Ryuji y back, a look of te on his face. Beside him, Maki was too exhausted to move, her breathing soft and even.

  His thoughts drifted back to the curse-binding vow he got from Sukuna.

  "eous!"

  This was Ryuji's immediate thought as he evaluated the curse-binding vow entry.

  It was simply too absurd.

  No wonder Ryomen Sukuna was so notoriously hard to kill.

  In Ryuji's opinion, Sukuna's ability to exploit curse-binding vow was likely the biggest reason behind his survival. With it, he could "fight o," borrowing strength and sustaining himself far lohan anyone else could manage.

  But now...

  Your ability is great—but it's mine now.

  Sukuna could never have anticipated that his stro asset would be ied by Ryuji, the very person who had nearly destroyed him.

  At that moment Maki stirred beside him, her strength slowly returning.

  She opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Ryuji. For the first time, her normally sharp and stoic eyes seemed soft, even hazy.

  "Ryuji..." she murmured, her tone uncharacteristically tender.

  "Hmm?"

  Ryuji turoward her, curious.

  Maki, looking more vulnerable than ever, leaned closer to him. There was a sense of ease in her posture—something she hadn't felt in years.

  Because of her childhood experiences in the Zenin family, Maki had always been ser-focused ohing: getting stronger.

  She'd never allowed herself to think about anything else.

  "Do you think... that I'm with you just because of your strength?"

  Her voice was tinged with uainty. The thought of being misuood by Ryuji bothered her deeply. She didn't want him to think she was with him simply because of his overwhelming power.

  "..."

  Her ck of fidend the anxious look in her eyes made Ryuji ugh softly.

  "Of course not," he said with a smile. "With your talent, you don't o g to anyone."

  g? What a joke. Maki wasn't someone who o tto others. She was someone who would carve her own path, no matter how difficult.

  "...?"

  Although Ryuji's reassurance made Maki feel a surge of happiness, it also left her slightly flustered.

  "Don't tease me," she said, looking down. "What talent do I have?"

  Maki had always been hard on herself. She could only see her shortings, the fact that she needed special cursed tools, like her gsses, just to see cursed spirits. Without them, she'd be no different from a regur person.

  Even her skill in physical bat, which she had hoo near perfe, had only gotten her so far. At best, she was a quasi-grade 2 sorcerer. It wasn't enough.

  Deep down, she believed that no matter how hard she worked, her natural limitations would always hold her back.

  "Hahaha!"

  Ryuji couldn't help but chuckle at the rare sight of Maki looking so dejected.

  "Have you ever heard of the curse of twins?"

  "...?"

  The term caught Maki off guard. She looked up at Ryuji, fused.

  "No," she admitted.

  Ryuji wasn't surprised. It wasn't widely known, but it was very real—a deeply ingrained belief within the world of sorcery.

  "In some families, it's said that when twins are born, their natural talents are split betweehat's why people say twins ever reach their full potential."

  Even the most gifted individual would be reduced to mediocrity if their talent was halved at birth.

  A's face it, true geniuses were already rare.

  "That..."

  Maki was stunned.

  This was the first time she'd heard su expnation.

  Growing up, she had assumed the Zenin family despised her awin sister, Mai, simply because they cked natural talent. She'd never imagihere could be a deeper reason.

  Her mind raced.

  She couldn't help but sit up, ign the lingering soreness in her body. Her eyes locked onto Ryuji with a newfound iy.

  "Is there a way to break it?"

  Maki's voice was steady, but the desperation ione was unmistakable.

  She wao be stronger—not for power's sake, but to prove to the Zenin family that she wasn't worthless.

  "The simplest way is something anyone do," Ryuji said matter-of-factly.

  "What is it?"

  Maki leaned in, her heart pounding with anticipation.

  Ryuji met her gaze evenly.

  "One of the twins has to die."

  "...What?"

  Maki froze, the words hitting her like a punch to the chest.

  Her mi bnk.

  The room felt suffog as the implications of Ryuji's statement sank in.

  Her sister, Mai...

  Despite their differences, despite the resehat had growween them, Maki loved her sister. They were family.

  No matter how much she wao grow stronger, she couldn't even sider such a price.

  "...No," she said firmly after a moment.

  Maki shook her head, her voice gaining strength with each word.

  "Absolutely not."

  She couldn't do it. She wouldn't.

  The memories of their childhood together fshed through her mind. Yes, they'd fought. Yes, they were different. But in the end, Mai was still her sister.

  Even though Mai had chosen to stay in the Zenin family, choosing safety and ity over Maki's path of rebellion, Maki couldn't hate her for it.

  "I don't care if they look down on us," Mai had once said. "At least here, we're safe."

  That differen mi had created a rift between them.

  Maki, driven by a desire to prove herself, had left the family and joined Jujutsu High, while Mai stayed behind, accepting the Zenin family's s.

  Even so, Maki knew Mai's choice came from fear, not malice.

  Their bond might have been strained, but it wasn't broken.

  "I won't do it," Maki said, her voice resolute.

  "If the price of being stronger is Mai's life... then I'd rather stay the way I am."

  Her green eyes burned with determination.