"I'm a reliable twenty-seven-year-old adult," Gojo Satoru said proudly. "Why can't I have a child?"
The room went silent.
Zenin Maki raised an eyebrow. "Reliable?"
Panda tilted his head. "Can you even take care of a kid?"
Leon folded his arms. "Are you sure it wouldn't be the kid taking care of you?"
Inumaki Toge said nothing. Instead, he casually picked up Pancham and held him securely in his arms. Pancham settled in comfortably, clearly demonstrating what actual childcare looked like.
Gojo sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. Looks like you'll get along great with him, then."
"Which unlucky kid are we talking about?" Maki asked.
"Here—take a look."
Gojo pulled out his phone and opened a photo. The image showed a teenage boy with sharp features and unruly black hair sticking out in every direction. His eyes carried a quiet intensity, giving off the unmistakable aura of someone who had seen more than most people his age. Good-looking, too—his facial structure even resembled Maki's slightly.
"How old?" Maki asked.
"Fifteen."
She frowned. "Wow. Head of the Gojo family and already a deadbeat dad."
"I think you'd be more qualified to be a panda than I am," Panda added helpfully.
"Salmon," Inumaki agreed.
Leon, who knew the truth, didn't bother correcting them. "Well… I guess having a kid at twelve isn't technically impossible."
Gojo pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the record, he's my adopted son. You can tell from the hair color."
The Gojo family's trademark white hair was hereditary. The boy in the photo had jet-black hair.
Maki clicked her tongue. "Adopted, huh? Sorry. I thought you were one of those clan types obsessed with bloodlines."
Gojo's smile faded slightly, though his voice stayed light. "There were political reasons for adopting him, sure. But bloodline aside, I want you to get along with him. In fact… he might be closer to you than you think."
Maki froze. "Closer to me?"
Then her eyes widened.
"Wait… is he that kid?"
Panda looked confused. Pancham tilted his head in curiosity.
Maki crossed her arms. "It's kind of an open secret in the Zenin clan. The family's signature inherited technique—the Ten Shadows Technique—was passed down to a child living outside the clan. Meanwhile, no one inside the family inherited it."
Inherited techniques weren't guaranteed. Bloodlines increased the probability, but mutations and incomplete inheritances happened all the time. That was why clans obsessed over producing as many heirs as possible.
"The elders have been trying to bring that kid back for years," Maki continued. "But they never succeeded… Makes sense, though, if you're involved."
She suddenly burst into laughter.
"The Zenin clan's prized technique ends up outside the family, and now the clan can't reclaim it. That's priceless. What's his name?"
"Fushiguro Megumi," Gojo replied.
"Not Gojo?"
"That's his choice," Gojo said simply. "He's not a baby."
For all his usual nonsense, moments like that were why people trusted him.
Maki smirked. "I can't wait to meet this relative of mine."
Leon stretched his arms. "Then let's go."
"You're coming too?" Maki asked.
"If I don't," Leon said with a faint grin, "who's going to stop you from starting a fight?"
"…Am I really that obvious?"
"What do you think?"
Whether Megumi returned to the Zenin clan or not, one fact wouldn't change: he was the legitimate inheritor of the Ten Shadows Technique and, theoretically, the most suitable future clan head. If Maki wanted to take that position herself, proving she was stronger than him was inevitable.
Leon was curious too. After all, Megumi Fushiguro was no ordinary teenager.
"Since it's the weekend," Leon added, "why don't we make a short trip out of it? We've been training nonstop."
Panda shook his head. "I'll pass."
Inumaki glanced at him in confusion, but Panda only smiled mysteriously and poked Pancham, who was resting on his shoulder.
"My little brother's at a critical growth stage. Toge and I will stay behind and help him train. You two go enjoy your weekend."
Maki grimaced. "That expression is disgusting."
Leon laughed. "Alright, thanks for the help. Gardevoir, looks like we're finally going on a proper outing again. Let's ask Mom if she wants to come too."
Gardevoir floated over and affectionately circled him. Leon gently patted her head, smiling.
Panda watched the scene—the cheerful Leon, the affectionate Gardevoir, and the determined Maki preparing for what would almost certainly become a confrontation.
He sighed quietly.
"…Still a long road ahead."