Chapter 85: Construction Technique vs. Ten Shadows Technique
"Huh?"
On the training field, Megumi stared at his sister in disbelief after hearing her request while he had been practicing the Ten Shadows Technique with Ren.
"No." He rejected it immediately. "Tsumiki, we already agreed on this. You can learn jujutsu, but you're not becoming a sorcerer."
"Tsk, Megumi." Standing gracefully with her hands behind her back, Tsumiki smiled faintly, unbothered.
"Don't twist your sister's words."
"That's not what we agreed on, remember?"
"What we said was—I could learn about jujutsu, and whether I become a sorcerer or not would be decided later. Right?"
She turned her head slightly toward Ren.
"Ren-senpai can confirm that, can't you?"
Under Megumi's pleading gaze, Ren could only nod reluctantly.
He understood Megumi's concern for his sister—but facts were facts.
"But even if you do want to become a sorcerer, there's no need to rush," Megumi argued, refusing to back down.
"You just got out of the hospital. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet."
"And you've only been exposed to jujutsu for a short time—you don't have enough experience."
"Becoming a sorcerer, exorcising curses, going on missions… all of that can wait!"
This time, even Ren had to admit Megumi made more sense. He looked at Tsumiki.
"Tsumiki…?"
She leaned slightly, stretching her arms before smiling softly, dimples appearing at her cheeks.
"As for my body—thanks to Ren-senpai's care…" she paused deliberately, "…and yours too, Megumi—I've mostly recovered."
"And in terms of jujutsu, thanks to both of you guiding me, I believe I've already reached the level where I can participate in real combat."
She gently cut Megumi off, still smiling.
"Though… it seems Megumi doesn't agree."
"In that case, let's settle this with a practical test. That's the simplest way."
"…What?" Megumi blinked, as if he'd misheard.
"I mean," Tsumiki said clearly, "I'll fight Megumi."
"Megumi is worried about me—I understand that."
"So let Megumi personally act as my 'beginner's exam instructor.'"
"If I lose, I'll follow your advice and wait before considering becoming a sorcerer."
"But if I win…" her smile sharpened ever so slightly, "…then it proves I'm stronger than you. And if you can be a sorcerer, then I have even less reason to leave this power unused while innocent people suffer from curses."
"…Sis…" Megumi muttered, still struggling to process that his gentle older sister was challenging him.
After a long silence, seeing she had no intention of backing down, he finally nodded.
"…Fine."
"But you have to promise me one thing."
"If you lose this time, then for at least one year—you won't even consider becoming a sorcerer."
"Alright." Tsumiki agreed calmly, without hesitation.
"Then," she turned to Ren and gave a slight, polite bow, "please prepare your Reverse Cursed Technique in advance… to treat Megumi."
"Tsumiki?!" Megumi clenched his teeth. Even if his intention was to protect her, being underestimated like this still irritated him.
"Oho~ getting looked down on by your big sister, Megumi?" Nobara grinned mischievously from the side, fanning the flames.
"That won't do. You better show her what you've got."
Ren watched Tsumiki's composed, polite demeanor, and a strange feeling stirred within him.
There was a clear contrast between this refined, elegant version of her and the girl he saw when they were alone together. Yet the greater the contrast, the stronger the allure. That bold, unrestrained side of her—so completely different from her usual self—was something no one else would ever see. It was his alone, like a flower that bloomed for only one person.
…Wait.
Ren blinked.
Why was he even thinking about this right now?
He forced himself to refocus. What mattered was the duel between the siblings—he had to stay alert in case anything went wrong.
While Ren was still gathering his thoughts, Megumi and Tsumiki had already taken their positions on opposite sides of the field. The others stepped back, spreading out along the edge of the training ground.
Megumi didn't hesitate. He immediately formed the hand sign for the toad.
"Summon—Toad!"
A large green shikigami burst out from the shadows with a loud croak, its massive mouth opening wide as its dark purple tongue shot forward.
His goal wasn't to hurt Tsumiki—it was to restrain her, to stop her reckless idea. The toad, capable of binding and swallowing opponents, was the perfect choice.
But on the opposite side of the field—
Tsumiki simply raised a finger and pointed forward.
With a sharp tearing sound, a high-speed missile spun into existence, trailing a long plume of flame as it shot straight toward the toad's open mouth.
"Gwa—!"
The toad croaked again and snapped its mouth shut.
A split second later, its pale belly began swelling rapidly.
Not good—!
Megumi's expression changed instantly. He leapt backward without hesitation while urgently dispelling the shikigami.
BOOM!
A small mushroom cloud erupted across the training field. The explosion thundered through the air, the shockwave forcing Megumi—who had just landed—to stagger backward. Dust filled his mouth and nose as he coughed, fragments of debris grazing his cheek and leaving a thin streak of blood.
"Megumi," Tsumiki's gentle voice came from within the smoke, "be careful."
"…Tch." Megumi wiped the blood from his face.
He quickly checked the state of his technique. The situation had been dangerous, but he had dismissed the shikigami in time—the toad hadn't suffered fatal damage.
If that didn't work, then he'd use something stronger.
Even if he hadn't fully mastered it yet like Ren had suggested… it should be enough against Tsumiki.
"Extension Technique—The Well's Unknown Abyss!"
Seven or eight winged toads materialized in midair, their white wings flapping as they rushed toward Tsumiki from multiple directions.
This time… there's no way her missiles can handle all of them.
Megumi fixed his gaze on her silhouette, gradually emerging through the drifting smoke.
Then—
his pupils shrank sharply.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
More than a dozen pitch-black machine guns suddenly appeared around Tsumiki, surrounding her completely.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Flames burst from their muzzles as they opened fire in all directions at a terrifying rate of 3,600 rounds per minute.