37

At some point, Shiki falls asleep after finishing her gyudon. It's not intentional. But somehow, she finds herself nodding off to the quiet drone of Ken-jichan's and Shoko-san's voices blurring together in the background… then promptly startles back awake an indeterminate amount of time later, when her uncle suddenly stiffens, and something in his tone turns cutting.

"Gojo."

"Yo, Nanami!" Satoru-niichan's voice is very pointedly upbeat, exaggeratedly so. "Still here, I see."

"Where else would I be?" Ken-jichan's response sounds almost challenging, for a moment. Or maybe it's just Shiki's imagination.

Satoru-niichan tilts his head, then shrugs. He glances towards Shoko-san. "How's Kiyohira doing?"

"Still unconscious," the young woman replies evenly. "Expect him to stay that way for a while. Like I said before, if anything in his situation changes, then I'll let you know."

"Great! You're the best, Shoko," the young man smiles.

"Gojo," Ken-jichan raises his voice, "We need to talk."

"So we do," Satoru-niichan acknowledges easily enough, nodding slightly in his direction, "But now is not a great time for it, unfortunately. I'll find you sometime afterwards? There's a meeting with the Kamos coming up in less than half an hour, and I'm just here to pick Shiki up for it."

Oh. Is it time already? Shiki straightens up from where she'd subconsciously curled over during her impromptu catnap, and rises to her feet–

Ken-jichan beats her to it.

Her uncle surges to his feet in a heartbeat, his expression distinctly thunderous. "You're taking her to a meeting with the Kamo Clan?"

"Uh… yes?" Satoru-niichan blinks. "That is what I just said, right? I don't think I stuttered?"

Shoko-san rolls her eyes. "Nanami is asking you why you think that's a good idea when the Kamo Clan tried to kidnap Shiki just earlier."

"Oh! Okay, I see," Satoru-niichan makes a faint sound of understanding. "Well, I can assure you that there certainly won't be any attempts of kidnapping going on again. We've already gotten a good picture of things from questioning Kamo Teruichi and Kamo Matsuhime. This meeting is just for gauging the rest of the Kamo Clan's attitude towards this whole affair, and deciding how we're going to make them pay for it."

Shiki should probably be a little more concerned by the anticipatory glee in her cousin's overall demeanor. Somehow, though, she only finds it comforting instead.

Ken-jichan obviously feels no such thing, frowning deeply. "Even so, that's still not–"

"If the Kamos try to pull anything at this meeting, I'll make sure that not a single member of their delegation leaves the chambers alive," Satoru-niichan states clearly, in no uncertain terms. "I won't allow it. And if the Kamos have any sense left in them, then they'll know that testing my patience right now is a very bad idea."

It's not a binding vow, but the surety and finality in his words leave no room for any doubt.

"… But why Shiki?" Ken-jichan's hands clench tightly into fists at his sides. "Why do you have to bring her to this meeting with you? Hasn't she already been through enough? Why would you entangle her any further in this –this ongoing conflict between the Gojo and Kamo clans?"

"Ken-jichan," Shiki gently touches her uncle's arm. His concern for her is genuine and these raw words are spoken from the heart, which Shiki greatly appreciates. But at the same time, "This entire mess started in the first place because of me. It's only right that I see things through."

The Kamo Clan wanted Shiki for their experiments, and so they plotted to kidnap her. Kiyohira-sensei had gotten caught in the crossfire, and nearly died for it. Jihei-san had died for it, during his investigations. Investigations that only started in the first place because Shiki had picked up on something strange during Obon.

Or had it all started long before Obon? Maybe it had all started from the very moment when Shiki had first stepped into the Kamo clan compound and inadvertently, unknowingly made an enemy out of Kamo Matsuhime.

… No. Maybe it had started years and years ago, when her mother had encountered Araya Souren in that temple, shortly after Shiki had been born.

Araya had most likely escaped. There was no turning back time to redo things. But the Kamo Clan that conspired in the shadows all this time was finally being dragged into the light, and Shiki wants to witness this. To see and hear what they had to say on this matter. It's… it's something that she needs to do.

Besides, it only makes sense that she should be there, when the Kamo representatives meet with the Gojos. Her presence would be a blatant reminder to the Kamos of what their clan had attempted to 'take' from the Gojo Clan, while also serving as a silent declaration of strength. The Kamo Clan's plot had failed, and Shiki was not afraid of them.

Hiding away as her uncle wished for her to do would accomplish nothing.

Ken-jichan looks at her, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Is this truly what you want?"

What she wants?

… Shiki wants Kiyohira-sensei to have his arm back. She wants Jihei-san to be alive. She wants the Kamo Clan to leave her alone, and she wants Araya Souren dead.

"Yes," Shiki says simply in response to her uncle's question, in lieu of giving voice to any of that useless wishful thinking.

Ken-jichan's lips curve down into a frown. "… This isn't your fault. None of this is. It's not your fault, nor your responsibility. You're… you're still just a child, Shiki. There's no need for you to take additional burdens onto yourself."

Ah. So this was where they disagreed, then.

Shiki might not be responsible, but she bears responsibility all the same. Ken-jichan looks at her and sees a child, and that's true. Shiki is only twelve years old. She is a child. Never mind that she is also Ken-jichan's niece, his only surviving relative who is a child that he wants to protect. It adds an extra layer of bias to his judgment–

But Shiki isn't just a child.

From the moment she'd opened her eyes to a world covered in jagged lines bleeding red, there was no way that Shiki could be 'just a child' anymore. Not in the way that Ken-jichan so dearly hoped and wished for her.

So.

"Thank you for caring about me, Ken-jichan," Shiki smiles softly, genuinely. "But this is something that I need to do. It's something that I want to do."

It's clear to see that Ken-jichan still disagrees with her. Her uncle's first instinct is to protect her, but this isn't something that he can protect Shiki from. Attending the meeting with the Kamos isn't dangerous in the same sense that the kidnapping attempt had been, so… at the very least, he could rest assured on that front.

One day, Shiki will be strong enough that Ken-jichan won't have to constantly worry about her like this.

… If she were as strong as Satoru-niichan, none of this would've been an issue at all. The Kamo Clan would not have attempted to kidnap her. Araya wouldn't have dared to lay his hands on her.

Once again, strength –or rather, the lack of it– is what lies at the core of the issue.

Ken-jichan doesn't understand it. From Ken-jichan's perspective, it's just the Kamo Clan to blame for intending harm against Shiki, and the Gojo Clan at fault for failing to prevent the Kamos from briefly succeeding. He's not exactly wrong, and Satoru-niichan had also said similar things, but–

It might not be Shiki's fault, but it was her lack of strength and delayed reaction, her hesitation, that had allowed Matsuhime and Araya's plans to proceed so smoothly.

Never again.

… This won't happen a second time. Never again.

Shiki will attend this upcoming meeting with the Kamos by Satoru-niichan's side, and it will be a reminder for her as well. A lesson. One that will engrave into her mind what her indecisiveness and her weakness resulted in.

At the very least, it will also ensure that she is able to make the Kamo Clan bleed for what happened to Kiyohira-sensei.

Ah, Shiki isn't being very fair, is she? Strictly speaking, it was Araya who had torn off Kiyohira-sensei's arm. Kamo Matsuhime hadn't commanded him to do it, and it had nothing to do with the other members of the Kamo Clan directly, even if the Kamos weren't exactly void of blame on this front.

Shiki isn't in a very reasonable mood right now, though. And no matter the excuses that the Kamo representatives try to come up with, there's absolutely no chance that Kamo Matsuhime and Araya Souren are the only two who are complicit in this incident.

Hmph, Shiki would like to see them try to talk their way out of this.

.

.

The meeting takes place on Gojo clan grounds, rather than a separate neutral area. It's a power play, one overtly implying that it is the Gojo Clan passing judgment upon the Kamo Clan, rather than negotiating as equals. There is no room for the Kamo Clan to refuse this demand. Setting aside everything else about the situation, the simple fact is: Kamo Teruichi and Kamo Matsuhime are prisoners in the Gojo Clan's hands. The clan head and his wife, so unless the Kamo Clan intends to send the message that the Kamo Clan doesn't care about their own clan head –what else can they do but lower their heads and agree, no matter how unwillingly?

How embarrassed the Kamo delegation must feel in this moment, seeing their clan head and lady cast roughly upon the cold stone ground. One man instantly shoots to his feet in outrage at the sight.

"This –this is a travesty! Utterly unreasonable!" Red-faced and sputtering, the affronted Kamo man slams his hands down on the table before him. "I protest against such treatment! How dare the Gojo Clan go so far just for–"

"Finish that sentence, and I'll rip your tongue out."

Satoru-niichan's voice is bored, drawling. But even so, it's enough to make the man's mouth snap shut with an audible click, dark eyes wide with anger and resentment. Fear, and terror.

"… If I may, Gojo-sama," a different Kamo slowly speaks up in the ensuing silence, "Would it be too much to request that at least proper seating is provided for our honored clan head and his wife, before the discussions begin?"

Appearances, appearances. The clans always care about appearances. Is it to save face for the Kamo Clan? To soften the blow to their pride, to ameliorate the indignity of how their clan head and his wife were being treated by the Gojo Clan? Attempting to curry favor with Kamo Teruichi, perhaps?

Shiki couldn't care less about any of it.

Going by his response, Satoru-niichan very clearly does not care, either. "They'll stay there on the ground, where they belong."

At that statement, there is a wave of discontented murmurs rising from the Kamo side of the room. Still, no one speaks out again in defense of their clan head now that Satoru-niichan has made his own attitude clear: Gojo Satoru is not happy with what the Kamo Clan tried to pull, and this does not bode well for any of them.

In the center of the spacious room, Kamo Teruichi slowly straightens himself. The way he moves is slow and careful, sluggish in a way that's indicative of weakness. But even so, he is still able to sort himself into a sitting position under his own power. The same cannot be said for Kamo Matsuhime, who struggles but is unable to achieve anything more than a messy sideways sprawl. Probably because of her recently-broken bones… and the interrogation that they'd been subjected to most likely had not helped things, either. Kamo Teruichi reaches out a careful hand to attempt to help his wife up, but withdraws it when the woman cries out softly, piteously in pain.

In the looming silence, Kamo Matsuhime's voice is almost jarring.

… It takes several long moments before anyone plucks up the nerve to speak again, in wake of Satoru-niichan's displeasure. The one who restarts the conversation is a Gojo clansman whom Shiki does not recognize.

What does the Kamo Clan have to say for itself?

Kidnapping the blessed child, intending to steal a cursed technique that belonged to the Gojo Clan. Such a severe offense cannot be overlooked so easily!

The Kamos claim ignorance. Shiki doesn't think that there's a single person in the room who truly believes it. Nonetheless, this does not stop the Kamos from continuing to bluster and try to spin things off as an accident. A terrible misunderstanding, and Kamo Matsuhime had been deceived by that two-faced Araya Souren, who would be branded as a curse user immediately–

This lasts all the way up until a Gojo clansman puts the focus on the Kamo Clan delving into forbidden research. It was one thing to learn more about the relation between a sorcerer's body and the cursed technique that they harbored; it was another thing entirely to focus their research on how to rip a cursed technique straight out of a sorcerer's body. Literally.

Curiously enough, the Kamos' united front –falters. Of their dozen-strong numbers, they react differently. Some of them remain stone-faced and unflinching, while others frown, and still others appear openly shocked. Disbelieving, and incredulous.

Interesting. Were the Kamos keeping secrets from each other? Shiki was under the impression that the Kamos attending this meeting with the Gojo Clan were those who were fully aware of what was going on. Then, did this mean that–?

"You lie!" One of the more hot-headed Kamos slams his hands down in front of him, rattling the table dangerously. "T-There's no way that the Kamo Clan's research has progressed to something like that, nor would we focus it on –on stealing cursed techniques. Try to at least come up with a more believable crime to pin on us! The Gojo Clan's anger is understandable, but you cannot just blindly accuse us of–"

A Gojo clansman also brings his hand down on the table before him, brusquely cutting the other man off with a deafening slam. "Your clan head confessed, Kamo!"

The Kamo man stutters, briefly choking over his next words. "U-under duress! W-who knows what methods you employed in order to–"

"And now you're accusing the Gojo Clan of forcing a false confession?" The Gojo clansman's voice is faintly disdainful, and he does not bother hiding it in his expression.

The Kamo draws back with a scowl. Then, darkly, "… It wouldn't be the first time now, would it?"

Those words instantly spark a fresh round of arguments in the room. Outraged voices overlap each other in chaotic cacophony, rendering individual voices indecipherable. It's good that the Gojos and Kamos are seated clear across the room from each other, because going by the red faces and impassioned shouting that's still growing in volume, Shiki can't help but wonder if a fistfight would've broken out if they'd been seated together in close quarters.

She turns towards her cousin. "Are inter-clan meetings always like this?"

"Depends. There's usually always a good round of insults going around at some point, some more obvious than others, but that's just par the course," Satoru-niichan mutters back quietly in response. Not so quietly that their words are hidden to those in their immediate surroundings, though, which might be what prompts Daisaku-sama's sudden coughing fit. "The Kamos are derailing, though. Probably on purpose."

Shiki considers the possibility for a moment. "They're trying to keep the topic from focusing on the kidnapping incident and their clan's questionable research on cursed techniques… so they can lock down on the Gojo Clan's overstep in interrogating their clan head?"

"Pretty much," Satoru-niichan confirms, flashing her a sharp little smile. "Anything to get an advantage during negotiations. Not that this will help them, of course."

Shiki nods slowly, then blinks.

"Wait, did someone from the Kamo side just accuse the Gojo Clan of kidnapping their clan head and his wife?" she asks, incredulous. After everything that the Kamo Clan had pulled on her, this was their answer?

… From an outside perspective, she supposed that… technically wasn't wrong, actually? Satoru-niichan had forcibly dragged Kamo Teruichi and Kamo Matsuhime back to the Gojo Clan with him, and neither of them had exactly been willing. Then again, both of them had been unconscious at the time, so it wasn't as if they could've given their agreement to anything at all.

No one would ever willingly agree to take a trip to the Gojo Clan's interrogation chambers, though, so maybe that was a moot point. Huh, did Satoru-niichan kidnap the Kamo clan head and his wife?

"Yeah, I think I've heard enough," Satoru-niichan snorts, then pointedly flares his cursed energy.

Immediately, the room falls silent.

Or, more accurately, is choked into silence, beneath the crushing weight of her cousin's cursed energy.

Not that Shiki feels the same pressure. Unlike her, Satoru-niichan is skilled enough with manipulating his cursed energy that he is able to apply it precisely where he wants to. Shiki might not feel the effects, but she can sense the distinct shift in cursed energy in the air around them, and the sudden hush that falls is a rather telling giveaway of what her cousin had just done.

Satoru-niichan leans over on his side, and idly props up his chin with a single hand.

"You seem to be laboring under the misconception that this is an equal-sided discussion," he addresses the Kamos. "It is not. You tried to kidnap my cute little cousin, and you've dipped your fingers into some rather dangerous research on top of that."

A slight pause.

"So, what makes you think that I will allow the Kamo Clan to remain standing?"

Shocked murmurs sweep across the room at this declaration. Shiki doesn't… she certainly hadn't been expecting this, either, although in retrospect it wasn't entirely out of character for her cousin. But still, the implications of such a thing–

"You cannot be serious!" One of the Kamo elders who had remained silent all this time finally opens his mouth and speaks, frowning. And beneath that frown –abject fear, poorly hidden. "Gojo Satoru. You cannot mean to dismantle the Kamo Clan over such trivial matters! You may be the honored one, but even you cannot think that your status gives you unchecked leeway to act as you please!"

"If you know that I'm the honored one," Satoru-niichan replies, in a quiet voice that almost seems to echo throughout the room, "Then you should know that destroying the Kamo Clan is a trivial matter for me."

The Kamo elder's jaw slackens. His hand, the one that's braced against the low table, trembles.

Because in this moment, Satoru-niichan's tone is serious. There's no flippant playfulness, careless cheer. This isn't Gojo Satoru, faux-jokingly saying that he will destroy the Kamo Clan. This is Gojo Satoru saying that he will destroy the Kamo Clan, and now the magnitude of the message is finally sinking in. The Kamos are beginning to shift uneasily among themselves, wide-eyed and fearful and outraged by the declaration, yet far too terrified to do anything about it. There is a sense of incredulity that settles over the room, but it does nothing to change the current reality.

The Kamo Clan. One of the Three Great Families, the untouchable pillars of jujutsu society. For Satoru-niichan to declare that he would not allow the Kamo Clan to remain standing, it was–

Brazen, arrogant, ridiculous–

But possible.

It was very much possible and entirely well within the range of Satoru-niichan's abilities. And every single person in the room knew it.

… It has been generations upon generations since the Kamo Clan had last seen a Special Grade sorcerer in their ranks. If Satoru-niichan chose to head over to their clan compound right this instant and crush the Kamo Clan in its entirety, there would be no one capable of stopping him.

In contrast to the fear and poorly-suppressed anger emanating from the Kamos, on the Gojo side of the room confusion overpowers trepidation. Judging from the startled looks that several people are sporting, evidently Satoru-niichan had not discussed his intentions with any of them beforehand.

And most of them are not in agreement with his plans, either.

"Honored clan head, your anger at the Kamo Clan's grave offense is understandable. But regardless of their crimes, the Kamo Clan is still one of the Three Great Families." The one who speaks first is a Gojo clansman whom Shiki does not know the name of, but his face is a familiar one. She vaguely recalls having seen him at other clan meetings before. "Such rashness is unbecoming and would not–"

"Are you trying to defend the Kamo Clan's actions, Hajime?"

"Certainly not," the man swiftly lowers his head in clear deference. "But for all the offenses that they've committed and the missteps made in hasty judgment, the Kamos still play an important role. It would surely alter jujutsu society as a whole if they were to be suddenly removed from it. As such, I would ask that the honored clan head consider a lesser punishment for their infractions."

Satoru-niichan scoffs, tilting his head as he looks down upon the trembling Kamo delegation. It occurs to Shiki that they're not all terrified into silence; rather, it's the constant pressure of her cousin's cursed energy that keeps them in a choke-hold of silence.

Oh, there are still some of them who fight against it. Who struggle against the iron grip of cursed energy crushing them, instead of submitting with barely any resistance. One of the Kamos in particular is trembling so hard that they resemble a leaf in the wind, his entire body quaking as he attempts to… speak? To stand up? To do something, clearly, but there's nothing that he can do. Sweat beads on his brow as his face reddens in exertion, and he is not the only one.

In sharp contrast, Kamo Teruichi is flattened completely to the ground, unmoving save for the faint rise and fall of his chest. Beside him, Kamo Matsuhime is not much better off. It's almost strange, because all of Shiki's encounters with the woman to date had left her with the impression of Kamo Matsuhime as a controlling, domineering personality. But the woman's current behavior is completely unlike what Shiki knows. Instead of flinging barbed words and sharp comments, the woman is completely and utterly silent, with a dull look in her eyes that says she doesn't care about anything. Not anymore.

Was this because of the discomfort from Satoru-niichan's cursed energy? Because of the interrogation she had recently undergone? … Or was it because her son was dead?

Shiki wonders if Kamo Matsuhime regrets her actions. It doesn't matter. No amount of regret on the woman's part would raise her son from the dead, nor see her escaping the consequences of her actions.

The Gojos continue saying similar things, one after another. Honored clan head, please reconsider. The Kamo Clan plays an integral role in our world. The crime that was committed is severe, but surely not to the point of annihilating the entire clan in retaliation. Not all members of the Kamo Clan were complicit, so surely some modicum of mercy could be granted.

… It's almost funny. Just moments ago, their fellow clansmen had been trying to pin blame on the Kamos however they could, but now, the majority of the Gojos were rushing to speak defensively in their favor instead. Why would–?

Ah.

Ah, Shiki understands it. Or at least, she thinks she does.

It's about power. About having the advantage. Previously, their main goal was to get the Kamos to openly admit to their faults, so that they could pressure more concessions out of the Kamo Clan. What were they after? Surely it wouldn't be something as simple as material concessions on the Kamos' behalf. Perhaps… the Kamo Clan's forbidden research? That wouldn't be surprising. Such information would definitely be a Kamo clan secret, and not something they would easily part with. If that was what the Gojos were truly after… Shiki doubted that just getting the Kamos to verbally admit that they were at fault would be enough.

Actually… Shiki still doesn't understand. If the Gojo Clan was aiming for the Kamo Clan's secrets, then wouldn't the best course of action right now be staying silent after Satoru-niichan had declared he would put an end to the Kamo Clan? In the process of dismantling the Kamo Clan, surely the opportunistic Gojos would be able to take whatever it was that they desired from the Kamo Clan's ashes.

So then, their protests… there were only two possibilities that Shiki could think of to explain why they changed their attitude.

One, they genuinely wanted to preserve the Kamo Clan for the sake of 'keeping the balance.' The Kamo Clan was already in a precarious state as the weakest of the Three Great Families in this day and age. Losing their clan head in such an outrageous incident would not help matters any. The blow to their reputation from this entire debacle would take years to recover.

Two… they were scared of Satoru-niichan. Scared of what it would mean, should the Gojo Clan's honored one destroy with his own two hands one of the Three Great Families.

Shiki glances towards her older cousin. Satoru-niichan remains nonchalant, and it's difficult to parse what he's thinking in this moment. What had he been thinking, announcing his intent to destroy the Kamo Clan like this? Surely he would've known that he would be met with opposition even from within the Gojo Clan, so it didn't make sense that he would–

"Honored clan head," Gojo Daisaku's voice sounds quietly from behind them. It is the first time that he has spoken aloud in this meeting. "In this matter, please… reconsider. The Kamo Clan has its uses yet."

"Do they, really?" Satoru-niichan responds disinterestedly. "I'm not seeing it. Why should I be convinced to allow them to continue as they are? The Kamos have proven themselves to be thoroughly incompetent and shortsighted. I'd rather not have a 'Great Family' walking around causing trouble and making a nuisance out of themselves."

The elder twitches. "Then, is there anything that could convince you to allow the Kamo Clan to remain as a proper clan, without being dissolved?"

The white-haired young man leans back lazily, "You tell me, Old Daisaku."

… It's not a 'no.'

The wizened elder evidently picks up on that as well, because he loses some of that ashen pallor to his face. He remains silent for a moment, and nods firmly. Then, he turns and begins rapidly speaking to the other clansmen seated around him, low and hurried but intent in a way that is no longer resigned and hopeless.

Shiki slowly looks between Satoru-niichan and the rest of the room, quietly thoughtful.

… More Gojo clansmen are gradually being drawn into whatever it is that Daisaku-sama is taking initiative in discussing. The Kamos are still being effortlessly held down by her cousin's cursed energy, despairing clan head included. There are more than a few Kamos who are glaring daggers at their clan head and lady… if looks could kill, Kamo Teruichi and Kamo Matsuhime would definitely be long dead and buried by this point.

"Honored clan head," Gojo Daisaku has evidently finished conferring with his allies. He bows his head respectfully as he addresses Satoru-niichan again, "If the main concern is regarding the Kamo Clan making another gross misstep, then there are ways to ensure that they will be unable to take such actions. Releasing their vassal families, collecting heavy reparations from their treasury, and reducing the number of seats that they have in the council of the jujutsu administration would serve as effective measures to curtail their power and influence. Regarding the matter of their research, destruction of the records would not be amiss. Executing those who have familiarized themselves with this forbidden knowledge or arranging for them to be kept under close watch should suffice. Would this be acceptable?"

Shiki might not be very well-versed in the political ongoing between the sorcery clans, but even she knows that what the elder is suggesting is essentially gutting the Kamo Clan. Severing the ties with vassal families that served them? Destroying countless years' worth of research?

… Well, Shiki doubted that they would actually destroy the knowledge, it was more likely that the Gojo Clan aimed to confiscate it instead, but all these things together would cause the Kamo Clan's power and standing to plummet in a steep nosedive.

"The Kamo Clan won't accept it," Satoru-niichan states the obvious.

"Compared with having their entire clan dismantled and the Kamo name wiped from existence? I think they will," Daisaku-sama responds dryly. "Even if they will be severely diminished in power afterwards, it would be better than the alternative."

"You think you can convince them?"

"Someone has to," the elderly man shakes his head with a tired sigh. "… They certainly won't like it, but at least they'll still be around to complain about it. At the very least, with this we'll no longer have to worry about the Kamo allying with the Zenins to pose any credible threat in the future…"

Satoru-niichan shrugs, then lazily waves a hand in a 'Go on' motion. Judging from the sudden sounds of relief and increase in harsh panting that fills the air, it's clear that he has finally released the suffering, cowering Kamos.

"Have at it, then."

Gojo Daisaku bows, and determinedly takes the lead in reopening the dialogue between the two clans. Stiltedly, at first, because the Kamos are now keenly aware of the looming threat that Satoru-niichan poses. No longer as some distant, abstract awareness, but instead a very real sword that hangs over their heads, ready to come down any time according to his whims.

Things finally click together in Shiki's mind, "You're doing this on purpose."

"Oh?" Her cousin glances over with a smile, "I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific, Shiki."

The girl puffs out her cheeks, pouting. "This whole meeting with the Kamo Clan. You never intended to destroy them in the first place."

His smile widens. "What makes you say that?"

Aside from the obvious?

"If you really wanted to destroy the Kamo Clan, then you would've just gone ahead and done it already." It wasn't as if anyone could stop him if he truly desired to do so. Not the Kamo Clan, and certainly not the Gojo Clan, either. "Deliberately announcing it at a meeting like this… there's no way you wouldn't have expected the Gojo Clan to be against it. You wanted them to protest this decision."

Satoru-niichan nods, and ruffles her hair. "Right on all counts! So the question should be: What am I getting out of this?"

Is he testing her to see how much she's picked up on from his actions? Shiki eyes her cousin suspiciously for a moment, but his smile doesn't falter. "… I don't know. This is only going to make the Kamo Clan think that the Gojo Clan can't provide a united front, isn't it? They'll be scared of you, although they probably wouldn't think the same for the rest of the clan. They'd–"

Shiki pauses, as a sudden thought occurs to her. The Kamo Clan wouldn't be scared of the rest of the Gojo Clan. They'd be grateful, instead.

So what did that mean?

The Kamo Clan being scared of Satoru-niichan. Being grateful towards other Gojo clansmen, who'd spoken in their favor and urged the honored one to stay his hand in wiping out the Kamo Clan from existence. There might be lingering tension between the Kamo and Gojo clans in this generation due to this debacle, but the resentment wouldn't be anything long-lasting and lingering, not like the bad blood that existed between the Gojo and the Zenin.

More importantly–

"The Kamos will accede to the Gojo Clan's demands to cripple themselves and accept punishment and hand over their clan secrets, and they'll be grateful for it," the girl murmurs in dawning comprehension. The statement sounds absolutely ridiculous on its own, but it's exactly the situation that's shaping up in front of them right now.

Her cousin bursts out laughing. "You're a sharp little cookie, aren't you?"

The Kamo Clan would have a healthy fear of the Gojo Clan from here on out given what Satoru-niichan had threatened, but not to the point that a feud would be started. They would give in to the Gojo Clan's demands, and they would thank them for it, because the only other option would've been the destruction of the Kamo Clan as a sorcery clan at Gojo Satoru's hands.

Politics.

"It gladdens me that you've planned things out well-ahead in advance, honored clan head."

… Shiki and Satoru-niichan hadn't exactly been hiding their words, but the entire exchange had been fairly quick and unobtrusive. Most others' attentions were currently caught by what was going on in the conversation with the Kamos. The two of them turn around, and–

"Takatomi," Satoru-niichan says with a raised brow, "Glad to have met your approval."

"Ha! As if you care about anyone else's approval," the aged man huffs, amused. "But… I am glad. With this, I can finally rest assured of the clan's future."

"How arrogant," Satoru-niichan remarks. But the words aren't accusing or indignant in the least –instead, her cousin sounds almost bored. "So, is there something that you want?"

"Not quite. There is merely a confession that I feel I must make," the elder inclines his head courteously. Then, without any further preamble, "I was the one who arranged for Kansuke to be killed."

Shiki's eyes widen at the unexpected statement. Gojo Takatomi is the one responsible for killing Kansuke? It wasn't the Kamo Clan? Satoru-niichan, however, doesn't so much as even bat an eye.

"And?"

"And nothing," the clan elder responds. "The situation was rather pressing at the time, I'm afraid, so there wasn't time to inform you beforehand lest the traitor made a clean getaway–"

"Enough lies," Satoru-niichan rolls his eyes. "Why don't you tell me how long you've been aware of the Kamo Clan's concentrated research into transplanting cursed techniques instead?"

Gojo Takatomi chuckles. "Ah, allow an old man his secrets, won't you?"

Satoru-niichan's gaze flicks briefly towards Shiki, before returning to the Gojo elder. "Not when it puts others at risk."

"But certain risks are unavoidable for the sake of progress, I'm afraid," Takatomi-sama spreads his gnarled hands in a faux-helpless gesture. "Minimizing the risk to the blessed child would be why I had Kansuke killed in the first place. It alerted you swiftly to the fact that something was wrong, didn't it?"

"That wasn't the only thing it accomplished," Satoru-niichan says flatly.

Gojo Takatomi smiles, and changes the topic entirely. "My sincerest respect for you, honored clan head. I will be leaving to assist Daisaku now, his verbal sparring falls slightly short of Kamo Hijiri's skills in the same area, I'm afraid."

The elder bows slightly, then turns and leaves sedately. Brazen, but he'd made his point with this overture towards Satoru-niichan.

"… I don't like him," Shiki says bluntly.

Her cousin snorts, "You're not the only one."

.

.

…

.