Chapter 68 — Construction Technique
"…However," after a brief pause, Ren raised another question, "both Nue and Toad are fairly large."
He gestured with his hands to indicate their size.
"So why is it that after fusion, they become so small—and even split into multiple units?"
—
If all those small frogs could be merged into one, it would undoubtedly be far stronger—just like how the two Divine Dogs combined into Divine Dog: Totality.
Megumi, who had been about to explain the practical uses of Wells Unknown Abyss, suddenly froze.
"Um… Senpai…" he said hesitantly, lowering his voice, "it's because the combined power of Nue and Toad is too great."
"With my current ability, I can't fully fuse them into a single entity… so I have to split the fusion into several smaller parts."
—
Ren's eyes flickered with understanding, his thoughts deepening.
So it wasn't that full fusion was impossible—
…it was just that Megumi couldn't achieve it yet.
Then what if… it were fully realized?
Not inheriting power after a shikigami's death—
…but fusing two living shikigami, each with their complete power, into one perfect entity.
And that raised another question—
Was there a difference between the power left behind after a shikigami's death… and the power it possessed while alive?
"Ren-senpai?"
Megumi's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Ren gave a small, self-aware smile.
I'm getting ahead of myself…
He hadn't even learned to walk yet, and he was already thinking about running.
Better to first see if he could successfully summon even one or two shikigami—
before worrying about anything else.
From what he had just observed, Ren could already tell—
this technique was extraordinarily intricate and profound. Its level of difficulty far surpassed any technique he had studied before.
And on top of that, it was divided into ten distinct components.
The task of learning it would be no small challenge.
—
"Ren-senpai," Megumi asked, slightly out of breath, "did you see everything clearly just now?"
"Do you want me to demonstrate it again?"
Looking at the boy, who was already showing signs of exhaustion, Ren felt a faint stir of appreciation.
Megumi's eagerness was almost to the point of making him feel a little guilty.
"Alright," Ren nodded. Watching it a few more times wouldn't hurt. "But maybe you should take a break first."
"It's fine," Megumi wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I can keep going, Ren-senpai!"
Ren let out a small laugh and waved his hand.
"No, take a break. We're not in a hurry."
—
After half an hour of rest, the two resumed.
This time, to avoid unnecessary strain on Megumi, Ren asked him to demonstrate only the basics—shadow manipulation and the method of summoning Divine Dogs.
You had to take things one step at a time.
For now, those were the only abilities he truly needed to grasp. There was no need for Megumi to burn through large amounts of cursed energy demonstrating everything else.
—
At that moment, Nobara Kugisaki pushed Tsumiki toward the training field.
Today, Tsumiki had changed into a regular school uniform, her hair neatly tied up. Compared to before—when she had worn a hospital gown with her hair loose—she now looked far more energetic, with a gentle and refined air about her. The pallor from when she first awakened had also faded considerably.
Sitting in her wheelchair, she watched her younger brother practicing his technique, a soft smile resting on her lips.
—
Not long after, from the other side of the field—where Maki Zenin had been sparring intensely with Panda—she finally stopped training and walked over, resting her weapon against her shoulder.
Seeing her, Ren turned and gave her a small smile.
Maki, however, merely glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then turned her head away with a faint snort.
This woman… Ren sighed inwardly.
She definitely didn't act like this in private.
During their hot spring trip, they had shared a period of closeness that could only be described as deeply intimate. But the moment they returned to school, her demeanor completely changed. She insisted on "separating work and personal life," maintaining only a "normal relationship" at school—and had firmly warned him not to act overly familiar in public.
Still… he didn't really mind.
This slightly awkward, restrained attitude of hers had its own charm. Especially when contrasted with how warm and passionate she was in private—it felt like a mix of ice and fire.
Wasn't there a saying?
The more reserved a girl acts in public, the more intense she is in private.
Ren simply assumed she was "charging up."
—
After approaching, Maki walked straight toward Tsumiki. On the way, she glanced at Ren again—only to find him still smiling as if nothing bothered him. She shot him another sharp look.
"Tsumiki, do you want to try this?"
She removed the glasses resting on her nose.
Jujutsu High's efficiency was commendable—after Maki's cursed tool glasses had been destroyed, they had quickly made her a replacement.
"These are specially made cursed tool glasses. If you wear them, you'll be able to see Megumi's shikigami."
Tsumiki hesitated for a moment.
But instead of taking the glasses, she raised her hand and pointed directly at Divine Dog: Totality.
"You mean that spotted big dog over there?" she said with a gentle smile.
—
Everyone froze.
"Tsumiki?" Megumi turned around, confused.
Unlike her brother, Tsumiki was supposed to be an ordinary human—at least, that was what Ren had known.
"You can…?" Megumi pointed toward the large black-and-white hound sitting nearby.
Tsumiki nodded.
"Why—"
"Well…" she pressed her lips together slightly, looking a bit embarrassed, a bit nervous—but also strangely relieved. Like someone who had finally found the chance to share a secret world they had been holding inside.
"I've actually wanted to say this for a while."
"I just… didn't have the right opportunity."
She looked up at Ren, her eyes curving into a shy smile.
"The power you left inside me… it seems to have caused some kind of change in my body."
"It feels like… something has been… born inside me."
Ren blinked, momentarily speechless as she lowered her head further and further, her voice growing softer.
Did you really have to phrase it like that…?
—
"In any case," Tsumiki lifted her head again, returning to her usual gentle tone, "there seems to be some kind of energy flowing inside me."
"I think… that's what you call cursed energy."
"And… I can see cursed spirits now."
"And also—"
Amid everyone's stunned silence, she continued,
"I think I've awakened my own technique."
"Your technique… what is it?" Ren swallowed, still in disbelief.
Tsumiki tilted her head slightly and smiled.
"Construction Technique."