4 A Causeless Longing-Depois de invocar um chefe desprezível com uma técnica mágica(Estrela do Ano Partido)

Megumi Fushiguro’s brow was deeply furrowed.

He knew that in the Kagura dance performed on festival days, there existed a ritualistic invocation dance meant to summon deities. Generally, it involved a shrine maiden dressed in white, wearing a crown, and holding tools like bells, fans, or sacred tree branches, dancing to beseech the descent of the gods.

Theoretically, the proposal put forward by Yuki Ieiri did indeed possess a certain degree of feasibility!

But in reality, it was not a shrine maiden dancing...
There were no feather bells...
There was no crown and no white robes...

Thinking this, Fushiguro glanced at the Cursed Spirit, sketching out a portrait of the entity in his mind: self-centered, capricious, and mercurial.

Would Ieiri actually succeed?
Fushiguro was uncertain. "..."
Tch, things had reached this point; he might as well take the gamble! In any case, they could not just sit by and wait to die, doing nothing.

Fushiguro hurriedly asked, "Are we still going to the Star Corridor?"

"We are."

"To put it simply, places dense with cursed energy form a kind of 'magnetic field'."

"For me, it will likely serve as a guide, after all—"

The blond youth tilted his head and smiled. "I am still a novice when it comes to jujutsu, after all."

He needed a beginner's tutorial.

Fushiguro: "..."
It felt strange. But he couldn't put his finger on why.

[A novice, huh...]
[Is that the kind of "novice" who summons a Special Grade Cursed Spirit the moment they awaken their technique, triggers two cursed spirit riots, and pushes the college to the brink of destruction?!]
[A novice, truly terrifying!]

There was no time to lose. Fushiguro urgently wanted to lead the person and the Cursed Spirit out of the dungeon, but as his perspective shifted, the figure of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit had vanished into thin air.

[Vanished again?]
[Stalker mode, activated!]
[I can't take it, Muzan, are you a runaway sweetheart?!]
[By any reasonable estimation, Yuki has already "confessed" to you; you could at least give a straight answer before disappearing! Scum!]

Fushiguro was also taken aback, gritting his teeth.
Whatever, head to the Star Corridor first!

He pulled Yuki Ieiri along and left the college dungeon. Once they reached the surface, with a sharp cry, "Nue" flapped its wings and manifested from the space.

Fushiguro: "Let's go... Hey!"

Nue’s massive bird head was nuzzling against Yuki Ieiri. It squinted its bird eyes, looking utterly cheap and infatuated.
...What was going on?

Suddenly, Fushiguro felt both shocked and embarrassed. A faint red flush spread across the black-haired youth’s fair, handsome face.
He hurriedly said, "Sorry!"

When he first met Yuki Ieiri, his Divine Dogs had also reacted—as a shikigami user, Fushiguro could sense their emotions. But that time, it hadn't been intense; he could suppress it. This time, however, it was completely different.
What on earth was going on?!

[Yuki is catnip, after all.]
[I suppose for Cursed Spirits, their favorability toward him is maxed out?]
[But the Divine Dogs didn't act like this before?]
[It must be that compared to before, Megumi’s hostility toward Yuki has decreased.]
[Continuing: The shikigami sensed the owner's emotional shift and lost their aggression toward the "enemy," so their love for the "catnip" took the upper hand.]
[Hahaha!]
[Laughing until I'm dizzy, Megumi's face is so red!]
[Sorry everyone, I'm thinking about one thing: could this count as a new type of NTR?]
[How could it not? .JPG]

The perspective shifted.
Flapping its wings, Nue darted out of the dense forest. The shikigami carried the two of them, speeding toward the Star Corridor. Nue flew very fast; the wind whistled sharply in their ears. Aside from that, there was almost no other sound.

Because of this, the visuals became even more pronounced—
Looking down at the earth, from this angle, they could take in the entire space: purple-black mist shrouded the college, and within the steep, deep forest, ten thousand ghosts were on the march.

Fushiguro had seen this scene before and was mentally prepared. He just pressed his lips into a thin line, but something unexpected happened—
All of them...
Every single Cursed Spirit turned its head, crazily pursuing the direction of Yuki Ieiri.
Tens of thousands of monsters, their necks twisting at the exact same angle.
Tens of thousands of gazes converged in unison; the creepiness factor was maxed out. Fushiguro’s hair stood on end!

[Ahhh, holy sh*t!!!]
[ (A plant) (Gently) ]
[This scene gave me chills, my scalp is tingling, I have goosebumps, and I have a deeper understanding of Yuki's catnip constitution.]
[Too eerie.]
[Who came up with this idea of them all turning their heads?]
[ (Faint) (Nauseous) ]
[I'm terrified even through the screen.]

"..." Fushiguro's throat felt dry.
The wind roared in his ears, blowing his hair into a mess. Although it was early summer, the sky was overcast today, and it wasn't particularly hot; the cool breeze from the deep mountains hit his face.

The cold wind helped him calm down significantly.
The cool-headed black-haired youth suddenly thought of something and shouted into the wind, "Ieiri, do you know the name of that Special Grade Cursed Spirit?!"

Beseeching a god—if you didn't even know its name, then...
It would definitely go wrong.
However, Fushiguro knew that Yuji had said before that he could share with Ieiri. Thinking this, he hurriedly looked at the other boy.

"Oh, I do—"
The blond youth heard his question and seemed completely unfazed by the incredible, hair-raising scene below, his face full of smiles.
His lips parted slightly, emitting syllables.

Just at that moment, with a "whoosh," Nue flapped its wings, creating a piercing sound as it descended rapidly, effectively masking Yuki Ieiri's voice.

[Muzan...]
[Didn't hear Yuki say it out loud, but I saw the lip shape clearly.]
[Muzan, when you pronounce the first sound, you have to purse your lips; it's a bit like asking for a kiss. I also imagined Yuki's voice in my head, ah!]
[Couldn't hear the sound, but they gave a special close-up of Yuki's lower face.]
[The beauty mark on Yuki's lower lip, the lip shape perfectly matching the subtitles.]
[And the vaguely visible tip of the tongue; everything is so clear it’s astringent, subtle, and ambiguous.]
[I'm being hooked to death...]
[Wife Yuki, ahhh!]
[Production team, look here!! My CP brain is acting up, don't force me to kneel and beg you, I want to hear Yuki say Muzan's name once, I'll do anything!]
[To the one above, what if it's math? Will you do it?]
[... ]
[Where did this devil come from, get them out of here!]

The Star Corridor, located in a hidden place somewhere in the college, was the dwelling of Master Tengen, the undying guardian deity of the jujutsu world for the past thousand years.

They had arrived.
Fushiguro landed steadily. In contrast, Yuki Ieiri looked like a "normal person," stumbling slightly. He took a few more small steps forward before shedding the inertia.

"Ooh."
He whispered softly.

[Such a cute sound.]
[Adorable!]
[Want to nibble.]

"Ribbit!" The shikigami "Toad," shaped like a giant frog, hopped out from a corner. With a long, powerful tongue, it flicked something into Fushiguro's hand.
The object rolled in the air, ringing with an unpleasant "ding-a-ling"—it was a "Hokisaki-suzu."

A Hokisaki-suzu was originally a sword-shaped rattle used in the Kagura dance. The "sword" at the tip resembled a dagger, the middle held the bells, and the end was the handle. The one in his hand was a wooden substitute, used for daily practice. This bell looked weathered and had not been used in a long time. Although the ring was no longer crisp, it was not damaged, clearly having been well-preserved.

Fushiguro handed it to Yuki Ieiri and said, "This is an item left at the college by a senior, kept in the storage room all this time. I had my shikigami fetch it!"
"Take a look, can you use it?"

Fushiguro was just clutching at straws; adding a prop, what if it provided a boost?

[A senior?]
[It's Gojo's classmate, Utahime, right?]
[Utahime? She's a teacher at Kyoto College now.]
[Her technique is indeed related to shrine maidens; she practices dancing.]

"—"
A gale force wind raged.
Fushiguro turned around abruptly.
Cursed Spirits were like a beast tide, surging desperately, dancing wildly in the gale with dense cursed energy. A weaker sorcerer would have been unable to breathe.
The Cursed Spirits had already formed a closed circle of encirclement not far away. Fushiguro could see the teachers and students of the college struggling to resist, but it was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.
The monsters' front line was constantly pushing forward, while they were constantly retreating!
There was no time left.

"There's a rooftop up there, Ieiri, you go up first!"
Fushiguro made a prompt decision, having Nue take the blond youth up while he held the fort below. There weren't many flying Cursed Spirits; Nue could handle them. Plus, with him "defending the city" below, perhaps he could buy Yuki more time.

"Fushiguro!"
A shout came from behind. The black-haired youth turned back.
It was Nobara Kugisaki, running over while carrying the healer—Shoko Ieiri—on her back.
She asked quickly, "Did you find a way?!"
Fushiguro: "Yes, but I'm not sure if it will work..."

Ring, ring!
Suddenly, a dull clatter of bells interrupted his words.
The three of them looked up in unison toward the source of the sound, which was indeed high up on that platform—
The blond youth closed his eyes slightly, the biting wind blowing the strands of hair by his cheeks.
It lifted them into a soft arc.
He stood on high, looking down at "all living things."

Ring!
Another sound.
The youth lightly waved the Hokisaki-suzu; the bell sounded muffled.
He extended his left hand, his fingertips radiating an aura of grace and purity.
Then, his body turned, the momentum of his movement automatically driving his right hand.

Ring!
The bell rang again.
He tapped his toes lightly, hooked his other foot, and spun quickly three times.
The bell sound became rapid, and then he changed his steps, his hand movements altering simultaneously.
Wave, circle, thrust!
He danced on the high platform.

He was nearing adulthood.
His figure was slender, yet retained traces of not having fully matured, mixed with a youthful freshness. When he danced, his limbs were flexible without losing strength, elegant and sharp.
His breathing drove his movements; his physique was fluid, his aura cold and clear.

Ring!
The sword tip pointed forward!
The weathered, decaying bell sound seemed to become clear in that instant.
The Hokisaki-suzu vibrated continuously.
Spinning, leaping, sword dancing—his body, covered in light, thin muscles, moved without any wasted effort; every motion could be described as "graceful as a startled swan."

"—Swish!"
He almost seemed to emit the sound of a sword.
He was like a blade, a long sword atop a snowy mountain peak in winter, cleansed by fresh snow, reflecting a cold light.

Below the platform, Shoko Ieiri, wearing her lab coat, sighed softly, "So beautiful..."
She wanted to smoke again.
Nobara Kugisaki’s eyes widened: "Is that... the Kagura dance..."

It was hard to describe that feeling.
That youth, he clearly wore no crown, nor was he dressed in white robes, he was simply dancing, yet his body radiated a divinity.
A prayer as simple as could be.
Yet, it was incredibly sacred.
He danced so well, as if he had practiced with piety thousands, tens of thousands of times in the past, correcting it over and over again to achieve this result.
Immersed within it.
Like the most devout supplicant.

Yellow cursed charms floated up along with the Kagura dance, swirling around the performer.
Cursed energy was "drawn" in, forming a mysterious vortex centered on the blond youth.
The yellow charms formed an array.
The rotation speed became slower and slower.
Buzz—
The dark yellow charms suddenly froze, and in mid-air, a translucent, complex cursed character, identical to those on the charms, appeared, condensed from cursed energy.
The character was constantly solidifying.
It was, "Suppression"!

[Shocking...]
[Who gets it, the sword tip of the Hokisaki-suzu pointing straight at the lens just now, and they even slowed down this close-up, Yuki's expression is so divine, it literally took my breath away.]
[Godly.]
[Whether it's the line of the hair flying or the dance movements, it's all done so beautifully.]
[The body clearly visible while dancing, ahhh my CP brain is acting up!]
[Beautiful, but... why hasn't it solidified yet?]
[?!]
[Not enough cursed energy? The scum boss isn't responding?!]
[What is Happiness Brother doing? He seemed pretty happy when he heard Yuki call him a god just now??]
[Ahhh, don't drop the ball at the critical moment!]
[Happiness Brother was fake happy, his character broke, but the scum boss's character is still intact.]
[Not a single bit OOC.]
[Ahhhhh! The bad ending is so ugly! My CP that I just started shipping!]

It was always just a little short.
A ritual dance without a divine response.
Yuji, who had arrived, also noticed; the translucent cursed character could never fully solidify.
The Cursed Spirits' encirclement grew tighter and tighter, already within a hundred meters.
The bell was still ringing, but it was like an ethereal ritual dance to which no god responded.
It seemed it could only end in failure.

"Prepare for the worst..." Fushiguro bit his lower lip, thinking.
There was one more way, a desperate, scorched-earth tactic: summoning Mahoraga.
The black-haired youth had already made up his mind to have his shikigami take the college people away.
And then, drag every single Cursed Spirit present into the taming ritual!
Fushiguro took a deep breath, raised his hands, and the strange incantation echoed in his heart—
"Furu be..."

[Megumi is going for an extreme trade-off again.]
[Didn't expect Mahoraga to appear so early, but there's no other way in this situation.]
[I can no longer guess the plot development.]
[Wait—?!]
[Ahhh! Awoooo!]

Amidst the frantic howling in the comments, the summoning incantation for Mahoraga was suddenly interrupted by a massive, cold wave of cursed energy!
He looked back abruptly—
Boom!
Cursed energy expanded!
The translucent cursed character gradually became deep and solid, turning into wind like a woven net.
Shrinking, shrinking again, until it became the size of a fingertip, flying toward Yuki Ieiri.
Finally, it landed on the blond youth’s ring finger, engraving a mysterious, exquisite cursed mark.

"Huff, huff—"
Ring!
As the final bell sound ceased, what followed was the youth's tired and rapid breathing.
The wave of Cursed Spirits stopped.
They seemed to wake from a dream, and after a moment of silence, they became like a group of headless flies.
Some spun in place, others scattered and fled.
The people at the college: "?!"

Yuki Ieiri looked up, but did not see the "god."
Muzan stepped out from behind him, watching him with those beautiful, sinister red eyes.
"..."
He sensed a resonance.
A resonance connected by the Kagura dance.
This human's piety, fervor, and prayers toward him surged into his body like a tide.
It suffocated him.
This was irrational.
Muzan thought coldly.
He had intended to let the human feel despair, then descend as a savior, but the plan hadn't proceeded successfully...
Yet, he had acted regardless.
In that pair of crimson eyes belonging to the devil—eyes that caused panic and heart palpitations but also invited obsession—the blurred outline of the human was imprinted.
His gaze was like a corrosive swamp, a sticky spiderweb.
Extreme discomfort.
Like the feeling of being stared at by a monster.

[So eerie, I suspect in the next second, he's going to swallow Yuki whole.]
[The "eating" in the physical sense, the kind involving appetite, who gets it?]
[But for a devil (although this world has Cursed Spirits), they are always in the "oral stage," right? Thinking about it this way, has it piqued the ghost's appetite?]
[Hiss...]
[Leopard cat, I'm happy again.]

His heart beat urgently.
"Squish—"
The black-haired beauty reached out and squeezed his own sick, particularly restless heart until it burst.
The greedy god was ultimately tempted by the false piety.
He felt resonance, suffocation, and pleasure all at once.