"I designed something like a spirit-gathering array. It can absorb the ambient spiritual energy in the air, and its overall function is pretty similar to Tengen's barrier."
What a familiar feeling, one he had missed for so long!
Aikawa Kaze was once again back to the days of spinning sales pitches to get people on board. Of course, as a man with a conscience, he wasn't actually lying.
"The difference is that my version targets spirit power, while Tengen's barrier targets cursed energy."
That was also why Aikawa Kaze had set his sights on the Tengen Barrier right from the start.
After all, positive energy and negative energy were two sides of the same coin. They had plenty in common and could achieve similar results through different means.
If he had to establish locations for Ley Lines first, naturally he would choose auspicious convergence points. The areas covered by the Tengen Barrier already occupied excellent locations, saving him the trouble of surveying them himself.
"You're awfully suspicious, kid!" Nyanko-sensei stared at Aikawa Kaze dubiously. "Setting up a barrier is a good thing, right? If it's really what you say it is, why are you looking for people to do it in secret? Shouldn't everyone be working on this together?"
"What a childish question. I'd thought you were at least a knowledgeable, ancient, powerful yokai."
Despite being asked the crucial question, Aikawa Kaze didn't panic at all. He gave the feline yokai a thoroughly astonished look.
"Isn't it obvious? Of course I want all the credit and the special status for myself. Isn't Tengen's special position due to his control over all the barriers in the Jujutsu Society?"
He looked perfectly justified as he said this, without the slightest trace of shame.
"It's an incredible array I designed myself. Why would