Drip... drip... Sometimes, the more setbacks a person endures, the more readily they can find hope in the cracks between life and death.
And Kenjaku was exactly like that right now.
He felt he'd had the most rotten luck lately.
First, some crazy old hag had shown up at his door and beaten him senseless without rhyme or reason; then the black hole he'd pinned such high hopes on had been punched by Mahiru into something like a deflated ball.
If he really had to find a word to sum up his recent plans, only one would do—failure.
Because he was drifting further and further from his planned objective of sealing away Satoru Gojo. But... even so, amid all these difficulties, he could still see a sliver of hope left to him.
—Mahiru had not told Satoru Gojo about Suguru Geto.
Yes—through a whole series of investigations, Kenjaku had become firmly convinced of this.
Satoru Gojo and Mahiru had indeed once entered the black hole together, and for a time they'd slipped beyond Kenjaku's surveillance, as well as that of the other personnel he'd infiltrated into Jujutsu High. But afterward, Kenjaku had sent his inside man to sound out Satoru Gojo and see whether he knew about Suguru Geto.
And the answer Satoru Gojo had shown was... he didn't know.
From Kenjaku's vantage point, Mahiru had no knowledge of the Prison Realm, and therefore couldn't have known that those three syllables—"Suguru Geto"—were the very core of Kenjaku's entire plan.
So even if Mahiru had told Satoru Gojo about the theft of Suguru Geto's corpse, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to instruct Satoru Gojo to pretend he didn't know about it.
So if Satoru Gojo didn't know, then he genuinely, definitely didn't know.
Kenjaku still had a chance to seal away Satoru Gojo.
Even so, there were still far too many variables—Kenjaku knew he could no longer blindly rely on his original plan. He needed to place a few more chips on the scales that would weigh out his victory.
He was preparing to set his final plan in motion; he was going to bring out his strongest trump card.
"Drip..." "Drip..."
—He was about to drag out Sukuna.
"Hey, so where's Sukuna already?" Hajime Kashimo folded his arms, his expression impatient. "Didn't you say that once that blonde woman got back, you'd tell me where Sukuna was?"
This was a darkroom. A basement.
It looked spacious, but because the place was so dark, one couldn't make out what stood in the vast chamber—only the sound of viscous water dripping down from above, as though it were falling into some kind of pool.
Hajime Kashimo didn't care what Kenjaku was up to; right now he was beyond fed up.
As he spoke, he shot a glance at the corpse beside Kenjaku.
It was the Spirit-Calling Granny's corpse.
Her face was serene, but the crown of her skull had been opened up like a lid, and the brain inside was completely empty.
"And what's the deal with you here, anyway?" Hajime Kashimo frowned. "You swapped your body over and then swapped it back again? What's the point of that?"
"Because my Jujutsu Technique isn't as convenient as Mahiru's, you see." Kenjaku was stitching up the crown of his own skull—he was still using Suguru Geto's body. "To learn a Jujutsu Technique, she only has to give someone a touch. I can't manage anything as handy as that."
"Tch, she's nothing but a Cursed Spirit." Hajime Kashimo gave a scornful snort. "So where's Sukuna? When exactly are you going to let me see him?"
"Soon, very soon." Kenjaku smiled, narrow-eyed. "Just do two more things for me, two little things... and tomorrow, you'll be able to see Sukuna."
Drip... drip... The sound of dripping water still echoed.
"This is the last time I trust you." Hajime Kashimo curled his lip. "Honestly, if it weren't for the contract I signed with you—that there'd be no infighting within the team for a month—you'd already have taken a beating from me by now."
"All right, all right." Kenjaku smiled, narrow-eyed. "Many thanks for your understanding."
"So? You said two little things—what are they?"
"The first thing: Tsumiki Fushiguro—she's the person I want you to find." Kenjaku smiled. "She's currently sleeping deep in a medical facility under Jujutsu High's authority. I'd like you and Hana Kurusu to go together and bring her back."
Tsumiki Fushiguro was Megumi Fushiguro's stepsister.
Kenjaku had also buried within her body a cursed object that stored the soul of an ancient sorcerer, and because of this, Tsumiki had fallen into a deep sleep ever since, remaining unconscious without waking.
Of course, the sorcerers had no idea that Tsumiki Fushiguro's coma was Kenjaku's doing.
Because she was Megumi Fushiguro's sister, she enjoyed a small measure of protection from Jujutsu High.
Oh, right—there was also Gukan.
Most baffling of all, Mahiru seemed to have placed a clone of her own in that medical facility too, and Kenjaku had no idea what she was thinking.
In any case, whatever...
"And the second thing—this is the truly important one. Even if Tsumiki Fushiguro doesn't get brought back, it doesn't matter," Kenjaku said. "After you return, have Hana Kurusu come to my room alone. I have something to say to her."
Hajime Kashimo was taken aback for a moment.
He'd assumed the thing Kenjaku spoke of would be something difficult and important. But—it was as simple as that?
Just pass along a message and have Hana Kurusu come to this room alone—that was all?
"Satoru Gojo is dealing with the black hole right now; once he expands a Domain, it lasts seven to eight hours." Kenjaku smiled. "As for everyone else—whether sorcerers or Mahiru—if you run into them, just kill them. When Satoru Gojo comes out, I'll give you warning."
At these words, Hajime Kashimo gave a cold laugh. "Satoru Gojo, huh—doesn't matter to me."
The strongest sorcerer of the modern age—if he happened to run into him, he really would like to cross blades with him. He hoped the man wouldn't disappoint.
Mahiru had never imagined there could be a path like this.
At the very beginning of her reincarnation, she'd agonized countless times—agonized over how, sixty-eight years later, she was supposed to contend with a fully grown Yuji Itadori.
She'd envisioned all manner of methods.
Truly all manner of them...
But the one thing she'd never thought of was that there could be a method like this—one that could so easily settle that so-called Tiger Heavenly Emperor.
"Do you have any idea what kind of people go play pachinko?!" The middle-schooler Kaori was off in the distance, viciously yanking on Yuji Itadori's ear and scolding him at the top of her voice. "The ones who go play pachinko are all the dregs of society! How dare you go play pachinko?! Don't tell me you want to turn out as worthless as them too?!"
—Mahiru really hadn't expected there'd be such a move as bloodline suppression.
The girl had been soft and sweet by nature.
No matter who she faced, she always wore a well-behaved, polite air.
But for some reason, in front of Yuji Itadori, she'd flown into a rage.
And Yuji Itadori was just the same.
When Kaori grabbed his ear, Yuji Itadori's first reaction was, "Whose kid is this?"—but after being scolded a few times, he inexplicably wilted.
It felt as though something stemming from the very source of his bloodline was fundamentally suppressing his spirit.
All the boy could do was grimace and bare his teeth at the pain of his ear being yanked, while babbling explanation after explanation that he'd only been joking just now—that in truth he'd never once set foot in a pachinko parlor.
Nobara Kugisaki looked on from the side, utterly dumbfounded.
And Mahiru, watching from a distance, was doubled over with laughter. "Hahahaha..." This was perfect.
Mahiru had gotten hold of a nuclear weapon to use against Yuji Itadori.
From now on, she'd never have to worry about Yuji Itadori snarling at her again.
Now that I'm raising your dear old mom as my daughter, I ask you—are you scared or not?
Hahahaha...
Mahiru watched from the sidelines for a good while before finally stepping forward to greet the group.
One second Kaori had still been yanking Yuji Itadori's ear; the next, seeing Mahiru approach, she froze on the spot.
As if only now realizing what she'd just done, the girl's face flushed red in a flash; she hurriedly let go of Yuji Itadori's ear, bowed to him in apology, flustered out a few "I'm sorry, big brother"s, and then darted off in a streak to cower behind Mahiru.
"...Huh?" Only now did Yuji Itadori react, even slightly, looking at Kaori behind Mahiru. Was this... one of Mahiru's? Another Cursed Spirit, perhaps?
"Oh my." Mahiru rubbed her own cheeks; the girl had laughed so much just now that her face had gone stiff, and she probably still wore a smile she hadn't quite managed to put away.
"So, Yuji Itadori—turns out you've got that kind of hobby too?" Mahiru's face was full of teasing.
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👻🔥+40 ch: Walnut-chan🔥👻
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