The lowest level of Jujutsu High—Tombs of the Star, approach path.
The group stepped out of the elevator.
"Lady Riko, this is as far as I can go," Misato Kuroi said, bowing deeply with her head lowered.
Riko Amanai smiled and waved goodbye.
She turned around, blinking back tears, then glanced sideways at Sōjun Minamoto and the others.
"Let's go."
"Lady Riko, please…" Kuroi called out from behind, her voice catching.
Riko couldn't hold back any longer. She ran a few steps forward, cupped Kuroi's cheeks, stared through blurry eyes for just a second—then pulled her into a tight hug.
"Kuroi, you're my favorite!"
"You always have been, and always will be." She buried her face in Kuroi's shoulder.
"I… I love you too."
Kuroi hugged her back tightly. The two held each other, crying.
Suguru Geto watched quietly, his eyes narrowing.
So why show her something beautiful? She could've endured the darkness. She could've accepted loneliness. But you let her feel the warmth of the sun. Why bring her here at all?
Sōjun Minamoto lowered his gaze and said softly, "I'll go ahead."
He gave Geto a slight raise of the brow—your call now.
Move forward, or turn back—
It's up to you.
Geto gave a small nod in response.
...
Sōjun descended alone, stopping before the entrance to the Tombs of the Star. He gave the door a light push—still barred.
Didn't matter.
His Star Eyes flared to full power. Threads of cursed energy appeared before him in vivid clarity, interwoven into a vast, intricate network.
He traced the web deeper.
No matter how vast the Curtain, how rapidly it changed, its core remained the same. That unchanging truth—grasp the essence, don't be fooled by appearances.
Sōjun circled the Sacred Tree. It was a game—a silent battle of wits between him and Master Tengen. A game of rock-paper-scissors played without words, predicting the other's next move.
He pulled out a short spike—a cursed tool he had brought from home, long unused.
Wrapped in talisman paper etched with sharp, flowing runes, it was a prepared peg, designed to root a barrier in a cursed object. Ready to deploy. It could even be preset with a trigger phrase and entrusted to someone else.
Now he just needed to find the perfect insertion point—before the next shift occurred. Embed the peg, integrate the new barrier, and draw even more power from the structure.
He ignored the eyes watching from the shadows. No interference—so, tacit approval.
...
Tap... tap... tap...
Footsteps echoed.
"Let's go." Riko finally let go of Kuroi and followed Geto deeper inside.
The Sacred Tree still loomed, unmoving and grand, untouched by anything.
The approach path spiraled downward, temples and shrines scattered along the way.
They walked in silence until the tree's massive trunk stood just ahead.
"Go down these stairs, through the gate, all the way to the tree's base," Geto said softly. "Only those summoned may enter. Until the assimilation, Tengen-sama will protect you."
He paused.
"…Or, you can still turn back. Go home with Kuroi-san."
"Huh? What?" Riko's head shot up. She stared at him in disbelief.
"Before we met you, we talked about it," Geto said, eyes fixed on the massive tree. "'What if the Star Plasma Vessel doesn't want to be assimilated?'"
"Our conclusion? Cancel the assimilation."
"Our homeroom teacher hinted at it too. Said we should realize—'assimilation' itself is a kind of sin. Don't be fooled by his dumb jock exterior—our teacher is kind, thoughtful."
He chuckled quietly.
"Even if it means going to war with Tengen-sama, we're okay with that. Because we're the strongest."
"Our mission is to protect you. How we do it—that's our choice."
He turned to her with a gentle smile.
"No matter what you choose, Riko-chan, we'll protect your future. Whether you want to live as a normal girl—or as a sorcerer."
"…"
Riko's expression shifted.
From the moment she was born, people told her she was the Star Plasma Vessel. That she had to stay away from danger. That her whole life led up to this day.
She couldn't even remember her parents' deaths anymore. So there was no grief. No loneliness.
So, back then, she thought—if assimilation meant parting with everyone forever, she'd be okay.
Even if it hurt, the sadness, the loneliness... she believed there'd come a day when she'd forget.
"But… but I still want to be with everyone..." she sobbed, tears and snot streaming down her face. "I want to keep being together. Go to more places, see more new things…"
"I really do!"
She rubbed at her eyes again and again.
"I haven't managed to scare Sōjun Minamoto yet."
"I haven't tried on Satoru Gojo's sunglasses."
"I want to see you with your bangs tied up."
"I haven't even told my friends about the places we visited yet. I want to tell them everything you recommended—they were amazing."
Geto sighed and gently extended his hand.
"Let's go back, Riko-chan."
Riko wiped her face. She had already come to terms with it, long ago—but still… things like making new friends, beach vacations, seeing whales at the aquarium…
They were so beautiful.
Hard to let go.
She reached out for his hand.
Didn't matter anymore. The tears wouldn't stop? Didn't matter. Assimilation? Didn't matter. What happened to the world? Didn't matter.
She looked up, smiling from the bottom of her heart.
Right now, all she wanted was to take his hand.
"Yeah!"
Bang—
A gunshot rang out.
…