"And the patriarch of the Tachibana house—Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer Tachibana no Naramaro—struck a deal with it. A Binding Vow. Or rather, a curse. One that has wound itself around the family for a thousand years."
Silence spread through the room. The entire space seemed to sink beneath the sea—so quiet that no other sound could reach them.
The rain faded to a whisper. The thunder became distant and muffled. Every guest felt their senses stripped away—the revelation was that staggering.
A long moment passed before someone murmured:
"What kind of contract?"
"...A contract between the Present and the Past."
Nanami Kira spoke softly, feeling the warmth against his chest—Hoshino Ei lay draped limply over it.
Her skin was deathly pale, still trembling faintly.
He stroked the hand resting against his chest, then looked into Jasmine's eyes. His pupils betrayed nothing. He waited for her next words.
"The Special Grade Cursed Spirit is called Yeming."
> Note: Yeming (噎鸣) originates from the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), "Chapters of the Regions Within the Seas": Gonggong begot Houtu; Houtu begot Yeming. A bird-shaped deity who governs the passage of time—the god of Past and Present.
"It cannot halt the flow of time. But its innate Cursed Technique can make the Past and Present coexist, maintaining a dynamic equilibrium. Like a beautiful piece of amber—and that equilibrium is its sustenance."
Yeming could restore the Tachibana clan's former glory.
"And so, years later, Naramaro's granddaughter—Tachibana no Chishi—won the favor of the reigning emperor and entered the palace, becoming Empress Danrin. The remnants of the Tachibana faction expanded aggressively, rising further still—elevated to the rank of court noble. In time, the empress bore Prince Masayoshi, who ascended the throne. The empress's brother, Tachibana no Ujikimi, seized control of the entire court.
That was the Tachibana clan's 'Present.' A glorious Present.
But Jujutsu has always demanded a price. Always demanded Equivalent Exchange.
If there is a Present, then there must be a Past. Without one, the other cannot be sustained.
The former heads of the Tachibana household—the previous generation's retainers—became the Past. They spent the remainder of their lives confined within Amber Mansion. Even after death, their souls remained bound within its walls, becoming part of the Past.
Only through this could the equilibrium hold.
To put it simply, Yeming's Cursed Technique functions like a scale. On one side sits the Past; on the other, the Present. If either side loses weight or gains too much, the other collapses with it."
"And so the equilibrium continued. Each successive head of the Tachibana house would return to Amber Mansion, inherit the title of Master, and silently guard the Past—until their body decayed and they became the new Past. Then the next head would inherit the Master's seat... and the cycle would begin again. That is how the family endured."
"This is the curse that has bound this family for a thousand years."
Jasmine's clear, cold voice hung in the air like the autumn rain beyond the window, lingering at the edge of every ear.
Nanami Kira remained silent. Tuxedo Man sat with arms crossed. Even that willful young lady had gone quiet. The old man drew on his pipe and exhaled a thick plume of smoke.
"But the equilibrium was broken."
"...Yes."
"Time moves ever forward. The Past accumulates without end, while the Present is only ever the Present. No family, however ancient, can bear the weight of so much history. Yeming's Cursed Technique gradually failed.
"The fall of glory is the world's truest law."
Jasmine nodded, her gaze distant—as though she were not here, not now. An infinite sorrow filled her eyes, a grief that pierced through a thousand years, one that even time could not freeze.
"During the Sengoku period, the last descendant of the Tachibana house—the Naijima clan—was buried alive in snow. From that day forward, the Tachibana had no more Present. Only a history heavier than stone. A tragedy, truly."
"Amber Mansion lost its heir. Yeming's Cursed Technique spiraled out of control—starved of sustenance, it died within the mansion's walls. But its Domain persists. Its Cursed Technique has not stopped."
"Amber Mansion needs a new heir. It needs a 'Present'—to suppress a family's thousand years of Past."
Jasmine's pupils dilated faintly as she looked at each of them. Her voice sounded as though it had been dug from the depths of an ice cellar.
"Otherwise, Yeming's Cursed Technique will collapse entirely. The temporal collapse will begin at Amber Mansion and spread—until it consumes the entire world."
Nanami Kira leaned back in his chair, gently stroking Hoshino Ei in his arms. A faintly sardonic voice broke the silence:
"So that's why you send out invitations at regular intervals. To select a new heir."
"Though the heirs seem to rotate rather frequently. And in all these years, you've never had a leak?"
"Did you really think we were the only ones involved in this, Gojo-san?"
Jasmine tilted her head, watching him.
"The Jujutsu higher-ups? I'd never put my faith in their integrity."
Nanami Kira held her gaze. Her eyes reflected in his pupils. His fingers tapped the table's edge, one beat after another. Tok. Tok.
"But the person in front of me is at least nominally 'higher-up.' And Gojo Satoru is the head of the Gojo clan. There's been no word whatsoever."
The most critical point was this: Hoshino Ei had inherited Hasegawa Kaede's memories, and Kaede had devoured Gakuganji's soul—and there had been nothing. Not a trace of this.
"What if I told you that even the Jujutsu higher-ups don't know?"
Jasmine smoothed the creases in her uniform. The white maid's dress fell flat again before she spoke, quietly:
"Higher."
"Higher."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
No one could speak. Every person stared at one another in disbelief—none daring to voice the suspicion forming in their minds.
None daring to speak that name, as though to utter it would be blasphemy, an act of irreverence.
The thunder grew clear, striking one beat after another against every heart in the room.
"Tengen."
Nanami Kira broke the silence.
Tengen.
The most ancient Jujutsu Sorcerer in the world. A being who had endured from the distant past to the present day, whose Cursed Technique was Immortality itself. The entire barrier network of Tokyo had been laid by them.
In the eyes of some, Tengen was their faith. Their god.
And in truth—had it not been for the assimilation of the Star Plasma Vessel—Tengen would have long since evolved into a higher form of existence. Would have reached, in every meaningful sense, the domain of a god.
Tengen was involved in this?
Nanami Kira could no longer maintain his composure. His fingernails began to grow—that hateful, compulsive growth.
Irritated. Irritated. Irritated.
It made sense, when he thought about it. Tengen periodically consumed Star Plasma Vessels—consumed human beings. If individual lives could sustain the equilibrium of time itself, that was a remarkably efficient bargain.
Tengen might pity humanity. Might overflow with compassion. But it was a higher compassion—compassion for humanity as a whole.
"That concludes the introduction."
Revealing One's Hand—gaining a stronger effect.
Jasmine clapped her hands. Her slender fingers laced together, propping up her smooth chin as she looked at each of them. Those beautiful pupils glimmered with light. She smiled.
"Now then—let the game begin. Let Jasmine select her new Master."
Her voice was calm.
"The auction continues."