LADY AOKI || JUJUTSU KAISEN

二十四

"I'm just going to say it now. First off, congratulations for not getting your eye pierced out, and secondly, whoever named you must've really hated your guts and you have my condolences."

Anzu sat on a log, back turned with a passive expression as she held a bow in her hands, having just fired an arrow over her shoulder at the boy creeping up on her. Her face was unreadable, veiled by shadows and low lighting, but her posture was stiff and ready to fight upon detecting the same person who had attacked her earlier.

"Uh—" Kamo started, the arrow's shaft trembled in the tree next to him, close enough that it had brushed his bangs. He'd woken up bright and early for a morning jog to freshen his mind, only to pick up the soft whistling of arrows being fired in the woods.

"The original design wasn't meant to be made with traditional materials, whoever made yours never figured that out." Anzu lowered her bow and set it aside. She had a small pile of bamboo littering the grass around her feet, a knife, and a sheath with several finished arrows already stocked inside. Sitting alone, her small frame shrouded by the cold dappled lighting, she looked like a ghost.

"Oh." He nodded. "Did you make those?"

"My cousin was a lot better than me, he knew how to make arrows that were practically soundless when you fired them, but strong enough to withstand close combat. They were really useful in hunting." She sighed and rose to her feet, taking a moment to dust herself off. Anzu still hadn't turned around to acknowledge him, she had no intention of being nice to this boy. "Too bad I never learned it from him."

"About your cousin, I want to talk to you." Kamo strode into the clearing until he stood before her. The majority of his face was still wrapped in gauze, but he looked to be in far better condition than what Hanami left him in.

"My cousin? Which one? I have three, had, three." Anzu replied drily. His tone was serious and calm, but she detected no aggression, he must've been awake when she spoke to him.

"Look." He tensed for a moment, braving himself to confront her. "I'm sorry I attacked you. I thought you were one of the cursed spirits that invaded the school and I acted as I saw befitting towards my and my peers' safety, especially because I didn't see you with the other Tokyo students before. I took no risks. I hope you can understand."

"I do." She said simply, tucking both hands into her sleeves as she glanced over her shoulder at his stoic expression. Her tone was almost sarcastic. "As the heir, you need to learn to make decisions for the benefit and safety of your clan, lead them down the best path. Like I said last night, you fought well. If our roles were reversed, I would've done the same. Now is that all?"

"You mentioned someone named Akinori, and that he was killed by Kamo Noritoshi, the one from a hundred and fifty years ago."

Anzu swallowed thickly, and for a moment she wanted to push him away, but Kamo's earnest tone told her that he wasn't trying to accuse. He was just a boy asking to be educated, to hear the truth that his prideful elders hid from him. She glanced upwards and sighed, praying silently for a steady voice. The sun was yet to fully rise, the sky a pale indigo-blue as it slowly woke from a night of rest.

"If you want to talk, fight me. No tricks, no techniques." She declared.

Anzu had a staff, thin but strong like her, and she patiently waited for Kamo to pick up the bow that lay in the grass and the sheath of arrows before dropping into a defensive stance. It was the first weapon she learned, as she wasn't allowed to take up a sword, followed by the triple staff and then her iron war fans.

Anzu twirled the staff in her hands, getting a feel of its length and the range it granted her. "I'm sure you know the history the three great sorcerer clans: Zenin, Gojo, and Kamo."