I Became a Demon Sword and Traveled the Anime Worlds

Yuji fell silent.

Even if they found the person responsible, even if they managed to catch him and force him to undo what he had done, there was no guarantee those "humans" could be saved.

That fact settled over him like cold rain.

Anger, grief, helplessness. All of it churned in his chest, heavy enough to make breathing difficult. He looked at the two transfigured humans lying motionless on the rooftop, and when he finally spoke, his voice sounded like it had been dragged out of him.

"I understand, Nanami-senpai."

Nanami said nothing more.

He took out his phone and made a call.

"Ijichi. Please come to the cinema rooftop and retrieve two transfigured humans. Take them back to Jujutsu High and hand them over to Miss Shoko."

A prompt reply came from the other end.

"Understood."

Nanami put the phone away and turned back to Yuji, whose shoulders were still slumped.

"Today's mission is over," Nanami said quietly. "Now, we clock out."

The two left the cinema together.

By the time night fell, they were seated inside a nearby inn. The rain outside had yet to stop. It whispered against the windows, filling the room with a dull, steady sound.

Nanami's phone rang.

The caller was Ieiri Shoko, the one in charge of examining the bodies. Nanami answered and placed the phone on the table with the speaker on.

Shoko's voice came through lazily, though her words were anything but light.

"Those two were definitely human. More accurately, they were originally human, then forcibly transfigured into that state by some kind of Cursed Technique. Their brains and brainstems were altered too."

Yuji's hands clenched on his knees.

Shoko continued, "The Cursed Energy on their bodies and the chaotic state of their brains were likely caused by that process. As for treatment... unfortunately, Reverse Cursed Technique won't work. The only possible lead is the caster."

Silence filled the room.

For a moment, even the sound of the rain seemed distant.

Then Shoko spoke again.

"By the way, is Itadori listening?"

Yuji snapped back to himself. "I'm here."

"To put it simply," Shoko said, "their cause of death was shock induced by the transfiguration itself. It had nothing to do with you. You didn't kill them."

The call ended.

Yuji stared at the phone for a long time.

He had not killed them.

That should have made him feel better.

It did not.

By afternoon the next day, Nanami had brought Yuji into a secure room.

A map was pinned to the wall, covered with marks, dates, and notes. Several documents were spread across the table beneath it.

Nanami stood in front of the map and explained, "The people who have recently gone missing or died under suspicious circumstances have been compiled by the Window into a Cursed Energy Residue report. From there, we can narrow down the culprit's possible stronghold."

"Then we should go right now!" Yuji said, standing at once.

"To a certain extent, yes," Nanami replied. "However, I will handle the investigation from this point onward."

Yuji froze.

"There is another task for you, Itadori-kun."

Nanami opened a surveillance recording on the monitor beside him.

A gloomy-looking teenager appeared on the screen. His shoulder-length hair covered half his face, and his expression carried the kind of emptiness that did not belong on someone his age.

"This is Yoshino Junpei," Nanami said. "He survived the incident at the movie theater. He attends the same high school as the victims. Judging by his words and behavior, he does not appear to be a Curse User."

Yuji watched the screen closely.

"I will leave the follow-up to Ijichi. The two of you will investigate Yoshino Junpei."

The plan was decided quickly.

Yuji and Ijichi were eager to leave, but just as they reached the doorway, Ijichi paused and turned back.

"Nanami-san... do you already know where the culprit is hiding?"

Nanami gave a slight nod.

"The Residue was left deliberately. It is bait meant to lure us in. The choice is between going alone or bringing Itadori-kun and risking his life. I simply chose the former."

His gaze lowered slightly.

"After all, he is still a child."

At that moment, Yuji also turned back.

He had not heard Nanami's words. Instead, he smiled and raised a hand.

"Nanami-sensei, please be careful."

Nanami crossed his arms and sighed.

"Itadori-kun, I am not a member of the teaching staff. Do not call me sensei."

"Then how about Nanami?"

"I'll hit you."

Yuji immediately shut up.

Inside Yuji's body, Asuramaru quietly observed everything while calculating the situation.

Given Kenjaku's personality, he had clearly taken an interest in Asuramaru. That meant things would almost certainly deviate from the original course.

Originally, Mahito alone would have been involved here.

This time, however, there might be more than one Special Grade Cursed Spirit appearing.

What exactly would Kenjaku do?

Asuramaru felt a faint trace of anticipation.

As for whether he was worried Yuji might be beaten to death, that was not even worth considering.

He still had the golden horn as his trump card.

Confidence was the main strategy.

If the enemy could escape after that, Asuramaru would consider it his loss.

The next morning.

Ijichi drove slowly through the streets with Yuji in the passenger seat. Ahead of them, Yoshino Junpei walked alone along the sidewalk.

Ijichi gripped the steering wheel and reminded him carefully, "Once he reaches a place with no people around, release this Fly Head. It is weaker than Grade 4, but it will serve our purpose."

Yuji glanced at the small cage in his hands.

Inside it, the Fly Head twitched and buzzed hideously.

Ijichi continued, "If Yoshino Junpei cannot see it, exorcise the curse. If he can see it but does not know how to respond, exorcise it as well, then ask him about what happened that day."

"What if he deals with it himself?" Yuji asked.

"That would be the worst-case scenario," Ijichi said. "If he takes action and exorcises it, arrest him immediately."

"Okay. I understand."

Yuji got out of the car with the cage in hand and followed Junpei from a distance.

He trailed him down several streets, keeping his steps light and his presence low. Eventually, Junpei turned into a narrow alleyway and stopped in front of a house.

A greasy, overweight middle-aged man was standing by the doorway, speaking to him.

Yuji watched the exchange for a moment, then quietly opened the cage.

The Fly Head shot out at once.

Following its instincts, it flew straight toward Junpei.

Just as it was about to pass over his head, Yuji's eyes changed.

Junpei saw it.

"Wait!"

Yuji rushed forward and snatched the Fly Head out of the air at the last possible second.

Junpei turned, startled. His gaze landed not on Yuji's face, but on the curse in his hand.

He can see it.

In that case, it was time for the second plan.

Yuji stepped forward and spoke directly.

"I have something to ask you. Please come with me for a moment."

The greasy man beside Junpei immediately scowled.

"Where did this brat come from? I'm talking right now—"

Yuji moved without hesitation.

He yanked the man's pants down.

Then he turned and ran.

"Wha— What the hell are you doing?!"

The man shrieked and hurried after him, clutching at his pants as he chased Yuji down the alley.

Inside Yuji's body, Asuramaru fell silent for a moment.

Then he could not help but complain.

You really put what you learned into practice.

If Satoru Gojo dares to teach it, you really dare to learn it.

Still, amusement faded quickly.

Within Asuramaru's Perception, several powerful presences were hiding nearby.

Not one.

Three.

There was no need to guess. Kenjaku and the others were watching.

Trying to kidnap Yuji Itadori?

Interesting.

Outside, Yuji had already sprinted around the block, shaken the man off, and returned to the starting point as if nothing had happened.

He appeared behind Junpei and said simply, "Let's go."

Junpei stared at him, bewildered.

"You... didn't have to go that far, did you?"

Yuji looked at him and answered with complete sincerity.

"But you hate that guy, right? You wouldn't want someone you hate hanging around your doorstep forever."

Junpei froze.

For the first time in a long while, someone had noticed.

Not mocked him.

Not ignored him.

Not used him.

Just noticed.

A small silence passed between them.

Then Junpei followed Yuji.

The two walked to the nearby riverbank and sat down on the steps, the morning wind carrying the damp scent of the water past them.

.....

[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]

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