the reasoning behind the belief in the jujutsu world.
Had they not been born as twins, both Maki and her sister would have possessed power far surpassing their current selves. Their strength could have multiplied several times—even tenfold—without difficulty.
"Are you saying... I should absorb my sister's power?"
Maki's expression darkened instantly.
If Roy's words were true, there was only one solution she could think of.
If the other twin had taken her share of power, then reclaiming it would naturally restore her to her full potential.
"Isn't this just pitting me against Mai in a fight to the death?!"
Maki's emotions flared like never before.
Her face was etched with unmistakable resistance.
That's right.
"The only way to grow stronger is to kill each other, with the victor absorbing the defeated's power—that's the sole method for Maki to gain complete strength!"
"Aside from this, the Heavenly Restriction offers no other path to power!"
"If that's the only way, then I refuse!"
Maki's expression was unusually resolute as she firmly rejected the method.
"Calm down. Who said I wanted you to kill each other?"
Roy couldn't help but roll his eyes, a trace of displeasure flashing across his face.
"Am I really such an unreliable teacher in your eyes?"
Even if he weren't speaking from a teacher's standpoint, Roy wouldn't make such a suggestion.
Because this wasn't his choice to begin with—it was Maki's.
Roy wouldn't interfere with others' decisions. He would simply watch silently as Maki made her choice, observing everything she did.
Except now, he was her teacher.
And he also had a certain goal in mind, so he decided to give Maki a hand.
"Not mutual slaughter?"
Maki was instantly confused.
She stared at Roy with utter bewilderment, completely unable to grasp what method he was referring to.
"A few days ago, Toji Fushiguro returned to the world through a medium, and I fought him."
Seeing Maki's confusion, Roy knew he had to explain properly, so he began recounting the origin.
"He has the same constitution as you—a natural zero cursed energy, achieving the title of Heavenly Restriction's 'Heavenly Ruler' through innate physical prowess. He's incredibly strong, capable of clashing with Special Grades… During our fight, I imprinted his physical data!"
During the battle at the juvenile detention center, Roy had tangled with Toji for quite a while.
In that time, he had already thoroughly analyzed Toji's unique physique through his Body Modification ability!
Originally, he had wondered if the Heavenly Restriction's special constitution could be used to enhance himself. But after testing, he realized their physical abilities were nearly equal—there was no meaningful improvement to be had. While the trait of having no cursed energy allowed him to ignore many cursed techniques, for Roy, the drawbacks outweighed the benefits. So, he shelved the research.
Until he remembered Maki Zenin.
"If you want to become the head of the Zenin clan, I can recreate the Heavenly Restriction's physique in your body! Don't doubt it—I have that power."
Roy stared straight at Maki, finally revealing the method he had mentioned.
"Recreating the Heavenly Restriction's power…"
Maki froze for a long moment, her thoughts in turmoil.
After a while, she rubbed her temples as if just snapping back to reality.
"Does it not require sacrificing Mai?"
That was her first question?
What a siscon.
Roy couldn't help but mentally complain before giving the obvious answer.
"Of course not."
"…Then."
Maki fell silent for a beat, then her expression hardened with resolve.
"Sensei, is there something you need me to do?"
She wasn't stupid—she caught on immediately.
Though she had trained under Roy for a while, she wasn't truly his student.
Even if she were like Megumi, Yuji, or Nobara—his actual students—Roy had no obligation to help her. Students weren't family, and even family had to be wary of each other, let alone students.
The only reason Roy would make such an offer was that he saw value in her!
"You catch on quick!"
Roy smiled approvingly, tacitly confirming Maki's guess.
Of course, he wasn't here out of pure goodwill.
If Maki were like Utaha or the others—his women—then he wouldn't mind strengthening her. But Maki was just a student.
"What I need you to do can only be carried out after you become the head of the Zenin clan. So, helping you grow stronger now is just an advance investment."
"As for what I truly want to do... let's just say I'm thoroughly dissatisfied with the current state of the jujutsu world and intend to completely reform the very structure of Japan's jujutsu society!"
This didn't conflict with his real objective—in fact, it aligned perfectly.
He aimed to gain complete control over Japan's jujutsu world.
But what he needed wasn't this utterly rotten jujutsu society as it stood now.
It looked just like the world of magic, especially the Big Three Families—the sight of them alone made him sick to his stomach.
He would rebuild the order of the jujutsu world and then bring this renewed society under his control.
Ultimately, all jujutsu sorcerers would fall under his command.
As the leading figures of the jujutsu world, the Big Three Families had to reform their systems to set a proper example for the sorcerers beneath them. But the person to carry out this reform had to be someone Roy trusted.
Maki happened to fit his requirements perfectly.
"Alright, I'll do it!"
Maki didn't even hesitate before firmly agreeing.
"Should we form a binding vow now?"
"No need for that."
Seeing Maki ready to make the vow, Roy casually waved his hand dismissively.
"No binding vow? Is that really okay?"
Maki stared at Roy in disbelief, stunned by his nonchalance.
He was offering her such enormous benefits, yet he didn't even require a binding vow?
A vow made to oneself was entirely different from one made with another person.
A self-imposed vow could expand the scope and effects of one's techniques more advantageously. Even if broken, the only loss would be the power gained from it.
But breaking a vow made with someone else would not only nullify the power obtained through the exchange but could also bring far more terrifying punishments at any moment—the consequences were much more severe than imagined!
"It's unnecessary. This is fine."
Roy's expression didn't change in the slightest; he couldn't care less about vows.
Maki's character was trustworthy.
More importantly, he wasn't originally from this world. If he ever left, the vow would likely become void without its counterpart. Since it would be useless anyway, he might as well discard it from the start.
At that moment.
"Mr. Roy!"
Assistant Supervisor Kiyotaka Ijichi arrived at the gymnasium. Spotting Roy, he hurried over.
"Come to my dormitory after school this afternoon."
After leaving these instructions with Maki, Roy walked toward Kiyotaka.
Maki nodded in acknowledgment and left the gymnasium.
"The task you assigned me is complete!"
Kiyotaka approached, reporting with visible excitement.
"Well done."
Seeing this, Roy's face broke into a pleased smile.
"Where is she?"
"I'll take you there right now!"
Roy followed Kiyotaka out of the gymnasium.
Though Megumi and Yuji found it odd, they continued their training without pause, still pushing their bodies to the limit.
About ten minutes later.
Roy returned to the gymnasium.
A girl followed behind him.
She had long pink hair and wore the female uniform of Jujutsu High, trailing after Roy with a nervous expression.
Megumi happened to glance at her.
He froze.
One look.
She looked familiar.
Another look.
Whoa!
Wasn't that the guitar girl from the street performance the other day?
"Everyone, gather up!"
In the center of the stadium, Roy clapped his hands, the sound ringing clearly in the ears of the three students.
Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara simultaneously stopped their training and gathered at the center of the field.
They looked curiously at the pink-haired girl standing beside Roy.
"I'm sure you're all curious about her, so I'll get straight to the point."
Roy glanced at the three before him, then at the visibly nervous pink-haired girl, his smile growing even more delighted.
"This girl is Bocchi-chan—no, I mean, her name is Hitori Gotoh. She's our new first-year transfer student!"