November 18th, 2018, Tokyo #1 colony

  “You have entered Tokyo's number one colony.”

  “How… utterly boring.”

  Walking through the opaque barrier, Shinji was greeted with the sight of more abandoned buildings. He had been running at full speed since yesterday to get here. Not having much time to appreciate the sights on the way, he didn’t find any particular enjoyment in looking at the same thing he had seen in Nagoya. On the way here he ran through some towns that were functional but didn’t stop to greet any of the people their. It was likely they were all non-sorcerers, and he didn’t find it probable that they’d be well suited for his goals of friendship.

  Walking a few feet forward Towards a building, Shinji paused briefly before leaping on top of the thirty-foot-tall structure. It was a feat that was impossible for even a grade one sorcerer, something out of a fairy tale for an ordinary person. Of course for Shinji it was as difficult for him as climbing two steps instead of one. Observing the area from his new vantage point, he didn’t see anything of note. Just more empty buildings and streets.

  “Kogane, how many people are here?”

  With a sigh, Shinji asked the interface for the game an important question. It had completely slipped his mind to check that the colony was populated before running god knows how many miles to get here. He had never been one for meticulous planning; acting on whims or in the spur of the moment was how he tended to operate. He was grateful for possessing such a character trait. It was proof that despite the years spent learning from that devil, he was nothing like him. On second thought, maybe he wasn’t so grateful after all; his impulsive nature was proof he was his father's son.

  “Have you finished looking?”

  An annoyingly cheerful voice roused him from his thoughts. Looking to his side, the list he had requested was hanging in the air from its torso. He must have zoned out getting lost comparing qualities he had to those he hated.

  “If you compare yourself to the top, you’ll always be at the bottom. If you try to measure up to a saint, you’ll always be a sinner. If you look towards the emperor for how to lead, you’ll find yourself feeling inadequate. It’s important to understand that there’s always going to be someone better than you, Shinji. Looking towards the summit to find motivation isn’t a bad thing, but trying to emulate someone who has reached it is. No two people are alike, each containing their own stories and traits. Don’t try to be like anyone but yourself; the you you are is sure to be the person Chiyomi wants you to be more than anyone else. Stay your course; I'm sure you’ll find what you're looking for on it.”

  “No, stay there.”

  Attempting to distract himself from the unwanted memory of advice she had given that ran through his head, Shinji began looking through the list Kogane had provided. Out of the three people who had taught him nearly everything he knew, his feelings toward Uro were the most complicated. He had no doubts about the hatred he felt towards Kenjaku or his father. Uro was…

  “What in the... Kogane, how many people are in the colony, and how many have one point?”

  “There are 57 people in the colony, and 54 have one point.”

  “That's… weird. Alright then, you can leave now.”

  There were two players with 87 and 14 points respectively; other than him, they were the only ones who broke the 1-point streak. Shinji didn’t dwell on the strange circumstance that was happening inside the colony. He had a goal to find someone and make a friend, and he would see it through. Looking in front of him, the average distance between buildings seemed about sevenish feet, a distance he could clear with ease. Deciding on his course of action, he began running across the rooftops looking for anyone else.

  What do I even want in a friend anyway? If they're a jerk, I probably shouldn’t be friends with them. Should I try to find people like Sis and Asahi then? Wouldn’t that just be replacing them… Is that even possible?

  As thoughts about how he would go about finding friendship in this uncharted world ran through his head. It dawned on Shinji that he was doing it again, thinking about things that he had left behind. The life he had lived and the one he was living were different things. He had to stop letting his past dictate his actions. Everything was behind him, and he would see the world beyond those walls in full.

  The sky’s boring.

  Having been staring upwards for a minute, Amani came to a rather dull realization. He had been searching with Higiruma for a little girl for a few hours. Higiruma said he had sensed a sorcerer and told him to wait here. Ever the loyal follower, Amani complied with his request. Having gone over to a street bench and laid down with his hands behind his head. entertaining himself with counting clouds while he waited.

  Unfortunately, the sky was mostly clear, which only satiated his mind for a handful of seconds. Still, he really had no right to be complaining; being Higirumas's… “underling” was way better than working for Haba. So far, all Higiruma had asked of him was help finding people and for Amani to use his technique on him a few times. They were helping people, which felt nice. Still, he wished Higiruma wouldn’t leave him alone so much. The colony is dangerous aft--

  “Are you Mr. Higiruma's friend?”

  Startle Amani rolled off the bench and landed square on his back. Quickly scurrying away from the sound of the voice before looking to see what made it. A girl who seemed no older than ten and was looking at him rather expectantly. She was clutching onto a stuffed rabbit. A rabbit… Amani stood up from his embarrassing position before inquiring about the girl's identity.

  “Are you Sara?” The girl gave a quick nod at his question.

  “How do you know Higiruma?”

  “He told me to wait with you while he did some adult stuff.”

  Sara finished her sentence with a pout before sitting down on the bench. Setting down her bunny next to her before bringing her knees up to her chest. Crossing her arms over them before tucking in her head. Amani took a seat next to her, an idea sprouting in his head on how to cheer her up.

  “Do you like sweets, Sara?”

  “...A little.”

  “Put your hand palm up towards me and close your eyes. I’m… going to do a magic trick, and if you see me do it, it won’t work.”

  “...Ok.”

  The girl held her hand out and did as Amani had instructed. She didn’t really know what this magic trick was, but it seemed interesting. A few seconds after she closed her eyes, something slightly colder than the air fell on her hand. It was followed after by a whooshing noise. After a few dozen seconds had passed, Amani instructed her to open her eyes. After doing so, she was greeted by quite the sight.

  Resting on her hand was a rectangular sample of what looked like gelatin. Moving her hand side to side slightly, the yellow rectangle swished back and forth. Bringing it up to her face, the girl took a small bite out of one of the corners. The amber substance melted on her tongue, a pleasant taste filling her mouth as she swallowed it. Wanting more of that taste, the girl took two more aggressive bites out of the treat before it was no more. Letting out a small pout at its absence.

  “Good, right?”

  Amani smiled down on her as she ate, speaking up after she finished. Having been forgotten about during her amazement and subsequent devouring of the jello. Sara looked up at the magician who had conjured the luscious treat. Her face was messy and covered with chunks of squishy amber, eyes glittering with unrestricted joy.

  “It’s great! Can I have more?”

  “Yeah, sure ho—,” looking beyond her, Amani's eyes widened before he got up.

  “Sorry, you’ll have to wait till we get back.”

  Turning her head to see what Amani had. Sara couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Higiruma had come back and with someone else following him. He looked about the same height as Amani, probably not any older as well. The young man's presence was surprising to both of them, having expected him to return alone.

  “Higiruma, who’s that?” Amani voiced their shared concern first.

  He had assumed Higiruma would kill the player like the rest. But having another sorcerer in their group would certainly be welcomed.

  “This is—”

  “Hi! I’m Shinji; nice to meet you guys. I’m Higirumas… We are friends, right?”

  Interrupting Higiruma's planned introduction to give his own. Shinji stepped forward with his hands on his hips to proclaim his identity, smiling widely as he did so. Turning back to confirm his newfound friendship in case Higiruma didn’t consider him one.

  “...I’ve known you for two minutes, and you’re almost half my age.”

  “So we aren’t friends?”

  “... Not yet.”

  Shinji’s arms fell from his hips to his side, the cheerful smile quickly gave way to a frown. He didn’t know what exactly constituted friendship now that he had someone to be friends with. Perhaps he was jumping the gun trying to be Higiruma’s friend immediately after meeting him. Thinking back, it had taken a few days before he warmed up to Asahi and saw what Chiyomi had in him. So maybe…

  I’m doing it again.

  Shinji sighed as he brought his hand up to his face, creasing his brow as a way to vent his frustration. They were the only people in his life who he would have considered his “friends,” so it was hard for him to think about the term without them in mind. Such reasonable excuses didn’t bring Shinji any amount of relief. Not only was it unfair for him to compare Higiruma to people he would never meet. It was disrespectful to their memory if Shinji just used them as a measuring stick.

  “Shinji, let’s go.”

  Higirumas's voice roused Shinji from his thoughts. He was looking at him expectantly from a dozen or so feet in front of him. The two who had been waiting for them were walking away.

  “Alright…Where are we going again?” Running up next to him, Shinji was reminded he had no idea what their destination was.

  “There’s a supermarket I’ve been using as a base to shelter people. I’d like to get back as soon as possible.” Higiruma's strides grew longer as he talked, eager to catch up.

  “What’s the rush for?” Matching his pace with ease, Shinji asked why he was in such a hurry.

  “There shouldn’t be any players in the colony who aren’t accounted for, but cursed spirits may still be here. They aren’t registered as players so it’s impossible to know how many are here or their location. I’m the only sorcerer who can fight in the group, so without me, everyone is a sitting duck.”

  “I see… What’s the supermarket called, and how far is it ahead?”

  “It’s called Aeon, and a few miles crow's-eye northeast, why do you… What are you doing?”

  Higiruma and Shinji had managed to catch up to Amani and Sara. Only a few feet behind them and about to pass them, that was until Higiruma took pause out of surprise at Shinji’s form. Higirumas's display had led a curious Sara and Amani to turn their heads to observe what he was referring to. Who were equally surprised at what they saw.

  Shinji had lowered his body nearly flat to the ground. Both legs bent at the knee with his right foot slightly in front of his left. Arms outstretched against the ground to support him. A typical sprinter's stance, facing in the general direction Higiruma had said their destination was in.

  “Well, you said you were worried about these… ‘cursed spirit’ things killing them. You stay here and escort them back. I'll go ahead and keep everyone else safe. No offense, but I’m probably faster than you.”

  “... you sure?”

  Higiruma couldn’t help the apprehension he held about this plan leaking into his voice. It made sense tactically, but there was one glaring issue--He didn’t know if he should place his trust in this kid. Higiruma was aware Shinji had plenty of opportunities to kill him if he wanted to. His cursed energy output and reserves were far greater than Higiruma's. His technique also seemed powerful from the one time Shinji had used it. If it came down to fighting him, Judgmen giving him a high penalty was the only chance Higiruma thought he had. Shinji, unaware of Deadly Sentencing, would have killed him at first sight if he intended to. Clearly understanding the gap in their abilities.

  By all means, there was no reason for Higiruma to have doubts about Shinji’s intentions. As mundane and simple as his goals were, they seemed to be the only thing on his mind. Desperately seeking Higiruma as a friend for a reason he didn’t understand. Still, the boy had killed that man so effortlessly without even flinching. Despite his appearance and attitude, Shinji was worthy of caution.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. See you soon.”

  Without wasting time, Shinji’s body sprang into action the moment he finished speaking. All his muscles tensed as he prepared to move. With a quick and nearly silent breath. Shinji sprung off the ground like a cat. Leaping with such force, the pavement he used as footing was left with foot-shaped divots. His body sailed through the air like a certain green-skinned superhero. Landing on top of a building before leaping into the air again.

  “Higiruma… Just who is he?”

  A concerned Amani could only watch in amazement at Shinji’s superhuman—no, the boy was no human. Amani had grown used to seeing the kind of things that only happened in manga. He had become desensitized to people being able to throw cars, fly, destroy buildings, and conjure magical abilities. Still, all these things at the end of the day, were done by people. Ordinary, human, people. It was an arbitrary line Amani had drawn in the sand to better make sense of the world he had been thrust into.

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  People were hurting other people.

  It was something he had seen all his life, as long as he dumbed it down to that fundamental level; he could navigate the mess the world had become. He had only observed phenomena so absurdly detached from reality twice. So far disconnected from what humans should be able to do with curse energy, they could only be called in-human.

  The first time he had seen something to that degree was yesterday. When a bird the size of a skyscraper had appeared and laid waste to a large portion of the colony. It was nothing short of a miracle the bird had appeared far enough away from where Amani and everyone else had been taking shelter. The second time had just occurred. when someone who looked his own age had crossed hundreds of feet in under a second.

  “I’m not sure, Amani. Let’s just be thankful he’s on our side,” Higiruma said as such with a resigned drawl. Taking hold of Sara’s hand before walking forward beyond Amani.

  Amani stifled the concern he had and pressed forward in Higiruma's direction. If allying with that monster was what he wanted to do, then it was what Amani would do in turn. It wasn’t really his place to object to what Higiruma thought was best anyway. He was just the follower to wherever Higiruma traveled. Amani stayed in Higiruma’s shadow as Sara walked hand in hand with the lawyer. It was the place he had chosen to be and would gladly stay. Someone as weak as him had no other options then to resort to such a thing after all. The weak could only survive by staying close behind the strong.

  “This seems like the place.”

  After standing up from the crater his landing had made, Shinji vocalized his thoughts. He was in an empty parking lot minus a few abandoned cars. There was a giant sign a few dozen feet off the ground that said this Aeon, the place Higiruma said his group were at. Next to the base of the sign and in the center of the parking lot was a medium-sized building.

  The lights weren’t on, and he didn’t see any indication of people being inside. To settle his doubts, he began to approach the entrance to the store to see if he had found the right place. Making it to the door, he decided to announce his identity before he opened it. If this was the place, he didn’t want to scare anyone.

  “Hi, I’m Shinji. If anyone’s there… I’m with Higiruma… I’m going to open the door now.”

  Before he could reach the panel, the door swung open from the inside, and middle-aged women who had a few inches on Shinji came out. Looking inside, he could see a dozen or so people looking towards him. Shinji gave a meek wave to them before the women shut the door.

  “How do you know Higiruma?”

  She spoke softly with a slight tremble. Shinji could tell she was likely scared of him; it wasn’t anything new to him, so he was able to keep his disappointment at her reaction from showing. He merely smiled gently and responded honestly.

  “I met him when he was saving some kid; he was worried about something called a curse spirit attacking you guys while he was on his way back, so I went ahead.”

  “He found Sara?”

  “... If you mean the kid, yeah.”

  “I see,” Her voice came out barely audible. Small tears rolled down her cheeks before she wiped them away with her hands. The display left Shinji hopelessly confused.

  “Why are you crying?

  Shinji was well aware that he was far from proficient in the art of manners. He’d been making an effort to improve on this deficiency since he left his original colony, anticipating he’d need them if he were to make a friend. His encounter with Higiruma left him triumphant. Feeling his manners had improved to the degree necessary to hold his own in conversation and, more importantly, friendship. Though he did something to make this woman cry unknowingly, it seemed he still had a long way to go.

  “I’m just happy is all; I lost her when the bird appeared yesterday. I’ve been thinking the worst might happen, but she’s safe.”

  “... What about knowing that makes you happy?”

  “What—She’s my daughter!”

  She took a step forward as she all but shouted her position as the girl's mother into Shinji’s face. Taking a step back, a feeling that he was missing something obvious was washing over him, but he couldn’t place what that obvious thing was . The urge to drop the subject and pretend like he understood what she was talking about rose up. But his desire to get to the bottom of his misunderstanding is more important. Less he repeat the same issue with Higiruma or someone else.

  “And?”

  He meant it as a genuine question, but the women seemingly took offense to his asking. If the way her teeth clenched and her eyes turned down were any indication of her rage. Shinji flinched as he retreated even further away from this woman, preparing himself for her wrath. A wrath that to his surprise never came.

  “I’m sorry,” looking up from the ground and towards him. She apologized in a somber tone. Eye’s radiating something Shinji couldn’t identify.

  “Sorry about wh—”

  Interrupting him came a loud rumbling to his left, then again a few seconds later. The noice kept repeating itself every few seconds in a rhythmic pace. He couldn’t see the source, he just knew it was beyond the tree line.

  “Go inside; I’ll deal with it.”

  The women nodded before entering the store. Shinji wanted to get to the bottom of what he had done and why she had apologized. But he had told Higiruma he’d protect them, and that should probably come first over his curiosity.

  Shinji walked towards the banging. Picking up some stones off the ground as he went. Standing his ground once he was far enough out from the building that he judged it wouldn’t be collateral damage. The noise grew louder as the seconds ticked by, an indication whatever it was grew closer. After a minute or so, the source of the noise finally crossed the tree line and came into view.

  “An ogre?

  Towering at a height that Shinji judged to be a few stories at least. Its legs were the same height as he was, but on a creature of such clossal size, he couldn’t help but wonder how it was able to stand. The things arms were about seven times the length of its legs and were being dragged on the ground as it walked. Its stomach jutted outward and made up 70% of the creature's mass. Its head was normal for the most part; its mouth giving a toothy grin with crooked teeth.

  Shinji couldn’t help but feel disgusted at the thing's deformed appearance. He was no stranger to blood and violence, having lost track of how many people he killed. But whenever he did so, it was against a person, not a monstrosity. He had intended to experiment with the first curse spirit he came across to see if it was like the humanoid thing he had killed. But his desire to know more about such unknown phenomena was quickly being outweighed by the bile rising in his throat.

  The grotesque giant spun around with surprising dexterity for its size. Using the momentum it generated to lift its arms off the ground, swinging its left arm like a whip towards Shinji with impressive speed for something so big. Still, for Shinji it may as well have not been moving.

  As the arm swung towards him, he lazily threw one of the stones at the midsection of the limb. Upon contact it bounced harmlessly off, the massive limb reducing the tiny rock to dust. A moment later the limb was cut clean through vertically at the point of impact. Shinji watched with fascination as purple blood spilled out from the wound.

  Lacking the length necessary to connect with him, the arm passed harmlessly several feet in front of him. Shinji turned his head to see what became of the section of arm he had severed. The forearm had rolled across the pavement like a log, rather comically so. Traveling a hundred or so feet before it came to a stop, after it did, it quickly faded away into nothing. Looking back towards the giant, its severed limb had begun repairing itself, purple energy gushing out to cover the wound before returning to its original color.

  Expending minimum effort, Shinji tossed a second stone towards the giant's body. Reacting to the threat of the stone, or perhaps just on instinct to an incoming object. The giant spun and crushed it with his arm whip. The same thing happened as the first time—nothing. The tiny stone was turned to dust and spread across the air. The next moment, however.

  “You have earned five points.”

  The giant was turned into a purple haze, countless cuts appearing across its body till its flesh was reduced to atoms. After dispatching the creature, Shinji walked forward to investigate its remains, more appropriately its lack of remains.

  So this is a cursed spirit. Purple blood and the ability to heal itself without a rct seem a constant. So then the thing that had his finger was a cursed spirit as well. Neither one is particularly powerful. I went overboard on the first one, so I couldn’t see how tough it was, but this one I could deal with just 20% of dismantlement.

  Shinji spent a few minutes walking around where the cursed spirit was slain. He had expected to find something in similar form to the finger he was carrying. “Cursed Object” was the appropriate term for what he was looking for; Shinji held reservations about using the name Kenjaku had provided. But he didn’t have a better one, so he was forced to call them by his moniker. Sure enough, he was unable to find anything.

  So then the one that was holding his finger is special? At the very least, this one doesn’t have a cursed object. I’ll have to ask Higiruma more about how cursed spirits work; I don’t have a big enough sampling size to make any real distinctions.

  Letting out a sigh, Shinji walked back to the store and jumped onto its roof. Deciding to wait where he would have a better vantage point to look for more cursed spirits and Higiruma. He sat down on the edge of the roof with his legs dangling off, eyes wandering the horizon to look for anything he found interesting.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why’d she say that?”

  Having nothing to read, he let his mind wander to the conversation he was having before he was interrupted. His mind drawing blanks for what she was apologizing for, Shinji had assumed he was the one who offended her. But it seemed the opposite was the case.

  Not only that, he still didn’t understand what about her daughter being found made her so happy. He was aware of the bond the children and their parents held with one another, but he didn’t think it was something worth being so happy over their mere survival of. Though if she only had a few kids, maybe that could explain why she was so grateful for one surviving.

  Wait a minute. In Death Note, Soichiro only had two kids and was fine with it. The same was true for most people in Kingdom. I thought it was just like that because it was fiction. But maybe…

  Cogs began to turn in Shinji’s brain when he cross-compared what he thought a typical family dynamic was to the ones he had read about. He hadn’t given it any thought while reading, but looking back on it, the sheer amount of differences was striking. He let out a defeated sigh as he let his body fall flat against the roof, realizing the truth of the matter.

  He was lying again. It wasn’t just controlled omission about jujutsu; Kenjaku and father must have been lying about normal things as well. That’s why Uro always acted weird whenever someone brought up her relationship with her father. Thinking about it, there were certain things she was always sheepish about. Did she have a guilty conscience, or was she just a really bad liar? Probably both.

  Shinji sat up to better think about the revelation he had come across; the world had other plans for him, however. As he did, he was able to notice multiple approaching flying objects—cursed spirits; they were cursed spirits. Shinji thought it was strange that so many were coming here; the moment he arrived, they all crawled out of the woodwork. He didn’t really care much about their attraction, though. He had always sought out the lambs when he killed them before. Them coming towards him now only made them easier to slaughter.

  “You have earned five points.”

  “Welp, I can add a new rule now if I wanted to.”

  Standing atop the roof of the building, Shinji remarked about his newfound point total. It had been maybe fifteen minutes since he had arrived. In that short time he had killed seventeen cursed spirits who came one after another. Each and every one he killed from a distance by throwing a pebble—at speeds that far surpassed a bullet—at them before they were reduced to nothing.

  He hadn’t bothered checking to see if any of the cursed spirits dropped a cursed object. He didn’t see any from his vantage point, and he hadn’t felt their presence like he had the demon's finger. Instead he diverted his attention to keeping all the cursed spirits away from the building, using his throwing precision in combination with his technique to act as long-range artillery. Shinji let out a relaxed sigh after a few minutes had passed without interruption, the constant swarm of cursed spirits finally seeming to have ended.

  I’m surprised he isn’t back yet.

  “Why are you on the roof?”

  “Speak of the devil.”

  Looking down from his vantage point, Shinji was able to see the group of three he had been waiting for. They had managed to get a dozen or so feet in front of the store without Shinji noticing them.

  “It’s easier to see all the cursed spirits who were coming from up here; I’m surprised you took the risk of leaving, given how many there are,” Shinji leapt down from the roof as he spoke. Hitting the ground with a thud.

  “How many there are?”

  “Yeah, I killed seventeen curse spirits; seems like nothing short of a miracle th--”

  “SARA!”

  “MOMMY!”

  A reunion of those invaluable to one another interrupted Shinji; the girl who had been walking beside Amani quickly ran past him and towards the building. Shinji turned to see that the first shout he heard was the woman who had apologized to him running towards that very girl. Scooping her up into her arms before hugging her tightly. He had intended to inquire about her apology once they got back, but it could wait a little.

  Besides He had something else important to ask Higiruma.

  “Hey Higiruma, Do you guys have anything to eat? I, um... ran out of snacks on my way here.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been stockpiling non-perishables since we planned to leave the colony soon. I’ll have Kairo make you one of the frozen meals.”

  “Who’s Kairo and what’s a frozen meal?”

  “Kairo’s the person who organizes all the supplies. A frozen meals just something you warm up in a microwave… I’m sure you’ll like it. Do you mind if I ask you a few things?”

  “Nah it’s fine, I got nothing to hide.”

  Well, this is… Unexpected.

  The 36-year-old lawyer was… surprised about the scene that was unraveling before him, to say the least. Higiruma had led Shinji to one of the back rooms in the grocery store. It was rather small and only had a table with two chairs opposite one another. The room was more of a prison cell than a break room. After entering Shinji quickly sat down while Higiruma stood leaning against the wall

  Higiruma had wanted to get to the bottom of several questions he had about the boy without prying eyes. When he was about to begin questioning him, Kairo had walked in with a premade meal he had just warmed up.

  As soon as Shinji took a bite, he began to ravenously devour the entire thing; not a single morsel of food was spared from him. It was as if he had been starved for days on end. It had been a few minutes since he began. Higiruma could only watch in silence while the boy ate. Wondering if such rapid consumption was healthy. After Shinji finished, he leaned back in his chair and let out a content sigh.

  “You were right; that was great… Wait, what did you want to talk about again?

  Shinji straightened up when he remembered Higiruma had brought him here to discuss something. At this mention of his intention, Higiruma sat down in the other chair. Taking in a breath before speaking.

  “I just wanted to ask you some things to get to know you better and see how much I can trust you.”

  “Sure, go ahead,” Shinji responded without a second thought, either not caring or not letting it show. Either way, Higiruma was given the green light.

  “What’s your cursed technique? I saw you annihilate that sorcerer when he touched the book you threw. Is it destruction via things they touch that you’ve touched?”

  “It’s kind of like that in a way. I can imbue objects with one of two types of slashes. The first of which is called dismantle, it spreads itself out across the entirety of the target Causing equal damage across it. The second slash is called cleave. It just cuts in a straight line from the point of impact. Because it's target area is reduced cleaves far stronger. It takes me five or so seconds to charge an object with the strongest of either type of slash. I can do less than that for a weaker slash, though. After I charge an object it discharges the slash the moment it touches something, my body being the exception.”

  “... I see.”

  Higiruma had been expecting some level of apprehension or surprise at his question. But Shinji willingly explained his technique in great detail. There was a possibility he was lying, of course, but it fit with what Higiruma saw and held too much attention to detail to be a lie.

  “Hey, so how common is it for cursed spirits to drop cursed objects?”

  “I… don’t know what you mean.”

  Higuruma had never heard the term cursed object before, and none of the few cursed spirits he killed had left anything behind. Shinji reached into his pockets and set a red finger down onto the table.

  “Stuff like this one of th--”

  “How do you have Sukuna’s finger?”

  Higiruma remembered it well, the evidence the Judgeman had provided him. A cursed spirit had forced Itadori to swallow ten of those fingers. The thousands of souls who had been reduced to nothing more than collateral damage in his rampage. Forgotten to the world except by the boy who was too weak to stop an event outside his control.

  “Who’s Sukuna?”

  Shinji raised an eyebrow at Higiruma’s mentioning of the demon king. Seemingly unaware of just what he had been holding onto.

  “He’s the king of curses, a monster whose strength defies comprehension.”

  “... The only king I really know about is Sei and a few other losers. I’m not sure who this Sukuna person is—Oh…”

  Shinji stopped himself as he was talking, tossing the finger up into the air before catching it. Higiruma could practically see the light bulb above his head.

  “Hey, did this Sukuna person ever go by the name Ryomen?”

  “Sukuna’s title is Ryomen, yes. The two-faced king of curses is what his name means I believe .”

  “Huh, how do you know so much about Ryomen exactly? Was he famous when he was alive?”

  Shinji nodded along with Higiruma’s explanation. Deciding to ask how he knew so much about someone who had been dead for a millennia.

  “He’s currently reincarnated inside a teenage sorcerer but can’t control him. A few weeks ago he was able to take control momentarily, and thousands of people died from his domain.”

  “What. How can Ryomen reincarnate? I have his finger!”

  Standing up, Shinji put his hands down on the table to lean over it, surprising Higiruma with the amount of emotion his voice held. He had only known the boy for a few hours, and most of that had been spent apart. But Shinji was always upbeat; now he seemed... scared.

  “His soul was divided up into twenty fingers, each containing a portion of his power. I’m not sure how many exactly, but his vessel has at least eleven inside him, probably more.”

  The color drained from Shinji’s face as Higiruma told him the situation. The boy returned to his sitting position, taking a deep breath as he put his hands behind his head. Exhaling as he realized a minor... inconsistency with what Higiruma said.

  “How did Ryomen have twenty fingers?”

  “... he had four arms, I guess.”

  “He had… four arms?”

  “He had four arms,” Higiruma shrugged as he told Shinji the only explanation he could think of that made sense. As he did so, Shinji took pause to process, allowing him to ask a pressing question.

  “Shinji, why do you keep calling Sukuna Ryomen?”

  “Hmm? Oh, well, I’m not sure why he changed his name, but when I knew him, he only ever went by Romen.”

  "You… knew Sukuna”

  “Yeah.”

  Shinji said it as if it were no different than knowing the owner of a local retail store. His lack of understanding the gravity of what he was saying sent Higiruma for a loop.

  “What exactly was your relationship with him?”

  “Ryomen’s my half brother.”