Chapter 50 — You're the Challenger, Sister
"Y-You…."
Ren blinked, stunned for a moment before instinctively greeting her.
Maki stared straight ahead. After a brief silence, she replied stiffly:
"…Hi."
"W-Why are you here?"
"Didn't Mai tell you?" Maki bit her lip lightly. "Th-This was originally a trip for the two of us…"
Her face remained pointed forward, but beneath the brim of her baseball cap, a flicker of unease passed through her eyes.
"I… see."
Realization dawned on Ren.
No wonder he'd found it strange—why would Zen'in Mai book a solo hot spring trip out of nowhere? Even if she didn't want to pay for him, she could've at least told him in advance and let him buy his own ticket. Not saying anything at all had felt unnecessarily cold.
So she'd already had a companion.
This was supposed to be a sisters' trip.
Still… she could've said something!
This was incredibly awkward.
If he'd known the companion was Zen'in Maki, he might not have come at all.
After a moment of silence, Ren scratched his head.
"About last time… I'm sorry."
He was referring to the incident during the exchange event—when he'd mistakenly believed Maki was overwhelmingly powerful and deliberately holding back.
He had thought her refusal to use cursed energy was a strategic decision. He'd even marveled at her "refined control," imagining that she could suppress her cursed energy completely—even when enraged.
Who would've thought the truth was that she had no cursed energy at all?
A sorcerer without cursed energy? It had shocked him. But that was the reality.
And yet… he'd not only misunderstood her strength, he'd even compared her to Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer of the era. That comparison had made her the center of attention—and ridicule—among her peers.
The glare she'd shot him that day had been so furious it was as if she wanted to skin him alive.
"…It's not…" Maki paused, voice tight. "That wasn't your fault. It was mine."
Revisiting the memory made her face flush crimson again. She looked as though she wanted to scream.
What was she supposed to say?
Sorry. I'm just weak? I'm so weak I don't even have cursed energy—that's why you misunderstood?
She clenched her teeth, humiliation and frustration burning inside her.
But right now, that wasn't even the most mortifying part.
"Mai…"
Her fists tightened in her jacket pockets as she silently fumed.
---
Over a month ago.
During the principal meeting held in preparation for the Tokyo–Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event—
On the ground floor of Tokyo Jujutsu High's teaching building, beside a vending machine—
More than a dozen infrared auto-aiming machine guns hovered in midair, their dark muzzles all trained squarely on Zen'in Maki.
The oppressive, warlike atmosphere clashed violently with the peaceful school setting. For a moment, it felt less like a quiet campus in Tokyo and more like a battlefield somewhere in the Middle East.
"T-This can't be real…" Kugisaki Nobara's earlier bravado vanished completely. "Th-That many heavy weapons… that's cheating, isn't it?!"
"You're planning to bring those to the exchange event?"
"How did you even get them past security?!"
"Bring them?"
Surrounded by more than a dozen floating heavy machine guns, Zen'in Mai stood poised in a black qipao, graceful and upright—like a black rose blooming on a battlefield. She gave a light scoff, not even sparing the panicked underclassmen a glance. Her gaze remained fixed solely on her sister.
"You've got it wrong. I didn't bring these."
"This is my technique—Construction. I created them on the spot."
"I-Illusions?" Nobara rubbed her eyes, staring at the black machine guns hovering in midair.
A red targeting dot immediately locked onto her forehead.
"Everything produced by Construction is real," Mai said calmly. "Would you like to test that statement?"
Maki flicked her finger. A throwing knife shot forward, striking the barrel that was aimed at Nobara and knocking it aside. But the sharp metallic clang that followed made her expression shift.
Construction could create illusions—mirages were part of reality too—and illusions required far less cursed energy. In the past, when Mai's cursed energy reserves were limited, illusions had been her preferred tactic.
But these machine guns?
They were unmistakably real.
"Nobara, step back," Maki ordered, brows tightening slightly.
"Senpai?"
"Give the two of us some space." Maki forced a casual grin. "This is between sisters."
Then she looked at Mai, her voice cooling.
"Don't drag the juniors into this."
Following Maki's instructions, Nobara retreated.
"You've grown, Mai," Maki said once she confirmed Nobara was safely out of range. A grin tugged at her lips again. "Last I checked, your Construction could barely manage a pebble."
Across from her, Mai mirrored the smile.
"People grow, sister."
"You left the clan to become stronger, didn't you? But you're not the only one who's grown stronger."
"I've found something of my own."
"So what? Finally worked up the courage to challenge your big sister?" Maki asked lightly.
"No."
Mai waved her hand. In an instant, every black machine gun vanished into thin air.
"I'm not who I used to be."
"From now on, I'm not the one chasing you."
"You're the one who has to chase me."
"You're the challenger now, sister."
Maki's lips pressed into a thin line. Her hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of her naginata.
Seeing that reaction, Mai's smile widened slightly.
"Do you understand now?" she asked softly. "That feeling of always chasing after someone?"
"But don't rush it."
She stepped closer, utterly unfazed by Maki's tense, battle-ready posture.
"As you are now, you're not qualified to challenge me."
"How about this? At next month's exchange event, our school will have a new member."
"He's technically a second-year, but he only enrolled at the end of last term. In terms of experience, he's basically a first-year."
"And he's similar to you, sister—someone with exceptional physical gifts."
Maki's pupils contracted. A Heavenly—
"Not what you're thinking," Mai said with a teasing smile. "But for you, he'll make a fitting opponent."
"If you want to challenge me, then defeat that 'first-year' first. How about it?"
"Of course, failure won't be without consequence."
"If you can't even earn the right to face me…"
"Then you'll agree to one condition of mine."