The Expected Everyday

"Gojo? Is he strong?"

Several of them sat in a roadside restaurant. Hearing the others discussing "Satoru Gojo," Xuan looked up and asked with feigned confusion.

"Sensei is the strongest of the modern era, right?"

Itadori leaned toward Yuta in confusion, only to be stopped by a white hand extending from beside Yuta's cheek.

"Yeah. Gojo-sensei is the strongest."

Yuta swallowed a mouthful of rice and nodded.

Beside them, Choso stared at the "chopsticks" in his hand in puzzlement, unsure how to use them. After studying them for a while, he ultimately chose a spoon instead.

"So why didn't we keep going?"

"Ah, because I was hungry."

As Xuan spoke, his gaze drifted toward Megumi Fushiguro.

"From what you said, that guy is from the Zenin Clan too? What's his technique? Is it the Ten Shadows?"

"..."

Megumi, who had nothing at all set before him, clearly did not want to join the conversation. Itadori, however, was different.

"I think so?"

"Hey! Itadori!"

"Oh, so you use the Ten Shadows Technique too, just like me."

"Huh?"

Xuan slurped down a bundle of noodles while staring at Megumi. His total cursed energy was decent, but merely decent would not be enough to bear the burden of having three Ten Shadows shikigami exist simultaneously. His cursed energy control was weak as well; it burned recklessly around him like fire. There was almost nothing worth praising about him. Though the comments section of Jujutsu Kaisen had generally considered Megumi the weakest of the main trio before Xuan came here, the extensibility of the Ten Shadows Technique made most people believe Megumi could tame that "untamable" Mahoraga.

After all, he was a genius who could expand a Domain at sixteen without any prior training. Even Satoru Gojo had been unable to do that.

"The names of more than a dozen previous users of the Ten Shadows Technique were recorded—I've never seen your name among them..."

"You don't believe me?"

"How could I possibly believe that?! Even if, like me, you were a Zenin who married into another family, as long as you possessed the Ten Shadows Technique, the Zenin Clan would definitely have a record of you."

"That's why everyone in the Zenin Clan is useless."

Xuan looked at his noodle bowl, which held only a little more than half its broth, waved over a nearby server, and ordered another bowl of noodles.

Seeing Xuan's carefree manner, the others' curiosity was stirred as well.

"Mr. Xuan, does your technique resemble Megumi's too?"

"Ah, that's right."

"Megumi's technique... I remember there was a big white dog, but..."

It had already died during the juvenile detention center incident.

Itadori's heart sank slightly. Megumi turned his head a little as well, saying nothing.

"Divine Dog."

Yuta's pupils suddenly constricted. The cursed energy around Xuan abruptly surged, and then a large white-furred dog, with a Dao Reversal Jade engraved on its forehead, appeared beside them without warning.

"Whoa!! It's White!"

Itadori vigorously rubbed the Divine Dog a few times. The Divine Dog shook its head—then Xuan dismissed it without any of the ordinary people around them noticing.

"So? Do you believe me now, young Megumi Fushiguro?"

Xuan propped up his head. The server had just taken away his bowl, leaving him nowhere to put his chopsticks, so he could only hold them in his hand and idly sway them back and forth.

"...What exactly is going on?"

Megumi meant why the Ten Shadows had not been inherited by the Zenin Clan. The summoning of Divine Dog proved that the person before him definitely possessed the Ten Shadows Technique—though there was another possibility.

Megumi's gaze drifted toward Yuta Okkotsu beside him. Yuta was currently puzzled by how Xuan's cursed energy had briefly vanished before returning, but upon noticing Megumi's gaze, he shook his head.

So it isn't Copy...

People with the same technique would generally recognize it as their own the moment they saw it. Yuta's shake of the head, coupled with the lingering traces of the Ten Shadows that Megumi had indeed sensed, confirmed it.

"Long story short—my mother was cast out by the Zenin Clan. After I was born—well, when I was about three—my mother died because of people from the Zenin Clan."

Xuan curled his lip, then looked at Megumi.

"..."

Itadori's eyes, which had been expecting some kind of story from a novel, immediately dimmed. Because of Xuan's words, everyone's gazes shifted from Xuan to Megumi at the same time.

"Mr. Xuan—"

Megumi suddenly stood up, startling the server beside him who was holding a tray. Without even having the chance to apologize to the server, Megumi bowed deeply to Xuan.

"To save Tsumiki, I need greater strength... Could you... could you please teach me about the Ten Shadows Technique..."

"You don't sound confident at all. I don't like disciples like that—well, it's not like I have any intention of taking on disciples either."

Xuan took the noodles handed over by the waitress. Megumi Fushiguro sat down without a word—but his gaze remained fixed on Xuan, while the others shifted their eyes from Fushiguro back to Xuan once more.

"You really are like surveillance cameras, turning back and forth like that—"

"Objection. I didn't turn."

Choso was the one who spoke. He really had not turned at all; he had simply been focused on eating.

"I wasn't talking about you... Fushiguro—your surname is pretty good. Of course, I won't take you as my disciple, but I can give you a few pointers. Consider it part of the repayment for giving Sukuna and me the chance to fight, alright?"

After all, the person in front of him would probably tame Mahoraga sooner or later. Giving him a few pointers would raise Xuan's own value as well—a win-win situation.

Fushiguro, who had been somewhat dejected by Xuan's earlier words, immediately raised his head upon hearing what came next.

"Fushiguro, hurry up and call him Master!"

Itadori nudged Fushiguro with his elbow. Fushiguro's body jolted from the blow, and after quickly snapping out of it, he looked at Xuan.

"Master!"

"Alright, alright."

Xuan chewed the chunks of meat in his noodles as he looked at Megumi Fushiguro speechlessly.

His total cursed energy was insufficient to make use of a summoner's fighting style, and his cursed energy control was severely lacking—his hand-to-hand combat and physical defense were the same. Although part of it was because he had failed to react in time, failing to react in itself was a rather serious issue.

"It's still too early to call me Master. At least wait until you've shown some results. For now, just keep calling me what you used to."

"Mm... Thank you, Mr. Xuan."

"I'm done eating."

Choso set down his spoon and pressed his palms together.

"Slurp—haaah!!!"

Xuan raised the noodle bowl to his mouth, took a deep breath, and gulped down all the liquid inside in one go—

"Alright—now that the hunger problem's solved, next we'll follow you guys to find that... what was her name again? Oh, Tsukumo Yuki, right?"

"Mm. Once we find Miss Tsukumo, we can set out to search for the Fallen Star Palace."

As everyone stood up, Okkotsu, who had been sitting deepest inside, stood as well.

"Miss Waitress~"

Just as Okkotsu was about to pay the bill, people nearby began whispering among themselves. Xuan did not listen closely, but he still caught phrases like, "A group of men making a woman pay," "Maybe it's bullying," and "Could they be four mama's boys?"

Xuan raised a hand and beckoned to Fushiguro.

"Fushiguro, come here. Your first task: beat your senior to the bill—"

It could not be helped. After all, the strongest man of the Muromachi era probably could not even pull out a single hundred-yen coin.

"...Alright."

Fushiguro walked over to Okkotsu's side with a speechless expression. After signaling to him, he took out his wallet.