8 p.m., a café at the mouth of the mountain road.
Inside the dark building, long since closed for the night, two figures sat facing each other.
One was Mahito.
The other was Muta Kokichi, operating a puppet.
"The humans feeding us information got wiped out? Seriously?"
Mahito asked, eyes widening.
He looked genuinely shocked.
"Yes. One survived for a while, but he was executed today. The higher-ups have been replaced with an entirely new lineup."
"Hmm... then it'll be harder to leak us anything useful, huh?"
"Naturally. The source of the information is gone."
A distorted voice crackled out from the wooden puppet, Mechamaru.
It was the same voice from the anime.
Muta was only an intermediary.
He had never been the actual informant, so strictly speaking, he no longer had much left to do.
Even so, he intended to keep his connection to the Cursed Spirits alive.
Just as planned.
"So what about you? What are you gonna do now? Is this where our relationship ends? Not that I'm gonna snitch. Though honestly, even if I did, it wouldn't matter much."
"I want to maintain our relationship."
"Oh? For real?"
Mahito asked with a grin.
Obsession with a healthy body.
He knew that wish well. It was ugly, desperate, painfully human.
"Yes."
"You want your body fixed that badly, huh? Works for me."
"I'll pass along what I can. We'll keep using the same contact method. But the quality of the information will drop."
"I can live with that."
More importantly—
Mahito cut himself off and turned his eyes toward the puppet.
"That human who killed the higher-ups. Who is he? A Jujutsu Sorcerer?"
"Not a Jujutsu Sorcerer. But a human far more dangerous than one."
Muta organized his thoughts, recalling Geto Suguru's advice.
He had been told it was fine to reveal information about Kadoc.
At this point, Mahito's reconnaissance had already exposed most of it anyway.
They knew the information was already out.
"Ahaha. You've got to be kidding me."
For an instant, cracks spread across Mahito's face.
For the first time, impatience bled through the expression of the one who was always relaxed, always wickedly amused.
He had never fought him head-on, but Mahito knew.
If he challenged him directly, he would lose. Absolutely.
At best, he might hold out for a few minutes.
And that estimate was only against a single Servant.
If two or more came at him?
He would melt before a minute had passed.
Jogo had been crushed by some Jujutsu Sorcerer no one had ever heard of.
Mahito, despite splitting his body down to the limit, had nearly been killed by Kadoc himself.
To Mahito, the name Kadoc was trauma.
A trigger switch for panic.
"Got it. I can't stay around that bastard anymore, so you keep watch in my place. Can you do that?"
"I'll do my best. That should be enough, yes?"
"Good. Shame I can't get more support, but... with what I've got now, I'm not exactly short on resources."
Mahito pushed himself to his feet with exaggerated energy.
The movement was pure bravado, a transparent attempt to look lively and unbothered.
"When are you planning to heal me?"
Muta asked before Mahito left.
He wasn't expecting much, but that hardly mattered.
What mattered was showing that he was clinging to the promise.
Because in the end, his real goal was for Geto Suguru to subdue Mahito.
And then use him.
"Who knows? I get that you're in a hurry, but I'm not exactly swimming in free time either. Still, I'll fix you before you graduate from Kyoto Jujutsu High at the latest."
"You bastard."
"Ahaha! Kidding, kidding. Don't get so mad."
Mahito smacked Mechamaru on the shoulder and clicked his tongue.
It was a shame this wasn't the real body.
"Still, you've been useful, so I'll think about it positively."
"I'd appreciate it if you remembered this is a deal where both sides stand to gain."
"Of course. Well then, I'll be off first."
Mahito vanished as though dissolving into the dark.
It happened in an instant.
"..."
Muta rose in the silent, empty space.
Even pretending to be stressed was difficult.
The old jujutsu higher-ups had been completely purged and reorganized.
In the process, my face got exposed too.
Naturally, the faces of all the Servants were exposed as well, and the rumors spread exactly as rumors do.
It had become the hottest topic in the jujutsu world.
And in the middle of all that, the man recommended to take a seat in the new order was Gakuganji Yoshinobu.
The current principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High.
'Ah, that old man.'
In Jujutsu Kaisen, he was the one who killed Yaga Masamichi under orders from the higher-ups.
And yet, he was never truly hated for it.
Panda had said he was only a sword in someone else's hand.
And the story had done a decent job showing he wasn't simply a bad person.
Anyway.
The two Servants and I headed for Kyoto Jujutsu High.
Our faces were already public knowledge.
So I decided to use this chance to meet Muta Kokichi in person.
At present, he was the only remaining traitor still connected to the Cursed Spirits.
The rest had been filtered out through strict investigation.
Which meant that if we wanted to track the Cursed Spirits' movements, contacting him directly was the most efficient option.
It was easier than going through Geto Suguru, too.
'Been a while since I came to Kyoto.'
In this life, I had only brushed past it.
I had never really visited in earnest.
Mostly because I'd wanted to avoid drawing the attention of Kyoto Jujutsu High and the sorcerers stationed there.
But now, there was no need for that anymore.
'That's life.'
Plans twist. Plans change.
If anything, the rare thing is for them to stay intact from start to finish.
Sometimes something completely unforeseen crashes into your life.
Like me possessing Kadoc, or gaining another life in this world.
"Welcome."
Right after we arrived at Kyoto Jujutsu High by shinkansen, a familiar old man greeted us.
It was Gakuganji, the old man who played the electric guitar obscenely well.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Yes. Likewise. I am Gakuganji Yoshinobu, principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High."
Gakuganji greeted me with extreme politeness.
Honestly, it was a little overwhelming.
Still, it would have been awkward to ask him to speak more casually, so I let it stand.
Better this than being looked down on.
"I heard you would be visiting Kyoto Jujutsu High, but may I ask your business here?"
"I came to see how much of the higher-ups' influence is still left. I wanted to see it with my own eyes."
"Understood. I will guide you."
"Thank you."
I followed Gakuganji.
With me were Koyanskaya of Darkness on duty, Foreigner, and Ibuki-douji as backup.
Originally, backup duty rotated once a month...
But sometimes it changed on the fly.
You could call it a flexible scheduling system.
"As you can see, Kyoto Jujutsu High is..."
The halls, the buildings, the entire compound.
I took in the interior of Kyoto Jujutsu High while listening to Gakuganji's explanation.
These were spaces never really depicted in Jujutsu Kaisen.
The whole place felt astonishing, as though tradition itself had been cut out, preserved, and put on display.
No wonder they never shut up about tradition.
The thought came naturally.
We passed Jujutsu Sorcerers moving through Kyoto Jujutsu High, staff members, and the stares of students watching us, until we reached our destination.
"There is a student here as well. His body is somewhat impaired, so he stays in this place."
"Ah, you mean [Heavenly Restriction], right? I've heard the rumors."
"That is correct. So this may be somewhat uncomfortable for you. Will that be all right?"
"It's fine. Thank you for guiding me this far. I'll just meet him and leave right away, so please don't worry too much. Staying too long would only be a nuisance."
When I bowed politely, Gakuganji returned the gesture with equal courtesy.
He was the very image of a refined elder.
Originally, he was the kind of man who realized something after Yaga's death...
But this time, it seemed I was the reason he had come to some realization.
"Let's head down."
"Yes, Master. Watch your step."
"Don't worry, little brother."
Leaving Gakuganji behind, we descended.
A corridor boxed in by concrete on all sides.
Stairs leading downward.
We passed through a space that looked like something damp and ugly ought to crawl out of it at any moment, then opened a heavy iron door.
The creak that came out of it was unsettling enough to raise the hair on my neck.
A man sat submerged in a bathtub filled with red liquid dripping in slow, heavy drops.
Above him, rows of futuristic pipes ran overhead, impossible to ignore.
"You're Muta Kokichi, right?"
When I shut the door behind me and greeted him, the man in the tub nodded.
"Mr. Geto told me about you. It's good to meet you."
"You're more polite than I expected. Jujutsu Sorcerers usually start by talking down to me, so this is almost stranger."
"I'm not so lacking in common sense that I'd speak casually to my benefactor."
Muta let out a sigh and shook his head.
Even he looked unsure whether this was the right tone to take.
Foreigner, Ibuki-douji, and I approached his side.
I could feel faint Magical Energy.
"Is the [Mystic Code] working well?"
"Yes. Thanks to it, I've been freed from the pain and living much more comfortably. I'm truly grateful."
"I'm sorry all I can do for now is ease the pain. Once we catch Mahito, your body will be restored too, so please endure until then."
"I'm in your care."
Muta lowered his head to me with grave sincerity.
The weight of that desperation sat heavy on my chest.
To live like an ordinary person.
For some people, that was just daily life. For Muta, it was a distant, towering goal.
Like someone suffering from an incurable disease.
Or someone crippled in an accident they never saw coming.
"Is there anything making you uncomfortable?"
"No. Since the pain has eased, nothing is especially difficult. As you know, there's only one thing I want. More importantly..."
Muta trailed off and tilted his head back.
His gaze trembled as he looked at Foreigner and Ibuki-douji.
"Seeing them in person is chilling. The pressure on my skin alone is on a completely different level."
"You can feel it?"
"Yes. Maybe it's because I have a body like this, but it sends a shiver through me. I'm glad I chose the right side."
Muta let out another long breath.
This one was relief.
"I really regret not exorcising him at the airport. Even now, if I just knew where he was staying, I could immediately..."
"Mahito knows that too. That's probably why he's trying even harder to hide. He's afraid of you."
"Ah. You meet him often, then?"
"Yes. I met him a few days ago as well. I'm maintaining the connection, just as planned."
If the connection stayed alive, they would keep meeting.
And if they kept meeting, his movement radius would narrow enough for us to draw a containment map.
Of course, knowing that, he might deliberately keep moving from place to place...
But it was still better than losing him entirely.
Even if we gained nothing from it in the end.
"Thank you. It can't be safe, doing something like that."
"I'm contacting him through puppets, so it isn't dangerous. If anything, you're in more danger than I am."
"I'm fine. I've got dependable big sisters protecting me."
I wrapped my arms around Ibuki-douji's and Foreigner's waists as if to make a point.
Their heavy breasts pressed tight against me.
"Oh my.♡"
"Master, if you do that all of a sudden, you'll trouble your big sister too.♡"
Foreigner was in a training jersey.
Ibuki-douji was dressed in that devastatingly dangerous married-woman look.
Just looking at the two of them together was enough to test a man's self-control.
Muta let out a short sigh as he watched us.
He looked a little dumbfounded, but it seemed the sight had loosened some of his tension.
"I look forward to working with you from here on as well."
"Same here. If the [Mystic Code] starts losing effectiveness, tell me anytime. We should exchange numbers too. You have a phone, right?"
"Yes. Mr. Geto passed one along to me, so I'll use that."
When Muta raised a hand, a nearby puppet approached.
There was a smartphone in the puppet's hand.
"Huh? It's not an iPhone?"
"A real man uses a Samsung Galaxy."
Was that really how this was supposed to go?
Hearing someone in Japan say, "A real man uses a Samsung Galaxy"?
Still faintly bewildered, I exchanged numbers with Muta.
It was absurd, but I had accomplished what I came for.
"Then I'll see you again next time. Please tell Mahito all I did was stir things up and leave, and that he still hasn't noticed anything."
"I'm not being optimistic, but it should be fine."
"That's good to hear. Then get some rest."
After saying goodbye to Muta, I stepped out of the basement.
The moment I emerged, the air tasted strangely sweet.
Like Tokyo Jujutsu High, this place stood apart from the city.
The sweet air unique to an old district came through with startling clarity.
"Let's go."
Our business here was done.
I was about to head straight out when a sharp stare pricked my cheek.
So I turned around.
And there, I saw a character I liked a whole lot.