Idle Transfiguration

In this soul-rending standoff, Kana Shizumi felt like he could hear his own heartbeat.

What should he do?

How was he supposed to bluff his way through this? Someone with Kenjaku's personality definitely wouldn't be easy to fool, but he had no means of getting away either...

Heh, could they make peace?

Just as those words nearly slipped from his mouth, another unfamiliar female voice came from behind Kenjaku.

"Are you not done yet? If we drag this out any longer, we might attract the attention of jujutsu sorcerers."

A pale-skinned, abnormally towering humanoid thing walked over.

Black patterns like branches and leaf veins covered its entire body. It had no lips, leaving it permanently baring its teeth in a grotesque grimace.

Hanami, one of the Four Calamities.

Since it had no eyes, Kana Shizumi had no idea what it was focusing on. He only watched as it glanced around before speaking flatly.

"Now that he's awake, take him away quickly. Don't waste time."

Jogo jumped down from the stool and headed off in front without looking back.

Kenjaku tilted his head and shrugged, shaking his head as though utterly helpless before turning to leave as well.

That left Kana Shizumi standing there with a bewildered expression.

Huh?

Why had they suddenly stopped "testing" him?

For no apparent reason, an icy arm looped around the back of his neck. Mahito bumped into him from the side and tucked him beneath his arm.

This guy had no body heat. Up close, Kana Shizumi could even smell a subtle, indescribable stench of rot.

"Sorry, sorry~ Did I scare you? Hahaha, your reaction just now was super funny!"

Mahito lightly waved the right hand he had brought around in front of Kana Shizumi's face, his teasing tone making him sound like a smug child whose prank had succeeded.

"Why wouldn't we trust someone Kenjaku recommended? That was just the usual welcome ritual for newcomers."

So.

"Let's get along from now on, okay? I feel like I'd get along really well with someone like you."

Damn it, this was like having a cursed reaction image shoved right in his face...

Forcing down his discomfort, Kana Shizumi put on a strained smile.

"I-I'll try..."

"Haha, no need to be so formal~ Then I'll follow Kenjaku's instructions and finish my task first."

As he spoke, his hands came together and closed in on Kana Shizumi's head.

Idle Transfiguration.

"...?!"

Holy shit, are you going to knead me into a ball?!

"Don't be so nervous. Right now, you're still just a victim. If your whole family died and only you went around wearing a victim's face, wouldn't that cause a lot of trouble?"

So.

"I'll lend you a hand."

Mahito's cursed technique, Idle Transfiguration.

By touching the soul, it could directly twist and alter it.

Normally, ordinary people would die from the violent modification, or because their souls no longer matched their bodies...

Ordinary people generally could not perceive souls, and the same was true even for jujutsu sorcerers.

So if someone only covered their body in cursed energy while neglecting their soul, Mahito could kill them in an instant.

All that could be said was that this guy's ability was sinister as hell.

But Kana Shizumi's situation seemed somewhat different from that of an ordinary person.

"I see. The soul of a half-human, half-Cursed Spirit is a little special. I can feel that the shape of your soul is quite flexible too... Is this the 'appearance from your previous life' Kenjaku mentioned? Hmm, then I'll alter you accordingly."

Mahito's palm gently pushed forward, pressing down as though he were kneading dough.

Then...

Kana Shizumi felt his body squirming.

In the literal sense.

Flesh rolled over itself, bones warped, organs continuously shrank and twisted... His entire body seemed to be dismantled in an instant, then crudely twisted into a particular shape.

"Okay, take a look. Satisfied?"

Mahito swept his left hand out, and the flesh around his forearm warped into a flesh-colored mirror.

Looking at that familiar face from his previous life in the mirror, Kana Shizumi parted his lips but could not speak for a long while...

There were too many things to criticize. He did not even know where to begin.

"Thank you..."

"Haha, don't mention it."

The truth was, normal humans had a hard time understanding the thought processes of Cursed Spirits and thousand-year-old monsters.

Watching Mahito gradually walk away as well, Kana Shizumi knew he had to follow. He remained where he was for a moment and looked toward the wreckage scattered across the ground.

They had suffered a disaster for no reason at all.

But that was also the fate of ordinary people in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen... Kana Shizumi silently pressed his palms together, sighed, and bowed.

Namu san, may you be reborn soon...

Following his memories back to the room, he quickly packed his luggage, gathered some clothes, and formally bid farewell to his past.

As he followed Kenjaku and the others away, he also listened to their conversation ahead of him...

They seemed to be discussing where to send him.

"Though he is someone you brought here, I do not yet consider him a companion. Spare me from having to travel with him."

"You're surprisingly stubborn..."

Kenjaku shrugged, his gaze shifting to the other two.

Mahito volunteered by raising his right hand, shouting excitedly.

"Me, pick me! Let me team up with this newcomer! It feels like it'll be fun!"

Kenjaku's gaze passed straight over Mahito and landed on Hanami behind him.

"Hanami, take him along for this mission... Let him get some experience, test what he's made of. What do you think?"

The broad-built, taciturn Calamity merely nodded in silence.

It seemed to have no objections.

Then Kana Shizumi had no objections either. Of course, he simply felt there was no point in speaking up...

After all, when Jail Mom assigned him work, all he could do was accept it.

This was the worst possible time to act like a troublemaker.

"Then that settles the arrangements, yes? Does anyone else have any objections?"

I do!

Kana Shizumi would be lying if he said he was not uneasy, considering he did not even know what he was supposed to do.

But since anything he said probably would not be considered anyway, and talking too much might let Kenjaku notice something was wrong, the person in question ultimately gave up struggling.

He would take things one step at a time.

"Here, keep your ticket safe."

Looking at the paper ticket Kenjaku handed him, Kana Shizumi saw the words "Direct to Kyoto" written on it, and his expression became a little strange.

The mission location was Kyoto?

No, more than that, another issue concerned him even more.

"...W-We're taking a bus?"

Kenjaku wore an expression as though that were only natural.

"Of course. Did you think I'd send you there like a magic trick?"

He smiled and waved a hand, speaking casually.

"That would leave traces of cursed energy. There's still a rather troublesome person active over at Jujutsu High right now... so we need to proceed cautiously."

So that was why they were traveling by overnight bus?

Running errands for a thousand-year-old monster and there wasn't even a company car to pick him up? What a failure!