I'm very sorry for not uploading in these days. Gotta be honest, I'm just tired concerning about the loss of my older loved ones, a closely related grandma to be specific. Of course, I didn't get lazy in these moments and ironed the subsequent plots.
So I'm just updating one chapter per sched and then we're back to the same ol' 2 chaps per schedule, still regaining and some sort.
Thanks for understanding!
[Chapter Start]
"Wake up."
A stern but feminine voice rang through the room.
Inside the tatami-matted space, a short-haired girl rubbed her eyes with a groggy confusion, while a girl with a long ponytail immediately narrowed her gaze, glaring at the woman who had entered.
Both of them had been sleeping soundly until they were suddenly jolted awake.
"Mom... what's the matter?" the short-haired girl asked while rubbing her eyes.
Seeing this, the traditional woman dressed in a crisp kimono promptly forced them to stand up. She began packing the sparse dresses of the two girls into small bundles.
"Mai, Maki... listen. You two have to fulfill a mission, alright? So help me pack your belongings here," The woman stated, devoid of emotion, yet her hands trembled slightly.
This was Mai and Maki's mother, a woman who had long ago capitulated to the strict and rigid "traditions" of the Zen'in Clan.
Maki merely scoffed, clenching her callous fists.
Mai, however, began to hold her sister's sleeve tightly, her heart racing as she grew afraid of what this "mission" could entail.
Soon, a masculine voice rang from outside.
"Hurry up! The transport is waiting!"
The door was slid open with a violent bang.
A clan guard stepped in and roughly pulled the two girls by their arms, dragging them toward the hallway.
Plopping onto the hard wooden floor of the veranda after a particularly rough shove, Maki glared at the guard hatefully.
Her eyes were like embers, refusing to be doused by the shadow of the compound.
"What are you looking at, you fucking imbecile? Move!" The guard barked.
SLAP!
"Sis!" Mai shrieked.
Maki was sent sprawling back onto the floor, her cheek blossoming into a red welt.
"Sis, please stop. It won't do any good for us," Mai scrambled over to her, tears already streaming down her face as she shielded her sister's body with her own.
Shortly after, the footsteps against the floorboards signaled a new presence.
"This issue requires immediate haste. Throw them out if you have to."
"Ogi-sama!"
The guard then nodded before he dragged the kids again toward the compound's entrance.
Maki leaned closer to her sister and murmured. "I'm going to get stronger, Mai. I'm going to be so strong that they can't ever touch us like this again. I promise."
A black car appeared in the distance, pulling up to the gate. Their mother rushed forward, shoving their meager belongings into their embraces with trembling hands.
"Please... do something that would make me proud for once," The mother whispered.
Maki didn't flinch.
"Tch! Make you proud? Well, thank you then for letting us escape here, Mom."
The guard didn't wait for a goodbye.
They were forced into the car and while the engine revved up, Maki watched the distant Zen'in Compound shrink in the rearview mirror.
A silent oath was sworn in her heart, her knuckles turning white from the bitterness.
Beside her, Mai tugged at her sleeve, her small frame shaking with repressed sobs.
"It's okay. Look at me," Maki consoled her sister, grasping the trembling hands.
"We're out of that hellhole. No more guards, no more of that. As long as I'm breathing, I won't let anyone else put a hand on us. You hear me? Everything's going to be fine."
The car then sped up, leaving the brutal household with sisters having a glimmer of anxiety and hope into the unknown.
...
"Have the goods been sent out?"
In the hall, the crossed arms of Naobito remained steady as he stared out into the garden.
"Yes, Naobito-sama. The twins are en route to the dormitory as requested," A guard replied, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the floor.
Naobito hummed in acknowledgment, already calculating the interest on his newest investment.
"Naoya-sama! You can't go in, the Clan Head's been resting for now and-."
"I can go wherever I want to! Out of my way!"
Momentarily, a commotion occurred outside.
The sliding door was thrown open with a lack of ceremony that only one person in the compound could get away with.
"What's going on, old man?" Naoya's hands were tucked into his sleeves with a look of irritation. "I saw a car leaving the gates with those two 'failures' inside. Why?"
Looking at Naoya, a heavy sigh escaped from the clan head's mouth as he sipped a tea, not even bothering to look at his son.
"This is none of your business. It is a matter that concerns the prosperity of our clan."
"Prosperity? From those two?"
A mocking laugh erupted from Naoya's throat. He leaned against the doorframe, his posture oozing a practiced, lethal arrogance.
"Hahahaha! What a ridiculous joke. If that's your plan for 'prosperity,' then the Zen'in are truly in the gutter."
"Your vision is as narrow as your ego, my foolish son," Naobito shook his head.
"I am positioning pieces to secure our lineage in this incoming storm."
"Lineage? What are you—"
Naoya's eyes widened, then narrowed in an instant.
"Wait... don't tell me. The 'Devil' Gojo is parading around?! You're using my cousins as bait for a stray dog?"
A disdainful look was thrown by Naobito.
The word 'cousins' sounded like a joke coming from Naoya's mouth as if his son actually recognized any bond of blood or even a shred of sympathy for those two sisters.
"Disgusting," Naoya spat, his face contorting in a sneer. "You'd lower the bloodline for a flashy outsider? I could beat that brat within an every inch of his life!"
"Good, then do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut until you actually do it," Naobito waved his hand, dismissing his son like a fly.
"And get out. You're ruining the taste of my tea."
Soon, pairs of eyes locked onto each other.
One pair burned with a fierce retaliation, while the latter remained relaxed and steady, anchored by the decades of authority.
"Tch. I get it."
Naoya scratched his head in an aggressive manner that his hair became a mess.
"Oh, and by the way, don't forget to write my position in your last will. This action truly is such a blunder. Lowering ourselves to that demon? Pfft. You're getting senile, old man."
Bang!
As the condition went back to its original state, the old man couldn't help but sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Soon, he stood up and let out a satisfied grunt, stretching his arms high above his head.
"I suppose beating some sense into that brat would soothe my soul more than this tea ever could."
With a gust of wind, the room was empty.
"WAIT! OLD MAN—GYAH!"
"You talk too much! Speed is about timing, not just flapping your mouth!"
"GET OFF ME! YOU'RE JUST MAD BECAUSE I'M RIGHT! YOU'RE SELLING US OUT TO A STRAY DOG!"
"A dog like that brat has more guts than you do. Hold still so I can kick you properly!"
"DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG THIS TAKES?!"
"THIS IS CHILD ABUSE! I'M TELLING THE ELDERS!"
"RAAAAHH! I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE! I SWEAR!"
...
...
...
"Thanks for the meal! Hooohh! That was surely satisfying!"
A big thumbs-up was offered by Yoichi, earning a light chuckle from Tsumiki as she gathered the empty plates, heading toward the sink to wash them.
After the emotional reunion in the Wonderspace, the three of them had settled down for lunch.
Though Tsumiki's cooking was a little charred in places, the smoky flavor didn't matter to Yoichi's ravenous appetite.
Soon, as Yoichi patted his satisfied stomach, Megumi glanced at him, his usual stoicism struggling against a deeper urge.
"Can we meet them again?"
"Huh?"
A pair of obsidian eyes locked onto Yoichi.
In those dark depths, a clear sense of longing and expectation resided. The guarded walls Megumi usually kept high had developed a noticeable crack.
Oh, look at you... You aren't hopeless after all.
"Say less, man. I just don't want to have mouths nagging me all the time," A confident smile appeared on Yoichi's face.
"...Aren't you a bit too casual? Moreover, you're also a kid, no?" Megumi said, an eyebrow raised in genuine skepticism.
"Is it? Hahaha..." A hand went up to scratch the back of Yoichi's head. "That's the best thing I can do. Just roll with it."
The atmosphere in the dining room was jovial.
Through one reunion that bridged life and death, the emotional walls became slightly soft as the grief and all the negative impact of losing their parents faded away like a smoke replaced by a strange sense of bond.
"But don't tell this to the blindfolded fool, okay? It will be a pain in the ass if that ever happens," Yoichi said, breaking the comfortable silence with a serious tone.
"Why?" Tsumiki's voice rang out from the kitchen, filled with questions.
Even Megumi looked over, his curiosity piqued.
"I just don't want to have him pestering me all the time. You know how pesky that man is. So, let's keep this secret to ourselves, capiche?"
A mutual understanding was reached between them. Both Tsumiki and Megumi merely nodded in agreement, deeming the Wonderspace an official secret.
The conversation shifted as the three sat in. Since Yoichi already knew the broad strokes of Megumi and Tsumiki's lives, it was their turn to interrogate the new roommate.
Megumi and Tsumiki couldn't help but nod, gasp in shock, or stare in amazement as Yoichi's life story unfolded. It sounded like a stock market graph going through a violent crisis, peaks of strange adventures followed by dangerous dips into chaos.
Yoichi was right in the middle of a particularly wild sequence when a sharp doorbell rang, cutting through the jovial air.
Tsumiki started to stand, but a firm hand stopped her. Yoichi rose and patted his bottom, shaking off the crumbs from lunch.
A sense of duty flickered in his eyes; it felt a little embarrassing to be the only one relaxing while she did all the housework, so he took the opportunity to repay the favor.
"I've got it."
When the door swung open, a spark of excitement lit up Yoichi's eyes as he recognized the tired face of Ijichi standing in front of him.
"Ijichi-san! Come on in, we were just—"
"I won't be staying long, Murakami-kun,"
Ijichi interrupted, his voice sounding more stressed than usual as he gestured to the two small figures standing behind him.
"I-I'm Mai... Mai Zen'in. N-nice to meet you."
On the spot, the younger-looking girl stepped forward. A nervous tremble was visible in her hands as she clutched her sleeves.
However, Yoichi didn't hear it as his pair of golden eyes were immediately locked onto the frowning girl standing beside her.
Unlike Mai's fear, this girl radiated a smoldering defiance. Maki stared back, posture was quite rigid and unyielding.
...Houston, we have a problem here.