56

.

'Araya Souren.'

There's a brief lull in the room that follows after Satoru-niichan's simple statement. Remember Araya Souren?

… Yes, Shiki remembers the man. His name is one that she hasn't heard for quite some time, and it's not one that she finds herself particularly pleased to hear again.

Araya Souren. That's the sorcerer who'd masqueraded as a loyal vassal of the Kamo Clan, prior to masterminding Shiki's kidnapping with Kamo Matsuhime as his unknowing puppet.

With all the time that's passed since the kidnapping incident and the relative peace in these past few years… Shiki had occasionally found herself wondering if she had been overthinking things that day. That day when she'd been kidnapped, when Kiyohira-sensei had lost his arm. Satoru-niichan had reduced Araya to a bloody smear on the ground, but…

Her first reaction had been Something doesn't seem right, instead of relief at the man's presumed death.

Even despite the death of the physical body, something inside Shiki had immediately insisted that Araya wasn't dead. Instinct, perhaps, although it would be inaccurate to label it entirely as such…

…

Regardless. After looking through the numbers and data that the Gojo Clan had obtained by seizing Kamo Clan's forbidden research, it was confirmed that Araya's research was indeed related to the transfer of 'information' between hosts. Which encompassed cursed techniques, just as the elders had feared… as well as the 'soul's information.' The latter of which supported Shiki's theory that Araya was still out there somewhere, lying in wait and merely biding his time for a new opportunity.

If he was patient enough to wait over a decade for Shiki to grow up and develop her abilities before making his move the first time around, then it's no surprise to discover that he was also patient enough to wait out the past few years without any overt actions… until now.

With the new confirmation from Satoru-niichan that this shikigami on their hands held a sliver of Araya Souren's cursed energy, there was no denying things anymore. The man was most certainly not dead. Evidently, his agenda of targeting Shiki had not changed, either.

"So, uh… who's Araya Souren?" Kinji asks, puzzled and wholly oblivious to the undercurrents. Blissfully unaware of the implications of what it meant for Araya Souren to show up again like this. To show up at all, really.

"Someone who should be dead," Shiki responds.

More concerningly, what's most alarming about Araya making a reappearance like this is the fact that he clearly has no qualms about involving the people around her in his plots. The shikigami that had led them to encounter Kamo-san had initially been discovered by Shiro, one of Megumi's Divine Dogs–

… But this doesn't come as any surprise, either. Why should it?

Araya had a direct hand in Jihei-san's death. He'd nearly killed Kiyohira-sensei right in front of Shiki.

No, something like this… it's not a surprise at all.

"What do you mean, 'someone who should be dead?'" Kirara asks carefully, their voice laced with rising trepidation. "Also, do you realize how alarming that sounds?"

"Are we talking about, like. A zombie or something?" Kinji cocks his head to the side. "Are zombies actually a thing? I thought it was just cursed spirits that sorcerers had to worry about."

"Araya isn't a zombie," Megumi says quietly, and casts a swift glance towards Shiki. Hesitates, as if he's deliberating over his next words. "Araya… he's the one that–"

"No, no, I think he might actually be right," Satoru-niichan interrupts blithely. The white-haired young man puts a hand to his chin, thoughtful, "Technically, a zombie is just a reanimated corpse, right? Since I already thoroughly destroyed his corpse last time, if it turns out that he is running around in a new body now… that makes him a zombie by default, doesn't it?"

Kirara stares blankly at Satoru-niichan. A reaction that's also shared by Kinji beside him.

"… I have so many questions," Kirara finally says.

"Ask away, then!" Satoru-niichan chirps merrily, then smiles sharply. "I can't guarantee that you're going to like any of the answers, though."

"But that doesn't mean we don't need to hear them," the boy shakes his head, then sets his shoulders and looks up once more. "… Who's Araya Souren, and what did he do? Should we be worried about him?"

"Araya Souren is a sorcerer who was formerly employed by the Kamo Clan, back when the previous clan head was in charge," Satoru-niichan informs Shiki's classmates. "He and Kamo Matsuhime –the previous Lady Kamo– kidnapped Shiki… three or four years back, thereabouts."

"What?" Both of the boys openly gape at the older sorcerer, then whirl towards Shiki. Shock, disbelief. It's not so hard to read the emotions that are so vividly written across their faces in this moment.

Kirara swallows roughly, "You were… kidnapped?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Shiki doesn't understand. He's acting even more surprised than when Choki was explaining the existence of cursed spirits and sorcerers to him. Really, she would've thought that 'kidnapping' was something that would've been a lot easier to accept for Kirara than 'jujutsu.'

Tsumiki shuffles over and leans in with a whisper, "He's concerned. Also shaken, I think. You're… you're a really strong sorcerer, Shiki, so it's probably hard for him to imagine that you were kidnapped."

… He probably wouldn't react well to learning about assassination attempts that Shiki has experienced over the years either, then.

Was this a case of Kirara believing that Shiki was a lot more powerful than she actually is? … Some misunderstanding that stemmed from her first saving him from that cursed spirit at his school, then rescuing him again when he'd gone missing with Takagi-sensei on his first mission?

But Shiki is far from infallible. She knows this only all too well.

(Not even Satoru-niichan is infallible, and he's the person closest to 'invincible' that Shiki knows.)

"There were various factors at play at the time, but yes. Shiki was kidnapped by the Kamo Clan," Satoru-niichan smiles again, but this time it's clearly an expression that does not reach his eyes. "They wanted to experiment on her."

Kinji's eyes flick towards Shiki for a moment, then return to Satoru-niichan, "And I'm guessing that's a bad thing?"

"The Kamo Clan has a history of dabbling in human experimentation," her cousin's tone is distinctly pointed, for all its lazy drawl. "I don't know about you, but I, for one, certainly prefer not getting vivisected. Or getting my head cracked open like an egg."

… He says, as if there's anyone who can touch him through his 'Infinity.'

Shiki resists the urge to sigh.

All the same, though, Kinji pales at the response, as does Kirara beside him. One of Kirara's hands even comes up to clutch at his classmate's arm, a subconscious motion that almost seems to be entirely instinctive. Kinji automatically pats the hand that's clenched onto his sleeve.

It's good to see her classmates supporting each other like this, even if she thinks their reaction is silly. Satoru-niichan isn't going to hurt them.

"Okay, yeah, that's definitely a bad thing," Kinji winces, "… Just to check, we're still talking about the same 'Kamo' as the Kamo Noritoshi guy that we just ran into, right?"

"The very same," Megumi confirms from the side with a nod. "He used to be the heir before the Kamos' fall. The Kamo Clan devolved into chaotic squabbling after their last clan head was sentenced to death for his role in Shiki's capture."

Kinji's jaw drops open, before he spins around to point at Shiki directly. "Wait, so you're the reason why the Kamos lost their last clan head? And you didn't even think to mention this to us earlier?"

"… Should I have?"

The boy gives her a look, then slaps a hand over his face. "The answer is yes, oh my god."

Satoru-niichan glances over towards her, clearly amused, "You didn't tell them?"

"It wasn't directly pertinent to the situation at the time," is all Shiki has to say for herself. Tsumiki shakes her head and pats Shiki on the shoulder consolingly.

"If the Kamo Clan kidnapped you…" Kirara falters. "That's… how could something like that even happen? A-and, aren't sorcerers working together with each other to exorcise curses in the first place? So why would–"

Satoru-niichan snorts, at the exact same time that Shiki raises her sleeve and coughs into her yukata. Kirara falls silent, and slowly looks between the two of them.

"… I'm missing something here, aren't I?"

Shiki blinks up towards her cousin, and their eyes meet. Satoru-niichan motions with his hand, Go on, and so Shiki turns back towards her bewildered classmate.

"It's a sorcerer's duty to exorcise curses, in order to uphold order and maintain the stability of our society," she recites from her childhood lessons. "It's the clan's duty to ensure the prosperity of the bloodline, in order to cultivate resources and safeguard knowledge that will be passed onto future generations."

Kirara's expression turns pensive at the distinction. He bites his lip.

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Kinji asks.

"Elders and high-ranked clansmen typically prioritize acting in the best interests of their clan," Shiki explains. "The clans collaborate with each other, but they are separate powers, each with their own agendas. You incite them to move through benefit and loss, not morality."

"… That," Kinji says slowly, "Doesn't sound good, either."

"It doesn't, does it?" Satoru-niichan suddenly leans forward with a surprising eagerness. "It's backwards and inconvenient, and means that the clans are always playing petty games with each other… instead of putting their full focus towards where it actually matters. And with all the emphasis on preserving inherited techniques in the bloodline, it also means that our higher-ups have very rigid ideas of what jujutsu should be. Any abilities or techniques that don't match up with their ideal image of what jujutsu should be is scorned and looked down upon. It's all so dull, isn't it?"

Dull, indeed. Shiki agrees with her cousin on this front. If she had to describe it…

Most of the higher-ups are people who are firmly set in their ways and stagnant. People who dislike change. Or perhaps a better word to use in this case would be 'fear' instead of 'dislike.'

She's experienced it herself before, quite clearly. Back when Shiki had initially been brought to the Gojo Clan, she'd also faced a fair few detractors. People who begrudgingly accepted her for the cursed eyes that she possessed, and viciously disparaged her behind her back for daring to twist the bloodline so. For daring to mock the Six Eyes with a new, mutated strain that was incapable of observing cursed energy in any meaningful manner–

But those whispers had swiftly dwindled, then grown silent when Shiki's potential as a sorcerer became undeniable.

"… Well, that's enough about boring elders, though," Satoru-niichan claps his hands together. "In any case: Araya Souren. He's a dangerous sorcerer who's targeting Shiki–"

"Wait, what?!"

Satoru-niichan pauses, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't we just establish this? He's already worked with the Kamo Clan before to kidnap my cute little cousin."

"Your cute little–? No. No, y'know what? I'm not getting into that right now," Kinji rapidly shakes his head and refocuses. "I thought you said that it was the Kamo Clan that ran human experiments, and… somehow set their eyes on Shiki, I guess. So why is Araya still targeting her?"

"For whatever nefarious experiments he wants to run, presumably?" Satoru-niichan shrugs. "How should I know what a curse user is thinking?"

The words are exaggeratedly casual. Shiki studies her cousin's face carefully for a moment, but his expression does not betray any of his inner thoughts.

Kinji's expression, on the other hand, twists as his features scrunch together. Probably because the thought of human experimentation is not one that he likes to dwell on, either.

"Besides," Satoru-niichan continues lightly, "You're the ones who literally just brought back a shikigami with a trace of Araya's cursed energy. It's pretty self-evident that he's still targeting Shiki, isn't it?"

Kinji grimaces. Beside him, Kirara twitches oddly, as if suppressing an involuntary shiver.

… Shiki probably shouldn't have brought her classmates to Kyoto with her. But it had seemed like a good idea at the time, to expose them to another side of the jujutsu world. It wasn't as if she'd had any way to know that Araya would suddenly reappear again like this, either. Shiki's ability is to see death, not the future.

A warm hand suddenly lands atop her head; Shiki knows without even lifting an eye that it's her cousin.

"Cheer up," Satoru-niichan says. "No one's kidnapping you again on my watch –and I doubt that you'd let anyone kidnap you again, either. Right?"

Shiki nods silently in affirmation to those words.

"… I still don't understand," Kirara murmurs quietly, and looks over towards her. "You said that you were kidnapped, but… you can literally make yourself untouchable, right? That technique you use, White, doesn't that make it impossible for anything to actually…?"

If Shiki had been freely able to use White at the time Kamo Kikuhime had laid her trap, the poison would not have affected her. Araya would not have been able to harm her.

If she'd had even half the mastery over her technique now as she did back then, she most certainly wouldn't have been captured so easily. Kiyohira-sensei wouldn't have been placed in danger, either.

… He wouldn't have nearly died for her. Kiyohira-sensei wouldn't have had his arm torn off.

"I wasn't always able to use my cursed technique the way I do now," Shiki explains to her classmate.

The boy's eyes widen at the implications, and a chagrined look flashes across his face. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. I didn't–"

"You didn't know." Shiki is aware of that. She knows that Kirara didn't have any ill intentions with that question. In a certain sense, she understands where the boy is coming from. When Shiki herself was younger, Satoru-niichan's mastery over Limitless had made him seem untouchable, undefeatable–

And then they'd encountered the Sorcerer Killer, who'd shattered that illusion.

… Shiki won't be a burden again. She won't. Never again.

"Now, while we're on the topic of uncomfortable things," Kinji suddenly interjects brightly, "Is there anything that Kirara and I still need to know about the situation? Are there any more shocking reveals or important secrets about the Kamo Clan or Araya Souren that we should be aware of?"

"Oh, definitely," Megumi nods quickly. "I don't know if Araya is still collaborating with the Kamo Clan, but it won't hurt to be careful, since Shiki was never really on good terms with the Kamo Clan even before the kidnapping. There were those failed assassinations–"

Kirara chokes, "The what now–"

"–probably mostly from Lady Kamo, because Shiki rejected a childhood betrothal with her son–"

Kinji stares incredulously. "A childhood what? Who in this day and age even–"

"–oh, and there's definitely no mistake that Araya is deliberately targeting Shiki," Megumi finishes with a decisive nod. "He's been aware of and watching her ever since she was born, after all."

"HE WHAT?!"

.

.

Thanks to Megumi's succinct, rapid-fire summary, the full explanation ends up taking place over the course of dinner afterwards.

The next day, neither Kinji nor Kirara are interested in exploring the streets of Kyoto anymore, and instead are both perfectly content to remain within the confines of the Kyoto estate. Shiki is bemused by her classmates' reactions –subtlety is lost on them, it seems.

"Obon is a sensitive time for sorcerers," she reminds them. A festival meant to honor the dead, mixed with souls that have died traumatic deaths, oftentimes with regrets and unfinished business with the world of the living… this volatile combination means that the ceremonies and rituals carried out during Obon are important. "Even Araya knows better than to do anything too outrageous."

"You could at least stand to look like you're a little more concerned for your own safety and wellbeing," Kirara grumbles.

Shiki blinks. "Do I not appear concerned?"

"No."

"Nope."

… It's not as if she's wholly unconcerned by Araya's reappearance. But for all that his presence is now known to them, the man himself is still well-hidden at the moment. There aren't any immediate countermeasures to take, not aside from strengthening the barriers of the Gojo estate, at least.

Moreover, the fact that they're currently in Kyoto also makes it difficult to conduct any thorough searches. For one, there are the numerous sorcery clans to be worried about, which is… inconvenient, but not impossible to work around, although it would likely also mean that Araya would be aware that they were on the lookout for him. Such things were unlikely to remain secret for long.

More importantly, there's still Obon to consider. It would be quite unwise to act recklessly during such a sensitive time. This applies to Araya Souren –but also to Shiki as well.

Kinji squints at her. "… You seem to be quite at ease for someone who's being targeted by a creepy mad scientist zombie stalker."

Kirara coughs, a startled laugh, "'Creepy mad scientist zombie stalker?' That's kind of a mouthful, isn't it?"

"Accurate, though," Kinji sniffs. "I'm still workshopping the name, okay?"

"It's unlikely that Araya would choose to openly confront me like this in Kyoto," Shiki calmly informs her classmates. Even disregarding all the various other reasons for this… Shiki is not the same twelve year old girl anymore. She might still be a child, but she's not the same child who had fallen prey to underhanded tactics and ended up getting herself kidnapped without a fight.

If Araya approaches her again, then it will come to a fight between them –and a fight like that would not go unnoticed in Kyoto. Especially now, when Obon was upon them.

"But what if he does?" Kirara presses, worried. "What if this guy tries to attack you anyways? If he sent that shikigami yesterday… and factoring in everything else that he's also done before…"

It seems that her classmates were a lot more shaken by what they'd learned about Araya Souren yesterday than Shiki had expected.

Still, "The Gojo estate wouldn't be completely safe, either, if he truly intends to attack me while I'm in Kyoto despite all risks such an action would pose. Location would be irrelevant."

"Yeah, but at least you have that cousin of yours here, right?"

"Satoru-niichan is capable of teleporting." Not that Shiki intends to intentionally trouble him unnecessarily by relying on that ability, but in the case of true emergencies, it means that distance would not be an issue. "Kyoto is well within his range."

"He can teleport?" Kinji blinks in surprise. "… Huh. I guess that's a little more reassuring to know. Speaking of which, does that mean we're going to see you start teleporting around someday, too?"

Shiki also blinks in surprise, "I can't teleport."

Kinji stares at her. "Don't you guys have the same cursed technique?"

"No."

What gave him that idea?

"… But you guys have that same thing where, like," the boy makes a vague gesture with his hands, "You make it so that you can no-sell any attacks coming your way."

"There might be superficial similarities, but the underlying principles are different," Shiki shakes her head. "Satoru-niichan's cursed technique is Limitless. The manipulation of the concept of "infinity" on the surrounding space. This allows him to make it so that things can approach him, but never actually reach him."

"Literally untouchable, then," Kinji mutters to himself. "And that's different from what you do, then?"

… Do her classmates not know what her cursed technique is? They've been in the same class for months, and it's not as if Shiki has deliberately refrained from using her abilities around them or anything. Surely it's also come up in conversation before…?

"My cursed technique is Nihility," Shiki states. "When I use White, I make it so that 'nothing' affects the target."

Kirara appears thoughtful for a moment. "So… the difference is that Gojo-san's invincibility is a result of nothing being able to touch him in the first place, while yours is a result of making sure nothing happens even when you are touched?"

"Essentially," she agrees.

The boy makes a sudden sound of realization, "Wait, I think I remember. Back when you saved me and Takagi-sensei from those curse users, you were grabbing onto me, right? In order to include me in your shield?"

"Yes." Shiki should… probably explain how the lapse technique works to her classmates. That would be a good idea, she thinks. It would be very useful for Kinji and Kirara to know her limitations, given all the years they still had ahead of them together as fellow sorcerers.

So.

"Physical contact is necessary for me to use White on something other than myself," she informs them. "I can only keep White active on a single target aside from myself. If I want to keep it active on both myself and the chosen target simultaneously, then I need to be touching it."

"Okay, I see," Kirara nods slowly. "That's what happened back then, right? That Geto guy summoned a cursed spirit to shoot a laser beam, and you held onto me so both of us would be protected from it."

"Wait, then what's up with the weird rat-shikigami that we found yesterday? The thing that you called a surveillance shikigami?" Kinji asks. "You used White to keep it from falling apart on us, and then you handed it off to that butler of yours–"

"Choki is my assistant, not my butler," Shiki corrects patiently.

"–your butler," the boy stubbornly refuses to change his verbiage, "And then you came to join us. But when we went back, the shikigami was still fine, so clearly you were keeping your technique active on it."

"Because I wasn't using White on myself."

Kirara makes a soft gasp, a sound of dawning realization. "That's why your yukata sleeve tore!"

Shiki inclines her head. Precisely so.

In order to maintain White on the shikigami without continuing to physically keep ahold of it, Shiki needed to 'detach' the active technique from herself. Leaving the shikigami in Choki's hands was a decision that she'd made at the time in order to ensure that she would still be able to keep a close eye on Choki and Tsumiki's situation, despite leaving them on their own. Maintaining the active technique meant that she would be aware of any unusual disturbances, and it also gave Choki a way to immediately draw her attention if the need arose.

… Regretfully, it didn't mean that White's defensive properties would also be extended to Choki and Tsumiki. Shiki would've been a lot more at ease if that was the case, but unfortunately she is still unable to use White on multiple targets remotely. It's one thing if she's physically touching an additional target, but without physical contact, the technique is limited to only a single target.

"Maintaining White for an extended length of time is also a drain on my cursed energy. Unlike Satoru-niichan, I can't keep it up indefinitely," Shiki tells her classmates.

"That makes sense," Kinji mutters. "Of course there are drawbacks to an overpowered technique like this… wait, so how does your cousin maintain something like that indefinitely? Could you somehow learn to do that, too?"

In theory, it's not impossible, but…

"His 'Infinity' barrier is a technique that utilizes his cursed technique in its neutral state, which by nature consumes less cursed energy than the cursed technique lapse." That's the simplest, most obvious reason. "He also has pinpoint precision in controlling his cursed energy due to his Six Eyes, and he's also constantly running reverse cursed technique so he doesn't incur brain damage–"

"Excuse me, did you just casually mention brain damage–"

"In short, the cursed energy that is consumed operating the barrier is minimal. It's actually less than what Satoru-niichan ends up naturally replenishing on his own, which is what allows him to perpetually maintain Infinity without suffering any drawbacks," Shiki finishes.

Kinji stares at her silently for a moment. "… Just to double-check, your cursed technique doesn't give you brain damage or have some scary drawback along those lines, right?"

"No." Not that she's aware of, at least. The relationship between the human brain and how it interfaces with cursed energy is not something that's very well understood, as evidenced by the Kamo Clan's research and experimentation.

"Great, good to know," Kinji nods firmly, and sighs in relief. "I guess it's kinda cool that your techniques are still kind of similar to each other, despite actually being different. 'Limitless' and 'Nihility' almost sound like they're opposites of each other."

That's because they are, in a sense. Limitless encompasses 'everything,' while Nihility deals with 'nothing.'

"Satoru-niichan named my cursed technique," she tells her classmates. Shiki has no doubts that her cousin had known exactly what he was doing when he chose that name.

"Wait, he named it?" Kirara blinks, startled. "Then, does that mean…?"

Shiki nods, "My eyes and my cursed technique are new for the Gojo Clan."

"Oh hey, that means you're in the same boat as Kirara!" Kinji snaps his fingers. "… Or, well, Kirara is in the same boat as you were when you first started, I guess. If your abilities are new, then that means you just had to figure everything out on your own, huh?"

"Not completely on my own. I had help."

"Yeah, but it's still tough when you don't have anything showing you the ropes," Kinji pats her on the shoulder. "Luckily for me, I don't have a cursed technique, so I don't need to worry about any of that!"

… Shiki gives the ridiculous boy a flat look, faintly incredulous. What in the world was he talking about? "You do have a cursed technique, Kinji."

"What? No I don't," he denies, shakes his head. "Unless you mean my cursed energy and how it's supposedly 'rough,' or something like that? Takagi-sensei called it a unique property to my cursed energy instead of a cursed technique, though."

"It's not that," Shiki informs him, exasperated. "You do have a cursed technique."

Kinji makes a doubtful face, "I'm pretty sure that I would've noticed by this point if I actually had a cursed technique."

… And here Shiki had been under the impression that Kinji's cursed technique was either one that was unfit for friendly sparring –case in point, Shiki herself is always careful to avoid cutting the lines she sees in such scenarios– or he was deliberately restricting himself, so as to get a better grasp on proper jujutsu fundamentals from Takagi-sensei's teachings.

"You have a cursed technique," she repeats patiently. "I can see it."

Shiki's eyes allow her to see the death of things, even those without a physical form. This includes cursed techniques. Although she hasn't seen Kinji actively using his cursed technique, she's glimpsed faint flickers of luminescent green lines within his body before, when observing him sparring with Kirara and Takagi-sensei.

"… You're joking," Kinji says after a beat.

She is not.

"Have you ever known her to joke about things?" Kirara elbows him lightly, a half-smile playing at the edge of his lips.

Kinji sticks out his tongue, despite his apparent confusion regarding his own abilities. "No, but I'm pretty sure I don't have one?"

"Sometimes there are specific conditions, or a certain mindset that's required…" It's strange that Kinji is so adamant that he doesn't have a cursed technique. This strong denial might also be related to how his cursed technique has yet to reveal itself, feeding into a vicious cycle where the belief that he doesn't possess a cursed technique compounds the subconscious suppression of his own technique.

… Kinji doesn't strike her as the type of person to fall into a negative loop like that, though.

Then, it could also be the case that–

"Maybe you just haven't pushed yourself far enough yet?" A sorcerer's growth isn't always something that increases in a steady, linear manner. Sometimes it only takes a single realization, or a single brush with death, for that growth to become exponential.

Shiki eyes her classmate speculatively.

Kinji suddenly shivers violently, despite the ever-present heat of the summer sun beating down upon them, and warily inches back from her.

"Whatever you're thinking, the answer is 'no,'" he tells her, apropos of nothing.

Shiki blinks innocently. "But maybe if we try to–"

"No."

Kirara laughs, then hastily covers it up with a cough and attempts to look contrite when Kinji turns upon him with a betrayed, wounded expression. "I'm sure she has your best interests in mind."

At least someone appreciates her…

"Although… I'm actually kind of curious, now. I wonder what your cursed technique does," Kirara peers at the other boy, inquisitive.

"… If I ever find out, I'll be sure to let you know," Kinji deadpans, then shakes his head and lets out a small, good-natured laugh of his own. "Well, it's not something to stress out over. I have my fists and legs, and that's enough for me!"

It's a markedly different perspective from the stance that most clan sorcerers would take, regarding cursed techniques. But it's also good that Kinji does not appear upset by this –merely determined to continue doing his best as a sorcerer, whether or not he is able to fully harness his cursed technique in the future.

"On another note, while we're on the topic of cursed techniques," Kinji looks over towards Kirara with a grin, "Have you picked out some cool name for your cursed technique yet?"

Kirara reaches up a hand to rub at his head sheepishly, "I… haven't, actually. I guess I just never really thought about it?"

"Eh? Why not?" Kinji cocks his head. "It's still a cursed technique. Your technique. Why not come up with a name for it?"

Kirara shrugs, "I mean… it's not like my technique does much, anyways. It just applies a slight force to whatever I 'tag' my cursed energy with, whether it's drawing something in, or repelling it."

"It's a good idea to name your techniques," Shiki supplies. "Think of it like rituals. Names provide structure, which can help with stability and controlling a technique. Inherited techniques already have established structures in the names and incantations for users to follow, but for new techniques like mine and yours… it's a good idea for names to mean something to you."

(Satoru-niichan had been the one to name Shiki's techniques.

… Toru-nii.)

"You could also consider using binding vows to increase the strength of your technique," she adds.

"… Huh," Kirara blinks, "Didn't realize that about the names. And yeah, I remember you mentioning that stuff about binding vows before, but… I'm still not really sure what conditions or trade-offs I could potentially use for that…"

"Maybe limiting the number of tags you make?" Kinji suggests, tapping the bottom of his chin in thought. "I know that your current maximum is holding thirty-something of them active at the same time to work your push-pull magnet thing, but I've never actually seen you use all twenty of them in a spar before."

"Because it's pretty hard to keep all of them active and stable, and I don't actually need that many tags if I'm just fighting one other person," Kirara waves his hand. "I usually use more of them when I'm out on missions, especially when we're up against larger groups of cursed spirits. Although I guess I rarely stretch myself to the maximum when it comes to the number of 'anchors' that I use…"

"Setting a limit for your tags sounds like a plausible exchange, then," Shiki nods. "Lowering your maximum capacity, in order to increase the strength of the push or pull between each anchor. Although, if you do decide to use that as collateral, then you should also be aware that the amount of power that you'd gain would be directly proportional to what you're losing in this exchange."

"Eh?" Kirara sounds slightly lost. "That's… that is how a binding vow works, isn't it?"

"The strength of a binding vow made with oneself depends on the risk to the individual," Shiki clarifies for her classmate. "For example… hm. Suppose that you can create thirty anchors in total, but you typically only use twenty of them for battle. If you make a binding vow that limits yourself to only using a maximum of twenty anchors, in exchange for a stronger force between them, then any increase in the strength of your technique would likely be minimal. To the point of being negligible, potentially."

"But on the other hand, if Kirara decreased it to something, like, only ten anchors," Kinji immediately picks up on the hypothetical that Shiki is presenting, "Then there would be a serious, notable increase in the strength of his technique. Because what he's losing is more significant, right?"

"Yes. That would be the general logic of it," Shiki confirms.

"Right, I get it. Makes sense," Kirara mutters. There's an intensely thoughtful expression that he wears in this moment. "So it would be… hmm."

A brief beat of silence. Kirara looks up again, and there's a determined light shining in his eyes.

"Shiki, is there an area that I could use to figure this out?" her classmate asks. "Sorry for the trouble, but I really think I have a good feeling for this right now. I kind of want to nail it down as soon as I can by testing a few things."

"Certainly," Shiki nods agreeably to the sudden request. "There are several training rooms that should be available for use."

The household staff that the Gojo Clan employs is usually excellent about keeping everything well-maintained and in good condition. Shiki turns, and motions for her classmates to follow her.

"It should be in this direction, if I recall correctly…"

…

"Wait a second," Kinji suddenly freezes mid-step, and lets out a dismayed sound. "I thought the entire point of coming to Kyoto was for a vacation. Why are we training again?!"

.

.

…

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