JJK: Developing my potential

—[Outskirts of the Zenin Clan Residence]—

A tall, slender young man with white hair was walking toward an imposing Japanese mansion alongside a sturdy, dark-haired boy who looked older than he actually was. The white-haired young man seemed to be having a heated argument with the boy, as their shouts could be heard from a distance.

"Listen to me, Megumi! Your father sold you for 10 million yen, do you understand? You can't receive it; you are the product," Gojo shouted.

"Oh, really? In case you haven't noticed, human trafficking is illegal, even in the world of sorcery. So, either you give me the 10 million or I'll report you to the jujutsu council. Do you want to be labeled as an evil sorcerer like Sukuna?"

"Oooh! Look how I'm shaking, little boy," Gojo said, getting tenser than a wooden plank.

"And besides, what are you going to do with 10 million yen? You'd probably waste it on toys or something," Gojo looked at Megumi disdainfully.

"Ha! As if you know anything about investments. Your shirt is worth more than the Japanese minimum wage, you third-generation chaebol," Megumi retorted.

"What? Are you jealous of me?" Gojo exclaimed, leaning toward Megumi's face and staring at him intently.

"Cough, cough, cough," someone clearing their throat interrupted Gojo and Megumi's argument, drawing their attention to this new individual.

"Oh! It looks like we've arrived at the Zenin compound. Hello, old man, nice to see you again!" Gojo greeted, waving at the older man who had interrupted them.

"I wish I could say the same, but today I don't feel like being hypocritical. Now tell me, brat from the Gojo clan, is it true that this boy has that ritual?" Naobito decided to get straight to the point.

"Come on! Don't be like that. Don't you want to invite me in for at least a cup of tea for the sake of our great clans' friendship?" Gojo said with a playful smile.

Naobito was unfazed by Gojo's jokes and kept staring at him.

"Ha…" Megumi sighed. "Can you stop fooling around and get the agreements settled so I can get my money already?" said Megumi, unwilling to waste time.

"HEHEHEHE!" Naobito laughed. "It seems the brat inherited his father's character."

"You break my heart, Megumi. I thought the time we spent together was great, but it looks like you're in a rush to go with the Zenin clan," Gojo exclaimed dramatically, before instantly dodging an attack from Nue.

"That seems to confirm it. The brat does have the ritual and apparently quite some talent if he's already tamed Nue. Here's your payment," Naobito said, handing Megumi a check.

"Thank you," Megumi said as he received it, storing the check in his [Shadow Inventory].

"Hey! I thought we agreed you'd give the money to me," Gojo protested.

"The brat has more right to claim the money than you. Besides, since he's joining the Zenin clan, the money won't leave my clan," Naobito smiled.

"Well, I won't waste any more of your time, Satoru. I need to show Megumi where he'll be staying," Naobito said, beginning to walk in the direction of the Zenin clan, with Megumi following.

As Naobito and Megumi were about to enter the Zenin residence, Gojo's voice echoed in the distance.

"GOOD LUCK, NAOBITO! YOU'LL NEED IT!"

'I hope Gojo takes good care of Tsumiki,' were Megumi's last thoughts before entering the residence.

—[Zenin Clan Leader's Office]—

After entering the Zenin clan compound, Naobito led Megumi to his office. Upon arrival, he took a seat and gestured for Megumi to stand and listen.

"Listen well, boy. From today, your last name will change. You will no longer be Fushiguro; now you will be Zenin. Understood?" Naobito said in a firm voice.

"Of course, sir," Megumi replied politely.

"Good, now get out of here. The maid outside will guide you to your new room. You have the rest of the day off. Sleep well, as your training to become a worthy member of the Zenin clan begins tomorrow," Naobito said before taking out a glass and pouring himself some wine from his special reserve.

It seemed today was a special day for Naobito, as the wine had a label indicating it was 400 years old.

—[Zenin Clan Heirs' Quarters]—

After leaving the office, Megumi was guided by a beautiful maid to a luxurious room in a building adjacent to the main clan house. On the way, Megumi saw a few young people who ignored him and continued on their way.

Once inside his room, Megumi opened his [Shadow Inventory] and took out the luggage he had stored. After unpacking, he lay down on his bed and thought, "From what I've seen, this must be something like quarters for heirs or people with potential in the Zenin clan, as the young people I encountered had facial features very similar to Naobito and their cursed energy levels were comparable."

"It's most likely those useless brothers that Naoya mentioned when Naobito died in the manga," Megumi deduced.

Honestly, Megumi had expected something like this. After all, in the original story, Naobito had been willing to put Megumi as the clan's successor, so the least he could do was provide him with accommodation that met their expectations.

Now, he only needed to form his own faction within the Zenin clan and then become the leader of the clan. Megumi was also interested in Maki and Mai; he wanted them to be part of his faction because he knew of their great potential if their bond issue was resolved, plus they were beautiful.

The only obstacle to this plan was that Megumi didn't know how to approach them, but he trusted he would think of something soon.

KNOCK KNOCK

He heard a knock on the door and the voice of a maid saying, "Megumi-sama, Naobito-sama asked me to introduce your new maids. Could you please open the door?"

"I'm coming," Megumi said, then opened the door to see the older maid accompanied by two identical girls dressed in maid uniforms.

When they saw Megumi, they bowed their heads and greeted him before introducing themselves as Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin, his new personal maids. Although both greeted Megumi as expected, the differences between them were evident, with Mai being more docile and Maki appearing colder with slight signs of discomfort.

'I guess one of my problems is solved,' Megumi thought happily to himself.

"Megumi-sama, with your permission, I'll take my leave. You may command anything of your new maids and feel free to walk around the quarters as you wish. This is a message from the clan head," the older maid said.

"Understood," Megumi responded with a smile, bidding the maid farewell, who found his cordial behavior intriguing.

Once the older maid left the room, Megumi turned to his two new maids and asked, "Well, I know your names, but aside from that, I don't know anything about you. Could you tell me more?"

The first to speak, though with a shy expression, was Mai. "W-Well, I'm Mai Zenin, daughter of Ougi Zenin, brother of the clan head, and my cursed technique is [Construction Technique]. Also, I like cinnamon rolls."

"Interesting. Maybe I'll order some cinnamon rolls since I like them too. If you want, you can have some of the ones I order," said Megumi, and as he said this, he saw Mai's face light up for a few seconds.

"Well, what can you tell me about yourself? You seem to be the one with the stronger personality between the twins," said Megumi, turning to Maki.

"Most of what my sister said applies to me too. As for a cursed technique, I don't have one, but I possess a Heavenly Restriction that gives me great strength. So don't get too attached, because soon I'll be training and won't be your maid anymore," Maki responded with her characteristic personality.

"Keep it up, I believe in you. My father didn't have a cursed technique either and couldn't use cursed energy, yet he was feared even by the clan head himself, so you can be sure you'll achieve great things," Megumi encouraged Maki.

Hearing Megumi's words, Maki was surprised. No one had ever believed in her potential before. Ever since her father, Ougi Zenin, found out that she didn't have a cursed technique and couldn't see cursed spirits, she had been condemned to ostracism, along with her sister, who shared a similar situation.

That's why, hearing Megumi's encouragement, tears threatened to well up in her eyes, and she could only respond: "I definitely will!!"

"Well, I'm satisfied with your introductions. How about giving me a tour of the clan? There are still many things I don't know," Megumi requested kindly.

"Understood, Megumi-sama, please follow us," Mai and Maki responded in unison before stepping out through the door.

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Next chapter: Deal with the devil.