Chapter 26
In the Zen'in clan's household, Naoya Zen'in just received the news that due to the death of his father, and the circumstances of Satoru Gojo's imprisonment, Megumi would become the next. Naoya stowed away in his room, grinding his teeth and pacing around the place, trying to find a way to undermine this bothersome obstacle. "That insignificant little rat thinks he can usurp my position?!" Naoya exclaimed, his hands balling into fists as he glared out the window, "There has to be a way to faze him, take him out of line… Hmm." Naoya heard a knock on the door before a female attendant came in. 'Oh, great,' Naoya thought grouchily, 'First this injustice, and now this little worm dares to enter my presence at this hour.' Naoya turned to the attendant, scowling all the while. "What do you want, woman? Make it quick," Naoya spat. The attendant began, "There is some news regarding the position of the new head." "Out with it then. What is so important that you had to disturb me?" Naoya asked indignantly. Naoya listened as he heard Megumi's appointment as the new head of the Zen'in clan was suspended for now as Josefu Hanto, a mere sorcerer that Naoya barely heard about and had dismissed in the past as he was outside any of the big three Jujitsu Clans, confirmed that Gojo was sealed for some nefarious plot. Josefu himself was assigned this mission since the higher-ups recently promoted him to a special-grade sorcerer. Due to him being Gojo's main defender, he presumably wanted to test if he could answer to the higher-ups without causing a ruckus. With little to no options, Naoya smirked at this information. "Very well, leave me. There is much to think about," Naoya commanded as he turned back to the window. After some deliberation, Naoya snuck away from the household and began seeking out Josefu to ensure his victory. That way, Naoya could claim his rightful place at the top. The place he always believed he was destined for.
In Yuki's makeshift dojo, Tsumiki learned how to channel her negative emotions into curse energy, but was having significant trouble understanding the flow of curse energy. Her attuned senses, while making it easy to see curse energy, made it difficult to regulate that energy within herself as Tsumiki held the perspective that curse energy was something universal and therefore, her identity did not play a role in controlling it, making her lose any grasp over it. Yuki slowly helped her through the process, though, even she was having a difficult time helping Tsumiki as she was adamant that she could understand, even when she was widely off the mark, motivated by her desperation to help Megumi. Eventually, Tsumiki began to get motion sickness from continuously witnessing curse energy move around the room, causing her to drop to her knees, and she was made to rest on the nearby couch.
Meanwhile, Megumi learned the fundamentals of barrier techniques at last, only needing time to practice them. "Thank you for the switch training, Kusakabe-sensei," Megumi stated. "It's no problem, Fushiguro-kun. Things have gotten pretty bad, so anything I can teach to you and the others will be more than necessary. Shame I can only do so when the students ask," Kusakabe replied. "Because of the higher-ups?" Megumi asked. "Yes," Kusakabe answered, "They've been on edge since the incident in Shibuya. We need everyone to be ready to fight at the level they are capable of being at." Megumi bowed in respect before turning to the exit. "Good luck, Fushiguro-kun," Kusakabe stated, "Do your best. That's all we can do now." Megumi nodded before leaving, intending to check on Tsumiki.
Joesfu prowled the curse-ridden streets of Tokyo, avoiding curses where he could so as not to arouse attention while he made his way to the eastern side of Tokyo to reach the Japan Trench, where Kenjaku would toss the prison realm eight thousand meters below the sea level in the manga with Gojo inside it. As he skulled the area, Josefu heard something quickly approaching him, prompting him to dodge as Naoya Zen'in made his appearance. 'Naoya?!' Josefu pondered, his eyes wide, 'What's this little cockroach doing here?' Josefu studied Naoya's figure, the young man's smirk and arrogance oozing from him while Josefu relaxed his features. "You there," Naoya began, "You're that Hanto brat, right? The 'special-grade' everyone's talking about?" "Yes," Josefu answered with a curt tone. "Good. I have decided to grace you with my presence to help you locate and retrieve Gojo-kun," Naoya explained. 'Oh joy,' Josefu brooded, 'This will take a while…' Naoya then went into great detail explaining how qualified and powerful he was, so that Josefu could accept his request after buttering him up.
Meanwhile, after some searching for Yuki's dojo, Megumi found Tsumiki sweating profusely while Yuki and Todo discussed the situation and how to tackle the problem of all the curses roaming throughout Tokyo. Megumi observed Tsumiki's weathered form as a frown stretched over his lips. "Hey," Megumi began, crouching to meet Tsumiki at eye level as she opened her eyes to see him. Once she did, Tsumiki put in the effort to sit up and forced a smile. "Hey," Tsumiki replied, "How is everything, Megumi?" Megumi interrupted, "That's my line." He placed a hand on Tsumiki's shoulder to force her to rest. To Megumi's shock, Tsumiki didn't just lean into his touch, she collapsed, her eyes and head twitching erratically. "Tsumiki?!" Megumi exclaimed, his eyes widening and his hands shaking. In a strained voice, Tsumiki looked back at Megumi, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Tsumiki wept, unable to stop herself from repeating those words over and over. "I'm not mad, Tsumiki," Megumi stated, "I'm worried about you. You pushed yourself too far." Megumi hesitated before patting Tsumiki's back, something that used to bring her some peace when he was seven years old. Tsumiki looked back at Megumi, sniffling before she practically leaped into his arms. "I can't do it…" She moaned; her voice unstable from the sheer emotion behind it. "What? What is it?" Megumi asked. "My curse flow… I don't understand it. Tsukumo-san explained it to me and Todo-san tried to show me, but it just won't work…"
Tsumiki sniffled again, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. "If I can't even learn the basics, how can I help you, Megumi?" Tsumiki sobbed, her body trembling under Megumi's hand. "Tsumiki…" Megumi began, "Don't beat yourself up over this. I can take care-" Tsumiki interrupted, "What about all those curses? What if you get cornered and you can't find a way out?! You're my brother, Megumi! I can't lose you. Not after losing everything else…" Tsumiki huffed, holding back her tears as she tried to pull herself together. Megumi scowled, pulling Tsumiki into a tight hug. "I know you're worried, Tsumiki. Jujutsu sorcery is not for the faint of heart and it can lead to your death," Megumi began, "But, if you're going to train, you need to take breaks and go at your own pace. That's the first lesson I learned before learning my technique."
Tsumiki pulled back from Megumi, tears running down her cheeks. "R-really?" Tsumiki asked. "Yes," Megumi answered, "It's not logical to push yourself too far. Remember your swim classes? Where phases of rest have to balance out the training exercises?" Tsumiki nodded before Megumi continued, "It's similar to this. Don't forget that you only gained this power three days ago. You won't pick up curse regulation if you don't take time to rest and reflect on your actions, let alone understand how curse energy flows." Tsumiki wiped her tears, her gaze becoming reinvigorated with a steely sheen within them. "Ok," Tsumiki answered, "I'll pace myself. Just… Be careful, please." Megumi grinned at Tsumiki's resolve, replying with a warm voice, "I will. Make sure you take care of yourself too." With that, Megumi moved to leave before Tsumiki grabbed his arm. "Could you… Watch for a bit?" Tsumiki asked timidly, being fully transparent about her feelings, "I need some extra support right now." Megumi answered, "I can do that." Before resting on the nearby bench. When Tsumiki finally rose to her feet, Megumi asked, "Why did you fall anyway?" Tsumiki fidgeted before looking back at Megumi, her eyes searching his. "I… I felt your curse energy, Megumi. It's thick, rough, and jagged. But, also… constantly changing, like water moving from one glass to another," Tsumiki answered. Hearing this, Megumi marveled, looking back at Tsumiki with wide eyes. "Is something wrong?" Tsumiki asked. "No," Megumi answered, "I think I just found a way for you to start learning about curse energy more effectively." Despite the fatigue from training with Kusakabe all day, Megumi stood up and started walking to Yuki and Todo. "What are you doing?" Tsumiki asked, following Megumi. "I'm going to help your teacher find a way to teach you better," Megumi answered.