Chapter 111: Yukinoshita Wants to Pop the Champagne
"Yo, Shoko."
Gojo Satoru, leading the way, pulled back the curtain of a medical tent. Hachiman followed him inside.
Hachiman already knew from Gojo that "Mechamaru" was safe; Kokichi Muta had called for emergency medical aid before falling unconscious.
While Hachiman was busy slaying the evil god, the Jujutsu Association hadn't been idling. Upon receiving reports of massive cursed energy fluctuations and a "Blue" category response, they had dispatched significant manpower to provide support, even with Gojo and Hachiman already on the scene.
After learning from Gojo that the combat zone was Suguru Geto's former base, the Association attempted a large-scale interception.
However, Geto had managed to break through, inflicting several casualties on the sorcerers. The place Hachiman and Gojo now entered functioned as a field hospital—simple cots and portable medical equipment.
Used bandages stained with blood lay on the floor, remnants of the emergency treatment given to those who had encountered Geto's group.
The woman Gojo addressed was wearing a doctor's white coat and had brunette hair: Ieiri Shoko. She wasn't a combat sorcerer; she was a unique talent the Association couldn't find a second of—the only one capable of using Reverse Cursed Technique to heal others.
Though Shoko was attractive, her expression carried a certain numbness toward life, as if she were too well-acquainted with death. With her mask pulled down to her chin, she held a burning cigarette. Judging by the way she flicked the ash, she was a veteran smoker.
"Miss Shoko," Hachiman greeted.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun."
Shoko's eyes didn't flicker. She looked exhausted, with deep dark circles under her eyes. It was hard to believe she had been in the same class as Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto.
While she worked for the Association, her primary office was at Tokyo Jujutsu High—meaning she was one of their own.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Shoko."
Hachiman considered Shoko the second busiest person in the jujutsu world after Gojo, solely because of her rare healing power. Her state of mind and those dark circles were proof of the high-intensity labor she endured. It seemed she had only just finished her rounds.
In the corner of the tent, the two "unfortunate brothers" Hachiman had captured before chasing the Master of Lust were tied up: Miguel and Larue. Both were heavily sedated due to their high strength levels.
Hachiman had come specifically to check on Larue. Having been a host for a deity's pawn, the man had nearly become a permanent vessel for Casios the Eternal. Hachiman needed to confirm with his own eyes that the evil god's power had been utterly eradicated, leaving no residue or possibility of revival.
"His regeneration is truly something," Gojo remarked, looking at Larue. "How is he?"
Gojo was still amazed that someone could regenerate an entire head. The man's head had clearly grown back perfectly.
"He's fine. If you hadn't told me his head was taken off, I wouldn't believe it," Shoko replied, shaking her head. She clearly doubted Gojo's claim that Hachiman had literally twisted the man's head off.
Gojo let out a small laugh.
"That's why I asked you to check if there's any chance of him turning into a cursed spirit again."
"I've checked. He's 100% human," Shoko stated. "If you didn't tell me he was almost a 'vessel,' he wouldn't look any different from an ordinary person."
Hachiman agreed with Shoko's diagnosis.
He stepped forward and sensed no foreign cursed energy or lingering divine essence on Larue. He realized that the damage caused by [Faith Energy] to a normal human body was much lighter than he had anticipated; it was lethal to warp-entities but left the human host merely lethargic.
Since Shoko had already used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his physical wounds, Larue was now a valuable sample for Hachiman to observe the long-term effects of divine possession.
"Someone from the Kamo family will be coming to collect Larue shortly. Please handle the hand-off, Miss Shoko."
Larue was part of Geto's "family." If kept at the Association or the High School, Geto would likely try to retrieve him soon.
Hachiman intended to hide Larue in a secret Kamo family stronghold protected by his own barriers, where Geto would never find him.
As for Miguel, Hachiman didn't know him well enough to care.
"Thanks, Miss Shoko."
"It's nothing," she replied. She felt relaxed around Hachiman; he was the only other person in her career who could also use Reverse Cursed Technique.
Hachiman turned to Gojo.
"Teleport me to these coordinates."
"Hey, hey. I'm not your bus."
With Gojo around, Hachiman had the most efficient transport possible, negating the need for Association vehicles. Despite the complaint, Gojo dutifully drew the teleportation array. He felt like Hachiman was using him as a tool, but for Hachiman, efficiency was everything.
"Wait, these coordinates... aren't these those other old men?"
Gojo recognized the location as the dojo of a group of "grumpy old men." While not as "rotten" as the higher-ups in the Jujutsu Association, they were notoriously ill-tempered. Gojo couldn't stand talking to them.
"Hachiman, you're still in contact with them?"
"Yes."
Hachiman's Chainsword was broken, and these men were professional craftsmen. In Japan, the history of the [New Kage-ryu] (Shinkage-ryu) could be traced back a thousand years to the peak of the jujutsu era. They were the premier lineage of samurai, unmatched in both swordsmanship and bladesmithing.
Hachiman lacked the tools to repair the weapon himself. The strongest materials he could find were provided by them; they had been instrumental in the birth of the Chainsword. Though he had slain a god with a "broken sword" through a bit of trickery, he couldn't leave his battle partner in such a state.
He respected these craftsmen. They viewed the blades they produced as their children. Hachiman had earned their approval to have them forge his weapons. Now, the melted tip of the blade needed to be reintegrated into the sword-embryo.
Furthermore, the sword had been "tempered" by Faith Energy and the blood of an evil god; its hardness would only increase after an upgrade.
With Gojo's help, Hachiman arrived in Kyoto in the blink of an eye. Kyoto remained a city of ancient architecture and heritage.
Before heading to the dojo, Hachiman bought some expensive sweets and gifts as a gesture of respect.
While shopping, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you free tonight?"
He replied, "I don't have anything planned. What's up?"
Hachiman intended to return to Tokyo eventually. He didn't have a residence in Kyoto, and despite the Kamo family's main house being there, he preferred his own bed.
Yukino quickly explained: "I feel like I've caused you worry recently due to personal reasons. Those issues are resolved now, so I wanted to... well, I caused trouble for you."
In short, she wanted to invite him for dinner—not at a restaurant, but something she would cook herself. She had planned to tell him at school, but learned he had left early.
Hachiman checked the time. It was around 3:00 PM. By the time he finished at the New Kage-ryu dojo, it would be 5:00 PM. Taking the train back to Tokyo would make it a late return.
"I might be back quite late," he messaged.
"That's fine. I can wait."
Hachiman found it strange.
Why was Yukino inviting him to celebrate? He hadn't done anything for her—or so he thought.
He didn't realize that by killing the Master of Lust, he had forced her "oppressors" into hiding.
For Yukino, Messenger No. 1, today was a day to pop the champagne.
Since she lived alone and didn't want to celebrate in a vacuum, she naturally thought of her neighbor.
She even planned to tell him about her cursed energy, a secret that had weighed on her for far too long.
Hachiman arrived at a rustic, ancient dojo. He could hear the shouts of practitioners inside. Though the New Kage-ryu was somewhat insular, it was a major dojo that provided fresh blood for the Jujutsu Association.
He rang the bell. A blue-haired girl in a black suit came rushing out, looking somewhat clumsy.
This was Miwa Kasumi—the girl Kokichi "Mechamaru" Muta was so desperate to stand beside as a "normal human" that he wanted to use the high-risk Astartes surgery.
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