Crack—!
Like a massive glass window shattering, the pitch-black barrier covering the training yard disintegrated into shards and scattered.
As the Domain lifted, the silence that had gripped the center of the yard was broken by Naobito's light sigh.
"...I lost."
Naobito raised both hands and shrugged his shoulders.
At that declaration, Jinichi, who had been watching breathlessly from a corner of the yard, stammered out the verdict with a look of utter disbelief.
"The—The match is decided! Winner, Kuroda Hachiro!"
"Whew."
I let out a short breath, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. Even though my psychological warfare—using the blind spots and loopholes of Projection Sorcery—had worked, the pressure from the Head of the Clan when he got serious was no joke. I dropped my usual snarky attitude and bowed very politely.
"I learned a great deal, Old Man."
Naobito looked at me, drenched in sweat, and chuckled as if he were impressed—or perhaps just exhausted by my existence.
"Fine, fine. You've finally reached it, then. The peak of jujutsu combat... its very height."
"I suppose so."
"Are you pleased? Keh-keh. You monster of a boy. To grasp the sensation of a completed Domain at your age..."
I gave a light shrug at Naobito's praise.
"Well, it's not bad. Ah, right. I'll be heading out for a bit."
"Eh? You just finished a life-or-death duel, where are you going now?"
"There's a place I need to drop by. I figured if I leave Kyoto now, I might not get the chance to see it again for a long time."
I left the training ground with a meaningful smile.
After tossing aside my sweat-soaked sparring clothes, I stood under the cold stream of the shower.
"Heh... Winning against that old geezer. Guess I've lived long enough to see everything."
Brushing my hair back, I stared at myself in the mirror. More thrilling than the sensation of victory was the feeling of the Domain that had formed at my fingertips in the final moment of the duel.
"That final sensation... I'm never letting go of it."
It felt as though the 'Sketch' that had been clumsily imitating a form a year ago had finally evolved into a perfect masterpiece. Now, there was no need to hesitate.
Karasuma Line Exit 4 of the Kyoto Subway. The bizarre 'Rules Creepypasta' Cursed Spirit nesting there. A year ago, I would have had to put my life on the line, but now that I had a complete Domain and the Muramasa, I could easily tear it to shreds.
After finishing my shower and drying off, I was crossing the garden in light casual wear.
Dash-dash-dash—!
"Waaaaah! Scary mister...!"
"They said you're leaving! Don't goooo!"
With the sound of small footsteps, the ones who latched onto my pant legs were the twin sisters, Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin.
"...Ah."
I looked down at the kids, who were a mess of tears and snot, and let out a dry laugh.
Over the past year, my main routine had been alternating between the archives and the training hall, but I never forgot to visit these twins after training to hand them sweet candies, diligently grinding their favorability.
Of course, my primary goal is to prevent that miserable tragedy from the original work... but just in case, on the off-chance that things go south and Maki comes to exterminate the Zenin clan, wouldn't she at least spare me?
It was an action born from a fiercely realistic and selfish survival instinct, but seeing these kids hanging onto my knees and crying piteously made my heart go soft.
I leaned down and scooped both sisters up in my arms.
"Hey now, I'm heading to Tokyo in a week, but I'll come back every time school's on break. So don't worry, stop the waterworks!"
"What's a b-break...? When are you coming back...? Hic," Mai sobbed, burying her face in my shoulder.
"Hmm... it's a bit hard to explain at your age, but basically, if you sleep and wake up about a hundred times, I'll be back. Maybe a hundred nights?"
"That's too hard! Waaaaah!"
Maki, despairing at the thought of having to sleep a hundred times, looked ready to burst into tears again. I hurriedly tossed out some bait.
"Okay, okay! Then listen, when Big Bro comes back from Tokyo, I'll buy a whole bunch of delicious things. And... let's the three of us go on a picnic together. How about that? Can Maki and Mai both be brave and wait patiently?"
"...A picnic?"
At that single word, the tearswelling in the twins' eyes vanished instantly.
To these young sisters, who were labeled as the clan's shame for having no Cursed Energy and were strictly forbidden from even stepping outside the mansion, a 'picnic' was a dreamlike wish they'd only ever seen in storybooks.
"Picnic! I like it!"
"You have to come back quickly, Big Bro!"
The adorable title of 'Big Bro' coming from the little ones' mouths.
The moment I faced those pure smiles blooming toward me—
[ —At that moment, a memory that didn't exist flooded into Hachiro's mind. ]
A field on a clear spring day with warm sunlight pouring down.
On a pretty mat spread over the green grass, a fully grown Mai and Maki were sitting closely on either side of me.
"Here, try this too, Big Bro!"
Mai smiled brightly as she held out a delicious-looking sushi roll to my lips. Not to be outdone, Maki yelled from the other side while shoving an inari sushi toward me.
"No! Eat this one first, Big Bro!"
"Hahaha! They both look delicious. I'll just have to eat both!"
As I laughed heartily and popped both sushi into my mouth, Mai blushed and locked her arm with mine.
"Hehe. When I grow up, I'm going to marry Big Bro!"
"What?! Me too! I'm going to marry Big Bro too!"
"Hahaha! Alright, alright. Then I guess the three of us will just have to do it together!"
At my silly joke, the two sisters pouted and shouted simultaneously.
""What?! You're so greedy, Big Bro!!""
"Hahahaha!!"
"Ahahahaha!!"
The sounds of our innocent, clear laughter echoed across the grassy field.
"..."
Under the cherry blossom tree in the garden.
Still holding the two little ones in my arms, I stared blankly into space.
What the hell was this terrifyingly peaceful, delusional memory that just slammed through my brain?
I let out an incredulous chuckle and smirked at the two kids in my arms.
If I want to come back for a picnic during the break, I'll have to make sure I return alive.
I began walking toward the Kyoto subway station with light steps.