(Kaito's POV)
Miwa's face went completely red, "W-What???" She said, her voice was soft and full of surprise, "S-S-Sex....?!"
I waved her off, "Ignore her." I said seriously, "She is being crude."
"Oh no." Naoya said, "I'm serious."
"I said no." I said with a warning tone, "I am serious too."
She smacked her gums, "Tch, fine."
Miwa was looking at me, "I-Is this some kind of prank....?" she said softly, "Kaito-dono, you would.....?"
I raised an eyebrow, "I would what?" I said, "Forget what she said, do not speak of this to anyone. Especially Mai or Maki."
"Those sisters are yours are a pain, Kaito." Naoya said, "They're ungrateful and spoiled, you know? They should-"
"Enough." I said, leaning towards Naoya, "Otherwise, I won't give you what you want. And I am dead serious about this, Naoya. Do you wish to anger me?"
She stared at me for a couple of seconds, "You're bluffing."
"No." I said, "I mean it."
She pulled away and scoffed, "You big blubbering idiot. Nobody takes care of you more than I do. And this is how you treat me???"
She walked back inside the room, flicking her hair back in an annoyed manner.
I then looked back at Miwa, "Apologies for that." I said, "My wife is rather eccentric. I do hope you don't think less of her."
"N-No...." She said, "I....well, the thing is...."
"What is it?" I asked
"Your relationship with her is a bit different from what I imagined." She said as she looked to the side, her cheeks still red
"And what did you imagine?" I asked her
"That you were cold and...emotionless with her?" She said, "Mai said that you're not one to care for the feelings of others. And you seem to know what your wife wants and all...."
"What did my sister say?" I tilted my head, "That I don't care about the feelings of others...?"
"It's not my business to say...." She looked down, a bit flustered, "But Mai once told me that you....uhm, that you did not care about them."
"Hm." I said, "She is wrong."
"Well..." She started, "Yea..."
"What else did my sister say?" I asked, "Knowing Mai, she must've gotten carried away with her words."
"She may have called you an emotionless creep." She said softly, I almost didn't hear her
"....how about that...?" I said, looking down, "Well, I can't really blame her for that one."
"B-But that is a lie!" She said, "The moment you saw her earlier, your eyes lit up! You're not a creep, Kaito-dono! Maybe you find it hard to express your emotions; that is probably it. Kusakabe-sensei mentioned that you looked like you had a heavy burden on your shoulders. Maybe what Mai said wasn't the truth."
"Hm." I said, "Well....allow me to go and speak to her."
"I won't be rid of so easily."
************
I walked up to Mai, who was leaning on a car in the parking lot. I saw that she was holding a cigarette in her hand, which was lit up.
She let out an exhale, leaving out a white cloud of smoke as she looked up at the night sky.
I walked up to her, "Smoking is bad for you." I said as I reached her, "You know that, why bother ruining your lungs?"
She glanced at me, a look of animosity in those eyes, "I risk my life every day when fighting Curses." She said with a cold tone, "A little smoke in my lungs won't hurt compared to the dangers that are out there."
I stood next to her, facing the same direction she did, "Hm....."
"Gosh, you're fucking annoying." She said with an angry scoff
"Am I?" I said
"I told you that I hated you." She said, "Yet, you stick to me like fucking glue. What is your problem, Kaito?"
"You didn't say you didn't want to see me." I said, crossing my arms, "Mai, you got me all wrong."
"In what manner, Kaito?" She asked me, looking at me
"I'm not like Father." I said, "I never cared about the value you brought to the Clan."
"What?" She said
I looked at her, "Back then, the only thing that mattered to me was that you and Maki were safe from Ogi's abuse." I told her, "I won't deny the facts, that my ability with our Cursed Technique was superior to yours. It was always that way. But I never judged you for it, Mai. In fact, I didn't care if my sisters were deemed useless by the Clan."
"What did you care about then?" She asked
"You." I said, "I cared about you."
"You made it very apparent, huh?" She said sarcastically, "And now? You rub it in my face that you're better than me with Construction. And Maki? She was probably pissed that you saved her."
"I don't care how powerful Maki is. She could be as powerful as Gojo, it doesn't matter to me. She is my sister, I will save her every opportunity I get. That is my duty as your brother." I said seriously, "And as for you, Mai, you misunderstand me. Since both you and Maki decided to become Sorcerers, I was simply interested in how much the two of you progressed. Not because of how the Clan would accept you, but how the two of you would accept yourselves. That is all, so don't think I look down on the two of you."
She took a puff of her cigarette, exhaling some smoke into the air, "So you say." She said, "But you don't what Maki and I have gone through, Kaito."
"I don't." I admitted, "But the truth is, Mai. This is the world we live in. A world as cruel as this one is hard to avoid. I tried my best to shield you from the worst of it, sister. But now, I see my baby sisters grown up, and I just can't help but want to know them."
"Now you know how I feel about you." She said coldly
"Hate me all you want, Mai." I said with a sigh, "It won't change a thing; You are my sister. I have always cared for you, for both of you. I told Maki the same thing, I will never stop caring for you. And I apologize if I find it hard to relay those feelings to you."
"Tch...." She said, "Well, I meant what I said, Kaito. You're an annoying brother."
"I won't stop being your brother." I told her
"And that's my curse, huh?" She said, exhaling more smoke, "Is it, Kaito? That you will always be my older brother, who casts such a large shadow over me?"
"Don't say that." I said, "That is cruel."
"What is cruel is my fate." She said, "I'm stuck with a Cursed Technique that is nothing compared to yours. And Maki? She's stuck as she is, with no Cursed Energy."
"Mai." I said, "The thing about the situations we are in is that we have to make the best of them."
"It's easy for you to say, Kaito." She said, "You were blessed!!"
"Was I?" I asked, "Was I blessed?"
"Yes!" She spat
"If that is what you think." I turned around, "It was good to see you, my sweet sister. Please, do me a favor."
"What?" She asked with an annoyed tone
I glanced at her, "Put that cigarette out." I said, trying to force a smile,
"It would mean a lot to me."