Kamo Shizumi did not respond immediately, because he needed some time to process the information he had just received.
First of all.
How did Kenjaku know about this?
Hanami had told him?
Unlikely…
That thing did not even have a phone.
And if Kenjaku had simply gone to meet him in person…
That did not make sense either.
Given Kenjaku’s personality, he would not go to such lengths just to toy with him.
He could have simply come over and said all of this to his face.
Then how did he…
“How did I know about this? Heh heh, I told you before, did I not? Your situation is rather special, so you are the experimental subject I have tampered with the most.”
Thus…
“I naturally have some little methods you would never expect… methods that allow me to know your exact circumstances. Anyway, stop guessing. I am calling to discuss something important.”
Kamo Shizumi shook his head, forcing himself to stop the storm of thoughts in his mind.
He quietly took several deep breaths before speaking in as calm a tone as possible.
“Um… I, I am listening.”
“Your performance and rate of growth have exceeded my expectations. Based on what you have demonstrated, I now believe that I can also remove some of the special restrictions placed upon you.”
Kamo Shizumi felt as though he were listening to a lecture from another world, completely bewildered.
What was he talking about?
“Through this operation, did you not realize your own shortcomings?”
On the other end of the call, Kenjaku lazily shifted his sitting position.
He simply slouched there with his head tilted slightly upward, speaking in a somewhat frivolous tone.
“Your cursed energy level and the strength you have demonstrated are both far below the normal standard… To put it bluntly, this was all something I deliberately arranged beforehand.”
What?!
So you were screwing me over too?!
Come to think of it, that actually made sense.
After all, judging by Kenjaku’s average standards, something he personally created should have been at least at the level of a Grade 1 sorcerer.
If Kamo Shizumi really could only maintain a Semi-Grade 2 level like he had demonstrated so far…
Then, from Kenjaku’s perspective, this was literally a failed-performance specimen.
The fact that there was now further development in this regard did, in a sense, fit Kenjaku’s particular design philosophy.
But why confess this now?
Ah…
Kamo Shizumi finally understood somewhat.
‘So if I do not complete the mission, I die, and only after completing it do I get a chance to receive the reward?’
Damn that Kenjaku.
He was always coming up with disgusting things like this!
Grade 2, or rather, Semi-Grade 2 level…
In the current jujutsu world, that really was not particularly impressive.
“But there is a reason for this, because you are not yet a complete form in the literal sense… Muku, I have left everything related to you at a certain location. I will not give you any missions for the next few days. Go there yourself and find out what is going on.”
After saying that, Kenjaku promptly hung up.
Beep.
What replaced the call was a text message containing extremely simple information.
Sender: Kenjaku.
The message read:
‘Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple.’
Looking at the words on the screen, Kamo Shizumi slightly furrowed his brows and tightened his grip around the phone.
It turned out that Kenjaku not only cared about him, but the exact opposite was true…
That old mother probably did not devote any less thought to him than he did to Yuji Itadori.
At the same time, however, the two seemed to be following completely different paths of development.
The future Emperor Yuji had Sukuna to whip him into shape mercilessly.
And what about Kamo Shizumi?
Kenjaku personally stepped in to train him!
Talk about having a comparison group.
‘So what exactly is this restriction wrapped around me?’
Kamo Shizumi could not find the answer for the time being.
All he could do was remind himself to act carefully…
and push his Freedom Plan back a little further.
At least until Kenjaku was completely dealt with, Kamo Shizumi probably would not have any opportunity to “switch sides.”
I really wanted to be a good person too!
(Despair!)
After lamenting over this, Kamo Shizumi summarized what he had gained from this operation.
His proficiency with Blood Manipulation had increased considerably, and he had also gained some unallocated Attribute Points…
As for those, he was not in a hurry to distribute them.
He could wait until he accumulated a few more, or even allocate them during a crisis when necessary.
‘There are still several months left…
I need to hurry.
By the time the story begins, I at least need to reach the level of a Grade 1 sorcerer.’
About half an hour later.
Hanami returned with a large pile of medical supplies, and Kamo Shizumi selectively took out several items.
Specifically, anti-inflammatory medicine and bandages.
Because of his somewhat unusual constitution, Kamo Shizumi had already completed the process of “stopping the bleeding” some time ago.
The oral medication was mainly to prevent subsequent infections, while the bandages were used to cover some wounds that had not yet finished healing, so that he would not look quite so miserable.
“I also brought some fresh clothes for you to change into.”
“Oh, thanks… Where did you get these?”
“Ordinary people cannot see me anyway, so I simply took a few from a shopping center.”
So it was free shopping, apparently…
It had to be said that cursed spirits really could live a little more freely in this regard.
After thinking for a moment, Kamo Shizumi told Hanami everything about his conversation with Kenjaku.
After learning the whole story, Hanami nodded slightly to indicate that it understood.
“Understood. Then I will take the finger back… Be careful while you are operating in Kyoto.”
“Yeah. Once I finish up here, I will return to Tokyo and meet up with you.”
In any case, he could contact Kenjaku at any time, so he would not have to worry about being unable to find the group after returning to Tokyo.
Hanami helped move Kamo Shizumi to a wilderness area closer to where people lived.
Then, without saying a word, it hitched a ride and left.
The small truck driver looked at the rearview mirror in confusion, unable to stop staring toward the truck bed.
Just now, was it his imagination, or did the entire vehicle suddenly become much heavier?!
Kamo Shizumi organized his wallet, took out twenty thousand yen, and then found an unoccupied corner where he could rest for a while.
Fighting other people in PvP was quite mentally exhausting, so it was important to recover and recharge as well.
When he woke up again, it was already approaching ten at night.
Kamo Shizumi found a nearby Yoshinoya restaurant and settled down there for the time being.
Chain restaurants like this were open twenty-four hours a day.
If he entered outside of peak hours, Kamo Shizumi could easily linger there until the early morning before leaving.
After casually ordering some food to fill his stomach, Kamo Shizumi used his phone to search for “Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple.”
This was the convenient thing about living in modern society.
Whenever you did not know what to do, you simply used a search engine.
Looking through the pictures and written descriptions, Kamo Shizumi quickly made a systematic summary.
Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple…
This was the entrance to Toribeno, the largest burial ground in Heian-kyō.
According to legend, from around the Heian period onward, this place had been regarded as the boundary between the living world and the underworld.
The temple contained a famous well said to lead to the underworld…
According to legend, Ono no Takamura used this well to travel back and forth between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.
—It sounded rather superstitious.
But Kamo Shizumi’s attention focused on the historical period.
‘Something that has existed since the Heian period…?’
That timeline completely matched Kenjaku’s period of activity.
So what exactly had he left there?
And it was supposedly related to him as well…
Remembering Kenjaku’s words before hanging up, Kamo Shizumi could not help imagining some completely unrealistic possibilities.
Could old Prison Mom really be about to give me a gun?