[Fusion Cell Primordial Womb] was built on Naoya Zenin's Domain, so in appearance it resembled [Time Cell Moon Palace]. It had the shape of a womb.
The moment the Domain enclosed them, Maki and Mai curled up in its center like fetuses inside a womb.
In a sense, what Naoya Zenin said at the start was not wrong at all. He really had beaten the sisters "back into the womb"...
Inside this Domain, not only were Maki and Mai's "asynchronous" cells forcibly eliminated, but their heartbeats, blood flow, and breathing gradually synchronized as well. Even their outlines began to blur, and they were already on the verge of death...
And this was after Naoya Zenin and Noritoshi Kamo had deliberately worked to reduce the effect of the Domain technique.
But that also meant they had fully entered a state of "bloodline fusion."
Just as Maki and Mai's breathing grew weaker and more synchronized, the surroundings around them suddenly changed...
It was a delicate little courtyard. Beyond it stood an old stone bridge, and in the distance, the rippling water had been dyed crimson by the evening glow, which in turn cast a layer of brilliant gold over everything nearby...
"What is this..."
Maki froze slightly at the sight before her. Of course she knew where this was. It was the Zenin clan main house in Kyoto, occupied by a whole swarm of vermin. What she did not understand was why she had been brought here...
"This is... an Innate Domain."
Unlike Maki, who could not use Cursed Energy and had been raised entirely as a Cursed Tool User, Mai was much more sensitive to matters related to Jujutsu...
"This is my Innate Domain... no, more accurately, it belongs to both of us..."
That was as much as Mai could figure out, because only inside an Innate Domain could she feel this kind of complete physical and mental ease... As for why they had ended up here, even she did not know.
Maybe it was because they had fallen into a strange near death state. Or maybe Akira Zenin had added something extra to the barrier he gave Naoya Zenin...
Maki turned to look at the little courtyard. She was just as familiar with this place. On the tree in the center of the yard rested a Special Grade lazybones who had given her and Mai a refuge during childhood. Even Ogi Zenin had to behave with utmost respect when he came here...
Mai followed Maki's gaze.
"Actually, when I left the Zenin clan, I was a little frustrated with him for wasting his potential... Back then, I kept thinking, you were so strong, and your status was so high, maybe one word from you really could have changed the entire Zenin clan."
Maki shot her a glance.
"A little sister is still a little sister~~ People cannot be changed with just one sentence. At most, they will submit to intimidation for a while, and the moment no one is watching, they go right back to acting like vermin."
"That is why I said back then! Back then! Can you stop interrupting me!"
Maki smiled and shook her head.
"Geto-sensei once told me that. He believed that once the environment changes, the resources change, and people have more choices, they will naturally begin to change too..."
"Mm..."
"You obviously admire him, but you just refuse to say it out loud~ You are as awkward as ever."
"Shut up!"
Before they knew it, the conversation between the sisters had started carrying that familiar prickly edge again. It was not real mockery, just the habit the two of them had built up over the years...
Amid the sisters' cheerful bickering, Maki's figure gradually began to fade. Mai lowered her head and said,
"Alright, time is almost up. From now on, this place will belong to me alone... See you outside.
...Big Sis."
...
No one noticed that in the courtyard behind them, someone in a Jujutsu High teacher's uniform was casually sitting on a tree branch in the center of the yard...
After seeing what was happening here, that person nodded lightly in satisfaction, then dissolved into shadow and scattered into the air...
...
"Congratulations..."
Maki opened her eyes and immediately felt that everything around her looked strangely clear. It was as if something had changed compared to before, and the air nearby felt a little warm...
Oh. It was just Yuki Tsukumo's big face way too close to hers...
"Your Cursed Energy has been completely stripped away. Looks like if you were not a twin, your natural talent would have been extremely high to begin with...
How interesting~ For a family like the Zenin clan that loves Jujutsu so much, the odds of producing a zero Cursed Energy [Heavenly Restriction] are surprisingly high... tsk tsk"
"How is Mai?"
Yuki Tsukumo raised a hand and gestured for Maki to look in the direction she was pointing. Mai had already sat up and was leaning by the window, watching the clouds in the sky...
"Her Cursed Energy system is complete now, and because of that, she gained the Cursed Energy that truly belongs to her.
And more importantly... she is free. She does not have to force herself to struggle for your ideals anymore."
Hearing that, Maki let out a deep breath.
"That is good. From here on, I will keep moving forward.
If Mai wants to rest, then she can rest."
"Oh, give it a rest."
Mai turned to look at Maki.
"If I were not around, a muscle brained idiot big sister like you would definitely charge in even harder than before..."
Maki was delighted inside, but she still rolled her eyes.
"And... there is this too."
Mai raised a hand, and a long blade gradually appeared in her grasp. Then she tossed it to Maki.
"This is..."
"My Technique is complete now, and my Cursed Energy has increased too. From now on, just tell me whenever you need a Cursed Tool..."
Maki held the sword in stunned silence, then glanced at Mai, who had already started getting a nosebleed...
Then...
She flipped the sword, stretched out her arm, swung it, and smacked Mai on the head with the flat of the blade.
"That hurts..."
"You still know how to feel pain? Your body just recovered and you are already getting cocky?
I still have not settled things with you for nearly killing yourself generating hydrogen earlier!
Since you are coming along, then from now on we train together. If your body is not strong enough, you will get hurt after using your Technique only a few times!"
"Hai Hai"
Yuki Tsukumo leaned off to the side with a smile, watching the two sisters.
Their Cursed Energy systems had been severed, but their hearts had grown even closer...
Very nice. Another successful experiment. Better write it down in the little notebook~~