The night of regicide

But when it came to truly fitting in, he always felt a slight barrier.

He stood high above, unable to make out what the people at the foot of the mountain really looked like.

Then they climbed up to him.

The instant their cups clinked, Shoko Ieiri suddenly sensed something indescribably mysterious emerge around Yue Liusi. Even his aura felt much more complete.

She was a little surprised.

Had he entered a flow state?

Wasn't landing a Black Flash the only way to enter a flow state?

And this didn't seem like some short-lived boost, either...

Feeling the smooth circulation of power within him and that harmonious resonance of the soul, Yue Liusi smiled softly.

"No wonder..."

No wonder the system had given him that inexplicable leisure quest. The help Shoko Ieiri had brought him was simply too important.

This change wasn't an increase in strength, but a reinforcement of his foundation. A stable foundation was absolutely vital.

If an ordinary increase in strength was an addition to his stats, then stabilizing his foundation was a percentage increase.

The liquor hit his throat, and Yue Liusi choked, coughing softly.

"Cough... cough..."

"Why is this liquor so strong?"

Watching Yue Liusi's bedraggled state, Shoko Ieiri chuckled and shook her head, then drained her cup.

"You're just not used to drinking it."

"You're a kid, after all. I understand."

Yue Liusi rolled his eyes at her in annoyance.

"I told you not to treat me like a kid."

He could understand being treated as a junior, but what was this about being a kid? No matter how you looked at it, he was older than Itadori and the others.

Shoko Ieiri watched him with interest and said with a chuckle,

"What, is being treated like a kid so bad? Dealing with adults is exhausting, you know..."

For some reason, being with Yue Liusi really did feel relaxing, and the two of them really did get along well.

"What, do you have to label me a kid before you can feel at ease spending time with me?"

Yue Liusi raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

Shoko Ieiri neither agreed nor disagreed with his words.

"Whatever you say."

With that face, he had a point.

But the fingers stroking her empty cup still betrayed her unsettled state of mind.

"Am I interrupting?"

Just then, a voice quietly rang out. At some point, Yuki Tsukumo had poked her head through the doorway and was looking at the two of them curiously.

"What did you come back for?"

Shoko Ieiri raised an eyebrow and looked at her in puzzlement.

"I wanted to ask Yue Liusi if he wanted to come see Tengen with us."

Seeing the two of them looking at her like she was an idiot, Yuki Tsukumo smiled sheepishly.

Right, didn't he have that cursed technique...

"I'm off, I'm off..."

Time slipped quietly by.

That night, word came from the other side that they had arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High and met up with Maki and the others.

They were now working out a plan to fake Itadori's death through a certain person.

Clattering came from the kitchen. Shoko Ieiri put down her phone and idly watched the figure busy at work.

Ever since Yue Liusi and those three youngsters had arrived, the house had become livelier. Even the all-but-forgotten kitchen had come to life.

This feeling... wasn't bad.

Before long, the food was ready. Shoko Ieiri raised the sake in her hand and asked with a smile,

"Want a drink?"

Although he wasn't particularly interested in alcohol, Yue Liusi naturally wouldn't spoil her mood. He nodded.

As Shoko Ieiri poured the drinks, she said,

"I didn't expect you to be such a good cook."

"These are all... Central Continent dishes?"

She raised an eyebrow, then continued,

"How come I've never seen you cook before?"

Yue Liusi replied as though it were only natural,

"Cooking a meal is such a hassle."

Wouldn't it be a waste not to make use of a little cook who was already there?

"You really are..."

Shoko Ieiri shook her head in amusement. Just as she was about to sit down, a shrill sound suddenly tore through the air!

Rays formed from cursed energy whistled toward them, zigzagging through the air before piercing the glass and heading straight for Shoko Ieiri!

But Yue Liusi reacted even faster. He had sensed the attack the moment it came and pulled Shoko Ieiri straight to his side.

The rays, shaped like shoulders, slammed into the spot where Shoko Ieiri had been and exploded.

"Cursed Energy Refraction?"

A scarlet hue had already appeared in Yue Liusi's eyes.

Lava gathered in his right hand, extending into the shape of a spear before Yue Liusi hurled it with brute force using chakra.

With a boom, a sonic blast erupted, and a nearby building instantly collapsed!

Yue Liusi didn't hesitate inside the room, either, immediately taking Shoko Ieiri somewhere safe nearby.

"And I'd finally gone to the trouble of cooking."

Yue Liusi really felt rather helpless. He hadn't expected that, even now, there would still be people trying to attack Shoko Ieiri.

After that strike just now, more than one presence had revealed itself nearby.

"A bit of a shame? It's all right. I'm not going anywhere."

Shoko Ieiri smiled softly.

"I'll wait for you."

Yue Liusi nodded and casually summoned lava to enclose Shoko Ieiri, forming a spherical protective barrier.

Under his precise control, his power wouldn't cause Shoko Ieiri any harm.

Then chakra surged again, concealing the barrier's glow.

Yue Liusi vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already back in Shoko Ieiri's home.

The next second, Lava Release Chakra Mode activated immediately. Yue Liusi appeared in a patch of shadow in the hallway in an instant, reached out, and dragged a Jujutsu Sorcerer straight out of it.

The assassins still had no idea that Yue Liusi had already taken Shoko Ieiri elsewhere.

"Two."

Scorching flames engulfed the enemy, reducing him to ashes in an instant.

Pitch-black ashes scattered across the floor. Yue Liusi turned his gaze elsewhere, the power of his eyes flowing.

The next moment, his figure vanished again.

"Damn it! We've lost contact with both attackers!"

"How could it happen so fast? There wasn't even a sound!"

"Then what do we do? Are we still going to back them up?"

"Damn that bounty! This intel is clearly wrong! How is this a newly promoted Special Grade who's only good at running away? Get out of here!"

The two Curse Users had only just left the building when they found a figure already standing quietly a short distance away, waiting for them.

"If we don't kill him, we won't get away!"

One Curse User spoke, then attacked Yue Liusi directly. Beside him, a twisted figure suddenly materialized!

Flesh, a cursed spirit, a monster formed from resentment?

Yue Liusi frowned slightly.

"Curse Users?"

"So what if we are!"

The Curse User sneered. His cursed technique fused living things into a single entity. To him, these weak things ought to become nourishment for his growth!

As his words fell, the monster and the Curse User's pincer attack was already upon him!

Just as Yue Liusi was about to act, his voice suddenly faltered, and his Sharingan instantly turned toward the remaining sorcerer a short distance away.