"Sigh… hey, old man, what do you think the meaning of life is?"
At the dinner table, Riko Amanai suddenly dropped a question so philosophical it made everyone pause.
Mai and Maki were too busy shoveling food into their mouths to care.
Jinsuke blinked, turning to look at her with a strange expression. "What's with you? You didn't get traumatized or something, did you? Don't tell me you're about to go dark side too."
"What the hell, I was just asking."
Riko propped her chin on her hand and rolled her eyes.
She'd just been thinking too much lately. Between boredom and the weight of what she'd seen as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, it wasn't surprising her thoughts had drifted this way.
"That's a deep question," Jinsuke said. "You'll have to figure that out yourself."
He wasn't about to waste his time giving a therapy session to someone who was just bored.
"Come on, old man. You're so disciplined every day—you must've figured out what life's about by now."
Riko leaned forward, curious. She really wanted to know what made him live so easily, like nothing ever bothered him.
Ever since becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer herself, most of her days had been filled with exorcising Curses. And now, she was starting to understand why Suguru Geto had turned into a Curse User.
She wasn't anywhere near Geto's level of extremism, of course—but she could feel the exhaustion creeping in.
Being a student and being a teacher were definitely two different worlds. She missed her school days.
"No clue what the meaning of life is," Jinsuke said lazily, leaning back in his chair. "I just eat well, drink well, and have fun."
He looked totally relaxed.
Who cared about meaning? Why make it complicated?
If there was something you wanted to do—just do it.
And if you couldn't? That only meant you weren't strong enough yet.
"Ugh, old man, that's such a shallow answer."
Riko made a face. With his level of strength, that's all he aimed for?
"What, you want me to be like that brat Suguru, brooding over world peace every day?"
"Hey, hey! Don't compare me to that!" Riko snapped, instantly triggered.
No way in hell was she ending up like Geto.
"Just eat. Maybe if your mouth's full, you'll stop talking so much."
"Yeah, yeah! Sister Riko talks too much! Cousin Jinsuke said no talking during meals!"
Mai chimed in with her mouth full.
"Hmph! Little Mai, are you trying to get your big sister to beat you up?"
"Bleh! I'm not scared!"
As the two bickered across the table, Jinsuke felt a vein throb in his forehead.
His house really was getting noisier by the day...
Riiing—riiing—riiing.
His phone buzzed. A glance at the screen—Toji.
"What is it?"
"Tsumiki's in trouble."
Jinsuke's brow furrowed, his expression darkening instantly.
Even under Toji's watch, something had still happened?
"You guys keep eating," he said as he stood. "I've got to head out for a bit. Leave the dishes after you're done—and don't go into the kitchen."
He gave one last warning before heading out.
Riko and the others didn't think much of it.
Before long, Jinsuke arrived at Toji's place.
"What happened?"
He took one look at Tsumiki lying motionless on the bed—completely unconscious—and his tone sharpened.
Toji's expression was grim. "She came home from school, then suddenly collapsed. The hospital says all her vitals are normal."
"I already checked with the teachers too. Nothing strange happened at school today."
It was clear Toji had already gone through every possibility he could think of. He was out of options—that's why he'd called Jinsuke.
"Dad, Uncle… Tsumiki's gonna be okay, right?"
Megumi's small voice trembled as he stared at his sister, worry clouding his eyes.
"Don't worry. She's not going anywhere."
Jinsuke's voice softened slightly before he turned back to Toji. "You got a sorcerer to take a look?"
Toji nodded. He'd already done that.
"I'm guessing she's caught in some kind of Cursed Technique. Don't panic yet—I'll ask around."
Jinsuke already knew the truth—Tsumiki had been marked by Kenjaku as a vessel for possession.
But whether that mark was part of a Cursed Technique or some special seal, he couldn't tell.
He had no clue what kind of method Kenjaku used to tag her.
Soul-related stuff just wasn't his field.
Still, one thing was certain—Tsumiki wouldn't be taken over anytime soon.
Leaving Toji's house, Jinsuke headed toward Jujutsu High.
If anyone in this world knew more about Kenjaku than he did, it was probably the one living deep inside the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
"What a poor girl!"
"Call an ambulance!"
As he walked, lost in thought, a commotion broke out ahead of him.
A crowd had gathered in the street—looked like a car accident.
"Yuta… Yuta… Yuta!"
Through the gaps in the crowd, Jinsuke saw a girl's mangled body on the pavement—then, within seconds, her spirit twisted into a Cursed Spirit filled with rage.
In front of her stood a boy about the same age as Mai and Maki, staring blankly, frozen in shock.
Jinsuke's hand instinctively went to his waist—only to realize he hadn't brought Playful Cloud with him.
"Forget it," he muttered. "You two are still in your pure-love phase. I'll let you off this time."
His first instinct had been to exorcise the newly formed Special Grade spirit, Rika Orimoto—but after a second thought, he let it go.
There'd be plenty more Cursed Spirits to kill in the future. No need to cause a scene in the middle of a crowded street just for a bit of power.
Ignoring the chaos, he kept walking toward Jujutsu High.
No one noticed when he slipped past the barriers—like a ghost—and descended into the depths of the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
Floating doors shimmered in the air around him. He focused, trying to sense Tengen's presence—but quickly gave up.
"Hey, old hag! You've got a guest—don't you know how to greet people?" he shouted instead.
Scanning each door one by one would've been a pain anyway.
"Who are you calling an old hag? Young people these days have no manners."
One of the floating doors opened, and a voice—neither male nor female—answered back, tinged with irritation.
Another impolite guest, just like Yuki Tsukumo.
Jinsuke stepped through the door and saw Tengen sitting cross-legged on a cushion before a tea table.
The being's face was no longer human, proof that the process of evolution had already begun.
"So this is the great Tengen, huh? Guess the rumors didn't lie."
Tengen's gaze slid over him. "No Cursed Energy… you must be one of the two Zenin brothers."
She'd heard stories from the higher-ups about those two oddballs.
"What brings you here?" she asked, calmly pouring tea, unbothered by his bluntness.
"My niece's been marked by Kenjaku. I want to know how to remove it—and get her back to normal."
Jinsuke didn't bother with niceties. Not even with an immortal who'd lived for over a thousand years.