With a faint distortion in space, the starlit gateway of the Miniature Divine Realm quietly closed in midair, completely isolating the noise of the outside Jujutsu world, the schemes of Jujutsu Headquarters, and the nauseating presence of those Cursed Spirits.
Rin stepped onto the soft green grass within the divine realm and slowly inhaled the flower-scented air.
There was no biting winter or scorching summer here. The breeze was eternally gentle, and even the drifting clouds in the sky moved according to his will.
He leisurely followed the bluestone path toward the modern medical laboratory at the center of the island.
Over the past few months, Rin had used a small amount of Dimension Points to continuously expand this private territory.
The divine realm now covered an area comparable to a true utopia. Mountains, lakes, and even a small grove of wisteria flowers had been perfectly recreated within it.
Beep—!
The laboratory's automatic glass doors slid open.
Inside the spacious and brightly lit sterile lab, Shinobu wore a white lab coat and protective goggles, her attention fully focused on the dark purple liquid rapidly spinning inside the centrifuge before her.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she didn't turn around. Instead, she calmly set down the dropper in her hand, removed her goggles, and rubbed her tired brow.
"You're back? That was quicker than expected."
Shinobu turned around, a faint smile appearing in her violet eyes.
As usual, she walked to the sink to wash her hands while glancing sideways at Rin's black trench coat, which remained spotless without even a speck of dust on it.
"I ran into a bunch of rats who only knew how to hide in the shadows and scheme. It got boring, so I came back early."
Rin walked over naturally and wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked at the test tubes lined across the laboratory bench, each marked with strange labels.
"Are these the Cursed Spirit samples Toji sent over these past few days?"
"Mm."
Shinobu didn't pull away from his embrace. Instead, she leaned lightly against his chest and pointed toward the extracted liquid inside the centrifuge.
"That man, Toji Fushiguro, may have a terrible personality, but his efficiency is unquestionable."
Following Shinobu's instructions, Toji had collected large amounts of Cursed Energy-infused blood of different grades from Tokyo's underground markets and from wild Cursed Spirits.
Shinobu's expression became serious, her eyes shining with the passion of a true pharmaceutical genius.
"The Cursed Energy in this world is very interesting. It's a form of energy created entirely from the accumulation of human negative emotions."
"I tried using the wisteria toxin and Yang Release Chakra I prepared earlier to reverse-neutralize that negative Cursed Energy."
She picked up a glass test tube filled with transparent liquid and gently shook it beneath the light.
"The moment this is injected into a Cursed Spirit, it instantly severs the connection between the spirit and the external negative emotions sustaining it."
"For high-grade Cursed Spirits that rely on human fear to exist, this is equivalent to cutting off their oxygen supply."
"There's no need to decapitate them. Within seconds, they'll collapse and disintegrate into harmless dust on their own."
Listening to her dangerously hardcore medical explanation, Rin couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
No matter what world she was in, this woman was an extremely dangerous existence.
If this poison, specifically designed to target the fundamental nature of Cursed Spirits, were released into the outside Jujutsu world, the old men at Jujutsu Headquarters would probably bankrupt themselves trying to buy the formula.
"Nicely done."
Rin lowered his head and kissed her smooth cheek.
"But leave all these bottles and research to the people below. I didn't return to the divine realm just to watch you work overtime."
A faint blush spread across Shinobu's cheeks as she lightly elbowed him.
"Don't try that with me."
"You dumped the entire mess outside onto that white-haired guy, Gojo Satoru, and came running back here to relax. Do you really think I can't tell what you're planning?"
She turned around and wrapped her arms around Rin's neck, complete understanding flashing through her eyes.
"You're waiting for those people hiding in the shadows to reveal all their trump cards first, then you're planning to wipe them all out in one sweep, right?"
"The one who knows me best is definitely Shinobu."
Rin laughed and directly swept her into his arms.
Amid Shinobu's startled cry, he carried her out of the laboratory toward the nearby traditional Japanese courtyard.
"The bait's already been thrown out. Now we just wait for things to ferment."
"So let's enjoy our vacation for now."
He laid her gently on the thick futon in the sunlit room, the scent of wisteria drifting in through open screens.
"What do you want for dinner? I'll have Toji pick up takeout from the most expensive restaurant in Tokyo."
"What kind of person makes their bodyguard run errands for takeout every single day?! I'll cook it myself!"
"No. You're staying with me today."
"Is that so?" Shinobu reached up, pulling him down into a slow, sloppy kiss. Their mouths moved together lazily, tongues sliding and tasting, wet and unhurried. Soft moans escaped her as Rin deepened it, savoring the sweetness of her.
He trailed his lips down to her neck, licking and sucking along the elegant column of her throat. Shinobu arched with a breathy whimper, fingers threading through his hair.
Rin pushed her lab coat open, then the blouse beneath, exposing pale, perfect skin.
He buried his face against the side of her breast and into the warm hollow of her armpit, inhaling deeply—her natural scent mixed with flowers and the clean trace of her work. The intimacy of it made him groan softly against her.
"Hey.. don't do that, it's embarrassing.." she whispered, voice trembling with need.
"Then I'm about to make you more embarrassed." He settled between her legs in missionary, shedding clothes until nothing separated them. Skin to skin, he entered her slowly, filling her completely.
The sun rose and the moon fell. Summer passed, and autumn arrived.
Time within the Miniature Divine Realm seemed to sink into a state of peaceful stagnation, while outside, Tokyo underwent earth-shaking changes with the passing seasons.
Before anyone noticed, the calendar had quietly reached the end of October 2018.
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