"Impossible, I can't be wrong," Nayuta replied after sniffing in Jin's direction.
The little girl stepped back slightly, pointed her small nose, and declared: "My sense of smell is formal," then pointed her finger toward her spiritual father.
"You share exactly one of the two other 'scents' inside me," Nayuta stated affirmatively.
'A scent? Is that how she perceives cursed energy? Or is it a trait unique to her physiology?' Jin thought, frowning slightly at Nayuta's peculiarity.
The girl's remark troubled him somewhat. Jin hadn't anticipated such sensitivity to cursed energy from an artificial cursed corpse, nor such a strange characteristic in Nayuta.
But once again, Nayuta had been born thanks to the data from Sukuna's brother. Even if Jin didn't fully understand the importance of that soul to Kenjaku, it had been a key element in the creation of Yuji Itadori.
The protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen possessed abnormally high physical abilities, as well as a particular sensitivity to the soul after swallowing a cursed object.
Even though Jin's cursed cores weren't truly cursed objects, they were similar in many ways.
For example, Jin's cursed cores created a consciousness in an "empty" body, while cursed objects crushed the original consciousness to take control of the body in order to incarnate.
Unconsciously, Jin glanced at Rasputin's injured face.
Nayuta was only supposed to be able to reduce the effects of gravity, since she couldn't use positive energy like Kenjaku.
Yet Rasputin had clearly been injured by her in some way during their first encounter.
Jin needed more observations, as well as more data on Nayuta.
If, by chance, she possessed Yuji's physique along with soul sensitivity, then Jin would have truly hit the jackpot with her.
Nayuta would no longer just be a test project, but another vessel capable of containing a Special Grade cursed object.
Her potential would be terrifying.
"Okay… I am, in a way, your father, but this isn't anything natural," Jin tried to explain.
However, the little girl turned a deaf ear.
The subject of their parental bond seemed to be a Pandora's box she wasn't willing to open.
Jin couldn't help but let out a resigned sigh after observing the stubborn character of the taciturn child.
"I don't know what you did with those corpses, my dear client, but it's satisfying to see you in this state," Rasputin added, driving the nail deeper into Jin's already delicate situation.
'Idiot, I might have just created something more dangerous than Satoru Gojo and you're mocking me,' he thought, looking at Rasputin like an idiot.
Unfortunately, he could neither retort to the undertaker nor explain his speculations about Nayuta's nature.
Jin chose to remain silent in the face of Rasputin's provocations.
"Very funny. Well, I'll come back another day to deal with the other cursed corpse in the room," Jin declared, taking Nayuta by the hand.
As he was about to leave, he heard one last remark from Rasputin:
"Don't forget to pay for the damages when you can afford it. After all, business is business, my dear friend," he said in a half-serious tone.
Jin simply nodded, but he once again realized the importance of money at this stage of his development.
Kenjaku had declared she would help him unlock his full potential during their exchange. However, that didn't mean Jin planned to live like a leech.
He didn't want to depend on Kenjaku, nor fully join her.
After all, it would be unfortunate if his wife's plan succeeded or if she transferred into Geto's body.
Jin didn't want to be gay.
'No choice… I'll have to become a full-time curse user,' he thought, unconsciously tightening his grip on Nayuta's hand.
The little girl with the inexpressive face sketched a slight smile after feeling her father's hand close a bit more firmly around hers.
…
[Jin… did you manage to chase that woman away?]
Once back home, Jin turned on his phone and was greeted by several worried messages from his father.
The man wasn't comfortable having left his child alone with the identity thief of his daughter-in-law.
"He always seems in a bad mood, but he's still a father," Jin muttered while replying to him.
[No, I reached an agreement with her.] Barely had Jin sent the message when he received another.
[What kind of agreement, Jin? That woman is dangerous! God only knows what she wants from you and Yuji.]
'Too late, Yuji is already caught in the eye of the storm,' he thought after Wasuke's reply.
Yuji was clearly not destined to lead an ordinary life, according to Jin's understanding of the character.
He was too altruistic for that.
All Jin could do for his son was help him from behind the scenes, while also waiting for the right moment to manipulate Kenjaku's project.
It was the only way to satisfy his wife while also reducing the collateral damage tied to the agreement between Kenjaku and the countless sorcerers she had made pacts with since the Heian era.
The task promised to be complex.
'All this just because I didn't want to let go of this toxic relationship,' Jin thought while sending a few reassuring messages to Wasuke.
Did he regret thinking with his lower half? No.
Throughout his life, Jin had thought logically and rationally in his daily life.
The result was obvious:
An average job.
An average intimate life.
A barely decent circle of friends outside of Damien.
And regrets due to his hesitation to seize life fully.
That was why he decided to listen to his emotions after holding Yuji in his arms.
"Indeed, I'd probably make the same choice again," he thought while heading to the kitchen.
He put on a simple apron, grabbed a few ingredients from the cupboard, and activated the Cooking skill.
Immediately, the pleasant smell of miso soup spread through the room.
"Hm… it smells good," Nayuta muttered while watching from nearby.
"Don't just stand there—go wash up," he ordered, glancing over his shoulder.
Nayuta nodded before stopping in her tracks.
"Uh… Dad, could you… *bam*" Before she could finish, she immediately received a wooden spoon smack on the head.
"If you already know how to talk and dress yourself, then washing up shouldn't be a problem, right?" Jin asked, narrowing his eyes.
The little girl puffed out her cheeks in displeasure before heading toward the shower.
Jin watched her small figure walk away with a bump on her head.
"I should find a nanny for this little monster. Did she really think I was going to wash her myself?" he thought, shaking his head in mental exhaustion.
Nayuta couldn't be entrusted to Wasuke yet, because the kid still lacked common sense when it came to jujutsu.
He didn't want his father to end up stuck to the ceiling because of a whim from the little girl.
Jin had to educate her first before handing her over to Wasuke.
The poor man was going to have to take care of another father's child while retired.
…
Author's note: This is Friday's chapter (Saturday is a break day, as I've already explained), so I will post again when the rankings reset.
A little note: Thank you for your support despite my sudden absence. I had an accident in the evening, which could have been avoided with a simple self-check… I was weak.