Kong Shiu's expression shifted slightly.
He looked at Megumi in surprise.
"So Uncle Kong had such a past?"
Megumi's face remained indifferent, his eyes barely glancing at him before looking away.
As if he couldn't care less about any past.
Kong Shiu sighed helplessly, relieved yet smiling bitterly.
"I actually wanted to tell you long ago, but you said you didn't want to know about Toji, so I kept quiet... Though I really didn't want to get involved with that guy again, I couldn't just abandon you two kids."
Again, because of this.
He told Gojo Satoru he didn't want to know about his scumbag father, so Gojo never informed him of Toji's death. He told Uncle Kong he didn't want to know about him, so Uncle Kong had no choice but to keep silent about the past, taking care of them as a stranger.
One after another, they all took a child's words too seriously.
"Even now, I have no interest in him."
Megumi's expression was cold—not piercingly so, but utterly indifferent.
He treated his biological father like a stranger, not even bothering to learn about him.
Kong Shiu opened his mouth to say something.
But seeing Megumi's icy demeanor, he swallowed his words.
For this father and son, reconciliation had long been impossible.
No amount of talking would change that.
"Sensei, this is Tsumiki."
Megumi coolly stepped past Kong Shiu and approached the hospital bed.
Lying on the bed was a girl around Megumi's age. Her gentle features were unmistakable, though she lay there completely unconscious.
Though her hospital gown hid her figure, her face alone showed how thin she had become.
Having slept for over a year, Tsumiki's body had weakened significantly despite being sustained by nutrients. Without prompt treatment, she might not even last until the ancient sorcerer's awakening.
"Can she be saved?"
Megumi's eyes, filled with a concern starkly different from his indifference toward Toji, looked hopefully at Roy.
Hearing this, Kong Shiu couldn't hide his surprise.
He perked up, forgetting about fetching water, and simply watched.
To him, Tsumiki was someone he'd watched grow up, and he dearly hoped Roy would say she could be saved.
"As long as there are no unforeseen complications, she can be saved."
Roy stepped forward, delivering the uplifting answer as he placed his hand on Tsumiki.
In the end, Tsumiki's coma was Kenjaku's doing.
Kenjaku's ultimate goal was to use Tengen's "fusion with the world" to assimilate all 100 million people in Japan alongside Tengen, sending them all to the other side.
His reason for this wasn't some grand ideal—he simply wanted to see what would happen when 100 million people fused with the world.
Purely out of curiosity, for the sake of spectacle, he pursued it.
Kenjaku was evil in the simplest sense.
To assimilate one hundred million people, Kenjaku spent over a millennium making contracts with history's strongest sorcerers, turning them into cursed objects after death. When the time came, he would have them incarnate in the modern era, using their power to fill the barriers with cursed energy. This served as a rehearsal for the true assimilation.
To incarnate ancient sorcerers in the modern era, high-quality vessels were necessary. If none existed, they had to be created. Yuji Itadori was a vessel personally birthed by Kenjaku while inhabiting the body of Kaori Itadori, specifically designed for Sukuna's incarnation. Similarly, Tsumiki was chosen as a vessel for the ancient sorcerer "Yorozu."
Her coma resulted from Kenjaku merging Yorozu's cursed object with her body. Unable to withstand the violent transformation, she fell into a vegetative state. Saving Tsumiki required either killing or expelling the ancient sorcerer within her. However, no one in this era possessed the technique to expel incarnated cursed objects, and killing Yorozu would mean killing Tsumiki, as they had become one.
"Can you really expel the ancient sorcerer from Tsumiki's body?" Megumi watched Roy's movements, his face unusually tense with anxiety. If anything went wrong, would Tsumiki be harmed?
"Ordinary sorcerers can't do it," Roy placed his hand on Tsumiki, his gaze sharp as an X-ray scanning her body. "This involves soul manipulation. Most sorcerers can't even perceive souls, let alone interact with them. But in other words, if one can detect the contours of a soul—"
Roy suddenly fell silent. His eyes focused, and a faint smile appeared. "Found it—Technique Expansion: Eight!" Cursed energy surged, gathering in his palm. With a point-blank slash, Tsumiki's body arched like a drawn bowstring, as if struck by a violent force.
"Sensei...!" Fushiguro tensed instantly.
"Don't worry," Roy remained calm. "I'm killing the ancient sorcerer inside Tsumiki!" This was Technique Expansion—redirecting or redefining the target of a technique. In the jujutsu world, techniques vary widely in their effects and applicable targets. Some only work on inanimate objects, others on all matter, and some even on abstract concepts. These limitations stem from either the technique's inherent rules or the sorcerer's own capabilities. By surpassing these limits, a sorcerer can expand their technique's scope—this is Technique Expansion.
Roy was currently using Sukuna's Cleave technique. By definition, Cleave should only cut physical matter. But by pushing past his limits, Roy expanded its target to include souls—this was the Technique Expansion of Cleave!
In other words, the slash Roy was executing at this moment was specifically targeted at the other soul within Tsumiki's body!
Expanding the scope of a cursed technique to target souls had only one requirement for the caster—the ability to perceive the outline of a soul.
It sounded simple enough. To target a soul, one naturally had to perceive it first. However, in this world of Jujutsu, even sorcerers who could see cursed spirits couldn't perceive souls. Those capable of seeing souls were invariably born with innate talent in this regard.
Though Roy wasn't a dedicated necromancer, as a magic user, he had dabbled in soul research. For him, perceiving the outline of a soul was as easy as child's play.
"Gah—!"
A shrill, inexplicable scream echoed through the hospital room.
Megumi and Shui flinched simultaneously, their gazes snapping toward Tsumiki.
Yet Tsumiki remained with her eyes closed, her expression serene.
But the ghostly scream was undeniably coming from her body.
The two looked on with extreme tension, unable to comprehend what was happening. They could only watch Roy work, not daring to disturb him in the slightest.
"You bastard... how do you know this technique...!?"
The voice roared with shock and fury, cursing Roy.
Unlike Megumi and Kong shui, Roy could see it—a transparent outline writhing violently over Tsumiki's body, like a python pinned at its vital point, struggling desperately for survival.
"Ancient sorceress, Yorozu... you crazy hag, rest in peace."
Roy exerted force, and the Slashing Technique automatically adjusted its power, striking again at the transparent outline.
"Don't worry. It won't be long before Sukuna joins you in hell! You two can be a pair of lunatic lovebirds down there!"
"Lovebirds in hell? That doesn't sound so bad... hehehe..."
Yorozu suddenly stopped struggling. For some reason, she let out a lewd chuckle, as if envisioning something.
...Truly a madwoman!
Roy channeled more cursed energy, the slash carving through Yorozu's soul bit by bit until it was completely obliterated.
Yorozu, an ancient sorceress from the Heian era—the golden age of jujutsu—had fallen in love with Sukuna at first sight. Her greatest wish in life was to marry him and teach him the meaning of love.
Her ability? Obsessing over Sukuna... no, her technique was Construction.
Yes, the same as Mai's.
Perhaps Mai was even distantly related to her.
Roy recorded Yorozu's genetic pattern and withdrew his hand.
Meeting Megumi and Kong Shui's hopeful gazes, he smiled.
"It's done. The ancient sorceress inside her is dead. In a way, she's benefited from this—the sorceress's cursed energy and technique remain within her. If she becomes a sorcerer in the future, she should have great potential. But the choice is yours. She should wake up soon."
Megumi and Kong Shui were overjoyed, celebrating on the spot.
With Tsumiki's problem resolved, Roy prepared to leave.
His purpose in coming here had been to settle Megumi's worries once and for all.
The construction technique of Yorozu was an unexpected bonus. This complete version of the construction technique was incredibly powerful. Back in the day, it was this very technique that elevated Yorozu to the status of a distinguished guest in the Fujiwara household.
"Sensei, let me walk you out."
Seeing Roy about to leave, Megumi stood up to see him off.
Tsumiki would wake up soon, and he intended to stay until she did.
Inside the hospital, in an empty, deserted space.
"Megumi, do you still feel the same way about Fushiguro Toji?"
Roy had initially planned to leave immediately, but recalling Megumi's attitude toward Toji earlier, he felt it necessary to say something more.
Megumi had been in high spirits, knowing he would soon see his sister revived.
But the moment Roy brought up this topic, the smile vanished from his face.
"Sensei, why bring that guy up now? I've already said I have no interest in anything related to him."
Megumi's expression turned cold as he scornfully dismissed his absent, deadbeat father.
After his last conversation with Roy, he had indeed learned about Toji's past—how his personality had been shaped by numerous factors.
But that didn't change the fact that Fushiguro Toji was a deadbeat father, nor did it improve his rock-bottom standing in Megumi's eyes.
"Megumi, you're usually a rational person. But when it comes to matters concerning yourself, you tend to overlook the most crucial details."
Roy sighed faintly, his gaze tinged with pity.
"Someone who truly isn't interested wouldn't react with such outright rejection."
"If you really had no interest in Toji at all, then even if Kong wanted to tell you about him, it wouldn't faze you. Hearing him out wouldn't affect your mood in the slightest."
"But you refused to listen to Kong's explanation. Doesn't that prove you're deeply bothered by Toji's affairs?"
Megumi froze, as if struck by a sledgehammer.
This… actually made sense?
His outright refusal to learn about Toji didn't resemble disinterest at all—it was more like a child throwing a tantrum.
He'd never considered it that way before.
He'd kept insisting he wasn't interested, forgetting that true indifference would mean he wouldn't care about learning more. Even if he heard Toji's story, it would go in one ear and out the other, leaving no mark.
This wasn't maturity at all—it was just stubbornness!
"There's no such thing as a child who doesn't care about their parents. It's human nature."
Seeing Megumi lost in self-doubt, Roy patted his shoulder.
"Especially now that you're separated by life and death. If you don't want regrets later, it's better to settle things with him now—at least try to understand him. Even if you end up disappointed or resentful, it's still better than living with regret."
"That's all I'll say. The decision is yours to make. I'll take my leave now."
Roy waved his hand, then reached out and grasped the air in front of him.
Space folded around him like a curtain, and when it settled, his figure had vanished from the spot.
Megumi stood alone in the empty space for a long time.
It wasn't until the sun had moved directly overhead, scorching his skin painfully, that he came to his senses and turned to hurry back to the hospital ward.
What choice should he make?
Megumi hesitated.
He felt that even if he tried to understand Toji now, the result would only disappoint him. He had already gotten a preliminary understanding of Toji's character from Roy before, yet it hadn't changed Toji's dogshit status in his mind.
"...Yeah, right, exactly. Special Grade Sorcerer Roy was just here. He treated Tsumiki and said she should wake up soon."
At the ward's entrance, Megumi halted his steps.
Inside, he could hear Kong talking to someone on the phone.
A strange suspicion suddenly arose in Megumi's heart.
Uncle Kong had been Toji's handler back in the day. Could the person he was talking to now be—
"Wait, what's that noise on your end? Shit! You're not betting on horse races again, are you? You've only just been revived—"
"Crash!"
Kong jolted.
Turning around, he saw Megumi pushing open the door.
Megumi entered the ward and suddenly shot Kong a cold glare.
To be precise, it was a cold glare directed at the phone in Kong's hand.
"...Megumi, you're back."
Kong forced a dry laugh and waved the phone slightly.
"This is... a friend of mine."
The person on the other end seemed to sense something and fell silent.
"I'll call you later."
Kong hastily said to the caller before hanging up as if tossing away a hot potato.
"Tch..."
Megumi clicked his tongue, his expression visibly irritated.
He roughly ran his hands through his hair, messing it up thoroughly.
Kong watched as Megumi's agitation became increasingly apparent, his own heart growing uneasy.
Could Megumi have guessed that the person on the phone was Toji?
After his revival, Toji had struggled to adapt to this era. Too afraid to approach Megumi directly, he had instead sought out his old handler, Kong Shui.
According to Toji, Kong had made a lot of money working with him back in the day, so it was only fair that Kong help him out now.
Cornered, Kong had no choice but to secretly reconnect with Toji.
He had been supporting Toji's living expenses while also reporting on the status of his son and foster daughter.
Just how much money had Kong owed Toji in a past life?
"Who Uncle Kong talks to is his own business. It has nothing to do with me."
Megumi lowered his hands, his spiky hair now resembling a bird's nest.
But judging by the displeasure on Megumi's face, it clearly didn't seem like it had "nothing to do with him."
"...But, Uncle Kong, I take back what I said earlier. Tell me now—I really want to know just how much of a scumbag that man is!"