The two arrived at Natsuki's room. After the servants laid out the meal, the three of them paused
before eating.
"Itadakimasu."
All three spoke in unison.
After five years in Japan, Shinichi had grown accustomed to this ritual before meals.
"I heard Shinichi got into a fight with other clan members today. Are you hurt?"
Natsuki didn't touch her food, her concern focused entirely on Shinichi.
"I'm fine, Lady Natsuki. It wasn't really a conflict."
In a sense, Shinichi's overwhelming victory hardly qualified as one.
"Mother, Shinichi was amazing! He's awakened Blood Manipulation, just like me. Kamo Kengen's Blood
Puppet Manipulation was no match for him at all!"
Kenki reported proudly.
"Really? Then today is certainly worth celebrating. Should we add a couple more dishes? Perhaps
some drinks?"
Clatter.
The door slid open.
Kenki and Natsuki's expressions shifted instantly to respect.
"Father."
"Clan Head."
The visitor was Kamo Kenji, current head of the Kamo clan.
Shinichi didn't react at all. No honorifics, no bow. In his mind, Kamo Kenji was his biological
father.
But... so what?
"No need for formality. Just be natural, like Shinichi."
Kamo Kenji sat down at the table without any pretense of authority.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Of course not—"
"Sorry."
Shinichi cut Natsuki off before she could finish.
"There isn't enough food for another person. If you want to eat, have someone bring more. Right,
Father?"
He spoke with narrowed eyes, showing neither disrespect nor deference.
"Hahaha. Of course."
Kamo Kenji turned to the guard behind him.
"Fujitake, fetch another meal."
"Yes, Clan Head."
Fujitake turned and left the room.
As the clan head's personal guard, Fujitake's strength was at the quasi-Grade 1 level. But within
the heavily fortified Kamo estate, there was little concern for Kenji's safety.
Shinichi's eyes began to observe quietly.
Normally, his status had prevented him from scrutinizing Kamo Kenji so openly. But since the man
had invited him to call him "Father," surely a little observation was acceptable?
His purple eyes swept over Kamo Kenji. After a careful analysis, he slowly withdrew his gaze.
In terms of raw cursed energy, he's stronger than Fujitake. And as clan head, his technique should
also be Blood Manipulation. Grade 1, most likely.
Shinichi ate his meal in an orderly fashion. During dinner, conversation was minimal—large
families placed great emphasis on etiquette during meals.
Of course, if Kamo Kenji hadn't been present, they would have chatted freely.
"Actually, I came here to speak with Shinichi. There are some things I didn't finish explaining
earlier."
At this, Natsuki and Kenki excused themselves, leaving father and son alone.
"Is there something else you forgot to tell me?"
Shinichi asked casually.
"Indeed. Something important."
Kamo Kenji paused.
"It's about your eyes."
"My eyes?"
Shinichi was puzzled. He knew his eyes could perceive the flow of cursed energy and detect curses.
Was there more to them?
"Those eyes—known as the Purple Eyes—were at their peak a thousand years ago."
"A thousand years ago?"
Shinichi was startled. A thousand years ago was the Heian era. The age of Sukuna and Kenjaku.
The thought of the King of Curses and the ancient brain-parasite sorcerer sent a chill down his
spine. If he encountered either of them now, he would be dead in an instant.
"Yes. During the Heian period, sorcerers suffered catastrophic losses attempting to subjugate the
so-called King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. But many powerful sorcerers also emerged and made names
for themselves."
"The most famous of them being..."
"My Purple Eyes?" Shinichi ventured.
"No. The Six Eyes of the Gojo clan."
Silence.
"...Then why all the buildup?"
"I wasn't finished. The fame of the Six Eyes is well-deserved. For a thousand years, the Six Eyes
have never disappeared from the world. They grant abilities every sorcerer dreams of:
three-hundred-sixty-degree observation with no blind spots, and precise manipulation of cursed
energy."
"But the Purple Eyes are different. Do you know why?"
Shinichi's expression went flat. Shouldn't you be the one telling me? Why are you asking?
Seeing no response, Kamo Kenji smiled knowingly.
"The decline of the Purple Eyes stems from inheritance. Unlike the Six Eyes, which appear in every
generation, the Purple Eyes have had fewer than five recorded wielders throughout history."
The comparison made Shinichi appreciate the rarity of his eyes. But doubts remained.
"Even so, I don't see how my eyes could be superior to the Six Eyes."
"That's because no one has properly studied them. No one has revealed their true capabilities to
the world."
Kamo Kenji leaned forward.
"The earliest recorded wielder of the Purple Eyes lived two thousand years ago. Then another
appeared during the Heian period, one thousand years ago. Then one in the Edo period, roughly four
hundred years ago. And now—your mother, and you."
"...?"
Shinichi frowned. "The gaps were a thousand years, then six hundred, then four hundred—and now it
passed directly to me?"
"You've noticed. The inheritance of the Purple Eyes is irregular and unpredictable. The Kamo clan
has studied the Purple Eyes more extensively than any of the three great families. That's why the
previous clan head sought out your mother—hoping to study her eyes."
"But..."
"But her technique had no combat applications, so she could only be used for marriage?"
"Your mother was a kind person. Kind to everyone, never angry. That's why I gradually fell in love
with her."
Seeing his father drift into reminiscence, Shinichi interrupted.
"So in the end, how exactly are my eyes superior to the Six Eyes?"
"Ahem. Right."
Kamo Kenji composed himself.
"Based on the Kamo clan's records and conversations I had with your mother, I've formed a theory.
The Purple Eyes' strength lies in their extraordinarily precise manipulation of cursed energy. In
that regard, they may equal—no, they must surpass—even the Six Eyes."
"Surpass the Six Eyes in precision of cursed energy manipulation."
Shinichi's heart raced. Though this needed verification, it meant his potential for cursed energy
control was exceptional.
"No wonder it feels so natural when I practice techniques. No wonder I never seem to run low on
cursed energy. It's because of these eyes?"
"Yes. This is the greatest gift your mother left you—a bloodline talent that rivals the Six Eyes
themselves."
After seeing off Kamo Kenji, night had fully fallen.
Kenki and Natsuki returned shortly after, chatted with Shinichi for a while, then retired to their
rooms. Shinichi didn't reveal the secret of his eyes.
Back in his own room, Shinichi began reviewing his techniques and reflecting on what he had
learned. Feeling the summer heat, a sudden thought struck him.
Summer of 2006.
The Hidden Inventory arc was about to begin.
Shinichi immediately climbed out of bed. He needed information—everything he could find about
Tokyo Jujutsu High.
He ran to the Kamo clan's intelligence archives. Before today, he had been strictly forbidden from
entering.
But things were different now. From the moment he revealed his technique, the entire upper echelon
of the Kamo clan had changed their perception of him in a single day.
"Young Master Shinichi? What brings you here so late?"
The clan member on night duty showed immediate respect. He had received word from his superiors at
noon and had already updated the list of important clan figures.
Seeing the deference, Shinichi didn't bother with false modesty. His technique becoming public
knowledge was only a matter of time.
"Give me everything you have on Tokyo Jujutsu High."
"Y-Yes, right away."
Noting Shinichi's urgency, the attendant hurried into the archives.
Three minutes later, he returned.
"It's all here, Young Master Shinichi."
The three great clans had presences in both Kyoto and Tokyo, though the Kamo clan was based
primarily in Kyoto.
The attendant was puzzled by Shinichi's interest in Tokyo Jujutsu High, but he knew better than to
ask. The less he knew, the safer he was.
He wisely left Shinichi alone in the archives and returned to his post outside.
Shinichi was relieved not to have an audience. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
He opened the file.
"Second-year students of Tokyo Jujutsu High, 2006: Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Shoko Ieiri. Homeroom
teacher: Masamichi Yaga. No other current students."
It's June now. I should still have time. But I need to see this for myself.
One month later.
A black sedan drove down a rain-slicked asphalt road. Inside were a white-haired woman in a black
suit and a black-haired girl dressed in shrine maiden attire.
"Originally, a family lived here—the owners of a local barbecue restaurant. When the mad cow
disease outbreak hit last July, they went bankrupt and fell into heavy debt. The entire family
committed suicide. After that, this place became a famous haunted spot. High schoolers, college
students, even unemployed adults have come here to test their courage."
"Every single one of them has gone missing. The rumors keep spreading, and the victims keep piling
up."
The girl in shrine maiden garb closed her laptop and addressed the woman in the back seat.
"Supernatural incidents always spread quickly—especially now with the internet. It's causing our
workload to skyrocket."
The woman replied while tapping on a flip phone.
"Recently, three elementary school students went missing. If the search parties get too close to
that mansion, they'll become victims too. We need to find the source and eliminate it quickly."
"That's why the higher-ups made this a priority mission and commissioned me personally. They paid
a substantial fee."
"Are you extorting them again, Ms. Mei Mei?"
"How rude. Please call it a 'negotiated result.'"
Mei Mei tucked away her phone as the car passed a sign warning people not to enter.
"We've arrived, ladies."
Mei Mei and Utahime Iori stepped out with black umbrellas and walked along a muddy path toward a
gloomy mansion surrounded by overgrown trees.
"This must be the place."
"I don't sense any cursed energy out here. It's probably inside the building."
"Should I set up a Curtain?"
As a Grade 2 sorcerer, Utahime technically held precedence over Mei Mei, a Grade 1, when it came
to tactical decisions.
"No. Save it for when we need to attack from outside."
Rustle...
A sound came from the nearby bushes.
"Who's there? Show yourself."
Mei Mei immediately turned toward the sound, guard raised. Utahime tensed beside her.
"Ahaha... Hello."
The figure who emerged from the bushes was none other than Shinichi, who had snuck out of the Kamo
estate.
"A kid?"
Shinichi felt a twinge of embarrassment. He had spent the past month at the Kamo estate,
practicing Blood Manipulation and monitoring supernatural news, waiting for exactly this moment.
When the time came, he had slipped away without hesitation—relying on his handsome face to charm
his way through food and lodging along the journey. He had arrived ahead of schedule.
What he hadn't anticipated was the rain. He was thoroughly soaked.
Worth noting: in his haste to leave, Shinichi was still wearing the traditional white kimono of
the Kamo clan. If you ignored his purple eyes and didn't look too closely, you might mistake him
for Utahime's younger brother.
"Oh my, what a cute little boy."
Utahime was instantly charmed by Shinichi's appearance. She approached him and held her umbrella
over his head.
Mei Mei said nothing but didn't intervene. She detected no curse on the boy. However...
He has cursed energy. A child who awakened spontaneously?
"Little boy, what are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Utahime assumed he was just a lost elementary schooler—though a boy in a white kimono was almost
unfairly adorable.
"Hello, miss. I saw something strange run this way, so I followed it."
Shinichi immediately put on an act, pretending to be an ordinary child who had accidentally
stumbled upon a cursed spirit.
"It's dangerous here, little one. I'll take you back down the mountain first."
Mei Mei placed a hand on Utahime's shoulder and spoke.
Damn. If I can't get inside, I'll be stuck out here for another couple of days. Never mind food—if
the Kamo clan catches up to me, this whole plan falls apart.
Shinichi's mind raced, trying to figure out what to say to convince them to bring him along.
"This boy has cursed energy. He probably encountered residual cursed energy or a cursed spirit.
Let's hand him over to the auxiliary manager at the base of the mountain."
At that moment, thunder rumbled through the dark sky.
While Mei Mei and Utahime were distracted, Shinichi bolted toward the mansion at lightning speed.
The door was barricaded, but there was just enough of a gap to squeeze through.
"Hey! You can't go in there!"
Utahime shouted, but it was too late. Shinichi had already slipped inside.
"This is problematic. We have to go in after him."
Mei Mei nodded, and the two forced the door open.
The moment all three entered, the mansion began to shift—as if responding to their presence.
Behind them, the door they had just broken through restored itself to its original state.