Ten Shadows in the Heian Era

Cursed Energy is really interesting.

It's probably redundant at this point for me to say that. It should really be one of those things that goes without saying, but I feel like it still needs to be said anyway.

Because Cursed Energy really is interesting.

In my time here in Jujutsu school, the lessons, sparse as they have been, have all been about combat, Innate Techniques, Barrier Techniques and miscellaneous skills, like sensing Cursed Energy or refining Reinforcement.

It's honestly a little bit disappointing, really. I didn't think that Jujutsu Sorcerers were so combat oriented as to ignore everything else.

Am I the only one that sees the potential of Cursed Energy? You can do so much with it, you don't even need to make a proper technique in order to use it, but no one seems to bother.

I suppose I can understand it, somewhat. Jujutsu Sorcerers exist to exorcise Curses, so they need to be able to fight, and Spells that aren't helpful in combat or directly after it, like a cleaning Spell, are thus not all that important.

But still, can they not even have an academic interest? Studying Spells could help them come up with new ways to use their techniques, and it can help refine Cursed Energy Control.

Ultimately, I guess that the answer is simply that Cursed Energy isn't really anything too special to these people, since they have never known a world where it doesn't exist. It's kind of like how in my last life, kids younger than me would have their brain blue-screen at the idea of someone not knowing how to turn a phone on, forgetting that some of these people had never seen a phone until they were in their thirties or something.

I suppose that is a benefit of having lived in a world without any supernatural side, that I knew of, anyway.

Because to me, Cursed Energy is something mystical and magic and incredible. I don't think I will ever get tired of playing with, learning or experimenting with it.

The reason I'm even thinking about this is that in the month since Sukuna and I kind of killed Michizane, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how the man was able to use Spells in combat like that.

He made a barrier that was able to hold my Max Elephant just through a simple Cursed Technique, not an Innate one engraved on his body and Soul, but a simple Cursed Technique that anyone could learn, no different to the Curtain.

It's absurd. If I tried to hold even a tenth of that weight with a Barrier Technique, it would have either shattered under the weight or shattered under my Cursed Energy if I tried to give it enough power.

It baffled me.

However, I believe that I have come to a conclusion on how Michizane was able to do it.

The answer lies in the Six Eyes.

I even asked Gojo, or rather Gojo Isanko now, about it through a Butterfly, since he is still dealing with some stuff and can't come back to the school yet.

Apparently he's struck quite the friendship with a Nanami Shiki, formerly Koshikibu no Naishi, to the point that they even discussed a marriage, however neither of them want to give up on their names, so that's just a complicated situation that I do not know enough about to be able to comment on.

Though, he did say that Nanami is going to attend the Goodwill Event in order to regain her own Nobility title, through which she is likely going to grant Gojo Nobility too, since he can't really show his face publicly right now without what's left of the Sugawara clan making a fuss. At least, that's my assumption, he didn't tell me that.

But other than just catching up, he did freely explain the intricacies of the Six Eyes to me, though he did ask that I make a vow that I will never tell anyone else what he told me, something I was happy to do.

What it boils down to, is that the Six Eyes grant an insane degree of perception, through which one can gain an otherwise impossible level of control over their Cursed Energy.

Apparently that's why it felt like Michizane's Cursed Energy wasn't going down no matter how much we fought, because the man was simply using it so efficiently that it was basically infinite.

Talk about unfair.

However, that is where I found a potential answer for how Michizane was able to apply Spells to combat. Efficiency.

When a normal Sorcerer casts a Spell, it is either really weak, or it gets overloaded with Cursed Energy and dissipates into air. However, Michizane was able to make it all so efficient that the Spell was able to hold its form, even when being subject to enough Cursed Energy as to actually make the Spell useful.

Now, this doesn't really help me, because it is impossible for me to reach that level of efficiency. However, what it does do, is prove that it is possible. Sometimes that is enough.

History is rife with examples of seemingly impossible to beat records that have held for years being broken and then immediately followed by even more people breaking it again and again in a rush.

That's just a thing with humanity. Once we know something is possible, there is nothing stopping us from achieving it.

So the question then becomes, how do I make it so a Spell can carry enough Cursed Energy to be viable in combat without coming apart in its casting?

The answer is actually really simple.

I have no clue.

This shit is complicated okay! I'm basically trying to invent an entirely new system of magic here, even for me it's not something I can just do over a couple of long weekends.

I don't really mind though, because I have been having an inordinate amount of fun trying to figure it all out. Plus, Sukuna and Kamo-Sensei both enjoy the intellectual conversations that come about when I get truly stuck on something and brainstorm with them.

Still, it's fun to think about. I feel like I can finally understand those scientist type characters in movies who spend all their time experimenting. It really is fun trying new things, seeing what works, what doesn't. Measuring the slightest increases in efficiency to try and find and amplify the source of the improvement.

It's fun. But it's also really really difficult.

If not for the fact that I knew it was possible, or at least, believe that it is possible, thanks to Michizane, then I might have given up by now.

At one point, I even had a eureka moment where I thought I could just mimic what I did with my Black Butterfly Technique and use some type of external storage for Cursed Energy as a solution. I even snapped my fingers when I thought it and did a little dance afterwards.

But then I tried it and it didn't work. Kind of obvious in hindsight, since the issue is completely different than what was holding back the Black Butterfly Technique. 

What does it matter if the Cursed Energy is being stored externally when the issue is that the Spell falls apart when too much Cursed Energy is applied in the first place? Externally applied or not, Cursed Energy is Cursed Energy. What I need is a way to allow the Spells to actually make use of the additional Cursed Energy.

Urgh, semantic satiation. I've thought Cursed Energy so many times now that it's starting to sound weird.

Cursed Energy Cursed Energy Crused Energy Crused Ernginy fuck.

What was I thinking about?

Right, efficiency.

Basically, what Michizane was somehow able to do is use barely any Cursed Energy to get the same effect as if he had used a lot. I don't really know how I can replicate that.

I really wish using external means to store the Cursed Energy would be enough, but again, it doesn't help if the Spell channels can't handle that Cursed Energy in the first place. 

Maybe I should just invent a new material? Drawing out Spells just through Cursed Energy control alone is something of an advanced skill. Most people just use a brush and write out the appropriate script on a paper talisman, or sometimes a wooden talisman.

Maybe I can try and find or produce a material that will be better able to channel Cursed Energy, allowing for the Spells written on it to hold more power?

It's an option, but it's not like I spent my last life looking up how different alloys or synthetic materials were made, so it's not like I can just magically know how to invent Kevlar or something.

Though, there is one thing I remember, because it was simple enough that normal people could actually talk about and understand it.

Graphene. As far as I recall, it was just hexagonally layered carbon designed at the atomic level, and I only know about it because of some conversation I think I had about turning coal into diamonds. I could even be misremembering it, so I'm not all that confident on recreating it.

Wait, maybe I can just try using diamonds and other gems instead of focusing on getting a tougher material? After all, this isn't really science, even if I can still apply the scientific method. Spirituality and symbolism is deeply important to Jujutsu.

With that in mind, pretty much every type of gem has some kind of spiritual or symbolistic meaning to it, and plenty of them, like diamond, are also fairly durable.

Does Japan even have a lot of different gems native to the land? Or were they imported? I don't know. I'll ask one of my rich clan friends.

Though, there is nothing saying I have to use gems as a catalyst or base or whatever in order to make the Spells viable. Pretty much everything has some kind of spiritual or symbolistic meaning attached to it. It's just a question of if any of them would be powerful enough to match what a gem could accomplish.

Then again, perhaps I should actually get my hands on some gems and try out this theory before arbitrarily deciding what does and does not work.

Although, that does pose the problem of how the fuck do I get my hands on a bunch of precious metals? I guess I could try just making diamond from coal, I'm pretty sure that just needs heat and pressure.

Maybe I can try and scam spirituality and just incorporate drawings of gems into the Spells? I highly doubt it, but it would be very funny to try anyway. I can imagine the kind of face Kamo-Sensei would make if he saw such a design. Sukuna would probably find the idea very interesting though. One of his favourite things about Cursed Techniques is trying to make the most out of every tiny detail. He has such an interesting thought process about it too.

"What are you smiling about?" A familiar voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?" I respond as I look up from my desk to see Yoshiie entering our class.

Today is the day we leave for the Goodwill Event, so I was told I had to sit here until it was time to go, so as to make sure that they did not leave without me because they couldn't find me.

"I was thinking about the viability of replacing spiritual catalysts with replicas or simple drawings of said catalysts. Would there still be the possibility of taking advantage of their symbolism if it is a mere imitation, or does it have to be the real thing to work? I'm going to do some tests on the way to Heian-kyō to find out."

For a moment, Yoshiie seems somewhat flummoxed, making me wonder if he was expecting me to just brush off his question with a 'Nothing much,' or something.

"Right." He responds, dragging the word out a little bit before shaking himself from his stupor and continuing, "Well, I would assume that even if that did work, it would be incredibly inefficient."

"Probably," I agree, "But I still want to see the result with my own eyes. Just because it is useless, does not mean that nothing can be learnt from it."

Yoshiie nods his head in acknowledgement and moves on, that conversation having reached its conclusion. "Kamo-Sensei sent me to bring you out front. Preparations are mostly done, so you'll be setting off soon."

Naturally, I light up at his words and quickly gather my things from my desk, stuff them in my shadow and get up to follow after him. A great thing about my shadow is that since I can manipulate it, I don't have to worry about how I place things inside of it, since I can sort it all after the fact. Meaning that I can just chuck everything in without a care.

However, even as I feel excitement for my trip to the capital, I also cannot help but feel somewhat upset.

There was an emergency mission yesterday that Sukuna had to take, and it's pretty far north, so he won't be able to make it to the event.

A part of me is suspicious that someone planned this. I can see why they would, honestly. As much as I may call him my Best Friend, I am not blind to his nature. But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it, because I just know that Sukuna would love to see all the Cursed Techniques that will no doubt be on display.

I will just have to make sure to memorise all of them, that way we can at least talk about them later.

"How have you been, Yoshiie-san?" I ask as we walk through the halls, and he gives me a smile in response that forces me to remind myself that he is not actually a woman, no matter what he looks like.

"I have been well, Narauko-san. I even managed to use Reverse Cursed Technique recently, though only for a moment before I lost it."

"Really?!" I smile and pat him on the back. "Nice! I'm proud of you, Yoshiie-san, I knew you could do it."

"Only because I followed your advice," he humbly responds, scratching at his cheek, but I just shake my head at his words.

"Your achievement is your own, Yoshiie-san. You are allowed to be proud of yourself."

"Thank you, Narauko-san," he says after a moment, giving me a grateful smile that I easily reciprocate.

I have come to find that the feeling of someone being grateful for your own actions is a wonderful feeling, so I truly am, "Happy to help!"

From then, the walk is enjoyable as we talk about trivial things, such as how Yoshiie's younger brother of six years, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, is showing himself to be something of a prodigy in hand to hand combat even at such a young age.

The idea that a nine year old is being praised for his hand to hand fighting skills is so incredibly baffling to me that it was only halfway through the conversation that it even clicked in my mind what he was saying.

I try imagining it, but I really just can't picture a nine year old being a skilled fighter. All I can picture is the movie Karate Kid, and I'm pretty sure Karate doesn't even exist yet. 

As we get closer to the front courtyard of the complex, more and more presences become clear to me, either headed in the same direction or already there.

However, before we arrive, I feel Yoshiie suddenly tense by my side and pause mid-step, making me turn to him with a brow raised.

"Is something the matter?" I ask, but before he can answer, a pair of presences turn the corner a short distance ahead of us, and I take note of the way Yoshiie's eyes immediately lock onto the pair with a frosty glare.

Figuring I will find the answer to my own question by doing so, I turn back forward and look at the two, blinking in momentary confusion when I see two of the same person, only to quickly realise upon closer inspection that it is in fact two different people who merely look very similar, probably brothers.

Both of them are blonds with bright blue eyes, and I am already used to people having hair and eye colours that I'm pretty sure they shouldn't have in my previous life's history, so I don't bat an eye at that.

They wear their hair short and spikey, and once more, I do not bat an eye at the natural hair style that would not have been natural in my last life.

They're dressed in the same uniform as us, so they are fellow students, and they both have strong features, like some kind of fantasy prince, the knightly type of prince though, not the singing and dancing type.

They also both have a sword attached to their waists and a bow strung over their shoulders with a quiver of arrows hanging horizontally at their lower backs.

It feels like they've put effort in to make themselves as difficult to discern as possible. One of them has slightly higher cheek bones and the other is slightly wider at the shoulder, but other than that, they might as well be identical.

Probably twins then, I think as I continue to observe the brief stare down that appears to be taking place.

"Well if it isn't Young Master Yoshiie," the broader one speaks up, breaking the silence with a voice that is clearly only pretending to be polite, and not very well. "Are you well?"

"I am just fine, Yorinobu" Yoshiie responds, his voice cold. "Thank you for asking."

The now named Yorinobu smirks at Yoshiie's words and turns his gaze to me, almost seeming to dismiss Yoshiie's presence, which I find to be a rather interesting way to act around one you call Young Master.

"And you must be Narauko, yes?" He asks, but he cuts me off as I go to answer and continues talking. "I hear you're a Special Grade, but standing here, I don't see it."

Ouch, my feelings, they are insulted, I sarcastically think to myself.

Something interesting to note about being shunted a thousand years into the past without consent, is that clichés? They don't really exist yet. A consequence of mass media is that every angle and every line has pretty much already been tried. With the existence of the internet, someone can come up with an original joke or pick up line or something, and then it will get spread to so many people so quickly that it will go from original to overdone in a week.

The point being, this scene right now is making me feel like I'm standing inside of a cliché high school movie or something of that vein, but I need to remember that the line Yorinobu just spouted is probably pretty original to everyone else's ears, even when it's just slightly cringe worthy to me.

Still, it means that it's not particularly difficult for me to think of comebacks compared to everyone else. Because I've spent many years on the internet, and even if it was fifteen years ago now, trash talk has been embedded in my brain as a permanent addition.

"Fear not," I return, putting on my nicest smile, "Having performance issues is nothing to be ashamed of. I am sure that if you really push yourself, you might be able to make your father proud someday."

Yorinobu blinks, and then his expression rapidly twists into one of anger, something that is likely exacerbated by my own smile.

"You-" He begins, only to be cut off by his brother, who places the back of his arm in front of Yorinobu's chest and pulls him back.

Yorinobu looks at his brother in protest, but he simply shakes his head and Yorinobu relents with a huff. Then the brother turns to me and sends me a smile, though I can't help but feel like he is looking down on me as he does so.

"The first event will be a team battle, but after that will be the tournament. See you then." With his piece said, he simply turns around and walks away, waving over his shoulder at us.

Yorinobu quickly joins him, though only after sending another venomous glare my way, to which I blow him a kiss. He didn't like that much either.

Turning back to Yoshiie, I see in staring at me with open shock.

"What?" I ask, however he just chuckles and shakes his head.

"Nothing," he answers, and after a moment of silence, we continue walking.

"So," I break the silence, "Who were they?"

"You do not even know?" He asks in turn, to which I can only shrug. "The one you insulted is Minamoto no Yorinobu. The other is Minamoto no Yorimitsu. They are brothers, if that was not obvious enough."

"They are Minamoto?" I ask. "Doesn't that make them your brothers too? Or cousins or something?"

"Cousins, yes," he answers, clearly not particularly happy to have to say it.

"I take it you do not get along then."

"No." I don't ask any further questions, not intending to pry, but luckily for me, after a moment of silence he continues talking anyway. "They are both Minamoto, yet their allegiance is to Fujiwara no Michinaga, not the Minamoto clan. It has caused some tension, to say the least."

"I see." I don't. Not really. I could probably understand his feelings better if it was just normal family drama, but the Minamoto clan is a lot bigger than just single normal family sized. In a sense, it feels less like a personal betrayal, as I get the feeling they weren't close in the first place.

It's like the difference between a family who really loves one thing finding out their brother or son does not like that thing, which would be a close and personal matter, and living in an entire town that loves one thing and hearing about some guy you vaguely remember from school who lives there and doesn't like the thing.

It's less personal, but still offensive on principle, is what I'm getting at.

"Who's Michinaga?" I ask instead, once more getting a strange look from Yoshiie that quickly morphs into understanding.

"Right. I keep forgetting that you are not from a clan," he says, referencing my lack of political knowledge no doubt. "Michinaga is the Sadaijin, the Minister of the left of the Daijō-kan. It is the highest permanent position in the Great Council of State, and as the position above him is currently empty, it leaves Michinaga with the single highest political authority beneath the Emperor. Through this, he has effectively taken full control over the Imperial Court. Officially, the Emperor still has full power, but realistically, everyone knows that it is Michinaga that rules the realm. This is why it is so offensive that those brothers would side with Michinaga. It is a direct betrayal of their clan."

I hum in response to his words, but don't say anything, because I don't really know what I'm supposed to say here. It is not like I have a particular personal attachment to the Minamoto clan that would make me share in Yoshiie's anger, so I just let the conversation die there.

We've nearly arrived anyway.

I can feel a mass of gathered sources of Cursed Energy idling in the complex's courtyard, which makes me a little bit curious since the complex is situated on top of a mountain, and I figured we'd be gathering at the base to pile into some carriages or something.

I'm still somewhat new here though, so I don't think too hard about it and just resolve myself to copy whatever everyone else does.

Not long later, we exit the building and walk out into the open air. Yoshiie' squints slightly at the change in brightness from the sun, but I've managed to use my anti-glare technique so much that it's become something I keep active without even thinking anymore

Maybe I should give it a name? Sunglasses Technique sounds stupid. Bōgen-jutsu? It's hardly creative, but 'Anti-Glare Technique' is at least simple enough. Not every technique needs a cool name, especially not such a small one. I suppose I could call it Bōgen Juhō instead. Does it really make a difference if it's called a Technique or a Spell? I'll ask Kamo-Sensei about it later.

Either way, thanks to my Anti-Glare Technique, that feels more fitting than Spell, I am easily able to sweep my eyes over the gathered crowd the moment we step through the doors.

A quick count tells me that there are twelve people already present, all of whom are wearing the same uniform as us, though with some slight changes for some. Kiyohara-Sensei seems to be the only one of our teachers present at the moment, leaving the rest to be the sum total of my Senpai, the second and third-years.

Other than the Minamoto duo and Kiyohara no Nagiko, I don't recognise any of them, though I do recognise the feel of plenty of their presences, just from having felt them around over the past few months I've been here.

Noticeably, Sugawara, or rather, Gojo Isanko, is not present. It's going to take me a bit to get used to the new name.

Our arrival does not go unnoticed, but most of them simply turned back to whatever they were doing, be it talking or just standing still and doing nothing. The ones that don't are a pair of boys who start walking to meet us halfway as we get closer to the group. I notice that both of them, as well as most of the others gathered have either a sword, bow, spear or some combination of them all too, reminding me that we're going to a combat tournament.

I honestly kind of forgot about that part. I'm just excited to see the capital and maybe see Tamamo again too.

However, before they can reach us, I abruptly turn right and jog over to to the Minamoto duo, making Yoshiie and the approaching pair pause their steps, though I don't focus on them.

Instead, I focus on the Minamoto pair, who both turn to face me as I reach them.

"You need something, Special Grade?" Yorinobu asks, somewhat rudely, but I just smile and shake my head.

Then I ignore Yorinobu entirely and don't answer his question, instead turning to look his brother in the eye. "You had a pretty cool departing line earlier, but since you bothered my friend, I figured that I would just come over here and ruin your line by speaking with you again before the tournament you mentioned even begins. It's kind of embarrassing right? To speak so dramatically for absolutely no reason at all?"

Neither of them are quick to respond, but I also don't really care for what they have to say, so since I have already said my piece, I simply turn around and walk back to Yoshiie.

He gives me a strange look and glances at the Minamoto duo, where I can sense Yorinobu's Cursed Energy fluctuating angrily, and them back to me. Yoshiie then just huffs and shakes his head, not saying anything but smiling nonetheless as we continue walking, meeting up with the approaching pair a moment later.

"Yoshiie-sama," one of the boys, an unremarkable fellow with short black hair and a face that doesn't stand out at all, greets Yoshiie with a bow before turning to bow to me as well. "Narauko-sama, I assume? It is an honour to meet with you."

This is still weird to me. In my last life, no one would give such a heartfelt greeting unless it was sarcastic, or they were meeting like, a President or something. A part of me finds the whole formality of this era pretty fun, but a larger part of me much prefers being able to talk casually with people instead.

"Nice to meet you too," I say, returning the bow as is proper, but trailing off as I don't know his name.

Yoshiie chimes in then, "Narauko-san, this is Minamoto no Yorisue. He is my uncle's son and a Semi-Grade One Sorcerer."

"And I am Tachibana no Nagayasu, also Semi-Grade One," the other guy, a boy with long, dark blue hair, emerald green eyes and a vibe that for some reason makes me feel like he should be on a boat, introduces himself next, bowing too but not as low as Yorisue. "It is nice to meet you, Narauko-sama."

"You as well, Tachibana-san." I return, "Please feel free to call me with just -san though, or even without honorific, there is no need for formality here, is there?"

"If you insist, Narauko-san," Tachibana says with a friendly smile, though it doesn't feel entirely genuine, but not in a malicious way. "In that case, you may call me Naga if you would like."

"Sure thing, Naga-san."

"Well, Narauko-san," Yoshiie starts. "Unfortunately, I cannot stay, but I leave you in good hands. See you later."

"Later," I return as Yoshiie turns to walk away, the other two saying their own goodbyes, bowing and everything. I have only really been interacting with strong people and people of political significance, so I assume their overly polite mannerisms is a result of being neither strong nor politically important.

Not that I'm going to treat them any different with this information, it's just something to note.

Either way, we make some small talk from then, mostly just talking about interactions with Yoshiie, such as how we each met him, since he is currently the only tie that really connects us that we can talk about.

However, not long later, I feel another pair of presences approaching from the main building. One of them I easily recognise to be Kamo-Sensei, while the one walking with him is unfamiliar to me, but they feel interesting.

I wouldn't say the aura is necessarily powerful, not in the way that Sukuna's presence weighs down on you. But this person's aura does feel vast, just not heavy, if that makes any sense. There is also a strange sense of negentropy. It feels consistent, but slow, like the aura could build up into something impressive, but it would need a lot of time to do so, instead of the explosive kind of strength I usually see in a Jujutsu Sorcerer. 

My attention is naturally drawn to the door, and I watch as it is opened and Kamo-Sensei walks out aside a shorter woman who is wearing an unadorned grey kimono with a similarly simple black obi tied around her waist.

She has straight, but messy, silver hair that is somewhat tinted blue and looks like it hasn't been cut in decades with how long it is. Additionally, her eyes are a rather fetching ruby red, and when they sweep over everyone gathered, I can't help but feel like they pause on me for a moment.

"Who is that?" I whisper to the two next to me.

"I do not know," Naga whispers back, "I have never seen her before."

"That is Tengen-sama," Yorisue says, his voice matching ours. "I am not surprised you do not recognise her, as Tengen-sama rarely leaves the chambers beneath this mountain."

Tengen? I think, my interest abruptly increasing manyfold.

I have so many questions to ask an immortal.

"Alright everyone!" Kamo-Sensei calls out, clapping his hands to get out attention. "Please gather on this side of the courtyard!" He gestures to his sides as he says this, and everyone makes their way over without much of a fuss.

I do too, though I'm somewhat curious as to why. My immediate assumption is that we're all supposed to walk down the mountain behind Tengen or something along those lines.

However, once the courtyard is mostly cleared, what happens instead is that Tengen simply walks forward alone, stopping a few steps ahead of the frontmost person.

Then she squats down and lays her palms on the floor. Immediately, I feel a large amount of Cursed Energy moving from her, and my question of what she is doing is quickly answered. At the same time, my mouth drops open, alongside a few of my fellows, at the scene that unfolds next.

In front of Tengen, a wooden wall abruptly rises, one not unlike that of the building behind us. The wall then moves away from her, and at the same time, more and more walls start appearing one after the other in the dozens, at the same time, a tatami floor rises from the ground and a traditional roof sprouts from the tops of the walls.

In the span of about two minutes, we watch as an entire mansion is built in front of us, and it is only through my sense for Cursed Energy that I even notice that the entire thing is a Barrier Technique.

Since fucking when could you build mansions out of barriers?! What!?

However, Tengen is not done there, as once the mansion has finished being built, large enough that it can definitely house us all comfortably with our own rooms each. She finishes the construction off by adding what looks like four bird perches, one on each corner.

My curiosity for why only lasts as long as it takes Tengen to pull four paper talismans out of her sleeves, two held in each hand, and throw them into the air. The talismans travel about halfway to the height of the new building before rapidly gaining mass and transforming into four identical and very very large tanchōzuru, a type of crane with white bodies but black necks and feather tips and red on the crown of their heads.

These birds, each the size of a normal house, if not bigger, fly up and land on a perch each, and suddenly I am no longer wondering how we are going to travel to Heian-kyō.

But still... 

A flying mansion carried by giant birds? Isn't that a little bit excessive? I suppose if you can then there's no reason not to, right?

The number of questions I have has increased. Significantly.

Tengen doesn't turn around nor does she wait for anyone. Once the construction is done, she simply walks forward and disappears into the building.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" Kamo-Sensei's voice rings out after a moment of silence. "Come now, we don't have all day~."

His words finally get people moving, though I stay when I see Kamo-Sensei start making his way to me. He dismisses Yorisue and Naga with a gesture when he gets near, and both of them simply bow and leave for the building.

"Kamo-Sensei," I greet with a smile. "I have had a new idea for how to go about improving the use of Spells, do you have the time to talk about it?"

"Perhaps later," he responds as he starts leading me to the building. "I have matters to attend first. The journey will take roughly a week, so there will be plenty of time to talk, which brings me to something else. Tengen would like to speak with you tonight, so don't go getting distracted before then, okay~?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I return, huffing at the dry smirk he sends my way.

"If you manage to stay inside of the building for the entire duration of the journey without getting distracted and flying off for a day or two, then I will do a Gigaku on the roof of the Imperial Palace."

A Gigaku is basically a skit style joke dance, and so it is something that I would very much love to see Kamo-Sensei do on top of the imperial palace, even though we'd probably get in trouble for it afterwards.

But damn that just sounds like it would be hilarious.

"I want to see that," I say, earnestly, a wide grin on my lips. "But I do not trust you at your word. Make a Binding Vow with me right now."

"Haah?" He returns, turning to me with a raised brow and a bemused expression. "Why in Yomi would I do that? There is no benefit to me."

"Because it is funny."

"Heh, that it is," he agrees. "Alright then." I blink, not having actually expected an agreement, however his following words wash that surprise away. "I vow that if you remain inside of this building until it reaches Heian-kyō, I will do a Gigaku on the roof of the Imperial Palace. In turn, if you do leave the building, you must do a Gigaku on the roof of the Imperial Palace. Deal?"

I can't help but start to laugh, finding this whole thing incredibly funny. I feel like I'm a kid again in my last life doing stupid shit all because of a dare. 

And just like back then, I am not going to back down.

"Deal. I accept these terms."

With my words, I feel a set of metaphysical chains wrap around my very being and connect to Kamo-Sensei, truly binding us to the bet. Now, if either of us flakes on the deal, we'll face some kind of retribution.

Binding Vows with oneself can be broken without any consequence beyond losing whatever was gained through the Vow, however, Vows made between two people will always levy some kind of catastrophic punishment on anyone who breaks the deal.

It can be anything from wrecking your body to permanently reducing your Cursed Energy, sealing away your Innate Technique or even death. Or it can just be a bit of pain for a while, it isn't always disastrous, but it is also basically impossible to predict, unless the punishment is described in the Vow itself.

Kamo-Sensei laughs once the Vow settles in place, and I join him, feeling only slightly put down that it is just the two of us here. I would give so much to see Sukuna do a Gigaku, that would make my year.

"I look forward to seeing you dance," Kamo-Sensei says after calming his laughter, his voice tinged with amusement.

"I could say the same," I return, grinning at him.

Kamo-Sensei lets out another brief chuckle before shaking his head and letting out a sigh.

"You are definitely going to lose," he says, incorrectly, "But for now, I have matters to attend. See you later."

"Later," I give a two fingered wave as he walks away, looking around to notice that I'm the only one that hasn't already moved further into the building.

Absently, I note that Kamo-Sensei, and Yoshiie as well, and really just most of the people I frequently talk with, have started saying their goodbyes like I do.

Just saying 'Later' isn't really a proper way to say goodbye in this era after all, but I have always preferred casual goodbyes, because it always feels awkward to me to meet with someone after having said a dramatic goodbye. Kind of like with the Minamoto earlier.

Still, I find it oddly warming to hear my friends adopt the same goodbye as me.

I feel the building shake slightly and feel as the Shikigami start flapping their wings and pulling the building into the sky.

Right. I still need to find a room. Then I just need to stay here for the next week, that shouldn't be hard.

I have plenty of things to occupy myself with in my shadow, and I don't think I'm that easily distracted, right?

Right?

///

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

I know absolutely nobody is likely going to notice, let alone comment on it, but I know that the ages aren't historically accurate. Irl Yorinobu is the father of Yoriyoshi and Yorisue, but I needed more people, so my fic is using people from like 200 years of time. That means in my fic, Yoriyoshi the head of the Minamoto clan while Yorinobu is 17 and Yorisue is 16, even tho irl Yorinobu is both of their father.

Also, the first properly showcased binding vow in the fic and it's a fuckin dare lmao. I regret nothing.

Also also, same patreon message as last time, 5 ahead right now, except I am more confident that I will write more faster this time, so who knows, maybe there'll be more than one chapter next week.

A man can hope. Cuz trust, I want to write just as much as you want to read, it's just a lot harder to write consistently than it is to read consistently.