Kitagawa's Declaration

"Tian Jun," she said, tapping her fingers irritably on the tabletop. "What are you doing?"

The vibrations echoed fruitlessly through the living room of Zha Huang Apartment.

Bzzzz—bzzzz—

The phone screen stubbornly lit up, the words "Young Miss" flashing on the caller ID.

In the steamy bathroom, there was only the rush of running water and a few indistinct hums and whispers, muffled by the sound of the water.

At last, the phone on the coffee table went dark.

[No answer].

Tokyo's ruins trembled beneath the night sky.

Wan's black hair whipped wildly, her eyes bloodshot. "You lied to me! Lord Sukuna is invincible!" Her fingers curled like claws, and every swing sent blades of black Cursed Energy tearing through the air as she frantically slashed at Satoru Gojo.

Gojo moved like a ghost, effortlessly weaving between the dense flurry of slashes, a frivolous smile still playing on his lips. "Well, seeing is believing, Miss Wan~ As for you, though, I seem to remember your 'beloved' personally killed you, didn't he? So why are you still haunting my student's sister?"

He deliberately drew out the word "beloved."

"Shut up!" Wan's expression twisted with rage and madness, and her attacks grew even more ferocious. "My love for Lord Sukuna transcends life and death! How could a mere insect like you understand?!"

She clapped her hands together. A black hairpin, wrapped in a dense aura of curses, appeared out of nowhere and shot toward Gojo's face with a shrill whistle!

"Whoa, dangerous, dangerous." Gojo exaggeratedly tilted his head aside. The hairpin grazed his cheek and punched a tiny hole straight through the massive half-collapsed concrete pillar behind him. The entire pillar rumbled, then crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Gojo appeared atop another ruined wall and dusted off his clothes, though there wasn't a speck of dust on them. His tone suddenly turned cold. "I can't understand it, and I don't want to. But—"

He raised a hand and pointed at Wan, who was occupying Tsumiki Fushiguro's body. His Azure Eyes locked onto her as he ordered, "Get out of someone else's sister's body. Now!"

"Dream on!" Wan shrieked, forming a hand sign. Black Cursed Marks spread beneath her feet, and cold, viscous Cursed Energy spread through the air like ink. "Domain Expansion: Triple Suffering!"

A black sphere condensed out of thin air beside Wan.

Gojo sneered and slipped one hand into his pocket. On his other hand, he curled his ring and little fingers, raised his thumb and index finger, and bent his middle finger behind his index finger.

"Just what I wanted. Domain Expansion—"

"Infinite Void!"

A pure, brilliant Azure light instantly swallowed the darkness that had filled the sky.

Wan's body froze in place, her eyes staring blankly ahead.

The flood of information from Infinite Void crashed through her mind. Every second felt like a thousand years' worth of garbage data being shoved into her head.

She couldn't move a muscle. Even her Cursed Energy had seized up.

With his hands still in his pockets, Gojo strolled up to her. Ignoring her rigid body, he called over Wan's shoulder, "Hey, Nobara, you're up!"

Wan's faltering senses picked up the danger, but she couldn't even move her eyes.

"I've been waiting!" A sharp cry rang out. Nobara Kugisaki had appeared behind Wan at some point, gripping a hammer in one hand and a gleaming nail in the other. Her fierce gaze looked ready to tear her prey apart.

"Give Fushiguro's sister—" Nobara roared, twisting her body and pouring all her Cursed Energy into her arms. "Back!!!"

The hammer came down hard on the end of the nail with a whoosh!

The nail pierced the left shoulder of the body Wan had taken over—the body that belonged to Tsumiki!

Nobara's Cursed Energy surged into the depths of the soul that bound Wan to the body, like countless thorny vines burrowing through the wound!

"Gaaah—!!!" Wan's soul let out a silent scream!

Tsumiki's body convulsed violently. A huge mouthful of thick black blood gushed uncontrollably from her mouth! It hissed as it hit the ground, eating away at the concrete.

Nobara's blow shook the link between the souls, tearing it apart!

The instant Wan's soul shuddered and her control plummeted—

Gojo pulled his right hand from his pocket. Black lightning crackled around it, a lethal hum rising from its surface! He drew his right fist back!

Bang—!!!

His Black Flash fist, compressed to its absolute limit, slammed into Wan's stomach with tremendous force!

A dull, piercing impact that seemed to stop the heart!

The body Wan had occupied bent backward like a rag doll, twisting into a terrifying arc. A writhing chunk of black flesh was blasted out of Tsumiki's mouth by the punch.

"No—!!!" A shrill, grating wail came from the writhing black mass! It twisted desperately and lunged toward Tsumiki's limp body.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gojo's voice was playful as his hand darted out and seized the wildly writhing mass of flesh. "I'm not letting you get away with this again."

The captured mass let out an inhuman shriek. Its surface swelled and contracted rapidly as it tried to break free.

Gojo's gaze sharpened. The muscles in the arm gripping the flesh bulged, while black lightning crackled around his other fist, emitting a teeth-grinding hum!

He drew his arm back. The force compressed to its absolute limit distorted and blurred the air around his fist!

Bang—!!!

A second Black Flash landed squarely on the mass!

Pure, overwhelming force pierced through it! The mass convulsed and shook like a live fish hit by high voltage, its surface instantly covered in web-like black cracks!

"Gaaaah—!!!" The most agonized scream yet erupted from it, full of endless resentment and hatred!

The next second, the shrill wailing cut off abruptly.

The twisted black mass crumbled under the erosion of Gojo's Cursed Energy like paper reduced to ash!

It broke apart into countless tiny black particles, which were then torn to shreds and purified, leaving no trace as they vanished completely into the night wind.

All that remained was Nobara Kugisaki's heavy breathing and the rustle of her clothes as she carefully caught Tsumiki when she collapsed.

"Phew..." Nobara wiped away her sweat. Looking at Tsumiki in her arms, pale but breathing steadily, she grinned. "We did it!"

Gojo shook the hand that had grabbed the mass, as if brushing away a bit of dust. His usual carefree smile returned. "Let's go. We'll take her to Shoko!"

### Kitagawa's Declaration

Morning light slipped through a gap in the curtains, falling at an angle across the floor of Zha Huang Apartment and cutting it into warm bands. The air still held the scent of body wash mingled with something intimate.

The phone on the coffee table vibrated again, tirelessly. Its buzzing sounded especially jarring in the unusually quiet morning.

Chen Tian frowned with his eyes still closed, then slowly opened them.

The long, shapely legs of Kitagawa Marin, wrapped around his waist, tightened unconsciously with the possessiveness of someone dreaming.

He gently eased her warm, smooth limbs aside.

Kitagawa lay on her side, her golden hair strewn messily across the pillow. Her cheeks were still flushed from sleep, and her lips were slightly pursed as she breathed evenly and deeply, clearly lost in a sweet dream.

Chen Tian leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her warm cheek. It felt soft.

Barefoot, he crossed the cool floor without a sound and walked into the kitchen. The morning light clearly outlined his firm, smooth muscles. A few faint nail marks wound from his broad back to his waist, silently telling the story of last night's passion—from a little after three yesterday afternoon, when the scent of violets had entered the bathroom, to the sweat, panting, and tangled limbs, the brief rests and replenishing of water and food... until they finally stopped near dawn.

He opened the refrigerator, and cold air rushed out.

He took out a chilled bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and drank more than half of it.

The cold liquid slid down his throat, bringing him a little clarity.

He set the bottle down and looked toward the coffee table in the living room.

The black phone, which had finally gone quiet, stubbornly lit up again.

Chen Tian walked over to the coffee table and picked up the phone. The words "Young Miss" were still flashing on the screen.

He raised an eyebrow and answered. Before he could speak, a girl's hurried voice came through. "Tian Jun? Tian Jun! I finally got through!"

"What is it, Young Miss?" Chen Tian asked with a quiet laugh.

The girl on the other end clearly breathed a sigh of relief. Her tone shifted instantly from anxious to refined. "Sorry to bother you. Things have been chaotic lately, so I hope you'll take care of yourself."

"Mm, I know." Chen Tian leaned against the sofa.

"Where are you right now, Tian Jun?" The girl's voice sounded deliberately casual.

"Mm, in Sapporo, on North Road." Chen Tian pulled the phone away and scrolled through the hundreds of missed calls. The notifications were packed with names like "Young Miss," "Passerby A," and "Doujinshi Sister."

He brought the phone back to his ear, his voice teasing. "Kaguya-sama, you called almost a hundred times yesterday. You didn't do all that just to ask where I am, did you?"

Silence fell on the other end. A few seconds later, she coughed lightly. "O-of course not! It's just... school started a while ago... and I haven't had a chance to see you..."

A rustling sound came from the kitchen.

Kitagawa came out rubbing her eyes, the hem of her loose T-shirt barely covering her thighs.

Still half asleep, she sidled up to Chen Tian and rested her chin on his shoulder like a lazy cat.

"School's started, huh..." Chen Tian wrapped an arm around Kitagawa's waist, feeling her warm breath brush his collarbone. "All right. I'll be back at school next week."

"Mm. I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Tian Jun."

"Sure. See you then," Chen Tian replied as Kitagawa rubbed the tip of her nose against his earlobe. "Marin's awake."

A sharp clink of porcelain came from the other end. "Wait! That blonde girl—"

Beep. The call ended, and the disconnect tone echoed through the Kyoto Ancient Mansion.

The red-eyed girl stared at the dark screen, her pretty little face full of anger.

Back at Zha Huang Apartment, Kitagawa hung off Chen Tian's back, her voice thick with sleep. "Who was that~? So early..."

Chen Tian reached back, supported Kitagawa beneath her knees, and easily scooped her up in front of him. The girl giggled as her smooth legs swung in the air, the morning light gilding her eyelashes.

"Shinomiya Kaguya," Chen Tian said casually.

Her laughter stopped abruptly. Kitagawa's eyes widened as she wrapped both arms around Chen Tian's neck. "That Young Miss?! She still hasn't given up?!"

Chen Tian ruffled her messy golden hair and set her down on the sofa. "Jealous?"

"Not at all!" Kitagawa puffed up her cheeks like a bristling cat.

She climbed barefoot onto the sofa and pointed imperiously toward the kitchen. "I want baozi! Right now!"

Chen Tian turned and headed for the kitchen.

As the refrigerator door opened and closed, Kitagawa knelt on the sofa, staring at the phone on the coffee table as it lit up again. "Darn it..." she muttered, wrinkling her nose and absently tapping her cheek with a finger.

A dull thumping sound came from the kitchen as dough was slapped and kneaded.

Kitagawa stretched her neck to peek. Chen Tian had his back to her, his shoulder muscles shifting as he kneaded the dough. The scratch marks she had left on him last night stood out in the morning light.

Her ears suddenly turned red. She grabbed a cushion and buried her face in it.

"Want shrimp in yours?" Chen Tian asked without turning around.

"Double the amount!" came the muffled reply from behind the cushion.

As the pan began to sizzle, Kitagawa padded barefoot into the kitchen and hugged Chen Tian around the waist from behind.

She pressed herself against his sweat-damp back and heard a deep laugh rumble in his chest. "Not mad anymore?"

"I was never mad." She rubbed her face against Chen Tian's back, then suddenly sank her teeth into his shoulder blade. "...Okay, maybe I was."

Chen Tian turned off the heat and faced her, pinching her chin with flour-dusted fingers. "What are you, a puppy?"

"Woof!" Kitagawa bared her teeth on purpose, but the moment she saw the plump baozi in the steamer, she broke character. "Wow!" She reached for one, but Chen Tian slapped her hand away. "Hot."

At the table, Kitagawa chewed with her cheeks puffed out, then suddenly asked through a mouthful, "Are you going back to school next week?"

"Yeah. The concerts are all over, so it's time to go back and make up for my absences."

"That Young Miss will be there too, right?"

Chen Tian slid the soy milk over to her. "Definitely."

Kitagawa gulped down half a glass of soy milk, leaving a white mustache on her lip. "I'm going with you!" She kicked her dangling legs. "I'm going to let the whole school know—" She suddenly threw herself at Chen Tian. "You're mine!"

Chen Tian laughed and held on to the Kitagawa who had flung herself at him. "Doesn't everyone already know? You confessed to me in front of the whole school."

Rather than getting embarrassed, Kitagawa lifted her chin proudly. "Heh heh~ The other girls were too chicken to do anything but stare, weren't they? See? Now you're mine!" She sat on Chen Tian's lap, swinging her smooth legs.

"Yeah, I'm yours." Chen Tian pinched her puffed-up cheek.

Kitagawa suddenly started counting on her fingers. "The Young Miss, the tsundere blonde, the mysterious girl who keeps popping up, and the one who gave you that book..."

The more she counted, the tighter her brow furrowed. "Ugh!" She irritably ruffled her messy golden hair. "I have so many rivals!"

But the very next second, she sprang back to life, thrust her little fist high into the air, and announced with boundless energy, "Bring it on! I, Kitagawa Marin, will defeat every single one of them!"

Chen Tian steadied her as she bounced around and shoved the last half of a baozi into her mouth with his other hand. "Start by defeating your breakfast."