Chapter 52 (Patreon)

When Ragnar Kagenou’s group arrived at the scene, the sight waiting for them made the air freeze.

Tsumiki Fushiguro and another high school girl were suspended in midair, both bound by thick bungee cords.

The cords dug into them like restraints.

Megumi Fushiguro stopped dead.

His body jolted once, then went rigid. His eyes widened as he stared up at his sister, disbelief swallowing his voice before it could leave his throat.

His lips trembled slightly.

“Tsumiki…”

Ragnar and Satoru Gojo moved immediately.

There was no time to hesitate.

The two of them climbed up to the higher structure with quick, practiced movements, reached the girls, and carefully cut them loose. They lowered them down slowly, making sure not to worsen their condition.

Once the two girls were laid safely on the flat ground, everyone finally got a clear look at them.

Tsumiki lay there unconscious. Her clothes were disheveled, and bruises from being dragged or struck were visible on her exposed skin.

Ragnar crouched beside her and gently placed a finger beneath her nose.

A moment passed.

Then he exhaled softly.

“She’s breathing.”

Megumi’s expression cracked.

Ragnar turned toward him and said, “Her life isn’t in immediate danger.”

Only then did Megumi’s tightly drawn nerves loosen a little. But his eyes never left Tsumiki, as if looking away for even a second would make everything worse.

Nearby, Gojo had finished checking the other girl.

He stood up and dusted off his hands.

“Same here. Rope marks, minor injuries, but nothing that looks fatal.”

They had made it in time.

At least, physically.

But Ragnar’s gaze remained on Tsumiki.

Her condition was wrong.

Just like in the original flow, she had likely been cursed. Her body was alive, but waking up would be another matter entirely.

Megumi noticed the look on Ragnar’s face at once.

“What?” he asked sharply. “What’s wrong with my sister?”

Ragnar looked at him for a moment before answering.

“From what I can tell, she isn’t about to die.”

Megumi’s shoulders lowered slightly.

“But,” Ragnar continued, “she’s been affected by a curse. That makes this more complicated.”

Megumi’s face tightened again.

“A curse…?”

“We’ll need time before we can say anything for certain.” Ragnar stood up. “For now, we take them to the hospital.”

——————

Hospital.

Corridor.

Megumi sat on a bench, his hands clasped so tightly his knuckles had gone pale.

Ragnar stood near the wall and glanced toward the emergency room.

“There were traces of cursed energy left at the scene,” he said. “Not much, but enough to tell us one thing.”

Megumi looked up.

“What thing?”

“The curse involved was at least Grade 1.”

Megumi frowned.

“Cursed energy…?”

Ragnar turned toward him.

“Curses exist in this world. We call them Cursed Spirits. The power they’re made of is Cursed Energy. When that energy lingers behind after they act, we call it residuals.”

Megumi lowered his gaze.

“Residuals…”

Before he could say anything else, the emergency room door opened.

Megumi stood immediately and walked over.

“How is my sister?”

The doctor gave him a calming gesture.

“Her vitals are stable. There are no life-threatening injuries.”

Megumi’s breath caught, then loosened.

But the doctor’s expression did not soften.

“However… she hasn’t shown any sign of waking.”

Megumi froze.

“What?”

The doctor hesitated before continuing.

“At the moment, her condition is similar to a vegetative state. We can’t say when she’ll regain consciousness. There’s a possibility she may never wake up.”

Megumi’s body went still.

For a moment, he did not react at all.

Then his shoulders sank.

“Damn it…”

A long silence followed.

Outside the emergency room, the corridor felt colder than before.

After a while, Megumi finally spoke.

“My sister was cursed, wasn’t she?”

Gojo answered plainly.

“Yeah.”

Megumi raised his head.

“If I become a jujutsu sorcerer like you said… can I save her?”

Gojo didn’t joke this time.

He thought for a moment, then said, “I can’t promise you that.”

Megumi’s expression darkened.

“But,” Gojo continued, “your chances are a lot better as a sorcerer than as someone who can’t see the world that hurt her.”

Megumi fell silent.

Then he said, “Give me time.”

Gojo nodded.

“Sure.”

——————

On the way back.

Gojo walked with his hands in his pockets, his tone returning to its usual lightness.

“See? Told you. Megumi’s not the type to just nod and follow us because we explained things nicely.”

Ragnar glanced at him.

“I know.”

Gojo tilted his head.

“Oh? You looked pretty confident back there.”

“Because he’ll come around.”

Gojo smiled faintly.

“For Tsumiki?”

“For Tsumiki,” Ragnar replied. “That’s the one thing he won’t be able to ignore.”

Gojo looked ahead and gave a small hum.

“Not wrong.”

A brief silence passed between them.

Then Gojo suddenly turned his head.

“By the way, you were overseas for years, right? What were you actually doing?”

Ragnar remained quiet for a moment.

Then he answered, “I was tracking a Curse User.”

Gojo’s brows lifted behind his blindfold.

“Anyone fun?”

“Kenjaku.”

Gojo paused.

“Kenjaku?” He searched his memory for a second, then shook his head. “Never heard of him.”

“That’s normal. He doesn’t move under one identity for long.”

Gojo’s smile thinned slightly.

“Sounds annoying.”

“He is.” Ragnar’s tone remained calm. “He’s an old Curse User. Someone who has been alive since the Nara period.”

Gojo stopped walking.

“…The Nara period?”

Ragnar looked at him.

“Yes.”

Gojo pointed at him lightly.

“You’re serious?”

“I am.”

“That’s not exactly something you drop into a conversation like you’re talking about the weather, you know.”

Ragnar continued walking.

Gojo followed beside him, his expression turning sharper.

“How? Even Tengen needed their own method to remain stable this long. A Curse User surviving from that era to now isn’t normal.”

“His Cursed Technique allows him to transplant his brain into another body.”

Gojo’s face went blank for a second.

Then he said, “That’s disgusting.”

“It is.”

“So he just swaps bodies whenever he needs to?”

“As long as the vessel is suitable, yes. He moves his brain into it and continues living.”

Gojo rubbed his chin.

“Brain replacement, huh… That’s almost too gross to be practical.”

Ragnar glanced at him.

“Practical enough to let him survive for over a thousand years.”

“Fair point.”

Gojo’s tone grew more thoughtful.

“If he’s that old, then he knows Tengen.”

“He does.”

“And if he’s a Curse User…”

“He’s not on Tengen’s side,” Ragnar said.

Gojo’s smile suddenly became twisted.

“A thousand-year-old Curse User with body-hopping, and you’ve been chasing him alone?”

Ragnar’s expression did not change.

“He’s careful. Killing him isn’t easy.”

Gojo gave a quiet laugh.

“Yeah. I figured.”

Then his voice lowered.

“But if someone like that is moving in the dark, this isn’t just about Megumi’s sister anymore.”

Ragnar looked ahead.

“No. It isn’t.”

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then Gojo smiled again, but this time it did not quite reach his voice.

“Guess things are getting troublesome.”