Naobito Zenin returned to the Zenin estate immediately.
Following his usual routine, he went to his room to drink, but first, he summoned Naoya.
"What is it? You need me to fetch you more booze?"
Naoya caught his breath and took a seat across from Naobito.
No matter how much of a drunkard he was, the Head of the Clan was still the Head. He possessed the power and skill befitting his position, so Naoya couldn't afford to be reckless.
The older brothers. The relatives. Naoya didn't care much for them. He wasn't exactly careless around them, but he didn't keep them in his consciousness either—he had appraised them objectively and found them lacking.
"I went to see the real people who looked after you. They gave their permission quite easily," Naobito said.
"Is that true?" Naoya asked, narrowing his eyes.
A flicker of wariness crossed his face.
"No need to be on guard. He's a unique brat. Quite easy to talk to, actually."
"Ah, is that so? Then it's fine."
Naoya's expression relaxed immediately. The fear of being targeted for doing something unnecessary had vanished.
"Based on your reaction, I expect an honest answer. How much of it have you mastered?" Naobito asked.
"What are you talking about? You're chasing clouds."
"Your technique. I doubt you've only been polishing your Projection Sorcery and Cursed Energy manipulation. Tell me the truth."
"What would I have to hide from you? I've reported everything," Naoya sighed, putting on a perfectly natural performance of being unfairly accused.
'Absurd,' Naobito thought. The corners of his mouth twitched. Seeing the boy restrain himself from bragging—when normally he would have been flapping his gums—was eerie. It was different. This went beyond discipline; it was as if he had been fundamentally remodeled.
"Hmph. Enough of that. More importantly, those women surrounding him... they aren't human, are they?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Stop playing dumb. Even you must have realized they weren't human. If that's the case, isn't there a way for us to maintain a favorable relationship?"
'What is he planning?' Naoya tilted his head in bewilderment.
"What's the play?"
"The boy is young. As it happens, we have youngsters as well, don't we?"
"What? Don't tell me..."
Naoya's eyes widened. This was unexpected. The Head of the Clan was bringing up boys and girls—an obvious implication of a political marriage.
"Bring Maki and Mai to me."
"Those girls aren't even old enough for kindergarten yet," Naoya countered.
"...Then bring Ougi here."
The sweltering summer faded, giving way to a season where the manifestation of Cursed Spirits gradually dwindled. During this time, the Mystic Code was finally completed.
"I'm sorry. Did it take too long?"
Koyanskaya of Light, representing the group, presented the Mystic Code.
A Mystic Code is an item imbued with a specific magical effect. Thus, it has no fixed form. It could be an accessory, a card, a weapon—even underwear could become a Mystic Code.
"Thank you. Can I open it?"
"Of course. Not just myself, but the others worked hard to help as well."
I carefully accepted the case she offered. It looked exactly like a ring box.
'This feels like someone is confessing their love to me.'
Usually, the man is the one giving these things... I felt like the roles had been reversed. With a fluttering heart, I opened the case. Inside lay an actual ring.
"It's an object that neutralizes Cursed Energy. Its size will automatically adjust to fit the wearer's finger, so don't worry. However, we still need to verify if it has the effect of outright canceling Cursed Techniques."
"Thanks. Seriously, it feels like I'm being proposed to."
As I muttered this while slipping the ring onto my ring finger, the air suddenly grew hot. Despite being autumn, it felt like mid-summer. What was going on?
I looked up and quickly realized why. Both Koyanskayas, Ibuki, and Shuten were all staring intently at me.
"Oh my, a proposal? Then I wonder who the primary wife will be?"
"I'm curious about Master's intentions. Surely you can tell us?"
"This is a topic your big sister is very interested in too, you know?"
"I'm the same. My Lord must have a Servant he treasures more than the others, right?"
One wrong word and I was backed into a corner. They were truly terrifying.
'Still, there's always an answer for this.'
I smiled as I toyed with the ring. I felt secure knowing I had the right response.
"Obviously, you're all precious to me. I became a piece of trash specifically because I didn't want to leave any of you behind."
It was partially lip service, but it was also my sincere greed. They were all my Servants. When I revealed my dark desire for total possession, all four of them nodded. Their expressions brightened instantly.
"I suppose so. Back in Chaldea, you did declare you were going to cheat on us openly, didn't you? Back then, I didn't have any romantic feelings for you, so I just thought it was absurd... but now, I'm glad," Koyanskaya of Darkness, the Foreigner, replied for the group.
The other Servants added their own comments. I was saved. The atmosphere shifted back to something heartwarming, making me feel weak with relief.
"Now that we have the Mystic Code, we should test its performance, right? I have to return the weapon as well."
"Is the analysis of the Inverted Spear of Heaven finished?" I asked.
"Yes. Since Master cannot use Magecraft, we created the Mystic Code for you. As for us, we can simply handle it with our own magic. We've all memorized the countermeasures."
Being 5-star Servants, their learning capacity was peerless. It was both impressive and reassuring. Feeling encouraged, I made a call.
"Hello?"
Toji picked up immediately. Perfect timing.
"Toji. Do you have anything on your schedule?"
"Huh? Nothing. Why? You want a job?"
"Yes. Please find a Curse User who uses long-range attacks. I have something to test."
"They're not rare. I'll look into it and get back to you soon."
"I'll be counting on you."
Toji hung up, saying he'd check right away. I'd get a call soon. The Mystic Code was finished, and the structure of the Inverted Spear had been analyzed. I had passed one hurdle. Now, even if I couldn't use a Domain Expansion or Jujutsu, I could handle threats comfortably.
Still, I did want to try using a Domain Expansion at least once... 'No, no.'
Domain Expansion? I must have gone crazy from living in the Jujutsu Kaisen world. In the Nasuverse, we have Reality Marbles. Domain Expansion is just a knock-off of that.
"Tsk..."
I clicked my tongue, reflecting on my thoughts. To take an interest in a fake like Domain Expansion was a sin. How could I let myself be rattled? As an incident-free veteran of Fate/Grand Order, I had committed a grave offense.
"Master, is something wrong?" Foreigner approached and asked cautiously.
The other Servants, who had been chatting warmly, also glanced at me.
"Uh, no. It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
I shook my head, getting my mental state back in order. I wouldn't let myself be swayed again.
Toji soon called back with information. The destination was Nagano Prefecture. It's a region often associated with being plain and boring. Not far from Tokyo, mountainous, with active industry, agriculture, and food manufacturing. Our target was in Ogawa Village. As expected from the name, it had a strong rural feel.
Inconvenient transportation? Boring? That was fine. What wasn't fine was the guest who came along.
"Why exactly are you here?"
"I came because I was curious. I wanted to see how you lot fight," Naobito replied with a laugh from the passenger seat.
Toji was behind the wheel. Foreigner and I were in the back of the rental car.
"Wasn't that 100 million yen meant to be the fee just to meet us?"
"That's why I paid another million yen as an observation fee."
"Then I guess I have no choice."
It was less than 100 million, but a million yen was still a lot of money. It was hard to refuse. Besides, he wanted to be on friendly terms, so I had no reason to reject him.
We reached our destination peacefully and got out of the car.
"You said he's a factory owner?"
"Yeah. He's running a legitimate business in broad daylight. To think a factory owner is a Curse User too... the world really is ending," Toji yawned as he regurgitated his cursed tool armory. I'll never get used to seeing that.
"Foreigner."
"Yes, Master. Don't worry."
Foreigner took the ring I offered and put it on. I had originally intended to do this myself, but they stopped me, claiming it was too dangerous. Foreigner and the other three Servants following in spirit form were all in agreement on that point.
"The target lives in the house behind the factory. He's home today, so go check it out."
"Okay. Let's go."
We passed the factory and headed to the back. Since it was open land, there were no fences.
'There it is.'
As we walked, a decent-looking detached house came into view. A house built out of blood and flesh. To build a factory and be called 'President' with money made from murder, body disposal, and organ trafficking... the phrase 'the world is ending' didn't even cover it.
"You said the technique involved bones?"
"Yeah. It's a technique that manipulates human or animal bones. He can fire them, extend them, and even increase their hardness."
"Can he change their shape too?"
"Quite freely."
Moving as we listened to the intel, we soon arrived in front of the house. Fortunately, I heard he had no family.
"Foreigner."
"Yes, Master. I'll start with a light provocation."
Foreigner extended her right hand. Dark magical energy condensed into a sphere at her fingertips, pointing toward the mansion, and then shot forward like a bullet.
BOOM! With the 'light' provocation, a wall of the mansion crumbled. It was a Gandr shot—one that would inflict a mild illness if it hit a person.
Flicker. Flicker. The lights in the mansion wavered as if they were about to go out, before plunging into total darkness.
While Toji, Naobito, the spirit-form Servants, and I watched, a bone flew out from the mansion. It was a chicken bone.
"Activate."
As Foreigner muttered the word, the ring on her finger glowed with a clear, pale sky-blue light. The size of the light was no bigger than a firefly, small but distinct. It radiated a sharp presence in the darkness. It was very easy to see.
The moment the flying bone touched her glowing finger, it instantly lost its force and dropped. Thud. Roll. The chicken bone rolled helplessly on the ground.
"Surely... that's not the end of it?" Foreigner asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.
I felt almost apologetic. To come all this way just to block a chicken bone was too anti-climactic. Fortunately, however, it didn't end there. From the chicken bone, it escalated to all sorts of bones. Then, a rain of bone spears, presumably made from human femurs, poured down.
"Thank goodness," Foreigner said, gracefully waving her ringed hand through the air. It felt like she was performing Tai Chi. The bones poured down, focusing accurately on her. He could focus his aim, it seemed.
'It's working well.'
Any bone that entered the ring's trajectory instantly lost its power and plummeted, becoming nothing more than ordinary bone rolling on the ground.
"Since the Cursed Energy is disrupted, the power vanishes. For now, it's a success," Foreigner murmured, looking at her fingertips. Fortunately, her finger was unharmed.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt?"
"As you can see, I'm perfectly healthy. However, I'll need to check if it can withstand a stronger technique."
"I suppose so."
"Yes. More importantly, since the test is over, could you please dispose of that?" Foreigner's gaze turned toward Toji.
She was dumping the chore on him just like that.
"Got it," Toji sighed, pulling out a weapon. It was the Soul-Liberation Blade again. He dashed into the house, and when he emerged, blood stained his blade. It had taken less than a minute. The situation was over in the blink of an eye.
"I'm back. What do you want to do with the body?"
"Since we have a high-ranking member of the Jujutsu world here, let's just report him as a missing person. What do you think?" Foreigner asked.
Naobito tilted his head.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Good grief. I pay you money and now I'm doing your chores. Unbelievable."
"So, you don't want to?" Foreigner's eyebrows arched softly into a wicked yet charming smile.
"Tsk. You should learn to respect your elders," Naobito grumbled, looking at me. I suppose we were being a bit harsh to our financier.
"Is there something you want?" I asked.
"There is."
"Tell me. I'll listen, and if it's appropriate, I'll accept it."
As I laid the groundwork, the corners of Naobito's mouth curled. It was a sharp, calculating smile, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"How about you take some of our girls? I'll provide more than enough for their child support."