Chapter 116: Hikigaya Hachiman, Who Doesn't Want to Become a Succubus
In the early morning, Hikigaya Hachiman heard the sound of a door opening and closing from Yukinoshita Yukino's place next door. She was likely going for her morning training. Even after her immediate crisis had been resolved, she maintained her discipline; her strength would likely reach a new breakthrough soon.
Hikigaya didn't plan to interfere with her training. She clearly had a high-level guide—someone capable of elevating her from a layman to a Grade 3 sorcerer in such a short time was beyond his own teaching capabilities.
With a thought, Hikigaya finished refining his [Faith Power]. Before him lay a shattered pink stone tablet. Carved upon it was the emblem of a two-headed serpent: two giant pythons symbolizing "Love and Lust" intertwined as if extending life itself. The imagery was profoundly blasphemous and sensual.
This was the [Tablet of Lust], a spirit core he had extracted after killing the [Master of Lust]. It contained the life essence and the primordial power of the fallen deity. It was the most valuable trophy Hikigaya had collected in years of hunting cursed spirits, holding unimaginable power.
Hikigaya had already determined that absorbing this tablet would grant him the authority of the Master of Lust—allowing him to absorb the world's love and desire to purify and transform it into [Faith Power]. Even just carrying it would naturally heighten the sensory perception of those around him, making them lose themselves in a pursuit of pleasure.
In short, if Hikigaya used this, he would become a walking human pheromone transmitter—essentially a succubus-like existence. Regardless of gender, people would find it impossible to control themselves around him. Since the Master of Lust was hermaphroditic, gender didn't matter; it only cared for the offering of pleasure.
For Hikigaya, this was useless and even repulsive. He had no need for such heterodox methods. Fearful of unknown side effects and having no desire to become a succubus, he chose to neutralize it rather than absorb it. If left alone, this tablet could eventually grow into a new Master of Lust.
Thus, Hikigaya was using his [Faith Power] to incinerate the tablet, encasing it in a dual-layer barrier of psionic energy and faith. This protection prevented the evil god's power from leaking and allowed him to carry it in his spatial ring. Without this, exposing the tablet to the air would likely turn the city into a "Circle of Indulgence," causing it to fall completely under the deity's influence.
Neutralizing such power required the slow, grinding process of Faith Power.
"Sigh."
He didn't have enough Faith Power. Not nearly enough. Hikigaya had realized the sheer scale of this energy's utility. Even while sleeping, he was drawing from the Four Gods' statues.
The reason he had been forced into a defensive position against the Master of Lust was simply a lack of Faith Power. If he'd had enough, he wouldn't have had to grind the deity against the Walls of Lamentation in the [Closed Space]; he could have simply slaughtered it solo.
He had hand-crafted a "nuclear explosion" of Faith Power to destroy the three circles of lust and all their hedonistic cultists. If his reserves were sufficient to rain down such explosions like meteorites, a trillion-ton yield of Faith Power could kill an evil god outright.
Hikigaya was like a dedicated miner, constantly digging for more. To feel psychologically secure (and capable of sustained combat), he needed at least 20% of the statues' reserves. He was currently at 11%. The speed was too slow.
However, killing the Master of Lust had provided a breakthrough. With that deity dead, his absorption rate had increased by 10%. Without the original owner's lingering will to resist, the power from that specific statue was now easier to extract.
To prevent further corruption by cultists or aliens, the construction of "Kokichi Muta's [Super Signal Base Station]" was in full swing. Hikigaya had created detection techniques in the form of crystalline mixtures. Once plugged into the station, a single machine could monitor the entire city. Using Muta's [Puppet Manipulation], they would form a massive surveillance web.
Any invasion of unusual cursed energy from an evil god would be detected instantly and reported to Hikigaya and the Jujutsu Headquarters.
Though Hikigaya had seen the other evil gods in the [Closed Space] behaving themselves (essentially "we surrender, please let us go"), he intended to wipe them out. Only a dead god is a good god. The Closed Space was vast and eroding; even Hikigaya needed massive psionic energy to resist its "Lamentation." Last time, he was only expelled because the space itself rejected him. Otherwise, he would have wandered around until he found and terrified another god to death.
The Jujutsu Headquarters was currently on high alert, essentially under martial law to guard four specific prisoners.
Thanks to Hikigaya's activity, Geto Suguru's curse user syndicate had been almost entirely dismantled. Hikigaya found this ironic—he was hunting cultists and accidentally wiped out a criminal gang. Only Gojo Satoru's "dear friend" Geto had escaped, now a man without an army.
Knowing Geto's loyalty to his comrades, an attempted rescue was inevitable. It was a massive test for the Headquarters' security. Gojo had insisted on handling Geto himself, so Hikigaya stayed out of it.
After a simple breakfast, Hikigaya headed out. He pressed the elevator button; it was descending from a higher floor with someone inside. When the doors opened, he saw a familiar face.
"Good morning, Soyo."
Standing there was Nagasaki Soyo, also heading out for the school term. However, she looked utterly exhausted and sleepy. She didn't realize it was Hikigaya at first; as the doors opened, she stepped aside with a small yawn, unaware of which floor she was on.
Hearing her name and the familiar voice, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun?"
"Good morning."
"Good morning... Gokigenyou." Soyo was so sleepy she used the formal "Gokigenyou," which is typically used between girls, not to a boy.
"Soyo, didn't you sleep well?"
"No... just a bit of insomnia." She shook her head, not telling him about her troubles. Togawa Tomori was putting the pressure on her, and Soyo couldn't sleep.
Hikigaya assumed she had been practicing bass until late. Hoshino Subaru had mentioned the pressure from the other side was so intense that Soyo was staying in the practice room until late, and even then, continuing at home.
"Want a ride? You could squeeze in a nap on the way."
"No, no," Soyo waved her hands quickly. "I'm okay, not that sleepy. I'll just grab a coffee."
"Alright." Hikigaya reached into his bag and pulled out a can of IMAX coffee. "I have some here." He handed it to her. "It's just a can of coffee. You made me that lunch before; this is nothing. Besides, that lunch was delicious. Thank you, Soyo."
Soyo's "extra large" bento had been incredibly lavish and heartfelt. Being thanked so sincerely made her blush.
"Thank you."
As she reached for the can, her brow furrowed slightly. The pain woke her up more than the coffee ever could. She tried to act casual in front of Hikigaya, but it didn't work.
"What's wrong with your hand?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Soyo stuffed the coffee into her bag and hid her hands behind her back. Her voice pitched up in panic.
"Are you hurt?"
Soyo flinched and looked away. Hikigaya immediately understood.
"Yeah..." She looked down. Cutting a finger while playing bass was common, but Soyo had felt so much pressure not to be the "weak link" for the new band. She loved her new bandmates
so much that she had practiced until her fingers screamed. If they lost to Tomori's group because of her, she'd never forgive herself.
"Give me your hand," Hikigaya said firmly.
"Eh?"
Startled by his tone, she obediently held out her hand. Hikigaya saw her bass-playing fingers were covered in bandages. Just a light touch made her wince. It wasn't just external cuts; the muscles were likely inflamed.
"Don't move. It'll stop hurting in a second."
He used [Reverse Cursed Technique] to heal her. As the energy flowed, Soyo felt the pain and inflammation vanish instantly.
"It doesn't hurt anymore... what happened?" she asked in shock.
"Just call it magic." Hikigaya didn't want to explain. Unlike Wakaba Mutsumi, Soyo wasn't part of the jujutsu world; it was better she didn't know too much.
"Alright, the other one."
Soyo submissively handed over her other hand. Hikigaya repaired the fatigue and cuts on her fingers as well. To him, repairing overused muscles was the simplest task.
As her hands were healed, the warmth from Hikigaya's large, steady hands sent a throb through Soyo's heart. His hands gave her an immense sense of security. She felt her exhaustion being washed away.
It was warm. The last time she had felt this kind of strong, protective warmth was from her father before her parents divorced.
For a moment, she felt a long-lost "paternal love" from Hikigaya—a thought that made her feel both touched and slightly ridiculous.
"Practice in moderation," Hikigaya advised while finishing the treatment. "Rushing for results often leads to the opposite."
Working until your fingers are injured is worse than not practicing at all. He let go of her hands.
The sudden loss of his touch left Soyo feeling hollow.
"I'll be careful," she whispered, feeling guilty.
She had indeed been rushing. The bassist for the other group—Yahata Umiri—was incredibly strong. Rumor had it she filled in for over thirty bands. The pressure of such an opponent had driven Soyo to the brink.
"Such beautiful hands would be a waste if they were covered in scars," Hikigaya remarked, shaking his head.
Soyo blushed. "Beautiful...?"
"Bands are for relaxing. If you're feeling this much pressure, you might be taking it too seriously."
The elevator reached the first floor. Hikigaya stepped aside to let her out.
"Haste makes waste," he added before the doors closed. "Good luck with the band... and I'll come watch you practice when I have time."
"Mmh!" Recharged with "Hikigaya energy," Soyo nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with determination.
'I will work even harder!'
Little did Hikigaya know his final words had the opposite effect. As he walked to the basement, he thought about the songs he'd gotten from Togawa Sakiko. It was about time for the 5-million-yen buyout fee to hit her account.
With Hikigaya involved, there was no way the payment would be skipped. The money was wired to her specified card, and the detailed receipts were sent to her residence.
The delivery arrived during the day while Sakiko was at school. Her drunken father, however, was at home.
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