I walked back toward the room where I had found the clothes earlier.
The hallway was quiet now. Yuji and Choso were probably still downstairs arguing about the weirdest thing known to man.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
I lay down on it and stared up at the ceiling.
For a while, I just breathed.
Then my mind started replaying everything that had happened over the last week.
"…Man."
Fights. So many fights.
Curses.
Hakari. Naoya. Reggie. Hazenoki. Even Panda.
I rubbed my forehead.
"Is this really what my life is now?"
I turned onto my side and looked at my hand.
My cursed technique… it was simple in concept, but tricky in practice.
"I create shapes made of flames," I murmured to myself.
But those shapes weren't automatic.
I had to constantly control them.
If I stopped, they would destabilize and explode.
"I can create them on my body… or near my body."
Walls. Chains. Swords. Whips. Shields.
All kinds of shapes.
But there was another part of the technique too.
"If I just create flames without shaping them… they detonate immediately."
That was the destructive side of the technique.
Unstable fire. Explosive bursts.
Which meant my technique could either be precise or chaotic, depending on how I used it.
I stared at the ceiling again.
"But the constructs are too fragile…"
Even Panda had been able to break them with ease.
Sure, Panda was strong—but if Panda could break them, stronger enemies definitely could too.
I tapped my finger on the mattress.
"…Should I make a binding vow?"
The idea lingered in my mind.
Binding vows were dangerous.
But when used correctly…
They could reshape a technique entirely.
I sat up.
"Alright. Let's think."
Right now my flame constructs had two properties.
They burned anyone who touched them.
And they exploded if destroyed.
But the burning effect, honestly, wasn't that impressive.
"Most strong sorcerers reinforce themselves with cursed energy anyway."
Which meant the burn damage was almost meaningless.
If someone was weak enough to die from the burn…
Then they were weak enough for me to kill instantly with something else.
And if someone was strong?
They wouldn't care about the burn at all.
"I doubt it could even burn Yuta," I muttered.
"Honestly… he could probably sit on it and be fine."
I leaned back again.
"So what if I trade that ability…"
What if I gave up the passive burning effect?
In exchange…
My constructs could become much more durable.
I tilted my head slightly.
"…That might actually work."
But there was still one thing I liked.
"My sword."
The burning effect on my sword actually mattered.
But maybe I could cheat that.
If I treated the sword like a cursed weapon, I could channel my cursed energy into it separately. This would make the cursed tool stronger as I would reinforce it with cursed energy.
Which also meant that I could make the sword burn because of the second different use of the technique, not because of the construct itself.
That meant I'd be using the technique twice at once.
But that was manageable.
I nodded slowly.
"…Yeah. Alright."
Decision made.
I sat up straight.
"Binding Vow."
"In exchange for my flame constructs becoming more durable… I give up their passive ability to burn things."
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly I felt it.
A strange pressure.
Like invisible chains tightening around my technique.
The vow had been accepted.
"…Woah."
I immediately created a construct.
A wall.
A two-meter by two-meter flame wall formed in front of me.
But something was different.
The surface was smooth. Too smooth.
It didn't look like fire anymore.
It looked like polished red crystal.
Like a massive ruby standing in front of me.
"…This looks so cool."
I reached out and touched it.
Warm.
But not burning.
Interesting.
Then I realized something else.
Even though the constructs didn't burn anymore…
"They still explode if destroyed."
Because the flames were still trapped inside.
The construct was just containing the energy.
My grin slowly widened.
"Oh that's good."
Time to test it.
I stepped back and raised my fist.
Cursed energy flowed into my arm.
Then— BAM.
I punched the wall with about half my strength.
The wall cracked loudly.
Dozens of fractures spread across the surface where my fist hit.
But the punch didn't go through.
I blinked.
"…Seriously?"
I poured cursed energy back into the wall.
The cracks began repairing themselves almost instantly.
My grin widened.
"This is interesting…"
I couldn't repair the constructs before, they were just too weak before and they would be instantly destroyed, so nothing was left for me to repair.
I reinforced the wall again.
Then this time—
I punched it with my full strength.
BOOM.
The wall dented heavily.
But it still held.
"…No way."
I punched it again.
And again.
And again.
After the fifth punch, the cracks spread everywhere.
The wall began trembling.
The flames inside were about to burst out.
I stepped back.
Then—
I canceled my technique to avoid getting the room blown.
"…This is insane."
The durability increase was huge.
If I added chanting and hand signs to boost the technique further…
These constructs could become ridiculously powerful.
But that was something for later.
"For now… I'll just get used to this version."
I created a flame sword in my hand.
Just like the wall, it had that same smooth, crystal-like appearance.
I casually swung it once.
And immediately cut my finger.
"Ow..." I looked at my finger, it was a deep cut. I watched as I bled.
I immediately used the reverse cursed technique to heal myself
"Fascinating... I have no words I could say to this..."
I poured cursed energy into the sword.
Now this actually behaved like a physical construct, so this means that I can reinforce it with cursed energy.
The blade began glowing deep red with a bluish tint.
Then I activated my technique again, layering it over the weapon.
The sword burned again.
Just like before.
Except now it was constantly emitting fire from the sword as the sword had a main sword part and a flamy aura-like part.
I chuckled. This sword looks so cool...
"That's actually perfect."
For the next hour, I experimented.
Chains. Whips. Shields. Walls.
Every construct felt sturdier now.
Actually viable for high-level combat.
Eventually, I flopped back onto the bed.
"That was a good upgrade."
But there was still a problem.
"My hand-to-hand combat still sucks."
Sure, I could fight sorcerers.
But that was mostly because my cursed energy amount was high.
And I had high cursed energy output
Not because of the actual technique.
"I should ask Yuta or Maki to train me."
Maki especially.
She is a monster in hand-to-hand combat.
"And sword training wouldn't hurt either."
And Yuta would be perfect for it too, as he also fights with a sword, and our circumstances are similar; he even has a higher amount of cursed energy than me.
I stared at the ceiling again.
"…Another thing added to the list."
Then my thoughts drifted again.
Back to the bigger problem.
Kenjaku.
If things followed the original timeline…
Kenjaku had already informed foreign governments about cursed energy.
That meant soldiers might arrive soon.
And after that…
Kenjaku would go after Tengen.
"We'll have Yuji, Yuta, Yuki, Choso, and Maki."
Potentially Takaba, Higurama, Hakari...
This was a powerful group.
But Kenjaku wouldn't come alone.
"He might bring Uraume."
If it were just Kenjaku and Uraume…
Our side would win.
But Sukuna complicated everything.
"He wanted Megumi originally…"
"But he might try jumping hosts."
If Sukuna tried taking Yuta as a host…
That would be catastrophic.
Which meant Yuji probably shouldn't be present for that fight.
"Maybe Tengen could block Sukuna from observing us…"
But even then…
Worst-case scenario?
Kenjaku. Uraume. Yorozu.
And Sukuna in a new host.
I closed my eyes.
"…Yeah."
"There's no way we win that."
Unless…
Maybe Yuta could recruit Uro or Ryu from the Sendai Colony.
He might have already done this. As I had also told him about some of the future changes.
Butterfly effect...
I sighed to myself.
Then the odds might become manageable if this were the case.
I sighed deeply.
"So many changes…"
My thoughts slowly blurred together.
And eventually—
I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up suddenly.
For a moment, I sat up in alarm.
Looking around the unfamiliar room.
"…Where am I?"
Then the memories returned.
The mansion. The colony. The rule change.
"Oh. Right."
I relaxed and stretched my arms.
Then I walked downstairs.
The moment I entered the kitchen—
I stopped.
"…Not this again."
Yuji and Choso were standing in front of the fridge.
Eating random ingredients again.
Yuji froze mid-bite.
Choso slowly closed the refrigerator.
I sighed.
"Move."
"I'm cooking again."
Yuji panicked.
"Wait—"
But then I added one word.
"Pancakes."
Both of them froze.
Then slowly turned toward me.
Their eyes were glowing.
After breakfast, we gathered our things.
The mansion was quiet again.
I looked at the two of them.
"Ready?"
Yuji nodded.
Choso crossed his arms.
"Yes."
I stretched once.
"Alright then."
"Our next destination…"
I looked toward the horizon.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High."
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End of Chapter
Tokyo No.1 Colony arc is over.