Notes:

Hello everyone, Vera here with the first update of the . ❤

I hope you like it, this will be a short chapter, but I promise it will be entertaining, especially because this chapter will touch on an important topic that has to do with Maki.

I promise the next chapter will be longer.

Anyway, enjoy the reading, as you go along, you will understand why this chapter has this title. 👀

Enjoy the chapter

Chapter 26. Debts Payable

"Sooner or later, both moral and economic debts must be paid."

"Mom!"

"We're back!"

The twins had returned home very excited.

They both shouted from the doorway as they stood in the foyer, taking off their raincoats and rain boots.

"Maki san, we're here!" said Yuki loudly, as she too took off her raincoat.

At that instant, as she stripped off her boots and tossed them aside, the blonde noticed some men's shoes in the place, ones she didn't remember seeing before she left.

Quickly a noise from the second floor caught the attention of the three of them. First it sounded as if a door had slammed shut, accompanied by a noise as if someone or something had fallen to the floor.

Yuki got a big smile on her face and more than remembered that Yuta was going that afternoon. So she guessed that those two must be doing "certain things" up there. Perhaps Maki had heeded her advice to follow her feelings.

"Mom will be upstairs?" Yuudai asked as he heard hurried footsteps above their heads.

"Let's go with her!" Yurika jumped up to go up to the hall.

Her brother nodded his head yes as he also hopped upstairs.

"Kids!, what do you say we wait for your mother down here?" said Yuki, stopping them, holding each of them by the shoulders, "I don't think it will be long before they come down"

The twins looked at each other in confusion and more so when they heard more hurried footsteps walking back and forth over their heads.

"Shit!" growled Maki, who quickly ran to close the door of her room, "Get dressed, now! I can't let them see us like this!" she ordered in a low voice.

Yuta also looked in a hurry, he quickly turned around to look for his clothes, but in his haste he slipped and fell to the ground on his pure butt.

"Okkotsu, don't play games!" Maki scolded in a whisper.

"I'm sorry!" he said, standing up quickly and starting to pick up his clothes to get dressed.

Maki took a quick glance at her mirror on the dressing table as she went to look for a new hair tie. At that instant, she noticed several marks that Yuta had left on her neck, which were quite striking at first glance.

"Why did you leave this on me?" she said annoyed as she pointed to her neck and turned to look at Yuta, "I'll have to cover my neck with a t-shirt because I don't have time to put on makeup!" she ran to her dresser to find a t-shirt to cover those marks.

Luckily Maki had a long-sleeved, turtlenecked sports shirt.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away!" commented Yuta as he hurriedly dressed, quickly starting with his underwear, "I can help you with my reverse technique"

"JUST HURRY UP!" commanded Maki as she finished pulling her sweatpants up her legs.

At that moment when both were dressing in a hurry.

As Yuta was putting on his pants, his attention was drawn to the sports bag that Maki had again placed on his bed, which he opened to put something else in there.

The sorcerer was struck by the fact that the bag was half open and he noticed something smooth, it looked like the part of a mask or a cursed weapon.

As he was about to approach that bag to see what else Maki had in it, Maki stopped him, quickly closing it.

"I see that you are very curious" she commented with a slight grimace.

"It's just that I..."

Maki stole a kiss from him to get him to stop talking and more than that he had proven that she was indeed his weakness.

"Just act normal and follow my lead, OK?" she said, grabbing her purse and then rushing to grab the doorknob and hurry out of her room.

Yuta was in shock for a moment, he was processing everything that had happened minutes before. That fleeting kiss turned him red. But there was no time, the joyful voices of his children brought him out of his thoughts.

Quickly with his reverse technique, he healed those hickeys and scratches that Maki had made on his neck and back while they were making love. Then he looked once more at that room.

Yuta turned to Maki's closet, which had caught his eye since he entered.

And although his hand went to that little knob to open that closet, he decided not to investigate further at that moment, so he quickly put on the dark blue T-shirt that Maki had taken from Megumi's room, quickly combed his hair and before leaving, he took something that Maki had forgotten in the room.

"What happened here?" Yuudai asked in confusion as he looked at the pieces of a broken cup in the kitchen.

"It looks like a crime scene!" his sister commented with a smile, "Something definitely happened here!" she said in a detective-like manner, her curiosity was imminent.

The twins placed their gifts on their respective chairs as they watched the scene in front of them. The table was in disarray. On the floor lay a broken cup, surrounded by a puddle of coffee, as well as several pieces of silverware scattered about. What caught their attention, however, was the vase, which was now decorated with new flowers.

"Either someone had an accident here or something else definitely happened" commented Yuki looking at the mess.

"What do you mean?" asked Yurika curiously.

"I'm not sure" replied the blonde, shrugging her shoulders with a carefree smile, "Maybe someone pushed someone else against the table, or maybe there was a fight here" added Yuki.

Quickly the three of them were struck by the approaching footsteps hurrying down the stairs. That made the children peek over the kitchen threshold.

Maki swallowed hard and tried to look "normal", and pretended as if nothing had happened as she walked down to the second floor carrying her sports bag.

Once under the stairs, her children ran to embrace her.

"Mommy!" they shouted in chorus, as their little steps ran to her and hugged her legs.

Maki smiled at the sight of them and stroked their cheeks.
"Where did you go? You didn't get caught in the rain, did you? You didn't get wet, did you? Because the last thing I want is for either of them to get sick" she commented with a smile.

"Yuki One san took us to a new shopping mall!" Yurika explained, "We saw lots of stores and even took us to play in a big place inside, which was full of slides and had a big pool full of balls!"

"And he bought us some things!" Yuudai said, taking his mother's hand to lead her to the kitchen.

"Come Mom, we want to show you the gifts that Yuki bought us!" Yurika also pulled her mother's hand.

Ok, but make it quick, I'm already too late to go to work" Maki dropped her bag in the hallway to go to her children.

She controlled her face so as not to blush at the memory of what had happened a moment ago with Yuta in that kitchen. Which was still a mess.

"Look Mom!" Yurika held up a pair of pink roller skates, which she took from her chair.

"These are the gifts Yuki gave us!" Yuudai held up a small toy telescope.

"These are nice presents" she commented, seeing how happy her children were.

"Aunt Tsukumo is the best, isn't she?" commented the blonde with a big smile.

Maki turned to look at the sorceress.
"Why did you give them these things?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"These gifts consider them as special, because these will help them to better understand their cursed techniques" Yuki had a big smile on her lips.

Maki just narrowed her eyes. She didn't understand at that moment what Yuki meant by that answer, but later she would understand how those gifts would help her children.

"By the way, what happened here?" Yuki asked curiously, pointing to the broken cup, "It looks like the storm broke out in here"

"Well, it's just that..."

"Maki san, you forgot your glasses up there!" Yuta appeared through the kitchen doorway.

That voice made the twins' faces light up and they turned toward the threshold.

"Yuta kun!" Yurika and Yuudai shouted with excitement when they saw the man appear, they even ran to hug him.

Yuta quickly squatted down and opened his arms to receive his children in a nice hug. One that comforted him too much.

"We missed you!" said Yurika with a big smile.

"Yes, we wanted to see you again" Yuudai replied with a nice smile.

"And I missed you two" replied Yuta with great joy at seeing you again.

"Aunt Yuki! He's the one we were telling you about earlier!" Yuudai commented with a smile, pointing at Yuta while looking at the blonde.

"Yuta kun, we want to introduce you to our onesan Yuki Tsukumo" said Yurika in a cheerful voice.

"Although she also likes to be called Aunt Yuki" Yuudai replied with a shrug.

Both children said this because they knew that this woman did not want to be called "grandmother".

"It's a pleasure to meet you Okkotsu kun, the children have told me a lot about you" commented Yuki pretending that she was just getting to know the man, while wearing a big smile.

"The pleasure is mine Tsukumo san" Yuta humored her, stood up and bowed slightly.

"By the way, what were you two doing up there" the blonde asked curiously, "It sounded like something fell down.

Yuta quickly brought his hand to the back of his neck, he was quite nervous.

"Well, it's just that..."

"Yuta kun, why are you wearing dad Gumi's T-shirt?" Yuudai asked, tilting his head slightly as he recognized the garment. He really was a very observant boy and by the way, with a good memory.

"I…" Yuta was trying to find an answer to that, but luckily Maki intervened.

"I lent him that T-shirt since Okkotsu had an accident with this coffee cup!" commented Maki with a grimace and pointing to the floor. Her annoying mother act seemed quite convincing "It turns out that while he was helping me clean the table, by mistake the coffee spilled on his shirt and the cup fell to the floor breaking it into many pieces!" her hands went to her hips- "And by the way, I was not going to let him be in those dirty and wet clothes, and even less when he came to share an ice cream with you"

The children's faces lit up at that magic word.

"ICE CREAM?! They said in chorus.

"That's right, as I just returned from Tokyo, I came right away to share some ice cream with you, which is in the freezer" commented Yuta with a smile.

"Can we have ice cream?"

"Yes Mom?"

"Please!"

"Please say yes! Please!"

Both children quickly approached Maki, so that she would give them her permission to eat that dessert and more that she didn't like her children to eat too many sweets or junk food, although she also didn't like them to eat so many vegetables as it reminded her of her clan's horrible vegan diet. She really wanted her children to enjoy all kinds of food.

Maki sighed.
"Okay. You know where the ice cream cups are. But first, bring me the broom and dustpan. I don't want you to hurt yourselves with this broken cup" she said pointing to the pieces on the floor.

"OK!"

"We'll be right back"

Both children jumped for joy. They quickly went to get the things their mother asked for, left the kitchen and went to the end of the hallway on the second floor. There they had the small laundry room, which also served as a storage room for cleaning supplies.

As those children returned, their mother exchanged a slight smile of complicity with Yuta.

The magnetism was still quite present and even more so after that passionate intimate encounter.

And all this was also noticed by Yuki, who wanted to confirm what had happened between those two. Although by their expressions and by the very slight marks that appeared on Maki's neck, she could perfectly intuit what had happened.

"So, what were you two doing up there? Because it's clear that what started down here, ended up in bed" asked the blonde with too much curiosity.

Both adults swallowed hard. They even averted their gaze.

"We just went upstairs to give Yuta a clean shirt" Maki replied with a grimace, trying to be her usual self.

"And did that mean taking off your glasses to look for a T-shirt?" asked the blonde, pointing to Maki's glasses that Okkotsu was still holding in his hand.

"It's just that..." Yuta was interrupted as Maki snatched her glasses. She gave him a quick glance about not saying anything.

"I had simply left them in the upstairs bathroom. Good thing Okkotsu brought them down for me. Besides, it was in the upstairs bathroom where he changed his shirt" commented Maki putting on her glasses, "Right, Yuta?" she smiled at him a little in complicity.

"If so, it was my mistake that I dropped this cup and the coffee spilled on me" Yuta scratched the back of his neck, "Luckily it wasn't hot, otherwise I would have burned myself for sure"

"Yeah, sure, as you say," the blonde smiled, "Although clearly the marks on your necks and the way you look away from me say otherwise" said Yuki mischievously, making them touch each other's necks at the same time, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you two have already had make-up sex"

Both lovers were dying of grief and their faces were all red.

Yuki decided to change the subject "Okkotsu I heard you went to Tokyo Is that true? How did it go there?"

"I did go to that city and I'm glad you mentioned it Tsukumo san" commented Yuta with a nervous smile to change the subject. "And more than that, I would like to talk to you about an important topic..."

"I think I know what you want to talk to me about" the blonde crossed her arms, "Clearly it's about Gojo Satoru, isn't it?"

"It is. I need to ask you several questions from seven years ago"

"I agree, but for the moment I propose that we talk about it another time..." Yuki now turned her gaze to Maki.
"It seems that the two of you are getting along better already, have you made peace?"

"Something like that. Anyway, Yuta has to fulfill certain conditions" commented Maki with a slight smile, which she shared with Yuta.

The magnetism between these two was really quite remarkable.

At that instant, the children returned with the things Maki had ordered them to bring.

"Here's Mom!" replied Yurika carrying the broom, while Yuudai brought the dustpan.

"Leave it to me, I was the one who broke the cup, so I'm going to lift it" said Yuta, asking for those objects to be passed to him.

The children looked at their mother to see what she was saying.

"Ok!" Maki simply waved her hand for her children to hand those things to the guest "Besides, you were the one who provoked all this"

It seemed that those words were loaded with some message related to what happened between the two of them. It seemed like a hint that Yuta managed to catch.

"Yes, hehe you're right" Again, Yuta smiled at him in complicity.

Those smiles and glances were noticed by the twins, who looked at each other and exchanged a few words mentally.

Yurika smiled widely as if approving of the relationship that was emerging between those two adults. On the other hand, Yuudai made a grimace that he did not like the situation between those two and confirmed it by rolling his eyes at his sister's smile.

While Yuta set about collecting those pieces, Maki said goodbye to her children, as her cell phone kept receiving messages from Mei Mei, who told her to hurry as her target was changing location.

"Well children, I'll see you later, I have to go to work" she said squatting down, "You will both stay with Aunt Yuki, okay?"

"Yes, Mom!" They both raised their hands and brought them to their foreheads as a sign of understanding that order.

"Speaking of which…" Yuki stood next to Maki, "I also have to leave"

Maki got up in a hurry when she heard that.
"What? But! You said you would help me take care of the children today! And more that Neither Megumi nor Tsumiki nor the others were going to be able to take care of them today!"

"I know I said I would take care of them today, but a while ago I got an urgent call, which I have to attend with some of my informants. I would like to stay, but I also have work to do" Yuki explained.

"You can't do this to me! You know that for their sake, we can't leave the children alone!" reproached Maki, very upset.

"Unfortunately I have to go out to such a call Maki san. You are not the only one with too much work" commented Yuki seriously.

"But I have to leave for work too! I'm already very late and I can't leave them alone here at home! I need someone to look after them or take them with me to protect them" Maki raised her voice, she was in a hurry and annoyed with these changes of plans.

Yurika and Yuudai looked at each other worried about such a situation as they each clung to their mother's leg. Since they were born, they were never left home alone. They always made sure that an adult would take care of them, especially in case Yuudai's health relapsed.

They even preferred to go out with their uncles and aunts rather than stay at home and always be in the care of an adult.

Yuta listened to all this while he finished sweeping up those pieces of paper and threw them in the trash, as a father of those children he could not remain silent, so he decided to intervene.
"Excuse me for butting into the conversation, but..."

The twins as well as Maki and Yuki turned to look at him.

"How about if I take care of Yuudai and Yurika this afternoon at my apartment?"

"WHAT?!"

"Yes Mommy! Please! We want to spend more time with Yuta kun! Say yes! Let us go to Yuta kun's apartment! Please!" the twins said in chorus as they jumped up and down and hugged their mother.

"But!"

"Give him a chance, Maki san. Besides, he is already like a member of this family, isn't he?" Yuki winked at him.

"Yes... but..."

"By the way, it's a good idea for the kids to spend time with him. I mean, these two seem to get along very well with Okkotsu from what they told me, don't they?" The blonde looked at the children and took a step towards them.
"Wouldn't they like to spend more time with him? Besides, I bet they will be much safer in Okkotsu's apartment than here alone" she put her hands on the heads of those two.

"But!"

"What Yuki Onesan says is true, we want to spend more time with Yuta Kun" commented Yurika.

"By the way, so we won't be alone while you come back from work, Mom!" Yuudai commented.

"You see? Even the kids want to go with him, so what do you say Maki, will you let them go with Okkotsu?" Yuki slightly shook her head in a signal to Maki.

"Mommy, say yes!"

"Please!"

"We promise not to get into mischief"

"Besides, we must decide soon" commented Yuki seriously, "And more than that, it won't be long before it rains again" she said because of the thunder that broke in the sky once more, "And don't forget that you owe him... this is also part of your debt"

Maki wanted to scream.
Both for having to make that decision, as well as for how desperate her cell phone was becoming with so many messages that kept arriving. And that was not the only debt she had to pay.

"OK!" she sighed, "Yurika, Yuudai go get your things. Above all, pajamas and bring what you consider the most important things to spend a night at Okkotsu's house" she turned and looked at her son in particular, "Yuudai, don't forget to bring your medicines, okay?" she mentioned seriously.

"Thank you very much Mom!"

"We promise to behave very well!"

Said these excited children.

Maki sighed.
"All right, now go, I'm already very, very late and I might have to work overtime" she commented annoyed.

Quickly these children ran upstairs to their room to prepare their backpacks. Preparing the change of clothes that their mother had told them, as well as taking those objects that they could not miss when they slept.

Even Yurika went downstairs at her discretion to take something important from the living room. Something that would be taken to Yuta's apartment and that would be very important for that family.

On the other hand, Yuudai packed his medicines and the object that helped him sleep very well.

"Thank you Maki San, I promise I will take care of them with my life" said Yuta with a big smile of illusion knowing that he would spend a whole afternoon with his children.

Maki clicked her tongue.
"Just make sure you take good care of them, understood? If not, now I will castrate you, but without anesthesia" She was very annoyed by that situation, but later she would realize that it would have been a good idea for her future plans as an assassin.

"That's how it will be. I promise I will take good care of them" said Yuta with a smile as he approached her, being only a step away.

"And one more thing..."

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to reveal anything to them about... you know... that you are their real father..." warned Maki in a low voice, "Not without me being there to tell them together... Okay?"

"I promise. I won't tell them without you being present or until you give me permission to tell them..." Yuta brought his hand to his chest at the level of his heart as a sign of promise.

"Thank you..." Maki gave him a slight smile.

Yuki watched all that interaction between those two. She smiled because she knew that this evening between father and son could be beneficial for both sides.

03:55 p.m.

Maki came running to the place where Mei Mei had summoned her.

The two had arranged to meet in a sort of warehouse that was near the place where their target was currently located, which was in a hot springs bath.

"Where the hell were you?" Mei demanded, very annoyed.

"Sorry I'm late!" apologized Maki, dropping her bag abruptly to the ground, "I had trouble finding someone to leave the kids with and by the way, the damn rain wouldn't stop, can't you see I'm soaking wet?"

"Did something happen? Are my little gold mines all right?" asked Mei worried when she heard about those children.

"You know I hate it when you name my children that!" growled Maki as she seemed to be looking for something in her purse.

"You know perfectly well that they are your collateral. They belong to me until you finish paying THEIR debt to me, especially because I am protecting them from your clan as well as from anyone else and by the way, if it wasn't for me, your son would have died without the necessary attention or should I always remind you of that?" Mei explained with too much annoyance in her voice.

Maki clenched her fists. She hated it when that woman said that to her because she was right. And more that Mei had been the one who had supported a ghost like her the most financially.

"So they are pure gold mines whether you like it or not. Remember that anyone who knows of their existence will want your children because of their unique blood mix. They would even pay millions for such a child and even more if they inherited some technique from the Zenin clan or some similar to the Gojo clan"

Maki sighed in fury as she began to strip off her wet clothes and put on her assassin's clothes, which consisted of all-black garments, which she would discard once the mission was over.

At that moment, while she tied her hair in such a way that not a single hair came out of that ponytail and in passing, she covered it completely with a raisin mountains, a question crossed her mind. One referring to what Mei had said.

"What if?" came out of Maki's mouth.

"What's wrong?" Mei asked with confusion.

"What if someone else were to settle that debt on my behalf?" asked Maki with Yuta in mind.

Mei laughed a little.
"It should be someone with a lot of money or in your case, someone with a very high position so that he can come to an economic agreement with me. Because you know that your children's debt is several million yen each.

"But there would still be a chance for someone else to pay off that debt and give my children their freedom, wouldn't there?" asked Maki with her mask in her hands.

Mei adjusted the hair on her forehead a little.
"mmmm yes…" She hesitated a little, and after thinking it over, she spoke, "Well, there would be. Tell me who the bidder is and I'll tell you if there would be a chance to reach an agreement with that person" she snapped her fingers.

Maki hesitated a little if she should respond to that. First she had to plan how to ask for Yuta's help.

"Forget it, it was just a question..." said Maki with a sigh.

"Ok" Mei quickly checked the movement of her victim through three of her crows, which were flying around the place at will.

That guy was still in his position, it seemed that he had not moved from his place in the open-air hot springs.

"Our target is still in position. It would be ideal to eliminate him as soon as possible. Then you can go quietly to your other job to train those women" Mei looked at her nails "Especially because whoever did this job wants this guy to be killed before six o'clock, to prevent him from hearing the reading of the will and avoid claiming an inheritance, of which we were promised a share"

Maki just grunted. She knew it was going to be a heavy day and more so with that stupid rain that again, was about to fall as again thunder cracked in the sky.

"And who did you leave our children with?" Mei asked curiously.

Maki took a deep breath as she pulled her weapons out of her bag and began to arrange them around her waist, strapping them on her belt.

"You don't have to worry about that, they are with someone you can trust..." answered Maki seriously as she finished putting on some thick gloves, which she wore to avoid leaving fingerprints.

"I didn't know Megumi or Tsumiki had come to Kyoto" Mei commented intrigued.

A big smile formed on Maki's face as she remembered who her children had stayed with.
"I'm not talking about Megumi or Tsumiki, I'm talking about someone else"

"Then whose?" asked Mei, confused by the woman's attitude.

Maki was preparing her fox mask, which she would use in that mission.
"They are spending the afternoon with the one who would be capable of destroying this city if they were to touch a hair on one of my children..." she said with a soft expression before putting on the mask that covered her face.

Mei's blood froze when she heard those words.
"Wait! Yurika and Yuudai are with O-o-okkotsu?" she asked with surprise, that surname barely able to get out of her throat.

Maki did not answer that question. She simply put herself in her role of assassin.
"Now let's get going, I'm ready to go and eliminate that stupid assignment before the rain lets loose again, which won't take long to happen" She commented adjusting her mask, while a crow impregnated with cursed energy began to fly over her head to make the change to the place where Ui Ui was inside that hot springs enclosure.

The silver one seemed quite serious about it. If Maki had already started to get close to Okkotsu they would literally be living with the enemy and that could ruin their future plans.

Still, this greedy woman would later take matters into her own hands.

Continue…

Notes:

I hope you liked it, as I said it would be a short one, but the next one will be a long chapter, I promise.

And as you can read, Maki does owe a huge debt to both Mei and Yuta. But clearly one will weigh more heavily on him than the other

In the next chapter we will finally see more of the coexistence between Yuta and the twins, especially because he will begin to discover that being a father of two is not easy. 👀

However, Mei won't sit idly by either, she will finally talk to Yuta later on.

Anyway, how's 2025 treating you guys? I'm a bit of a pain in the ass, but hey, it's almost my birthday! 🍰❤

I hope to update soon ❤

I will be reading your comments. We will keep reading.

Vera wants them ❤