Oh right, now that I'm trying to add the Japanese mythological aspects, I'm also trying to add the Three Vengeful Spirits. I mean to revive them somewhat and then other beings with notoriety in the Heian Era, to make it more interesting.
As for the specifics in the history, I'll let Kenjaku discuss this in the later chapters.
For now, I'm just trying to nail the characters' personality and their thoughts on MC so sorry if I didn't do enough justice. Enjoy!
[Chapter Start]
(Maki's Perspective)
The sting on my cheek had faded, but the humiliation was fresh, twisting in my gut.
It wasn't the first time a guard had laid hands on me, and I knew it wouldn't be the last as long as I breathed the stagnant air of that accursed estate.
To them, both my sister and I were defectives; a stain in this prestigious and sacred reputation of the Zen'in Clan.
Beside me, Mai's hand was an anchor, always keeping me clearheaded... For most of the time.
But I could feel her heart racing through her trembling fingertips of pure terror.
I hated that gesture. I hated that we were born as a pair, forever tethered by a bond that the clan used as a leash.
Every day was a fresh mountain of "no."
No, you can't train with the boys.
No, you can't enter the storehouse.
No, you aren't a daughter, but a servant who happens to share our blood.
I grew up in the kitchens and the hallways, scrubbing floors until my knuckles bled, listening to the muffled laughter of a pathetic man who always called us cousins in a condescending way and the cold, dismissive grunts of our father.
My mother was an apparition in a kimono, a woman who had long ago traded her soul for the "peace" of submission.
She often looked at us and saw her own failures. Not daughters who are heaven's blessings, as most parents would think, but like a massive boulder on her shoulders.
But then, the whispers started.
They began as hushed rumors among the low-level servants and spoke of an anomaly, a boy who had appeared out of thin air and shattered the rigid ceiling of the Jujutsu world.
They called him a demon.
(A/N: Yoichi is King Von in JJK. XDD)
They said he carried otherworldly weapons with a different kind of power, even pushed to the point that he tried to assassinate an unknown authority and came out on top.
An unrestricted being, free from this quagmire; unlike us who were birds caged in all the same heavens, waiting for the so-called commands that would set us free.
Or so I thought...
I would sit in the shadows of the training hall, watching the "prodigies" fail to reach the heights this boy had supposedly scaled in a single afternoon.
To be honest, I didn't buy it at first.
If he could exist, if he could defy the very foundations of this rotten society, then why couldn't I? Why was my fate written in the dust of a floor I was forced to mop?
Is there really a rebellious kind of people?
...Just like I aspired to be?
So when I'm inside the car, I've noticed people of all kinds. Some of them were kids, happily holding hands with their parents while others were also tired, dressed in formal attire.
This "mission" felt like a death sentence at first glance. Being shipped off like a trade commodity to satisfy some backroom deal felt like looming threads puppeteering us around.
Yet in my heart, this strange sense of freedom, even for a moment, was intoxicating and... endearing to have.
As the black car pulled away from the compound, a persistent blaze began to roar in my chest.
I am not a gift nor a bribe.
And when the door of the dormitory opened, I expected another obstacle. I envisioned seeing a monster that would try to crush us just like my father and the entire clan did.
Instead, I saw him.
The boy stood there, patting the dust off his pants, looking entirely too casual for someone the Zen'in elders were terrified of.
He didn't have the heavy, suffocating aura they always talk about.
Rather, he looked... free.
His eyes locked onto mine, and for the first time in twelve years, I didn't see pity or feel disgust. I saw a challenge, a trial that I—No, we must strive to complete or surpass.
I stood tall, pulling Mai slightly behind me.
The blaze in my heart wasn't just anger anymore; it was a desperate curiosity.
I wanted to know how he did it. I wanted to know how a kid like him became a ruler.
A king only for himself and his kingdom.
...
...
...
(Back to the ball game)
Yoichi invited the newcomers in with a welcoming smile. From the living room, a confused shout from Tsumiki rang out, "Murakami-san, who are they?"
"Oh please, you don't have to be formal with me," Yoichi replied. "Yoichi will do."
Tsumiki merely nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on the two visitors, scanning them with a mix of curiosity and hospitality.
Beside her, Megumi watched in silence.
A strange sense of familiarity prickled at the back of his mind as he looked at the girls, though he kept his mouth shut, his expression as steady as ever.
"This is Mai-san and—" Yoichi started to introduce them, but a sharp voice cut him off.
"Maki. Please treat me well," Maki interrupted. A slight bow was offered, yet her eyes never left Yoichi's figure.
Soon, after the initial pleasantries were exchanged, Yoichi turned to the group.
"Ummm... Tsumiki-san, can you please entertain our guests for a while? I'll just have a word with Ijichi-san for a second."
A soft agreement came from Tsumiki as she began ushering the twins toward the living area.
Outside, the cool air hit Yoichi's face as he stepped onto the porch with the assistant director. "Is this another ploy by that fool?"
Ijichi glanced at him and let out a long sigh.
"I don't know either, Murakami-kun. I was merely tasked to deliver these two children here. Gojo-san's instructions were... brief."
A hand went up as Yoichi pinched the bridge of his nose. To be honest, a massive dilemma had just landed in his lap.
He knew exactly what those old fools in the Zen'in clan were doing: Political Marriage.
With ice flowing in his veins, any sort of schemes like this was clear and he's prepared for this all along.
But a chill went through his skin as Yoichi imagined a future where daughters from every major clan were crawling to his side.
It left him flabbergasted and scared.
But there was another layer to his internal crisis: Maki had always been his favorite waifu in his previous life.
Now, he was stuck in a chaotic middle ground between happiness and grief.
This twelve-year-old Maki already possessed the fierce bearings of her future self, but the rational part of his brain was screaming.
Bro... I feel like a PDF thinking about this!
Haaaahhh, I'll think about the ethics of this later. I'm a grown-up! An adult! Act like one!
"Thanks for your service, then," Yoichi then bowed, offering gratitude.
Ijichi felt a wave of nervousness at the gesture, but he took the appreciation with a small nod.
Unlike the whirlwind of chaos that was Satoru Gojo, he found Yoichi much more approachable and professional.
It was a rare breath of fresh air in a world where nutballs were the reigning champion.
Ijichi bade a hurried farewell as his black sedan sped away toward the headquarters.
Taking a deep breath to steady his racing thoughts, Yoichi stepped back inside the dorm. The heavy silence he expected was replaced by the warmth of Tsumiki's voice.
"Wow, you two are so beautiful!"
"Mai, is it? Don't worry, we're going to be friends from now on!"
"Y-yes... thank you, T-Tsumiki-san," Mai replied.
"Oh right! Who's the older one between you two?" Tsumiki clapped her hands together.
Maki then pointed at herself.
Tsumiki beamed, undeterred by Maki's stoicism. "I'll take you to the second floor; there are plenty of other rooms available."
"Sis..."
"We prefer living together in one room... thanks, though," Maki stated, softened just a fraction by Tsumiki's genuine kindness.
Watching the three girls begin their "girl talk" as they headed for the stairs, Yoichi felt a genuine wave of relief wash over him.
In the original timeline, these two were forged in spite and isolation. Here, under Tsumiki's relentless sunshine, perhaps the fate of the Zen'in sisters would take a drastic, more merciful turn.
"Any news?"
Like a cat stalking through shadows, Megumi silently stepped toward Yoichi.
"No news."
A playful hand reached out as Yoichi messed up Megumi's spiky hair, earning a resentful glare from the younger boy.
"Anyways, enough brooding. Let's train."
"Wha—?" A bad feeling immediately took root in Megumi's gut.
"A black-belter like me could teach you some real fighting," Yoichi's smile felt devilish. "I noticed a park near the dorm. Let's head out!"
Before Megumi could protest, Yoichi's arm became a grappling hook. He grasped Megumi's back collar like a stray kitten.
But then, as Maki reached the landing of the second floor with their luggage, her ears perked up. She paused, looking down over the railing with intensity in her eyes.
"Can I join?" Maki asked.
"Oh, sure!" Yoichi replied with a wide grin.
The short walk to the nearby park was filled with gravel and the sighing of Megumi, who was still being hauled along by his collar.
Mai stood by the window, her eyes fixed on the distant figures. A deep sense of worry for her older sister clouded her expression.
She knew Maki's pride often led to bruises, and the Zen'in compound had taught her that "training" was usually just another word for pain.
"Don't mind it," Tsumiki declared. "Though Yoichi-kun is a bit straightforward, he's incredibly reliable in my eyes. Nothing bad will happen in his jurisdiction."
Though Tsumiki was the youngest among those remaining in the dorm, her experiences and the mature aura she radiated made Mai nod her head.
The tension in Mai's shoulders didn't disappear entirely, but a small spark of trust began to form.
"Come on, let's get these bags upstairs," Tsumiki encouraged with a warm smile.
The two girls began settling the luggage into the shared room. As they worked, the heavy silence of the Zen'in world was expelled by Tsumiki's gentle chatter.
They drifted into their own world, talking about everything from favorite colors to the best way to organize a closet, a normalcy that felt alien yet wonderful to Mai.