That afternoon, Akira Zenin asked the two of them to stay for a simple dinner.
Since he had sent away all the staff and Zenin Clan servants, the meal was actually cooked by the ever-capable Kento Nanami using his "portable kitchen."
Rice, miso soup, a few fried fish, omelet, tonkatsu…
True to his reputation as a reliable future adult, Nanami's cooking was excellent, though in the end he only ate a few bites of omelet and some bread.
Akira Zenin himself ate a little out of habit. Most of the food disappeared into Yu Haibara's stomach.
Glancing at the sun sinking toward the horizon, Akira Zenin said to the two of them,
"We all still have assignments. Let's call it a day."
"Okay!"
When Yu Haibara reached the doorway, he turned back and bowed. Perhaps he put too much force into it, because he accidentally let out a loud burp.
"Burp~
Akira-senpai, thanks for the food today!"
Kento Nanami, standing beside him, looked full of resentment.
"Yeah. You invite people over, and I'm the one stuck cooking."
"The ingredients were provided by Akira-senpai."
"Fine. I'm not coming next time."
"Eh? You can't say that. Nanami, your cooking is actually really good."
Their voices gradually faded as they walked away. Just before they disappeared from sight, Akira Zenin saw Kento Nanami raise a hand and wave back.
Akira Zenin leaned into his chair and closed his eyes.
All Jujutsu Sorcerers were living people. They had their own dreams and their own lives. But because of how this world worked, those who reached the very top were often either mad, or inclined toward violence.
Yu Haibara was too straightforward. Kento Nanami was too rational. They were both passionate, but they lacked that innate, reckless madness.
People like that were better suited to becoming the backbone of the Jujutsu world, yet were almost destined never to stand at its peak.
Still… why did becoming the strongest have to come at any cost? Everyone should live in a way that's true to themselves.
Akira Zenin opened his eyes. To him, the most interesting thing about this world was "Cursed Techniques" themselves.
The techniques he used most often were those of [Max Elephant] and [Nue], since these two Shikigami were the easiest to develop further.
At its core, Max Elephant's technique only did two things: convert Cursed Energy into water, and spray it. Because of that, developing new moves relied heavily on shadow techniques.
[Rain of a Thousand Needles] worked by shaping a showerhead-like shadow at the base of the water jet using shadow techniques, then applying the convergence method from [Blood Manipulation Techniques] to fire off a dense spray of fine water streams.
[Ink Abyss] was even more direct. It unfolded something akin to a barrier, using shadow techniques to infuse the sprayed water with Cursed Energy and assist with targeting. The principle wasn't much different from pulling objects out of shadows.
[Nue]'s technique was simpler still. It discharged electricity, with no ability to finely control the current. Interfering with Cursed Energy to create ball lightning was already the limit of what could be controlled. Beyond that, development amounted to one thing: release electricity, release more electricity, and then release even more.
On top of that, there were only so many places on the human body where techniques could be engraved. Akira Zenin had once tried engraving two Shikigami techniques at the same time, but all it did was leave him bloodied and torn up.
Lost in thought, Akira Zenin stayed like that alone. When the fatigue finally caught up to him, he didn't resist it, slumping forward onto the desk and falling asleep…
When he woke up, it was already noon the next day.
"Maybe… next I could try alternating the engraving between two Shikigami. Or find a way to project one Shikigami's technique onto another that's only partially summoned, then control it from there.
If that works, the possible combinations would really open up."
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Akira Zenin stood up and prepared to head to Jujutsu High. As for why he was going to school…
Because for some reason, sleeping there was always better than sleeping at home.
The trip back was uneventful. After getting off the train, he soon arrived at the entrance to the school.
As Akira Zenin walked onto campus and passed by the basketball court, he heard rapid yet rhythmic footsteps coming from inside.
"Huh. With footsteps like that, even the whole school wouldn't be enough for a game. Did Kyoto Jujutsu High send people over?"
Curious, Akira Zenin walked to the court entrance, only to find Suguru Geto alone, apparently engaged in something new.
For example, playing basketball with the Cursed Spirits he controlled.
"Hey, what is this, playing against yourself, Geto?
You're controlling the Cursed Spirits' actions directly, right?"
Suguru Geto stopped, and the other Cursed Spirits froze in place as if they'd received an order.
"Oh, it's Akira. When you use [Cursed Spirit Manipulation], you only need to give rough instructions. The details depend on the nature of the spirit itself."
"Hm… where's Satoru Gojo? I heard you've been working together lately. Why haven't I seen him?"
"I heard the Gojo Clan is purchasing a batch of Cursed Tools. The scale is pretty large, so they needed Satoru to go back and oversee it."
"Then he should be back soon. He can do long-distance teleportation now. He's been hopping back and forth nonstop."
Suguru Geto nodded.
"But it sounds like Satoru also picked up two nearby missions, one Grade 1 and one Special Grade 1. That should take at least a day. Though he'll probably spend most of that time eating…
I had a mission of my own, so I came back first."
"A mission…"
"There's been a 'Kamikakushi' in a small mountain village. Children and women have been vanishing for no apparent reason. They've had legends about it since the Edo period, but the incidents have become more frequent lately, so someone finally asked for help."