Resurrection magic? Suguru Geto's idea!

The dormitory building at Jujutsu High.

The others had already dispersed.

Satoru Gojo had returned to his faculty dorm, while Mei Mei had gone home.

Wangchuan stood outside his dorm room, looking down as he searched for his key, when he caught sight of someone still standing at the corner of the corridor.

He turned his head.

Yuta Okkotsu stood there, his fingers white around his backpack strap.

His posture hovered somewhere between wanting to approach and not daring to, like an elementary school student waiting outside school for a parent to pick him up.

When he saw Wangchuan looking over, his shoulders visibly tensed, but he still did not leave.

Wangchuan slipped his key into the lock without turning it just yet.

"Okkotsu."

"...Did you need something?"

"Um."

Yuta Okkotsu opened his mouth, took half a step forward, then stopped again.

His gaze flickered, as though he were trying to find the words, before he finally asked in a very small voice.

"Senior Wangchuan... no, Mr. Wangchuan... what you said... earlier..."

"What part?"

"Magic." Yuta Okkotsu's voice suddenly grew very quiet.

"You said you were a mage... and that you could make cursed tools... I wanted to ask... does something like that... really exist in this world?"

Wangchuan looked at him for two seconds.

Then he lowered his gaze and saw the ring on Yuta Okkotsu's left hand glint.

And inside Yuta Okkotsu-

An enormous, twisted mass of cursed energy resided there, curled docilely within Yuta Okkotsu like a beast with its claws drawn in.

He could more or less guess.

"...You want to bring her back to life?"

Yuta Okkotsu snapped his head up.

His dark eyes shone startlingly bright beneath the streetlight, filled with a mixture of anticipation, fear, and an almost devout longing.

He was like a drowning man who had suddenly seen a rope extended from shore, unsure whether he could grab it, but desperate to reach for it regardless.

"Can you?" His voice was tight.

"Can you... really do it?"

"Rika... her soul is in this ring right now. I can feel her. She's been with me all along."

"I want to bring her back to life."

Wangchuan pulled the key out of the lock, spun it once in his hand, and leaned against the doorframe as he looked at Yuta Okkotsu.

This kid was the real deal.

That "pure love" was no sham.

He fell silent for a while, several thoughts running through his mind.

Tso Lan's store of knowledge did indeed contain some material concerning souls and resurrection.

Those ancient, almost forbidden magical rituals included ones that could draw wandering souls back into the world of the living, and some could even reconstruct a body.

But his template fusion was only at 33% now, and most of that knowledge remained hazy fragments.

It was like looking at a book through frosted glass: he could make out its general outline, but could not yet read it word for word.

Still, it was not entirely impossible.

"I do have that kind of magic," Wangchuan said, his tone a little calmer than he had expected.

"Bringing the dead back to life is theoretically possible."

Yuta Okkotsu's eyes instantly lit up.

He surged half a step forward, both hands unconsciously gripping Wangchuan's arm, his voice trembling.

"Then, then could you, could you bring Rika back?"

Wangchuan looked down at the hands gripping his sleeve tightly.

A true champion of pure love.

The corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he did not pull away.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Wangchuan softened his voice a little.

"I haven't fully mastered that magic yet."

"Rika's soul does reside within you, which fulfills one of the prerequisites."

"But how to carry it out, what materials it requires, what sort of ritual to use-I'm still researching all of that."

Yuta Okkotsu loosened his grip a little, but did not let go. "Then... then someday... could you?"

"There's a chance."

Wangchuan did not give him an absolute promise, but neither did he shut the door. "Once I've perfected that magic, it should theoretically be possible."

He paused, his gaze settling on Yuta Okkotsu's face as his tone took on a trace of that familiar, money-for-services air.

"But as you know, I'm a bounty hunter."

"I may be nominally teaching at Jujutsu High now, but I don't intend to work for free."

"Ahem, this won't be free of charge."

Yuta Okkotsu froze for a moment, then nodded hurriedly, as though he had suddenly remembered something.

"I-I know!"

"Mr. Satoru Gojo said you work for money, Mr. Wangchuan."

"I'll earn money! I'll get stronger! Then I'll take on missions."

"I'll earn money, enough money."

He spoke rather urgently, as though afraid Wangchuan would change his mind if he was even a moment too slow.

Wangchuan laughed at the sight of him.

He raised a hand and patted Yuta Okkotsu on the head.

"All right."

"Get stronger and earn money first. I'll keep working on perfecting that magic, too."

"Once you've saved enough..."

"I will!" Yuta Okkotsu nodded hard, his voice catching slightly.

"I definitely will. I'll definitely earn enough."

Then he released Wangchuan's sleeve, turned, and ran.

He ran incredibly fast.

His backpack bounced against his back, and the night breeze puffed out the hem of his uniform. Within seconds, he had dashed around the corner, his footsteps thudding deeper into the dormitory building.

Wangchuan's hand still hung in midair.

He blinked, looking at the figure that had vanished around the corner, then down at his own empty palm.

"...Uh."

He drew his hand back and scratched the back of his head.

"Wait... I haven't told you the price yet."

The night breeze swept in from the end of the corridor, stirring the hair over his forehead.

A faint sound of a door came from farther inside the dormitory building; Yuta Okkotsu had probably rushed into his room.

Wangchuan stood there for two seconds, then turned, slipped his key back into the lock, and unlocked his dorm room.

"Never mind," he muttered to himself.

He pushed the door open, went inside, and closed it behind him.

The Time Vessel Association's headquarters.

In a renovated old temple on the outskirts of Tokyo, the scent of the evening's incense had yet to fully dissipate.

The interior was brightly lit, its glazed lampshades filtering the light into a warm orange glow.

It shone onto the wooden floor, casting several still, elongated shadows.

Manami Suda leaned against the sofa, holding a cup of tea that had already half cooled.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, her gaze resting on the man in dark monk's robes across from her.

She considered her wording, then finally asked.

"Master Suguru Geto, there's something I don't quite understand."

Suguru Geto sat in an armchair on the other side, relaxed, his chin propped on one hand, his expression as mild as if he were listening to some trivial matter.

He tilted his head slightly, motioning for her to continue.

"You went to considerable trouble to subdue that special grade cursed spirit before. Why did you release it into that shopping mall?"

Manami Suda's tone held confusion, but no challenge.

She had always known Suguru Geto had his reasons for what he did; she simply had not seen through them immediately this time.

Before Suguru Geto could speak, the twins beside him answered first.

"Everything Master Suguru Geto does is right."

Mimiko held the teapot, her tone carrying a matter-of-fact certainty, as though she had said those words countless times before.

Nanako sat beside her, nodding in agreement.

"Exactly. He must have his reasons for doing this."

Manami Suda glanced at the twins, then turned her gaze back to Suguru Geto.

Her expression did not change.

Suguru Geto smiled and spoke unhurriedly.

"There's no need to rush."

"That cursed spirit was decent, but ultimately, it was only a special grade. I'm not short of that one."

Manami Suda did not respond.

She knew Suguru Geto had more to say.

Sure enough, he paused, looking out at the night beyond the window, his tone taking on a thoughtful note.

"Besides, have you noticed how the number of special grade cursed spirits has increased noticeably over the past year?"

Manami Suda paused, considered it seriously, and furrowed her brows a little more.

"...That's true."

"Before, encountering special grade cursed spirits two or three times a year was already considered frequent, but now..."

"Now we can encounter several in a month," Suguru Geto finished for her, his tone calm.

"This is no coincidence."

"Cursed spirits are being born in greater concentrations. The reasons behind it aren't entirely clear yet, but this isn't a bad thing for us."

The twins nodded repeatedly beside him, and Mimiko topped up Suguru Geto's cup with hot tea.

"However."

Suguru Geto lifted his teacup and took a sip, then abruptly changed tack. "I didn't release that cursed spirit today to collect more."

Manami Suda set down her teacup. "Then it was to...?"

"To lure someone there."

"Who?"

Suguru Geto set his teacup back on the tray, tapped its rim lightly with a fingertip, and spoke the name.

"Wangchuan."