"Let's cut straight to the point."
Now that the sword was drawn, it had to strike fast and true, straight for the vital spot.
Utahi Iori narrowed her eyes and spoke coldly to the vile man in front of her.
"Mai is my student now. There is absolutely no way she's ever going back to the Zenin Clan."
"...?"
"Zenin-sensei, stop playing dumb. I know very well what an ugly soul you're hiding under that polished exterior, and I know all the awful things you've done. Don't push this too far. If this really blows up, your reputation is going to hit rock bottom!"
Her tone was fierce.
But what she was actually saying was embarrassingly timid.
So this was what it ant when people said even a cornered rabbit would bite?
Naoya Zenin ignored Utahi Iori completely. Inside, he let out a long sigh of relief.
So there was no deep blood feud between them after all.
That ant he could finally close his eyes and rest for a bit.
"...Mmph!"
Utahi Iori had never expected that even after threatening him this far, Naoya Zenin would not so much as twitch a brow.
What was that supposed to an?
Was he seriously just closing his eyes to rest like she was not even there?!
T-that made sense too...
Naoya Zenin had never cared about his reputation. That had always been the image of this noble young master. No matter how people talked about him, he would not be shaken in the slightest.
And at the end of the day, this was the Zenin Clan's family business. Even as a Sensei, Utahi Iori had no right to interfere.
Did she really think a few words with that little weight behind them would be enough to make the high-and-mighty Naoya Zenin feel pressured, panic, and drop to his knees to apologize?
If she wanted him to feel any pressure at all, the bare minimum would be exposing this online.
Start so discourse on Twitter about male chauvinism and dostic abuse, and in minutes the girls would show up and launch him into orbit.
But that was only if...
Naoya Zenin did not co from a powerful family.
The Zenin Clan could shut down that kind of public outrage in minutes, and the Jujutsu World, which had always prized secrecy, would never want Jujutsu Sorcerers becoming public figures. If things were really pursued to the end, Utahi Iori would probably be the one stripped down a layer and made to kneel before Naoya Zenin and apologize.
A ridiculous clown.
That was exactly what Naoya Zenin's dismissive attitude seed to be mocking her as.
Damn it!
This world was way too dark!
Could all these rich second-generation brats and officials' kids just die already?!
Utahi Iori was clearly the one in the right. She was trying to help her student escape the claws of her family, and yet sohow she had ended up as the clown making a pointless scene!
"...What exactly do I have to do before you'll leave my student alone?"
Grinding her teeth, Utahi Iori could only ask the young master in front of her in a tone that was practically pleading.
The more Naoya Zenin listened, the stranger this all sounded to him.
No, seriously, why were won always so dramatic?
Was he really that awful of a person?
This was way too much bla to dump on him, was it not?!
Fine.
The king would bear it. The king would endure it.
Anyway, one of the reasons he had co to Jujutsu High to be a Sensei in the first place was because he intended to repair his relationship with Mai Zenin.
This worked out nicely. He could use Utahi Iori to smoothly move things along.
"How much can you give?"
Naoya Zenin's question left Utahi Iori frozen on the spot.
How much could she give?
"...Uh, how much money do you want?"
"No."
Naoya Zenin shook his head.
"I'm not short on money. Money is the least important thing to ."
That was true enough.
Utahi Iori knew there was no way Naoya Zenin could be lacking money.
Then what did he an by how much she could give?
Hearing that vaguely suggestive question, the shrine maiden realized what it might an, and her face instantly turned bright red.
O-oh my god!
Did he an that kind of thing?!
T-that was impossible!
Had Naoya Zenin not just called her ugly before?!
"...Y-you scumbag! T-that kind of thing is absolutely impossible!"
"???"
Naoya Zenin could not help frowning as he looked over the flustered Utahi Iori.
What exactly was going on in that tiny brain of hers?
"Whatever it is you've misunderstood, I have no designs on your body."
He folded his hands over his knees, his expression utterly indifferent.
"...Ha ha! O-of course I know that! Didn't you say I was ugly? I was just joking!"
There was a kind of awkwardness called getting ahead of yourself.
Right now, Utahi Iori genuinely wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
"You think too little of yourself."
Naoya Zenin spoke.
"Compared to many won I've t, the scar on your face is indeed unpleasant to look at. But scars are the pride of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Hold your head high, Utahi Iori. You are beautiful."
"...Huh?!"
Utahi Iori had never imagined that Naoya Zenin, the very sa man who had once sneered at her photo in front of countless people, would one day call her beautiful.
W-what the hell had gotten into him?!
Her heartbeat seed to skip.
Naoya Zenin's expression did not waver in the slightest.
He tilted his chin up a little, and the cold, arrogant look in his eyes made it clear he was not lying. That was his sincere opinion.
This could not possibly be Naoya Zenin.
The arrogant, rude, cruel Zenin heir was speaking to a woman in such a sincere, equal tone?
Had he not always hated won the most?!
How could he possibly... praise her so bluntly like this?!
"Y-you... what exactly are you trying to do? Is this so trick to win over? You think I'd..."
Utahi Iori was still trying to act tough, but her voice had already softened without her realizing it.
She stared blankly at the young nobleman. Her eyes were still wary, but there was also a trace of shaken uncertainty she could not quite hide.
Utahi Iori had never seen Naoya Zenin like this before.
For one brief mont, she actually wondered whether she had gotten him wrong all along.
"When I ask how much you can give, I'm asking how far you're willing to go to protect your student."
Naoya Zenin ignored Utahi Iori's wavering and spoke flatly.
"This is a country with petty courtesy and no greater righteousness, full of sanctimonious hypocrites. If you truly want to protect Mai from the Zenin Clan, then I only have one question for you. As a Sensei, can you bear another person's life on your shoulders?"
"...What?"
"From the mont Mai was born, the rest of her life was already sold to . In other words, she and I are a shared fate."
Naoya Zenin spoke coldly.
"Utahi Iori, what exactly can you offer that gives you the right to take away half my life?"
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