Several minutes seeped past.
Zenin Naobito forwarded a spreadsheet packed with intel.
Names. Personal backgrounds.
Everything that actually mattered was there, right down to their [Cursed Techniques].
People the canon never bothered to show.
Their Techniques were pedestrian, but data is data.
Forewarned is forearmed.
I exhaled, steadied my nerves, and combed through the list.
If memory served, the top brass in Jujutsu Kaisen numbered five.
Naobito's file confirmed it—exactly five names.
Two self-preservation types.
Three power hawks.
The latter didn't just want influence; they wanted the reins of the nation.
They weren't scheming for world domination, but that didn't make them any less dangerous.
In canon, Kenjaku purged any councilor who didn't toe his line.
Replaced them with puppets he could mouth-feed.
Put like that, these people were disposable.
The survivalists would probably kneel after a show of force, but still.
I'd decide after getting a read on the field.
Whom should I start with?
The original outline was to rile up one or two, manufacture public sentiment, then let them swing at me.
That plan felt small now.
If I'm stirring the pot anyway, why not toss every vegetable in?
It's tedious, sure, but I could just have Shuten charm the whole lot and funnel the narrative.
Resolution set, I stepped into the living room.
The linchpin of the plan was there, sipping sake like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Apart from Ushi-gozen, who was backing up Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai, every other Servant in the house looked my way.
For once, everyone was home.
"Oh my, Master? Your eyes are practically scorching. Do you want to hold me?" she teased.
Shuten-dōji fluttered the collar of her Chinese jiangshi outfit as she asked.
The jiangshi costume did nothing to hide her smooth, lethal legs.
"Shuten. I need a favor."
"My, wearing that terrifying face, too. This must be serious," she laughed, eyes crinkling.
She crooked a finger, eyes smiling.
A beckoning gesture.
As I stepped in, she stole a kiss.
A sweet, inebriating aroma flooded my throat.
"Master, keep making that face and I'll devour you for real."
"Then I'll have to eat you first."
Talk could wait.
If I let Shuten take the lead, she'd swallow me whole; better to flip the table.
"Kyaa, Master, how scary♡"
I scooped her up in a bridal carry. She giggled, half-moan, half-laughter.
The sound lacked pitch, playful yet languid.
I carried her to the bedroom and lovingly devoured her.
Until the morning sun began its descent.
"Mmm… If you attack me so suddenly, what am I supposed to do? You were so gallant I just surrendered," she murmured, cheeks flushed beneath the sheets.
Blushing, she hid beneath the futon.
The embarrassment was genuine.
I pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
Too cute for words.
"Like I said earlier, I called because I need your help."
"Mmm, what is it? Tell me anything. You paid me plenty in advance, so I should work hard, no?"
"Thanks."
I locked eyes with her and laid out the plan.
We'd weaponize her [Charm] to steer their actions.
The goal: make them strike first and give me legal ground to erase them.
We'd need their daily routes first.
I'd feed her addresses and schedules later.
No need to memorize.
She could just read off the screen while moving.
"Hmmm—understood. You want those pests to attack you so you can wipe them, while keeping the riff-raff quiet."
"Can I leave it to you?"
"Of course you can. Then may I ask one thing in return?"
"What is it?"
I studied her silently.
Her eyes narrowed in mirth, the corners of her mouth stretching into a predatory grin.
The smile of a wicked beast.
A face Koyanskaya occasionally flashed as well—something not quite human.
"When the time comes, may I indulge a hobby you'd rather not witness, Master?"
A pastime she didn't want me to see.
Which, translated, meant squeezing humans for their nectar or smashing them outright.
"Ah, don't misunderstand. I'm full after drinking plenty of your affection; I'm not hungry for flesh."
She hurried to explain, genuinely flustered.
She worried I'd fear or despise her if she tasted human meat.
"You can."
I answered by pulling her into a tight embrace.
A silent message that I wasn't afraid.
"Wonderful. I'm looking forward to it."
She laughed, burrowing deeper into my arms.
Even an oni's skin radiated comforting warmth.
Shuten changed clothes and headed out.
She needed a physical body to carry the smartphone loaded with data.
Once near the target, she'd dematerialize.
She intended to appear behind them in a single heartbeat, but for now there was no rush.
A cropped jacket and short hot-pants.
The modern get-up made walking among humans easier.
Not that a kimono would have slowed her down.
It was purely a mood thing.
Now then…
Shuten fished the smartphone from her pocket.
Her stunning looks—and the skin she displayed—pulled a galaxy of eyes her way.
Fortunately, her horns were concealed by [Magecraft].
If they showed, bedlam would follow.
Even if no one guessed "oni," they'd scream special effects, a movie shoot, something.
Modern minds have no shortage of explanations.
I insisted on going alone, but it is kind of a hassle.
The job scarcely required backup.
I volunteered to spare Kandok extra labor, and now I had to deal with the gruntwork.
Instead of tailing someone, I had to blaze the trail myself.
The inconvenience was larger than expected.
Buying train tickets, learning geography, walking streets…
Worldly chores grated on her.
"Mmm—"
A sudden tingle; she caressed her lower belly while checking the phone.
A smile finally bloomed on that dry expression.
Still, he paid me a fat advance. I should earn it.
Chuckling, Shuten re-checked the route.
She reached the station and booked a ticket to Kyoto.
"Sorry to bother you. One ticket to Kyoto, please," she said in a Kansai drawl.
"Y-Yes, of course. The next train isn't immediate, though. Will that be alright?"
"Yes. Book me the fastest option."
"Understood."
The attendant's cheeks flushed.
Despite being a woman, she almost reached for her own wallet to pay.
Expression, voice, posture—
Her innate demonic allure made even her casual speech sound enthralling.
If anything, the informality doubled the charm.
[Attention passengers…]
Forty minutes later,
Shuten boarded the direct train to Kyoto, convenience-store bag in hand.
Conveniently, every target hailed from Kyoto.
The ancient heartland of sorcery.
The upper brass were hidebound.
Some argued that jujutsu should never mingle with modernity.
Their residences, naturally, were equally antiquated.
They were chained to tradition.
Funny. Tokyo or Kyoto, both drip with [Mystery], yet their logic differs so much.
The season was autumn.
The frenzy of summer Cursed Spirits had waned—a perfect lull for a vacation.
A true off-season for the jujutsu world.
The top brass were resting in their private estates.
Naobito had remarked that they were "soothing their weary bodies and souls."
In other words, they were clustered in the same prefecture, if not the same neighborhood.
A ripe opportunity.
"Oh? Mmm—"
Shuten munched snacks alone.
Passengers in the same carriage
openly stared, but she paid them no mind.
She savored the attention.
It pleased her to know her allure surpassed any idol or starlet.
The multi-hour ride, therefore,
and the subsequent navigation never felt dull.
She slipped through Kyoto by discreet routes,
checking the map while ramping up her pace without being spotted.
She even unleashed her unused [Presence Concealment] at full tilt.
Rank C, but enough to dodge crowds.
I never went this far even back in Chaldea. Master really has me jumping through hoops.
Kyoto brimmed with cultural assets and old-world buildings.
The famed Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji glittered here.
Many structures hadn't existed in her era, yet the style felt familiar.
Enough to spark an odd nostalgia—
if this had been her first visit.
This is the place, right?
She slid the phone into the shade beneath the wall,
spirit-form shimmered out of sight, then perched atop the old stone fence.
The wall was tall, woven with a barrier.
The classical kind that alerted intruders.
The council would naturally borrow Tengen's barrier arts.
But their wards only reacted to Cursed Energy.
They couldn't filter out an aberration like Shuten-dōji.
First target.
She hopped down inside.
Not a footfall, not a speck of dust stirred.
Still intangible, she strolled the compound.
Mapping out her quarry.
The estate was sprawling; it took time.
A lot of sorcerers on duty.
Sentries in the corridors,
others waiting in rooms,
even errand boys hauling crates were Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Sorcerers were supposed to be scarce.
This scene spat in that rule's face.
Kandok would have clicked his tongue if he saw it.
Shuten merely shrugged.
Humans are greedy creatures.
Give them power and the greed just loses its filter.
Authority exposes one's core.
Good hearts glow; bad hearts rot.
Sadly, this household belonged to the latter.
Same as every other elder.
Ideally, I'd catch him alone…
Center of the compound, the central hall.
She located the old man from the photo, yet kept her hands to herself.
If she wanted to massacre, it would end in a blink,
but that wasn't today's song.
Her goal was [Charm].
Quieter, cleaner, fewer witnesses.
Hmm?
Why am I tip-toeing again?
She realized she'd been overly cautious.
She had to charm them anyway.
Why not just charm everyone who walked through the door?
She gauged the sorcerers' caliber.
Conclusion: no problem.
They could resist with Cursed Energy, but barely.
Not enough to shrug off enchantment.
"Excuse me," she sang.
No one else was in the corridor.
She stepped onto the wooden veranda and slid the door open.
Shhhk—
The lacquered panel revealed the elder, eyes locking with hers.
Surprisingly lean for his age.
The set of his jaw spoke of willpower.
"You—!"
His eyes bulged.
First meeting, yet he recognized Shuten instantly.
Such was the privilege of being core upper brass.
He'd used that power to dig up intel on Kandok.
"Oh my, judging by that reaction you know who I am. Perfect."
Shuten exhaled with a coy smile.
Long and languid.
An intoxicating, sake-laced scent rushed over him.
Scent implies slowness; this was as fast as a bullet.
More akin to a Mystic Eye of Enchantment than a mere aroma.
"Uh… urgh…" he groaned,
trembling in resistance for a heartbeat,
then his gaze glazed over.
"Now, shall we have a little chat? If anyone else comes in, tell them everything's fine and see them out," she whispered.
Smiling, she closed the distance.
Shhhk.Click.
The sliding door shut tight, sealing the room.