The "Riko Amanai" in the coffin was of course a fake, nothing but a puppet. By using the power of Contractual Re-Creation to reproduce a handful of contracts like "Doll Making" and "Beauty and Hairdressing," one could craft a puppet that matched her one to one.
The real Riko Amanai had been hidden away at the side of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, and the moment Mahiru summoned Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto here, she was summoned along with them.
Funny thing was, while Riko Amanai was tucked away in the hospital, she'd carelessly dozed off, and she didn't wake even after being summoned over. So when the fighting finally ended and the dust settled and Mahiru found her in the tall grass, the girl was sprawled out flat on her back, snoring away, belly bared, drooling, in the most unladylike sleeping posture imaginable.
Mahiru nearly died laughing.
"Rise and shine, milady."
Mahiru patted her belly to wake her.
Riko came to, still a little dazed.
She felt as though she'd merely enjoyed a pleasant, comfortable dream, and as she slowly stirred awake she saw Mahiru's beaming face and heard her say, "The bad guy who put a bounty on you has been dealt with, you know?"
Ah, that fast?
In truth, not everyone who'd put a bounty on Riko Amanai had been dealt with. Plenty still wanted her dead—the Star Worship Cult, for instance, or that so-called Q.
But the New Shadow Style was the largest bounty of them all.
Take care of these New Shadow Style people, and you took care of the vast majority of the trouble.
Still, this time the commotion really had been enormous. The tide of Cursed Spirits that had risen skyward was hard to miss, and the noise of the battle had carried for nearly a hundred li in every direction, giving the Jujutsu High personnel who came afterward to clean up the mountaintop no end of headaches.
Riko looked out over this battlefield, now scorched to ash, unable to make out what the place had originally looked like at all.
In that moment the girl was seized by a powerful sense that none of this had anything to do with her.
Being hunted, being marked for assassination—none of her concern, because they would protect her. Cutting down the people who'd put a price on her life—none of her concern either, because Mahiru and Satoru Gojo and the rest were absurdly, explosively strong, and could settle the whole thing with ease.
There seemed nothing left to worry about, nothing left to fear.
That ultimate feeling of being protected gave the girl an ultimate sense of peace.
It was just like… a wish-granting machine.
Not a single Cursed Spirit remained on the battlefield; every last one had been wiped out. The criminals of the New Shadow Style had all completely lost the ability to fight and were taken into custody by the relevant Jujutsu High personnel.
The blue-haired girl and Satoru Gojo were in the middle of explaining the situation to the Jujutsu High people.
Riko walked up to them.
"Can I… go to school?" she asked, as though making yet another wish, meeting their eyes. "And I want to play at the beach, go to an amusement park, I want to see the ocean…"
"Hm? The seaside? Sure." The blue-haired girl smiled. "Satoru Gojo's treat."
Satoru Gojo blinked too, then let out a helpless laugh. "You little… fine. Since you did the most work this time around, my treat it is, my treat it is…"
Riko's mouth opened and closed.
A Star Plasma Vessel about to be assimilated by Tengen was still allowed this much freedom?
It seemed her wish had come true once more.
First they returned to the school.
Riko's middle school was a girls' school, so it was Mahiru who accompanied her inside.
Mahiru was beautiful and carried herself with striking grace, and the moment she stepped in the schoolgirls all took her for some big-star upperclassman from who-knew-where. They swarmed around her, chattering and buzzing endlessly—she was wildly popular.
"Stop crowding Miss Miwa!!" Riko threw out both arms like a mother hen guarding her chick, holding back the classmates around them.
Watching from behind, Mahiru couldn't help but grin.
Riko's purpose in returning to school was, on one hand, to see these classmates and friends one last time before she died, and on the other, to find the older sister who had cared for her since childhood—her nanny, her family—Misato Kuroi.
A gentle maid, an older-sister type, her black hair coiled up behind her head, looking severe but really quite adorable.
"Milady! I'm so glad you're all right!"
The two met and embraced tightly.
That she was this worked up was actually Mahiru's fault.
Earlier, to sell the act of Riko Amanai's death, Mahiru had gone all in for realism and told the whole of Jujutsu High about it.
Yaga and the others had genuinely believed Mahiru had backstabbed Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
And Kuroi had genuinely believed Mahiru had killed Riko Amanai—she'd nearly gone straight to Mahiru for revenge. Kuroi was a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, but she stood no chance against a Jujutsu Sorcerer. The fact that she'd been willing to throw everything away just to avenge her was proof enough of how deep the bond between her and Riko Amanai ran.
After her tearful embrace with Riko, she came before Mahiru to thank her.
She was simply grateful that Mahiru had saved Riko.
By now the entire jujutsu world knew they'd been played by Mahiru, all of them sighing, "For crying out loud, this third genius turns out to be a rotten piece of work too."
Kuroi alone looked at Mahiru with such pure eyes that it moved her deeply.
So she made a snap decision and had Satoru Gojo cover Kuroi's plane ticket as well.
The ticket was for Okinawa.
Riko had said she wanted to see the seaside, and the finest sea to look at in all of Japan was naturally Okinawa.
Besides, for the sake of her own still-unfinished plan, Mahiru needed to get away from Tokyo and Jujutsu High, so Okinawa made a good choice.
It took them half a day by plane to reach Okinawa.
Satoru Gojo, throwing his money around, went straight for the most luxurious resort hotel.
"Wow! What a gorgeous sea!"
"Wow! What a gorgeous beach!"
"Wow! So many gorgeous ladies with amazing figures!"
"Wow! They're even selling coconut water over there… ah! Satoru, you jerk! Stop squirting water at me!"
They changed clothes, charged onto the sand, and the boys and girls set to romping and playing on the beach.
The scenery really was lovely, the weather fine—incredibly lucky. Sitting by the sea, the ocean breeze on her face, gazing at where the water and sky merged into one in the distance, Riko truly felt as if she'd broken free of the gloom at last, emerging from the abyss to see daylight again—an exhilarating release.
"Satoru Gojo!" Riko roared with laughter, riding her inner tube, relentlessly assaulting Satoru Gojo with her water gun. "Meet your end at the hands of your betters!"
Every jet of water was blocked by Satoru Gojo's Limitless.
"Hahaha! You weakling!"
"You sneaky bastard! You're cheating! …ugh!"
And so Riko was steamrolled by Satoru Gojo one-sidedly.
Furious at being sprayed, Riko flat-out threw down a challenge to Satoru Gojo, and the two launched into a grand beach showdown.
Round one: blindfolded watermelon-smashing. Satoru Gojo claimed the watermelon's head in a tenth of a second, while Riko fumbled and groped, fumbled and groped, nearly claiming Mahiru's head with the wooden sword instead.
Round two: volleyball. Because the gap in skill was so vast, they agreed that Riko would win if she scored even a single point.
Who'd have guessed Satoru Gojo wouldn't hold back at all—his spikes were practically one step short of a Black Flash.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom…
In the distance, other tourists who had no idea what was going on figured someone was setting off firecrackers.
"Again!" the girl said through gritted teeth.
She'd figured it out! As long as the game had anything to do with athletics, she had no chance of winning!
In that case!
Round three!
"Let's build sandcastles!"
"Hahaha, you idiot, you're killing me." Satoru Gojo was having the time of his life bullying Riko, laughing himself half to death. "Sure, come on then, bring it, we'll compete."
This time Satoru Gojo had actually planned to go easy.
But when he turned around and saw the three-story sandcastle mansion so tall he had to crane his neck to take in the whole thing, Satoru Gojo was dumbstruck.
"You actually got Miwa to help you!"
"Because this is what's fair! You cheating scoundrel!"
Playing and laughing, laughing and playing, their throats went dry—and as luck would have it, there was a little stall on the beach selling drinks and ice cream.
"Big sis, big sis, would you like to buy some ice cream or coconut water?" A pink-haired and a black-haired little girl pushed a small cart up to Riko, blinking their big, watery eyes and pointing at the drinks as they made their pitch. "This one's made by Mom, and that one's made by Big Sis Fushiguro—they're all really tasty…"
"Oh, really? Then I'll take this one…"
Seeing the two adorable little ones, Riko's heart melted, and in a soft, gentle voice she bought a little soda from the two girls' hands.
Turned out the flavor wasn't bad at all.
She bought a bottle for each of them—Satoru Gojo, Mahiru, and the rest too.
When she asked whether the two girls were local residents, they shook their heads slightly. "Nope, big sis, we're tourists."
"Oh, tourists?"
"Because Mom and Big Sis made way too many drinks, so we brought them out to sell." The pink-haired girl was sunny and bright. "My teacher taught me to be good at sharing."
Oh-ho.
Now that was a fine upbringing.
Riko spotted a young woman with short black hair in the distance, pushing an even larger cart. Probably the mother or older sister of these two children.
She also saw Mahiru go over to that young woman to buy a drink, and the two seemed to be chatting quite happily.
How nice, that kind of social-terrorist personality.
If only she could be like that too.
Over on Mahiru's side, the matters she discussed with Suo—disguised as a tourist—were utterly ordinary, exactly the sort of thing two strangers meeting as tourists would talk about.
The two chatted about when each had arrived in Okinawa, about each other's itineraries.
Mahiru asked where she'd be that night, and the woman told her about a remote, not particularly popular beach, saying she'd be going there in the evening.
"Then you be sure to stay safe," Mahiru reminded her with a smile.
"Don't worry, I will." Kenjaku smiled and waved as well.
The two were in fact trading a coded signal, settling on where they'd meet that night.
Kenjaku and their whole crew had been called in by Mahiru.
After all, though the great looming threat of the New Shadow Style had been dealt with, this affair was in truth far from over, and Mahiru's plan was only just about to enter its most crucial phase. Tonight was the real main event.
Clearly Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo understood too that "this affair isn't over yet."
That was why, when Satoru Gojo had been horsing around with Riko earlier, he hadn't dropped his Limitless Cursed Technique—it wasn't entirely that he wanted to cheat against Riko, but that he needed to stay on guard against other assassins at all times.
And the reason Suguru Geto hadn't immediately gone in to play with them earlier was that they'd been taking turns on lookout.
Now Suguru Geto's watch was up, and it was Mahiru's turn to relieve him.
So she walked over to Suguru Geto and sat down beside him.
"Go have some fun," the blue-haired girl said, eyes crinkling in a smile. "I'll keep watch."
But Suguru Geto didn't rest right away. Instead he spoke up, putting another question to Mahiru: "Miwa, in yesterday's battle, did you sense anything off?"
"Hm?" On the sand, Mahiru hugged her knees and tilted her head, her blue hair spilling down along her shoulder toward her leg. "Why the sudden question?"
Suguru Geto's expression turned serious.
"Because those Cursed Spirits yesterday… from them, I sensed the aura of Cursed Spirit Manipulation."
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation?"
"Mm. My read might be a little off, but if my instinct is right, then whoever was controlling those Cursed Spirits used Cursed Spirit Manipulation, the same as me."
No kidding—because that was exactly Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
"So?"
"It means there's another mastermind behind it all, and that person commands Cursed Spirit Manipulation—no one understands better than I do just how dangerous a Cursed Technique that is." Suguru Geto's face was grave. "It's only that, for now, I'm still not certain whether my instinct is correct."
"Ah, that's fair." Since dwelling on it was pointless, Mahiru tried to steer Suguru Geto away from digging into the matter any further. "But leave that sort of thing for the higher-ups to worry about. Relax when it's time to relax—why don't you go play with them?"
Suguru Geto followed Mahiru's gaze toward Kuroi, Riko, and Satoru, still fooling around over there.
"I just… worry a little."
"Worry?"
"Worry about the people around me… you included. Worry that all of you might get hurt." He said, "And worry about ordinary people being dragged into danger…"
Oh, so protecting your comrades and ordinary people is your duty?
The young Suguru Geto, not yet having gone off the deep end, really was that kind of good person.
You truly are a gentle soul.
"Mm."
"That's not quite it, either." Suguru Geto sighed. "I don't think of myself as a good person the way Satoru Gojo is."
"Uh…"
You mean Satoru Gojo?
"That guy Satoru Gojo may come off as thinking the world revolves around him, but the truth is, he's an incredibly gentle person who cares deeply about others. That's why, whenever someone asks for help, he'll reach out without a moment's hesitation—it comes from his empathy." Suguru Geto gazed at the distant Satoru Gojo, speaking softly. "Whereas I seem to be just a little different."
"A little different?"
"The truth is I can't quite see myself clearly either," Suguru Geto said. "I'll act out of empathy too, but a lot of the time I'm deliberately searching for the 'correct' thing to do."
"Oh?"
"I believe saving people is correct, that it's what can bring happiness to those around me, and that's why I do it."
"That doesn't sound all that different." Mahiru shrugged. "Honestly, there's no need to go hunting for a hundred-percent 'correct.' Because there's no such thing as a hundred percent in this world to begin with."
Suguru Geto blinked and looked at Mahiru.
Mahiru met his gaze.
"Because the very palette of this world is one vast, blurry gray.
"Every corner of this world is riddled with all manner of unreasonableness.
"Chasing after a hundred-percent correctness—that's not standing firm on your own path. That's just splitting hairs to the point of obsession."
The original Suguru Geto had been exactly like this.
Though Riko Amanai's death, and witnessing a jujutsu-sorcerer girl bullied by non-sorcerers, and a whole chain of such events had served as the fuse, the most fundamental reason he'd snapped and fallen to darkness was that he obsessed over things far too much.
That was why Mahiru was warning him like this now.
Hearing Mahiru's words, Suguru Geto sat stunned for a few seconds. "What you said… is true."
"If you think what I said is true, then listen to me!" Mahiru gave Suguru Geto a hard slap on the back. "Go have fun, and don't bother with anything else! When the time comes, we'll meet soldiers with generals and floods with earthen dams."
The blue-haired girl folded her arms, her smile radiant. "After all, the three of us are the strongest, aren't we?"
Suguru Geto froze once more.
Then he burst out laughing.
"You've got that right," he said. "The three of us really are the strongest."
———————
[Author's Note: In fact, this time around in the Hidden Inventory / Premature Death Arc, one member of the main cast is still going to die. Care to guess just who it'll be? Hehehehehe.]
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