❝she bold bold❞

after the new years occurrence with naoya, you'd think that little marri wouldn't show up in front of that man or anywhere near him ever again.

but gojō marri was no chicken.

in fact, she invited megumi to come along with her, to where tōji resided.

"MR. TŌJI!! MR. TŌJI!!", marri shouted, disrupting the silence of the whole zenin household as maids and butlers, including some zenin members, had flinched at the little girl's appearance.

megumi embarrassingly avoided everyone's stares as marri was dragging the boy around the zenin property.

"what's all this ruckus?", naobito — the current head of the zenin clan — questioned.

"oh hi mr. naobito! don't mind me, I'm just coming over to play with mr. tōji today. I also brought goomi because you know...they're both fishiguros", marri explained, not even waiting for the old man to reply as she sharply spotted tōji from across the garden.

"MR. TŌJI!! HUGS AND KISSES!!", marri shouted, as she left megumi and jumped upwards, to which tōji had instinctually caught the child before marri had cracked her head on the wooden floorboards.

the girl then giggled as she planted a kiss on tōji's cheek, waving at megumi to come over.

"so for today I was thinking that we could build a snowman", marri stated, feeling fat as she was in her puffy jacket, because satoru wouldn't let her leave without wearing one.

"hah? can't we just take a nap or something? you know naps are cool too", tōji grumbled.

nevertheless, the man had set the girl down once they reached a smaller garden on the zenin property.

their entire surrounding was covered in a blanket of snow, just like the day marri was delivered to satoru's doorstep.

with every step the little girl took, a crunching sound was heard as she motioned for megumi to come over towards her.

"goomi watch!", marri smiled as she fell backwards onto the snow, waving her four limbs back and forth against the snow as she had successfully created a snow angel.

"I can't get up, please help", marri requested, to which megumi had to be careful not to ruin the snow angel that she had worked oh-so-hard on, as he picked the girl up by her arms.

marri giggled as she was pulled upwards, to which she had gotten a closeup to megumi's face.

"you know goomi, your eyelashes are really long. I'm kind of jealous....like...really jealous", marri said, holding megumi's face with her small (smol) hands as megumi wasn't sure how to react.

"um...thanks?"

"yeah, no problem! let's build a snowman that each represents us!", marri suggested, flailing around as megumi quickly put the girl down.

marri started gathering snow with her tiny hands as it took a while to form it into a ball that was half her height.

"oi brat! come here", tōji commanded, to which megumi had already gotten started on his second snowball meanwhile marri waddled over towards megumi's father.

"yes mr. tōji?", marri asked, tilting her head to the side as he extended his hand out, to which marri had done the same with both of hers.

"these were supposed to be for megumi for when he was a child, but don't tell him", tōji lowly muttered, putting black gloves on the girl's hands that had fit snuggly.

marri grinned as just nodded.

"okay, I won't...only if you build a snowman with me though", the girl bargained, to which tōji had rolled his eyes, facepalming.

"man, I can never tell you anything", the dark-haired man grumbled as he lazily got up and trudged towards the other side of the shoji.

megumi had already finished his snowman, to which marri had shook her head in denial.

"you have to add some personality to it", marri said.

"huh? but—"

marri then took off her scarf and draped it around megumi's snowman. she also picked some nearby rocks and stuck it in the snowman to account for the buttons, eyes, nose, and smile.

tōji had sloppily finished his snowman meanwhile marri had tried her best to salvage it.

"it's missing a scar on its lips", she stated as she used a twig to draw one on.

it was quite hilarious seeing two tall snowmen with a puny one in between them.

"do you two like it?!", marri asked, smiling as she snapped her head at the two fushiguros.

"it's nice", the two bluntly replied.

marri had expected more, but no words came out, as tōji hastily snatched the little girl in his arms as him and megumi jumped back, watching as the three snowmen got destroyed.

"oops! didn't think it'd be so weak as to fall", a snarky voice commented.

marri lifted her head up from tōji's shoulder as she sighed, rubbing her temples as naoya was a walking headache for her.

"and I didn't think you'd still be such a petty man", marri muttered, to which naoya's grin had dropped.

"want to repeat that again, brat?"

"naoya, watch your tone", tōji warned.

the zenin heir scoffed.

"tōji-san, need I remind you that I'm the heir of this clan, and that I have cursed energy unlike someo—"

"okay zenin heir", marri interrupted, putting her hand in front, as if telling the man to just stop.

"no one asked, okay? just because you think you're better doesn't mean you are. I mean, look at mr. tōji! he's more well-built than you, like do you even lift? also, cursed energy isn't even all that. your clan technique ain't even that special", marri stated.

"but of course you are, goomi, don't get me wrong", the girl whispered, not meaning to offend the boy.

an irk mark appeared on naoya's forehead as he took a step or two closer to the three.

"you talk big for a brat! don't think just because you're a gojō that you can talk down to me like that. you're nothing but a little girl who was birthed from a whore!"

tōji and megumi's eyes widened as marri simply just shrugged.

"the truth hurts, but I'll have you know that at least my mom would be proud of who I'll become. bet you can't say the same", marri yawned, not seeming affected in the least bit.

"I will end yo—"

"okay. try me. I'll be waiting on march fourth. I'm tired because you drain all the life out of me just from existing", marri said as she laid her head back on tōji's shoulder.

naoya scoffed as he swiftly turned around, giving the nastiest look he could muster.

"you'll regret this, brat".