Itadori had swallowed two so far, and it was a little-known fact that he already had one inside him, meaning he currently possessed three.
Those three were beyond any scheming.
Unlike stripping away cursed energy, forcibly removing the soul and power of the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, from Sukuna's Vessel was something even the system could not do.
Hayashi En had recovered eight so far, leaving nine still out in the world.
Among those, one was inside the Special Grade cursed spirit under Yasohachi Bridge.
Geto Suguru's adoptive daughters, Nanako and Mimiko, held one. It was said they also held clues to another.
Gojo Satoru secretly kept one, which was also the key to defeating Sukuna in the original story.
About five remained in the possession of Uraume, Kenjaku, and their associates.
Hayashi En didn't know if Kenjaku and the others had already collected the remaining fingers at this stage.
But there were no clues for those five or so fingers, making them impossible to target for now.
The same applied to the one in Gojo Satoru's possession.
In other words, the fingers currently obtainable were the one under Yasohachi Bridge, the one held by Nanako and Mimiko, and the clue they held.
Hayashi En massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
The one under Yasohachi Bridge would be relatively easy to get.
With his current strength, it would naturally be a walk in the park.
As for how to manipulate Nanako and Mimiko, that was the real problem.
Hayashi En didn't yet have the power to kill Kenjaku directly, so he couldn't satisfy their wish for Geto Suguru to finally rest in peace.
Are you kidding? If he had that kind of power, why would he be looking for fingers?
He'd just wipe out every cursed spirit himself.
'Speaking of fingers, I still have to follow through on the Binding Vow I made with the cursed spirit faction...'
Hayashi En rolled over, lost in thought.
Hayashi En's intervention at the Juvenile Detention Center had actually changed quite a bit of the plot.
Because he stepped in, Sukuna hadn't completely taken over Itadori's body.
Consequently, Sukuna hadn't faced Fushiguro Megumi head-on, hadn't witnessed Fushiguro's 'potential,' and hadn't developed an interest in him.
Itadori hadn't died either, meaning he never made the 'Enchain' Binding Vow with Sukuna.
This directly resulted in Sukuna being nothing more than a frustrated soul trapped inside Itadori's body.
This was exactly what Hayashi En wanted to see, and it was why he had pushed himself so hard to complete the plan back then.
Reconstructing a physical body for Sukuna was part of his plan; trading with the King of Curses would yield more points than trading with anyone else.
As for the tragedy Sukuna's descent might cause, to be honest, Hayashi En had already tried to prevent what he could.
Like what happened to Fushiguro Megumi.
As for whether ordinary people would be caught in the crossfire, frankly, he didn't care all that much.
If a few people died, they died.
Besides, only conflict creates a need for trade.
If the world were at peace, who would ever give money to a profiteer like him?
Hayashi En hadn't come to this world to be a hero.
To some extent, he was just like Sukuna—doing whatever he pleased.
...
The first ray of morning light pierced through the infirmary curtains.
Ieiri Shoko held an unlit cigarette in her mouth, staring at the empty hospital bed.
Her usually lazy, composed face was currently filled with an expression as if she'd seen a ghost.
"He's gone?"
She turned to the nurse changing the sheets.
"Yes, Mr. Hayashi En checked out early this morning," the nurse replied nervously. "He said he had a business deal worth hundreds of millions waiting at the shop and couldn't spare a single minute."
"..."
The old school building.
The 8th branch of the Exchange.
"Boss, should I put the new Cursed Tool Maintenance Oil on the third shelf?"
Yoshino Junpei was dressed in a crisp Jujutsu High uniform, carrying a heavy crate.
Since the Sewer Battle and the Home Defense War, Junpei's aura had changed completely.
The gloomy boy who always kept his head down with long bangs covering his face was gone.
In his place was a young sorcerer with bright eyes and a straight back.
Of course, in front of Hayashi En, he was still an obedient worker.
"That's fine, Junpei."
Hayashi En sat behind the counter, holding a cup of hot tea. He crossed his legs comfortably, watching Junpei work.
"Pick up the pace. This batch is a hot item I'm planning to sell to the Kyoto school during the baseball game."
"Yes, sir!"
Junpei responded and efficiently stacked the goods.
Watching his sensible employee, Hayashi En nodded with satisfaction.
"Junpei."
"What is it, Boss?" Junpei wiped his sweat and turned around.
"Do you know what the most perfect employment relationship in the world is?"
Hayashi En set down his tea and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, flashing his signature smile that made people want to clutch their wallets.
Junpei paused, then asked tentatively, "Is it... mutual success?"
"Wrong."
Hayashi En wagged a finger.
"It's the boss drinking tea while the employee does the work; the boss counting the money while the employee takes the blame."
"..."
Junpei's lip twitched.
"Boss, could you not sound so proud of being exploitative?"
"This isn't exploitation. This is providing valuable growth opportunities for young people."
Hayashi En stood up, walked over, and patted Junpei's shoulder.
"And speaking of growth..."
Hayashi En flipped his hand, revealing a glass test tube filled with pale gold liquid.
"This is your employee benefit."
"What's this?" Junpei asked curiously as he took the tube.
"[SORCERER CONSTITUTION ENHANCEMENT POTION: GRADE 2 SPECIAL EDITION]"
"Drink it," Hayashi En said casually. "With training, your strength will soon reach Grade 2. Think of it as a potion that enhances your training efficiency."
Junpei's hand trembled, nearly dropping the tube.
"Grade 2?! This... this is too valuable!"
He'd been in the jujutsu world for a while now and knew exactly how difficult it was to improve one's physical constitution.
"Just drink it."
Hayashi En kept his hands in his pockets, his tone relaxed.
He had promised Junpei he would make him stronger.
And Hayashi En always kept his word.
"Of course, it's not a gift. You'll be going on a mission with me soon, and I'll need you to be useful."
"Besides..."
Hayashi En narrowed his eyes.
"With the special training ahead, you might actually die if you stay as you are now."
Junpei felt a chill.
He didn't hesitate any longer, pulled the stopper, and downed the potion.
"Ugh—!!"
A moment later, Junpei dropped to his knees. His muscles began to spasm violently, and his bones let out sharp cracks like popping corn.
It felt like his entire body was being disassembled and put back together.
"Endure it."
Hayashi En's voice came from above, cold and steady.
"Power always comes with a price. If you don't want to be weak forever, grit your teeth and get through it."
Ten minutes later.
Junpei was soaked in sweat, looking like he'd just climbed out of a pool.
He clenched his fist, and the air in his palm let out a soft pop. His vision was sharp, and his body felt incredibly light.
"How do you feel?" Hayashi En asked.
"I feel... like I could take down a bull." Junpei stared at his hands in excitement.
"Good."
"Now, the special training begins."
...
The Jujutsu High training grounds.
Hayashi En unbuttoned his suit cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his forearms.
"Junpei, how are you currently using your technique, Moon Dregs?"
"I've mostly been using poison to wear down my opponents as my main strategy..."
Junpei looked at Hayashi En hesitantly.
Hayashi En pointed a finger, condensing a small orb of cursed energy at the tip.
"A sorcerer's technique can be developed much further."
"The secret lies in the manipulation of cursed energy."
"Your poison is created by your technique, but the specific effects are yours to control."
"Neurotoxins, anticoagulants, hallucinogens, truth serums... even cursed poisons that can jam the flow of cursed energy..."
As he spoke, Hayashi En began to instruct Junpei on how to control his shikigami like a stern mentor.
The next three hours were pure hell for Junpei.
Under Hayashi En's guidance, he pushed his cursed energy to the limit again and again, forcing Moon Dregs to produce poisons with all sorts of bizarre properties.
Every time his cursed energy ran dry and he was about to pass out, Hayashi En would force a bottle of disgusting recovery potion down his throat and tell him to keep going.
This training continued for several days.
While Junpei was training, the baseball game at Jujutsu High was also underway.
...
One day.
"Good."
Hayashi En checked the time and nodded.
"Today's training is over."
Though Junpei was exhausted to the point of collapse, the tangible power surging through him made his eyes brim with gratitude.
"Boss, thank you! I..."
"Stop."
Hayashi En cut him off before things got emotional.
He pulled out a calculator and started tapping away.
"Constitution potion: 15,000 points. Facility fee: 500 points... total: 15,500 points."
Hayashi En tore off a long receipt and slapped it onto Junpei's chest with a smile.
"This is going on your tab. It'll be deducted from your salary over the next twenty years."
"Keep up the good work, Junpei. I'm counting on you."
Junpei held the receipt, his grateful expression instantly turning to stone.
"Twenty years?!"
"Alright, quit daydreaming."
Hayashi En straightened his suit and opened the door to the training ground.
Outside, the sun was high in the sky.
The lively sounds of the crowd and the stadium announcements were already drifting over from the school's sports field.
"Let's go, Junpei."
Hayashi En looked toward the field, a faint, expectant smile playing on his lips.
"Today's baseball game is going to be quite the spectacle."
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