Two full months went by without a single chime of the bell.
On the morning that marked the milestone, Naobito arrived at the training field smelling faintly of sake and expensive incense, his expression casual—like he hadn't been watching Shien struggle for the past three years.
Shien greeted him with a raised brow. "Papa," he said in acknowledgment.
Naobito stepped forward and untied the cord around Shien's neck, a grin on his face. Shien's neck felt exposed without the bell attached. It had been there for so long it felt like a part of him.
Naobito rolled the bell between his fingers, then looked at Shien with something close to approval.
"You finally shut it up for good… Not bad," Naobito said, grinning.
Shien met his gaze evenly. Then he moved—fluidly. There was no flare of cursed energy, no warning sign for a sorcerer to sense. Only a blur of motion as Shien's fist collided with Naobito's cheek.
The pressure behind it cracked outward like a whip, slamming Naobito into the wall behind him and leaving spiderweb fractures in the wood.
Naobito's eyes went wide with shock. It wasn't just the strength or speed of the punch—it was the fact that there had been no fluctuation, no tell. The second-fastest sorcerer in the world had been caught clean.
His face contorted with rage as Shien pulled back his hand calmly, expression flat.
"You're right, Papa," Shien said, voice polite in the way only a Zenin could make insulting. "My cursed energy is so even that even you couldn't see that coming."
Naobito's enraged expression slowly melted into a grin. He rubbed his jaw, then licked the blood from his split lip.
"I guess I deserved that," he said. "I thought you'd come back crying in a couple of days. But you lasted three years… and mastered something sorcerers fail to do over a lifetime."
"…Good," Naobito said quietly. "Now we begin teaching you about Falling Blossom Emotion. And about—"
Shien raised a hand, cutting off his father's rambling. He pulled a list from his robe and held it out.
The list contained everything from an internet connection to a PlayStation 2, and even a new flat-screen plasma TV.
"I want these installed in my room when I come back," Shien said. "And I want to go on a shopping trip to Kyoto with Mother for the weekend."
He declared and held out his palm " Credit card please ."
" It is not safe out there boy ! the other clans could have put a bounty one you ..." Naobito words died in his throat as Shien continued to glare at his father . " Fine ! i will see what i can do . "
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Shien walked around the compound, finally free of the annoying chimes that had plagued half his life. The old drunk had been right—cursed energy having its own texture was very rare, and the volatile, explosive nature of his cursed energy, if left unchecked, would have stunted his growth in the long run.
Shien could feel that his sensitivity to cursed energy had improved by leaps and bounds, as if a whole new world had opened up to him.
He moved through the Zenin compound with his hands tucked into his sleeves, thinking over all the places he was going to visit in Kyoto as he walked along the wooden corridor. Morning light spilled through the shoji screens in pale rectangles, sliding across tatami mats and lacquered pillars, and somewhere deeper in the estate the steady rhythm of training echoed like distant drums. Servants moved aside the moment they spotted him, bowing low and keeping their eyes down as he passed.
A sharp voice cut through the calm.
"Unacceptable!" an older Zenin woman snapped near the veranda, her sleeve whipping through the air as she pointed. "You two are always running, always making noise, always dirtying the place as if you were animals!"
Shien slowed.
Two girls stood in front of her, identical faces half-hidden by lowered heads. One of them had her head lowered in shame, while the other stared the old woman down in defiance. They were his cousins. They were a few months older than him, but much smaller—almost like he was just large for his age.
The woman's mouth twisted. "And of course it would be twins," she continued, voice turning uglier. "The two of you are a burden on the clan! The two of you will never be useful! Have the sense to at least be less of a nuisance!"
Shien stepped into view.
He didn't raise his voice or change his expression. He simply loosened his control for a moment, letting cursed energy spill out just enough to announce his arrival. The corridor went still as the servants froze mid-step. The older woman's words died in her throat as her eyes widened in terror.
The twins turned their heads.
Mai's eyes widened immediately, fear flashing across her face as she bowed quickly. "Sh-Shien-sama…"
Maki bowed too—slower, jaw clenched—but her posture still snapped into place the way Zenin children were trained.
Shien smiled softly, his voice sweet. "What is going on here?"
The old woman forced a bow, stiff and hurried. "Shien-sama," she said, trying to keep the fear from her tone, "nothing to concern yourself with. The girls were misbehaving, so I was correcting them."
Shien's eyes flicked to the twins, then back to the woman. "Correcting them by calling them unlucky and useless?"
The woman's wrinkled face went pale under his cold stare.
Shien took one step closer.
The pressure in the air increased again—quiet but suffocating—and the woman's breath hitched. Shien's smile stayed in place.
"We are one clan," Shien said politely. "So we will speak to each other properly."
The woman swallowed. "…Yes, Shien-sama."
Shien nodded. "Good." His eyes narrowed a fraction. "If I hear you speak like that again, I'll break what's left of your teeth."
"Understood," she said quickly, bowing deeper.
"Leave," Shien said coldly.
The old woman scrambled away as quickly as her feet would carry her. The twins moved to follow, when—
"The two of you will stay," Shien commanded.
He turned to them.
"You," he said calmly, pointing between them. "Which one is Maki, and which one is Mai?"
Mai bowed again, voice small. "I'm Mai, Shien-sama."
Maki hesitated half a beat, then answered, still tense. "Maki."
Shien nodded. "Good." He glanced toward the gate side of the estate. "I'm going into Kyoto in a couple of hours with my mother. We're going shopping and then going to the arcade." He smiled at them. "You'll come with us. Go get ready."
Mai's eyes widened as if she couldn't believe she'd been addressed at all. "Y-yes, Shien-sama!"
Maki lowered her head again, pride fighting instinct, before she forced the words out. "…Understood, Shien-sama."
Shien turned and walked on without waiting.
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Shien walked toward the car park dressed in western clothes, his mother behind him. The twins followed behind Sayo, their small footsteps keeping a respectful distance. Shien had no friends his own age. He had spent all his time training, secluded from everyone else. Maki and Mai were the only children his age—the rest of his siblings and cousins were much older.
Shien was the son of a concubine, not born from Naobito's lawful wife. The only reason he wasn't treated like trash was his cursed energy and power. His status in the clan was surpassed only by Naobito and Noaya.
If it weren't for his strength, he too would have been shunned, and as the son of a concubine, his position would have been even lower than weaker older siblings. It was another reminder of how much this world relied on innate strength and talent. How could a world fueled by negativity ever be fair?
They got into the SUV, excitement evident in the atmosphere. Shien and his mother sat in the middle row, and the twins sat in the back. Shien squeezed his mother's hand and smiled at her, which she returned.
This trip was as much for her as it was for him. She had been sold off by the Ishigori clan to gain the protection of the Zenin clan—a casualty of the constant machinations of jujutsu society. Shien was the only source of happiness in her life, and him getting stronger meant he could take care of her and make her life a little less miserable.
Shien turned to face the twins in the back seat and smiled. "We're going to the mall for shopping, then we'll eat KFC. After that, we're going to the arcade," he declared.
"We're looking forward to it, Shien-sama!" Mai said, her face flushed with joy.
"Just call me Shien, Maki-chan. We're outside, after all," Shien said.
"I'm Maki, not her!" the other girl pouted.
Shien chuckled, but then the car door opened, and a massive man with a mane of shaggy black hair sat in the front seat—instantly annoying Shien.
Jinichi sat down, scarred and apathetic as ever. He turned back toward them. "Don't leave my sight," he said in a deadpan tone, then gestured to the driver to start the car.
Shien's annoyance returned. The old drunk had sent this gorilla to protect him. He was the Zenin clan's strongest future prospect, after all. Jinichi was a member of the Hei, the Zenin's elite combat unit comprised exclusively of Grade 1 sorcerers.
Shien despised Jinichi almost as much as Ogi— their shitty personalities made life in the compound worse than it already was. Shien would not let this grouch ruin his trip.