While Jogo and Kenjaku were talking, Naoya Zenin stood inside his Domain, his face pale and slick with cold sweat.
[That last move was the real mistake.]
Naoya Zenin swallowed hard. At this point, whether the opponent attacked the Barrier from the outside or simply waited for his Domain to dissipate and push him into "Burnout," he was as good as dead...
Not getting caught inside meant there was no need to confront the Domain directly?
It was true his execution had been rough, and his Cursed Energy wasn't in the best condition.
But Barriers have visual lag. And yet someone had countered a Domain with something so crude and straightforward? He had never heard of such a thing.
In that instant, the "mythical aura" of a Domain in Naoya Zenin's mind completely shattered.
"You didn't attack the Barrier. Planning to deal with me without taking any risks?
Domains drain too much Cursed Energy. I can't afford to wait for it to end on its own and collapse from exhaustion. I'll end it myself and run the moment I get the chance!"
Ever since being influenced by someone, Naoya Zenin had already found the resolve to "abandon his sword." Pride didn't matter. It wasn't as if he couldn't grow stronger later.
If you can't win, you run. Simple as that.
As a Jujutsu Sorcerer who specialized in exploiting timing gaps, he trusted his own judgment.
With a sharp crack, the Barrier shattered and the Domain vanished.
Naoya Zenin reappeared in the ruins of the abandoned building. To Jogo's surprise, instead of fleeing immediately, he hurled his blade at him with all his strength.
"Still choosing to fight? Foolish. But I'll give you this, you've got some backbone..."
Jogo shifted slightly to dodge the blade. With that level of force, he didn't really need to move. But after being slashed so many times by that sword, he instinctively avoided it anyway.
Out of the corner of his eye, however, he caught sight of the Jujutsu Sorcerer who had just looked ready to risk his life. The moment Jogo dodged, Naoya Zenin turned and bolted without hesitation, even bursting into a Black Flash as he fled.
Realizing he was running, Jogo immediately turned to chase. But the instant he lifted his foot, a crushing force descended from above and slammed into his ankle.
Caught off guard, Jogo pitched forward and fell flat, his face smacking hard against the ground with a dull thud.
He had always known Kenjaku wasn't fully committed to their alliance. But he had never expected the Curse User to attack him at a moment like this.
A towering pillar of flame erupted from the ground, blasting Jogo back up. The intense heat distorted the surrounding air.
Wrapped in flames, Jogo glared at Kenjaku and enunciated each word.
"You... are looking... for death!?"
The heat rolled across the space, but Kenjaku's smile didn't falter.
"Well, my apologies. It's been so long since I used my technique, I even focused on the wrong target~~"
She knew her grand plan still required Jogo's knowledge. Besides, that strike hadn't actually hit him directly or caused any real damage.
Jogo withdrew his spell. He first glanced in the direction Naoya Zenin had escaped, then turned back and stared coldly at Kenjaku.
"That Jujutsu Sorcerer got away. This is all your fault."
Kenjaku nodded, readily taking the blame.
"My fault, yes. But now that you understand how a Jujutsu Sorcerer at that level works, shouldn't handling him be easy?
He's nothing to worry about. You'd do better to focus your plans and attention on how to deal with Satoru Gojo."
"This Satoru Gojo you keep bringing up. Is he really that strong?"
"Yes. Far, far stronger than the one just now..."
7:00 PM.
After getting out of the car, paying the fare, and arriving in Taito Ward, Akira Zenin stretched lazily, then walked another fifteen minutes from the underground passage near Asakusabashi Station.
Along the way, plenty of office workers heading home had Fly Heads clinging to them. Some perched on their heads, some latched onto their necks, shoulders, or waists.
If someone passed close by and didn't look particularly vicious, Akira Zenin would glance up, focus briefly on the Fly Head, and disperse it with a single look.
Jujutsu Sorcerers already had more than enough work. As long as no one was about to die, there was no need to go around creating extra tasks for himself. He wasn't raising children.
Besides, Fly Heads were tied directly to a person's work and living environment.
Clear them out today, and more would show up tomorrow. Better to let people adapt on their own.
"'Little Birdcage' Restaurant. This should be it."
Akira Zenin stopped in front of a small eatery with red lanterns hanging by the entrance. Handmade signs stood on both sides of the door, and simple red neon lights spelled out "BEER & WINE."
He had followed the location Shoko sent. Apparently, there was some kind of anniversary gathering tonight.
It was a bit too modest for members of the two major families, but the two from those families had never cared much about that sort of thing anyway.
Akira Zenin stepped inside and slid open the lightweight door to a private room.
At a simple round table for five, four people were already eating and drinking, clearly unable to wait any longer, raising their glasses as they chatted.
In front of Shoko Ieiri sat a plate of edamame. She drank her beer the way someone would gulp down soda in the middle of summer, draining more than half the glass in one go. Even more eye-catching were the three empty glasses lined up beside her.
Suguru Geto narrowed his eyes as he ate a bowl of chilled soba noodles. Two skewers of yakitori sat next to him.
He still liked these kinds of dishes. No alcohol, though? Probably to keep Satoru Gojo, who had a terrible tolerance, from getting embarrassed.
Satoru Gojo also had a beer glass in front of him, but it was filled with melon soda. Beside it were french fries, fried milk, and fried chicken.
The whole spread looked exactly like something a kid dragged into an izakaya by their parents would order.
Ijichi, thin and easy to overlook, sat upright and proper. Now and then he caught a thread of conversation before it dropped completely, and every so often he carefully took a sip of his whiskey.
"Hey, Akira! What took you so long?"
Satoru Gojo shouted loudly, startling Ijichi so badly he nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Ah… I was on a mission. A really tough one. Fought so hard I almost didn't make it back."
Akira Zenin replied as he found a seat.
Satoru Gojo rolled his eyes, clearly expressing how deeply he believed that story.
"Good. You made it."
Suguru Geto smiled and slid a cup toward Akira Zenin.
"Has it been a while?"
Akira Zenin accepted it. A rich coffee aroma rose from the cup.
"Yeah. One year? Two? You've been busy."
Suguru Geto shook his head.
"It's nothing. My technique just happens to be suited for all sorts of strange missions."
Akira Zenin took a sip.
"Tanzanian Peaberry.
The nutty aroma's just right. The texture's smooth.
You really can't underestimate this izakaya."
"Bzz… bzz…"
Just as they were about to slip into their usual round of friendly insults, Akira Zenin's phone began to vibrate. The call was coming from a public phone booth.
"Hello?"
"I ran into a Cursed Spirit that can communicate naturally with humans. And a Curse User acting together with it."
Since Akira Zenin had the call on speaker, the room seemed to freeze. The chatter stopped instantly.
A Cursed Spirit capable of holding natural conversations was outrageous enough. But based on Yuta Okkotsu's earlier report, that kind still fell within a controllable range.
A Curse User working together with a Cursed Spirit, though, was a completely different matter.
An operation with planning behind it was nothing like something driven purely by instinct.
"I almost died."
"Is that so?
…
Then congratulations on surviving again."
"…Thanks."