The Yoshino House

Junpei Yoshino started with his encounter with Mahito and told them everything, leaving out no detail.

As Chiyo Shin listened, his tightly furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. No wonder he had practically worn out his books without finding an answer.

It was a change to the soul, not damage to the body.

Could Golden Repair mend the soul, then? In theory, it should, but I haven't reached the level where I can touch souls.

There was also the matter of altering a soul's shape to give a non-sorcerer a Cursed Technique.

If those old fossils at the top found out, they'd go completely mad.

Returning to the matter at hand, Junpei Yoshino had told them so much.

Yet Chiyo Shin still couldn't think of anything Junpei Yoshino possessed that would catch Mahito's interest.

His hatred of the world?

Was Mahito looking for a representative in human society?

Neither seemed to hold up.

"Junpei?" A voice interrupted their conversation.

Junpei Yoshino sounded surprised when he heard it. "Mom."

"Well, this is a rare sight. Are these your friends?" With a cigarette between her lips and a bag of groceries in her hand, Nagi Yoshino came down the riverside steps and approached them.

"Don't let anything slip, Yoshino. For now, we're your friends."

Junpei Yoshino turned to Chiyo Shin, only to find that his lips hadn't moved, though his eyes were signaling frantically.

He looked back at his mother. She didn't seem to have heard anything either. A Cursed Technique?

It doesn't seem very strong.

Chiyo Shin secretly nudged Yuji Itadori as well, transmitting his voice through vibrations without moving his lips. "Itadori, time to do what you do best. Win over the pretty lady."

Yuji Itadori couldn't voice his misery. He could only steel himself and step up.

"We only just met, but I think we're going to be friends," Yuji Itadori replied.

"That's right," Junpei Yoshino confirmed.

"Really? My Junpei's going to have new friends. What are your names?" Nagi Yoshino asked, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Yuji Itadori. Ma'am, your outfit doesn't go with those scallions at all." Yuji Itadori zeroed in on the key detail.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Chiyo Shin." Chiyo Shin bowed.

"Haha, hello, both of you. And you, young man, really know what to say. My goal is to be a woman who doesn't go with scallions." Nagi Yoshino laughed happily.

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to smoke?" Only then did Junpei Yoshino notice that his mother was smoking again. He stepped forward and snatched the cigarette away.

"All right, all right. I'll stop." Nagi Yoshino did listen when her son urged her not to smoke, but she was under so much stress that she unconsciously reached for cigarettes to relieve it.

Nagi Yoshino changed the subject. "Would you boys like to come over for dinner?"

"That's too sudden, Mom. You'll put them on the spot." Junpei Yoshino thought it was inappropriate and hurried to stop her.

"Don't talk her out of it. Let us come over so we can check the place. Your mother might already be a target." It was the same voice transmitted through vibrations.

This time, Junpei Yoshino didn't turn to look at Chiyo Shin. He simply agreed.

The sudden reversal caught Nagi Yoshino off guard. This little brat was the one objecting, and now he was the one agreeing.

But he's my son, after all.

"All right, then. Is there anything you don't eat?"

"No. Thank you for having us, ma'am." Chiyo Shin bowed again.

"Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am." Yuji Itadori smiled, rubbing his stomach.

The Underground Temple.

Kento Nanami's battle with Mahito had ended with Mahito buried beneath the massive rocks brought down by the Ratio Technique: Collapse.

After Kento Nanami left, a mass of flesh wriggled out of the pile of rocks and gradually took Mahito's form.

As soon as he finished forming, Mahito burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I didn't expect that sorcerer to be so reckless."

Kenjaku had just arrived beside the pile of rocks. "Quite a fierce fight, Mahito."

"Geto, I learned a lot from this fight, too.

"As long as my soul isn't damaged, I can use cursed energy to recover even if my body is smashed to pieces.

"And there's no risk in changing my soul into any shape." Mahito shared what he had learned like a little child.

"That's good." Kenjaku listened to Mahito's account without any visible change in expression.

"Oh, right. Have you found a way to deal with Chiyo Shin?" Mahito suddenly asked.

"Doesn't that still depend on you? As long as you can confirm what's going on with his soul, we should be close enough." As he spoke, Kenjaku took out an object resembling a compass.

"This can deal with Chiyo Shin? It looks pretty ordinary." Mahito stretched out his arm and took the compass.

"This is called the Soul Offering, a Special Grade Cursed Object. Its ability disrupts souls.

"Chiyo Shin's Collapse Cursed Technique has only ever appeared in one family: the Qin.

"But the Qin family has declined, and no sorcerers bearing the Qin surname have appeared since. Chiyo Shin's surname isn't Qin, either.

"I checked the historical records. No daughter of the Qin family ever married into the Chiyo family.

"That leaves only two possibilities for one person possessing two Cursed Techniques.

"First, incarnation. Both the vessel and the person incarnated within them possess Cursed Techniques.

"Second, two souls. He's one of a pair of conjoined twins, with another person inside his body.

"But either way, the Soul Offering can inflict severe damage on Chiyo Shin."

"How fascinating." Mahito examined the compass closely.

A roadside parking space.

"What? You're going to Junpei Yoshino's house for dinner? No, absolutely not." Ijichi answered the phone expecting good news, only to be hit by a bolt from the blue.

"Come on, we've already provisionally determined that Junpei Yoshino isn't the killer.

"But the danger hasn't been ruled out yet. Junpei Yoshino's mother might be at risk, so we have to take a look.

"Besides, I'm here. You're still worried? Relax, relax." Chiyo Shin hung up as soon as he finished.

I'm worried precisely because you're there.

Listening to the disconnected call, Ijichi knew it was good news, but the same helpless exhaustion he felt around Satoru Gojo washed over him again.

He started the car and drove toward Chiyo Shin's shared location.

He hadn't gone far before his phone rang again. This time, it was Kento Nanami.

When Ijichi saw Kento Nanami's name on the screen, his heart sank. "I'm done for. I'm going to get yelled at."

Ijichi braced himself as he answered, but the voice on the other end sounded somewhat weak. "I've sent you my location. Sorry for the trouble, but please come pick me up.

"And have Chiyo prepare to treat me."

"Treat you?!" Ijichi tapped the brakes, slowing the car.

"It's all right. I won't die." Kento Nanami pressed firmly against his wound to keep too much blood from escaping.

"Um, Mr. Nanami, I'll meet up with Chiyo and the others right away, then come get you." Ijichi pulled over and checked the road for a place to turn around.

"You aren't together?" Kento Nanami was taken aback.

"I... well..." Ijichi tried to explain.

"No need to explain. It's not your fault. Contact Ms. Ieiri. I'll return to the school for treatment. With Chiyo there, things should be fine on Junpei Yoshino's end." Kento Nanami gave his instructions through the pain.

"Yes, Mr. Nanami. I'll be there right away." Ijichi quickly turned around and drove toward Kento Nanami's location.

The Yoshino House.

At the dinner table, Yuji Itadori was telling Nagi Yoshino funny stories from his childhood.

"And then? What happened next?" Nagi Yoshino couldn't wait for the next punch line.

"Then I picked it up and looked. It wasn't some evil caterpillar at all, just a strand of konjac noodle." Yuji Itadori picked up some food with his chopsticks, reenacting what he had done back then.

"Hahahaha! Hehe, hahaha! That's hilarious. It was a konjac noodle!" Nagi Yoshino slapped the table.

"Itadori, tell us another one." Nagi Yoshino was having the time of her life.

"Mom, you've had too much to drink," Junpei Yoshino hurriedly said.

"Don't stop her. It'll be easier to investigate if she's drunk." Once again, Chiyo Shin transmitted his voice through vibrations.

Junpei Yoshino hesitated, then nodded in agreement.

"Chiyo, come give me a hand." Having heard Nagi Yoshino's request, Yuji Itadori was determined to deliver.

Chiyo Shin hurriedly lay down on the floor, stuck out his tongue, and played dead.

"Wilson! Wilson!" Yuji Itadori leaned over Chiyo Shin and shook him repeatedly.

"I don't get the joke." Nagi Yoshino stared blankly.

"Pfft. This is from Cast Away, right?" Junpei Yoshino asked.

"That's right," Yuji Itadori confirmed.

"Heh, hahaha." Recognizing the reference, Junpei Yoshino laughed.

The four of them spent the afternoon together in that cheerful atmosphere.

Junpei Yoshino covered his drunken mother with a blanket.

"So? Is there anything unusual in my house?" Junpei Yoshino was still most concerned about his mother's safety.

"I haven't sensed anything, but I can't say for sure that everything's fine." As Chiyo Shin spoke, his phone rang. It was Ijichi.

Signaling to Junpei Yoshino that they would talk in a moment, Chiyo Shin answered. "What's up?"

"Are you finished there? I'm coming to pick you up."

"Not yet. We still can't be sure whether Junpei Yoshino's family is being targeted.

"We're going to spend the night here."

Ijichi told him about Kento Nanami's injury.

"Then that's all the more reason for us to stay here tonight. All right, don't try to talk me out of it. I know what I'm doing."

After hanging up, Chiyo Shin looked at Junpei Yoshino. "My senior was injured by that Mr. Mahito you mentioned.

"For safety's sake, Itadori and I will stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we'll move both of you to Jujutsu High."

Junpei Yoshino agreed. "All right. When my mom wakes up, I'll explain everything to her."