"Come here once every three months, and I'll give you the next volume," Sōjun Minamoto said, pointing at the notebook as he spoke to Yuta Okkotsu.
Yuta lowered his head and looked down at the notebook in his hands. The title read "Beginner (Part 1)," which meant there had to be more—an advanced level, and at least a Part 2.
From the handwriting, it was clearly handwritten. That detail moved him. Whether or not it was written by Sōjun himself, it was obviously something valuable.
And yet, he was being allowed to read it.
"Once you've learned everything in there, you'll naturally be able to lift Rika's curse," Sōjun continued.
He didn't explain much. The notebook itself contained comprehensive basics on Jujutsu and the jujutsu world.
It was something Masamichi Yaga had given him back when he first encountered curses. There were nine volumes in total, and he had carefully preserved all of them.
After years of development, the fundamentals of cursed energy usage had been refined to the limit and systematized. Even after all this time, the basics hadn't changed much, so the notebooks remained relevant.
As long as Yuta studied them step by step, once he mastered the basics, everything after that would rely on his own growth. The path ahead would be his alone to walk.
He hadn't lied to Yuta.
There were only two ways to lift a curse: either by using cursed energy to exorcise it, or by having the caster lift it themselves.
Those answers were all in the notes—just not this volume. They appeared in the later books.
"If I really learn what's in here… I can lift the curse?" Yuta murmured, repeating it to himself in disbelief.
Sōjun let him think it over, then suddenly reached out and took Rika from his hands.
Yuta flinched but quickly relaxed again.
The moment Rika landed in Sōjun's palm, she began to struggle violently, instinctively releasing cursed energy to attack.
But the energy strikes felt like nothing more than a tickle against Sōjun's hand. Seeing that her attacks had no effect, Rika flew into a rage and bit him like a small, angry pet.
She didn't even break the skin.
Even at her peak, it was questionable whether she could have harmed Sōjun at all. Right now, she had no chance.
It was all just blind fury.
Sōjun chuckled and handed Rika back.
"Don't worry. I've already restricted her power—she won't be able to affect your life anymore. But if you keep seeing her this way, you'll never be able to lift the curse."
"You need to try and understand her," Sōjun said gently. "Do you remember what I told you before?"
"Huh?" Yuta carefully took Rika back into his hands.
"Don't be afraid of her. She's your companion," Sōjun said casually, watching him.
"If you know she's Rika, then you should know she wouldn't hurt you. The reason she shows hostility to others… is because of you."
Because of me?
Yuta stared at Rika, stunned.
He knew it was her—she had told him herself. And after spending so much time together, he had become certain of it. This was the best friend he had ever had.
And yet… that's exactly why his feelings were so tangled.
He had watched Rika die. Now she was back, but twisted into this monstrous form, more intense, more possessive than ever.
Was she really still the same Rika?
People changed constantly. Was the person you were now still the same as a moment ago? He'd started falling into thoughts like that.
He was only ten—and already burdened with things no child should ever have to carry.
There was no answer to be found.
"Oh, right—"
Sōjun tapped the ring on Yuta's finger.
"Mind if I borrow this for a second?"
Yuta didn't hesitate and nodded.
Sōjun easily removed the ring. It was a bit too big for Yuta's finger and came off without effort.
He pulled out a strand of his own hair, twisted it into a thin black cord, and threaded it through the ring to make a necklace. Then he handed it back.
"Keep this on you at all times."
Yuta reached out and took it, nodding seriously. "I will."
He had always cherished that ring—even if it didn't fit, he never stopped wearing it.
Sōjun saw he understood, so he didn't say anything else.
They sat together on the park bench for a while. The sun dipped low, the sky turning amber. Parents started calling their children home for dinner.
"All right. Study hard. If anything's unclear, come ask me," Sōjun said, clapping his hands to rouse Yuta, then smiled.
"Go on home."
"…Huh? Oh—okay. Thank you, Sensei!" Yuta responded instinctively.
Sōjun didn't mind the title. He watched Yuta walk off slowly, Rika cradled in his arms, until he disappeared at the park entrance.
Left alone on the bench, Sōjun sat in thought for a while, then suddenly laughed, clapping his hands.
Perfect. He'd found his anti-Kenjaku weapon.
Next, he'd teach Yuta swordsmanship.
It'd be just the thing for lopping off Kenjaku's head.
...
Now that Sōjun Minamoto no longer had access to Kenjaku's collection vault, he became a full-time shut-in.
With plenty of time on his hands, he stayed home each day working on the development of his techniques.
Eventually, he turned his attention to the non-physical realm—the space where Mahoraga resided, often referred to as the Shikigami domain.
He'd always been curious about it.
He had managed to enter it once before. While he succeeded, the experience yielded little in return.
The place was filled with a dense gray fog. There was no sense of direction—no up, down, left, or right. Time didn't flow. There was no physical sensation, no pain, no sound, no temperature. Only consciousness remained, with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
The moment Mahoraga entered, he would fall into a deep sleep. Sōjun's physical form and cursed form behaved the same way—completely immobile once inside. The only difference was that his consciousness remained fully awake. Very awake.
But in a space like that, such clarity was a kind of torment...
That was why the Sōjun Minamoto seated on the throne existed—to bear the burden of that nothingness.
Every time he entered, he could barely take a few steps before his mind would start to crack. Even though it felt like he'd been inside for a long time, his clones in the outside world would inform him it had only been a fleeting instant...
It made meaningful exploration nearly impossible.
But this time was different...
Standing in his living room, Sōjun's body turned sky blue. Mahoraga, stationed far away within the Jujutsu High Shrine, was already prepared and had returned to the non-physical realm ahead of him.
Using their connection, Sōjun formed the deepest black vortex he had ever created—finally establishing a stable link to that obscure, unknown realm.
He'd performed this procedure many times before.
Without hesitation, he stepped in.
And when he stepped out again...
He was in the fog.
On the throne, the seated Sōjun Minamoto furrowed his brow. The golden markings on his wrists and ankles lit up brightly, stabilizing him as they adapted to the overwhelming sense of emptiness.
Visibility was minimal. Even with the Stars Eyes, he couldn't see far. Looking to the side, he saw Mahoraga had, as expected, already fallen into slumber.
This time, though, he alone remained awake—and oddly enough, he felt... at ease.
"It's working," Sōjun thought to himself.
Back when he fully entered soul form in the real world, he'd noticed a strange overlap with this place. The surrounding fog was remarkably similar to the spiritual environment he experienced while in soul state outside.
That's why, the moment he completed development of his soul form, he immediately began pushing to explore the non-physical realm—
Because the resemblance was too strong to ignore.
There had to be a connection.
He moved through the fog with Mahoraga's power under his control, following its path step by step.
This time, he could sense many other "life forms" in the area. Maybe they were other Shikigami—or maybe not. The term "Shikigami space" was just a name he adopted from Mahoraga. There was no telling what else might exist here.
After a brief moment of consideration, he locked onto the strongest presence and began walking in that direction.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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