In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed.
In a large flat on a certain floor of a building near Tokyo Jujutsu High.
(Since there were two kids now, staying in the school dorms felt too cramped. Mukuro had money anyway, so he simply bought an entire floor near the school and lived there with them for the time being.)
"Time to wake up, kid. I'm taking you and Tsumiki back to Kyoto today."
Mukuro had heard yesterday that Onshin and his brother were already home. After getting up, he went to Megumi's room and gently pinched the boy's soft cheeks to shake him awake.
"Mom and Dad are back?"
Megumi rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawning as he looked at his uncle.
"They came back yesterday. What? You want to keep staying in Tokyo instead?"
Seeing the boy finally wake up a little, Mukuro let go of his cheeks.
A little kid's face was one of the most fun things in the world to play with.
"Then let's go. Mom must be worried."
Megumi sat up right away.
No matter how mature he looked at times, he was still under six, a kid wrapped in love. Being away from his parents for half a month was more than enough to make him miss home.
"Tsumiki, go pack up too. You'll be looking after this kid somewhere else now."
Mukuro turned his head and spoke toward the open doorway.
A small figure was hiding behind it, too nervous to move or even breathe loudly.
"Huh? Yes!"
The girl's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. She saluted with excitement, then ran back to her room with quick steps.
She had overheard the phone call the night before and hadn't slept well. She was scared that once Megumi went back home, they wouldn't need her anymore.
Now that Mukuro had given her a clear answer, she finally relaxed a little.
"Uncle Mukuro, you treat her kinda different. Is she your secret daughter?"
Megumi blinked at his uncle, watching the girl run away.
He felt a strange closeness to Tsumiki. She even had the same last name. Maybe the whole thing at the restaurant was a setup to bring her home?
He rubbed his chin, looking like he'd solved some deep mystery.
"I'm barely older than you, kid…"
Mukuro was somewhat helpless, simply reaching out to ruffle the kid's sea urchin-like hair.
* * *
More than three hours later.
The group of three arrived in Kyoto and returned to the Fushiguro family villa.
"My little Megumi!"
Onshin, who had been waiting for a long time, threw her arms around her son the moment he stepped through the door.
"Mom…"
Feeling two intense stares behind him, Megumi's face turned red.
"Let me see… you look thinner. Don't tell me your uncle wasn't feeding you?"
After releasing her son, Onshin checked him from head to toe, then frowned and looked at Mukuro, who stood there looking completely innocent.
"No way… he eats whatever I eat."
Mukuro spread his hands.
He treated Megumi much the same way Toji had raised him back in the day.
"That's more like it…"
Her gaze then shifted. She spotted the little girl standing timidly behind Mukuro with a backpack on her shoulders.
"You must be the Tsumiki that Mukuro mentioned on the phone, right? You're so cute. Thank you for taking care of Megumi these past days."
She ran over to crouch in front of Tsumiki, looking at this "little nanny" for her son that Mukuro had mentioned, in a friendly manner.
"Hello, big sister. Um… I'll take responsibility for caring for Megumi. Please give me a chance!"
Tsumiki immediately bowed nearly ninety degrees, her voice soft yet sincere.
"Oh my, you can just call me auntie from now on. No need to be so formal. Megumi, do you like this sister?"
Onshin helped the girl stand and smiled. She already knew a bit about her situation.
Mukuro's meaning had been clear. If she and Toji were willing to adopt the girl, great. If not, he would use his connections to find her a proper home.
It was rare for him to care so much about a stranger, so Onshin wanted to hear her son's thoughts too. After all, he'd spent time with Tsumiki. If both sides felt comfortable, taking in one more child wasn't a problem. Having someone close in age to accompany Megumi through childhood didn't sound bad. The Fushiguro family had no shortage of money anyway.
(Toji didn't care either way. Whatever his wife wanted was fine.)
Tsumiki peeked at Megumi, nervous once more.
Mukuro had told her to treat him like a younger brother, but she'd never had one. What if there was some aspect where she wasn't good enough to him…
"I don't dislike her. If she stays with us, at least I'll have someone to play with…"
Too proud to say the words "I like her," Megumi used another line to express his approval.
"Is that so? Then welcome to the family. Megumi has a big sister now."
Onshin stood up and patted Tsumiki's head softly.
Then she took the two kids upstairs, leaving Mukuro and Toji alone in the living room.
"Uh… I don't really want to bring this up, but since Onshin insisted… I guess I'm not the best older brother, but you should've told me if something like that happened…"
Toji scratched his head, avoiding eye contact. He didn't look like his usual arrogant and domineering self.
"Hah?"
Mukuro didn't quite understand what his disconnected words meant, only uttering a questioning sound.
"Megumi called Onshin a few days ago. He asked some strange questions… about boy friendships…"
Toji didn't know how to say it directly, so he kept hinting for his brother to speak up on his own.
"..."
Silence filled the room.
"Achoo!"
Upstairs, despite the warm September weather, Megumi suddenly sneezed.
* * *
Meanwhile at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"This mission is near Kyoto, but in a tiny village so remote it barely shows up on any map. Do you need an assistant manager to bring you there?"
Masamichi handed Suguru the mission file and a map showing only the general area.
Usually, special grade sorcerers didn't need an assistant manager, but Masamichi still asked out of habit. Suguru wasn't from Kyoto, and Satoru was tied up with Gojo clan matters.
"This place… no need. It's close to Mukuro's home. He just took Megumi back, so I'll ask him to come with me."
Suguru waved the file in his hand and walked out the door.
Traveling alone was a bit lonely.
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