My Mayumi

family matters

For weeks, Nanami trained with Mayumi to no avail. Mayumi seemed uninterested in exorcising minuscule-powered curses. On one particular day, Gojo strolled across the field to Nanami and Mayumi's training area.
Gojo motioned Nanami to come over.

Gojo smiled before starting the conversation.

"Do you think you're doing a good job, Nanami?"

"Don't tease me."

"It's not a tease. Your daughter is untalented in this field."

Nanami's expression turned to an angered and annoyed one.

"Who are you to say that about my daughter?" His fist tightened, with a blue cloud of cursed energy.

Gojo laughed before patting Nanami's shoulder.

"I can't believe you've been missing my point the entire time! And here I thought you were wiser than I was!" Gojo struggled to say in between laughter.

A confused Nanami glanced over at Mayumi and then back to Gojo.

Gojo controlled his laughter and smiled.

"Don't you remember how frustrated we had to get to produce cursed energy? You can't expect her to learn if she's happy all the time. Build her temper, like so." Gojo called Mayumi over.

"Ahhh, Mayumi! How've you been?" Gojo sarcastically asked, while being on his phone.

"I'm bored and I don't like this place anymore."

"That's wonderful!" Gojo said, while texting Itadori to meet them.

"You have no manners." Yumi informed Gojo.

"Uh-huh."

"Why did you even ask me if you didn't care how I answered?" An annoyed Mayumi questioned.

"Shut up for a second. Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Gojo tested, with ideal results as Mayumi now had a cloud of cursed energy surrounding her body.

Nanami backed away to see if his daughter would strike Gojo. The moment Mayumi reached to attack, Itadori made his way to them.

"Ah, Mayumi! Just the person I wanted to see. How are you?"

"I'm ok. Uncle is being rude, though."

"Aw, I'm sorry about that, Yumi. But I promise, it's all for good cause!" Itadori reassured the girl.

Nanami was more than content with the relationships Mayumi built with the people at Jujutsu High. If this was the life his daughter had to live, he was glad in Mayumi's choices for advice.

However, Mayumi took a special liking to Megumi. She enjoyed Megumi's calm presence as a distraction from dramatic events that were now a daily routine. She enjoyed playing with his shikigami and felt a bond resembling one of siblings. The two would spend most of their free time with each other.

"Megumi, do you like your life?" Mayumi wondered, not realizing how deep her question actually was.

Megumi shook his head in humor while making Mayumi snacks.

"Mayumi, I'm not sure you're old enough to understand concepts like this, but I have no reason to lie to you."

"So what's your answer, Gumi?"

"It's difficult to give one. I've faced curses and people that have made it difficult to want to proceed. I also have people, like you and Itadori, that push me to keep going. At times, you will also feel like this. But I hope that you remember this conversation and what I'm about to tell you for years to come."

Mayumi looked up at Megumi with wide and curious eyes.

"Mayumi, no matter what happens in your life, you push through the best that you can. Life will take more than it'll give for people like us. You will face hardships, and you will feel defeat. But promise me you won't let this world take too much from you." Megumi squatted to Mayumi's height and held out his pinky, their primary way of making promises.

"I love you Megumi." Mayumi got up and hugged Megumi as tight as she could. For the first time in her life, she felt a familial bond with someone who wasn't her father. She finally had someone else to confide in.

"I love you too, kid." Megumi smiled. Megumi knew that if he could make Yumi's childhood as different as possible from his, that he would. Megumi didn't have the chance to be a child. From constantly being picked on to being traumatized with the curses he faced, he knew Mayumi didn't have much childhood left. If he could make the most out of it, he'd be satisfied.