"What's going on with Kasumi Miwa and Mechamaru lately? Their behavior is so strange!"
Momo Nishimiya, her twin pigtails bouncing as she walked, frowned in confusion.
Kamo Noritoshi shook his head. "It's Kokichi. Mechamaru is just his puppet. Now that Kokichi has regained his physical body, things are different."
Momo blinked. "And Teacher Shion made that possible? He actually modified a body for someone with a Heavenly Restriction?"
Kamo nodded. "Exactly. But still… their behavior is odd. Every time Kokichi sees Kasumi Miwa, he bolts like a mouse seeing a cat, and she chases him around, calling him a coward."
Momo sighed, watching Shion pass by. "Teacher, do you know what's going on between them?"
Shion blinked casually. "Maybe they're dating."
"Eh???"
---
Jujutsu High, Interrogation Room
"So, this is all the information you have?"
Shion spun a pen lazily between his fingers as Amanai Riko shone a bright light across Kugisaki Arata's face.
Kugisaki squinted against the brightness. "Hey! Stop it! I've already told you everything I know!"
Shion stepped into the room. "How did it go?"
He handed the notes to Shion. "That's all there is."
Shion skimmed them quickly. "Shibuya Incident, plan to kill the Six Eyes twins… bold." He approached Kugisaki. "Have you ever heard of the Prison Realm?"
"Eh? What's that?"
Shion didn't answer, but a small blue orb appeared in his palm, radiating a terrifying tearing force.
Kugisaki's face turned pale. "N-no! I really don't know!"
Amanai Riko raised her hand. "Both of you brothers are powerful, but my skills are better suited for interrogation."
Shion stepped aside, curious.
The temperature around Kugisaki skyrocketed, then plummeted sharply, cycling from scorching heat to freezing cold. He shivered violently.
"C-cold… so cold… Achoo!"
Finally, he shouted, "I remember! The Prison Realm! That woman… she wants to seal Satoru!"
Shion froze. "Wait, why target my younger brother instead of me?"
Kugisaki stammered, "They said the older brother can't likely be sealed, so they're aiming for the easier target… your younger brother."
Shion's eye twitched. He slammed the table in frustration, then slowly sat back.
"It's the truth. Why are you so worked up?"
"...I'm not worked up!"
Amanai Riko stifled a laugh behind her hand.
Shion raised an eyebrow.
"Oh right. They also said that the Black Rope and Inverted Spear of Heaven can break the Prison Realm. So, during the Shibuya Incident, they'll try to destroy those two Cursed Tools."
Shion's mind worked quickly. The Black Rope was with Mimiko; the Inverted Spear of Heaven was in Toji's hands. A proper plan was necessary.
Kugisaki chuckled nervously. "Is this enough information?"
Shion nodded. "Yes. You're done here. Go."
"Eh? Wait! I-I can still create Cursed Tools! Special-grade ones!"
Shion's fist hovered inches from his face, and a cold sweat dripped from Kugisaki's forehead.
"I have a Heavenly Cloud Bone Sword," Shion said, smiling faintly. "You made a Dragon Bone Blade, right? Try merging them."
Kugisaki blinked at Shion's playful grin. "Are you messing with me?"
"What, you unwilling?"
"...I'm willing."
---
Underground Laboratory
Shion placed the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings on the table.
Ieiri Shoko studied it curiously. "What is this?"
"A special-grade cursed object," Shion explained. "Strictly speaking, it's a failure. I need you to analyze it carefully."
"Analyze it? What exactly?"
"Determine what it would look like if it were a successful creation instead of a failure."
Shoko called over her assistant, Sugata Manami. Both donned gloves and began the dissection.
"We're doing an experiment. Wait outside," Shoko told Shion.
Shion shrugged. "It's a special-grade cursed object. My job is to keep you safe."
Shoko smiled. "Then you'll have a long wait."
"I can handle it," Shion said calmly.
Manami lingered nearby, feeling increasingly useless.
---
Nearly two weeks passed.
The research on the Cursed Womb finally bore fruit.
Shoko peered through a microscope, astonished. "What is this?!"
Shion approached. "What is it?"
"I traced the creator's intentions for the Cursed Womb. Using a tiny sample, I continued his research," Shoko explained.
"I succeeded in producing a small amount of cellular tissue. It's neither human nor Cursed Spirit, more like a hybrid. It has the strength and regenerative abilities of a Cursed Spirit but doesn't leak Cursed Energy like humans. No fixed form. It's… evolution."
Shion nodded. "A new species, distinct from humans and Cursed Spirits."
Ieiri Shoko pinched her chin. "This is insane. Such evolution would require enormous Cursed Energy. Even draining you completely, Shion, probably wouldn't suffice."
Shion rolled his eyes. "Please don't say weird things like that."
"Oh? Are you angry?"
"No."
"I'll treat you to lunch this afternoon."
"I want… daifuku and mochi dumplings," Shion replied.
Manami watched them leave, again feeling entirely superfluous.
---
Tomb Chamber
Tengen was unsurprised by Shion's arrival, but curious about the purpose.
"You want me to teach you Barrier Techniques?" he asked.
Shion nodded. "Yes. I want to learn everything: sealing, defensive, screening. Everything. All your experience accumulated over millennia."
Tengen's eyes widened. "Impossible. You can't learn it all…"
Shion removed his sunglasses, revealing brilliant blue eyes. "What if I keep my Rikugan fully activated and study day and night without stopping?"
Tengen froze. "Your brain won't survive that."
"Then I'll burn out my brain and restore it using Reverse Cursed Technique."
Tengen's face paled. "You're crazy! What exactly are you planning?"
Shion's voice was calm. "I need a Barrier Technique capable of stopping even Kenjaku."
Tengen fell silent for a long moment, then finally sighed. "Fine. Come with me."
He turned slowly. Shion followed quietly.
Inside Shion's robe, he rubbed a gilded box. Inside were two of Sukuna's Fingers: one acquired by Yuta Okkotsu before enrollment when exorcising the Yuki-Onna, and the other obtained by Toji under the Eighty-Eight Bridge, later handed to Shion.
---