"What do you mean, 'this little bit of ice'?"
Uraume looked down at Choso, extending the ice crystals at their fingertips toward him.
"Uraume, don't kill them all," Kenjaku suddenly said, his tone casual, as though discussing something trivial. "We need someone left to deliver the news."
Uraume whipped around with a vicious glare, silver-white hair tracing a cold arc through the air. The ice crystals at their fingertips trembled slightly. "Yuji Itadori alone should be enough to deliver the news!"
Before the words had faded, an attack came from the side. The shock wave of cursed energy struck precisely between Uraume and the frozen group. Forced to retreat, Uraume pushed off the ground and slid back several steps, the ice crystals on their fingers instantly forming a small shield to block the residual blast.
"It really has been a long time."
A tall blonde woman landed in front of the frozen group, her posture relaxed, both hands in her pockets, her signature carefree smile on her face.
"Geto, and..." Her gaze shifted from Kenjaku to Kashimo. "Little deer."
She tilted her head.
"Can you answer my question now? What kind of woman do you like?"
The corner of Kenjaku's mouth twitched.
"Yuki Tsukumo..."
"You remember, don't you? The way to make cursed spirits disappear from the world." Yuki Tsukumo watched Kenjaku, her tone a little heavier than usual, her gaze fixed on his face as though trying to confirm something.
"Normally, I'd be more than happy to chat with you." Kenjaku tilted his head slightly. The smile remained on his lips, but the warmth had drained from his eyes. "But I don't have much time right now, Tsukumo." He paused, his voice softening as though referring to something already crossed off a list. "The extraction is complete."
Yuki Tsukumo