Bibai Municipal Shoto High School was completely demolished. There are no Cursed Spirits.
Cursed Spirits are born in places where dark emotions pour out. According to this setting, new Cursed Spirits will surely emerge again someday.
Still, for now. And for a while, it was clearly going to be clean of Cursed Spirits.
"You felt your vessel growing larger?"
"To sum it up, yes."
After returning to the hotel. Konyanskaya and I sat on the bed, chatting.
"Then, if you catch Cursed Spirits...?"
"My cost will increase, and I'll be able to operate other Servants simultaneously."
"That's good news for Master. However, it's contradictory that it's not entirely good news for me."
Konyanskaya sighed and shook her head. I understood what she meant.
"Because our time together will decrease?"
"Yes. But prioritizing my desires over my Master's safety would be foolish. I completely agree."
"Thank you."
I held Konyanskaya's hand and smiled. I was grateful for her efforts, but also a little uneasy.
Would she betray me significantly later? Such thoughts incessantly crossed my mind.
'Please, just take it easy.'
It was a situation with no answers even if I worried. I eventually resigned myself and composed my emotions.
"Then we'll have to hunt Cursed Spirits more actively. And in places with many of them."
Konyanskaya's eyes sparkled. It was good to see her so motivated after getting a clue.
"We should focus on places like hospitals, schools, and spiritual spots, but keep our distance from Jujutsu Sorcerer territories."
Especially the Jujutsu Headquarters, the Three Great Clans. It's best not to get involved with enemies who pretend to be allies right away, because they're involved with state power.
"Understood. I'll make sure that human also acts according to that policy. He's quite perceptive, so he'll probably manage, but you never know."
"I'm counting on you."
Konyanskaya disliked most humans. So, when it was just the two of us, she didn't hide that emotion.
She only acknowledged humans she found useful. Or those she had endured long hardships with.
In other words, Toji hadn't passed her criteria yet.
'It'll work out.'
Anyway, we had formed a contract through binding. I saved his wife. So, Toji would never betray me.
Moreover, Toji's abilities were excellent. It would only be a matter of time before Konyanskaya recognized him.
"Then, let's first clear out all the areas we've marked."
"That's a good idea."
"Hmm. But that snake we saw there, what grade would it roughly be?"
Based on its size, it wasn't a Grade 2. While size alone doesn't determine grade, it's not without influence.
Size means physical power. It's similar to how weight classes are divided in martial arts.
So, if it's large? There's a high probability the Cursed Spirit's grade is also high.
"Well. I don't know much about Cursed Spirits, but wouldn't it have been about Grade 1, as they commonly say? It was the strongest Cursed Spirit I've seen."
"Grade 1, huh? That sounds about right, doesn't it?"
"Probably."
We looked at each other and nodded. There was no room for disagreement.
Grade 1. Numerous Cursed Spirits below that. The quantity of Cursed Spirits might have had an impact, but the qualitative impact seemed greater.
Like a high-level monster giving more experience than 100 small fry. Like practical skills improving through harsh experience.
"Good. Let's start by touring all the places Toji mentioned, and then catch them according to the damage criteria."
"What are you planning to do about those people called Cursed Users?"
Cursed Users. They are a kind of freelancer who possess jujutsu.
While "freelancer" sounds good, most of them are criminals. They use jujutsu for their desires.
Like the man Toji cut down yesterday.
"If their quality is bad, it's fine to kill them."
Is it right for a person to kill another person? It was a question I would have pondered before, but not now.
We cleared the Lostbelt to survive. It was a massacre no one else could replicate.
In that process, I came to believe that those who deserved to die, should die. For example, someone like Beryl Gut?
"Understood."
Konyanskaya nodded. She cherished humans as playthings, but had no hesitation in killing them.
"Alright. Let's go eat."
I got up from the bed. I also intended to shake off the gloomy atmosphere.
"Yes, Master."
Konyanskaya also got up after me. Today, too, the hotel buffet would be swarming with all sorts of onlookers.
Ah, I'm tired.
Toji thought, feeling exhausted, and got out of bed.
Was it because he worked too diligently? The mental fatigue had accumulated too much.
"Mmm... Toji?"
Early morning. The woman lying next to Toji rubbed her eyes.
Short-cut hair. A neat yet firm atmosphere.
Toji Zenin's wife, Sae Zenin, was a beautiful woman. And bright.
Just like the sunlight filtering through the window right now.
"What, you're awake? I was trying to sneak out quietly."
"Going to work?"
"No. Just to get some water. Go back to sleep."
Toji smiled, stroking his wife's head. His touch was gentle.
Sae squirmed, feeling his touch. Like a cat.
"No. It's morning anyway, so I'll get up. Where's Megumi?"
"Quiet, as you can see."
Toji looked to the side and smiled.
A small baby sleeping in a crib. His son was sleeping soundly, breathing softly.
His son's name was Megumi. Even as a baby, he was remarkably quiet and well-behaved.
Perhaps because he knew his parents' affection. Or perhaps because the instinct to cry was calmed by such a cozy love.
They didn't know the reason, but they were grateful, as the difficulty of raising a child significantly decreased.
"Toji. Could you bring Megumi down? I'll prepare breakfast in the meantime."
"Oh, sure."
Toji replied nonchalantly and got out of bed.
'Beautiful.'
He chuckled, watching his wife go downstairs naked.
Red marks etched all over Sae's body. Her trembling waist. All were traces left by Toji.
"Megumi. Did you sleep well?"
Toji carefully and effortlessly lifted the child. To him, it was a feather-light weight.
The baby was still asleep even when spoken to. There was no sign of waking up.
Thanks to this, I descended comfortably and settled in the living room on the first floor. I also turned on the TV.
"Hwaaah..."
Toji yawned while holding Megumi.
His superhuman physique, and the beauty that came with it. He unreservedly displayed a body superior to any magnificent sculpture.
Just as his wife was naked, he too was naked. He was stripped bare.
"Toji. Why didn't you put on some clothes before coming down?"
Sae, in the kitchen, mumbled as she looked ahead. She was stir-frying some meat.
"You're naked too, aren't you?"
Toji chuckled, smelling the cooking meat.
Good smells, good sights. All were elements that brought him happiness.
'Truly grateful.'
Toji leaned back on the sofa and smiled. He was thankful for the time he felt alive.
"Oh. Speaking of the person who gave us the new medicine, are they very busy?"
Sae asked, putting meat into a dish. Toji tilted his head and turned his eyes towards the kitchen.
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"Because they're a grateful person, I want to greet them once. Thanks to them, I returned to daily life immediately without rehabilitation."
"That's true."
"You also started working for them out of gratitude, didn't you? How is it?"
How is it? It seemed busy, yet not busy.
Toji blinked and finished his thoughts. The words he had to say were already decided.
"I don't really know, but they're quite busy. I don't know about later, but it'll be hard to make time now."
"Oh, really? That's a shame. I really wanted to meet them."
Sae sighed and set the table.
Freshly cooked meat, vegetables, and pickles. Once everything was set, it looked quite presentable.
"I'll at least mention it."
"Really? I hope it works out. They're truly a grateful person."
"Me too."
Toji nodded and stood up.
"Ah. I don't want to work."
He scratched his chest with his right hand and headed towards the kitchen. In his thick left arm, a sleeping baby was nestled.
We had conquered most of the spiritual spots Toji mentioned. We entered the last one, the Inunaki Tunnel.
The tunnel's front was blocked, so we entered through an upper side path. It was a path I would have struggled with if I had come alone.
"Oh?"
A few steps into the tunnel. The dark scenery changed.
The light was faint, and traditional buildings were laid out everywhere. It felt as if we had traveled back to ancient Japan.
"Master, is this...?"
Konyanskaya frowned. The entire space was eerie, which seemed to bother her greatly.
"Yes. Is this perhaps an Innate Domain?"
"You got it right. Yes."
Toji pulled a knife from the worm's mouth. It was the Split Soul Katana he often used.
"Seeing as you know what an Innate Domain is, was your family involved with the Jujutsu world?"
Toji asked, subtly probing. He had every reason to be curious.
"No. I've been an orphan since birth. I don't know my parents, and it's been just over half a year since I escaped the orphanage, I suppose?"
"Since you escaped on March 1st, it's been more than half a year."
Konyanskaya mentioned the exact date. Time had already passed that much.
"But... no. Never mind. Asking would only give me a headache."
Toji stopped speaking midway and sighed. He seemed to be ignoring his curiosity rather than bothering with a headache.
"Anyway, an Innate Domain... you can think of it as a materialization of an inner landscape. When a Cursed Technique is overlaid on it, it becomes a Domain Expansion."
Toji finished explaining the Innate Domain. Fortunately, it was exactly as I knew it.
"Master. Surely, this is a misappropriation of a Reality Marble..."
"Whoa, that's enough."
I leaned down and covered Konyanskaya's mouth as she whispered. I couldn't reveal the truth of the world in a place like this.
Ah!
Today, too, someone realized that the author of Jujutsu Kaisen was a blatant king of plagiarism.
"Ahem. Anyway, this isn't reality, and we need to cleanse the owner of this domain. Only then can we leave."
Toji used the term "cleanse" and stretched his body. In Jujutsu Kaisen, it refers to exorcism.
"Thank you for explaining it in detail. The point is, this isn't reality, right?"
Konyanskaya's lips stretched into a wide smile. It was an evil grin, one that could only be seen during her Beast days.
For a moment, a thought of 'surely not' flashed through my mind.
"Konyanskaya."
"Yes, Master."
"Adjust it appropriately. If you hit too hard, the entire tunnel, not just the Innate Domain, will collapse."
"Of course, don't worry."
Konyanskaya smiled with her eyes and soared into the sky. Indeed, it was as expected.
Fortunately, the ceiling was high. So incredibly high that its end was invisible.
Thanks to this, Konyanskaya could also leap with all her might. Until she was completely swallowed by the high darkness.
"Boss. My gut feeling is telling me it's dangerous right now, what is she trying to do?"
Toji asked, stepping back a pace. Perhaps because of his Heavenly Restriction related to his body, his senses were extraordinary. And he didn't even know about Noble Phantasms.
"A Noble Phantasm... or rather, a 'Maximum Technique' here? It's roughly that kind of feeling. Let's step back a bit more."
A Maximum Technique is the ultimate skill of each individual's jujutsu, different from Domain Expansion.
And most Noble Phantasms matched this concept of a Maximum Technique, as Domain Expansion is an imitation, a plagiarism of a Reality Marble.
'And that Reality Marble must have been taken from somewhere else too.'
I slowly stepped backward, surveying the situation. Although I wasn't afraid of a Noble Phantasm I had fired many times, I still had to be careful.
"What kind of Maximum Technique...?"
Toji also stepped backward, following me. Soon, flames bloomed in the dark sky above.