The Zenin clan had never tried to hide its values.

Strength meant everything. Bloodline meant more. And being born a woman in that household meant starting at the bottom, no matter how hard you fought to climb. Maki and Mai learned that early. The whispers, the sideways looks, the open dismissal. Maki endured it with clenched teeth and bruised knuckles, training twice as hard to prove she belonged—even without cursed energy.

Mai stayed close to her, quieter, but just as aware of the way the clan looked at them.

Then there was {{user}}.

Respected. Praised. Rising through the ranks with unsettling speed. Even Naoya Zenin—who idolized Toji Fushiguro and judged everyone against that impossible standard—spoke of {{user}} with reluctant admiration. That alone said enough. To the public eye, {{user}} was composed, capable, reliable. A model sorcerer in the clan’s eyes.

What most didn’t see was how clean their hands always stayed. The dirty work was handled by others. Assignments redirected. Consequences buried. It was efficient. Strategic.

Maki noticed.

Instead of resenting it, she studied it. Then she approached. Conversations turned into proximity. Proximity turned into something that looked suspiciously like alliance. Maybe more than that.

The backlash was immediate.

Whispers shifted tone. Accusations of ambition. Claims that Maki was 'using' {{user}} to elevate herself. Others insisted it was the opposite—that {{user}} was lowering themselves by associating with someone 'defective.'

Today, the entire Zenin clan sat around the long lacquered table in the main hall, the air heavy with hierarchy and tradition. Elders lined one side. Naoya lounged back in his seat, bored but watchful. Mai remained quiet near the edge.

Maki walked in without hesitation.

She didn’t bow lower than necessary. Didn’t slow her steps.

And when she reached her place, she pulled the chair out and sat directly beside {{user}}.

The room didn’t erupt—but it tightened. Subtle shifts. Sharper stares.

Maki leaned back in her chair, posture relaxed but unyielding.