Mai returned with the rucksack, rummaging through it before pulling out several cup ramen containers and the electric kettle already steaming with hot water.
"Here," she said, handing Shien a cup of spicy miso ramen.
Shien took it gratefully, peeling back the lid and pouring in the hot water. The smell alone made his stomach growl. All this fighting had made him quite hungry.
"Maki, Mai," he said between bites, his tone casual but firm. "Go wait in the car. Clean it up—there's blood everywhere. Stay inside and stay alert. We are not safe yet."
Maki's face immediately twisted into a pout. "But—"
"No buts! Do what you are told!" Shien's expression darkened, his scowl cutting off any further protest. "Get in the car. Now."
The twins exchanged glances, then reluctantly trudged toward the SUV, Mai clutching her pistol, Maki still wearing the knuckle dusters, stomping off with a pout on her face.
"Stay on guard," Shien called after them. "If you see anything suspicious, honk the horn twice."
Once they were in the car, Shien turned his attention to the five curse users lying on the ground in various states of critical injury.
People will say anything to make torture stop, Shien thought, finishing his ramen in record time. But that's fine. I'm not looking for reliable intelligence right now. I can practice my RCT.
He picked up Slaughter Demon, testing its weight.
"Shien-sama," Hayato said quickly, stepping forward despite his obvious exhaustion. "Please, let me do it. I don't want you to get blood all over yourself."
Shien paused, genuinely touched.
This man was literally shot twice in the chest less than an hour ago, died, came back to life, and his first concern is that I might ruin my clothes during an interrogation. That's... actually really sweet. Terrifying, but sweet. I need to give him a raise. Or therapy. Probably both.
"I appreciate that, Hayato," Shien said aloud, clapping the man on the shoulder. "But I need the practice, and you take rest."
Hayato bowed deeply, though his expression suggested he'd have preferred to handle the torture himself.
Shien surveyed his victims. The paper bag clone user was comatose but breathing. The invisible guy—Daichi—was barely conscious, his burns too severe, and notably, his clothes had completely burned away, leaving him naked and shivering. The mustache guy—Jiro—was delirious but responsive. The lidless curse user—Niji—was bleeding out but could still scream.
That left Kaito, the sniper. The most fascinating person of this bunch in Shien's opinion.
Shien dragged Kaito's paralyzed body against a nearby tree, propping him up so he had a clear view of the clearing.
"You're going to watch," Shien said pleasantly. "Consider it a preview."
Kaito's eyes widened in terror, but he couldn't move, couldn't speak beyond ragged gasps.
Shien methodically went through the items he had taken from the curse users' pockets. Wallets, phones, some cash, receipts. He set everything aside in a neat pile.
Then he found it in the paper bag guy's jacket.
A pack of Marlboro Menthols, half-empty.
Shien stared at the pack, hit with a wave of nostalgia so strong it almost hurt. He'd smoked these exact cigarettes during his past life—long nights on patrol, the burn in his lungs. A small comfort during war. There were weeks Shien went without thinking of his previous life, and then there were days like this where it was all he could think about.
He pulled one out, lit it with a snap, and took a drag.
And nothing... His enhanced body metabolized the nicotine before it could do anything.
Figures, Shien thought. Can't even catch a buzz anymore. But damn, it at least tastes good.
He exhaled slowly, smoke curling into the cold air, and smiled.
"Alright," Shien said cheerfully, walking toward Niji. "Let's get started."
Three hours later.
The clearing reeked of burnt flesh, blood, and burnt hair.
Shien had settled into a rhythm: burn, heal, question. Move to the next one. Repeat. Smoking the entire time because they always smoked during interrogations, and Shien wanted to look cool.
"You know," Shien said conversationally, channeling RCT into Niji's arm where he'd just seared the flesh down to the bone, a cigarette dangling from his lips, "my healing technique is probably the best in the world by now. Look at that—third-degree burns completely reversed in under ten seconds. Healing burns is the hardest, especially on other people. But of course, nothing is beyond my talent."
Niji sobbed incoherently, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Did you know," Shien continued, taking a long drag, "that burning human flesh smells almost exactly like pork? It's unsettling the first time, but you get used to it." He exhaled smoke in Niji's face. "Anyway, let's go over this again. Who hired you?"
"I-I don't know!" Niji screamed. "I swear! Kaito handled the contract! We just—we just took the job! Please! Please!"
"Mmm." Shien moved to Jiro, the mustache guy. "And you? How did you get involved?"
"Kaito—Kaito recruited me!" Jiro gasped, his ruined eyes weeping blood. "Three months ago! Said it was—was a big payday! Special target! That's all I know!"
Shien healed his face partially—just enough to keep him conscious—then moved to Daichi, the naked, burned invisible curse user.
"Your technique," Shien said, crouching beside him, cigarette smoke drifting between them. "How does it work? Full invisibility or just light refraction?"
"F-full invisibility," Daichi rasped. "I can—can make anything I touch invisible as long as it is a non-living thing with no cursed energy. It's—it's an innate technique. Please, I'll tell you everything, just—"
"Good." Shien created a small flame at his fingertip. "How long were you following me?"
"Eight months!" Daichi screamed before the flame even touched him. "Eight months! We—we tracked your patterns! We knew you practiced here, and we knew—knew you'd be exhausted after training!"
"Smart." Shien took another drag. "Poorly executed, but smart. What about my companions? Did you know I'd have the twins with me?"
"Yes! Intel said—said you'd have company! That's why we brought five people! Create a distraction, isolate you, take the shot!"
"And how much was the bounty again?"
"One billion yen! Five hundred million upfront, five hundred on confirmation!"
Shien's eye twitched.
"One billion yen," he repeated slowly, smoke trickling from his nostrils. "For a Special Grade-level sorcerer. One billion."
He pressed the lit cigarette into Daichi's chest. The curse user shrieked.
"Do you know," Shien said, his voice rising, "that Gojo Satoru commanded a bounty of one billion yen when he was a baby? A BABY! And I'm supposedly about to be appointed Special Grade, and some cheap bastard only puts up just... one billion?! I AM A SPECIAL GRADE! HOW DARE YOU!!!"(AN: I changed the Gojo baby bounty as i feel 100 million yen is too low for someone as important as a 6 eyes user with limitless.)
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Daichi wailed.
Shien then lit a fresh cigarette. "Who approached Kaito first? How did the contract come through?"
"B-broker! Always a broker! We never—never meet clients directly! It's—it's standard! Binding vows! Please!"
Movement caught his eye—a crow perched on a nearby branch, watching intently with far too much intelligence in its beady eyes.
Shien looked directly at it, smiled around his cigarette, and winked.
Then he went back to work, rotating between all four conscious curse users, extracting every scrap of information while perfecting his RCT.
Ten minutes later, the sound of a car engine announced Mei Mei's arrival.
A sleek black sedan pulled up, and Mei Mei stepped out, impeccable as always in a dark business suit, her long silver-blue hair braided perfectly. She carried three large buckets of KFC, the smell immediately cutting through the stench of burnt flesh.
"Shien-kun!" she called cheerfully. "I brought your order!"
Shien looked up from where he was holding a flame inches from Jiro's face, cigarette smoke curling around both of them, and grinned. "You're an angel, Mei Mei-san!"
Mei Mei walked over, standing nearly eye-to-eye with him—they were roughly the same height already. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then wrapped him in a brief hug despite the blood spatters on his clothes.
"You are such a charmer," she said with a smile.
"Guilty," Shien replied, grinning around his cigarette.
Hayato took the food from her. "Go give it to the twins and stay there," Shien commanded.
"you keep up the good work. I'll go through their things," Mei Mei said as she pulled out the phones and wallets from the pile, completely unfazed by the screaming curse users or the smell. She began methodically checking each item, scrolling through phones, examining wallet contents.
Shien turned back to Daichi. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. How many people know about my training schedule?"
"I don't know! Just—just our team! We reported to Kaito! Only Kaito!"
Shien took a long drag, then exhaled slowly. "And payment? How was it structured?"
"Half upfront—wire transfer to an offshore account! Second half on confirmation—physical delivery!"
"Physical delivery?" Shien's interest sharpened. "How?"
"I don't know the details! Kaito handles that!"
"Interesting." Shien moved to the paper bag clone user, who'd regained consciousness. "Your technique. Explain it."
The man whimpered. "I—I can create clones from paper! They're—they're expendable, but they can fight, scout—"
"Useful." Shien burned his hand, healed it, burned it again. "Did you have backup? Other teams waiting?"
"No! Just us! We thought—thought we'd be enough!"
Shien snorted, lighting another cigarette with a snap. "Overconfident much!" Shien stomped on the man's kneecap, shattering it and causing him to howl.
Behind him, Mei Mei made a small sound of interest.
"Shien-kun," she called. "Come look at this."
Shien walked over, cigarette dangling from his lips. "Find something?"
Mei Mei held up a wallet—Kaito's. Inside, nestled between some bills, was half of a torn 1000 yen note.
"This," she said, holding it up to the light. "This is how the second payment is delivered. The client has the other half. When the job is confirmed, they meet, match the pieces, exchange payment. It's an old method—very secure, untraceable."
She smiled slightly. "I've seen this before. There are only a handful of brokers who still use this method. Very traditional, very discreet. If we find the broker, we find the client."
"Can you track them?"
"I have a rough idea of who it might be. There's a broker in Kyoto—goes by 'Shiu Kong.' He specializes in high-value, sensitive contracts. Uses torn currency for final payments. Very professional."
"How long to confirm?"
"Give me a few hours. I'll need to make some calls, grease some palms." She tucked the torn note carefully into her pocket. "But we'll find them."
Shien nodded, then turned to Kaito. "Your turn."
He walked over to Kaito and crouched down, cigarette smoke drifting between them.
"Kaito-san," Shien said pleasantly. "You've had a front-row seat to the last three hours. I imagine it's been... educational."
Kaito tried to speak, but only a strangled sound emerged.
"Here's the situation," Shien continued. "I can heal you right now. Full recovery, you'll walk again, no permanent damage. Or I can leave you here, paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of your life. Your choice."
He let that sink in.
"But there's a condition. If I heal you, you work for me. Binding vow. Your curse technique, your skills, your contacts—all mine. You break the vow, you die. Simple."
Kaito's eyes darted frantically, then he managed a tiny nod.
"Good choice." Shien placed his hand on Kaito's chest. "Let's make it official."
The binding vow settled over them both, a weight in the air that solidified into certainty. Kaito gasped as cursed energy flowed through him, Shien's RCT knitting together shattered vertebrae, repairing nerve damage, healing everything.
Twenty seconds later, Kaito could move again. He immediately collapsed forward, shaking.
"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely. "Thank you, thank you—"
"Yeah, yeah." Shien hauled him upright, taking another drag. "Now talk. I know you can't tell me who hired you because of your binding vow. But you can tell me about your curse technique. Those bullets—they disrupted my cursed energy. How?"
Kaito took a shaky breath. "My technique... it's curse energy disruption. When I touch someone, I can disrupt their cursed energy flow—make it unstable, chaotic. It only lasts a few seconds on contact, but..."
He swallowed. "I can imbue objects with it. The bullets... I made them from my own floating rib. Removed it myself, carved it, imbued it with my technique. Bone conducts cursed energy better than metal, and using my own bone means the disruption effect is stronger, more stable."
Shien's eyebrows rose. "You can't regrow ribs."
"No," Kaito said quietly. "I can't. It's a permanent sacrifice. But for a target like you... we needed every advantage."
Shien stared at him for a long moment, then laughed—a genuine, impressed laugh.
"You cut out your own rib to make a bullet that could hurt me." He took a drag, shaking his head. "That's dedication... I can respect that."
He clapped Kaito on the shoulder. "You're definitely worth keeping around."
Mei Mei looked up from the phones. "Shien-kun, have him make the confirmation call. We can trace it in real-time when they respond. It'll help narrow down the broker."
"Perfect." Shien handed Kaito his phone. "Call your broker. Confirm the kill. Tell them you're ready for the final payment."
Kaito's hands trembled as he took the phone, but he dialed.
It rang twice.
"Yes?" A neutral, professional voice.
"Target eliminated," Kaito said, his voice steadier now. "Requesting confirmation for final payment."
"Details."
"Target was eliminated at training site in Aokigahara. Clean kill, two shots. Body has been disposed of. Ready for payment as promised."
A pause.
"Understood. Payment location will be communicated within twenty-four hours. Have the proof ready."
The line went dead.
Mei Mei was already typing on her own phone, which was connected to a laptop. "Got it. The call bounced through proxies, but the cadence, the phrasing—that's definitely Shiu."
She looked up, smiling. "We'll find them."
Shien nodded, then looked at the four other curse users—all still alive, but barely.
"Domain Expansion: Lotus Pyre Mandala."
The barrier snapped into place—a perfect sphere encompassing the four curse users. Unlike his usual massive domains, this one was small and controlled. Only the curse users and Mei Mei were included.
Shien snapped his fingers, using his domain on human sorcerers for the first time.
The four curse users dropped to the ground as bursts of purple flame erupted from their mouths and ears.
Their bodies remained externally intact, but smoke began pouring from their eyes, their noses, their ears, their mouths.
Their bodies looked almost peaceful—no external burns, no visible damage. Just corpses with smoke gently rising from their eyes, noses, ears, and mouths like chimneys.
Shien dropped the domain and examined the results with clinical interest.
"Fascinating," he murmured. Fascinating, Shien thought. Just soul incineration, just like expected, completely bypassing the physical body.
He took another cigarette from the pack and lit it. "The domain burns everything inside the target simultaneously. Even cursed energy reinforcement wouldn't help. Or simple domain."
Mei Mei walked over, examining the bodies with professional curiosity. "Very dangerous sure-hit. No defense for it I can think of."
Mei Mei walked over, standing beside him. "So. Who do you think it is? Kamo clan?"
"That was my first thought," Shien admitted. "They've been pushing back against the Zenin clan's rising influence. Killing me before my Special Grade appointment would be a strategic move."
"Unlikely," Mei Mei said, shaking her head. "The Kamo clan is conservative, but they're not stupid. Assassinating the heir of a Big Three clan? Too much risk, too much potential backlash. They prefer political maneuvering, not wetwork."
"Then who?"
"Someone inside the Zenin clan," Mei Mei said bluntly. "Or someone with access to internal Zenin information. Only the clan knew your exact training schedule and location. This was an inside job."
Shien's expression darkened. "Yeah. I'd already figured that part out."
He looked at Kaito. "You're coming with us. Mei Mei will set you up somewhere safe until we need you."
"Yes, Shien-sama," Kaito said quietly.
"So," he said, taking a drag. "Here's what we're going to do. As far as anyone knows, I'm dead. The contract was fulfilled. Kaito has confirmed it."
Mei Mei's eyes gleamed with understanding. "You want to stay dead until we get our hands on the broker."
"Exactly. Let them think they won. When the bastards come out to make the payment. We will get them. I am sure the broker will squeal when i squeeze him."
"Smart." She nodded approvingly. "I'll send another car for you. Get you and the twins set up in a hotel somewhere discreet. You'll need to stay off the grid for a couple of days."
"Can you handle it?"
"Please." Mei Mei smiled. "I'll have you in a suite within the hour. Five-star, naturally."
"You're the best."
"I know." She gestured to Kaito. "He's coming with me. I'll keep him secured until we need him."
Shien nodded. "Once you find the broker, we move fast. I want to know who put the hit out before they realize I'm still breathing."
"Understood." Mei Mei's expression turned serious. "Shien-kun... be careful. If they're willing to put out a billion-yen contract on you, I doubt that was the only one."
"Let them try." Shien's smile was cold. "Next time, I'll be ready."
Mei Mei leaned in and kissed his cheek again. "Stay safe, handsome."
"You too."
She walked back to her car, Kaito following nervously. Before getting in, she turned back. "Oh, and Shien-kun? The twins are glaring daggers at me from the car. You might want to handle that."
Shien laughed. "I'll manage."
As Mei Mei's car pulled away, Shien lit another cigarette and walked back to the SUV.
Snapping his fingers to incinerate the curse users bodies before continuing on his way.
Through the windows, Maki and Mai were both scowling at him, chicken drumsticks clutched in their hands like weapons. Their glares were intense enough to melt steel.
Oh boy.
Shien opened the car door and slid into the backseat. The twins immediately turned on him.
"So," Mai said, her voice dripping with irritation as she bit aggressively into her drumstick, "are you going to explain what that was all about?"
"Yeah," Maki added, her scowl deepening. "And don't try to act so cool with that smoking thing. You look ridiculous."
Shien took a drag, exhaling slowly. "It's grown-up business."
The reaction was immediate.
"GROWN-UP BUSINESS?!" both twins shouted in unison.
"We're OLDER than you!" Maki jabbed her drumstick at him accusingly. "Don't you dare order us around like we're children!"
"And what was that?!" Mai's face was flushed with anger as she pointed toward where Mei Mei had been. "That hussy! She kissed you! TWICE! Right in front of us! OLD HAG! She should kiss someone her own age!"
"She's just—"
"Just WHAT?!" Maki interrupted. "Your girlfriend?!"
Shien paused, cigarette halfway to his lips. He could deny it. Should probably deny it. But the look on their faces—equal parts jealous and outraged—was too amusing.
He shrugged. "Maybe. Children like you won't understand these things."
Both twins' jaws dropped.
"WHAT?!" Mai shrieked.
"You—she—but—" Maki sputtered.
"I mean, she's beautiful, intelligent, capable, and she brings me KFC when I ask." Shien took another drag, fighting back a grin. "Could be worse."
"She's OLD!" Mai protested.
"She's like... like... twenty-something!" Maki added.
"Twenty-five," Shien corrected helpfully.
The twins looked like they were about to explode.
"That's not—you can't just—let her kiss you!" Mai's face was bright red.
"Right on the cheek!" Maki emphasized. "Twice!"
Shien stubbed out his cigarette and turned to face them fully, his expression suddenly serious.
"Are you upset because she kissed me?" he asked quietly.
Both twins fell silent, their scowls deepening.
"I..." Mai started, then stopped.
"We just... WHO CARES! KISS EVERYBODY! YOU ARE NOT COOL AS YOU THINK !" Maki huffed and turned away.
Shien grinned at Maki. "If you want kisses, I'll give them to you."
Before either twin could process that statement, Shien moved.
He wrapped his arms around both of them, pulling them close despite their surprised squeaks. Then he planted a firm kiss on top of Maki's head, followed immediately by one on Mai's.
"Shien!" Maki squealed, trying to squirm away.
"Stop it!" Mai protested, but she was laughing despite herself.
Shien held them tighter, planting another kiss on each of their heads in rapid succession.
"There," he said, grinning. "Happy now?"
"Get away from me! You smell terrible!" Maki huffed, but she'd stopped trying to escape.
"Let me go... it's too tight! And you smell like cigarettes!" Mai complained, wrinkling her nose. But she was smiling.