"This is Nishimiya. That idiot Todo is already fighting Sukuna's vessel near me, so everyone should take a detour, okay."
Not far above where Yuji and Todo were clashing, a small girl with twin ponytails was floating lazily through the sky while riding a broom.
Since she could fly, she was in charge of scouting the terrain, tracking cursed spirits, and reporting battlefield updates at any time.
After all, there were not many sorcerers who could fly.
Bang!
Just as she was about to keep observing the area, she failed to notice a huge bird-like creature swooping in from nowhere, charging straight at her.
The next second, she was slammed into the thick trunk of a massive tree. Her whole body trembled.
"That is... Nue?!"
The moment she got hit, she clearly felt electricity run across her skin. That was why she could barely move now.
"Momo Nishimiya, come play with me."
Down below, Kugisaki was grinning mischievously.
"You really are the worst!"
The girl's face twisted with disgust.
* * *
Elsewhere, in a shallow river so clear one could see the bottom.
Two people who looked almost the same stood facing each other. They were only a little over ten meters apart.
"I really didn't think you'd be the one holding me back alone, Mai. If you want to find a teammate, go ahead. I can take two at once."
Maki did not even draw her cursed tool all the way. The naginata-shaped weapon rested casually on her shoulder as she stared at her sister with interest. Mai held a small revolver in her hands.
Even without cover, at this distance, Maki was not afraid at all. Her close combat skill had already made her a grade 2 sorcerer. With a cursed tool in her hands, a gun like that meant nothing.
(Without the Zenin clan holding her back, she had naturally been able to rank up to grade 2.)
"No need. Compared to jumping you with a bunch of people, I'd rather beat you myself."
Mai looked unusually serious.
"Oh? So that's what this is. Fine then. But did you forget something? You should call me 'big sister,' little sister."
Maki drew her naginata, but instead of charging, she snapped the long handle in half.
Then she threw the lower half straight at Mai.
Against a long-range opponent like her, a long weapon could not do both attack and defense well. Using it like an oversized dagger was easier.
Bang!
Mai's revolver cracked.
The flying handle exploded on the spot. Then her finger pulled the trigger again.
The revolver fired rapidly. The cylinder emptied in a blink, and several bullets shot toward Maki.
Clang!
Maki swung the upper half of the naginata and knocked every bullet away. At the same time, her knees lowered. After deflecting the final shot, her lips curled up.
Then she burst forward like a hunting cat.
"You're out, right? I won't let you reload!"
This was the moment she had been waiting for, the instant Mai ran dry.
Ten meters was not far, and not exactly close either. Still, she was sure her blade would reach her first.
"You're always like this..."
Mai's right hand moved behind her. Even as her sister rushed at her, she did not look surprised at all. She only muttered under her breath.
She and Maki were different.
Unlike her sister, who had lived with her for years and still did not even know her technique, Mai knew everything about Maki.
She understood it clearly. Because she was born, Maki, who should have had a technique, became the clan's "failure" instead.
Her sister had talent she did not. If Mai never existed, Maki might have become someone like Mukuro or Toji.
But…
That was not what Mai wanted.
When they held hands as kids, they promised they would never let go. Yet Maki left her behind in that cold, rotten family.
So…
She hated her.
Her technique and her first crush, she never told her either.
She would beat Maki here, and then...
She would drag her back to the Zenin clan, and they would never be apart again.
In Maki's eyes, her sister did not pull out a fresh reload. Instead, Mai suddenly raised the gun with both hands again.
Bang!
Mai's face turned pale. Blood seeped from her nose.
Then, inside what should have been an empty cylinder, a new bullet formed out of her cursed energy.
Without hesitation, she fired it at her sister who was already right in front of her.
"Hm?"
But right then, something shocking happened.
Maki's speed was too fast for her to break her momentum and swing her blade in time.
Yet her free hand shot out and caught the cursed-energy bullet barehanded, clamping it in her palm.
"Guess you still shouldn't grab one of these with your hand."
Maki grinned, flashing bright white teeth.
She opened her hand, and the bullet dropped out. Her palm was only slightly swollen and red.
"Damn it..."
Mai's creations did not disappear even after her technique ended. That was exactly why they cost so much cursed energy.
One bullet per day was her limit.
At this point, she gave up trying to be careful. She threw the revolver at Maki like a weapon, then rushed forward to fight up close.
But there was no suspense.
A grade 3 who relied on ranged attacks could never beat a grade 2 who lived in close combat.
In a single exchange, as the flat of Maki's blade swept past her, Mai collapsed to the ground.
"Why did you leave home? With the clan head and cousin's arrangements, why couldn't you just live properly?"
Mai did not even wipe the blood still dripping from her nose. She lowered her head and asked softly.
"What? You already know why. And didn't you also enter Jujutsu High to become a sorcerer?"
Maki looked confused. She never expected that after all that time, their first real clash would lead to this question.
"It's not the same! I never wanted to be a sorcerer! I only worked hard because you kept working hard, so I had no choice!"
Mai finally snapped.
Since she was little, she had been afraid of cursed spirits. She hated pain too. She never dreamed of becoming any kind of sorcerer.
Even if she had to do chores in that trashy Zenin clan, she would have accepted it. As long as she could stay with her sister, that was enough. Not to mention Mukuro and the current clan head had treated them well.
But Maki left without a word, leaving her alone in that disgusting place.
She could have leaned on Mukuro's influence, ignored everyone's stares, and kept living in the Zenin clan. Or she could have moved out and lived quietly somewhere else.
But...
The two of them were born as one.
If Mai did not force herself to improve, then everything her sister fought for would become meaningless.
As long as Mai stayed the "failure," her sister would never climb higher.
Win together, lose together. Move forward together, fall back together.
That was their fate, their binding.
The curse of being twins.
"Why couldn't you just be a normal person with me..."
A clear tear slid down her pale cheek.
She was exhausted. She hurt so much.
"I just... can't stand that version of myself..."
Maki was grateful to Mukuro and Naobito, but she still wanted to earn the future position with her own strength.
She wanted to change the Zenin clan completely.
There was no joy of victory left on her face.
She crouched down, gently wiped the tears from Mai's eyes, then reached out her hand, just like she did ten years ago.
"Big sister, don't let go, okay?"
"Of course I won't. We're sisters."
Mai's shaking hand reached up and held hers.
For a moment, it felt like time rewound.
They could both see it again, the two of them back then, making that promise under the setting sun.
**
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