Chapter 90: Things Are Looking Up
"Kurofune Prison has been attacked?"
Nanami Kento hadn't heard his operator's voice in a long time, but one could tell the severity of the problem from his increasingly grim expression.
Hikigaya Hachiman received the same information from "Customer Service" Saki; this was a very serious state of affairs. Many high-profile curse users were detained in Kurofune Prison, some of whom Nanami Kento had personally captured back when he was still an active sorcerer.
Things were becoming troublesome.
Nanami thought of the chaos that would ensue if those curse users held in the prison were to escape. The situation was so dire that the Jujutsu Association had begun contacting him—a sorcerer who had already resigned—hoping he would provide support.
Due to its special nature, Kurofune Prison checked in with the Association's Administrative Building every half hour to ensure there were no abnormalities. However, it had been nearly twenty minutes since the last contact. The Association immediately contacted the nearest "Windows" for observation. They discovered a massive "Curtain" covering the prison site, signaling that something was terribly wrong.
When the sorcerers' vanguard tried to enter the "Curtain," they found it completely impenetrable!
An ordinary "Curtain" merely serves to hide things from the sight of ordinary people, but when a Binding Vow is placed upon it by the caster, its nature changes. The simpler the conditions or the stronger the caster, the more terrifying the "Curtain's" defensive capabilities. There had even been cases where the "Strongest Sorcerer," Gojo Satoru, could not enter a "Curtain."
Based on the judgment of the sorcerers on the scene, they preliminarily estimated that the Binding Vow of this "Curtain" was "Prohibit entry to sorcerers."
This was a problem. Any jujutsu sorcerer was unable to enter. They tried sending in ordinary soldiers, but communication inside the "Curtain" could not link to the outside, and all went silent.
Under these circumstances, the first person the Association's higher-ups thought of was Hikigaya Hachiman.
They knew this "lawless" individual possessed the means to nullify techniques (via psychic power). Only Hikigaya Hachiman could treat this "Curtain" as non-existent and allow the main force of sorcerers into Kurofune Prison. Thus, they immediately had Togawa Sakiko contact him.
Learning the situation from Sakiko, Hikigaya felt the Association was truly just looking for trouble. If they had simply executed all these prisoners from the start, there wouldn't be so
many problems. Hikigaya usually executed particularly problematic curse users on the spot. In his eyes, these bastards who stood in opposition to humanity were pests eroding the world, just like cursed spirits.
For the Association to set aside land, prepare personnel, and treat these curse users like lords with food and drink was, no matter how he looked at it, a bad deal. Now that unidentified individuals were invading the prison, if the invaders released all those curse users, the Association would be in for a "fun" time.
"Mr. 001, please provide your current coordinates. The helicopter to pick you up has already taken off."
Togawa Sakiko knew time was tight and the task heavy, so her tone was very anxious.
"Huh?"
As a band member, Wakaba Mutsumi was very familiar with voices. When she heard that familiar voice from Hachiman's phone, her pupils shrank. How could she mistake her childhood friend's voice?
"Saki?"
The order Sakiko had received was to have Hikigaya Hachiman go to support. Although they didn't know what was wrong at the prison, any trouble there was a serious threat to the entire jujutsu world.
Mutsumi never expected to hear Sakiko's voice on Hachiman's phone—and as an official of the Jujutsu Association? This was a side of Saki she was meeting for the first time.
"Saki... how?"
Why did Saki have a background with the Association? And Hachiman knew her, too. Question after question appeared in her mind.
What Mutsumi didn't know was that the two friends she cared for most—both Soyo and Sakiko—had deep connections with Hikigaya Hachiman.
Hikigaya caught a glimpse of Mutsumi's obviously concerned face and knew she had recognized the "Customer Service" as Togawa Sakiko. But given Sakiko's personality, Hikigaya, as her comrade-in-arms, certainly wouldn't take the initiative to explain.
Sakiko didn't even want to tell Nagasaki Soyo which school she attended; she definitely wouldn't want Mutsumi to know she was working as a customer service operator for the Association.
"By the way, Grade 1 Sorcerer Nanami Kento is also with me."
Sakiko didn't know that Mutsumi, who was as close to her as a sister, was currently beside Hikigaya and had become a trainee sorcerer. Otherwise, she absolutely could not have maintained such a calm tone.
Hikigaya informed her about Nanami, telling her to have those sent to pick up Nanami turn back; he would go with him.
"No problem, right, Nanami?"
"It's fine."
Nanami shook his head. He was just a bit sentimental. His own operator had told him that an assistant supervisor in charge of pickup would see him soon.
Comparing people was truly infuriating; today was an eye-opener—a helicopter was coming for Hikigaya-kun.
Hikigaya's importance went without saying; he was the most critical link in resolving this incident. Nanami was typical of someone whose "mouth says no but body says yes."
He didn't know before, but now that he knew the criminals he had once captured might escape and cause chaos, he naturally couldn't stay out of it.
"Oh, okay. I'll contact them immediately."
Sakiko immediately relayed the arrangements for after the helicopter picked them up at the designated location. "Once you arrive at the designated spot, Mr. Gojo will use a teleportation technique to send you directly into the mission area."
The helicopter was just a relay; truly sending Hikigaya to the destination required Gojo Satoru's teleportation. After all, it was over 200 kilometers away. If they relied on a helicopter the whole way, they wouldn't make it in an hour.
"Understood."
After hanging up, Sakiko set off to contact Nanami's people. "I wish you success in battle."
Hikigaya hung up. "Mutsumi, something came up on my end. Let's stop here for tonight."
Since this matter had suddenly occurred, the original teaching activity certainly couldn't continue. Hikigaya had Mutsumi retract her technique, and the longsword in her hand turned back into the little bird. The green bird, sensing its master's disappointment, was about to start mocking, but remembering the terrifying Demon King was right there, it instantly withered.
"Good work. Your performance tonight was very good, Mutsumi.
By the way, I'll send you home."
Hikigaya's car was parked nearby, and he didn't know when he'd be back. It was better to drive it back to the garage. Besides, he wasn't comfortable letting Mutsumi go back alone. This was Asia's largest red-light district, after all. Many people came here looking for "excitement," and Mutsumi looked like she'd be easily tricked.
Mutsumi had already released some cursed energy. Relying on her current energy to pull off another "four strikes to one vital" might be difficult. So, it was the same operation as last time. Hikigaya used [Izanagi] to manifest a [Son of Horus] to drive her home safely and then return his car to its parking space.
It was still early; the helicopter would take some time to arrive.
"I'll send her back first. Nanami, wait for me here a moment," Hikigaya said. "And clean up the residue here while you're at it."
The destruction caused by Mutsumi's technique had basically torn the spirits' bodies to pieces. When a vital is hit with true damage, it directly shreds the spirit's body, making it impossible to find an intact corpse.
"I understand." Nanami nodded.
"Let's go." "Mmh."
Hikigaya led Mutsumi down the stairs. Mutsumi, whose heart was incredibly bothered by the Saki matter, had a trace of anxiety on her calm face. But she didn't know how to speak up, so she could only let out a small sigh.
"I won't be driving later; he'll be helping with the drive."
Hikigaya looked at her expression and knew what she was thinking. But knowing is one thing; pretending not to know is social grace. He started a topic to get her mind off Togawa Sakiko.
"Don't worry, he's a very steady driver."
Hikigaya reached out and patted the [Son of Horus] behind him. Since it had to drive, it wasn't the usual big version. It was scaled down, but even so, it gave off an extremely strong sense of pressure.
"Hachiman's technique is so strange."
Mutsumi reached out curiously to touch the [Son of Horus]. Previously, she thought it was just a jujutsu effect, but touching it now, it felt like real armor. Since it was made of cursed energy, ordinary people couldn't see or touch it, but Mutsumi, being a sorcerer, could.
"And there are several of them."
A sorcerer can only use one Innate Technique—that was an iron rule followed by most sorcerers. Even someone as strong as Gojo Satoru only had the [Limitless]; no one had seen him use other types.
"I'm a special case."
Hikigaya was special in his privileges, so naturally, he was special in his techniques. Actually, this situation was likely one technique from the original Hikigaya, and the other was from the
Hikigaya who returned from the Warhammer world. It looked like one person, but it was effectively the Innate Technique of two people.
Just then, Mutsumi's phone also rang. Strangely, she just looked at the screen without answering. Her expression was peculiar, seemingly a bit troubled.
"Not answering?" Hikigaya asked.
Mutsumi hesitated, then said, "It's Dad."
Hearing it was her father and seeing her reluctance to answer, Hikigaya suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Mutsumi, you didn't tell your father you were coming out tonight, did you?"
At his words, Mutsumi fell silent. There was an eerie silence in the elevator. She unconsciously looked away, not daring to look at him.
Clearly, his guess was correct; she really hadn't told her father she was out learning "knowledge." But thinking about it, being out so late with a boy her age—telling her parents would only cause them anxiety, so it was better not to say anything.
"Dad is calling... probably because I didn't go to ballet class."
Mutsumi gripped her arm like a child who had done something wrong, honestly confessing what she had done. Hikigaya felt both annoyed and amused. He was surprised she would skip ballet class just to go out and learn jujutsu with him.
Although learning jujutsu was definitely more useful than any ballet class, this was something that needed to be said. Her father didn't know; he just knew his daughter had skipped class for who-knows-what.
"Mutsumi is so stupid," the little bird in her shoulder whispered.
When Mutsumi was in a band, that was a natural cover; she could have just said she was playing with friends. Letting her explain would only make things worse, so Hikigaya sighed. It seemed he would have to tell her father about her becoming a sorcerer.
Then again, training her required not only her consent but also her parents'. This was a lifelong commitment.
"Answer it. I'll help you explain."
As Mutsumi pressed the call button, her father's voice instantly came through. It was much deeper than when Hikigaya last saw him—he was clearly very angry.
"Mutsumi, why didn't you go to ballet class?"
Mr. Wakaba's tone was obviously very angry. He probably thought his daughter had gone to some band thing. If she had told him in advance, he wouldn't be this angry. "Your teacher even called me!"
But to his surprise, the person who answered wasn't his daughter, but another very familiar male voice.
"Mr. Wakaba." Hikigaya nodded to Mutsumi to reassure her. "I am Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Huh?"
Hearing that familiar name, Mr. Wakaba's anger instantly froze. He remembered that name vividly; it seemed to refresh his understanding of the world every time it appeared. At the last banquet held by the Shinomiya family, he had seen the future head of the Shinomiyas treat this man with respect. Thus, he deeply remembered this man for whom power and wealth bowed.
But why was his daughter's phone being answered by him?
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble. Mutsumi is with me right now."
Hikigaya didn't intend for her to speak yet; he would handle the negotiation. He was confident; Mutsumi's father actually had some awareness of the jujutsu world. If he were to train Mutsumi into a sorcerer, the Wakaba family would essentially experience a leap in social status. Generally, no one would refuse.
However, Mutsumi spoke up, as if to add credibility to his words.
"Mmh. I've been with Hachiman since school ended."
Hikigaya thought he heard the sound of a phone dropping to the floor.
"Mr. Wakaba?"
Mutsumi's words had nearly scared an old father to death. It was past 8:00 PM, five hours since school ended. What can happen in five hours? You can take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hokkaido in five hours.
The "duck" had probably been cooked many times over.
When her father's voice reappeared, the aggressive tone was gone, replaced by something softer.
"Forgive my rudeness, Hikigaya-kun. Also... Mutsumi, come home early."
The first sentence was to Hikigaya, the second an instruction to his daughter.
After saying those two things, he hung up. This time, it was Hikigaya's turn to have a question mark over his head. Ordinary parents, hearing their daughter was with a boy at 7:00 or 8:00 PM, wouldn't they ask more? If Komachi weren't back by this time, Hikigaya would have gone out to look for her himself.
"Are you father and daughter always like this?"
Mutsumi, seeing his look, just shook her head, indicating she didn't know either.
She thought her father would be very angry, but it didn't seem to be the case. Those two short sentences clearly carried no tone of blame.
As for her father, he felt both relieved and heartbroken. Relieved that his "cabbage" had finally attracted a "pig," rather than spending all day locked in a basement practicing guitar over some trivial girl drama.
Heartbroken because he actually felt a trace of relief.
Social status in Japan is very stratified. Even as a top-tier comedian, he couldn't change the prejudice the true upper class had against them—they were still just "entertainers."
To think of using his daughter to open a path to the true upper class... he felt ashamed of himself. But circumstances were stronger than men; the young master of the Shinomiya family was putting on a friendly face for this guy—what could a mere comedian do?
The old father didn't dare ask.
Hikigaya thought he'd have to say a lot and do some "ideological work," but Mutsumi's father and Mutsumi were both "ruthless but quiet," dismissing him with two sentences. Well, it saved him an explanation.
Before she got in the car, Hikigaya gave her a crimson crystal. Though it looked like a clear ruby, it was a manifestation of his solidified cursed energy. If thrown, it would be no less than a full-power strike from a Grade 1 sorcerer.
"Mutsumi, I'm happy you're willing to step into this world, but cursed spirits are more ferocious than you imagine. If you encounter one you can't resist, throw this crystal. Even if it doesn't kill it, it'll buy you time to escape. Remember, staying alive is more important than anything."
Nanami didn't want to be a sorcerer anymore because he had witnessed too much death.
"Mmh." Mutsumi nodded and took it carefully.
"And don't skip class anymore. If you have a class, tell me, and I can reschedule your training."
Hikigaya felt helpless. But it was indeed something this "Mutsumi-head" would do—acting first and reporting later.
"Mmh." Being told off like that, she felt a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, go on. I'll contact you next time." Hikigaya patted the car, letting the [Son of Horus] drive off.
"Bye-bye, Hachiman."
"Mmh."
Hikigaya felt this technique was quite useful; a single thought could control it to achieve the desired effect. He turned and left.
On the car, Wakaba Mutsumi looked at the flowing crimson ruby, holding it carefully with both hands.
"So happy."
The crystal was warm, seemingly retaining Hachiman's temperature. From the rare, bright smile on her face, it was clear she was very happy to receive this "gift" that was essentially a bomb.
She whispered, "Thank you. I like it very much."
The little bird on her shoulder gave a thumbs-up with its wing.
"Things are looking up for Mutsumi; someone's giving her gifts now."
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When Hikigaya returned to the rooftop, he saw Nanami Kento alone. He was staring at the brightly lit city in the distance, looking a bit melancholic. Hikigaya walked up.
"What's wrong, Nanami?"
"Just feeling a bit tired." Nanami turned. "I'm fine."
Hikigaya suddenly remembered that for Nanami, it was likely past the eight-hour mark. It was normal to feel anxious.
"Speaking of which, your Binding Vow should have kicked in by now. You okay?"
Nanami understood what he meant. That was his personal vow, [Employee's Soul - Overtime]—a vow forged with time.
Once his working time exceeded eight hours, he would enter "Overtime" mode. In that state, his technique's destructive power would increase.
"I'm fine. I've never felt better."
Speaking of Nanami's vow, Hayasaka Ai's technique should be his natural enemy. If she used her technique on him, it would be a devastating blow.
Even if he worked past eight hours, if he were hit by Hayasaka's effect, working twelve hours wouldn't matter. For him, it would just be an outburst of anger... but messing with him was like kicking a sponge.
Hayasaka's technique was just that unreasonable; office workers just want to get off work!
"..."
The loud roar of a helicopter came from the distance. Before long, a pitch-black Black Hawk helicopter, partially equipped with heavy weapons, appeared in Hikigaya's sight. Searchlights and a massive wind buffeted him, and the noisy engine roared in his ears. From the yellow hair visible under the pilot's helmet, he knew who they were.
Hikigaya and Nanami took the helicopter to the nearest airbase. Gojo Satoru was already waiting there, a smile on his face when he saw Nanami.
"A-la-la, isn't this Nanami?" Gojo knew how hard it was to get this kouhai to move. "I wonder what wind blew you here today."
As for Okkotsu Yuta, the "old geezers" were afraid of him losing control, so they didn't plan to bring him.
Originally, the Association only planned to teleport Hikigaya and Gojo; those two elite fighters were enough to handle the mission. Since Nanami was there, they'd go together.
Hikigaya heard Nanami push up his goggles.
Nanami answered, "None of that matters. Have you actually finished drawing your teleportation technique?'"
Nanami looked at the "scribbles" on the ground; it was clearly a half-finished product. For Gojo, making those old men in the Administrative Building have headaches was a great pleasure. Naturally, he would slack off whenever possible. He walked toward them with a swaying gait, as if wanting to give Nanami a big hug.
They were senpai and kouhai from the same period; Gojo was one year ahead, and they had a good relationship.
"Now isn't the time for a reunion, is it?" Hikigaya said, looking at the unprofessional Gojo. "Resolve the problem early, go home early. That's why Nanami doesn't want to respect you at all."
Gojo shook his head helplessly. He had done this sort of thing countless times; it was second nature.
"Troublesome. Well then, I'm teleporting us."
The three-man team of Gojo, Nanami, and Hikigaya used the teleportation technique. With a whoosh, a large hole appeared in the solid military runway, and the three men who were just standing in the crater had completely vanished.
Meanwhile, on a mountain peak not far from Kurofune Prison, another ill-intentioned individual arrived. Geto Suguru, wearing a black monk's robe, looked with a smile at the massive area covered by the white "Curtain."
"To think some madman did what I wanted to do but couldn't."
The prisoners in Kurofune Prison were the most troublesome among curse users.
Thanks to the barrier techniques and guard forces, the cost for Geto to attack this place was too high, so it had been shelved. Geto wanted to overthrow the Association's rule. As the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." He could go in and recruit people.
The binding condition was "No sorcerers allowed," but Geto used [Cursed Spirit Manipulation]. Sending in his spirits to find people had nothing to do with him being a sorcerer.
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