Chapter 103 — Tsumiki Awakens
Inside the Fushiguro household.
Zen'in Shinsuke, Toji, and Fushiguro Megumi stood silently around the bed.
Tsumiki lay motionless beneath the white sheets, peaceful as a sleeping beauty.
The cursed mark that once scarred her forehead had completely disappeared.
"Uncle… why hasn't my sister woken up yet?" Megumi asked, his voice tight with worry.
Kenjaku had said the people who fell into comas would eventually wake up — so why was she still asleep?
Toji frowned and glanced at Shinsuke; even he wasn't sure what was going on.
Shinsuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully, studying the pretend-sleeping Tsumiki — or rather, the ancient sorcerer "Yorozu" inside her. He didn't expose her; instead, he quietly took out a small box.
Inside was a tiny, perfectly round cursed orb — a special-grade cursed object.
Kenjaku had given it to him, claiming that if Tsumiki swallowed it, her soul would fully return and the foreign spirit inside her would be suppressed — restoring her body to her rightful control.
Under Toji and Megumi's watchful eyes, Shinsuke removed the orb.
Then, with one swift motion, he gripped Tsumiki's jaw, pried her mouth open, and shoved the orb inside.
"Mmm—!"
The moment the orb went down, Tsumiki's eyes snapped open — sharp, furious, and far too alive.
"What did you just make me swallow?!"
Yorozu — the ancient sorcerer inhabiting Tsumiki's body — shot upright, clutching at her throat in a futile attempt to keep the cursed energy from spreading.
But it was already too late.
As soon as the orb entered her mouth, it dissolved into raw cursed energy, flooding her body from within.
"You'll pay for that!"
Feeling her control slipping, Yorozu's expression twisted into rage. With a snarl, she raised a hand toward the trio, her cursed energy erupting like a storm.
Liquid metal gushed into existence, writhing and spreading to engulf the room.
"Shhhkkk!"
Before it could reach them, Toji drew the Inverted Spear of Heaven from his cursed pouch, his arm slicing through the air in a blur. In mere seconds, the metallic flood was shredded into glittering fragments.
Yorozu's technique — Construction Jujutsu, the same type used by Zen'in Mai — was a thousand years more refined, capable of building weapons, armor, and tools from raw cursed energy.
But even that wasn't enough.
Staggering from dizziness, she tore away the blanket and activated her full technique.
Armor formed across her body, sleek and chitinous like an insect's exoskeleton, covering her from head to toe.
With a shriek, she lunged forward, claws gleaming.
Toji snatched Megumi by the collar and flashed several meters back in an instant.
Yorozu's claws came down — straight at Zen'in Shinsuke.
Crack!
He didn't move. He simply raised a hand, caught her claw mid-swing, and with the other hand gripped her throat, slamming her flat against the bed.
"Let me go!" she screamed, thrashing violently.
But his hand was like a steel vise; she couldn't even budge.
What… what is this? she thought, panic flickering behind her fury.
Since when were modern sorcerers this strong? She, an elite from the ancient age, couldn't even fight back.
Expression calm, Shinsuke held her down, waiting. He knew the cursed object's effect would kick in soon.
Moments passed. Her struggles grew weaker, her breathing uneven.
The armor began to flake away, dissolving into light.
And then — clarity returned to her eyes.
Tsumiki blinked up at him, confused, the hostility gone.
"Uncle…?"
At her voice, Shinsuke finally released his grip and exhaled.
"Ha. Even for a thousand-year-old lunatic, you put up a hell of a fight. Not bad for a special-grade curse."
Then, with a faint smile: "Welcome back, Tsumiki."
"Sis!" Megumi rushed forward, his eyes wide, hope trembling in his voice. "Are you okay?"
For a heartbeat, Tsumiki seemed lost — then her mind caught up, and a soft smile curved her lips.
"I'm fine, Megumi."
She turned to the men who had helped her. "Father, Uncle… thank you."
Though she had been unconscious for years, she could still faintly sense what had happened outside — the turmoil, the fear, the prayers whispered at her bedside.
And now, at last, she was awake.
Over the years of her long slumber, her family had never left her side — not once.
A faint smile curved her lips, but a single tear slid down her cheek.
In that moment, the invisible bond of family took form — warm, undeniable, and real.
To be surrounded by people who loved her this deeply... she thought, I'm really lucky.
"Since you're fine now," Zen'in Shinsuke said softly, "get some rest for the next few days. As for that thing inside you, you can ignore it for now."
"This whole situation…" Toji crossed his arms, frowning. "That wasn't Tsumiki just now, was it?"
Both Megumi and Tsumiki turned their eyes to Shinsuke.
Megumi still didn't fully understand his sister's condition, while Tsumiki herself could feel it — another presence lurking inside her.
It was strange: she could sense that being's thoughts, even faintly communicate with it, as if they shared one body and two minds.
"That thing you saw earlier," Shinsuke explained, "was an ancient sorcerer from over a thousand years ago — one with terrifying power."
He looked from Tsumiki to Megumi and Toji.
"You can think of Tsumiki's situation as similar to Itadori's. She's become a vessel for that ancient sorcerer's soul."
"However," he continued, "without Tsumiki's permission, the sorcerer inside her can't come out on her own."
"A thousand-year-old sorcerer…?" Megumi's eyes widened in disbelief.
His mind reeled. His sister — like Itadori — was now sharing her body with another being?
"So it's like a contract, then?" Toji muttered, deep in thought. "The same one you made with that guy?"
"Mm." Shinsuke nodded.
Kenjaku hadn't shown himself in person — even the special-grade cursed object had been delivered through intermediaries.
"So right now," Megumi asked cautiously, "Tsumiki's soul is bound to that sorcerer's?"
"Essentially, yes," Shinsuke replied. "If Tsumiki dies, the sorcerer inside her dies as well.
But if the sorcerer willingly ends her own existence, Tsumiki will remain unharmed — she'll return completely to normal."
"I see…" Tsumiki's expression softened into concern. "Then… am I a danger to everyone?"
Shinsuke waved a hand dismissively. "No need to worry. Just think of her as a tenant renting a room in your body.
As long as you don't open the door, she can't come out — that is, so long as your physical and mental state remain stable."
He added, "If you ever get seriously injured or fall unconscious, she might seize the chance to surface. So as long as you protect yourself, you'll be fine."
He laid everything out clearly, letting Tsumiki understand her condition and risks. The rest — how she would deal with that being — was up to her.
"Honestly," Shinsuke added with a shrug, "this isn't the worst thing. That one's a capable sorcerer in her own right.
If you're ever in danger and we're not around, just let her out for a bit — free bodyguard service. When the fight's over, reel her back in."
"Don't you dare!"
The sudden shout made everyone jump — Tsumiki's voice, but sharper, colder.
Her body tensed, her eyes flashing with rage for an instant… then it was gone.
Tsumiki blinked, disoriented. "That was…?"
She could feel it clearly — the fury of her "tenant" simmering inside.
"Ahem," Shinsuke coughed, feigning calm. "Probably just because you've only just woken up. Your body's still unstable."
But inwardly, he frowned.
Kenjaku, you scheming old bastard… you didn't trick me, did you?
Still, with their binding vow in place, the ancient sorcerer shouldn't be able to betray him…
At least, that's what he hoped.