It was a cozy single-family home.
Warm yellow light filled the living room while a variety show played on the television.
The dining table was covered in a lavish spread of food.
"Oh, Junpei, honestly. Bringing a friend home without a word of warning."
Junpei's mother, Nagi Yoshino, emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of stew.
She was a cheerful, somewhat carefree beauty with a cigarette dangling from her mouth and a radiant smile on her face.
"Pardon the intrusion!"
Itadori bowed very politely.
"I'm Yuji Itadori! Junpei's friend!"
"I'm Hayashi En." En nodded with a smile. "I'm Junpei's... well, boss."
"Boss?" Nagi looked at En with surprise. "You're so young."
"It's just a small business. It's a pleasure to meet you. Honestly, I'd never guess you'd had a child; standing next to Junpei, you look more like his sister."
En offered a polite smile. Combined with his handsome features, it sent Nagi into a fit of giggles.
"Boss, you aren't trying to hit on my mom, are you?"
Junpei shot En a sidelong glance and whispered.
"How could you even think that?"
En chuckled and adjusted his glasses.
"I just noticed your lack of fatherly love and wanted to ensure you had a complete childhood."
Junpei's lip twitched, and he looked at En with a wary gaze.
"Come on, sit down and eat!"
Nagi warmly invited everyone to take a seat.
The atmosphere at the table was harmonious.
Itadori, being his usual sociable self, wolfed down meat while cracking jokes that left Nagi in stitches. Junpei sat to the side, and though he remained quiet, a long-absent relaxed smile graced his face.
En chatted and laughed, his wit keeping the mood lively, yet his attention never stopped drifting toward the corners of the room.
According to the original plot, Mahito had hidden Sukuna's finger here.
It was a ticking time bomb.
It had to be recovered immediately.
"Excuse me, Ms. Nagi."
Midway through the meal, En set down his chopsticks and elegantly dabbed his mouth with a napkin.
"May I use the restroom?"
"Oh, of course." Nagi pointed toward the hallway. "Just a left turn down there."
"Thank you."
En stood up and left the table.
He entered the hallway, and once he was sure no one was watching, his gaze sharpened instantly.
Instead of going to the restroom, En silently slipped upstairs to the second floor.
He pushed open the bedroom door.
A cold, malevolent aura washed over him.
Outside the window, several low-level Fly Head curses hovered. They were drawn to the energy but lacked the courage to draw near.
En walked to the bedside and crouched down.
Inside an unremarkable cardboard box, he found it.
A withered, purplish-red finger.
A finger of Ryomen Sukuna.
[SYSTEM: HIGH-VALUE SALVAGE DETECTED: RYOMEN SUKUNA'S FINGER (2/20).]
[SYSTEM: VALUATION: 50,000 POINTS.]
[SYSTEM: PROCEED WITH RECOVERY?]
En stared at the finger, a faint smile playing on his lips.
This was the key to changing fate.
Without him, the attracted curses would have swarmed the house tonight and murdered Nagi Yoshino. Junpei would have descended into darkness, following a path to destruction.
But now...
"Recover."
En didn't hesitate.
[SYSTEM: RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL. POINTS CREDITED.]
As the finger vanished, the cold aura in the room dissipated instantly.
The Fly Heads outside lost their target and aimlessly drifted away.
The crisis was averted.
En stood up and brushed off his hands.
"Now, both Junpei and his mother are safe."
He straightened his clothes and walked downstairs as if nothing had happened.
When he returned to the dining room, Itadori was vividly recounting a story about the time he nearly got eaten by a bear in Sendai.
"You're back?" Nagi asked with a smile. "Sit down, there's still some soup left."
"Thank you."
En sat back down, watching the heartwarming scene before him.
Junpei was laughing.
His mother was piling food onto his plate.
Itadori was scrambling for the last piece of meat.
No one knew that just moments ago, a disaster capable of tearing this family apart had been silently resolved.
En raised his glass and took a small sip.
"This wine..."
"It tastes good."
...
A few days later.
Tokyo Jujutsu High, rear mountain.
The once-abandoned old school building had been completely renovated.
A brand-new plaque hung at the entrance: [Logistics Service Department (Branch 8 of the Exchange)].
The interior still maintained its vintage apothecary style, but the shelves were now better stocked.
In addition to various strange potions, there were cursed tools and charms En had stocked from the system mall, along with the latest game consoles and limited-edition snacks.
Since purchasing the Infinite Kunai Pouch and the Malice Reflection Mirror, and acquiring fifty thousand points from Sukuna's finger...
After several more days of stocking, spending, and trading...
En now had 10,240 points remaining.
It was especially worth noting that En now possessed the strength of a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
[SYSTEM: ITEM: BASIC SORCERER PHYSIQUE ENHANCEMENT (GRADE 1 LEVEL)]
[SYSTEM: TYPE: BODY MODIFICATION]
[SYSTEM: DESCRIPTION: ENHANCES PHYSICAL STRENGTH TO THE STANDARD OF A GRADE 1 SORCERER THROUGH CURSED ENERGY TEMPERING.]
[SYSTEM: PRICE: 30,000 POINTS.]
[SYSTEM: REMARK: QUALITY COMES AT A PRICE.]
Now, bolstered by cursed energy, En could punch through concrete walls with his bare hands.
His speed and athleticism had reached incredible levels, making him akin to a human bullet train.
Most importantly, his control over cursed energy was now far more precise.
His energy output was highly efficient, and his understanding of techniques had deepened.
However, the cost had been significant, leaving him with just over ten thousand points.
At last, he had the power to protect himself in this world.
"Welcome."
En sat behind the counter, flipping through a ledger.
"Boss!"
A spirited voice called out.
Junpei Yoshino, wearing a Jujutsu High uniform (he hadn't officially enrolled but was allowed to audit classes), ran in carrying a large bag.
"Today's stock is all sorted!"
Junpei's eyes were bright now, devoid of his previous gloom.
After that night's battle and seeing his mother safe, he had completely emerged from his shadow.
Furthermore, with En's guidance and the help of system items, he had mastered his innate technique, Moon Dregs.
"Good work."
En handed him a bottle of soda.
"By the way, we might have a 'VIP' client visiting today."
"A VIP?" Junpei blinked.
"Yeah."
En looked out the window.
Several buses with Kyoto license plates were slowly pulling into Jujutsu High.
"The Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event is about to begin."
En adjusted his glasses, a glint reflecting off the lenses.
"That's a group with a lot of money... I mean, potential."
"Especially that muscle-bound gorilla with nothing but Takada-chan on his mind—Aoi Todo."
"Plus, with what's going to happen during this event..."
"I wonder how much I'll make."
Inside his drawer lay a forgery so perfect even the original person couldn't tell the difference—
[Takada-chan Super Ultra-Rare Handshake Event Ticket with Autograph].
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