On the morning of the weekend, I had business at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
At the moment, I was sitting in a helicopter together with Sebastian and two personal maids.
I was dressed in a black uchikake embroidered with white and gold flowers. My hair had been gathered up neatly and adorned with ornaments that looked more fitting for my status than for travel.
A glossy black hairpin had turned my white hair black once more, making my outward appearance almost no different from when I went to school.
As for the cursed tool I was using this time, it was a small charm that only erased the aura and pressure of a cursed spirit.
It was not as complete as the bow I used to alter my appearance, but for a formal visit, it was enough.
Honestly, a family that had endured for a thousand years and ruled over an entire city was bound to have something like this stored away in its vault.
I sat watching the scenery below through the glass for a while before Sebastian's voice spoke up.
"We're almost there."
I turned to look at him only slightly.
Sebastian still sat upright in perfect form, his expression calm and unreadable as always. The two maids behind him were just as silent.
"Mm."
I answered shortly before turning back to look outside once more.
...
Before long, the image of Tokyo Jujutsu High gradually came into clear view beneath us.
The institution stood amid wooded hills and high ground, as if it had been completely separated from the outside city.
The main buildings were traditional Japanese architecture. Dark tiled roofs stretched low, and large wooden structures stood in neat order within the walls of the grounds.
Stone steps led up to the entrance, while the broad central courtyard lay open and quiet, with tall trees and small shrine structures scattered in the corners.
Even though it was a school for jujutsu sorcerers, the overall atmosphere did not seem modern or grand at all.
As the helicopter descended, the noise of the rotors echoed across the open courtyard.
The wind from the spinning blades made the sleeves of my robe and the ends of my hair tremble.
At last, the helicopter touched down in the middle of the courtyard.
Before long, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked steadily toward us from the opposite side of the grounds.
Behind him were two young men following after him.
One of their faces belonged to someone I knew well.
As for the other, although I still did not know his name, I recognized his face from before.
That was Gojo Satoru.
And the black-haired young man who had come with him that day.
Come to think of it, today Gojo was wearing sunglasses.
The middle-aged man stopped at an appropriate distance before giving me a slight bow in accordance with proper manners.
"Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu High. My name is Yaga Masamichi, and I am the principal here."
I gave a small nod in acknowledgment before introducing myself in return, just as courtesy required.
"I am Kujo Tsukiyo."
Then I continued in a polite tone,
"I appreciate your hospitality as well."
Yaga slowly raised his head and formally continued.
"As was already conveyed beforehand, the reason we invited you here today concerns the appearance of those cursed spirits."
He paused for a moment.
"However, aside from that matter, the school also wishes to establish a positive relationship with the Kujo family."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
I assumed that was because, throughout all this time, the pureblood vampires of the Kujo family had almost never stepped outside the manor at all.
Although the family name still carried weight in the eyes of outsiders, our existence had gradually become faint and indistinct to the world of jujutsu.
There had only been diplomatic relations, and almost no direct interaction.
So the fact that I had appeared here today was probably enough for them to see this as a rare opportunity.
I thought for only a moment before Yaga spoke again politely.
"In that case, please follow me inside. We have already prepared a meeting room."
I stepped forward and followed Yaga inside.
Ahead of me, Gojo, who was walking together with Geto, glanced at me for a moment before leaning slightly toward his friend.
"Kujo's one of those hikikomori types, isn't she, Suguru?"
Gojo spoke as though he meant to lower his voice, but in the end, everyone could still hear him.
Geto immediately shot him a sidelong glance.
"Satoru, you said that too loudly."
There was teasing in his voice, but it still sounded casual and familiar.
"As far as I know, you are Gojo Satoru, the user of Limitless, and you possess the Six Eyes as well, correct?"
Gojo turned toward me as though he had just heard something interesting.
"Oh? So Lady Kujo knows about me?"
The way he said "Lady" sounded more like teasing than genuine politeness.
He raised the corner of his mouth slightly, while the eyes hidden behind his sunglasses continued to study me with open curiosity.
"May I touch your Limitless barrier, Gojo?"
"Hehe, sure."
Gojo let out a light laugh in his throat.
When he finished speaking, he took off his sunglasses without any particular hurry, and the overwhelming jujutsu power pouring from him became instantly apparent to me.
Could those sunglasses have something to do with controlling his cursed energy?
Then he lifted a hand and crooked his finger at me in an openly provocative gesture.
But I had no intention of playing along.
I bent down, picked up a small stone from the ground, and threw it directly at him.
The stone cut through the air with speed.
But as it came close to Gojo's body, it began to slow unnaturally, as though some invisible force were obstructing it, before finally stopping motionless right in front of him.
Gojo glanced at the stone for only a moment before flicking it away as though it did not matter.
I watched that sight, then asked,
"Can you keep the Limitless barrier active all the time?"
Gojo raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
"If you mean literally all the time... I'm not at that point yet."
Gojo raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
"If you mean literally all the time... I'm not at that point yet."
Then he put his sunglasses back on again at a leisurely pace.
My gaze dropped to those black sunglasses.
By this point, I wanted even more information.
So I asked bluntly,
"What do you wear the sunglasses for?"
Gojo glanced at me only briefly before touching the frame with one hand without hurry.
"It's nothing much."
He answered in an easy tone.
"They're just more comfortable to wear, that's all."
It sounded like an answer that was not quite to the point.
I paused for only a moment before realizing that I still had not asked the black-haired man his name.
So I turned toward him.
"May I know your name?"
The black-haired man looked at me for a moment before replying in a calm voice.
"My name is Geto Suguru."
He bowed his head slightly in accordance with good manners before lifting his eyes and looking at me politely once more.
Geto regarded me for a moment before speaking in his quiet tone.
"How involved is the Kujo family with the jujutsu world, exactly?"
I paused briefly before turning my eyes toward him.
"Geto-san, what exactly do you mean by 'a lot' and 'a little'? Could you give me an example?"
Geto fell silent for a moment.
"If I were to give an example of what I mean by 'a lot' in the context of the jujutsu world..."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"It would be the level of the Three Great Families."
He never took his eyes off me.
"The Kamo family, the Zenin family, and the Gojo family all have clear ties to the jujutsu world."
He spoke slowly, as though explaining a lesson rather than interrogating me.
"They do not only possess name recognition or political influence. They also continuously produce sorcerers from generation to generation."
I listened in silence.
Geto then went on.
"In addition, some jujutsu sorcerers born within those three great families are born already possessing powerful inherited techniques."
I understood what Geto was trying to imply.
I truly did understand it.
To be honest, there were not a few strong individuals in Kujo City as well.
Sebastian himself was more than enough of an example.
But of course, I could not speak the truth about vampires outright.
Because of that, the only answer I could give had to be the safest one.
I fell silent for a moment before replying in my usual polite tone.
"The Kujo family does not force every member to walk the path of a jujutsu sorcerer."
I paused lightly, then continued without haste.
"As you know, Geto-san, the Kujo family possesses a fairly large territory, and managing a region of that scale requires many administrators, all of whom are selected from within the family."
"So for us, general knowledge, administration, and social networks are considered just as important as jujutsu power."
Even I could tell that the words came out of me more smoothly than I had expected, as though they were true.
I paused for a moment before summarizing more clearly.
"So if we are speaking strictly in terms of producing jujutsu sorcerers, the Kujo family does not produce as many as the Three Great Families."
Geto fell silent for a moment.
"Then how do you normally deal with curses in the city?"
I thought for a while.
If they were only low-grade curses or things that had not yet caused serious trouble, Sebastian would normally handle them first.
But if it were something on the level of Kurorai, or dangerous enough to affect the city itself, then in the end, the one who would have to step in would be me.
Besides, if something like that were to appear, I would want to fight it myself anyway.
"If it concerns that, then if the cursed spirit is powerful, I would most likely handle it myself."
I paused slightly before continuing in an unhurried tone.
As the atmosphere settled into silence, we came to the meeting room, and Yaga moved toward the projector at the side.
Not long after, an image appeared on the screen.
It was two hand-drawn pictures.
The first was the figure of a long white-haired, red-eyed girl.
The second was the volcano-headed cursed spirit.
The lines were so rough and simple that they were hardly any different from a child's drawing.
If the person in the picture had not been me, I would probably have thought the same.
Suddenly, someone entered—a brown-haired young woman.
The door to the room was opened once more.
The one who entered was a young woman with brown hair.
Although I still did not know her name, I had seen her before as well, back when I first met Gojo, just like Geto.
"Sorry I'm late. I got called away to check on an injured student."
She spoke without hurry, then glanced at the image on the screen.
"Heh."
And let out a quiet laugh.
"It's just a drawing. What's so funny about it?"
Gojo said at once, looking somewhat displeased.
Geto let out a sigh.
Then he turned toward me.
"This is Shoko Ieiri."
The brown-haired woman called Shoko raised one hand slightly, as though acknowledging the introduction.
"It's nice to meet you."
I gave a small nod and introduced myself again as manners required.
"I am Kujo Tsukiyo. It is nice to meet you as well."
Once everyone had taken their seats, Yaga was the first to open the discussion.
"Lady Kujo, have you ever seen cursed spirits like these before?"
I looked at the images on the screen for a moment longer before giving a slight shake of my head.
"No."
I said so as I shook my head.
Yaga nodded, then closed the file in his hands and continued in a firm tone.
"For the past two weeks, we have been gathering clues concerning those two cursed spirits."
He glanced at Gojo and Geto before speaking on.
"The information we received from them indicates that a cursed object was found in the same area where the two cursed spirits were active."
He paused briefly before speaking more clearly.
"That object was one of Sukuna's fingers."
There are still Sukuna's fingers in Kujo City?
The atmosphere in the meeting room fell silent once again.
Yaga continued.
"At present, we suspect that this may be what they were searching for."
That part was true.
"Lady Kujo, are you familiar with Sukuna's fingers?"
I hesitated only briefly before answering carefully.
"If you mean Sukuna himself, then yes, I am familiar with him."
I paused lightly before continuing.
"But in terms of cursed objects, I do not know much of the details."
I glanced toward the file in his hands before speaking politely.
"If it would not be rude... may I see the real thing?"
Geto quietly stood up from his seat, picked up a white-wrapped bundle, and set it down carefully on the table in front of me.
Yaga slowly unfolded the white cloth before taking out something and laying it out for me to see.
Then he continued in a firm tone.
"We fear that if we allow them to move as they please, the result would not be good."
He paused lightly, then went on.
"That is why we must gather these cursed objects first."
His gaze fell briefly to what lay upon the white cloth.
"Fortunately, we have already managed to collect some of Sukuna's fingers beforehand, though most of them were acquired purely by chance."
Yaga fell silent for a moment, then raised his head.
"And that is another reason why we invited you here today."
"We hoped that perhaps the Kujo family might have additional information regarding these cursed objects—or regarding those two special grade cursed spirits."
He paused briefly.
"But from the discussion so far, it seems the Kujo family does not possess any more information on this matter than we had already expected."
Then he lowered his head slightly.
"I must apologize if summoning you here today has wasted your time for nothing."
I immediately gave a small shake of my head.
"Not at all."
The room fell silent for a while.
Then Gojo, who had been listening quietly for some time, raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked directly,
"So what is Lady Kujo's jujutsu technique?"
I had not expected anyone to ask so bluntly about my technique.
But since he had already asked, the only thing I could answer with was the one that was already likely known.
"You probably already know that my family possesses a technique related to controlling shadows."
All three of them gave slight nods.
So I continued in a calm tone.
"We call this technique the Mandate of Shadows."
Yaga narrowed his eyes slightly, then immediately asked in a steady, weighty tone,
"And what are its abilities?"
I nodded.
Then the shadows beneath the meeting table, beneath the chairs, and along the corners of the room quietly stretched themselves upward all at once.
Under my control, they slithered upward and supported the bodies of everyone in the room, lifting them from the ground just slightly, like jet-black hands.
Silence filled the room.
I swept my gaze across each person's reaction.
Gojo remained sitting on top of the shadow comfortably enough, though the smile at the corner of his mouth had disappeared.
Geto calmly looked down at the shadow beneath himself.
Meanwhile, Shoko raised an eyebrow slightly and let out a soft sound, one that seemed to hold both surprise and interest at once.
"Oh..."
Yaga, however, remained the calmest person in the room.
So I continued, unhurried,
"As you can see, this technique is able to interfere with shadows that already exist, and turn them into a medium for control, movement, or attack. It can also create new shadows."
I paused briefly, then moved my fingers ever so slightly.
The shadows all lowered again, returning everyone gently to their seats as though nothing had happened at all.
"This is only a basic application."
I paused slightly before adding in the same calm tone,
"If you wanted to see other forms of it, we would probably need a much wider space."
Gojo then asked directly,
"By the way, why is it that I can't see any cursed aura around you at all when you use your technique?"
That question caused the room to fall silent once again.
Come to think of it, it was a reasonable question.
Since I had just used a jujutsu technique, the fact that they could not sense any cursed aura around me at all would naturally seem strange.
So I raised one hand and touched the ring I was wearing.
"It's because of this."
I slowly turned the silver ring on my finger.
"It's a cursed tool that suppresses my aura."
I raised my head and looked straight at Gojo.
"Are you really that curious?"
Gojo had not even answered yet when Yaga cut in with a heavy, steady tone.
"I need to know as well."
His gaze remained fixed on that ring.
"At the very least, we need that information in order to determine your grade as a jujutsu user."
I fell silent again.
His words sounded reasonable.
But at the same time, revealing the color of my aura was a serious matter for me.
Because my black cursed aura was far too distinctive.
I was overthinking it.
There's no need for me to become Rei, and even if it really became necessary, I still have plenty of cursed tools that can suppress my aura.
So I slowly raised my hand and spoke in a calm voice.
"In that case..."
I slowly removed the ring from my finger.
In the next instant, the deep blue aura that had been suppressed burst out and flooded the entire room.
The air in the meeting room instantly became heavy.
Deep blue, was it?
How fortunate.
It seemed that the color of my aura had changed, and the cause was likely some of the cursed tools I still had on me.
Sebastian really had thought this through carefully.
I swept my gaze across the expressions of everyone in the room.
"What is it, everyone?"