Miwa Chisei looked at Junpei Yoshino, who seemed utterly lost after being toyed with.
She sighed and crouched down in front of the boy.
"I'll protect you both tonight. Go get some sleep."
Junpei Yoshino clutched the hem of Miwa Chisei's clothes in panic, his words tumbling out incoherently.
"What about the day after tomorrow? What about after that? What if something like this targets Mom again? Right, jujutsu sorcerers... would becoming a jujutsu sorcerer solve it?"
Miwa Chisei looked into his tear-filled eyes, brimming with fear and sorrow.
"If that's the resolve behind your wish to become a jujutsu sorcerer, I'd advise you to give up."
The light faded from Junpei Yoshino's eyes at her words, but Miwa Chisei simply continued patiently.
"Being a jujutsu sorcerer is extremely dangerous. You might die even sooner than Miss Yoshino. You have to be strong enough."
Junpei Yoshino opened his mouth, his voice hoarse.
"Then Itadori..."
"Every student at Jujutsu High has long since prepared themselves for that."
Junpei Yoshino's hand slipped from the hem of Miwa Chisei's clothes. Just as she began to feel a little regretful, he spoke with unexpected conviction.
"I want to become someone worthy of being loved. I'll love lots and lots of people too, so I have to become strong enough."
Hearing that, Miwa Chisei reached out and stroked Junpei Yoshino's head, her voice gentle.
"Go on, Yoshino. Grow into the person you want to be."
This counted as giving Junpei Yoshino protection, too. Feeling a little more at ease, Miwa Chisei called Kento Nanami to tell him about the finger that had appeared here.
"Qianxing, is everything going smoothly on your end?"
"Yes. Something came up that I had to handle, so I sent Itadori back first... you sound a little weak."
Kento Nanami was