Uraume remained in a kneeling position, their ice-blue eyes calmly turning toward the pale Utaha on the hospital bed.
In their understanding and thousand-year memories, Sukuna had always lacked patience for the weak, especially "weak women," often viewing them as nuisances or ants to be disposed of at will.
Although this young girl housed his will within her, her own presence was faint, and her soul was still trembling from the aftershocks of the earlier Domain confrontation, she was clearly not a powerhouse.
"Sukuna-sama." Uraume's voice was as cold as crushed ice as they respectfully requested instructions.
"This woman... your current vessel, how should she be handled? She seems quite fragile."
The subtext was clear: was there a need to clean up or replace her with someone more suitable?
Uraume believed it was their duty as an old subordinate, to clear away unnecessary burdens for Sukuna.
Utaha's heart instantly leaped into her throat, and her blood felt as if it had frozen.
This white-haired monk who had suddenly appeared with an unfathomable aura was discussing her "disposal" in such a flat tone.
She subconsciously gripped the bedsheets, her fingertips turning white. Her eyes were filled with terror as she looked at Uraume, and she instinctively "looked" toward the direction of the existence within her body.
A brief silence.
Then, Sukuna's unique, echoing, and lazy voice emerged once again through the mouth that had split open on Utaha's cheek, carrying a "playful" tone that Uraume hadn't heard in a long time.
"Her? Heh... she's quite interesting." Sukuna commented, as if critiquing a novel toy.
"The women of this era are also quite interesting, they're much prettier than before, and she's still useful to me."
He paused, seemingly in thought, and then gave an answer that caused a slight crack to appear in Uraume's frozen expression.
"Let's keep her for now. As long as she's willing to continue following in my footsteps and witness this interesting yet cruel world, I don't mind protecting her for a while. The weak have their uses. Who knows? She might become impossible to ignore one day, or suddenly show unexpected value. Wouldn't that be interesting, Uraume?"
Protection.
This word coming from Sukuna's mouth, and directed at a "weak woman," caused a genuine ripple in Uraume's thousand-year-old glacial state of mind.
They slightly lifted their lowered eyelids and took another careful look at Utaha, as if re-evaluating her worth.
Having followed Sukuna through countless years of war and slaughter, they knew his temperament well.
The Sukuna of the past was powerful, tyrannical, and followed his every whim. To Uraume, his killing and destruction seemed more like an ultimate vent for resentment and anger toward the world, his own fate, and those mediocre ants—a fire burning from a dark soul.
But now... they sensed something different in Sukuna's words.
It wasn't destruction driven by resentment, but something closer to... pure pleasure? He seemed happy?
"Sukuna-sama, you seem..."
Uraume chose their words carefully, revealing a hint of confusion. "...a bit different from before."
"Different? Perhaps." A hint of unmasked delight and anticipation colored Sukuna's voice.
"This era is very interesting, Uraume."
He seemed to have opened up, his tone carrying a relaxed sense of sharing that Uraume had never experienced in their memory.
"There are quite a few more strong people than before. The top-tier guys... like that Six Eyes brat from earlier, he's got kick. Fighting him, fist to flesh, Domain clashes, collisions of rules... fighting such a powerful enemy is interesting. It's much more fun than slaughtering those boring small fry a thousand years ago. And..."
Sukuna paused, as if savoring a memory, and then said something that even caught Uraume off guard, "And there's a lot of delicious food, too. I like it very much."
"Delicious... food?" Uraume subconsciously repeated.
Did he mean Cursed Spirits? Or...
"Those real foods created by the humans of this era..."
"There's much more variety than in our time and they taste quite good. If there had been this much delicious food back then, maybe I wouldn't have bothered reincarnating."
Hearing Sukuna mention the food of this era, a look of realization flashed through Uraume's eyes, and they nodded respectfully in response. "Yes, Sukuna-sama. The material abundance of this era far exceeds that of the Heian Era. The variety of food, seasoning, and cooking techniques have all undergone earth-shattering changes."
"After waking up in this world, I have gained some understanding and even... learned a few things. If Sukuna-sama is interested in the future, I can prepare them for you."
"Oh? You've adapted quite well." Sukuna seemed to find it interesting.
"But those are all minor matters. For now, the most important things are the fingers, and more opponents and snacks that can bring pleasure. This isn't a place to linger. Once that Six Eyes brat deals with the Volcano Head, he'll definitely come back. This woman..."
Sukuna's "gaze" seemed to turn inward, looking at the nervous and uneasy Utaha in his consciousness.
"She will stay here for the time being. There's still a game to be played between me, Jujutsu High, and that Six Eyes brat."
"Understood, Sukuna-sama. Please take care of yourself." Uraume stopped asking questions and bowed once more.
They took one last look at Utaha. That gaze was no longer just evaluative, but seemed to carry a faint, hard-to-decipher meaning.
Immediately after, their figure, along with the heavy box on their back, faded and vanished like moonlight merging into water, leaving only a lingering chill in the hospital room.
Sukuna's mouth also slowly closed, and his presence went completely silent, as if the scene of reuniting and chatting casually with his old subordinate just now was merely an illusion.
Silence returned to the hospital room.
The equipment beeped, and Kiyotaka's anxious pacing could be heard faintly outside the door.
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000