Chapter 22 — Construction Technique
Kyoto Jujutsu High. Inside a classroom.
The day after the exorcism of the curse Kawasume.
"Will this really work?"
"Just watch!"
With a sharp clack, Mai Zen'in pressed the broken halves of the broom and its snapped handle back together, laying them neatly on the desk.
Positioning her hands just above the fracture, she formed a hand seal.
"Construction Technique!"
A flash of white light.
The crack along the broom handle vanished as if erased from existence—smooth and seamless, as though it had never been broken.
Mai picked it up and gave the handle a confident spin.
"Done!"
Momo Nishimiya accepted the broom and twirled it a few times herself. Then she closed her eyes, sensing something. After a brief pause, she opened them again—her youthful face glowing with delight.
"Thank you, Mai! It's perfect!"
"All that's left is to let the tsukumogami recover naturally."
Ren stared, dumbfounded.
"That actually works?"
"Of course it does!" Mai puffed out her chest proudly. "Construction Technique is versatile."
"…Even if it consumes an absurd amount of cursed energy."
"But for repairing damaged cursed tools, it's actually ideal—especially when something is split cleanly in two. All I need to construct is a minimal amount of material to fill the seam."
"The substance created by Construction can perfectly replicate the properties of the original cursed tool. That means once repaired, it's indistinguishable from before—no flaws whatsoever!"
"That's a huge help," Momo said sincerely.
"Tsukumogami are curses born from ancient objects that accumulate resentment over time. The older the object, the stronger the curse. If we used ordinary methods and replaced the damaged parts with new material, the object would inevitably differ from the original. It would only resemble it in form, and the curse's power would weaken as a result."
"But the broom Mai repaired is truly identical to its previous state. That means the tsukumogami's condition won't be affected at all."
Ren blinked.
When you put it that way… this technique does have its merits.
Still…
Its efficiency was painfully low.
Ren watched as Mai finished repairing nothing more than a tiny crack—yet her chest heaved violently, breath coming in ragged gasps. The sight alone made him abandon any immediate thoughts of "learning" her technique.
I'll save that for when I actually have free time.
Construction was a logistics-type technique. It didn't directly enhance combat strength. And from the brief observation he'd just made, its complexity far exceeded that of the Flame Technique—meaning it would require far more time and effort to master.
If he had to guess, it was probably because "creating matter" was a concept far more advanced than "igniting flames."
For now… his time was better spent elsewhere.
"Senpai," Ren turned toward her, "how is Kawasume recovering?"
"It's fine, more or less. Why?"
"May I ask you a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Please have it use Slash on me again."
…
They gathered on the training field.
"Learning a technique?" Momo widened her eyes, still struggling to process what she'd just heard.
"Yep." Mai folded one arm across her chest, the other propping up her chin. "This guy's got some… special talents. Just watch."
Momo unsheathed the sword at her back and summoned the tsukumogami, Kawasume.
A curse in white kendo robes and a crimson waist guard emerged from the blade. Black hair tied in a ponytail. Two small white wings sprouted where ears should have been. Sword in hand, eyes lowered, it radiated restrained killing intent—still cold, still aloof.
Except…
Its once-dignified face was mottled with faint bruises and swelling, marring its sharp composure.
And when it lifted its eyes and saw Ren standing ahead—
Its gaze visibly wavered.
It even took a small step back.
"…#￥%…" It muttered something low and indistinct.
"Can it speak?" Ren asked curiously.
"Barely," Momo shook her head. "Just a few scattered words."
That checked out. During their entire battle yesterday, Ren had only heard it utter one word: Shift.
"What was it doing just now?" Ren pressed.
Momo couldn't help but laugh.
"It was afraid. You beat it senseless yesterday."
She turned to the shikigami and reassured it gently.
"Don't worry. Today's just practice. He won't hurt you."
Ren blinked. "It still remembers yesterday? And it can understand you?"
"There's a special communication between a shikigami and its summoner. It understands my intent—but it can't truly comprehend human language."
"Alright," Momo clapped her hands lightly, excitement rising. "Enough talk. Show me this 'talent' of yours, little Ren."
She pointed dramatically.
"Attack!"
Kawasume moved instantly. Its wrist twisted, steel sang as the blade left the sheath, and an invisible slash cut straight toward Ren—
After dozens of rapid exchanges, Ren called a halt.
"No. This isn't right."
He wasn't here to fight Kawasume.
He was here to learn.
After a brief discussion with Momo, Ren stepped beside the shikigami. At her instruction, Kawasume cautiously began to draw its blade again—this time not aimed at anyone, but purely as a demonstration. The motion was slow, deliberate, instructional.
Ren observed carefully.
After a moment, he borrowed Miwa's katana, infused it with cursed energy, and began mimicking the draw and strike.
This was the new training plan he'd devised for himself:
Learn Kawasume's Slash.
From their previous battle, he'd already realized that Kawasume's Slash outperformed his own cursed energy blade—both in cutting power at equal energy output and in its unique concealment properties.
Moreover, Ren sensed something deeper.
Both techniques were fundamentally cursed-energy-based slashes. There had to be shared principles—meaning he already possessed a foundation to build upon.
Compared to Flash and Shift, which enabled high-speed movement and omnidirectional area slashing respectively, Slash was the most direct and accessible improvement.
One step at a time.
No rushing.
"Slash!"
Steel rang.
Ren's blade carved forward. A blue crescent of cursed energy tore through the rubberized ground, grass and soil erupting as a deep trench split the field.
"…Failed again," Ren muttered, frowning.
Nearby, Kawasume—obediently demonstrating its slow, controlled slash—glanced at the terrifying trench Ren had just carved into the field…
…and involuntarily shuddered.