Before Akuto could react, a feeling of powerlessness welled up from within his body.
It was a sensation like being a rootless weed, as if his feet couldn't touch the ground and he couldn't exert any strength.
In the next moment, the incantations faded, and the second pair of eyes beneath his eyes slowly closed.
Miko's expression returned once more to her original poker face.
Except for an uncontrollable flush that appeared on her face, which quickly vanished.
She glanced back at the corpse in the distance, picked up her phone to think for a moment, then put it back down.
Screams erupted one after another outside the alley; it seemed someone had already called the police.
"Blargh!"
Miko had still overestimated her own mental resilience.
Seeing someone die and seeing a corpse were completely different concepts. She had only taken two steps when she suddenly bent over and vomited with a loud retch.
By the time Miko returned home, her face was pale and her footsteps were unsteady.
She looked as if she didn't have long to live.
"Miko, you're finally back!"
"Do you know how worried Mommy was? I just saw the news saying someone was killed in the street and the thug is still at large!"
Miko was pulled into Mrs. Yotsuya's embrace.
Not far away, the Benevolent Spirit of Miko's father was watching his daughter as if facing a formidable enemy.
It could feel that his daughter was completely different.
An aura emanated from her body that made him tremble.
"I... I'm fine. I'm going back to my room first."
After saying that, Miko quickly returned to her room and double-locked the door, sitting on the floor and gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, within Miko's mental space.
This place had already transformed into a sealed space.
Akuto's face was filled with fury.
"Why did it turn out like this? Don't tell me Kenjaku came here and modified Miko!"
He had finally gained his freedom.
Who knew it was just a trial card!
Actually, even without the system's answer, Akuto felt it—there was a golden energy on Miko's body protecting her consciousness from falling into a deep sleep.
Normally, the moment Akuto woke up, Miko's consciousness would either be crushed or fall into a permanent slumber.
He didn't expect there to be a power protecting her.
Akuto quickly calmed down.
The situation is different now.
Logically, Akuto was now Sukuna, and consuming fingers would make Akuto's power grow stronger and stronger.
And this would be devastating for Miko.
Even if Miko could survive consuming the first finger, her consciousness would still be squeezed and shattered when the second and third were consumed.
She would completely become a vessel for incarnation.
But now Miko had the power to protect her.
With Akuto's current power, it was unshakable.
So, Miko should be able to withstand consuming a few fingers.
This provided a basis for cooperation.
After all, Akuto was only playing the role of Sukuna, not the real Sukuna.
Although Sukuna's memories gave Akuto certain characteristics of Sukuna, Akuto still chose to preserve his own self.
Otherwise, he would become a vessel for Sukuna's rebirth.
What difference would that be from being possessed?
And although Sukuna and Akuto were similar in behavior—equally irritable, equally domineering—
There was one fundamental difference between the two: Akuto would always consider himself a human.
Sukuna, however, didn't view himself as human at all.
So, the first reaction in Akuto's mind was to try every means and use every scheme to kill Miko.
But this thought was quickly suppressed by Akuto.
Akuto's goals were power, fighting against the strong, and being unfettered.
Not becoming a homicidal maniac.
"Hey kid, let's talk."
Having thought through the key points, Akuto's low voice echoed in Miko's mind.
Before Miko could answer, her vision blurred in the next moment, and she appeared in a completely unfamiliar environment.
It was scarlet everywhere, the air was thick with the scent of blood, and there seemed to be a thin layer of water on the ground.
But looking closely—
It was blood!
It was all blood!
Miko looked up; atop a high platform made of skeletons, Akuto sat on a throne, one hand propping up his head and one leg resting on the seat.
He looked down at Miko from his slanted sitting position with a disdainful gaze.
"Oh no... I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed..."
"He's not going to kill me, is he..."
Miko didn't notice at all that her body was emitting a golden light; even if she had, she wouldn't have known what it represented.
"Your head is held too high."
As soon as Akuto's words fell, Miko's body immediately went limp and she knelt down.
She remembered very clearly that the reason Akuto killed that person just now... was because their head was held too high.
Akuto grinned, then looked at his fingers with some helplessness.
"We said before that three things could happen if you ate a finger."
"Now, a fourth situation has appeared."
"You didn't die, you didn't fall asleep, and you can even fight me for control of the body."
"This makes me very annoyed!"
Miko reacted purely out of instinct, prostrating herself
"Sorry!!"
However, after the initial fear, Miko also quickly calmed down.
Miko recalled all her memories concerning Akuto.
Whenever Akuto encountered a problem that was difficult to handle, what was his way of dealing with it?
Without a doubt, it was to kill.
Whether it was an enemy, an innocent kitten, or a passerby who made things difficult for him.
If Akuto couldn't handle it, he wanted to kill it.
Then why wasn't she dead?
Miko looked at her hands, which were emitting a faint golden light:
"Is it because he doesn't want to kill me after spending some time together?"
"Or am I still useful?"
"No, that's not it."
Miko recalled Akuto's wild joy when he gained freedom; that wasn't faked. So her life clearly didn't carry that much weight in front of Akuto.
Then there were two possibilities for why she wasn't dead.
One, Akuto cannot kill her.
Two, Akuto would have to pay a price to kill her.
Thinking of this, Miko felt much more at ease. She raised her head and sat on her knees on the ground.
"Is Mr. Finger unable to kill me?"
Akuto raised an eyebrow, not too surprised that Miko could guess:
"What? Are you going to threaten me?"
Miko shook her head:
"No, I wouldn't dare."
"Since things have developed this way, I think we can cooperate. I need to attend classes during the day, so I hope I can be the one to control the body."
"And leave the night to Mr. Finger. What do you think?"
It was only now that Miko saw Akuto's face for the first time.
He was very young, not much older than she, with short pink hair and a face covered in cursed seals.
He had a tall build. If not for those cursed seals and that aggressive smile, he would look like a perfectly sunny young man.
Akuto had transmigrated while cosplaying as Sukuna, and since his appearance was similar, he looked about seventy percent like Itadori.
Right now, that handsome face was full of impatience.
In the next moment, Miko saw Akuto suddenly appear in front of her. With one hand in his pocket, he leaned down and pinched Miko's chin with the other:
"What a pain..."
"Kid, since you've already thought it through, let's do that."
"Unlike before, I can now see everything you see through your perspective, even your feelings."
"So you'd better not cause me any trouble."
"In a way..." Akuto grinned, then turned and walked toward the throne:
"You're considered one of my people now."
Two spots of crimson climbed onto Miko's cheeks.
"That sounds like a confession... No, no, no, Miko, what are you thinking? This is a demon who wants to kill you..."
Miko quickly adjusted her stance.
"Then I have one last request."
"Please try not to let the people around me notice, especially my parents and my younger brother."
Miko looked up and saw Akuto's face full of reluctance, but he still squeezed a sound out of his nose.
"Hmph. Now get lost."
When Miko opened her eyes again, she was back in her own room.