Even young Naoya was present in that room.
The child sat with an attitude that already reeked of arrogance from such a young age. The way he looked at me was incredibly sharp—full of judgment and undisguised pride, as if Naoya already believed himself to be above everything else despite his tender age.
Aside from them, there were still six other members of the Hei whose names were never mentioned in either the anime or the manga. Their faces might not have been familiar, but the aura they carried made it clear that they were far from ordinary. An invisible pressure filled the room, heavy and suffocating, enough to make an average person tremble just by standing there.
Honestly, I found this scene rather interesting.
It was rare for all the members of the Hei to gather in one room like this. Situations like this usually only happened when something truly important—or dangerous—was at hand.
And what made this situation even more intriguing was the reason they were all here.
Just because I wanted to take Maki and Mai.
Two baby twin girls who, in the eyes of the Zenin Clan, should be considered something unfavorable in the world of Jujutsu. In their view, twins were a symbol of imperfection—divided talent, incomplete potential, something that went against their obsession with pure strength.
In other words, to them, Maki and Mai should have no value at all.
And yet, all these people had gathered because of that very matter.
Truly ironic.
An irony so obvious that it felt like a joke too forced to be taken seriously.
And that only made me more curious about what this group of bastards was actually planning. A clan like theirs would never act without a hidden purpose. There was always something behind the scenes.
"So, why do you want to take these two valuable members of our clan?" Naobito asked in a calm voice, yet filled with pressure. His eyes stared straight at me as if trying to read my thoughts.
Valuable?
I almost laughed when I heard that word. The corner of my lips twitched slightly before I held it back.
What a very amusing joke.
Honestly, among the members of the Zenin Clan, Naobito might be someone who treated Maki and Mai a little better. At the very least, the old man still had a bit of common sense compared to the others who were completely consumed by their rotten traditions.
It was Naobito who allowed Maki and Mai to attend Jujutsu High, giving them a chance to step out of the clan's dark shadow, even if that chance itself felt half-hearted.
Even in the future, Naobito chose Megumi as the next head of the Zenin Clan instead of his own son, Naoya.
That alone was enough to show that Naobito was at least capable of thinking more rationally than most members of his clan, even if the standard of rationality in this place was not particularly high.
Still, calling Maki and Mai valuable sounded like a big joke.
Especially when considering how the two were usually treated within the clan—ignored, belittled, even regarded as unworthy of being acknowledged as an important part of their bloodline.
My gaze then slowly shifted toward the young Naoya sitting not far away.
His gaze was still the same—sharp, cold, and full of arrogance.
And just by looking at him, I could already clearly imagine what kind of person he would become in the future.
I truly couldn't understand how that child could grow into someone so insane and irritating later on.
Because looking at him now, there was nothing particularly special about him aside from the arrogance that had already taken root since early on. And yet, somehow, that very trait would grow into something far worse over time.
Even Naobito Zenin, who was now sitting in front of me, at least still seemed to possess a bit of logic.
At the very least, the old man was still capable of making decisions based on consideration, not merely ego or blind adherence to tradition. Though he couldn't exactly be called a good person, he was clearly still a few steps above most members of this clan.
Perhaps it was because he came from a powerful family, or perhaps because Naoya Zenin had never experienced the kind of treatment that Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin had endured.
Never looked down upon.
Never seen as a burden.
And certainly never treated as something that should not exist.
"Making them my test subjects," I finally replied in a flat tone, without the slightest change in my expression.
I spoke casually, as if it were a perfectly reasonable explanation—something that didn't require further questioning.
"Because they're twins." I paused briefly, giving just enough space for my words to sink in before continuing, "and as is commonly known, twins are usually born sharing their talent."
The room remained silent, but I could feel their attention sharpening, all of it converging on me.
I then looked directly at Naobito Zenin, making sure my words reached him clearly. "So I want to make them my test subjects."
Of course, all of that was a lie.
But it was the most reasonable choice in a situation like this.
If I said that I wanted to take them as subordinates—or worse, as family—these people would start demanding all sorts of ridiculous things. They would begin to see value in Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin, and then try to exploit it to the fullest.
Better to lower their value in these people's eyes.
Make them appear worthless.
That way, the chances of taking them out of this damned place would become far easier.
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw Ogi Zenin staring at me sharply. His gaze shifted—no longer merely cold, but faintly stirred, as if something inside him had been disturbed.
What?
Was he angry because I said something like that about his daughters?
Wasn't this bastard the same man who didn't even like them?
Ogi Zenin had always treated Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin as shameful failures of the clan—something better hidden than acknowledged.
And yet now, he looked irritated.
His jaw tightened, and his hand clenched slightly on his knee, even though he tried to hide it.
It made no sense at all.
Or perhaps… this was simply pride as a father, even if he had never truly acted like one.
"So how much are you offering to take them away?" Naobito Zenin asked again calmly, as if completely unaffected by the subtle shift in the atmosphere.
I didn't need long to think.
"Two Cursed Tools—Positive Energy Bottles," I answered immediately, my voice still flat and emotionless.
All this time, I had indeed sold various Cursed Tools through auctions. Even the Positive Energy Bottle itself wasn't something that had only been sold once—there had been several, though the number remained limited.
Even so, it was an item of extremely high value.
Because its main ability was to convert Cursed Energy into Positive Energy—something exceedingly rare—which could be used to heal the injuries of Jujutsu Sorcerers.
In other words, it could save someone's life in battle.
And in a world like this, anything capable of saving a life was almost always worth more than anything else.
That was why many Sorcerers tried to obtain it, even at an extremely high price.
And because of that, I was quite certain this was not an offer they could easily refuse.
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