"You called me here in such a hurry. What's the problem?"
Hanami emerged from the earth, her voice low as she addressed Mechamaru, who seemed to have been waiting for her.
The language she spoke was still incomprehensible, yet the meaning of her words automatically registered in the mind upon hearing them, creating a disorienting and nauseating sensation.
Not far away, a brass bird perched on a tree branch.
This was a specially modified familiar, capable of capturing footage even of curses.
"I have a question."
Mechamaru didn't look at the brass bird. He had already discreetly confirmed on his way here that he was being monitored.
"Your question?"
Hanami's tone carried a hint of confusion.
"What is it? About the operation? Didn't we already say you wouldn't be involved?"
"No, I have no questions about the operation."
Mechamaru coldly dismissed Hanami's assumption.
"I just want to ask—it's been months since Mahito was captured. Are you absolutely sure he's still alive?"
Is he getting suspicious?
Hanami tensed slightly, her guard rising.
Until now, they had relied on Mahito's cursed technique to heal Mechamaru and maintain their binding vow, keeping Kokichi Muta obedient.
If it were confirmed that Mahito couldn't be rescued—or worse, if he had already died—their binding vow with Kokichi would inevitably dissolve.
At that point, he would undoubtedly break the contract, rendering their spy within the school useless!
The bonds formed with others cannot be easily dissolved, or one might face unforeseen retribution at any moment. However, if the conditions that formed the bond cease to exist—especially if the one who established the bond is gone—then breaking it would incur no adverse effects.
Kokichi Muta had formed a bond with Mahito, but now Mahito was gone—vanished for nearly half a year. Anyone would eventually lose patience and assume Mahito was dead. That was only natural.
But.
Even Hanami herself didn't know the answer to this question.
"Mahito is still alive"—that was what Suguru had told them.
They had been striving to rescue Mahito ever since.
But was Mahito truly alive?
Who could provide proof of that?
No one could!
Not even Suguru himself.
Hanami and Jogo had been laboring for nothing more than a fleeting possibility.
They simply refused to give up on saving Mahito.
"Of course he's alive, and we will definitely rescue him!"
Hanami's voice was resolute.
Or rather, brimming with the unwavering conviction that "we will save him no matter what."
Mahito was their precious comrade—they would never abandon him.
Moreover, to reassure Kokichi Muta, she had to project this unshakable confidence that Mahito would be saved.
"Rescue him?"
Mechamaru, however, responded with a derisive sneer, his disbelief evident.
"It's been five months already. What have you accomplished? What have you achieved? Nothing, right? You haven't even managed to locate where Mahito is now, let alone rescue him."
"..."
Hanami clenched her fists, left speechless.
Had Suguru been here, he would have at least claimed to have leads on Mahito's whereabouts—anything to placate Muta. For a centuries-old curse, lying was trivial.
But Hanami couldn't do it.
Her nature was too honest; she couldn't bring herself to act against her principles.
She prided herself as nature's envoy, and her moral purity made her despise deceit. She loathed dishonesty, as it made her feel no different from those duplicitous, repulsive humans who spoke one thing and did another.
"This curse... is actually this honest? Compared to Mahito, she's practically a saint."
Mechamaru observed Hanami's silence, and even as a soon-to-be enemy, he couldn't help but admire her integrity.
But alas, they were destined to be adversaries.
So he wouldn't show the slightest mercy.
"Let me be blunt—I no longer trust you."
Mechamaru's voice carried the urgency of a fire alarm, laced with palpable danger, causing Hanami's expression to shift instantly.
"Moreover, I no longer need Mahito. I've found another way to heal myself. There's no reason for me to keep cooperating with you or providing you with intel!"
Until now, to cure his own body, Mechamaru had supplied Mahito and his allies with vast amounts of intelligence.
Using mechanical puppets as small as flies, amplified by the immense range granted by his Heavenly Restriction, he could deploy them across all of Japan, surveilling every jujutsu sorcerer in the country.
It was precisely this terrifying surveillance capability that earned him the favor of Kenjaku and Mahito.
But the intelligence he provided had led to countless sorcerers being targeted, many encountering unexpected dangers because of him.
Kokichi Muta was not a cold-blooded person.
He simply cared more about himself than others, and more about those close to him than strangers.
Knowing that other sorcerers were endangered because of him couldn't leave his heart entirely unmoved.
Call it hypocrisy, call it false righteousness—he accepted it all, because he had indeed done those things.
"Wait, your body should only be treatable by Mahito. No one else could possibly—"
"From today onward, I no longer need to make deals with you!"
Mechamaru ignored Hanami's attempts to placate him, leaping backward abruptly.
The puppet's mouth suddenly opened, revealing a slender cannon barrel.
"Grand Exorcism Cannon!"
Cursed energy condensed at the barrel's tip before erupting in a violent beam of light, blasting straight toward Hanami!
Hanami swatted the cursed energy blast apart with a single slap.
But in that moment, Mechamaru had already dashed into the forest.
"Stop, Kokichi Muta! You might have been deceived—"
Hanami immediately gave chase, calling out urgently to try and stop him.
Kokichi Muta's intelligence-gathering abilities were crucial to them—they couldn't afford to lose him!
Besides, aside from Mahito, who was born from humanity's fear of itself and could freely reshape souls, who else could possibly cure a Heavenly Restriction?
Throughout all of history, no healing technique had ever emerged. Even if someone's Reverse Cursed Technique was advanced enough to heal others—like Jujutsu High's Shoko Ieiri—reattaching a severed arm was the limit. Something like a bisected torso was beyond saving, let alone a Heavenly Restriction!
Hanami pursued Mechamaru deeper into the forest.
Ahead lay Tengen's barrier, which could detect cursed energy and block cursed spirits. But Hanami was a nature spirit-type curse, capable of slipping through the barrier undetected.
But just then—
"Yo!"
A figure suddenly appeared as if teleporting, rushing toward them from afar.
A palm pressed against Hanami's chest.
"Long time no see!"
Hanami's vision blurred as a white-haired, red-eyed youth materialized before her. Instantly, her scalp prickled, a chill shooting up from her soles to her temples.
She immediately halted, trying to retreat.
"You're as lively as ever! That makes me happy!"
The white-haired boy wore a delighted grin.
At the same time, the palm against Hanami's chest released a burst of force.
Despite the minimal movement, Hanami suddenly felt an overwhelming, violent power erupt from that hand.
It was like being hit by a speeding train—her body was sent flying uncontrollably like a cannonball. The world spun, wind roared in her ears, and before she knew it, she had crashed through countless trees, skidding across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Amid the billowing dust—
Hanami felt her entire body tremble violently, her nerves seemingly paralyzed by that single strike.
She immediately channeled cursed energy through her body, suppressing the numbness.
"Why is he here?!"
Her mind was flooded with this question in an instant.
She hadn't even infiltrated the barrier yet.
Even if she had entered the barrier, given her nature, she shouldn't have alerted anyone!
How could this guy appear here? Did he know about this in advance?
"Kokichi, you go back first. Whether you continue with the team battle or turn yourself in is up to you."
From the other side of the thick smoke came that guy's composed voice.
As if he had already completely made up his mind about him.
"I'll turn myself in."
Kokichi gave this answer, then bypassed the forest where the team battle was taking place and headed toward the Jujutsu High buildings.
"...Did that human betray us?"
Hanami rose from the ground again, her heart filled with the anger of being deceived.
"Did he deliberately lure me here just to kill me at the foot of the mountain?"
She had come with a mission.
Prepared thoroughly.
She thought this time she would surely succeed—not only retrieve Sukuna's finger but also rescue Mahito.
Yet, who would have thought the plan would collapse halfway right from the start?
Not even a chance to act!
The pent-up fury had nowhere to vent.
"After all, the exchange event is happening on the mountain right now."
"My students are giving their all to win this match, to prove their efforts over the past two months, to elevate their own worth, and even hoping to show off to me!"
Roy emerged from the smoke, wearing a face full of manic laughter.
"Such a wonderful event—how could I let you disrupt it so unreasonably?"