There's Even an Eyewitness Here

In Tokyo, Shinjuku District, inside a high-end apartment that even Jujutsu High could not detect.

Kenjaku skillfully cut into the steak before him with a knife and fork. As he inspected it with a slightly discerning gaze, he slowly brought it to his mouth.

He chewed and pondered.

After swallowing, Kenjaku wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and delivered a rather "fair" assessment.

"Sous vide? A cooking method that preserves the juices while keeping the texture tender... I see. It seems culinary techniques have advanced with the times as well. My views in this regard truly were outdated."

Kenjaku set down his knife and fork with a faint sigh, then turned halfway toward the kitchen.

"Unblemished, well done... I'm very satisfied with this flavor."

Damn it, you had better be satisfied! He'd been busy since last night just preparing this dinner.

Kana Shizumi wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and forced out a somewhat strained smile.

"Thank you for the praise..."

"No, I'm not flattering you."

Kenjaku spread his hands and gave a gentle smile.

"I sincerely think the texture is superb and the seasoning exquisite. Without exaggeration... if Akechi Mitsuhide had served this to Tokugawa Ieyasu back then, the Honnoji Incident might never have happened."

Kana Shizumi had to think for a moment before he got the joke.

There was a rumor that during the Warring States Period, Akechi Mitsuhide had served rotten fish to Tokugawa Ieyasu, enraging Oda Nobunaga, who beat the former senseless on the spot...

Thus, we had reason to believe that the rotten fish incident had been the fuse behind the Honnoji barbecue case!

Of course, that was more joke than truth.

After all, Jail Japan lacked reliable historical records. Most accounts came from the writings of other scholars, so even today, many things had been passed down in a form resembling historical fiction.

History had to be exciting, after all. Otherwise, what would there be to watch?

But then again, if Kenjaku had lived this long, he should theoretically have experienced the Warring States Period too, right?

Kana Shizumi dried his hands with a towel and spoke in a joking tone.

"Father, did you witness those things firsthand?"

Kenjaku raised the wineglass beside him and gently swirled it as he replied in an exceptionally calm voice.

"Yes, I was the one who served the rotten fish... In truth, Tokugawa simply preferred light flavors and couldn't stomach fermented food. Sigh, tastes differed from person to person. I suggested at the time that they not serve guests something with such a strong regional style, but... tsk. People who refused to listen were really difficult to deal with."

Damn!

There was even an eyewitness claiming it.

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding... But seriously, it really was delicious. I'm very satisfied with tonight's dinner."

Kana Shizumi let out a quiet breath and returned from the kitchen to the living room.

"That puts me somewhat at ease. As long as you liked it."

Marinating, preparation, seasoning—none of those processes had been simple. Fortunately, he had transmigrated into a modern setting, so some skills from his "previous life" had come in handy.

And the current situation was exactly as he had just said.

Over his thousand-year life, Kenjaku seemingly had not cared much for the desires of the palate.

Unlike Hannibal of the Heian Era, Kenjaku was apparently Marie Curie of the Heian Era... too busy making radiation sources.

"It does feel a little salty after eating too much."

"There's dessert after the meal: Kyoto's specialty chestnut daifuku. It tastes best after being frozen. Please enjoy..."

Since he was already serving Kenjaku like an ox and horse, he naturally had to provide proper service.

Kana Shizumi's resolve on that point was quite firm! So for the time being, his priority was to make this thousand-year-old monster happy first.

"Oh, how thoughtful."

The atmosphere after food and drink was always the most subtle. Kenjaku looked thoughtfully at Kana Shizumi. After gently wiping the corner of his mouth, he spoke in his usual even tone.

"Simple verbal praise feels like it lacks something. Unblemished... is there anything in particular that you want?"

There was even a reward segment, apparently.

Although he had no idea what Kenjaku was plotting, Kana Shizumi decided to be direct.

"I want to become stronger!"

It couldn't be helped. He had to improve his strength somehow.

Otherwise, with his half-baked skills, what was he supposed to use to take part in the Shibuya Incident, the Culling Game, or the Shinjuku Showdown?

When he had first transmigrated here, he had planned to personally fight Sukuna. But now, Sukuna probably would not even spare him a glance. Once his Domain opened, the aftereffects alone could kick him to death like a stray dog by the roadside...

There were indeed many ways to become stronger.

But given the current circumstances, he did not dare alter the plot recklessly, so he could only rely on cheats...

Jail Mom, help me!!!

"I see."

Kenjaku nodded impassively. His gaze lowered, catching sight of the whipped cream clinging to his fingers, and he licked it clean bit by bit.

"Tsk tsk... At your current level, you should probably be Grade 2... No, if you performed exceptionally well, you should be at Semi-Grade 1."

After saying that, Kenjaku lifted his gaze and wore a thoughtful expression.

"With that level of strength, you could already suppress more than ninety percent of the jujutsu world. Are you still not satisfied?"

It sounded somewhat exaggerated, but it was not far from the truth.

As an innate technique, Crimson Blood Manipulation's high baseline already set Kana Shizumi apart from ordinary sorcerers.

After all, not everyone who awakened had combat ability... In the original work, that blond kid in the Culling Game awakened a technique that controlled the sugar in his body...

Others got Limitless, Malevolent Shrine, or the Ten Shadows Technique.

And you got a blood sugar control technique...

Just thinking about it felt absurd. More than ninety percent of sorcerers were probably in that sort of situation.

So in the original work, Yoshino Junpei, who awakened in Young Fish and Reverse Punishment, was actually a rather talented sorcerer.

First of all, being able to see curses itself showed that he possessed jujutsu talent.

Then, the technique he awakened was the ability to summon a jellyfish Shikigami, which further eliminated those without combat talent.

Finally... the original work showed that the kid's jellyfish could actually be poisonous.

Holy shit, everyone knew just how absurdly valuable the "poison" trait was in Jujutsu Kaisen... It could be said that as long as one had not encountered the top-tier fighters, poison's effects were extraordinarily potent.

If Junpei had not died, he might have had plenty of room to shine later in the story.

After all, sorcerers did not improve in a linear fashion.