The Kid I Used to Know

Influencing The Future

After breakfast the next morning, Yuji walked out to the training grounds in workout clothes. He wasn't surprised to see miniature versions of Mai and Maki, but he was excited.

He'd heard Maki's complaints, mostly from Kugisaki, about Maki's time living with the Zen'in clan. According to Kugisaki, she'd had to teach herself everything she knew about fighting, the only real training she got being the fights she'd start with her cousins and spying on their training sessions.

Yuji would be more than happy to give her real lessons. He was mildly surprised Naobito had suggested it, but Kei had theorized that his words at dinner the night before had some sort of impact.

The girls were dressed in matching workout clothes. Even without the glasses giving away which twin was which, Yuji would have been able to tell though. Mai looked nervous, dressed in a light purple and fidgeting nervously. Maki looked excited, a determined glint in her eyes, and was dressed in all black. Anyone who knew the twins in the future would have been able to tell the difference immediately as well.

"Yo!" Yuji called out to the girls as he approached, stopping a few feet away, "I'm Kasuga Yuji, Zen'in Kei's bodyguard and unofficial special grade sorcerer. I specialize in hand-to-hand combat and your clan leader asked me to teach the two of you some basics while I'm here."

"I'm Maki," Maki instantly introduced herself, hands on her hips as she proudly declared, "I'm really strong."

"I'm Mai," Mai said with a curtsey, "Thank you for taking the time to teach us, Kasuga-sama."

"None of that," Yuji said immediately, "Call me Yuji. Just Yuji. If you see Kei, you can do the same. He says hello, by the way. He regrets that his lessons means he can't be here to meet you with me, but wanted me to tell you both that he said hello and would like to meet you sometime soon."

Both of their eyes grew wide, shock playing across their tiny faces.

"He knows about us?" Mai asked timidly, still looking as though she expected Yuji to start ordering her to get out of his sight.

"Yep," Yuji informed her, "Told your dad off the other night at dinner for not bringing you for him to meet you both. It was great."

"He talked back to our father?" Maki asked suspiciously, "Why?"

Grinning, Yuji asked, "Can you two keep a secret?"

The girls exchanged skeptical looks, but nodded.

"Your clan is led by a bunch of idiots," Yuji stated, gleefully watching their eyes widen in alarm, "But Kei isn't an idiot. His dad didn't have any cursed energy at all, but he was strong enough to kill a special grade sorcerer. You don't have to have cursed energy to win in a fight. Cursed energy doesn't equal strength. A cursed technique doesn't matter either. And you don't have to be strong to be useful."

While they both stood in stunned silence, Yuji moved on. They could think about what he told them later.

"Now," he began, regaining their attention, "Mai, I hear you have a limited amount of cursed energy and have yet to manifest a cursed technique. Is that correct?"

"Yes," she answered, brow furrowed and golden eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"And Maki, you don't have any additional cursed energy. Nor can you see curses without those glasses, correct?" Yuji asked needlessly.

He was simply going through the motions.

"So?" Maki asked defiantly.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Yuji informed her, "Up until a little over a week ago, I didn't even know I had a cursed technique. I learned to fight without one. And before I learned how to fight with cursed energy, I was just really strong. You said you're strong. I want to know how strong."