Just a few hours ago...
Maki stood in the shower, the needles of cold water hitting her face with a rhythmic bite. She didn't blink.
'What do I feel? Did anyone even think to ask that? I honestly hate it... my whole life, I've either been dealt a bad hand or been forced to push away the people I care about just to keep them safe. It was the same with Mai. I am sorry, Mai...'
She stepped out of the shower slowly, the steam-less air chilling her skin as she dried herself with a towel.
'I didn't leave the Zenin clan because I wanted to become some big-shot jujutsu sorcerer. No, that's just what I want to do now. But back then, when I first made my decision... it wasn't about fame. I wanted revenge. But who wouldn't? That was human, and I understood that. I understand the part of me that is human, and I enjoy it when things aren't complex—when stupid things like feelings don't interfere with my life.
That's why I was completely fine living in that house until Mai started getting shit because of me. Because I don't have a cursed technique. Because I don't have enough cursed energy. Because I... I am a mistake.'
She walked to her closet and pulled out a black kimono, the fabric heavy and sombre. She began to put it on, her movements practised and slow.
'Or so I believed. It wasn't because some old fox told me I was a failure—it was because I was hurting Mai just by existing. That was when it became too much. So I ran. I tried to leave everything behind and get stronger, and that's when I started to dream. Not about revenge, but about a stupid little dream of becoming a Grade 1 sorcerer.'
Moving into the small kitchen area, Maki pulled several vegetables from the fridge. She set them on the cutting board, and her knife began to move with a swift, aggressive precision.
'About that time was when Gojo found me. He took me in. At first, I thought he was making a joke of me, just playing around. But as time went by, I realised Gojo was the first man who ever took me seriously. Then came Panda. He was weird at first, but his constant effort to be human rubbed off on me. Then Inumaki. He was always quiet, but I eventually learnt why. Somehow, I gained... friends. For the first time. It was weird. I tried to ignore them because those friends, just like Mai, made me "feel" things. And I hated that.'
She swept the cut vegetables aside and reached for a potato.
'But everyone was so annoying—too annoying. I couldn't run away again. I felt... okay. I could have lived like that forever. But then he came. Ren Sato.'
Maki dropped the sliced potato fingers into the hot oil on the stove. The heat flared, and the oil hissed and sizzled violently.
'At first, he was just rude as hell, acting like he was better than us. Hell, he still does that sometimes. I still remember what he called me. "Weakling." The nerve of that bastard...'
She watched the potatoes brown in the bubbling oil, her eyes narrowing.
'Even back then, he got under my skin so easily. I should have stayed away from him from the start. He was trouble. I should have known from that wild hair of his. But the worst part of all was that he was strong. He could back up his sharp words with actual talent. It was the most annoying thing in the world because he was my age, and yet he was already so far ahead.
Even that first time we all sparred—me, Inumaki, and Panda against him—he won almost effortlessly. We weren't going all out, but neither was he. He'd already fought Gojo by then. I don't even know how strong he actually was.'
She moved back to the board and began cutting a tomato, the blade hitting the wood with a dull thud. She used a little too much force, the juices staining the board red.
'That's the annoying part. After that, things were never the same. The gap between us just kept growing. Not to mention that idiotic line he said to me: "I want to study your body."
Who the hell did he think he was? And the worst part is, he never even spoke about it again, which probably means he was just joking with me. Or checking me out. Idiot.'
Maki turned back to the stove to check the potatoes.
'He was such a recluse, staying in his dorm all day when he wasn't training with me. I taught him the sword, and I realised he was actually an ass at hand-to-hand combat back then. I loved winning those spars. It was the best. But I never knew the gap in our techniques wouldn't matter if he could just fly and control metal. That curse he fought... it was a Special Grade for sure. When Ren defeated it, I truly saw the distance between us.'
She walked to the fridge again, grabbing an egg and a few sauces. Back at the counter, she cracked the egg into a small pan with a single, effortless motion. She grabbed a bowl and began mixing sauces, the whisk clinking rapidly against the ceramic.
'And for some reason, as that gap in power grew, I felt him growing away from me. At first, I didn't care. Like always, I tried to avoid the people who made me feel anything. But now...'
She continued to whisk, the sound filling the quiet room as the sun began to rise higher outside…