"I want to talk to you."
Miko sat up and spoke seriously.
"Fine, what do you want to talk about?"
Miko picked up the finger, sat cross-legged on the bed, and stared blankly at her toes.
Her rounded toes curled and uncurled.
"Sorry, but it's hard for me to believe what you say."
Akuto let out a helpless sigh.
Stalemating like this wasn't a solution; he had to compromise a little.
"I can establish a Binding Vow with you—specifically, a vow that makes it impossible to lie."
"Eh? Is there such an ability?" Miko was surprised by this.
"How amazing."
Akuto glanced at Miko. He hadn't realized she had an airheaded side, though thinking back to her behavior in the original work, she really was quite dazed at times.
"Okay, please do it."
Inside the sealed space, Akuto formed a hand seal.
"A Binding Vow is about gaining something at the cost of something disadvantageous to yourself. For example, I can establish a vow with the price being that if I tell a lie, I will lose my ability to speak, and I won't be able to talk for an entire week."
"And to verify its authenticity, you need to establish it with me."
"Now, let's begin."
"I will chant the incantation, and you need to repeat the words I just said."
As soon as Akuto finished speaking, Miko suddenly felt herself surrounded by a strange power.
As Akuto began chanting the bizarre incantation, Miko spoke uncontrollably.
"I establish a contract with Akuto/Yotsuya Miko, at the cost of being unable to speak for the next week if I tell a lie within the next hour."
Miko saw blue chains connecting her and the finger.
"It's done. You can try lying."
Miko immediately spoke:
"I am a bo..."
In the next moment, Miko felt as if her mouth had been firmly glued shut; she couldn't open it at all.
Miko finally believed him and nodded, but she still asked cautiously.
"May I ask if you can break this kind of Binding Vow?"
"I can."
Akuto's words gave Miko a start.
"However, if I break it, I won't be able to speak for the next week. The price of a Binding Vow must be endured, and even I am no exception."
Miko finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then, please take care of me."
"Excuse me, Mr. Finger..."
"My name is Akuto, brat. Stop calling me Mr. Finger."
Akuto was getting a bit impatient.
"Um, my name is Yotsuya Miko, not 'brat'."
"Mr. Akuto, may I ask why you took an interest in me?"
"Because you can see me."
Miko pursed her lips. The answer was technically correct, but it felt like he had said everything and nothing at the same time.
"Then... who are you?"
Akuto grinned, revealing a wicked smile:
"The King of Curses."
"Is that not a lie..."
Miko's eyes flickered.
"Are you very strong?"
"Of course I'm strong."
"Then how old are you, Mr. Akuto?"
Akuto was about to speak, only to find that he couldn't open his mouth at all.
'So I can only state my actual age... after all, I'm not really Ryomen Sukuna.'
Thinking of this, Akuto slowly leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and curled his lips into a smirk.
"I refuse to answer."
Miko choked. She suddenly realized there was a huge bug in this Binding Vow—the other party couldn't lie, but that didn't mean they had to answer.
"I was still tricked."
"Since you are the King of Curses, you should be very strong. Why did you end up like this?"
"What I mean is, if you could be sealed, does that mean there are even more powerful Exorcists in this world?"
Akuto frowned, but this question wasn't impossible to answer.
Miko's goal was obvious; she was still looking for a way to solve her problem without eating the finger.
But obviously, such a method didn't exist.
As for the answer.
While playing Sukuna, Akuto had also gained some of Sukuna's memories.
There was another bug in the Binding Vow that Miko hadn't noticed: when she asked 'you' how you were, she wasn't necessarily asking Akuto.
Because at this moment, Akuto could be both Ryomen Sukuna and Akuto.
If the other party added the name Akuto, then Akuto wouldn't be able to answer; he couldn't tell anyone about the system.
Just as Akuto was about to speak, the doorknob to Miko's room was suddenly turned.
However, the door was locked, and the person outside couldn't get in.
"Sister, why did you lock the door?"
"Who are you talking to?"
Akuto let out a cold laugh.
"A family without a man really won't do. The brat you've raised has no manners at all. Entering someone else's room without knocking first, just twisting the knob."
"If it were me, this brat would already be dead."
Miko's expression didn't look very good upon hearing this.
She couldn't refute it.
This younger brother was indeed spoiled a bit excessively.
Miko opened the door and looked at Kyosuke expressionlessly.
"Sister, you..."
"Mother and I have indeed spoiled you too much. Don't you know you're supposed to knock before entering?"
"Who taught you to just open the door?"
Kyosuke had never seen his sister so fierce. After a second of being stunned, his eyes filled with tears.
"I... I..."
Miko's heart softened after all, and she patted Kyosuke's head.
"You must knock before entering anyone's room."
With that, Miko took the finger from the bed, walked to the door, and put on a jacket:
"I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back soon."
Before Mrs. Yotsuya could stop her, the front door had already closed.
Arriving at a park not far from the Yotsuya house, Miko sat on a park bench and said softly.
"Mr. Akuto, please continue."
Akuto scratched his sideburns and looked into the distance with an indifferent expression.
"Human life is fragile and brief."
"I was once the strongest Curse User, and no one existed who could kill me. I became like this by my own doing."
Miko's pupils shrank as she looked at the finger in her hand in shock.
This time, Miko was silent for a long while before asking her sixth question:
"Mr. Akuto, is there anyone or any evil spirit in this world capable of killing you, and are there powerful Exorcists in this world?"
Akuto scoffed.
"Kill me? No one can kill the King of Curses."
"As for Exorcists, they're all just trash who can't even save themselves."
"That doesn't make sense."
Miko shook her head.
"You said you turned yourself into this for the sake of battle, which means there were people capable of fighting you, the self-proclaimed King of Curses."
"It's impossible for those people to have left nothing behind."
"Quite clever."
Akuto showed an inscrutable smile, "But you've overlooked one thing."
"I never said I was from this world."
Miko froze, her pupils trembling violently. Just as she was about to ask more, Akuto spoke without hesitation.
"Alright, next question."
No matter how unwilling she was, Miko could only give up. After all, Akuto could refuse to answer, and there was no point in asking about things he didn't want to say.
"Can I become an Exorcist?"
Miko looked at the finger hopefully. If it were possible, she wouldn't eat the finger no matter what.
Even if it were difficult, it would be worth it.
But Akuto's answer ruthlessly shattered her fantasy.
"No, you don't have the talent. You just have a pair of eyes that can see, but in terms of talent, you're not even as good as that big-breasted idiot."
Miko's eyes lit up.
"Then Hana..."
"I refuse to answer. Next question."
Akuto wasn't planning on doing charity or looking for trouble at this critical juncture.
"Then, the last two questions."
Miko's gaze was deep, "What will happen to me if I eat the finger? Will I die? What is your purpose in having me eat you?"
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