Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye. The weather grew colder, and scarves became a common sight. Kamihara Hajime occasionally went on missions, but he hadn't encountered any more attacks from Curse Users.

The Totsuka-no-Tsurugi had proven incredibly useful. No defense could stand against it—walls, cursed spirits, even reinforced cursed energy barriers fell like paper. Honestly, Hajime was curious whether it could cut through a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. But while they were more common than before, they weren't exactly roaming the streets.

Meanwhile, Naine had gradually unlocked part of her Cursed Technique through consistent training. They'd tentatively named it Soul Spellcraft. Its most basic application resembled what she once described as an "out-of-body experience."

Most Jujutsu Sorcerers didn't truly understand the soul—after all, it was intangible and invisible. Few could even sense their own. But cursed energy acted as a medium. Even if unaware, some sorcerers managed to protect their souls unconsciously when wrapping themselves in cursed energy.

Naine demonstrated her Technique publicly. To everyone's surprise, she could project the soul into a visible form—though it didn't look anything like the transparent, ghostly human figures people imagined. Panda had screamed, "There's a ghost!" only to be smacked by Maki.

To be fair, anyone would be freaked out by a smoky humanoid floating in the air.

But according to Naine, the soul didn't really have a shape. Her descriptions were metaphorical at best. For example:

"Gojo-sensei looks like a snow-capped mountain peak with sunlight gleaming off it."

"What about me?" Panda asked eagerly.

"Uh… like a triple scoop of ice cream?"

"And Maki?"

"A tree. Definitely a tree."

Naine struggled to explain others, like Inumaki or Yuta, and could only offer vague impressions. But when she described Hajime, her tone became more uncertain:

"He's like a lake… perfectly still, without a ripple. Beautiful, but a little unsettling."

The truly valuable part of her Technique lay in its combat application. When she further activated her cursed energy, it gained a soul-affecting property. During a mission led by Nanami Kento, she used it to exorcise a Cursed Spirit by directly damaging its soul—something even Grade 1 sorcerers struggled to achieve.

Nanami was impressed.

It reminded Hajime of a particular cursed spirit from vague memories—Mahito. His Technique also targeted the soul, and he was notoriously hard to kill. Even if Hajime cut him to pieces, it likely wouldn't be enough to finish him off.

As he pondered this, he was pulling a box of ice cream from a vending machine.

"You're eating ice cream in this weather?" Gojo Satoru's voice drifted from behind.

Hajime grabbed another box and handed it to him. "Cold weather ice cream hits different, Sensei."

Gojo accepted with a chuckle and opened his box. But behind him stood a man Hajime didn't recognize.

"Who's that?" Hajime asked.

Gojo glanced over. "Someone from HQ. He's here for the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi."

The man stepped forward and bowed. "I am Iwai Sabu. I've come on behalf of Headquarters to retrieve the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi for safekeeping. It's a Special Grade Cursed Object that poses a risk of reviving the vengeful spirit, Shuten-dōji. For everyone's safety, it must be sealed."

Hajime looked to Gojo, who gave a nonchalant shrug.

"But this sword originally belonged to the Minamoto Family…" Hajime argued.

"The family head has already agreed," Iwai Sabu replied with a practiced smile. "As of now, this blade is property of Jujutsu Headquarters."

Seeing no point in arguing, Hajime tossed the sword to him. Iwai Sabu caught it carefully, wrapped it in sealing talismans, bowed, and departed.

"…It was a good sword," Hajime muttered.

Gojo flicked his empty ice cream box into a nearby trash bin and walked ahead. "You'll be able to request it again after purification. The curse is tied to the blade, but it can be removed."

"I actually came to give you a mission," he added. "It's a little complicated. You'll be going with Nanami."

That got Hajime's attention.

Gojo explained, "A criminal group somehow spawned a Cursed Spirit. The situation's messy. We can't just storm in and take everyone out—they're civilians, technically. So we're cooperating with the police. We handle the curse, they handle the rest."

"So I have to sneak in, deal with the curse, and not draw too much attention," Hajime sighed. "Figures you'd come to me."

"Also," Gojo added, "intelligence suggests the Cursed Spirit is tied to another Special Grade Cursed Object. That's why Nanami's coming too."

"Alright, I'll do it." Hajime grinned. "But what about my Grade 1 promotion?"

"This mission is it," Gojo replied with a smirk. "Do well, and it's yours."

---

Nanami Kento looked Hajime over with a brief nod. He appreciated the student's respectful bow—not quite what he expected from someone trained by Gojo.

"…Although that red hair's new," Nanami noted.

Hajime caught the glance. "Cosplayed Himura Kenshin during a break."

Nanami didn't respond, motioning him toward the car where Ieiri was waiting to drive them.

As they rode, Hajime reviewed the mission details aloud. Nanami listened, then said, "If you handle things cleanly, this could be enough to qualify you for Grade 1. I'll stay back unless necessary. Be careful."

Their destination was a heavily guarded compound in the suburbs. Tall fences lined with barbed wire surrounded the place like a cage. Waiting nearby in the woods were police officers with live ammo.

Nanami stepped out to speak with a man who introduced himself as Kobashi Nobuhide. "Once the curse is neutralized, notify us through this radio. We'll handle the rest. Try not to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary."

After accepting the radio, Hajime followed Nanami toward the gate. "Do all of them know about Jujutsu?"

"No," Nanami replied. "Only Kobashi. He's one of the rare civilians who can see curses, but he lacks the energy to exorcise them. He serves as a liaison for special cases."

They approached the front gate—an aging, rusted iron slab bristling with hidden security cameras.

"So we're just walking in?" Hajime asked.

Nanami raised a hand, sword wrapped in talismans already drawn. "These guys run a fake religion—scammers using fear to control people. Infiltration isn't likely to work."

He nodded toward a hidden blinking camera.

"We've already been seen."

"I'll handle it," Hajime said, unsheathing his blade. In a flash of light, the gate dropped with a metallic crash.

Inside, over a dozen men in suits burst from the front building, brandishing pistols. Hajime rolled his eyes.

"Guns? Really?"

He vanished. By the time the attackers even blinked, their weapons were gone, and they collapsed unconscious.

Nanami sighed as he stepped past their limp bodies. "Kids these days…"

Hajime moved quickly through the compound. Most of the guards were jokes—thugs with no cursed energy, easily knocked out.

But as he descended into a grim basement, he found rows of people crouched by computers, their expressions blank. Chat windows with names like "Believer XXX" confirmed it—this was fraud disguised as faith.

On the upper floors, luxury replaced filth. Crystal lights, marble tiles, and high-end décor filled a massive lounge where men in suits nervously watched surveillance footage.

A red-haired youth waved playfully at the camera. A cigar-smoking man slammed his fist on the table.

"Who the hell is this brat?! Where's security?! Why isn't anyone stopping him?!"

Panic spread, but one man at the table—their leader—remained calm.

"The High God hasn't acted yet," he said coldly. "No matter who this brat is… the High God will kill him."

He turned to a tattooed subordinate. "Prepare five sacrifices. Offer them now."

---

Hajime, having reached the heart of the compound, stopped cold.

There, inside cages meant for animals, were young women—many underage. Their bodies were scarred. Their eyes were hollow.

His grip tightened around his blade.

But now wasn't the time to free them. The enemy—the real threat—was still nearby.

Suddenly, high-pitched screams rang out.

They came from nearby—same floor.

Without hesitation, Hajime dashed toward the source.

---

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