At this moment, Eriri took a deep breath and stepped forward, her twin-tails swaying gently with her movement.
She tried to make her voice sound calm and powerful. "Sukuna-san, regarding the matter of spreading your name, the Sawamura Family will use their resources and influence to assist with all their might."
She looked at Sukuna, conveying her mother's message. "This is my mother's intention. She says the Sawamura family owes you a favor, and... she believes establishing a certain cooperative relationship with you might align better with the family's interests than becoming enemies."
These words were very blunt, carrying the realism and calculation typical of a financial tycoon family, but they also demonstrated sincerity.
Sukuna didn't seem surprised by the Sawamura family's stance.
He sneered, "A smart choice. In this increasingly dangerous world, finding a powerful backer is better than clinging to hypocritical justice and waiting to die."
He paused, his four eyes scanning Eriri, then looking at Megumi and Utaha, as if evaluating the value of these newly acquired "pawns."
Then, he proposed new requirements in a tone as relaxed as ordering from a menu, "Fine. Since you are so sincere, in addition to completing the image promotion, help me with two small favors along the way."
He extended a finger. "First, find my other fingers scattered outside for me. My twenty fingers are the core of my power."
"You can use the Sawamura family's intelligence network, as well as information you might obtain from Civilian Devil Hunter Forums, to keep an eye out for any rumors or physical objects regarding 'special grade cursed objects,' 'withered fingers,' or 'ancient curse vessels.' Notify me immediately as soon as there is any news."
He extended a second finger, his tone carrying a hint of cold calculation. "Second, collect all possible information about the Public Security Exorcist Division for me. This includes their organizational structure, important members, operational patterns, the abilities or equipment they possess, and... the higher-ups that might exist behind them."
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. I don't want to be disturbed by a swarm of annoying flies at the critical moment of restoring my power."
These two requests—one concerning the restoration of Sukuna's fundamental power and the other concerning information on potential enemies—were by no means "small favors."
This fully demonstrated that Sukuna had begun to view the Sawamura Family and these three girls as useful tools and was starting to lay out his plans for the future.
Eriri and Megumi exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes. They understood that once they agreed, it would mean being drawn deeper into this dark world. But things had come to this point, and they didn't seem to have a better choice. Power and protection come at a price.
"We understand." Eriri nodded on behalf of the two.
"The Sawamura family will use its resources to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the fingers. We will also do our best to collect information regarding the Public Security Exorcist Division."
"Very good." Sukuna narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Then, the contract is established. Next, I will grant you a gift so you can experience for yourselves what it feels like to be brimming with Cursed Energy."
Sukuna did not hold any complicated ceremony. For an existence like him, the essence of a contract was the binding of rules, not the accumulation of formalities.
Sukuna, controlling the mouth on Utaha's cheek, opened it slightly and silently chanted several ancient and obscure syllables. Simultaneously, a minuscule, blood-drop-like dark red light flashed in each of his four crimson eyes.
The next moment, two strands of dark red energy filaments, almost invisible to the naked eye, composed of highly condensed Cursed Energy and a trace of Sukuna's core consciousness, silently emerged from the crack on Utaha's cheek like living vipers, shooting toward the center of Eriri's and Megumi's foreheads with lightning speed.
"!"
Eriri and Megumi had no time to react at all. They only felt a chill between their eyebrows, as if a thin ice needle had lightly pricked them, and the dark red filaments instantly merged into their bodies and vanished.
Immediately after—
"Ah!" Eriri let out a short shriek and abruptly clutched her head.
Although Megumi remained expressionless, her body visibly stiffened, and her pupils contracted slightly.
Deep within their minds, a low, languid, yet undeniably authoritative male voice clearly sounded, as if branded directly onto their souls.
"Don't make a fuss, little girls. This is the basic link established after the contract, facilitating tutelage and communication."
It was Sukuna's voice, appearing directly inside their heads.
"Calm yourselves." Sukuna's voice sounded again in their minds, carrying a commanding guidance.
"Rejection and fear will only make the Cursed Energy more chaotic. Carefully feel how I guide this power. It's like learning to ride a bike, having someone hold you is faster than falling on your own."
His words seemed to possess a strange power, gradually calming their frantically beating hearts. They closed their eyes as instructed, trying to sink their consciousness inward to sense the ethereal Cursed Energy.
Guided by this external consciousness, they "saw" for the first time the chaotic and disorganized Cursed Energy within their bodies, which resembled gray mist.
Sukuna's consciousness acted as the most skilled mentor, guiding their intent to gather and compress the gray mist bit by bit, like weaving threads, finally directing it towards their hands.
"Imagine the power covering your palms, like putting on gloves." Sukuna's instruction was concise.
Eriri was the first to react. Following the guidance, she concentrated. On her palms, an extremely faint, almost invisible gray aura began to appear, like a glowing veil covering her hands. Although weak, it was stable.
"I... I succeeded!"
Eriri opened her eyes, excitedly looking at her hands and feeling the faint sense of power originating from within, a feeling she had never experienced before. She was so thrilled she almost jumped up. Her Chuunibyou Spirit burned fiercely again and she imagined her future self fighting evil with a lightsaber.
Immediately after, a similar phenomenon appeared on Megumi's hands. Her Cursed Energy was slightly more solid than Eriri's, and its color leaned toward a nearly transparent light gray, demonstrating her excellent control talent and calm demeanor.
"Oh? You're learning quite fast." Sukuna's voice sounded in their minds, carrying a hint of imperceptible surprise and amusement.
He was slightly surprised that these two girls' talent and adaptability were better than he had anticipated. Of course, this level was still like a baby learning to walk—insignificant.