"Megumi, eat something!"
Tsumiki Fushiguro brought a fruit platter to Megumi, who was diligently doing homework.
"Thanks, sis."
Megumi smiled, taking the platter and setting it on his desk.
Despite sharing the Fushiguro name, they weren't blood-related.
Megumi was Toji Fushiguro's son with his late first wife; Tsumiki was his current wife's daughter from a previous marriage.
Still, Megumi and Tsumiki got along great.
Ding-dong—
"Hold on! Coming!"
Tsumiki shouted, heading to the door at the sound of the bell.
Peering through the peephole, she froze—Toji Fushiguro stood outside.
But this Toji was a mess: face bruised, forehead bandaged, looking rough.
After a moment's hesitation, Tsumiki opened the door.
Her gaze held the detached curiosity of facing a stranger.
"D-Dad?"
Toji nodded slightly, unfazed by her distance.
Since marrying into the Fushiguro family, he'd rarely been home, seeing Tsumiki only a handful of times.
They were father and daughter in name, but the bond was thin.
"Uh… come in!"
Tsumiki stepped aside, clearly unaccustomed to his presence.
Toji scratched his head, a rare sheepish look on his face. "Thanks."
"Sis, who is it?"
Megumi's spiky head poked out from his room.
Spotting Toji, his eyes flashed with resentment and annoyance.
"You remember this place? Looking like that, did you lose a bet, owe money, and get beat up?"
"…"
Toji's temper flared.
Damn Sawa Gojo—healed every other injury but left my face like this.
What a twisted sense of humor!
"It's… from work. Work injury."
Toji explained, then paused, wondering why he was being so patient today.
"!"
Megumi was even more shocked.
This was the first time his deadbeat dad answered him directly—with a full sentence, no less.
But years of bottled-up frustration kept Megumi's tongue sharp.
"Work injury? Chasing debts for the mob and getting thrashed?"
"…"
Toji rolled his eyes, his broad palm ruffling Megumi's already wild hair, turning his spiky 'do into a sea urchin.
"Jerk! Let go!"
Megumi squirmed, though his strength was nothing to Toji.
This… feels pretty good, Toji thought, a chuckle escaping him.
"Huh?!"
Megumi froze, seeing his dad's lips curl into a grin.
Something's off—way off!
Did that beating knock him loopy?
Toji released him, sauntering into the room and flopping onto the tatami, waving at Megumi.
"Yo, grab me a beer!"
"…Buzz off!"
Megumi snorted, storming back to his room.
Tsumiki glanced between Megumi and Toji.
Sighing, she fetched a six-pack from the fridge for Toji.
"Uh… thanks."
Toji didn't know how to act around this non-blood daughter.
But Tsumiki's quiet thoughtfulness—any dad would cherish a kid like her, right?
Days passed.
Toji stayed, bickering with Megumi, chatting with Tsumiki, occasionally cooking on a whim, and even quitting his beloved gambling.
Megumi and Tsumiki, initially thrown, grew used to having a dad around.
One day, Megumi, as usual, cleared Toji's empty cans.
Suddenly, he spotted something odd on Toji.
A… black-purple, fleshy worm, coiled around his dad.
Megumi blinked, thinking he was seeing things, and rubbed his eyes.
Feeling eyes on him, Toji turned, puzzled. "What's up?"
"On you…"
Megumi pointed at the cursed spirit Ugly Treasure, incredulous.
"Hm?"
Toji raised a brow, tapping Ugly Treasure. "This?"
Megumi's eyes widened. "Wait—you see it too? It's… real?"
Toji grinned, realization dawning.
Technique awakened!
"Looks like it's time you learned some things… Tsumiki, come here."
Though Tsumiki lacked sorcery talent, they were family under one roof. Toji didn't mind her knowing.
He explained cursed energy and techniques to Megumi and Tsumiki.
After, Toji took a swig of beer to wet his dry tongue, awaiting their reactions.
Tsumiki blinked. "Dad, you got a fever?"
"…"
Okay, to normal folks, this was straight-up fantasy.
But Megumi stayed silent.
Without seeing Ugly Treasure, he'd think his dad was nuts.
But he saw it—felt its cursed energy clear as day!
"There's fever meds in the house. Hold on, Dad, I'll grab some."
Toji facepalmed, stopping Tsumiki.
To prove he wasn't crazy, he took her to the yard and showed off some sci-fi-level moves.
Watching Toji leap ten meters, Tsumiki finally believed.
Her eyes sparkled. "So, Dad, you're super strong in the jujutsu world, right? What do you do?"
"Uh, I'm a sorcerer kil—cough!"
Facing his pure, kind daughter, Toji backpedaled.
"I'm… like a hired bodyguard."
Toji said, sheepish, then puffed up for dad cred. "Strength? I'm top-tier. Less than a handful in the jujutsu world can take me."
"Wow~"
Tsumiki's face lit up with admiration.
Megumi snorted, unimpressed. "You came back all beat up the other day, calling it a 'work injury.' Got fired after a thrashing, huh?"
Toji rolled his eyes. "That was three guys…"
"Didn't you say only a handful could beat you?"
Megumi cut in. "What, those three just happened to be in that handful?"
Toji: "…"
You won't believe it, but yeah, they freakin' were!