The afternoon wind howled like a tornado over the ocean, and the torrential rain pouring from the dark clouds overhead showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
The storm raged on relentlessly.
Roy stood up and walked out of the shop with Okita.
Seeing this, Kiyotaka instinctively rose to his feet, intending to see them off.
"Mr. Roy, please wait a moment!"
At that moment, Ikuyo Kita, who had just stepped off the stage, noticed Roy preparing to leave and hurriedly chased after him from backstage.
Roy turned around.
"What is it?"
"There's actually something I'd like to ask your advice about, Mr. Roy..."
Ikuyo approached Roy, deliberately avoiding the crowd, and whispered her concerns about Bocchi-chan into his ear.
Fortunately, the next band had already taken the stage, and the loud music drowned out all other sounds.
"I see. So you've noticed it too."
Roy nodded in understanding and smiled.
"Don't worry. Even among cursed spirits, there are different types. Aside from ordinary cursed spirits, there are also imaginary cursed spirits, spirit-type cursed spirits, and vengeful cursed spirits, among others. In Bocchi-chan's case, even if a cursed spirit were to manifest from her, it would likely be something akin to a vengeful cursed spirit."
"Isn't that even worse?!"
Ikuyo gasped—the name alone sounded terrifying!
"Not necessarily. A vengeful cursed spirit is born from intense resentment and boundless cursed energy, belonging solely to one individual. Since it originates from just one person, it's also constrained by that person's cursed energy, effectively becoming something like a shikigami."
Ordinary cursed spirits emerge from the collective emotions of many humans. Once such a cursed spirit awakens self-awareness, it becomes nearly impossible to control unless subdued by force. But a vengeful cursed spirit is born solely from an individual's overwhelming cursed energy and resentment.
The most famous example is the Queen of Curses, Rika Orimoto, who manifested due to Yuta Okkotsu's infinite cursed energy and immense grief.
Rika Orimoto was originally Yuta Okkotsu's childhood friend, and the two were inseparable, sharing a deep bond. But one day, Rika died in an accident. Unable to accept this reality, Yuta, in his overwhelming sorrow and fear, unconsciously used his vast cursed energy to bind Rika's soul, causing her to be reborn as a special-grade vengeful cursed spirit.
This type of cursed spirit is fundamentally tied to its creator. As long as the creator lives, the cursed spirit remains under control.
However, there is one condition.
"Bocchi-chan herself should learn how to restrain the cursed spirit. While such a spirit wouldn't harm its master, others aren't so safe. If an outsider were to trigger Bocchi-chan's negative emotions, the cursed spirit might act to protect her by attacking that outsider..."
Roy rubbed his chin. That could be quite dangerous, especially for the members of Kessoku Band.
Well, Ikuyo-chan and Nijika-mama are both positivity generators—they would never bully Bocchi-chan.
But Ryo Yamada? That's another story.
How strange.
With such intense emotional fluctuations from Bocchi-chan, could it be that she's never created a cursed spirit before? Where did all the cursed spirits born from her negative emotions in the past go?
Could it be that she's never succeeded before? Did they all fail halfway?
That shouldn't be the case.
Given the extent of her emotional swings, if just a brief period of withdrawal now can produce the beginnings of a cursed spirit, then during her long-term withdrawal phases in the past, could she really have never successfully created a single cursed spirit?
That seems highly unlikely no matter how you think about it!
"What should we do then?"
Ikuyo's eyes brimmed with concern for her friend.
If a cursed spirit were truly created, once Bocchi-chan felt bullied, the cursed spirit might lash out in anger to eliminate those who treated Bocchi-chan poorly. Leaving aside potential misunderstandings from "well-intentioned teasing" or similar reasons, even if someone was bullying her, killing them outright would be going too far, wouldn't it?
Roy thought for a moment, then beckoned to Kiyotaka, who stood rigidly nearby.
"Ijichi, come here."
"Yes, Mr. Roy. What do you need?"
Kiyotaka approached respectfully.
Ikuyo let out an impressed "Wow!"
Nijika's uncle, who was clearly a working adult, was being so deferential to Mr. Roy!
"Do this and that..."
"Yes, I understand! Please leave it to me. I won't make any mistakes!"
To prove he was a reliable assistant supervisor, Kiyotaka thumped his chest emphatically.
Roy's lips twitched, utterly unmoved.
"If you can't handle something this simple, you might as well quit the jujutsu world."
"Yes..."
"One more thing—don't reveal anything about Okita to anyone."
Roy smiled at Kiyotaka, his expression full of menace.
"Even Principal Yaga. I forgave you last time, but if you dare spill this, I won't let you off."
"Yes, absolutely! I swear!"
Kiyotaka nodded frantically, breaking out in a cold sweat.
As Roy and Okita prepared to leave, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Ikuyo.
"Oh, Kita-chan, did you only recently become able to see cursed spirits?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, that's right."
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ikuyo paused before clapping her hands in realization.
"It was exactly that night when we met near Okubo, Mr. Roy! That was the first time I ever saw those weird things!"
Before that, she had been completely unable to see them.
It wasn't until that night in April, when Roy battled the three special-grade cursed spirits including Jogo, that Kita truly saw cursed spirits for the first time.
"Was it a sudden awakening...?"
Roy kept his expression neutral while silently speculating.
Ordinary people can't see cursed spirits—except in the moments before death.
Facing death, fear and other negative emotions cause the brain to release a massive surge of cursed energy in a short time, allowing people to glimpse cursed spirits in such moments.
Aside from that, the only way to see them is to learn to manipulate cursed energy within the body and become a jujutsu sorcerer.
Normally, ordinary people like window personnel who can see cursed spirits should be born with the ability.
However, there are rumors of ordinary people suddenly awakening the "Yin-Yang Eyes" even after reaching adulthood.
Yet such claims aren't entirely reliable, as cursed energy is deeply intertwined with the brain—a realm that remains one of humanity's greatest unsolved mysteries.
Regardless, Roy kept this matter in mind.
Something about it felt off to him.
After all, the way the world of Bocchi the Rock seamlessly merged with that of Jujutsu Kaisen struck Roy as inherently unnatural.
But precisely because the fusion was so seamless, Roy found it difficult to pinpoint any flaws.
For now, he could only file it away in his thoughts, waiting for a future opportunity to investigate further.
...
"We're here. Just ahead."
They were deep in the mountains.
A lush, dense forest blanketed the slopes like a velvet carpet, and halfway up the mountainside, there was what appeared to be a man-made hot spring.
Kenjaku, still clad in his Geto-style kasaya, led the group of four from the front.
Behind him were three others.
One was a man with only an apron covering his upper body, his skin dark as if perpetually sun-scorched. This was Juzo Kumiya, a curse user skilled in crafting cursed tools.
Another was a slender young man with golden hair tied into a side ponytail, exuding an air of childlike innocence. His name was Haruta Shigemo, also a curse user, though his cursed technique remained unknown.
Haruta Shigemo's gaze wasn't fixed on Kenjaku at the front but rather on the third person beside him.
Her petite, delicate frame made her seem utterly unthreatening at first glance. Her refined features and short, stylish hair gave her a charm distinct from ordinary girls, while her simple summer outfit radiated youthful energy.
Yet her expression was icy, her eyes brimming with the cold detachment of an executioner—enough to send chills down anyone's spine, making them overlook her cute appearance and realize she was not someone to be trifled with.
"Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out."
The girl suddenly spoke, her frigid glare slicing toward Haruta Shigemo like a blade.
"Ah, my apologies..."
Shigemo shuddered under her deathly gaze, an eerie flush creeping onto his face as he hastily apologized to Okita.
After being warned with such murderous intent, Shigemo no longer dared to openly stare at Okita, instead fidgeting with the hem of his clothes like a scolded child.
Kenjaku glanced back but, seeing Shigemo offered no resistance to Okita, chose not to intervene.
'What's his deal?'
'Don't mind him. If he annoys you, just kill him when you get the chance.'
'Is that alright, Master?'
'Curse users are almost all scum—just like magi.'
'I see.'
While silently conversing with her Master via telepathy, Okita followed Kenjaku to the hot spring on the mountainside.
Beside the spring stood a table and a few chairs.
Seated there, as if waiting for someone, were Jogo—his head resembling a volcano—and Hanami, their body etched with bark-like patterns.
Seeing Kenjaku arrive with three others, Jogo turned his head, his massive single eye coldly sweeping over the trio.
"Geto Suguru, so these are the reinforcements you've brought?"
"Indeed. After all, we're about to undertake a significant task, and our current numbers are simply insufficient."
Geto Suguru stepped forward without ceremony and took a seat on the wooden chair.
"All three of them are quite capable, especially this lady, Okita Souji. In terms of strength, she might not be inferior to either of you! Come, Miss Okita, please take a seat here."
Kenjaku extended his sleeve slightly, gesturing toward the last remaining wooden chair by the table.
The gazes of the two cursed spirits instantly locked onto Okita.
Hanami's eyes were filled with scrutiny, but she remained silent.
Jogo's expression, however, was brimming with disbelief as he let out a cold snort.
"Geto Suguru, is she really as strong as you claim? Does she have the right to stand on equal footing with us?"
Kenjaku didn't respond, merely shrugging in Okita's direction with a faint smile.
His expression seemed to say, "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to test her yourself."
His composure suggested unwavering confidence in Okita's abilities.
Noticing this, Okita glanced at Jogo and curled her lips slightly.
"I heard you got beaten up pretty badly back in April?"
BANG!
Jogo's temper flared instantly upon hearing this, and he slammed his palm down, shattering the wooden table in front of him.
"I see. For a human, you might match us in sheer audacity—care to repeat that?"
His single eye narrowed into a slit as the surrounding temperature gradually rose, his entire body exuding a palpable aura of danger.
Juzo Kumiya and Haruta Shigemo, sensing the ominous heat building in the air, paled and took several steps back, distancing themselves from Okita while quietly channeling cursed energy to defend against the cursed spirit's potential sudden attack.
Okita, however, remained completely unfazed. The scorching heat washing over her might as well have been nothing, and she merely responded with a cold laugh.
"Getting worked up, are we?"
BOOM!
Jogo's blood pressure skyrocketed in an instant. With a swing of his hand, the miniature volcano in his palm erupted violently, unleashing a concentrated beam of searing flames that roared toward Okita like a laser.
Okita's expression didn't change.
She rested her slender, pale wrist on the hilt of her sword.
SHING!
The blade left its sheath for a fleeting moment.
SHWING!
The flames were cleaved cleanly down the middle, as if sliced apart by a single stroke.
Simultaneously, a spray of crimson blood erupted, only to evaporate in the blink of an eye.
Jogo looked down.
The right hand he had swung was now severed at the palm, several fingers missing entirely, and the volcanic crater in his palm was split in half—as if deliberately carved apart.
Okita remained standing where she was, her gaze icy and unwavering as she stared at Jogo.
The blade at her waist lay sheathed as if it had never been drawn, giving the illusion that she hadn't moved at all—as though Jogo's hand had simply fallen off on its own.
Witnessing this, Kenjaku narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Did she actually draw her sword fully just now? Even with my eyesight, I couldn't perceive the motion of drawing or sheathing. It couldn't have been a physical slash—could it be her cursed technique? Something akin to Sukuna's Cleave, with the condition being the sword leaving its sheath?"
An invisible slash—was that why it couldn't be seen?
Compared to "she completed the movements of drawing, striking, and sheathing her sword at a speed invisible even to her own eyes," Kenjaku leaned more toward the possibility that she possessed a cursed technique similar to Sukuna's.
"You should believe it now, Jogo? Okita's strength is no weaker—if not stronger—than yours!"
While these thoughts spun in Kenjaku's mind, he spoke up at the right moment.
With the demeanor of a mediator, he smilingly inserted himself between the two, subtly blocking them to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
"I can believe she's no weaker than me, but saying she's stronger is pushing it!"
Jogo gathered cursed energy into his palm, and as the energy surged, his hand healed at an incredible speed.
He shot Kenjaku a dark glare.
"Otherwise, I might lose control and actually want to fight her seriously!"
Hearing this, Kenjaku shrugged helplessly, adopting an expression that said, "Fine, have it your way."
"Your name is Okita Souji, right?"
Jogo turned his gaze toward Okita, whose expression remained as cold as an executioner's, and forcibly suppressed the hostility on his face.
"Your strength is the real deal. I believe you now. Have a seat."
Huh?
For someone as volatile as a volcano, he actually managed to rein in his anger?
Kenjaku watched the scene with an appreciative chuckle in his heart.
It seemed the major setback he suffered earlier—even losing Mahito, their leader, to the enemy—had forced him to grow quite a bit. At the very least, he should have learned to reflect on himself now.
Okita glanced at Kenjaku, then at Jogo and the silent Hanami, before taking a seat on the chair.