Fushiguro Megumi’s brow furrowed tightly.
He knew that among the Kagura dances performed on ritual days, there was a type of god-summoning dance imbued with sorcery.
Generally speaking, a shrine maiden would hold props such as bells, fans, or sacred tree branches, wear a heavenly crown (tengai), and dance in white robes to invite the descent of the deities.
Viewed from this perspective, theoretically speaking, the suggestion put forward by Ieiri Yuuki did possess a certain degree of feasibility!
Yet in reality, the one dancing was not a shrine maiden…
There were no sacred bell wands…
Nor were there any heavenly crowns or white robes…
Thinking along these lines, Fushiguro Megumi glanced sideways at that Curse, mentally sketching out a profile of him: self-willed, acting recklessly, and capricious.
Would Ieiri, would he succeed?
Fushiguro Megumi felt uncertain: “…”
Tch, matters having reached this point, he might as well gamble on it! In any case, they couldn’t just sit here waiting for death and do nothing at all.
Fushiguro Megumi hurriedly asked, “Then are we still going to the Tombs of the Star?”
“We are.”
“To put it more colloquially, a place dense with cursed energy forms a kind of ‘magnetic field’.”
“For me, it will probably serve some guiding purpose, after all “
The blonde youth tilted his head and smiled, “I’m still a novice when it comes to sorcery, you see.”
He needed a beginner’s tutorial.
Fushiguro Megumi: “…”
A bit weird.
Yet he couldn’t quite tell what was weird about it.
[A novice, huh…]
[Does he mean a novice who awakens his sorcery, summons a Special Grade Curse right off the bat, and casually triggers two curse riots, testing Jujutsu High on the verge of destruction?!]
[A novice, terrifying beyond measure!]
Without a moment to lose, Fushiguro Megumi urgently wanted to lead the one person and one Curse out of the dungeon, but as his perspective shifted, the Special Grade Curse’s figure had already vanished into thin air.
[Disappeared again?]
[Voyeur mode, activate!]
[I can’t take this anymore, Muzan, are you a runaway sweetheart?!]
[To round it up, Yuuki practically ‘confessed’ to you, and the least you could do is give a definitive answer before vanishing again! Trash!]
Fushiguro Megumi also started, gritting his teeth.
Never mind that, let’s head to the Tombs of the Star first!
Dragging Ieiri Yuuki along, he left the Jujutsu High dungeon.
Once they reached the surface, accompanied by a sharp, crisp cry, the shikigami [Nue] fluttered its wings and manifested from space.
Fushiguro Megumi: “Let’s go… Hey!”
Nue’s oversized bird head was actually rubbing directly against Ieiri Yuuki.
Squinting its bird eyes, it wore an utterly worthless, doting avian expression.
…What on earth is going on?
Instantly, Fushiguro Megumi felt both startled and embarrassed.
A thin layer of flush directly surfaced across the black-haired boy’s fair, clear-cut face.
He hurriedly said: “Sorry!”
When he first met Ieiri Yuuki, the Divine Dogs had actually reacted as well
As a shikigami master, Fushiguro Megumi could sense their emotions.
Yet that time it hadn’t been very intense, and he had been able to suppress it, but this time it was completely different.
What on earth is going on here?!
[Yuuki is a catnip, after all]
[Curse types should all have maxed-out affinity toward him, right?]
[Though when the Divine Dogs came out earlier, they weren’t like this?]
[It should be because compared to before, Megumi’s hostility toward Yuuki has decreased]
[Following that: the shikigami perceived the shift in their master’s emotions and no longer harbored aggressiveness toward the “enemy,” so their affection for the “catnip” took the upper hand]
[Hahaha!]
[I’m dying of laughter, Megumi’s face is all red!]
[Sorry everyone, but I’m pondering a question: can this be considered a novel type of NTR?]
[How can it not be considered.JPG]
Shifting perspective.
Nue, flapping its twin wings, burst out from the dense forest.
The shikigami carried the two of them, speeding swiftly toward the direction of the Tombs of the Star.
Nue flew at a very high speed, the wind whistling sharply past their ears.
Aside from that, practically no extraneous sounds could be heard.
Precisely because of this, vision became all the more prominent
Looking down upon the earth.
From this angle, they could take in the entire space at a single glance:
Purplish-black mist enveloped Jujutsu High, and amid the steep, dense forests, ten thousand ghosts marched forward.
Fushiguro Megumi had witnessed this spectacle before and was mentally prepared.
He merely pressed his lips into a tight thin line, yet an unexpected development still occurred—
Every single one of them…
Every single Curse turned its head around,
infatuatedly pursuing the direction where Ieiri Yuuki was.
Tens of thousands of monsters twisted their necks at the exact same angle.
Tens of thousands of gazes converged into one, maximizing the eerie index to the limit—raising Fushiguro Megumi’s goosebumps all over!
[Ahhh, holy crap holy crap!!!]
[ (A certain plant) (softly) ]
[This scene directly chills my back, gives me goosebumps, and makes my skin crawl. I have an even deeper appreciation for Yuuki’s catnip constitution.]
[Too bizarre]
[Whose idea was it to have all of them turn their heads like that]
[ (Faint) (Nauseated) ]
[Even through the screen I’m scared to death]
“…” Fushiguro Megumi’s throat felt dry.
The wind whistling past his ears was fierce, blowing his hair wildly askew.
Although it was early summer, today the sky was heavily overcast, making it not particularly hot either, and the cool breeze from the deep mountains hit them full in the face.
Buffeted by the chilly wind, he calmed down quite a bit.
The black-haired boy whose mind had cooled down suddenly thought of something and shouted loudly against the wind: “Ieiri, do you know the name of that Special Grade Curse?!”
Praying to the gods if you don’t even know their name, then…
Things were bound to go horribly wrong.
Fortunately, Fushiguro Megumi knew, having heard Itadori mention earlier that he could share it with Ieiri.
Thinking of this, he hurriedly looked over toward the other.
“Oh, I know it—”
Hearing his question, the blonde youth didn’t seem frightened in the least by the bizarre and bone-chilling scene below, smiling brightly instead.
His lips moved slightly, spitting out the syllables.
Right at that moment, with a “whoosh,” Nue flapped its wings, emitting a sound of breaking air as it rapidly descended, perfectly drowning out Ieiri Yuuki’s voice.
[Muzan……]
[Didn’t hear Yuuki pronounce it aloud, but clearly saw the lip movement.]
[Muzan: when reading the first sound, one inevitably has to pucker their lips slightly, a bit like asking for a kiss. Imagining Yuuki’s voice as well, ah!]
[Can’t hear the sound, but specifically gave a close-up of Yuuki’s lower half of the face]
[The red mole on Yuuki’s lower lip completely matches the lip movements with the subtitles]
[And the vaguely visible tip of the tongue, everything is clear to the point of being erotic, subtle yet ambiguous]
[I’m about to be reeled in like a hooked fish…]
[Snow Waifu, ahhh!]
[Production crew, look over here!! My shipper brain is acting up, don’t force me to kneel down and beg you I want to hear Yuuki read Muzan’s name just once, I’ll do anything!]
[To the person upstairs: what about math? Will you do it?]
[……]
[Where did this devil come from, throw him out!]
The Tombs of the Star were nestled in a secretive location somewhere within Jujutsu High.
It was the resting place of Master Tengen the undying guardian deity of the jujutsu world for a millennium.
They had arrived.
Fushiguro Megumi landed steadily.
In contrast, Ieiri Yuuki looked rather like an “ordinary person,” stumbling slightly.
He took a few more small steps forward to shed his forward momentum.
“Wuhu.”
He let out a soft murmur.
[Such a cute sound]
[Cute girl!]
[Wanna take a bite]
“Qua!” The giant-frog shikigami [Gamakara] burst out from a corner, its long, powerful tongue coiling out to fling something straight at Fushiguro Megumi.
The object rolled a circle in midair, ringing out a somewhat unpleasing “ding-ling” sound
It was a “Hokisaki-suzu” (spear-tip bell).
The Hokisaki-suzu was originally a sword-shaped handbell used in Kagura dances.
The “sword” at the front resembled a dagger, the middle section housed the bell, and the tail end served as the grip.
What he held in his hand was a wooden substitute prop meant for everyday practice.
This Hokisaki-suzu looked old in appearance and clearly hadn’t been used in a long time.
Though the bell’s chime was no longer crisp, it remained undamaged, evidently having been carefully preserved by someone.
Fushiguro Megumi handed it to Ieiri Yuuki, saying: “This is an item left behind at Jujutsu High by a senior, kept in the storage room all this time. I had my shikigami bring it over!”
“Take a look, can you use it?”
Fushiguro Megumi was practicing medicine like a dead horse as a live horse; adding a prop—what if it provided a boost?
[A senior?]
[Must be Gojo’s classmate, Utahime, right?]
[Utahime? She’s currently a teacher at Kyoto Jujutsu High]
[Her technique is indeed related to shrine maidens, and she practices dancing]
“——”
A fierce gale raged.
Fushiguro Megumi abruptly whirled around to look.
Curses surged like a beast tide, swarming desperately forward, dancing chaotically in the gale wrapped in dense cursed energy.
Weaker sorcerers would find it nearly impossible to draw breath.
The Curses had already formed a closed encirclement not far away.
Fushiguro Megumi could still see the teachers and students of Jujutsu High struggling desperately to block them, yet it was merely a cup of water trying to put out a burning cart of firewood.
The monsters’ battle lines kept pushing forward, while they kept falling back!
There was running out of time.
“There’s a rooftop up there, Ieiri, go up first!”
Fushiguro Megumi made a prompt and decisive decision, having Nue fly the blonde youth up while he guarded the lower area.
The number of flying Curses wasn’t large, so Nue could handle them.
Coupled with him “defending the city” down below, it might buy Ieiri more time.
“Fushiguro!”
A shout came from behind, and the black-haired boy turned his head to look.
It was Kugisaki Nobara, running over with the healer Ieiri Shoko piggybacked on her.
She asked quickly, “Did you find a way?!”
Fushiguro Megumi: “Yes, but I’m not sure if it will work…”
Jing, jing!
Suddenly, a dull bell-impact sound interrupted his words.
The three of them raised their heads together, looking toward the source of the sound right up there on the high platform
The blonde youth slightly closed his eyes, the biting wind blowing against the strands of hair beside his cheek.
Lifting them into a soft arc.
He stood high above, looking down upon “all living things.”
Jing!
Yet another sound.
The youth gently waved the Hokisaki-suzu, the bell’s ring falling dull.
He extended his left hand, the tips of his outstretched fingers radiating an upright, elegant aura.
Immediately afterward, his body turned, the movement of his torso automatically leading his right hand along.
Jing!
The bell chimed once more.
He tapped his toes lightly, hooking his other foot swiftly, and spun around three times in rapid succession.
The bell-chimes grew brisk, and instantly he shifted his footsteps, his hand movements altering simultaneously.
Wave, circle, thrust!
He danced upon the high platform.
He was seemingly approaching adulthood.
His figure was slender, yet still retained traces of incomplete maturity, mixed with a touch of youthful greenness. As he danced, his limbs possessed a supple flexibility devoid of any lack of strength, appearing both elegant and sharp.
His breathing drove his movements, his physical form fluid, his bearing cool and aloof.
Jing!
The sword tip pointed forward!
The aged, decayed bell-chime seemed to grow clear in that very instant.
The Hokisaki-suzu vibrated incessantly.
Spinning, leaping, sword-dancing one could see that his slenderly muscled frame made not a single superfluous motion in any of his movements, each one qualifying as breathtakingly graceful.
“——Swish!”
Faintly, the sound of a sword could be heard.
He resembled a sword a longsword atop a snow-capped mountain in winter, washed clean by fresh snow, reflecting a chilling light.
Beneath the high platform.
Ieiri Shoko, wearing a white lab coat, murmured with admiration: “How truly pretty…”
She felt like smoking a cigarette again.
Kugisaki Nobara’s eyes widened: “That is… the Kagura dance…”
It was hard to describe that feeling.
That youth, though he wore no heavenly crown and donned no white robes, merely dancing in that fashion, exuded a sense of divinity from his very limbs.
A prayer to the gods, however crude and rudimentary.
Yet incomparably sacred.
He danced so exceptionally well, as though he had practiced with pious devotion thousands or tens of thousands of times in the past, repeating the corrections over and over to arrive at this result.
Immersed entirely within it.
Resembling the most devout supplicant imaginable.
[Shocking……]
[Who gets it, just now the tip of the Hokisaki-suzu pointed straight at the lens, and it even did a slow-motion close-up of this. Yuuki’s expression was so godlike, it directly left me breathless in amazement]
[Kami]
[Where’s the Trash Boss?!]
The yellow cursed talismans floated up along with the Kagura dance, revolving around the officiant as their center.
Cursed energy was “guided” and drawn forth, forming an esoteric vortex centered on the blonde youth.
The yellow talismans formed a barrier array.
Their rotational speed grew slower and slower.
Hum
The dark-yellow talismans abruptly fixed in place, while midair manifested an additional translucent, complex cursed character, identical to the ones on all the talismans, condensed from cursed energy.
The cursed character was continuously solidifying.
It was—[Suppression]!
[Shocking……]
[Who gets it, just now the tip of the Hokisaki-suzu pointed straight at the lens, and it even did a slow-motion close-up of this. Yuuki’s expression was so godlike, it directly left me breathless in amazement]
[Kami]
[Whether it was the trajectory of his flying hair or his dance movements, everything was executed far too beautifully]
[The clearly visible physique while dancing, ahhh, my cross-dressing fetish is acting up!]
[Gorgeous, but… why hasn’t it solidified yet?]
[?!]
[Not enough cursed energy? The Trash Boss didn’t respond?!]
[What is Blessed Bro playing at? Wasn’t he quite happy just now hearing Yuuki summon him as a god??]
[Ahhh, don’t drop the ball at a critical moment!]
[Blessed Bro turned out to be fake-blessed, character breakdown, but the Trash Boss’s persona is still intact]
[Not a single bit of OOC]
[Ahhhhhhhhh! This BE is so painful! The shipping pairing I just boarded!]
It always fell just a little bit short.
A ritual dance without a deity’s response.
Itadori, who had rushed over, also noticed it: the translucent cursed character simply couldn’t fully materialize.
The Curses’ encirclement shrank tighter and tighter, now practically within a hundred meters.
The bell-chime was still ringing, yet it felt like a ethereal ritual dance devoid of any divine response.
It seemed doomed to end in failure.
Prepare for the worst… Fushiguro Megumi bit his lower lip hard, thinking.
There was still one other method, a drastic measure to pull the firewood from under the cauldron summon Mahoraga.
The black-haired boy had already prepared to let his shikigami evacuate the people from Jujutsu High.
And then drag every single Curse present into the taming ritual!
Fushiguro Megumi took a deep breath, raising both hands as that strange incantation echoed in his heart—
“Buru be…”
[Megumi is going to risk a 1-for-many again]
[Didn’t expect Mahoraga to show up so early, but in this kind of situation there’s no other choice]
[I can no longer guess the plot progression]
[Wait—?!]
[Ahhh! Awww-ooo!]
Amidst the frenzied howling of the comment section,
Mahoraga’s summoning incantation was abruptly interrupted by a vast, bone-chilling surge of cursed energy!
He abruptly whipped his head around to look
Boom!
Cursed energy expanded!
The translucent cursed character deepened gradually, solidifying, transforming into wind like a weaving web.
Shrinking, shrinking further, until it shrunk to the size of a fingertip and flew toward Ieiri Yuuki.
Finally landing on the blonde youth’s ring finger, engraving a mysterious and exquisite cursed pattern.
“Hah, hah—”
Jing!
As the final chime of the bell ceased, what rang out next was the youth’s tired and hurried breathing.
The curse tide stopped.
Seeming to snap out of a trance, after a moment of stillness, they turned into a swarm of headless flies.
Either spinning in place or scattering in all directions to flee.
Everyone at Jujutsu High: “?!”
Ieiri Yuuki raised his eyes, failing to see the “god.”
Muzan stepped out from behind him, gazing at him with those pretty, gloomy red pupils.
“…”
He sensed the resonance.
A resonance linked through the Kagura dance.
This human’s piety, fervor, and prayer toward him poured into his body like a tidal wave.
Suffocating him.
This was irrational.
Muzan thought apathetically.
He had originally intended to let the human experience despair before descending in the posture of a savior, yet the plan hadn’t proceeded successfully…
He had acted anyway.
Within those scarlet pupils belonging to an evil ghost—pupils that evoked panic and palpitations yet proved impossible not to drown within—was imprinted the human’s blurred silhouette.
His gaze was like a corroding swamp, a cloying spiderweb.
Extreme discomfort.
The feeling of being targeted by a monster.
[So eerie, I’m starting to suspect the next second he’s going to swallow Yuuki whole]
[That’s physical ‘eating’, appetite-driven eating, who gets it?]
[Yet for an evil ghost (though in this world they’re Curses), aren’t they always in the ‘oral stage’? Thinking about it this way, it aroused the ghost’s appetite?]
[Hiss……]
[Leopards and cats, I’m blessed once again]
His heart beat urgently.
“Puchi—”
The black-haired beauty stretched out his hand, crushing his own diseased, exceptionally restless heart.
The greedy god was ultimately seduced by faux piety.
Feeling resonance, suffocation, yet pleasure at the same time.