Cursed Vault

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock...

Hearing the knocking from outside, Kenjaku set down the book in his hands and turned halfway toward the entrance.

"Who is it?"

Click.

The lock turned on its own and was silently "picked" open.

True Person stood outside the door with a beaming smile, waving inside as he casually called out, "Yo."

"I never said you could come in... Forget it. What is it?"

"Nothing~ I just happened to bring over a new companion a while ago, so I wanted you all to get acquainted."

As he spoke, True Person took half a step back and patted the short, stout figure standing beside him.

The latter wriggled forward twice, entering the range of the lights and revealing a red, inhuman silhouette.

It was barely a meter tall and looked like a short, chubby octopus standing upright.

Its hands and head were tucked beneath the white cloth draped over it. Now, it met Kenjaku's gaze...

"Pfft!"

—This guy apparently couldn't talk yet.

It merely swung its two thick arms, forcefully waving them twice as though it had a speech impediment.

Kenjaku leaned his head back slightly, one brow lifting as a somewhat strange expression appeared on his face.

"This is... a new cursed spirit? Something related to the ocean... I see. So it's about time it took shape."

Though it wasn't particularly strong, for the current villain faction, even an extra maggot was still a good thing.

Besides, the skin Mama Brain was currently wearing possessed Cursed Spirit Manipulation. Looking at this group of cursed spirits now was probably like a Pokémon trainer encountering Suicune...

"Welcome. Also... it's impressive that you managed to find it. Good work, True Person."

"Ha, you're flattering me! But more importantly..."

True Person familiarly stuck his head inside. Like a restless child entering someone else's home, he looked around the living room.

Kenjaku sat in his chair, flipping through the book before him without even raising his head.

"Unblemished went on a mission. He's not here."

"Huh?! What a coincidence?"

True Person stood there with his hands on his hips. His head twisted around in one smooth motion, stretching long as though it were dough rolled flat with a rolling pin.

It traced a winding arc through the air before landing on Kenjaku's left shoulder.

"Hanami told me he'd been staying here with you for the past half month, supposedly training or something? I wanted to see how much he'd improved... What a shame."

Kenjaku turned a page as though no one else were present, his tone utterly flat.

"There will be opportunities. No need to rush."

"Ah, then forget it... By the way, is there anything you need help with lately?"

Kenjaku paused, tilting his head up slightly with a thoughtful look.

"For now... no. Move about freely for a while. And you can use this opportunity to focus a little on improving your own abilities."

Kenjaku propped his chin on his right hand and looked at True Person with an unreadable smile.

"You are a cursed spirit born from humanity's malice... Honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do."

If Kana Shizumi had heard that, he probably would have been amused.

Looking forward to it? Oh, he was definitely looking forward to it...

The reason Kenjaku hadn't turned True Person into a ball and swallowed him ahead of time in the original work was, ultimately, because this guy hadn't fully matured yet.

If he extracted him early with Cursed Spirit Manipulation, this guy's ability would be fixed along with it, directly affecting the later sorcerer battle royale.

"My improvement? Hahaha, honestly, I don't really have any opportunities or ideas right now."

Though he spoke carelessly, True Person didn't truly think that way... He surely wanted to find a way to break through, or he wouldn't have been so interested in Itadori and Nanami in the original work.

After all, he improved with every fight, and in the end, his birthday became his death day.

True Person shrugged, and the expression on his face immediately turned somewhat bored.

Without any fun to be found, there was no reason to stay.

"Then I'll be going... See you, Kenjaku."

"Mm. I hope to hear good news of your improvement next time."

"By the way, where did Unblemished go?"

Kenjaku thought for a moment, then spoke softly.

"Kyoto... the Cursed Vault."

At nearly the same time.

Kana Shizumi, traveling by Shinkansen, was staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.

Once the train began moving, he withdrew his gaze and spoke with deep feeling.

"The experience really is different when you spend money... Night buses are absolute garbage."

Though taking the bus was theoretically cheaper, after checking the balance in his bank account, Kana Shizumi had upgraded his travel experience without hesitation.

What a joke. Was he supposed to risk his life for someone and still save them money?!

After confirming his arrival time, Kana Shizumi sorted through his thoughts and began reviewing the plan and purpose of this trip.

First and foremost, it had to be emphasized that he had made a special trip to Kyoto definitely not to offer up his head...

Joking about rubbing his head against Gojo's shoe soles was one thing. Having finally become "human" again, Kana Shizumi wanted to struggle on and survive until the end.

So, fundamentally speaking, his special trip to Tokyo this time was also to improve his strength.

As for his destination...

The Cursed Vault.

After silently repeating the name in his heart, Kana Shizumi let out a breath.

Though it had received little attention in the original work, it was actually an extremely important place.

As a location for storing all kinds of cursed tools, a Cursed Vault itself signified sealing and storage. Within certain organizations, Cursed Vaults also served functions similar to dungeons.

Itadori and Okkotsu, those two fellow sufferers, had both once been taken into rooms covered in talismans—from the nature of it, those probably counted as a type of Cursed Vault as well.

The Death Paintings in the original work had been stolen from there, and Maki had returned to the Zenin Clan to retrieve cursed tools she could use from its Cursed Vault...

It could be said that the place itself was a gathering ground for cursed objects.

So what was Kana Shizumi's goal now?

"Recover the Six Paths Cursed Tools..."

Though he had no idea where they had gone, considering that Cursed Vaults contained large quantities of cursed objects, perhaps he might stumble upon them by sheer luck?

It would be great just to try his luck.

Besides, a Cursed Vault did not refer to a single complex of buildings. In fact, based on what he currently knew, the Jujutsu High and the Zenin Clan each had entirely separate Cursed Vaults under their management.

The Three Great Families were theoretically equals, so following that logic...

"Kyoto Jujutsu High and the Kamo Lineage must also have dedicated Cursed Vaults under their control."

That was Kana Shizumi's objective.

Sneak in and see whether my "Six Roots" had been sealed inside!