[You trod over the withered leaves in the barren mountains, following unhurriedly behind Kenjaku toward the meeting place she had agreed on with the three special grade cursed spirits.]
[Shortly before arriving, you gave it a moment's thought and quietly switched your cursed technique from "Phantom Parade" to "Idle Transfiguration."]
[You raised a hand and lightly passed it over your face.]
[With an extremely faint sound of flesh and bone grinding, like clay being kneaded and reshaped, your skeletal structure, muscle arrangement, and even facial features underwent a complete transformation in the blink of an eye.]
[When you lowered your hand, you had taken on an entirely unfamiliar, unremarkable face that anyone would forget at a glance. Even the faint cursed residue you emitted had been perfectly disguised.]
[Kenjaku watched everything from beside you. Undisguised wariness and admiration flashed through those eyes that belonged to someone else, and she could not help clapping her hands in wonder. "No matter how many times I see it, that technique is so convenient it makes me jealous. Freely copying and using other people's powers-it's practically a black hole with no upper limit."]
[Kenjaku apparently noticed the disinterest and indifference on your new face. Parting the brambles ahead, she explained in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "Don't look at me like that. I've been arranging everything that comes next based entirely on the worst-case assumption of 'not including you in the plan.' Under those circumstances, it's only natural for me to look around for capable helpers, isn't it? Just like that future you told me about before-the one where I brought four special grade cursed spirits and cornered you in a sewer."]
[With your hands in your pockets, you stepped on a dead branch, snapping it, and asked flatly, "I've been meaning to ask. Since