Yuki Tsukumo.
She is a Special Grade sorcerer, but also a Star Plasma Vessel similar to the young Riko Amanai.
Jin doesn't remember the entire story of the Jujutsu Kaisen universe by heart, but Riko should be three years younger than Satoru Gojo during Toji's attack.
Knowing that Gojo died at 28 or 29 years old and met Yuji at the age of 15, Jin assumes there's no point in targeting Yuki to prevent Tengen's merger.
Why? Quite simply because Riko's parent should already be dead at this point in time.
This situation had placed the young girl entirely under Tengen's control, as she had been raised solely by a governess in the service of the Barrier Master.
Logically, Tengen has no need for Yuki Tsukumo, and the latter had shown a certain reluctance to merge with him.
'Gojo is currently 12 or 13 years old, so Yuki should be a teenager,' he analyzed while recalling Yuki's appearance during her first meeting with Todo and Geto.
Jin estimated the teenager's age in the photo at around 17 years old.
"If you're scared, I can look for another contract," Gong declared after seeing Jin's reaction.
Hearing him, Jin shook his head to refute Gong's assumption that he was afraid of the mission's difficulty.
"The problem isn't eliminating the Star Plasma Vessel, but figuring out who commissioned this job," Jin replied in a calm tone.
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious this job posted on the black market seemed to him.
There was literally no reason to eliminate Yuki, based on his knowledge. Especially with such a flimsy excuse.
'Wait a minute… Is Riko's existence known to the public?' he wondered inwardly before turning his attention toward Gong beside him.
"Do you think there's another Star Plasma Vessel besides this one?" he said, pointing at Yuki's photo.
Gong simply shrugged before giving his opinion:
"Who knows…" He took a drag. "Star Plasma Vessels aren't exactly common, as far as I know. And the bounty isn't unique."
He pulled out another anonymous listing.
If the first bounty had been posted by the sect orbiting around Tengen, the second one also offered a substantial sum for Yuki's head.
"I don't know why, but this girl seems to be targeted by someone… or by some influential people," Gong continued before crushing the rest of his cigarette on the ground.
Jin nodded calmly. Gong's words confirmed his suspicions.
There was information manipulation.
Someone wanted Yuki dead but didn't dare appear in the open and preferred using a third party to do the dirty work.
A situation strangely similar to Toji's, who had baited curse users to eliminate an "obstacle."
"I never thought I'd say this, but Satoru Gojo was right about the people running the supernatural," Jin muttered while mentally connecting the important dots.
Gong looked at Jin in confusion. The middle-aged man was perplexed by his collaborator's remark.
However, Jin signaled him not to worry about that detail.
Even if he shared his hypothesis with Gong, Jin wouldn't be able to explain where his knowledge of Riko's existence came from.
Moreover, it would be impossible for him to detail his doubts regarding the anonymous client's intentions and the real reasons behind their desire to eliminate the target.
After all, Jin couldn't simply tell Gong that a high-ranking individual wanted Yuki dead out of fear of her potential.
The detective would likely take him for a conspiracy theorist.
"So, when are you going to take action?" Gong asked while watching Jin slip the document into his jacket pocket.
Jin thought for a short moment before shaking his head.
"I'm not accepting the request for now. However, I'm curious about this matter," he replied.
Gong looked at him in disbelief for a moment before quickly regaining control of his expression.
"Do I need to remind you that you're broke?" he insisted, staring at the irresponsible father.
Jin simply nodded, then stood up to leave the park.
"Indeed. But nothing stops me from accepting this request later or taking on other jobs while satisfying my curiosity, right?" he replied while taking Nayuta's hand to leave.
Watching him walk away, Gong pulled out a flask filled with alcohol and took a long swig.
"It's really hard to work with people who don't understand the principle of communication…" he muttered while staring at Jin's back growing more distant.
…
"Father, were you scared?" Nayuta asked after settling into the back seat of the vehicle.
Jin froze for a brief moment, then let out a small sigh of exhaustion.
"Why do you say that?" he replied, glancing in the rearview mirror at his daughter's golden eyes.
Nayuta avoided her father's gaze and stared at the playground through the car window, but still spoke:
"Your heartbeat accelerated abnormally after seeing that woman's photo… Is she that strong?" she asked without any expression on her face.
If Nayuta's voice hadn't carried that small innocent tone, Jin would have thought he was being interrogated by an overly intrusive psychologist.
"So you were able to notice that change in me from that distance?" he said, sketching a small smile of pride toward Nayuta.
The little girl remained stone-faced in the face of Jin's attempt to flatter her ego to change the subject.
Jin's smile shifted from pride to bitterness because his little plan failed due to his daughter's intellect. He therefore decided to answer honestly.
"Honestly, a little," he said openly, hiding nothing.
Nayuta's eyes widened slightly after hearing her father's words. However, Jin didn't regret admitting his doubts to his creation.
Yuki was too strong.
Even if the contract involved information manipulation, the bounty on Yuki's head remained very real.
If Jin completed either request, he would be set for a long time. So why hadn't he accepted it?
Lack of confidence.
Jin doubted he could perfectly assassinate Yuki with his current strength after reanalyzing his knowledge of the woman's innate technique.
On one side, a jack-of-all-trades and master of none; on the other, a high destructive power.
Jin speculated that Yuki could have defeated The Smallpox Deity in a single blow, unlike him. Even if this version of Yuki was a teenager.
"But then… why did you take the documents? Didn't you think you could lose in a fight?" Nayuta questioned with childish curiosity.
Jin started the car engine after sending a message to Kenjaku regarding his training.
He wanted to advance their program.
"Nah, I'd win," Jin replied reflexively after seeing Kenjaku's response about the training.
[Come to ##### at dusk]