Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Mr. Matsuki, nearly frozen by fear, stared intently at the figure appearing behind him on the screen. His heart no longer dared to read the bullet comments. The shadowy shape remained still, a mere silhouette.

As moments passed, a thought crept into Matsuki's mind: could the figure be something that just looked like that from a distance? Or perhaps fans trying to prank him? After all, he had announced his location before going live.

Just as he mustered the courage to turn around, the image on screen sent a chill through him—he could swear the shadow had vanished instantly.

Snapping back to reality, he checked the bullet comments. The audience debated the event, but most still thought it was scripted or a prop. A few seriously discussed ghosts and spirits, though it was unclear if they were sincere or just playing along.

Matsuki glanced at his two assistants, preparing to confirm what they saw. His expression froze—behind them, a human-shaped shadow approached silently, without footsteps.

His assistants remained frozen, disbelief clear on their faces. Before they could react, a calm voice spoke behind them.

"You're braver than most."

Matsuki's heart skipped. A real person was speaking. Fear turned to anger. He stood, ready to scold, but a flash of light interrupted him.

"That's a knife, right? Fake, I hope. What era is this? Who still carries a real knife outside?"

Looking toward the figure, mostly obscured by darkness, Matsuki's mind jumped to the rumor of a serial killer in the area.

Why was a murderer scarier than any ghost? He forced a smile. "We're here for an online live stream. If we've disturbed you, we'll leave immediately."

The camera assistant, overwhelmed by fear, cursed and tried to turn, but an iron grip seized the back of his neck, freezing him completely.

"Don't turn the camera around. Didn't your mother tell you not to film without permission? Be polite."

Held off the ground by one hand, the assistant dared not move. Strong and heavy, he understood this was no ordinary person.

Matsuki grew more convinced he faced a dangerous individual—strong, silent, armed, unwilling to be filmed.

He discreetly pressed the emergency dial on his phone, ready to call police, but held back to avoid provoking the stranger.

Feigning calm, Matsuki said, "He doesn't want to be on camera. We'll respect his privacy and leave. We mean no harm."

Hajime gently released the assistant and patted his shoulder. He was puzzled by the streamer's words.

Originally planning to leave quietly, Hajime reconsidered. The streamer was broadcasting live; Hajime was armed and appearing suspicious at night. To avoid trouble, he stepped out of the camera's view and slipped away.

The noises didn't matter as long as he wasn't seen. If not for possible nagging from Megumi, Hajime might not have cared about being filmed at all. He had another reason to seek out the streamer, but it seemed he had frightened him instead.

"Wait."

Hajime's voice stopped Matsuki, who was packing up. To him, it sounded like a death knell.

"Have you been streaming ghost hunts around here lately? And recording them? Besides here, where else?"

Matsuki swallowed nervously. "No—" Under Hajime's imposing gaze, he confessed, "We visited a few famous places nearby, but only here seemed likely for ghosts."

Matsuki's usual streaming mindset made him ramble before noticing Hajime stepping fully from the shadows. Hajime looked young—someone who might make a living online based on looks.

But then the weapons at his waist and in hand caught Matsuki's eye. From experience warding off spirits, he recognized a real, unsheathed knife—potentially lethal if sharpened.

Still wary, Matsuki recounted their past few days' ghost hunts. Who knew if Hajime was a murderer or disturbed? Suicides happened because people were broken and desperate.

If Hajime wished to take others with him, they were doomed. They really should have brought self-defense gear. This was all Shin'ichi's fault; his sudden illness had disrupted their preparations.

Hajime tapped Matsuki's phone, signaling to end the stream. Sweat poured from Matsuki's temples, fearing Hajime might strike.

Reluctantly, Matsuki lowered his head, said a few closing words, then shut off the live feed despite ongoing viewer comments.

Hajime then asked, "Have you encountered anything strange recently? Think carefully."

Matsuki wanted to say, "You're the strangest thing we've seen," but the knife silenced him. Still, Hajime's behavior after the stream suggested he wasn't a killer—he hadn't forced or harmed them.

So Matsuki cooperated and thought hard. No strange events had occurred. Though they streamed ghost hunts, he never experienced anything supernatural. Some colleagues claimed otherwise, but he dismissed their stories as hype.

Just as anxiety grew, Matsuki's props assistant spoke hesitantly: "What about Mr. Shin'ichi? Doesn't he count as strange?"

Matsuki perked up. "Oh, yes, but it wasn't that strange…"

"Tell me."

Hajime, inspecting the props nearby, turned toward Matsuki with keen interest.

Matsuki explained that Shin'ichi handled miscellaneous tasks. Two days ago, after visiting a nearby mountain with an abandoned temple, Shin'ichi developed a high fever and delirium. They initially thought it was a cold.

They took him to a hospital, then resumed streaming to avoid disappointing viewers.

Hajime asked, "What exactly did he say while delirious? Were you with him? Did you feel anything unusual?"

Matsuki smiled wryly. He realized Hajime wanted genuine ghost stories, unlike casual fans. But ghosts didn't exist in his world.

"Is that so," Hajime thought silently but pressed for details.

Matsuki recounted some delirious ramblings.

Hajime pondered quietly, then asked, "Was your camera recording the whole time?"

"Mostly, yes," Matsuki replied. "We use it to create behind-the-scenes footage later."

Hajime nodded firmly. "Let me see."

Matsuki wanted to protest about the volume of footage and suggested watching it safely elsewhere, but all he managed was "Okay."

Hajime took the camera and quickly scanned the footage using his Technique.

Returning it with a polite "Thank you," he added, "Go home quickly. Goodbye."

He turned and left.

Matsuki sighed with relief. "Never again."

He hurried his assistants to prepare for departure, grateful just to leave unharmed.

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