Riko Amanai

Most people were still a little groggy when they first woke up, but the way Riko Amanai had been forcibly awakened was so overbearing that her head cleared instantly.

Lying on the floor, she stared up at the ceiling and blinked blankly. The tantalizing aromas soon brought her back to her senses, and she climbed to her feet, turning toward their source.

At the dining table in the living room, Chinatsu, Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo, and even her maid, Misato Kuroi, were all seated and thoroughly engrossed in their food.

Riko Amanai waking up did catch their attention, but that was all it did. After glancing at her, they went right back to eating.

Riko Amanai was baffled, practically sporting three giant question marks over her head. Never mind those three strangers stuffing their faces-why had her own maid joined them?!

Watching everyone eat with such enthusiasm, Riko Amanai couldn't help swallowing. The food tempted her so badly that she nearly lost control of her feet and joined them at the table.

She forced herself to remain composed, pressed a hand against her chest, lifted her chin slightly, and opened her mouth.

"Who are you people?! I'll have you know that I'm the star plasma vessel who will soon merge with Lord Tengen! If you dare lay a hand on me, the entire Jujutsu Society will spare no effort to destroy you!!!"

Despite Riko Amanai's declaration, the three strangers at the table showed absolutely no reaction. Only Misato Kuroi gulped down the food in her mouth before turning toward Riko Amanai with a smile.

"Miss, they aren't enemies. Jujutsu High sent them specifically to protect us. They've already dealt with the people who attacked us."

"Huh? Are you sure? Don't let them fool you! They might look respectable, but I can tell they're unreliable!"

Riko Amanai folded her arms and pouted as she spoke, though despite her attitude, most of her wariness had already faded.

After all, if these three really were enemies, she probably wouldn't be standing there talking. Her mouth would have been taped shut, and she would have been bound with ropes, unable to move.

Meanwhile, Satoru Gojo casually looked over at Riko Amanai, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

"You're pretty lively. I thought you'd be miserable about having to merge with Tengen. Looks like I won't need that comforting speech I prepared."

At Satoru Gojo's words, a trace of sadness flickered in Riko Amanai's eyes. But she quickly forced that emotion down and rallied herself.

"Hmph! Hmph! There sure are a lot of people who think like you. Listen up! I am Lord Tengen, and Lord Tengen is me!

"'Merging' isn't the same as 'dying.' My consciousness, my heart, and my soul will continue to exist forever after the merger!"

Riko Amanai held her head high, looking smug. Listening to her, Satoru Gojo felt the corner of his mouth twitch, barely able to keep a straight face.

Beside him, Chinatsu kept her presence to a minimum and quietly savored the dishes she had made. She had no intention of interfering with this part of the story.

Riko Amanai had been designated a "star plasma vessel" when she was very young. Raised on the ideal of self-sacrifice, she had come to believe, in her confusion, that merging with Tengen was her glorious duty.

Merging indeed wasn't death, but the individual who emerged from it certainly wouldn't be Riko Amanai.

As a young girl, Riko Amanai's mind was far too weak compared to Tengen's, who had lived for a thousand years.

Once the two merged, Tengen would undoubtedly be the dominant consciousness. Perhaps, to Tengen, Riko Amanai's existence would amount to nothing more than a collection of memories spanning a little over a decade.

Riko Amanai would never again see her friends, her family, or the people she cherished in the past, present, or future.

Beneath her strong exterior, her subconscious was afraid. She hoped someone would reach out and catch her before she fell into the abyss, and tell her she didn't have to accept this fate.

After briefly considering this, Chinatsu turned to look at Riko Amanai, who was struggling to suppress her fear. Their eyes met, and Riko Amanai's cheeks involuntarily flushed. She turned away, avoiding Chinatsu's gaze.

That gaze, which seemed to pierce through her flesh and strike her soul, made her uncomfortable. Riko Amanai pressed her lips together, then said, "School... right, school! I'm still a student... I'm late!!!"

Hearing this, her maid, Misato Kuroi, said that given their current situation, it would be best not to go, and that there was no need for her to attend school.

But Riko Amanai was too stubborn to budge. In the end, Chinatsu and the others escorted her all the way to her school.

What surprised Chinatsu, however, was that Riko Amanai attended the very school where she had carried out her first jujutsu mission.

Chinatsu remembered it vividly.

The hideous cursed spirit that had manifested because the cafeteria food tasted terrible instantly resurfaced in her mind, making her face twitch.

Chinatsu: "Does the cafeteria food taste good?"

Riko: "It does. Why?"

Chinatsu: "Nothing. As long as it tastes good..."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, members of the Time Vessel Association, which had set its sights on Riko Amanai alongside Q, were eager to make their move.

Unlike Q, this religious group consisted of numerous non-sorcerers, with virtually no jujutsu sorcerers capable of fighting among its members.

But they did have one advantage: their religious group had money. A great deal of money.

If they didn't have jujutsu sorcerers, couldn't they simply hire some?

This time, however, they hadn't hired a jujutsu sorcerer. Instead, they had sought out an "ordinary person" who didn't have even a trace of cursed energy in his body.

"We in the Time Vessel Association don't have the strength to fight jujutsu sorcerers, but we do have money. What do you say, Zenin? Would you consider assassinating the star plasma vessel?"

As the man from the Time Vessel Association spoke, the man beside him quietly studied the photographs of "Chinatsu" and "Satoru Gojo" in his hand. After a stretch of silence, he gave a faint smile and turned toward the speaker.

"It's not Zenin. It's Fushiguro. I married into my wife's family. My name is Toji Fushiguro now."

After a brief silence, the hand holding the photographs relaxed, and the photographs slowly fell from his mouth to the floor.

The man from the Time Vessel Association was delighted. Before he could respond, Toji Fushiguro spoke again.

"That's two Six Eyes Divine Children, plus someone with the rare cursed technique, Cursed Spirit Manipulation. Your offer is a little too low. You'll have to pay more."

"..."