When Shoichi Kano got home, his heart was still pounding, as though he had only just escaped death's clutches.
Even the instant noodles he had just bought from the 7-Eleven downstairs tasted bland. With his heart hammering like that, he could hardly stomach anything.
As a newly awakened jujutsu sorcerer, he had actually escaped a special grade cursed spirit. Honestly, he could brag about that for a whole year!
So Shoichi Kano began recalling the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen. He remembered that Suguru Geto had subdued the Slit-Mouthed Woman in the original story, then used her against Toji Fushiguro. But the Slit-Mouthed Woman clearly had no master right now. Did that mean he had arrived before the original story's Hidden Inventory arc?
Didn't that mean Gojo, Geto, and Shoko were still students at Jujutsu High? How long would he have to wait for the main plot to start?!
Soon, he thought of the Star Plasma Vessel Incident, which had driven Suguru Geto down a dark path and triggered Satoru Gojo's awakening in the original story. He considered whether he should join Jujutsu High and change some of those tragic outcomes.
After thinking it over, he decided against it!
Whether as Lin Kano in his previous life or Shoichi Kano in this one, he had never been the noble sort who believed everyone bore responsibility for the fate of the world. His motto was, "If it's none of my business, stay out of it."
If he went to Jujutsu High, never mind whether he could bluff his way past Masamichi Yaga-the daily assignments from the higher-ups to exorcise cursed spirits would be enough to drive him crazy!
Once things got out of hand and threatened to affect him, like the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons or the Shibuya Incident, he could consider whether to intervene then!
Kano felt that getting stronger was his immediate priority. Right now, he needed tricks just to deal with the Slit-Mouthed Woman, who hadn't even had five minutes of screen time in the original anime. When things really mattered, he would probably be nothing more than a speed bump for someone else.
At that thought, he instinctively raised his hands again and used cursed energy to form nearly transparent threads across them. Then, like Rui from Demon Slayer, he played cat's cradle with the threads.
He had no idea whether this would improve his mastery of cursed energy, but doing something was better than doing nothing.
After playing cat's cradle for a while, he realized that his noodles would turn into a soggy mess if he didn't eat them soon. Once the individual strands became cold, sticky clumps, they would taste awful!
He quickly put away his little trick, scooped up some noodles with his fork, and brought them to his mouth.
"Pretty pathetic, you little brat." A slightly hoarse woman's voice rang out behind his head, and that icy presence made every hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
What the fuck?
Holding the paper cup of noodles in one hand and a disposable plastic fork in the other, Shoichi Kano turned around stiffly, like a puppet with ungreased joints.
Then he saw the woman in the trench coat and mask.
It was the Slit-Mouthed Woman he had teased. She... had followed him here?!
"Pfft!" Under that overwhelming shock, Shoichi Kano felt his throat tickle. Before he could swallow, he instinctively spat out every last noodle in his mouth, spraying them through the air like a shotgun blast.
A flicker of exasperation crossed the special grade cursed spirit's dark gray eyes. She simply turned elegantly to one side, and all that filth splattered onto Kano's floor.
"Brat." Her figure blurred as she closed in like a ghost, grabbed Shoichi Kano by the collar, and slammed him against the wall. "Didn't your parents teach you not to spit things at people? That's very rude!"
Kano felt as though his back and the back of his head had split open with pain. He hadn't had time to summon any cursed energy to defend himself before they made intimate contact with his wall.
Once again, Shoichi Kano caught that peculiar scent from her. Its top note was fresh, like green tea, followed by the deep, old-fashioned richness of sandalwood. But the final note became the gloomy decay of rotting wood-a complex, distinctive, cold fragrance.
Taking advantage of their difference in height, she looked down at him, her white pupils fixed firmly on him. Her gaze wasn't that of someone looking at prey. It was more like she was looking at some sort of... plaything that annoyed her but also amused her a little.
Like a player hooked on certain games-spend a day without playing and they felt miserable, but play and they still felt miserable all day.
Overwhelmed by her presence, Shoichi Kano's mind went blank, and the words tumbled out without passing through his brain. "Um... my mother... died when I was very young. And my father is a sailor. He's busy with work and often can't come home..."
Heaven could bear witness that he was telling the absolute truth. Every word matched Shoichi Kano's actual family circumstances.
But to the Slit-Mouthed Woman, those words took on a different meaning. So this lowly human, destined to be trampled beneath curses like us, hadn't called me "Mommy" as an insult or harassment. He was... projecting his feelings onto me?
He wanted to project those missing feelings onto someone of the opposite sex?
Even if she was a cursed spirit?
At that thought, a faint blush appeared on the Slit-Mouthed Woman's face, while something warm and impossible to describe stirred deep within her.
As a special grade imaginary cursed spirit born from the urban legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman, she had come into being around the seventies, when the legend first swept across Japan. Over those long years, she had naturally encountered plenty of humans, including quite a few who could use cursed energy... jujutsu sorcerers.
Some had feared her, while others had wanted to exorcise her. Both were understandable and fit her view of the world.
But this was the first time she had encountered someone projecting emotional attachment onto her. That fell a little outside her understanding.
After thinking it over carefully, she suddenly realized she no longer wanted to kill this human boy. It was perfectly normal for humans to slaughter chickens, ducks, and fish for meat. But if, just as you were about to kill a chicken for soup, it started singing, dancing, and rapping in front of you-and could even play basketball-could you still bring yourself to kill it?
Obviously not. A chicken like that defied common sense. It was entertaining and worth keeping as a plaything.
Shoichi Kano had no idea whether his words had struck a chord with her. All he knew was that the female cursed spirit in front of him yanked him forward, then abruptly let go, making him stumble.
"You little brat." She hooked a finger beneath the edge of her mask and gently pulled it down, revealing her entire face. The stitches Kano had impulsively added to the corners of her mouth were still there. "You're... different from all the humans I've met."
She wore an ambiguous smile, even deliberately stretching her mouth to show off those stitches. "Since you're so starved for affection, I suppose I can lower myself to playing along."
"You... no." Kano hesitated. "What exactly do you mean... ma'am?"
Shoichi Kano had a growing sense that something was wrong. It seemed those cries of "Mommy" had set off a rather troubling chain reaction.
The Slit-Mouthed Woman said nothing. Still wearing that ambiguous smile, she reached out and stroked the boy's face. Her skin had the delicate texture of a young woman's, but its inhuman coldness made Shoichi Kano shudder.
Then her hand moved to his chin! She pinched Kano's chin and forced him to meet her gaze. His human eyes, with their clearly defined whites and dark pupils, met the cursed spirit's dark gray ones.
"What did you call me earlier? Hmm?"
Shoichi Kano stammered, "M-Mommy."
"Good. Very good." She let go and gently patted his head. "In that case, how about Mommy sets a binding vow for you, little brat?"
Shoichi Kano hadn't expected her to adapt so quickly. Two hours ago, he had been in control. Now their positions had completely reversed.
"Then what sort of binding vow do you want, Mommy?" Shoichi Kano asked, suppressing his wildly pounding heart and keeping his voice as calm as possible.
The Slit-Mouthed Woman glanced at his chest, presumably sensing his racing heartbeat. The stitched corners of her mouth curved slightly upward. "We'll renew the binding vow every three months. During those three months, my little darling has to find something Mommy finds interesting. Otherwise..."
The Slit-Mouthed Woman pulled out her scissors threateningly and traced them across Shoichi Kano's throat. "Mommy will kill you."
Seeing that Shoichi Kano seemed frightened, she put her scissors away in satisfaction. "The same goes for the next binding vow period."
Under pressure, Shoichi Kano had a flash of inspiration. He remembered that binding vows in the original Jujutsu Kaisen required an equivalent exchange-setting aside a certain shameless king of borrowing against the future. The Slit-Mouthed Woman's demands only restricted him, placing no restraints on her.
That meant a binding vow like this couldn't fully take effect. Perhaps she had deliberately left him an opening to negotiate?
Whatever the case, Shoichi Kano decided to try. "In that case, I require Mommy to protect me during each binding vow period. You can't harm me in any way, directly or indirectly, unless I break the agreement. At the same time, Mommy, you must also play a role befitting that name. You have to care for me and guide me like a mother, including looking after my food, clothing, housing, and transportation."
After saying that, Shoichi Kano ran through his words again in his head, making sure he had left no loopholes. This binding vow concerned his life, after all. He couldn't afford to be careless!
And if he was lucky, he would gain a special grade cursed spirit as his backer. This lady might not be strong enough to compete with the top fighters, but for him right now, she was more than capable of keeping him safe.
"What a sly little brat." The Slit-Mouthed Woman gently pulled her mask back up, covering the lower half of her face again. "Fine. I agree."
Before you continue