AN: No Chapter tomorrow since I'm posting on a holiday
Also PS there's art on Patreon for free
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" That is the society we live in. The strong will do what they want with the weak."
Maki's words echoed over and over in Momo's head, taunting her with the stinging truth that Momo had long since known but refused to believe there was no way around.
'I thought I could work within that system and managed to claim just a small piece for myself…but Mai's right. As soon as some set their eyes on what I have, the only thing that matters is if I have the strength to defend it.'
Before, Momo never saw a world where she managed to stand on her own, but today she had been shown that there was a way, 'Did he know it would come down to this all along?'
Thinking back to their initial conversation walking from the train station, Momo couldn't help but think that Kiniro had purposefully sown the seeds of doubt in her mind.
'The way he talked about desire and control,' Momo remembered the casual confidence Kiniro spoke with, giving her a glimpse of what she truly wanted, 'At first I thought it was purely philosophical, but then I saw what he did with Kasumi.'
Momo still remembered the terrifying flash of black and red lightning that had split the air like a jagged scar and the way Kasumi's entire presence had transformed, 'It's like she's a completely different person and that look in her eyes.'
Momo's heart pounded as she recalled the hardened look in Kasumi's eyes that were usually always filled with doubt and hesitation, 'All because of him, he gave that strength to someone trying to kill him like it was nothing.'
Momo's footsteps stilled as she arrived in front of a sliding door in the guest wing of the dormitories. Staring at the paper screen, Momo quieted her thoughts and tried to listen, hoping to hear something that would clue her in to what was happening on the other side.
"Are you ready to continue our conversation?"
Momo jumped as a voice addressed her, and a second later the door slid open, with Kiniro standing on the other side wearing a yukata, his hair still damp from the shower he had taken.
"H-how did you?"
"Even if I couldn't read your emotions, you weren't exactly quiet," Kiniro muttered as he turned away from the door, leaving it open, a silent invitation.
Momo hesitated but only for a moment before she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, "I thought you were going to take a nap?"
"I was about to, but someone decided to stop by, and who am I to ignore a soul in need?" Kiniro replied languidly as he collapsed onto his futon before glancing over at Momo, who was still standing by the door, "Though I must admit it's rather brave of you to walk into my room alone after the stunt you and your friends pulled."
Momo's heart couldn't help but race, but she kept up a strong front, "You took a binding vow not to harm anyone."
Kiniro grinned as his eyes seemed to glow, "True, but there are some horrible things I could do to you that you would enjoy every second of."
Momo couldn't help but flinch, and even as Kiniro looked away, her heart didn't calm down in the slightest, "But you knew that was a possibility."
"Y-yes," Momo answered honestly.
"Yet you still decided to visit my room," Kiniro continued as he stared out the open doors leading to a private garden offering a scenic view that would relax anyone who gazed at it. "Do you know why?"
"...Because people are powerless to resist their desires," Momo admitted almost shamefully, "And if you know what people desire, you can control them."
Kiniro's lips curved into a smile as he glanced back at Momo, "And tell me, what do you desire, Momo?"
With a slight tremble in her grasp, Momo held out her broom, "You asked if I had ever considered upgrading my curse tool. I thought you were full of shit but then I saw what you did with Kasumi's sword."
"Hmmm, that's an answer, but not the right one," Kiniro muttered as he cocked his head to the side, "So I'll ask you one more time. What do you desire?"
Momo was silent for a moment before the answer spilled forth from her lips, "Power, I want power."
"Acceptable, but you're still lacking," Kiniro lectured, "In Jujutsu, intention is everything. You must know what you crave and what you are willing to sacrifice to achieve it. I forced Kasumi to realize this truth. She wanted to live and was willing to let go of her ego to achieve that goal. I imagine this only worked because of the simplicity of her soul. However, as one born with an innate technique, your soul is far more robust. Its form more realized."
"I don't understand," Momo replied in a daze as Kiniro's words seemed to contain some profound truth she couldn't grasp.
"There are two forms of strength within the human consciousness, the drive to obtain what you desire, and the willingness to sacrifice what you have obtained," Kiniro continued, "Neither is more powerful than the other. However, depending on the individual, they will naturally favor one strength over the other. Kasumi was willing to sacrifice her sense of self for power. But you must possess a desire that matches her willful sacrifice."
"But if someone has no desire, how could they ever obtain anything worth sacrificing?" Momo couldn't help but ask, "And if I'm unwilling to sacrifice anything, how can I ever obtain what I desire?"
"Because desire and sacrifice are not opposites." Kiniro answered as he stood back up and faced Momo, "They are merely reversals of the same truth. One must exist to give the other any meaning. To desire something, you must be willing to sacrifice anything to obtain it, and you can only sacrifice something if you desire it."
"So if both happen in tandem, then how are they any different?"
"Because humans are incapable of interpreting the absolute truth," Kiniro replied as his eyes flared, drawing Momo in like a moth to a flame, "We are imperfect beings with egos desperate to center themselves in a single universal truth rather than realizing that both nothing and everything matters. What version of the truth your ego and soul accepts will determine how your strength manifests."
Without even realizing it, Momo moved away from the door, slowly walking towards Kiniro, whose eyes continued to roam over her with a tangible hunger, "And the truth your soul accepts is that desire will always be greater than sacrifice."
"Then how do I turn that into strength?" Momo asked as she stopped at the edge of Kiniro's futon, "How does desire become power?"
"You need to experience what it is like to fully give into desire," Kiniro replied as a feverish aura rose from his body, "You need to become powerless yourself and realize just how absolute desire's control is."
"A-and how will I do that?" Momo stammered as she felt Kiniro's fever latch onto her body, making it flush wherever his gaze landed.
Kiniro smiled and, despite his relaxed stance lying out on the futon, Momo couldn't help but feel like he towered over her, "You know how."
Momo felt her cheeks turn red with a scalding heat as Kiniro's proposition hung heavy in the air, 'Am I really about to…do that…with him?'
"J-just exactly what are you going to do?" Momo muttered in a daze as her head swam and her chest heaved with each breath.
"Whatever it takes for you to give in." Kiniro answered mysteriously, "To the point where I can ask you to betray your closest friends and family and you would do it in a heartbeat without hesitation."
"You're not messing with me, right?" Momo asked as she realized what she was getting into and couldn't help but wonder if she was far in over her head, "Doing this with you will get me what I want?"
"Believe me, if I just wanted to sleep with you, I wouldn't have needed to get all philosophical," Kiniro replied with a smile, "But as a show of good faith, I swear, what I say is true. This is what you need in order to obtain the strength you desire."
Momo felt a weight settle in along with a flare of cursed energy from Kiniro, who continued to stare at her, "So now, what will it be? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for your desire?"