Heian Era

He did not reply immediately, because Kana Shizumi needed time to process the information before him.

First.

How did Kenjaku know this?

Had Hanami relayed it? Unlikely... That guy did not even have a phone, and if he had gone to meet him directly...

No, that was not right either. Given Kenjaku's temperament, he would not go to such lengths just to toy with him. He could have simply come over and said all this to his face.

Then he...

"How did I know about this? Heh heh, I told you before, didn't I? Your circumstances are special, so you are the test subject I tampered with the most."

Therefore.

"I always have a few little tricks you would never expect... methods to learn your exact condition. All right, stop guessing blindly. I came to discuss business."

Shaking his head, Kana Shizumi forced himself to stop the storm of thoughts in his head. He quietly took several deep breaths before speaking in the calmest tone he could manage.

"Mm... I'm listening."

"Your performance and rate of growth have exceeded my expectations. Based on what you have shown, I now believe I can lift some of your special restrictions."

Kana Shizumi felt as though he was listening to gibberish. He was utterly confused.

What did any of that mean?

"After this operation, did you not realize your own shortcomings?"

On the other end of the call, Kenjaku lazily shifted his sitting position. He sprawled there with his head slightly raised, speaking in a somewhat flippant tone.

"Your cursed energy level and the strength you can bring out are both far below normal standards... It would not be an exaggeration to say that I arranged all of this beforehand."

What?!

So you screwed me over too!

Thinking about it, it did seem to make sense. Going by Kenjaku's usual standards, anything he created by hand should at least have been at the level of a Grade 1 Sorcerer.

If Kana Shizumi could truly only maintain the level of a Semi-Grade 2 Sorcerer as he currently did...

Then from Kenjaku's perspective, it would literally count as a failed product.

Now that there was further development in this regard, it did fit Kenjaku's design aesthetic in a sense.

But why confess at a time like this?

Ah...

Kana Shizumi was beginning to understand.

"So if I fail to complete the mission, I die, and only if I complete it do I get a chance at a reward, right?"

Damn Kenjaku, always pulling this kind of disgusting stunt!

Grade 2—or rather, Semi-Grade 2—was indeed a little lacking in the current Jujutsu Society.

"But there is a reason for all this, because you are not yet a complete being in the literal sense... Unblemished, I left everything concerning you at an address. I will not give you any missions for the next few days. Go investigate it yourself."

After saying that, Kenjaku promptly hung up.

Beep.

In its place came a text message with extremely simple contents.

The sender was Kenjaku, and it read:

"Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple"

Looking at the message, Kana Shizumi frowned and tightened his grip on his phone.

The facts proved that Kenjaku not only did not neglect him, but the opposite was true... Jail Mom had probably put no less thought into him than Itadori.

Yet at the same time, the two of them seemed to be following entirely different paths of development.

The Tiger Heavenly Emperor had Sukuna to whip him into shape in the future. What about Kana Shizumi? Kenjaku was personally training him!

And there was even a comparison group.

"So what exactly is this restriction wrapped around me?"

Kana Shizumi could not find an answer for now. He could only warn himself to proceed carefully... while putting off his plans for freedom a little longer.

At the very least, before Kenjaku was completely taken down, Kana Shizumi would probably have no chance to defect.

I wanted to be a good person too! (Despair)

After lamenting for a moment, Kana Shizumi summed up what he had gained this time.

His techniques with Crimson Blood Manipulation had grown much richer, and he had also gained some unassigned free attribute points... As for those, he was in no hurry to allocate them.

He could wait until he had saved up a little more, or use them for a last-minute boost when necessary.

"Only a few months remain... I have to hurry. By the time the story begins, I need to at least reach the level of a Grade 1 Sorcerer."

About half an hour later.

Hanami brought over a large pile of medicine, and Kana Shizumi selectively took out several items.

Specifically, anti-inflammatory medicine and bandages.

Because his constitution was somewhat special, Kana Shizumi had already completed the "hemostasis" process not long ago.

The oral medicine was now mostly to prevent subsequent infection, while the bandages covered wounds that had not yet healed so he would not look too bedraggled.

"And a fresh change of clothes."

"Oh, thanks... Where did you get them?"

"Ordinary people cannot see me anyway, so I just took a few from a supermarket."

So there was some zero-cost shopping too...

All one could say was that cursed spirits really could live more freely in that regard.

After briefly considering it, Kana Shizumi told Hanami everything about his call with Kenjaku. Once Hanami learned the full story, he nodded slightly to show that he understood.

"Understood. Then I will take the finger back with me... Be careful while you are active in Kyoto."

"Yeah. Once I am done here, I'll return to Tokyo and meet up with you all."

He could contact Kenjaku at any time anyway, so once he returned to Tokyo, he would not have to worry about being unable to find the organization.

Hanami helped move Kana Shizumi to a wilderness area near where people lived, then silently hitched a ride and left.

The truck driver glanced suspiciously at his rearview mirror, unable to stop looking toward the truck bed—he did not know whether it had been an illusion just now, but the whole truck suddenly seemed much heavier?!

Kana Shizumi sorted through his wallet and found twenty thousand yen, then considered things before finding an unoccupied corner to rest for a while.

Fighting people in PVP was quite mentally draining, so conserving his energy was necessary too.

When he woke again, it was already close to ten at night. Kana Shizumi found a nearby Yoshinoya and settled in there for the time being.

These chain restaurants operated twenty-four hours a day. If he entered during off-peak hours, Kana Shizumi could easily linger until the early morning before leaving.

He casually ordered something to fill his stomach, then used his phone to search for "Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple."

That was the convenience of a modern society—when in doubt, use a search engine.

Looking through the pictures and descriptions, Kana Shizumi quickly formed a systematic series of conclusions.

Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple...

This was the entrance to Toribeno, the largest burial ground in Heian-kyo.

According to legend, this place had been regarded as the boundary between the living world and the underworld since around the Heian Era.

Within the temple was a famous well that could lead to the underworld... It was said that Ono no Takamura had used this well to travel back and forth from the realm of the dead.

—It sounded awfully mystical.

But Kana Shizumi's attention settled on the historical period.

"Something that has been around since the Heian Era..."

It perfectly matched Kenjaku's period of activity, so what exactly had he left there?

And it was connected to me too...

Recalling Kenjaku's words before hanging up, Kana Shizumi could not help entertaining a few unrealistic ideas.

Could Jail Mom really be about to give me a gun?