13 Neither Human Nor Cursed Spirit

Two minutes ago, when Ieiri Yuki brought up "Tamayo," the audience in the live stream barely dared to breathe.

They had never imagined that the fuse would be lit by Ieiri Yuki himself.

They had expected it to be an accident, a coincidence, something that Muzan would discover and then force his obsession upon...

How could it have developed like this?!

It was too soon.

It was completely beyond expectation.

When Ieiri Yuki spoke in a casual tone about Muzan’s previous life—the encirclement by the Demon Slayer Corps and his dissipation under the sun—the live chat was already flooded with question marks.

To put it bluntly, this was, without a doubt, a suicidal act with a guaranteed outcome.

Until—

In the dim, deep cavern.

The boy who had danced on the edge of death so many times still had golden hair that shone brilliantly.

Like a sacrificial offering, he opened his arms toward the "God of Death" in his fury.

The two embraced.

A twisted, bloody, and entirely inappropriate embrace.

He said—

"Now is the future, for you and me."

After a brief silence, the live chat erupted in a dizzying frenzy:

【...】
【Speechless...】
【How should I put this? Regardless, this "IF" route is completely beyond my imagination.】
【Confirmed, it was intentional from start to finish, just for this very moment.】
【When Muzan is in a rage, that is when he reveals his true heart.】
【The anger is real.】
【Muzan is angry about his past, yet Yuki cuts straight to the bone, telling him: "The past is just the past."】
【"I know of your downfall, your shame, and your death, but you need not be afraid anymore; we are a community of fate bound by the heavens."】
【'Immortal life' is the promise he gave to Muzan...】
【...】
【My fated wife is so good at reeling them in, so poised and effortless.】
【So erotic, does anyone understand me?!】
【Especially that last sentence; it has that sense of "discard the past, for the rest of your life look only at me, and you can only look at me."】
【Brother Happiness, happy again.】
【Wait, looking at this whole series, I’m starting to suspect, is Yuki... PUA-ing him?】
【It’s over, it’s even darker and more captivating...】
【This is exactly my cup of tea!】
【I was wondering why the live stream had real-name verification and age ratings, now I understand...】
【So insane.】
【A fine seedling for a Jujutsu Sorcerer!】

Boom—!

A loud noise erupted in the silent cave, and the beautiful yet pale black-haired man appeared.

He walked over, his tall, slender frame casting a long shadow that enveloped the boy.

"Honey-tongued." The Shikigami’s eyes were heavy as he whispered a mockery to the blonde boy.

He wasn't pretending anymore.

"How many others have you said such nonsensical things to?"

"Cough, cough..." In front of him, Ieiri Yuki smiled. "Only you."

Only you, Muzan.

As he gave this answer, Muzan’s lips twitched slightly; he wanted to say something, but he heard approaching footsteps—

They were not those of the cursed speech user.

The rhythm and weight of the footsteps were entirely different.

Ieiri Yuki also heard the strange gait; he took a light breath and stood up.

"In the infinite future, Muzan will have plenty of time to verify everything I have said."

"But for now, we must be careful—an uninvited guest has arrived."

Muzan: "..."

His eyes were cold and chilling.

Ieiri Yuki smiled and reached out; the boy’s fingertips were fair and slender.

He said: "The sun is scorching outside, Muzan, why don't you hide for a while?"

Muzan naturally wanted to refuse.

But he thought to himself: if he refused and vanished, wouldn't he appear as a weakling who had thrown away his armor and fled in the eyes of that Shikigami master?

He should be the one in control between them. He would prove it—

The Shikigami master’s seductive words had no effect on him whatsoever.

"—"

In the boy's vision, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit’s form suddenly shrank and distorted.

Finally, it transformed back into a black snake, roughly the thickness of two adult fingers.

The black snake moved with incredible speed, its cold, serpentine body instantly coiling around the boy’s outstretched fingertips.

It then slithered along his arm and disappeared beneath his technical college uniform.

When the black snake Cursed Spirit wrapped its slender, icy body tightly around the boy’s waist and neck, the latter couldn't help but shudder.

"...Ugh."

Muzan heard him: "Since you said so many flowery words earlier, let me verify them—then you shall shade me like this, and you are not allowed to move around."

Ieiri Yuki lowered his eyes, looking at the curse mark on his ring finger—the proof of the connection left by that Kagura dance.

He smiled: "..."

"Yes."

The blonde boy walked out of the dim cave, first checking himself under the sun; although there was no blood on his uniform, it was quite tattered.

It really was a consumable item.

Should he apply for a few more sets?

As he thought this, the crisp sound of dry leaves being crushed rang in Ieiri Yuki’s ears.

He looked up and saw a tall man.

Presumably, this was the uninvited guest.

He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long trousers, with a baseball cap pulled low, obscuring his facial features.

But it was obvious that seeing such a person in the deep, desolate mountains was highly abnormal.

The other party sensed something and raised his hands in an innocent gesture.

"Don't misunderstand, I have no hostility. I am just a... Curse User."

His voice carried a smile.

As he spoke, he looked up.

Handsome features, shoulder-length black hair, narrow fox-like eyes that lifted, looking at Ieiri Yuki not far away with a faint, mocking smile.

【?!】
【Kenjaku?!】
【This outfit actually looks pretty good.】
【Hey, looking at Geto’s physique and face, is there anything Kenjaku wouldn't look good in?!】
【I didn't notice the hat covering the stitch marks before, but that close-up when he raised his eyes—it's just too much like him... I really almost had a heart attack.】
【Can't blame Gojo for being frozen by the Prison Realm, who wouldn't be confused by this?!】
【Don't say it, woo woo woo!】
【Kenjaku deserves to die!】
【This sinister guy, popping up to find Yuki at a time like this, what does he want now?!】

Kenjaku...

Ieiri Yuki silently repeated the name.

The black-haired man was neither overly enthusiastic nor too distant, as if merely stating a fact.

"Perhaps Student Ieiri doesn't know yet, but among Curse Users, there is a high-priced bounty:

Kill a Tokyo Jujutsu High freshman, and you will receive one billion yen."

The handsome black-haired man paused slightly, looking at the blonde boy with a smile in his voice: "The student's name is Ieiri Yuki."

With that, Kenjaku stared at the boy’s expression.

Ieiri Yuki was not panicked. "One billion yen? That’s not a small amount, I’m truly honored. So, what is your objective?"

"It seems you aren't tempted by that billion?"

The black-haired man smiled: "One billion, even in yen, is quite a sum."

"I am tempted, of course, but it depends on whether I have the life to collect it."

Ieiri Yuki felt the sensation of cold snake scales rubbing against his skin; he curled his lips, extending the topic the other party had introduced.

"What do you mean?"

The other party finally dropped the pretense: "The person behind the bounty is from the Jujutsu Headquarters."

"Even if someone kills the target, they won't get the reward—the Headquarters will 'exorcise' that Curse User immediately, under the name of eliminating evil."

"After a full circle, the money remains in the hands of the Headquarters."

【Headquarters?】
【Didn't Gojo say earlier that he wouldn't allow the Headquarters to lay a hand on his wife?】
【Gojo won't let them do it, so they outsource it, huh?】
【At times like this, the zombie-like brains of the higher-ups start working, don't they?】
【Borrowing a knife to kill.】
【But Yuki is immortal, right?】
【He only has a curse of 'immortality' on him; it's a curse, and therefore it can be removed—I guess that’s the logic of the higher-ups.】
【So they let Curse Users try? Whatever methods they have, they'll just try them; anyway, if they die, they don't have to take responsibility.】
【The Headquarters really would do such a thing, but why is Kenjaku telling him? I remember that in this timeline, he has already infiltrated the higher-ups?】

Kenjaku lowered his head sincerely: "Student Ieiri is exceptionally gifted; the higher-ups of the Jujutsu world don't want a talent like you, but my side is eager to have you."

"Of course, I know this is just my side of the story," he said, not putting pressure on the boy. "Student Ieiri may not believe it, but time will prove everything."

"This is my business card."

【Trying to recruit Yuki?】
【Very likely, the Jujutsu higher-ups played the villain, so doesn't that make Kenjaku the good guy?】
【He is definitely tempting Yuki to defect, don't fall for it! Yuki!】

The business card was carried by cursed energy, flying toward Ieiri Yuki.

The black-haired man winked playfully: "When you're bored, you can send me a text; I'll definitely reply in seconds."

Having said that, he leaned back, and a flying Cursed Spirit appeared behind him, its wings stirring up a gust of wind as it carried the black-haired man away into the sky.

...

Ieiri said in a low voice: "Matsuo Masaki."

That was the name on the card.

Definitely a fake name.

Ieiri Yuki put the card away and looked at the surrounding terrain.

He had to find Senior Inumaki; he had frightened him earlier, so he should apologize properly.

The Special Grade Cursed Spirit poked out from his collar, its scarlet tongue tasting the information in the air.

"That man reeks. He is neither human nor a Cursed Spirit."

There was visible disgust on the snake's face. "A filthy half-breed."

Ieiri Yuki walked in a certain direction while listening: "Hmm, I also carry an 'immortal' curse on me; I'm not a pure human either."

"But Muzan, you don't hate me," he smiled, "I am honored by that."

Before he could finish, the long, thin black snake coiled around him mercilessly opened its scarlet mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and bit the human entwined with it.

"Hiss, that's enough."

"Muzan, that’s my Adam's apple, it hurts."

Muzan felt the slight tremor coming from this human body.

He perceived his pain, and thus, satisfied, he released him.

In his rose-red snake pupils, the wound he had bitten was reflected, looking exceptionally terrifying on the slender neck.

Warm, fishy-sweet, and vibrant blood flowed out; the scent belonging to this human drifted continuously, and the snake's tongue couldn't help but flick out, sliding across it.

He instinctively squeezed the information from the blood while saying:

"Only when it hurts is it a punishment."