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In short, a Jujutsu Sorcerer had nothing to fear from a jealous girlfriend with a meat cleaver.
"Tsk."
Kai showed no sign of guilt. He just grinned, looking smug, and Mai Sakurajima was left speechless.
She gave up... Considering how shameless he was, this kind of thing was normal for him.
Mai's apartment was close by, but it wasn't the huge, fancy house you might expect from a top idol. It was just a regular detached home in a calm suburb.
"What? Disappointed?" Catching him observing the modest exterior, Mai broke the silence.
"I didn't say a word." Kai shrugged. He wasn't just placating her. "Besides, for a massive celebrity like you, living somewhere flashy would just put a target on your back."
Japan might be small, but it was full of some pretty unhinged people. Idol fans could be especially intense. If the really obsessed ones found out where she lived, who knew what they might try?
"..."
Mai sighed, surprised that he understood the darker side of her job so well. She hadn't been targeted herself, but she'd seen plenty of other idols get stalked or harassed after their addresses got out.
"Well, everything comes with a price." Mai was practical about her situation. No one had forced her into show business—she became an actress because she loved it.
"But to be perfectly honest, the main reason I live here is that my mother controls the vast majority of my finances. Although..."
Mai's face darkened as a bitter memory came to mind.
"What's wrong? Did you remember something bad?" Kai already knew what she was thinking, but he pretended not to.
"No, I just..." Mai shook her head instinctively. She paused, studying Kai for a moment before deciding to drop her guard. "Is money really that important to people?"
She didn't act for money—she did it because she loved it. Since she started as a child actress, her mom became her manager. For years, every yen Mai made went straight to her mom's bank account.
Mai never thought much of it. It was her mom after all. She wasn't materialistic—as long as she could live comfortably, she was happy.
Until recently.
"I've already made her more than enough money. Yet, just to line her pockets a little more, she tried to force me into that kind of photoshoot!"
A few weeks ago, her mom set her up for a commercial shoot. Mai trusted her completely and didn't ask any questions. But when she arrived, she was shocked to find out it was for a revealing swimsuit and lingerie campaign...
Mai had always relied on her acting skills and refused to do cheap fan service or anything degrading. Furious and betrayed, she walked out right away.
"Money makes the world go round," Kai mused. Knowing the anime's plotline, he was already intimately familiar with her family drama. "It's important, but the lengths people will go to for it vary. So, what's your game plan? Once we fix your little invisibility problem, your mother is still legally your manager, right?"
In the original story, that deep feeling of betrayal made her want to disappear from the public eye. This strong urge to escape triggered her Adolescence Syndrome, which slowly made her vanish from reality. But in this world, her 'syndrome' was probably caused by something even darker.
"You don't need to worry about that." The topic brought a triumphant smirk back to Mai's face. "I'm officially a legal adult now. All I have to do is fire her and hire a new manager!"
When she was underage, she had no choice but to trust her family. Now, things were completely different.
"As for my mother..." Her voice faltered. Despite the betrayal, the woman was still her mother. Mai didn't have the heart to sever ties completely or drag her through a vicious legal battle. After a brief pause, her face stiffened. "The fortune I've amassed over my career is more than enough to sustain her for the rest of her life."
Her mom wouldn't live in luxury anymore, but she'd never have to worry about money.
"I didn't think you'd be so decisive. Honestly, I thought you might cry and ask me to save you from your evil manager," Kai teased, leaning against the wall.
"Not a chance!" She was the upperclassman here, and there was no way she'd let this cocky underclassman look down on her.
"Well, here we are. How are you planning to get us inside? Don't tell me you know how to pick locks?" Mai stopped at her front door and turned to him, curious about what he would do.
"I don't know the first thing about picking a lock. But as I said, I'm a Jujutsu Sorcerer."
"???" What did being a Sorcerer have to do with opening a locked door? Was he just going to kick it down?
Before Mai could say anything, a dark rift opened in the air behind Kai's shoulder. A grotesque, shadowy hand reached out from the void, slipped easily through the solid wood of the door, and unlatched the deadbolt from the inside.
Click.
With a snap, the front door swung open.
"See? Very convenient," Kai smirked.
"..." Mai stared at him, speechless. She thought he'd use a hairpin or wire like a spy. She never expected him to use some creepy monster as a locksmith.
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"I'm finally back!" Mai stepped into her home and let out a relieved sigh.
"Alright, go change your clothes first. If you keep walking around like that, I might not be able to control myself," Kai said. She was still wearing a tight bunny suit.
"Pervert!" The thought hit Mai all at once. Her face turned bright red, and she glared at him before running to her room to find some comfortable clothes.
"I-I'm going to take a shower first!" In Japan, bathing was almost sacred, and Mai hadn't had a good soak in days. Now that she was finally home, she really needed to wash away all the stress.
"Go ahead. Or were you inviting me to join you?" Kai raised an eyebrow, as if realizing something, then started following her. "Well, if you insist, I can't say no!"
"That's not what I meant!" When he actually moved toward the bathroom, Mai blushed and pushed him back.
She only said she was taking a shower to be polite, worried she might be holding him up. Once she saw he wasn't annoyed, she rushed into the bathroom, still a little scared he might actually try to come in.
Right before slamming the door shut, she poked her head out to deliver a final warning. "Don't you try to peek!"
"Relax. Just listening to the sound of the water running is enough to fuel my imagination for a week."
"Scum!"
His shameless reply made Mai huff in anger. Her face was burning as she slammed the door. She leaned against the cool tile, needing a few minutes to calm her beating heart.
She knew he was just teasing her for a reaction. Still, as the hot water filled the tub, she couldn't help but wonder—if Kai really did come in, would she even be able to kick him out?
He wouldn't actually come in, would he?
Her hand hovered over the bathroom lock. After a moment, she pulled it back and left the door unlocked. Deep down, she felt a small sense of anticipation.
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Half an hour later, Mai came out of the bathroom in comfy pajamas.
Kai was currently sprawled across her living room sofa, totally immersed in a mobile game.
"I'm finished." She let him know she was there, glaring at the back of his head.
She couldn't believe it... He really stayed put. He was the biggest flirt she'd ever met, but he hadn't even tried to open the unlocked door. Did that mean he didn't find her attractive?
'Dammit!' She felt a wave of hurt pride and frustration.
"Take a seat," Kai said, either not noticing or just ignoring the dark mood coming from her. He pointed to the spot next to him on the sofa. "Let's get down to business. Before this invisibility thing started, did anything weird happen to you?"
"..."
When he suddenly switched to being all business, without even a single flirty comment, Mai's ego took another hit. Her resentment only grew.
'Does he seriously have zero interest in me??'
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