Chapter 7
2012
"Are you copying me?"
It's a jest.
It is said facetiously, it is said seriously, it is said curiously. It is not writ upon his face; he is deadpan, but there is a telltale edge. Not on his face, not in the undertones of his voice, but it is there. Satoru knows Suguru; he cannot shed the cloak of yesteryear; he is still himself in the shadow of his heart.
Suguru has two wards, Satoru has two wards; that is where the similarities end.
"No," she blinks, bewildered, lips slightly downturned as she shakes her head. She is unaccustomed to his subtle vitriol; this is a ceasefire; this is their Switzerland. This is a time to relive halcyon days.
Suguru quirks a brow, "It feels like it."
Does it?
He flatters himself.
He implies that Satoru is chasing him, chasing yesterday. Suguru's path is one she will not follow, cannot not follow. The goal is extreme, broad, and foolhardy; the methods to accomplish said goal aids in the stupidity of his endeavor. She will not take the olive branch he silently offers; she possesses the fruit of knowledge and consumes from its branches regularly.
She spurns him but also exploits him.
"Not at all, my girls..." are the spoils of war, are the aftermath of a battle won, but a war with players slowly unveiling themselves. They are the weight of a seldom guilty conscience, they are pieces on a board, they are... "are my girls."
Megumi is the centerpiece, and Tsumiki is integral to her happiness.
"I can understand the Zen'in; the other is," Suguru struggles not to let his unmitigated bigotry and hatred rear its monstrous head. "Unnecessary baggage."
This is a landmine; Satoru does not avoid it; she steps over it.
"You never really had the chance to immerse yourself in the tradition and culture of Jujutsu society?" Her sudden non sequitur momentarily catches him off guard, but there's a method to the madness, so he indulges her. Sees where this meandering path of discussion leads. "You just saw it as an extension of our country. That's true, but also short-sighted."
"What choice did I have? It's insular. You all don't take well to outsiders," Suguru says bitterly.
"That stems from the stigma of curse users, heretics, and dissenters; it's not an excuse, but history has taught us what comes of this, and it results in extreme prejudice reflected in our laws, practices, and traditions," Satoru explains.
Suguru releases a laugh of disbelief, "I've become a consequence of that."
"You have," Satoru says wryly, "Tolerance is fleeting, and the general consensus reflects the opinion of the population. That's not to say we are a monolith; many families and individuals hold varying opinions that differ. But what most of us have in common is belief in our family names, our names are what makes us immortal, our names show us as history's victors. Our name is all that matters," Satoru emphasizes, "the name and the bloodline. A lack of curse energy doesn't matter when the potential remains in the next generation. A lack of curse energy doesn't matter when they contribute to the glory of the family.
Satoru places her elbows on the table and leans forward.
"Fushiguro Megumi is on the way to greatness. She will be one of the strongest sorcerers of this day and age, and her sister will be a contributing factor to her greatness.
"It isn't as black and white as it seems; everyone has a part to play."
Suguru appears conflicted.
Good.
Let him chew on that.