Before long, Zen'in Ju appeared on the third floor.
Walking up to them, the one-armed Zen'in Ju placed a black briefcase on the windowsill and entered the code to open it.
Inside, stacks of cash filled the case, with a thick sealed document envelope resting on top.
Ju picked up the file and handed it to Gojo Satoru, speaking calmly:
"This contains all the accumulated experience of the Zen'in clan's Ten Shadows Technique across generations. Gojo-sensei may verify it."
Gojo accepted it casually and flipped through it right in front of everyone, without the slightest concern.
"Oh? Haha."
"Handing over the Zen'in clan's top-secret materials to a rival family…"
"Is that really okay?"
Gojo looked at the one-armed sorcerer, his gaze filled with mockery.
Lifting a corner of his blindfold, Gojo stared directly at Ju's severed arm.
"You've already become a Grade One sorcerer, yet that guy still treats you like this…"
"Don't you feel even a little dissatisfied?"
Right in front of Yaga and the others, Gojo openly tried to drive a wedge between Mirai and the one-armed sorcerer.
Or rather, it wasn't so much provocation as it was exposing a brutal truth.
The reason he had disappeared for so long the previous day was because he had returned to the Gojo estate to specifically review all available intelligence on Mirai.
He had guessed that guy was dangerous—
But he hadn't expected him to be this ruthless, even toward his own clan.
"No need for your concern. The Clan Head treats his subordinates quite well."
Zen'in Ju replied calmly, voicing words that went against his true feelings.
Gojo fell silent.
That calm, unwavering demeanor…
At this point, he was almost impressed by how Future managed his clan.
"Miss Mei Mei, this is the payment for the previous mission. The extra is considered a bonus."
"Additionally, the Clan Head requests that you keep the details of the commission confidential."
"Of course."
Mei Mei accepted the briefcase with a charming smile. "A client's reasonable request is something I'll certainly honor."
Only after Ju turned and left did Mei Mei happily begin counting the cash inside.
"As expected of the Zen'in Clan Head… truly generous."
She murmured with a smile.
"Miss Mei Mei, are you siding with the Zen'in clan?" Gojo asked with a tilt of his head.
"Siding?" Mei Mei neatly stacked the counted bills back into the case, her red lips parting slightly.
"Don't misunderstand, Gojo-sensei."
"Where the money is, that's where I am."
"If it can't be turned into money, it has no meaning to me."
With that, she picked up the briefcase, her silver ponytail swaying as she left briskly.
Night — Soft Moonlight
It had been three days since Mirai left Jujutsu High.
At the Zen'in estate, aside from a few servant quarters at the outskirts still lit, the core area was shrouded in darkness.
Only two dim candles flickered in the pavilion.
For three days—
After dispersing the Zen'in sorcerers, Mirai had kept his Mangekyō Sharingan active the entire time.
Only this way could he ensure no one slipped into the cursed vault unnoticed.
Such caution was a sign of respect toward a schemer who had lurked in the shadows for a thousand years.
"Tap… tap…"
Footsteps echoed from the darkness, gradually growing louder.
Mirai lifted his gaze toward the sound as a figure slowly came into view.
Short hair. Black clothing. A tall human woman.
A fair, delicate face, with eyes that seemed to smile naturally.
Yet the malice within her gaze—and the stitched scar across her smooth forehead—made her unsettling.
"Zen'in Clan Head Mirai, I've long admired your reputation."
Her voice was gentle as she walked into the pavilion and sat down on the sofa prepared across from him.
Mirai lifted the teapot, a faint trace of cursed energy flowing from his fingertips.
Moments later, the tea—long gone cold—began to steam once more.
Holding a cup of hot tea, Mirai spoke calmly:
"The feeling is mutual."
"The name Kamo Noritoshi is well known."
(Kamo Noritoshi: the head of the Kamo clan 150 years ago, an evil sorcerer who researched the fusion of cursed spirits and humans, known as the stain of the Kamo family and labeled the most wicked sorcerer in history.)
A flicker of surprise crossed the woman's face, but it quickly faded.
She lifted her teacup and replied with narrowed eyes:
"No wonder Zen'in sorcerers have been monitoring me for the past few years."
"I'm quite curious—where did the Zen'in Clan Head learn this secret?"
"And how did you uncover my former identity?"
The woman's body belonged to Itadori Kaori—the biological mother of Itadori Yuji.
But the one currently inhabiting her body was a sorcerer named Kenjaku.
An evil sorcerer who had lived for over a thousand years.
Kamo Noritoshi was merely one insignificant identity among many he had assumed.
Mirai took a small sip of tea, considering which of his prepared explanations to use.
After a brief silence—
Just as he was about to speak, Kenjaku muttered first:
"Reincarnation… possession…"
Hearing this, Mirai did not respond and simply continued drinking his tea.
Watching Mirai's composed demeanor, many of Kenjaku's doubts seemed to resolve themselves.
His voice changed—no longer gentle. From the female body came a hoarse, masculine tone.
"So, which era's lingering ghost are you?"
"The early Meiji period?"
"Or… a thousand years ago?"
Kenjaku, as if certain, directly concluded that Mirai was a reincarnated soul possessing a body.
After all, in his mind, there was no way a mere twenty-year-old could know the identities behind his disguises.
Pretending?
Kenjaku was confident—no one, not even Gojo Satoru with the Six Eyes, could see through the disguise of this body at a glance.
Combined with all the highly targeted arrangements…
And the ability to wield multiple techniques like himself…
There was no way a mere youngster could accomplish this.
Only reincarnation and possession could explain it.
"Oh?"
Mirai smiled slightly, somewhat amused. "Kenjaku, you're as clever as ever…"
Even Mirai himself hadn't expected Kenjaku to rationalize his identity so neatly.
All the explanations he had prepared became unnecessary.
None of them were as convincing as the story Kenjaku had constructed himself.
A pleasant surprise indeed.
"So, a reincarnated sorcerer from a thousand years ago… No wonder you recognized me at a glance."
Kenjaku stroked the scar on his forehead, as if confirming his own conclusion.
Over the past millennium, countless techniques had emerged like stars in the sky.
Encountering one or two sorcerers like himself—who had lived for a thousand years and mastered body possession—
Was surprising, but not impossible.
In a thousand years, Kenjaku had seen far too much.
Even though he couldn't sense the presence of a cursed object from Mirai—
He was certain that this person was not someone he had made a binding vow with in the past.
But the fact that Mirai had exposed his true identity only reinforced the conclusion that he was a reincarnated sorcerer.
With that thought—
Kenjaku's gaze subtly shifted to the coffin behind Mirai, analyzing the intentions of this "ancient monster."
According to the information received by Jujutsu High, Suguru Geto had been killed by Zen'in Mirai.
He had infiltrated the Zen'in estate two days in advance…
To Kenjaku, the barrier around the cursed vault was full of flaws.
But the reason he had remained hidden until now—
Was because of Future himself.
Those blood-red eyes, unseen for a thousand years.
"What is your purpose in drawing me out?"
Kenjaku raised his head to look Mirai, his gaze deep and wary.
The golden age of sorcerers a thousand years ago.
Now, facing another "monster" from that same era—
At the moment he accepted Future's identity, the last trace of his earlier disdain vanished completely.
What remained now…
Was curiosity toward the unknown—
And caution.