Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Manipulate Time.

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Finding the Cursed Spirits.



Kamihara Hajime returned to Yaga Shrine without disturbing anyone. After briefly explaining the situation to Megumi Fushiguro, who was already lightly sleeping in the room, they decided it was too late to investigate further and went to rest.

The next morning, Akashi Emi, wife of Akashi Nohiko, had prepared breakfast, including fresh miso soup, rice balls, and Western-style items like fried eggs, bacon, and bread.

After politely thanking the gentle and virtuous lady, they took their seats at Akashi Nohiko's invitation and met his son and daughter, Akashi Nobunao and Akashi Natsuki.

Both children resembled their mother and appeared only a few years older than Hajime and Megumi. Among the siblings, the older sister's personality resembled their father more. Once the seven travelers had gathered, they quickly became familiar with one another.

Although Natsuki seemed more interested in Hajime and Megumi, one was cold and spoke little, while the other focused on eating, making it challenging for even a skilled cook to cater to their tastes.

After enjoying the delicious breakfast, Hajime thanked the Akashi family again. His attention then shifted to the conversation between Shujun and Akashi Nohiko about where to go later.

That location was one of several suspicious places Hajime had noticed in the streamer's video from the day before. It was atop the mountain behind the shrine, where a very tall and thick ancient tree, said to be hundreds of years old, stood. Tourists often climbed the mountain to admire it after praying at the shrine.

Because Yaga Shrine worships a local legendary Mountain God, this ancient tree was sometimes considered an incarnation of the Mountain God in the human world, naturally receiving reverence from many visitors.

After Hajime asked if they could join, Akashi Nohiko readily agreed and called his children. After clearing the table, he sent Nobunao to gather the group, saying he wanted to encourage his son to exercise.

Due to his reserved nature, Nobunao rarely communicated with others. Since returning home for vacation, Akashi Nohiko had planned for both siblings to participate in shrine activities.

Though Nobunao was introverted, he understood politeness. Soon, he returned with the group. Everyone set off lightly; the destination was only a short walk away.

During the walk, Hajime and Nobunao spoke at length, sharing detailed information about that place and other somewhat famous nearby spots. Though relatively quiet, Nobunao became talkative discussing familiar topics like games and anime.

From him, Hajime learned that aside from Yaga Shrine itself, there were few local attractions. The ancient tree was one, along with a cherry blossom path, though it wasn't bloom season. There was also a river at the mountain's base with clear water and rich ecology, often visited but quiet at this time.

Finally, there was a forest, neither large nor small, originally a beautiful natural landscape. In recent years, people had committed suicide there. Though not as infamous as Aokigahara, the site had drawn online attention after news reports, influencer visits, and several disappearances—though not confirmed as suicides.

At the mountaintop, they saw the conspicuous ancient tree surrounded by carefully maintained grounds. White shimenawa ropes, large enough for three to five people to embrace the trunk, adorned the tree. Its sturdy base supported a massive canopy. In summer, lush branches would enhance the spectacle.

Everyone took portraits and made sincere wishes in turns beneath the tree. Hajime, less interested in natural beauty—accustomed as he was to Jujutsu High's surroundings—walked the area, searching for traces of Cursed Energy.

He soon detected faint residual energy, first noticed by White Wolf, concentrated around the ancient tree. But without dense branches blocking his view, he found no active Curse presence.

From the mountaintop, one could spot the shrine's eaves peeking through the forest. A glance to the side revealed a silver ribbon of water winding out of the mountain forest into the distance.

Nearby, Megumi caught Hajime's eye. Upon Hajime's subtle signal, Megumi detected the faint residual energy too. He gestured, suggesting summoning Jade Hounds to search since no other Jujutsu Sorcerers were present and they wouldn't be visible otherwise.

Hajime shook his head and declined, choosing to walk normally. At Akashi Natsuki's suggestion, Hajime even took a photo with Megumi and White Wolf in front of the tree.

After savoring the view from the peak, the group descended, following a small path alongside the river.

The clear stream gurgled over bluestones, converging at the mountain's base. Small fish and shrimp darted in the water, and moving stones revealed crabs escaping from stirred mud.

Along the stream lay a grayish-white pebble beach where some played skipping stones, while Hajime and Megumi searched for Cursed traces. Likely disturbed by so many visitors, Hajime found a minor Cursed Spirit—a fly-head—briefly surfacing before vanishing. He ignored it, seeing no serious threat nearby.

According to the streamer's video, the abnormal situation seemed to be near the ancient tree. Perhaps another companion had encountered a Cursed Spirit, causing illness.

No Cursed Spirits were found on the mountaintop, so the creature must linger nearby. No traces appeared near the river either. They faced a slow, tedious search.

After the outing, they returned to the shrine for lunch. Despite Akashi Nohiko's polite refusals, Hajime pressed payment for their stay and meals into his hand, then said he and Megumi needed rest and would be called for dinner.

Back in their room, Hajime called Megumi, preparing to go out again. Their destination: the forest he had explored last night.

Once there, Hajime had Megumi summon the Jade Hounds.

Two shikigami—one black, one white—leapt from Megumi's shadow, circling him. After instructions, the Jade Hounds and White Wolf split up to search for Curses.

Though the area had many suicides, careful search revealed only minor Cursed Spirits, mostly fly-heads posing little threat. They dealt with threats when convenient; otherwise, ignored them.

Soon, White Wolf discovered something and barked across the forest. Hajime and Megumi followed and found a steep cliff edge.

Looking down under the clear sky, Hajime saw a grayish-black veil covering the area below.

"Found it?"

Megumi asked. Hajime nodded. "Its aura was well hidden—I didn't expect it here."

Looking back at the suicide "sanctuary," Hajime imagined people had jumped from here.

He set up a barrier. Though few lived nearby, precautions were necessary.

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, Hajime jumped down the cliff.

Megumi's eyelids twitched. Crossing his arms into a wing shape, a shadow surged behind him.

"Nue."

A large, strange bird flew out. This shikigami had been recently tamed. Megumi's Ten Shadows Technique corresponded to ten different shikigami. Except for the Jade Hounds, which didn't require taming, others needed to be tamed first.

Besides combat, Nue provided flight. Under Megumi's control, Nue hooked him with talons and flew down the cliff.

They landed to find Hajime already on the ground. After recalling Nue, Megumi pointed to a patch of black mist floating ahead and asked, "What is this? It has a Cursed aura. Do Cursed Spirits look like this?"

Hajime stroked his chin. The black mist radiated Curse energy; the closer they got, the clearer it became. Without seeing its shape, Hajime might have thought it was a Cursed Spirit, but its misty form…

"Let's test it."

Hajime raised his hand and sent a limited amount of Cursed Energy toward the mist, stirring it as if startling an entity.

The black mist contracted, converging to a central point. Within breaths, it solidified into a massive black snake with lifelike scales.

The snake's head had no eye sockets, unclear how it perceived anything, but Cursed Spirits were not truly living beings.

Disturbed by their presence, the snake coiled, preparing to strike.

Hajime spread his hands and turned to Megumi. "I'll leave this to you. No problem, right?"

Megumi drew Onikiri, and the Jade Hounds flanked him. The dense forest was poor terrain, so he did not summon Nue.

Hajime estimated the Cursed Spirit was semi-grade 2—likely a one-hit kill—and thought combat experience would benefit Megumi.

Meanwhile, he considered the Curse's origin. The suicide count seemed insufficient to birth such a spirit.

This Curse showed low aggression—had Hajime not initiated, it might have remained still.

Its ability to hide its aura was strong. Without seeing the anomaly in daylight, finding it would have been nearly impossible.

No wonder no traces were found last night; in poor light, the black mist blended naturally.

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