Jujutsu Kaisen: I have everything I need now!

Deep in a dark alley.

A young couple were protecting a five- or six-year-old girl, who was huddled trembling in a corner. In front of them, a level-two cursed spirit with three mouths and covered in pus was approaching step by step.

"No...don't come any closer!" The man waved a scavenged iron rod in his hand, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Hehe...hehe...hehe..." The cursed spirit's three mouths emitted a piercing laugh at the same time, and its sticky tongue licked the ground, leaving behind corrosive marks.

It pounced suddenly, its sharp claws aimed straight for the man's throat.

It’s over.

The man closed his eyes in despair.

However, the expected excruciating pain did not come.

"Smack."

A crisp sound rang out in the alley.

There was nothing earth-shattering, and no heroes made an appearance.

The cursed spirit, pouncing in mid-air, suddenly seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of air. Immediately afterward, its body began to twist and compress in a bizarre manner.

It's as if there's an invisible hand kneading it like dough.

"grumble!!!"

The cursed spirit let out a terrified scream, but its struggle seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of that absolute power.

"Pfft."

A few seconds later, the level-two cursed spirit was crushed and turned into a pool of black sludge that splattered on the wall.

A deathly silence.

The man opened his eyes, staring blankly at the empty alleyway before him and the fading stain on the wall.

"What...what happened?"

The wife, clutching the child tightly, also looked bewildered: "It...self-destructed?"

"It must be divine intervention! It must be!" The man knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly at the empty alleyway entrance. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!"

The new moon was standing less than two meters in front of them.

He watched the joy of the family of three surviving the ordeal, and saw the little girl wipe away her tears and smile.

"Gods...?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I'm not that powerful. I'm just a ghost passing by."

He didn't linger; he turned and disappeared into the night.

This feeling of "leaving without a trace after accomplishing the deed, concealing one's merits and fame" was initially quite cool, but after a while, all that remained was a deep-seated loneliness.

Because no matter what you did or who you saved, no one will know your name. Your existence is like this rain, fleeting and without a trace.

"I'm a little... lonely."

He sighed on the first day of December.

He raised his head and looked north.

"Maki said she opened a flower shop there."

A strong impulse suddenly surged within him on the first day of December.

He wanted to go and see.

Even if she could only catch a glimpse of him from afar, like watching a movie, even if she ignored him like everyone else.

At least, it was a soul he personally pulled back from hell. It was the only "trace" he left in this world, even though he had disappeared.

"Let's go."

On the first day of the twelfth month, the toes touch the ground.

The [Rabbit] talisman was activated. Although he only used one-tenth of his speed, he was still like a streak of light, instantly covering hundreds of meters and speeding towards the northern lands.

……

Furano, Hokkaido.

Spring arrives a little later here than in Tokyo. Although it's already March, there's still a hint of chill in the air. The Tokachi-dake mountain range in the distance is still covered in snow, but in the flower fields at the foot of the mountains, early spring ice flowers have already quietly bloomed.

Walking on the quiet streets of a small town on the first day of December.

There are no howls of cursed spirits here, no scheming and infighting in the world of sorcery, and even the shadows of the death migration and the descent of demons seem to have left no trace on this pure land.

The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the roadside bakery, and several elementary school students carrying red backpacks ran past laughing and joking.

On the first day of December, I greedily breathed in the air here.

He doesn't need to eat or breathe, but that allows him to feel that he is still "alive".

Following the address Maki had described from his memory, he turned onto a cobblestone path.

At the end of the path stood a small wooden house. A thin layer of snow covered the roof, and a wind chime hung by the door. Through the bright French windows, one could see that the interior was filled with all sorts of flowers.

"Tianxiang Flower Shop".

As December 1st looked at the neat handwriting on the signboard, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Your handwriting is quite good."

He straightened his collar, though no one could see it, but he did it instinctively, and then gently pushed open the door.

"Ring ring—"

The wind chimes made a crisp sound.

Welcome!

A soft voice came from behind the flower stand.

The footsteps of the first day of December paused for a moment.

He recognized the voice, yet it also felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Gone is the sharp, thorny edge of the past, and the heavy, death-ready air. The voice now is like the fragrance of flowers in this room—calm, gentle, and carrying a peaceful tranquility.

He went inside.

The flower shop was warm and cozy, filled with the scent of lilies and hyacinths.

At the workbench by the window, a short-haired girl was facing away from him, holding scissors and intently trimming a bunch of lisianthus.

She was wearing a beige sweater and a dark blue apron. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on her silhouette.

Tianxiang Zhenyi.

Or rather, the true essence of the former Zen temple.

On the first day of the twelfth month, he didn't speak, and even held his breath, though it was unnecessary. He just stood there quietly in the doorway, watching the figure from behind.

"That's great, all that I've done has been worth it."

On the first day of December, I said to myself.

He had initially felt a pang of regret and loneliness over his disappearance, but the moment he saw this scene, all his negative emotions vanished.

He didn't want to disturb the peace.

Since you're already a ghost, you should be aware of what a ghost is like.

On the first day of December, he took one last deep look at that figure's back before turning to leave.

Just then.

"Guest? Would you like any flowers?"

Zhenyi seemed to have finished pruning the flower branches in her hands. She put down the scissors and turned around.

The movements of the new moon froze.

He instinctively wanted to avoid eye contact, because he knew that those eyes, like everyone else's, would pass unfocused through his body and look into the air behind him.

Although he had gotten used to the feeling of being "ignored," it still pained him when he faced Zhenyi.

however.

next second.

On the first day of December, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Zhenyi did not look away.

Those beautiful, doe-like eyes were fixed squarely and directly on his face.

There was no confusion.

That was a real "gaze".

"Clatter".

The lisianthus in Mayi's hand fell to the ground.

She froze, as if she were standing in a daze, staring blankly at the boy standing in the doorway.

Looking at the boy dressed in a black outfit and wearing a hat, who looked a bit disheveled but whose eyes were still clear.

December 1st was also stunned.

He subconsciously looked back to make sure no one was at the door.

Then he looked down at his hands.

"you……"

On the first day of December, he opened his mouth, his voice terribly dry, "Can you see me?"

Zhenyi did not answer.

Her eyes reddened visibly. Large tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her off-white sweater.

She reached out her hand, trembling, as if trying to confirm whether what she was seeing was an illusion.

"How is that possible..."

On the first day of December, I felt my mind was in complete chaos.

His restraint is absolute. Even Gojo Satoru's six eyes cannot perceive it, nor can the causal laws of the world be grasped. Why? Why can Shin'i, who has long since lost her magical powers and become an ordinary person, see him?

Was it because of that sword?

Was it because he had used his soul power to reshape her life?

Is it because the current Zhenyi, in a sense, is a creation flowing with his "December New Year" power?

In that unobservable cause, Mayi became the only loophole.

She is the only person in the world with whom he has a "soul connection".

"Fool……"

Zhenyi finally spoke.

She hastily wiped away her tears, but tried to force a smile, revealing an expression that was a mixture of sobs and laughter.

That expression held both the arrogance of the former Zen-in-shiki Shin'i and the gentleness of her new life.

She looked at the boy standing at the boundary of light and shadow and said softly:

"Long time no see, the first day of December."