"Sigh, old man… what's the meaning of life, anyway?"
At the dinner table, Riko suddenly dropped a heavy, philosophical question.
Mai and Maki were too busy shoveling food into their mouths to care.
Jinsuke froze, giving Riko a strange look.
"What's gotten into you? Don't tell me you're about to fall into darkness too?"
"What? No! I'm just asking."
Riko rolled her eyes, propping her chin on her hand. Truth was, boredom and recent events had driven her into these thoughts.
"That's a deep question. Figure it out yourself" Jinsuke shrugged. He wasn't about to play therapist.
"Come on, old man. You live so disciplined every day—don't tell me you haven't already figured out life's meaning?"
Riko eyed him curiously. After becoming a sorcerer, most of her time went into exorcising curses. Only now did she start to understand why Geto turned to the path of a curse user.
She wasn't about to destroy non-sorcerers like him, but the fatigue was real. Life as a student had been so much simpler.
"The meaning of life? Don't know, don't care. All I know is: eat well, drink well, play well."
Jinsuke leaned back, perfectly at ease.
Wasn't that enough? Do what you want, when you want. If you couldn't? Then it just meant you weren't strong enough yet.
"Ehh~ Old man, that's way too shallow" Riko groaned. With his level of power, shouldn't his goals be… bigger?
"What, you want me to end up like that kid Geto? Worrying about world peace all day long?"
"Hey, hey! Don't say it like that!"
Riko winced. Just the comparison made her feel like her guts were being pulled out.
"Shut up and eat already. If your mouth's that free, fill it with food."
"Yeah, exactly! Riko talks too much. Cousin says no talking at the table" Mai chimed in smugly.
"Hmph! Little Mai, you dare scold your big sis? Want me to beat some manners into you?"
"Bleh~ I'm not scared!"
Watching the two bicker, Jinsuke rubbed his temples. His life really was getting noisier by the day.
Riiiiing—
Jinsuke's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen—it was Toji.
"What is it?"
"…It's Tsumiki. Something happened."
Jinsuke's brows furrowed, his expression hardening. Even under Toji's watch, something had slipped through?
"You all eat. Leave the dishes when you're done. Don't go into the kitchen."
With a brief order, he left. The girls didn't think much of it.
Moments later, he arrived at Toji's home.
"What happened?"
On the bed lay Tsumiki, motionless, lost in unconsciousness.
Toji's face was grim.
"Not long after she got home from school, she collapsed. The hospital found nothing wrong with her body."
"I even went to the school. Teachers said nothing unusual happened there either."
Clearly, Toji had already exhausted the obvious possibilities. Calling Jinsuke was his last resort.
"Dad, Uncle… Tsumiki's going to be okay, right?"
Megumi's voice was soft but full of fear as he clutched his sister's hand.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine" Jinsuke reassured. Then to Toji: "Have you had a sorcerer check her?"
Toji nodded—yes, he'd already tried that.
"My guess is, she's been hit by some kind of technique. Don't panic. I'll find someone who knows more."
Jinsuke already knew the truth: Kenjaku had marked Tsumiki as a vessel. But whether it was a technique or some other brand of curse, he couldn't say.
It was beyond him—something that touched the soul itself.
At least, he was sure of one thing: she wouldn't be possessed immediately.
Leaving Toji's place, he headed toward Jujutsu High. If anyone knew more about Kenjaku than him, it'd be the one who'd lived for over a thousand years—Tengen.
"Poor girl!"
"Quick, call the police!"
As Jinsuke walked, lost in thought, a commotion broke out ahead. A crowd had gathered.
A car accident.
"Yuta… Yuta… Yuta!"
Through the gaps, Jinsuke saw a girl's lifeless body. Within seconds, she twisted into a curse spirit—Rika.
In front of her stood a dazed boy, about the same age as Maki and Mai, frozen in terror.
Jinsuke instinctively reached for his Playful Cloud, then realized he hadn't brought it.
"Forget it. Since it's pure love for now, I won't steal this one."
His first instinct was to cut Rika down. But… why bother? Special grade curses would show up in droves later.
Besides, this one wasn't easy prey. No point risking chaos in the middle of the city.
Ignoring the spectacle, he continued toward Jujutsu High.
Silent as a ghost, he slipped through the corridors of the Tombs of the Star Corridor until he stood before countless floating doors.
He took a breath, ready to search for Tengen's presence.
Then he gave up and simply yelled:
"Hey, old hag! Got a guest here—aren't you gonna come greet me?"
One of the doors swung open. A genderless voice, tinged with annoyance, echoed out.
"Who are you calling old hag? Young people these days, no manners at all."
Inside, Tengen sat cross-legged before a tea table.
Jinsuke raised a brow at her inhuman form — already beginning to evolve.
"So this is the great and mighty Tengen? Didn't expect this look."
"You have no cursed energy. You must be one of the Zenin brothers" Tengen noted, having heard rumors of the clan's oddities.
"What do you want from me?"
She calmly poured tea, unconcerned that the man before her might be dangerous.
"My niece's been marked by Kenjaku. Can you remove it and make her normal again?"
Jinsuke didn't mince words. No point being polite with an immortal shut-in.