After Nanami had mostly recovered, he noticed something unusual: the corpses of the three "Curses" he had killed had not disappeared. This immediately gave him a very bad feeling.
Nanami picked up a piece of high school uniform lying on the ground and muttered uneasily, "It couldn't be…"
A vague sense of the truth washed over him. Without hesitation, Nanami took out his phone to take pictures, hoping to confirm his suspicion.
The results were exactly what he had feared. The phone screen clearly showed a scene of devastation: traces of splattered blood and the skeletal remains left after the three Transfigured Humans had exploded.
Although Yuji was concerned about Nanami's injuries—seeing him covered in blood—he couldn't help but lean over to look at the phone screen as well.
"What's wrong? Are you documenting the scene?" Yuji asked, somewhat confused.
"Cursed Spirits can't be photographed. These three aren't Cursed Spirits."
As Nanami Kento spoke, he dialed Seto Izumo's number, instructing him to organize personnel to handle the aftermath and immediately send the remaining intact tissue samples back to Jujutsu High for Shoko to examine in detail.
He needed to go home himself. Even though he judged himself capable of continuing the mission, his current blood-soaked appearance, visible to ordinary people, made it impossible to proceed with the next task.
About an hour later, the Transfigured Human samples had been delivered to Jujutsu High, and Shoko had preliminary test results.
Nanami had already taken a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and, with Seto's help, treated the superficial wounds on his back.
The three of them took a brief rest at Nanami's home, waiting for Shoko's results.
"They are undoubtedly human. Or rather, they were human."
Shoko's voice came from the phone placed on the table, set to speakerphone.
"What we can confirm now is that their bodies were transformed into their current state by some kind of Cursed Technique. The brain, in particular, was the most severely deformed part, compressed to the size of a walnut. But not only that, it also shows signs of abnormal aging."
Yuji, sitting nearby, was still processing the information Shoko had just relayed.
"So that's how it is. But during the fight, I could clearly sense Cursed Energy. And judging from the surveillance footage, these three seemed like ordinary high school students. Could they really have unleashed that level of Cursed Energy?"
Nanami muttered, as if asking Shoko, though the question seemed more for himself. After all, he and Yuji were the ones who had faced the three Transfigured Humans directly; Shoko naturally couldn't have known that from the corpse fragments.
Shoko's reply reflected this, her voice laced with concern:
"I don't know the exact level of Cursed Energy you sensed at the time, but there's one very troubling point. Although it's unclear what type of sorcery they used to achieve this, the fact that they can perform this act repeatedly is already alarming."
"Understood. The next step is our responsibility here," Nanami said, hanging up the phone. He put his phone away and instructed Yuji and Seto, "The sole survivor from the theater, Yoshino Junpei, seems to be a student at the same high school and in the same grade as the three. Even though he doesn't outwardly appear to be a Curse User, such a close connection can't be ignored. You two will investigate him. The specific methods are up to you, Seto."
Seto nodded. After all, he wasn't working with Nanami for the first time. He was familiar with Nanami's approach to protecting his juniors while completing tasks efficiently.
Considering these factors, Seto deduced that Nanami likely intended to confront the true culprit of the incident himself.
Seto's selection to replace Ijichi Kiyotaka had also been decided by Principal Yaga and Gojo Satoru, taking into account Seto's familiarity with Nanami and reliability. After all, the fact that Itadori Yuji was still alive was, theoretically, a secret.
Only after watching Yuji—passionately declaring, "I won't hold Nanamin back!"—leave with Seto did Nanami feel a slight sense of relief.
Seto was capable of understanding Nanami's true intentions. Investigating an ordinary truant high school student shouldn't be dangerous. This way, Nanami could rest assured while hunting down the mastermind himself.
Nanami took out the map marked with the Cursed Residue symbols discovered in the city by the "Window" and began heading toward the target location for the rendezvous.
He called it a "rendezvous" because, judging from the Cursed Residue at the movie theater and the Transfigured Humans activated by Cursed Energy effects, Nanami could sense that given the opponent's strength, they could have performed better. With their powerful concealment, they were fully capable of leaving no Cursed Residue at all.
Yet now, they had left traces detectable even by the "Window." Excluding the possibility of accomplices, this could only have been a deliberate provocation.
Nanami also recalled Gojo Satoru mentioning the appearance of a Special Grade-level Cursed Spirit with extremely high intelligence on the night Ijichi Kiyotaka disappeared.
To reach this level, it should at least be a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. If it's Special Grade, I'll probably have to work overtime today, he thought.
After all, given Mahito's terrifying abilities, leaving him unchecked was unthinkable.
With this in mind, Nanami followed the trail of Cursed Residue Mahito had deliberately left, arriving at the entrance of the small sewer where the battle had originally erupted.
Squinting, Nanami looked through his goggles into the dim sewer and immediately spotted Mahito, who had been waiting for a long time.
Nanami observed Mahito carefully—this strange Cursed Spirit, who, aside from his heterochromatic eyes and bizarre stitches covering his body, appeared no different from a human.
"You really came alone. I knew that by presenting a certain level of danger, you would have no reason to leave me unchecked. And by targeting that vessel of Sukuna a bit more, considering your mindset of protecting your juniors, you would definitely come meet me alone, Nanami Kento."
Mahito smiled as he spoke, his tone like that of an old friend catching up after a long time, gently clapping his hands to welcome Nanami.
The soft clapping echoed lightly through the spacious sewer. Nanami's expression darkened.
Could a Cursed Spirit really converse this fluently?
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Nanami would have had a hard time imagining the being Gojo Satoru described when encountering Jogo.
But what shocked Nanami the most was how Mahito before him had obtained such precise information about his own psychology and personal details.