Outside the alley was a bustling street, but the inside and outside seemed to be separated into two worlds, ignored by everyone.
Even if someone glanced inside by accident, they would hurry away, afraid of bringing trouble upon themselves.
This was because, inside the dim alley, two fierce-looking men were leaning against the walls, smoking, creating a very serious atmosphere.
"Click." The crisp sound of a lighter cap echoed.
A flash of fire lit up inside the alley, illuminating the faces of the two men.
"Toji, has your brain gone bad recently?"
The tall, thin man with short black hair on the left was wearing a gray suit, a rather charming middle-aged uncle.
He seemed especially familiar with Fushiguro Toji, daring to call the name of the renowned Heavenly Restraints Tyrant of the Jujutsu World directly, and even daring to ask if his brain had gone bad.
Because his name was Kong Shiyu.
In a sense, Fushiguro Toji relied on him for work.
His role was similar to Fushiguro Toji's agent; normally, this Sorcerer Killer adult would contact him when taking on a job.
Therefore, the two were extremely familiar.
Originally, Kong Shiyu came as a middleman, upholding the principle of responsibility to the client, to check on how Fushiguro Toji was progressing with the mission.
But who would have thought he would learn such news?
A hint of helplessness appeared on Kong Shiyu's solemn face. He took a deep drag from his cigarette and slowly blew out a few smoke rings.
He threw the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it fiercely.
"Making a joke like that, it's not like you at all."
He looked at Fushiguro Toji before him and said in a strange tone, "You said you'd quit after finishing this job."
"No choice, people always change."
Fushiguro Toji showed no dissatisfaction at being told he had brain problems; he just spread his hands out to the side, looking completely helpless.
"I'm tired of this line of work."
Since the black-hearted Boss was no longer exploiting Fushiguro Toji, he had some savings.
Having money = no need to take jobs = retirement.
However, this was only part of the reason.
"Are you serious?"
Kong Shiyu raised his head and looked at Fushiguro Toji, but the other party didn't answer, merely gesturing for Kong Shiyu to look toward the corner, near the alley entrance.
"You—" When he saw the two small heads that quickly retracted like lightning from the corner after Fushiguro Toji turned his head—they were clearly eavesdropping—Kong Shiyu immediately understood the reason for Fushiguro Toji's retirement.
"Hahahaha." Fushiguro Toji found his old friend's shocked, wide-mouthed expression hilarious and patted his shoulder.
"What is that expression?" "You scared me."
Kong Shiyu recovered from his brief shock and rolled his eyes at Fushiguro Toji.
He then tugged at the tie around his throat, loosening it slightly.
Breathing easily now, Kong Shiyu understood why children's voices occasionally and inexplicably appeared when he called Fushiguro Toji.
Also, since it was daytime, Kong Shiyu should have gone long ago to the racetrack to ambush Fushiguro Toji, that old gambling dog.
That's exactly what Kong Shiyu did; he only called Fushiguro Toji after arriving at the racetrack parking lot.
But Fushiguro Toji, that bastard, suddenly told him he wasn't there, leaving him empty-handed.
He told Kong Shiyu to wait in an alley 100 meters away on such-and-such a road, and to call him upon arrival.
If Kong Shiyu remembered correctly, he had just caught a glimpse of a family restaurant in his peripheral vision, only a hundred meters away in a straight line.
All the clues converged. Even if it seemed impossible, it was reality.
Subsequently, Kong Shiyu stopped questioning Fushiguro Toji. He chuckled, shrugged his shoulders, and showed a relieved smile.
Well, well. It turned out he had found the missing piece of his humanity.
"I see. I understand."
It seemed Kong Shiyu and Fushiguro Toji would have no further dealings after this job.
This was normal; he had been in the business for almost thirty years, and over a dozen assassins had died while working under him as a middleman.
"Money is hard to earn, and sh*t is hard to swallow."
Especially since this line of work meant risking one's life, it was a good thing for Fushiguro Toji, who had enemies everywhere, to settle down early.
"I advise you to act quickly, or else a competitor might kill the target first.
Before Kong Shiyu walked past Fushiguro Toji and left the alley, he didn't forget to remind him, "You won't get the final payment."
For his last words, Kong Shiyu turned his head, smiled at Fushiguro Toji, and said, "Shouldn't you be saving more money right now?"
"Dad Killer."
Hearing the teasing in Kong Shiyu's tone, Fushiguro Toji let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"And also, they won't."
Although wealth moves hearts, it would be impossible for those pieces of trash outside to complete the mission, even if given another hundred years.
After all, that was Fushiguro Toji's Boss, the man who had completely liberated him from the paradox of the Zenin Family.
What was the Zenin Family compared to the much stronger backer Fushiguro Toji had found?
Megumi and Tsumiki's futures could now be controlled by themselves.
"Megumi?" As Kong Shiyu walked out of the alley entrance, he immediately saw a boy standing defensively in front of another young girl, instantly reminding him of the child Fushiguro Toji had with his ex-wife.
"It's Toji's kid. That bratty look couldn't be more similar."
He smiled and shook his head, glanced once, and then looked away, getting into his car and leaving without looking back.
"What are you doing out here? Didn't I order two more set meals? What if the waiter clears them away while you're gone?"
"How are we supposed to know, you bastard Dad? You suddenly walked out. Were you trying to disappear again?"
Kong Shiyu saw the angry Fushiguro Toji bending down to scold his two children in the rearview mirror, and the sight of the agitated Megumi talking back without backing down made the corner of his mouth curl up slightly.
"They really are a family."
Meanwhile, on the other side, the huge presidential suite was bustling with activity.
"No! Get this horrible thing off me!"
Bynael, the strongest combatant of the Curse User Group Q, was letting out a mournful shriek.
"Ugh—" Because a grotesque Cursed Spirit, whose appearance easily triggered physical discomfort, had swallowed Bynael.
His entire body was surrounded by cold, slippery sensations, with only his head sticking out. The problem was that the disgusting monster kept licking his face.
Suguru Geto, sitting on the sofa, ignored the noise and continued elegantly sipping his black tea, as if the screams were background music for his tea time.
"Geto, don't turn him into an idiot."
Kenmyo wasn't a garbage collector who accepted any and every useless thing. Creating an idiot was definitely unnecessary.
"I still need to absorb him later," Kenmyo reminded him while applying an ice pack to Gojo Satoru.
"Alright." Suguru Geto subconsciously agreed upon hearing Kenmyo's words.
But realizing it felt strange, Suguru Geto felt a strange sense of familiarity upon hearing that phrase.
After a moment's thought, wasn't that what he usually said to Satoru?
If Suguru Geto's was Cursed Spirit Manipulation, then Kenmyo's was Cursed Human Manipulation.
As long as they were absorbed by Kenmyo, whether they were Curse Users or Jujutsu Sorcerer, they would be used by him.
[Anyone with lower Cursed Energy than Kenmyo can be absorbed directly.] Kenmyo simply plagiarized Suguru Geto's rules.
Suguru Geto replied, "I know."
This Cursed Technique actually sounded quite evil, so Kenmyo asked the two of them not to speak of it outside.
Otherwise, all Jujutsu Sorcerer would know overnight that the "Public Enemy of Jujutsu Sorcerer" had been born, and they would never sleep soundly again.
The justice-minded Suguru Geto wasn't absolute; he would occasionally violate his own principles and give a few people the green light.
"Ow, ow." Gojo Satoru had a very clear red mark on his face; half of it was bright red. It was hard to believe he had been slapped by a young girl.
Looking at his miserable state, Kenmyo found it slightly amusing.
It could only be said that being chosen as a Star Plasma Vessel was truly unique; without using Cursed Energy, she cleanly broke through Limitless and directly affected Gojo Satoru's body—no one else could do that.
"It's because you don't look like a good person."
Riko Amanai, sitting on the opposite sofa, put down the bread in her hand and let out a cold snort.
"Appearing suddenly in front of me, it's perfectly normal to be hit."
After Kenmyo's explanation, Riko Amanai understood.
With the guarantee of the handsome boy she first saw when she opened her eyes, she accepted the others.
Riko Amanai reluctantly included the other two—one who looked a bit chilling and one with strange hair—among the good people.
But honestly, she still felt that the two men dressed in black didn't look like good people.
One had dyed white hair like a street racer, and the other had a smiling, deceitful face with strange bangs on his forehead; they were both highly suspicious and sneaky individuals.
"However, I am still grateful that you saved me."
Riko Amanai said to the people before her, giving Gojo Satoru a glare.
"Otherwise, the mere fact that you startled me would be enough for me to slice you into ten thousand pieces."
"What? This arrogant woman."
Gojo Satoru was already angry about being slapped for no reason, and Riko Amanai's words made him even angrier.
When had the dignified young master of the Gojo Family ever suffered such humiliation?
It was only because Suguru Geto and Kenmyo held him down together that he didn't do anything excessive.
"Be grateful. I am Lord Tengen."
"Who knows how many people haven't met Lord Tengen? I can let you see what Lord Tengen will look like in the future ahead of time."
"No, we've met Lord Tengen."
"And just like you, she's a very troublesome woman with a terrible personality."
Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru were both fortunate, thanks to Kenmyo, to have met Tengen, who was as elusive as a phantom dragon.
They figured out that the reason this person was chosen as a Star Plasma Vessel was probably because their personalities were so similar.
"Insolent wretches!" "How dare you be so presumptuous toward Lord Tengen."
Riko Amanai grew angry upon hearing Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru speak ill of Tengen, acting as if she herself had been insulted.
"Mere mortals, daring to question a deity."
They had gone through so much trouble to retrieve her from the Curse Users, and yet she treated them like this—it was simply outrageous.
Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru exchanged glances. A golden light flashed in their eyes; these two were about to commit an offense.
"Kenmyo, let's each take one foot and lift her up."
Before long, Riko Amanai's loud screams echoed in the room.
"Stop! My back is going to break."
The synchronized Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru grabbed Riko's arms and legs respectively, pulling frantically toward the left and right ends, as if trying to twist her into a pretzel.
"Stop!!! How dare you treat me like this! This is sacrilege!!!"
"Insolent wretches!" Riko shouted loudly while seeking help from the other person, Kenmyo, who looked like an amused bystander enjoying the show.
But Kenmyo calmly sipped his black tea, looking completely relaxed.
When he started getting busy, he just watched everything indifferently.
Until a knock came at the door, and then the guards outside pushed the door open and ushered someone in.
"Miss?" The door opened, and not far away, a woman riding something that looked like a small calf staggered toward the three of them, her face full of worry.
Only after seeing the lively Riko Amanai did the woman finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"That's wonderful, Miss is alright."
When the three people in the room noticed the newcomer, Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru released their grip on Riko Amanai.
With a "splat," Riko Amanai fell directly onto the ground, wearing a pained expression.
Lying on the ground, her first reaction upon seeing her maid was happiness.
"Kuroi?" But then she saw the maid enter riding a small calf, which felt very strange.
What was this thing?
"This is..." Kuroi Misato pointed at Suguru Geto and explained, "The Cursed Technique of that strange bangs gentleman."
"Could you please stop calling me that?" Suguru Geto's smile was starting to falter.
Gojo Satoru, looking smug, elbowed him and muttered, "Strange bangs..."
"But she's just a child," Suguru Geto muttered to himself, watching Riko Amanai excitedly petting the calf Cursed Spirit on its head.
"And a little girl like this is actually going to be the sacrifice."
As a tool for an ancient monster, who had lived for countless years, to prolong its life.
Suguru Geto's great cause, "the correct era," was subtly beginning to waver.
Everyone knew that in basically no time at all, the person before them would become the vessel for another existence of noble status.
Moreover, once assimilation began, the three of them would become the executioners who personally disposed of Tengen.
"Is this truly the right thing to do?"
"Who knows." Gojo Satoru's sense of right and wrong was originally based on Suguru Geto, and now Kenmyo had been added to the mix.
He glanced at the screensaver of the popular female celebrity on his phone and said carelessly, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Although Kenmyo already had the optimal solution in mind, it was too shocking to the world.
Saying it now would be useless; it was better to enact the plan when the ritual began.
"Hmm?" Kenmyo suddenly saw Riko Amanai looking very happy and felt confused.
"What's wrong with this girl?"
"I want to go to school!" Riko Amanai said expectantly.
"With the three of them protecting me, I should be able to go to school now."