Final Preparations for the Culling Game

Kana Shizumi finished reading everything and set down the item in his hand, still looking unsatisfied.

If he had never entertained such thoughts before, then now that he had actually seen the words "Domain," Kana Shizumi could not help making a few associations.

A Domain...

Everyone knew this.

Within the Jujutsu Kaisen system, a Domain represented a sorcerer's ultimate move.

It was the absolute result of refining one's cursed technique, Barrier Technique, and personal strength to their limits, then using cursed energy to condense all that power into a single form.

It represented a sorcerer's ultimate strength and, in a sense, the manifestation of the "peak" of their skill.

For a simple comparison, it was roughly like Bankai in Bleach next door.

The presentation was grand, the power boost was outrageous, and it was even a key method for shaping certain characters.

All in all... this thing was extraordinary in both use and significance.

Now that Kana Shizumi had finally transmigrated here, it was only natural that he would want to learn it.

So, was Crimson Blood Manipulation plus a Domain viable?

Considering that this technique had only been bottom-tier among the front-line techniques in the original work, Kana Shizumi had no one he could use as a reference.

Besides... this was not something one could learn just because one wanted to.

Fushiguro in the original work was a classic example. As an officially recognized Grade 2 Sorcerer, after feeling immense pressure from the outside, he had even managed to open a half-finished Domain.

That alone showed that talent was the true prerequisite in Jujutsu Society.

Comparing people really could make one furious.

If Zi saw this, she would probably start ranting again.

Are all sorcerers of this era trash like you?

Then came a vicious roasting!

Ahem, back to the point.

All things considered, Kana Shizumi did indeed possess the prerequisites needed to open a Domain.

First, his attainments and understanding of Kenjaku's Barrier Technique.

Second, the total amount of cursed energy needed to support a complete activation.

Third, he possessed a cursed technique with offensive capabilities...

All the conditions were met, so working backward from the result, the problem now lay with Kana Shizumi himself.

His brain probably was not good enough. He simply could not imagine what a Domain was supposed to look like...

After agonizing over it for a while, Kana Shizumi finally sighed and set the matter aside for now.

Rather than hoping for something so vague, he should first gather all the Cursed Objects. After all, Kana Shizumi was quite looking forward to acquiring a second cursed technique.

After clearing the table and putting away the washed dishes, Kana Shizumi glanced at the clock beside the living room.

It was already eleven thirty.

It was about time to rest... but before that, he did not forget to take out his phone and check in.

Record the time.

This was also a reminder he had set up for himself as the plotline gradually approached, so he would not forget important points in time.

After all, time moved ridiculously fast in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen...

Looking at the entire string of events in the Shinjuku Incident, it had only taken a few hours at most.

From an ordinary person's perspective, it was literally a case of seeing ghosts while alive.

People had originally been working and studying normally, only for the subway to suddenly explode, skyscrapers to collapse, houses to be sliced into pieces, and then a huge fire to finish things off...

And it was not even over yet.

Because after the battle, the Culling Game began.

Those lucky enough to survive still had to endure harassment from all kinds of cursed spirits... Damn, were they really treating everyone like Japanese people?

So Kana Shizumi was now rather sensitive to changes in time.

Although today's experience had made him more cautious about changing the plot... that was merely a matter of being careful.

If he got the chance to pull off something big, Kana Shizumi would not mind taking a risk!

At worst, he could expose Jail Mom later...

As he pondered this, Kana Shizumi's phone suddenly vibrated.

The sound caught him off guard. When he had transmigrated here, Kana Shizumi had used Mahito's hand-crafted assistance to replace his phone and other things related to his personal information.

The number of actual people in his contact list was definitely below average...

So who would be messaging him at this hour?

When he opened it, the unread message from Yuji Itadori made his eyes widen slightly.

Without hesitation, Kana Shizumi tapped it open and saw a selfie.

Yuji in the shot had raised his phone high overhead.

—It was not hard to tell that the kid had no talent for photography, since Yuji had not even considered the backlighting...

Nearly a quarter of the finished photo was occupied by his grinning face.

As for the rest... it was somewhat blurry, but not impossible to make out.

Kana Shizumi quickly recognized it.

It was the pachinko parlor he had visited with Yuji yesterday.

[Kana-san, the machine where you hit 777 yesterday has already been completely booked out. I heard it paid out two more jackpots afterward... now they've even given it the title of "sure-win machine." That's amazing!]

That could happen?

Kana Shizumi looked at the long line in the photo and could not hold back a quiet laugh.

Pachinko was pretty interesting—though for Kana Shizumi, that only applied when he was playing with friends.

[When are you coming again, Kana-san?]

Looking at Yuji's follow-up message, Kana Shizumi pondered for a moment without replying immediately.

He was considering whether he should continue making contact and "following up."

After all, through Jail Mom's notes, he had roughly understood his current situation... if he wanted to stay alive, it would be better to settle down a little before things began.

So should he refuse?

Holding his phone, he silently rubbed the screen. A few seconds later, he began typing.

[Next time, maybe... tomorrow, or the day after. I'll contact you when I'm free, okay?]

Yuji replied quickly. The message had barely been sent before a notification appeared.

"Read"

At the same time, "Typing..." appeared at the very top of the screen almost immediately.

[No problem! Kana-san can come earlier next time. I can treat you to ramen!]

[Aren't you a high school student? Is it okay for you not to sleep?]

[You don't need to worry about grades at all. I'm an athletic scholarship student, so I can totally get in through special admission.]

Kana Shizumi felt like he had been angered into laughter.

This kid really was an athletic scholarship student...

After chatting briefly, the two naturally decided on a time for their next meeting.

After struggling with the decision, Kana Shizumi still concluded that they should meet. On one hand, Yuji was the protagonist. No matter how Kana Shizumi acted afterward, he should be able to influence the plot relatively easily through him.

There was plenty of room to maneuver here, and Kana Shizumi did not want to miss this opportunity.

On the other hand, it was for the sake of the future.

Just in case... purely just in case.

If this troublemaking stick failed to perform and the plot did not change much, Sukuna still got beaten into Sukuna...

Then at least he could tell Yuji, "One day of pachinko, a hundred days of gratitude," and shamelessly cling to him to stay alive first. He could worry about avoiding the reckoning afterward.

Hehe, I want to live.

With that thought, Kana Shizumi put down his phone in high spirits and closed his eyes to rest.

Tomorrow would surely be better!

Then...

The next morning.

"Unblemished, I have a task for you."

Kenjaku spoke without looking up as he sipped hot milk.

"Go to Sendai. I'll give you the exact coordinates... then help me bury this thing at the designated location."

As he spoke, Kenjaku placed an object on the table and pushed it toward Kana Shizumi.

A task already?

Kana Shizumi had assumed he would still be collecting fingers... but instead, he was taking a trip to Sendai.

Kana Shizumi subconsciously acknowledged him and saw a small wooden box sitting on the table.

It was square, about the size of a fist. Though he had not opened it yet, a single glance was enough for him to sense the faint, twisted "presence" crawling over it.

There was no doubt about it. This thing contained cursed energy.

And... it was not a small amount, though it had not reached the outrageous level of Special Grade.

Kana Shizumi picked it up and weighed it in his hand, finding that it had some heft to it...

"This thing, I..."

"You can open it and take a look. I don't mind."

Well, if he said that, why would Kana Shizumi stand on ceremony? Open it!

After taking a glance inside, he found nothing more than an ordinary ring-shaped piece of jade.

Judging by its form, it seemed to be some kind of accessory used by ancient nobles... Kana Shizumi knew nothing about such things, so he secretly glanced at Kenjaku.

Jail Mom was quite cooperative. Having finished his fried egg, he was wiping his mouth. Without even looking up, he said, "This is probably a Grade 1 Cursed Object... I'm not especially clear on its exact classification. It was made temporarily, so I didn't care too much about that."

After all, "Its primary function is to divide areas and impose various restrictions... Oh, right, I taught you how to use Barrier Technique before, didn't I? Unblemished, you should be able to understand its purpose."

Why was there suddenly a pop quiz...

Fortunately, Kana Shizumi had studied diligently. He scratched his head and managed to recall some related information.

"You arrange several objects containing cursed energy according to a specific pattern, allowing them to create a resonating effect... then these Cursed Objects can form boundaries and create a medium- to large-scale barrier?"

"Mm, you got two-thirds of it right. That's not bad. The rest is something I haven't taught you."

Kenjaku waved a hand, speaking as if he did not care.

"To construct a large-scale barrier, the most important things are defining the specific range and determining its effects... this is still only a half-finished product, so the boundaries take priority. I won't say more. There's no point in you hearing it."

He slowly stood and stretched.

"Go early and come back early. If I have time afterward, I can teach you some other things."

Kenjaku's little classroom was about to begin again.

Since the other party was genuinely willing to teach him things, Kana Shizumi was also highly motivated to learn.

But before that... all his attention was focused on the item in his hand.

Honestly, just because Jail Mom did not say it, did he think Kana Shizumi would not know?

Impossible... Kana Shizumi had figured it out about halfway through.

Defining a range for restrictions, needing to bury Cursed Objects to "reinforce" and "limit" it, and with the destination being Sendai...

Weren't you building the stage for the Jujutsu Culling Game?!

Kana Shizumi had thought this should have been arranged many years ago, but it seemed construction had only begun a few months ago?

It felt so slapdash...

Still, it was understandable. This job could be as large or as small as needed. Judging by the time and workload, in the original timeline, Kenjaku and the cursed spirit side had most likely buried these things personally. But now? They had a laborer they could use however they liked.

"Understood. Then I'll head out..."

"Mm, be careful on the road. Try not to use cursed energy. The Tokyo metropolitan area is very unsafe. There should still be money on the bank card I gave you, right? Then save a little... taking the train occasionally and getting out to see things is necessary too."

Kana Shizumi knew that even without being told...

With a quiet sigh, he began packing his luggage and making all the preparations needed before heading out.

And before he began moving.

Almost at the exact same time...

Inside Tokyo Jujutsu High, a man dozing in the teachers' office suddenly shuddered.

"Hiss..."

White hair, covered eyes, an absurdly powerful build.

With those keywords alone, his identity was self-evident.

Satoru Gojo clicked his tongue and raised his phone to his ear.

"Hello? What is it? A mission? A meeting? Something involving the Kamo Lineage? What a pain... A cursed technique being inherited outside the family isn't exactly rare, is it? Well~ I understand... I'll head over later."

After hanging up, he had just started to stand when his phone rang again.

Ah...

Was this not a little too busy?!

But for the man in question, this rhythm of life seemed to be "expected."

With a soft sigh, Satoru Gojo answered the call. His tone still carried its usual upward lilt, without any sign of emotional decline.

"A cursed spirit? What grade is it? Estimated between Grade 2 and Grade 1... I see. Something like that really is too troublesome for the supervisors."

So what should he do? "I'll arrange it, don't worry... Mm, contact me again if anything comes up."

After hanging up, Satoru Gojo stood there, tilting his head as he thought for a while.

Then he dialed a familiar number.

Beep... beep... beep...

Click.

The call connected.

"What is it?"

"Megumi, there's a cursed spirit on my end that needs dealing with... Don't worry, it's nothing too troublesome. Contact Inumaki and Panda too. The three of you should head out together—they ought to be free right now."

Huh? What?

"I have a meeting to attend myself~ Don't be fooled by how I look; I'm actually very busy on weekdays."

Satoru Gojo smiled as he walked over to the windowsill. Facing the bright sunlight outside, he tilted his head back slightly and said with a smile,

"And who knows, the meeting might end early. When that happens, it wouldn't be impossible for me to meet up with you and join the action, right?"