Hiromi Higuruma

Over a thousand years of development, sorcerers had clearly recognized this flaw, leading them to develop "Simple Domain" and, by incorporating a quick-draw slash, "Simple Domain: New Shadow Style."

Like "Hollow Wicker Basket," "Simple Domain" neutralized sure-hit effects, but the latter was a block, while the former was more like super armor.

Simply put, as long as you maintained the hand sign for "Hollow Wicker Basket," you could keep weathering attacks. "Simple Domain" freed both hands and let you use cursed techniques, but it was easily disrupted.

"Hollow Wicker Basket!"

Kinoshita steadied himself and deployed "Hollow Wicker Basket." A blue-violet lattice immediately appeared around him.

"Y-you really never learned this before?" Reggie swallowed.

In a thousand years, sorcerers had only invented two or three ways to counter domains. That alone showed how difficult they were to learn. They were certainly not something you could master in a day.

For Kinoshita to master it in such a short time, he had to be a genius!

"Not bad, I guess. It actually took me two hours." Kinoshita dispelled "Hollow Wicker Basket."

Reggie's face darkened. What did he mean, only two hours?

"Um... can I go now?" Reggie asked shakily.

"What?"

"You haven't paid me back yet!" Kinoshita looked incredulous.

As though Reggie had done something outrageous.

"Money? What money?"

"Could I have killed you?"

"Um... yes..."

"Didn't I spare you?"

"Uh, that's true..."

"Then don't you owe me your life?" Kinoshita leaned into Reggie's face.

Too frightened to even breathe heavily, Reggie could only nod frantically.

"Yes, yes, yes! I owe you my life!"

"Next, I'm going to defeat Sukuna inside this barrier. You'll have to do a few things exactly as I tell you, or else..." Kinoshita patted Reggie on the shoulder.

"Wait a second?" Reggie looked bewildered. "By Sukuna, you mean the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, the strongest man from a thousand years ago?"

"Oh? You even know that?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Then what the hell are you yapping about?"

Kinoshita snapped back irritably.

Reggie went deathly pale. For a jujutsu sorcerer of his caliber, facing someone with a domain meant a fight to the death. Was this second life of his going to end with Sukuna killing him?

"I finally got a second chance at life..."

"Third." Kinoshita chuckled, then pulled a stack of plans from his pocket. "Relax. You won't die."

November 8.

"Rule added: Players may freely enter and leave the barriers."

Kinoshita kicked the jujutsu sorcerer at his feet. He had amassed a hundred points without any real danger and successfully added a rule.

His next target, naturally, was Hiromi Higuruma in Ikebukuro.

Even setting aside his "Executioner's Sword," the ability to temporarily strip an opponent of their cursed technique alone would be extraordinarily effective against Sukuna.

He checked the location, grabbed another Player to confirm it, and finally found the building where Higuruma was staying.

Kinoshita opened the door, froze for a second, then immediately shut it.

He looked left and right, then whistled, pretending not to care.

Three minutes later, he opened the door again and looked inside.

"Whoa... this is so awkward..."

Hiromi Higuruma was moving a bathtub. With some effort, he reinforced his body with cursed energy, then hoisted the tub onto his shoulder.

Then he took a bucket to fetch hot water.

"Yikes..."

This wasn't how it went in the anime, was it?

That was fair enough.

Wouldn't it have been awkward if Itadori had walked in on Higuruma hauling buckets of water?

The image of the handsome man Kinoshita had held in his mind somehow began to crumble.

Splash...

"Wow... he's pouring in the third bucket now."

Now Kinoshita was truly stuck.

Should he just go in, leave, or wait here until Higuruma finished filling the tub and pretend he had only just arrived?

He had thought dealing with this sort of thing in the real world was bad enough. Why was it still happening when he had come here to fight Sukuna?

"Come on... man..."

Kinoshita cracked the door open again, trying to peek in and see whether Hiromi Higuruma had finished pouring the water.

But after looking left and right, he wondered, Huh? Where the hell did he go?

Kinoshita bit his lip, pulled his head back, then leaned against the door, considering what to do.

His brain was already rehearsing how he would pretend he was meeting Hiromi Higuruma for the first time.

Option one:

"Hey~ Taking a bath in a suit? Pretty stylish..."

"Uh, that seems a little too forced. It'll make things awkward. Who gushes about someone else's hobbies the first time they meet?"

Option two:

"You're wild, man, bathing in a suit! Doesn't that feel all clammy?"

"That doesn't seem right either. I'd sound way too casual, like I was acting as though we were already friends."

"Besides, doesn't that copy the guy next door? Plagiarism is bad!"

Option three:

"Mr. Higuruma! Please join me and help me defeat Sukuna! Onegaishimasu!!! (Please!)"

"Very Japanese, but it doesn't really fit my personality..."

Just as Kinoshita sighed and prepared to muster the courage to break this awkward stalemate-

Thud!

A wooden gavel smashed a huge hole through the door he was leaning against. Then Hiromi Higuruma poked his head through it, staring at Kinoshita with wide eyes.

"Your daddy's here!"

"Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing!"

Thud--

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Higuruma repeatedly struck his resounding wooden gavel, then looked at Kinoshita.

"I don't know who you are, but violence is prohibited within my domain. Give up." Hiromi Higuruma stared coldly at Kinoshita.

He seemed to be wondering whether Kinoshita had seen him pouring the hot water earlier.

Noticing his gaze, Kinoshita deliberately acted unconcerned.

"Ah~ Lovely weather today~"

Thud, thud.

Higuruma struck his gavel twice more. "We're inside a barrier, but it just rained today."

"Uh... did it?" Kinoshita coughed twice, only daring to look at him with one eye. "Did you know? When Shang Yang was torn apart by chariots, he was already dead! Wow! I used to think it was so cruel..."

Higuruma's expression turned even colder as he glared at Kinoshita.

He could have changed the subject just by asking how my domain works. Why bring up Shang Yang out of nowhere?!

This brat definitely saw me pouring the water!

No!

He even saw me carrying the bathtub!

This guy...!

Higuruma's face darkened further.

Kinoshita wanted to share another bit of trivia to ease the tension, but "Judgeman," standing behind Hiromi Higuruma, finally spoke.

At last, Kinoshita could breathe a sigh of relief.

"That scared the hell out of me. I thought I was going to die of awkwardness here..."

"But I handled that pretty well, right? Japanese people probably don't know that little fact..."

"Kinoshita, you are suspected of committing theft on November 6, 2018."