46 Chapter 28. The Power of the Spirit (Part 4)

"People lack heart," Junpei Yoshino thought, drowning in naivety and a dearth of life experience. Mahito undeniably contributed to reinforcing this notion, nurturing the seed of doubt already sprouting in Junpei and playing on his feelings of inadequacy and loneliness.

Is this despicable? It's not for me to judge, but I think so. Is it foolish? Adolescent maximalism isn't so foolish upon reflection. Do I pity Junpei? Honestly, no. I've always believed we are prisoners of our own desires. Therefore, seeing someone so withdrawn and apathetic towards others over something as trivial as bullying, I felt no sympathy. Cruel? Perhaps. But it's not every day you meet a teenager who, because of bullying, is ready to demean the value of life, considering himself a sage who has seen the ugly side of humanity.

On the other hand, I feel sorry for Nanami, a person who has seen much more "human filth" but remained a sensible adult, ready to carry the burden of others' lives on his shoulders.

Yet, here I was, sitting opposite a sleeping woman - the mother of a depressive sociopath, Nagi Yoshino. This young woman, with a slim figure, black slightly tousled shoulder-length hair, and a calm, serene face reminiscent of Junpei, led me here. And let no one think there's any hidden meaning in that!

In the silence of the kitchen, where every item seemed a reflection of her inner world, I contemplated Junpei's fate, erasing the remnants of a recently conducted spiritual ritual. Everything around reminded me how fine the line is between solitude and alienation. Nagi, though seeming as vulnerable as her son, possessed an inner strength that helped her cope in these challenging conditions. Her tranquility in sleep contrasted with her son's internal struggle.

Perhaps that's why Nanami is convinced that the duties of a Sorcerer are not suited for a child. How can one be sure of what's right or wrong when they are not yet able to control their excitement and flights of fancy? The truth is that even adults can't always confidently say their choice was the right one. However, they possess enough wisdom to acknowledge their mistake, even if initially, it seemed all signs were pointing in the right direction.

A strange feeling took root in my heart. It's not sympathy, not pity, but rather a sadness about the inevitability of certain things in life. We all search for meaning, face hardships, and unfortunately, at a difficult moment for Junpei, someone appeared who played a cruel joke on him by all means fair and foul. Junpei chose a path of despair, while his mother chose patience and silent acceptance. Certainly, Nagi's choice may seem cowardly and irresponsible to some, but personally, I believe if you're unsure about something, it's better not to interfere at all. After all, by not making a choice, you avoid the responsibility that could turn against you in the future.

I glanced at the clock. Time was relentlessly moving forward, and I was still here, lost in thought. I had to decide on how to proceed. Help Junpei? Save Nagi and myself? Or simply leave, letting them deal with their problems on their own?

I was deep in contemplation, twirling Sukuna's Finger between my fingers.

"When did I start to believe I had the right to decide who deserves to live and who is doomed to die?" I questioned myself, astonished by my own audacity and arrogance.

Lately, I felt my heart growing harder, as if it had petrified under the weight of the decisions I had taken. Perhaps that's why I was here, attempting to deceive myself. Indeed, what irony: a person who allowed a tragedy to occur in Shibuya now yearns to save someone out of sympathy... Isn't this hypocrisy?

"Maybe I should spend part of my salary on therapy sessions?" the thought flashed through my mind.

At that moment, I was pulled from my thoughts. Nagi blinked, slowly waking from her sleep. Her gaze, filled with sleepy innocence, contrasted with my grim contemplations.

"Good morning, beauty," I greeted her, looking at the awakening Nagi.

She stretched, not yet realizing my presence, and asked:

"I wonder if Yuji has already gone home?"

There was no surprise or concern in her voice, which made me think.

"She didn't notice me? I'm sitting right in front of her. Now it's clear why Junpei is so... unique."

When she finally noticed me, her gaze was filled with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

"Who are you?" she asked, staring intently at me.

I was slightly taken aback by her reaction.

"That's it?" I was surprised. "Where are the frightened screams? Where are the cries of a robber?"

I expected something more dramatic, but Nagi seemed too calm for such a situation. My presence in her house didn't seem to cause her much alarm, which was both strange and intriguing.

"This woman seems full of surprises," I thought with a slight smile.

Nagi examined me carefully and responded:

"You have the same uniform as Yuji."

I nodded in response. That made sense.

"Though, the fact that you entered my house without asking does make one ponder about your upbringing, young man," Nagi continued with a mild reproach.

"You know what this is," I said, ignoring her remark about my upbringing and shifting the conversation to the piece of flesh in my hand.

Nagi looked at me in surprise:

"A finger? What's it doing here?"

"It's better I show than explain," I replied. In the next moment, I created three clumps of cursed energy above my free palm and directed them at the empty beer cans.

Moments later, the cans were crushed and scorched.

"What was that?" she asked in astonishment.

"And this," I said, using a simplified version of the "Hand-Sword," I melted a fork in my palm, from which, a second later, molten metal began to drip.

"Are you a magician?" Nagi asked. Her gaze was bewildered, and her voice was devoid of emotion.

"Honestly, I've never done this before, so I'm not sure what to say. But the main thing you need to know is that your son is in danger, and I'm here to save you."

"Did something happen to Junpei?" she asked, suddenly standing up and knocking over her chair.

"Not yet," I shook my head. "But your death was supposed to be the catalyst for it."

"Where is Junpei?" Nagi frowned.

"I don't know," I admitted, shrugging.

"I like Yuji more than you," Nagi sighed.

I just thought: "What does that have to do with anything?"

"See this finger?" I continued, ignoring her comment and waving Sukuna's Finger in front of her. "Now, look behind you."

Under the influence of my [Provocation], Nagi turned around, trying to keep me within her peripheral vision. However, her attention quickly shifted to the creature that seemed to have grown right out of the floor.

"AAAAHHH!!!" there was the frightened scream I had been expecting to hear earlier.

◊◊◊

"Where did you get all this from?" Nagi asked me, her face contorted from the disgusting smell of blood and human remains.

"My… friend works in a morgue," I simply replied, scattering "clues" around the kitchen table before shifting my gaze to the woman. "I warned you not to look behind."

"And I didn't give my consent to set up this whole charade," Nagi retorted with an irritated frown and a pale face.

I chose not to respond to that.

As I was setting up Nagi's murder, I was simultaneously delving into the study of her soul through "Spiritual Vision." Observing the results of my efforts, I felt a deep satisfaction. The spiritual ritual I conducted was meant to reconstruct Nagi's occipital cortex, which was supposed to grant her the ability to see Curses. Though I wasn't entirely sure of success, given the already tragic fate of this woman, I decided to take the risk — and it paid off. Ironically, the one who once killed her was now helping to save her. It was thanks to Mahito that I understood how the brain reconstruction should be done.

"However, it turns out I conducted an experiment on an ordinary person..." the thought flashed through my mind.

In a way, it was true, but the chance of failure was less than ten percent. And those ten percent accounted for the human factor and potential peculiarities of Mahito's cursed technique, which might have facilitated the reconstruction process. So, I felt no guilt.

"I will not allow my child to think that I died. Even if it's necessary to catch a dangerous criminal," Nagi declared, raising her voice, noticing my indifference.

"And the final touch," I placed Sukuna's Finger on the table. I wanted to play with this item a bit longer, but important matters awaited.

"Are you not listening to me!?" Nagi exclaimed, trying to get my attention. "I will not go anywhere."

Glancing at the woman, I pondered. I could indeed explain everything to Junpei and ask him to stage an incident at Satozakura School. On one hand, that would mean not acting despicably, but on the other—Mahito sees souls and, like me, knows when people lie or are nervous. So, it's better to be a scoundrel playing on emotions than to risk something going wrong out of sentimentality.

"And you call this love?" I finally responded to the woman, standing opposite her.

"O… what are you talking about?" the woman asked uncertainly.

"I don't think you oppose this because you love your son. I don't think so…" I continued, not looking away from Nagi's brown eyes. "I think you love him because you oppose. And that irritates me the most. Justifying one's own selfishness with love, doing something not because of love but for it— it's all self-deception. So let me ask you this: do you want to save your son at any cost, or do you want to save the image of a mother at any cost?"

"I like Yuji more than you."

 *****

Apologies for the delay in releasing chapters. Due to the move, there was simply no time for writing. Now, I'll gradually get back into the rhythm and release a chapter every two to three days.

Is anyone from Canada here?