Chapter 93: Special Grade Cursed Object
"Maki! Tsumiki!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the distance.
Maki sprang to her feet at once.
Without drawing attention to herself, Tsumiki quietly stepped back half a pace, and the cannon barrel concealed within her palm retracted.
Ren's figure emerged from behind a bend in the hillside, entering their field of vision.
Almost at the same moment, a bark echoed from the opposite direction. The towering form of Divine Dog: Totality stepped out from the shadows of the trees.
"Are you two alright?"
Ren hurried toward them.
Just then—
Riiip. Riiip.
The blood-soaked fabric of Tsumiki's school uniform suddenly began falling apart in strips.
"Ah—"
She instinctively drew back slightly, a mixture of embarrassment and surprise crossing her face.
"I forgot. My synthetic skin is corrosion-resistant, but my clothes…"
Ren abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Yet he didn't immediately turn away.
His gaze was fixed on Tsumiki's exposed figure—not for the reason one might expect.
Bathed in moonlight, the ordinarily slender and delicate girl possessed a physique that was astonishingly powerful.
Her upper arms, forearms, chest, abdomen, thighs, and calves were all clearly defined, sculpted with smooth, athletic muscle.
It wasn't merely that she appeared more toned.
Looking closely, she even seemed several centimeters taller than usual.
Her tall, graceful frame stood beneath the moonlight like a valkyrie forged from silver radiance itself.
"Tsumiki...?"
Ren's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What is this?"
"Nanomuscles."
Tsumiki answered cheerfully, completely unconcerned as she displayed her body to him.
"Their performance far exceeds that of ordinary human muscle tissue."
"I wrapped them beneath a layer of synthetic nanobiomorphic skin and use them as a form of powered armor."
"Even though they're artificial enhancements, I deliberately limited the amount implanted so they wouldn't look too unnatural or affect my appearance too much."
She raised both arms and spun gracefully in place.
"How do I look, Ren-senpai?"
"Not too strange, I hope?"
Ren stared blankly for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Yeah... not at all."
"Ren!"
Maki's voice cut through the air, carrying a clear note of irritation.
Ren snapped back to reality.
"A-Ah. Sorry."
He immediately turned around.
Tsumiki's laughter rang out like silver bells.
"It's fine, Ren-senpai. I already told you—they're prosthetics. The muscles are artificial, and the skin is artificial too."
Then she turned toward Maki with a teasing smile.
"And Maki-senpai, why are you being so strict with Ren-senpai?"
"Don't tell me... you're jealous?"
"D-Don't be ridiculous!" Maki stammered. "I-I'm just making sure that idiot doesn't try anything inappropriate with you!"
She immediately looked toward Ren.
"Ren, take off your jacket and lend it to Tsumiki."
"O-Okay."
Ren hurriedly began removing his jacket. Halfway through, however, something struck him as odd.
"W-Wait a second... Tsumiki's Construction Technique should be able to create clothing too, right?"
"In theory, yes..." Tsumiki replied in a slightly weak voice.
"B-But... ah... this is bad... I think I may have overused my technique during the fight. My cursed energy... doesn't seem to be keeping up anymore."
"If I tell you to take it off, then take it off!" Maki snapped.
"Why are you arguing about it?"
"O-Okay, okay..."
With no room for protest, Ren removed his jacket and tossed it over.
Maki led Tsumiki to the riverside to wash away the bloodstains. A few minutes later, the two returned, Tsumiki now wearing Ren's oversized jacket.
Ren stole a glance—
—and immediately felt his breathing hitch.
His heart started pounding uncontrollably.
For some reason, Tsumiki looked even more alluring in his jacket than she had moments ago.
The garment barely covered her hips, while her long, smooth legs remained fully exposed beneath it.
The contrast between the oversized black jacket and her fair skin created an oddly captivating image. What was concealed only drew more attention to what remained visible, leaving far more to the imagination.
"Ahem."
Ren coughed twice.
Under Maki's murderous glare, he forced his eyes to stay firmly focused on safer territory.
"So..." he asked awkwardly, searching for a topic.
"How did things go on your side? You didn't run into any trouble, did you?"
"Nothing major," Maki replied.
"Tsumiki and I dealt with the enemies without any problems."
Then she paused.
"However... the opponents we fought didn't seem to be cursed spirits."
Ren glanced at the two corpses lying nearby.
A flicker of surprise flashed through his eyes, but he remained outwardly calm.
"Evil curse users, perhaps?"
He could see the conflict lingering on Maki's face and wanted to ease her burden.
For Maki, this was very likely the first time she had ever killed a human being.
As for Tsumiki, it went without saying. This had been her first exorcism mission—let alone her first experience taking a life.
In any case, even if that grotesque blue-black creature wasn't a cursed spirit, it certainly hadn't been anything innocent.
Maki neither confirmed nor denied the suggestion.
Still, the tension in her expression eased slightly.
"What about you?" she asked after a moment.
"Did you exorcise the curse successfully?"
Ren nodded.
"Not only that."
A strange gleam appeared in his eyes.
"I found something interesting."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an object.
The moment it appeared, Divine Dog: Totality stiffened. Every hair on its body stood on end as it began barking anxiously.
At the same time, the overwhelming cursed aura radiating from the object caused both Maki and Tsumiki's expressions to change instantly.
It was a human finger.
Its skin was dark crimson, and its nail was pitch black.
"That's—"
Tsumiki gasped before cutting herself off.
"Cleave."
Holding the finger between two fingers, Ren exerted a little force.
An invisible blade shot from his fingertips.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed through the riverbed.
The recoil from his own attack forced his hand open, and the finger fell onto the gravel below.
Ren crouched down, picked it up again, and examined it carefully.
The slash, powerful enough to split steel and stone alike, had left not even the slightest mark upon it.
Flames.
Cleave.
Black Flash.
Ryūjin Jakka.
One technique after another.
Ren tested every offensive ability at his disposal.
Yet no matter what attack he used, the finger remained completely untouched.
"The shape."
"The overwhelming cursed presence."
"And the fact that it cannot be destroyed by any means."
He tossed the finger into the air and caught it again.
Facing Maki and Tsumiki's stunned expressions, he finally voiced his conclusion.
"There's little room for doubt."
"This is a Special Grade Cursed Object."
"One of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers."
His gaze shifted to Maki.
"In other words... it's directly connected to the first-year student at your school."
"The vessel of Ryomen Sukuna—Yuji Itadori."