While Akutagawa Shang still had his head lowered in silent thought, Yuki Tsukumo spoke again.
"Toji is already dead, and people born with a contract with heaven like that are rare even within Jujutsu Society. They're hard to find, so right now, I'm leaning more toward the second route."
Yuki Tsukumo's words interrupted his thoughts. Akutagawa Shang slowly raised his head and said:
"You mean... getting all of humanity to fully master cursed energy?"
"Exactly. Jujutsu sorcerers can keep all their cursed energy circulating inside their bodies, so none of it leaks out. In theory, as long as everyone becomes a jujutsu sorcerer, cursed spirits will stop forming."
"Well, it might sound like a pipe dream, but it really is the only, and therefore the best, method available right now. It's also the main focus of my current research."
"Say... what if we had everyone make a binding vow... to voluntarily give up their cursed energy?"
An idea flashed through Akutagawa Shang's mind. He suddenly turned toward Yuki Tsukumo and proposed a conjecture he had been considering for a long time.
Yuki Tsukumo paused, narrowing her eyes at him as though she had spotted something interesting.
"Hmm... you mean using binding vows to make all of humanity lose their cursed energy?"
Akutagawa Shang nodded.
"Yeah. Then no cursed energy would leak out, and cursed spirits wouldn't form, right?"
"Pfft-"
Yuki Tsukumo couldn't hold back her laughter. She looked at Akutagawa Shang with interest.
"You're pretty quick on the uptake, aren't you? Interesting. Very insightful. I like smart people like you."
"But... there are a few problems with its feasibility..."
"First, with so many ordinary people in the world, there's the question of whether you could get every last one of them to cooperate and make a binding vow."
"And besides...