WARNING : I am not a native speaker. One of my reasons to re-write this fict is because I want to practice my English even just a little. So, read it with a grain of salt and please enjoy yourself.

—OoOoO—

Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami

Oregairu by Wataru Watari & Ponkan8

Genre : Supernatural, Action, Freindship, Slice of Life, and Little Bit Romance

Summary : Not the romantic comedy of youth that he experienced, not the quiet and normal life of youth he had. He never missed his day-to-day cursing his strange and annoying life. He is Hikigaya Hachiman and this is all his complaints as a jujutsu sorcerer.

Chapter 13 : Afterwards.

—OoOoO—

Namie City, a city located in Fukushima Prefecture. Namie City was not one of the many big cities in Japan. However, the name of this city a few years ago suddenly became famous. Ironically, this city was not renowned for its achievements but for the incident with the nuclear reactor.

The Fukushima Daichii Disaster was one of the biggest disasters in Japan ever. Starting from a powerful earthquake that devastated the eastern side of Miyagi Prefecture, followed by a giant tsunami that rolled up the coast of Sendai and ended with the leaked of the Fukushima nuclear reactor. As a result, at least around 4% of Namie City had become a restricted area. Nuclear radiation was scattered in the area, so people without permits were prohibited from entering.

"That's roughly what happens in this town," said the long-haired man with horizontal stitches on his forehead, "What do you think, Hijikata?"

Geto Tsuguru, a human who had no interest in this forbidden place, but instead sits leisurely on the riverbank while watching his fishing rod.

"What?" Hijikata asked.

"The story about this area being vacated, do you think that makes sense?"

"Are you saying that this disaster was not the result of the Tohoku earthquake?"

Geto Suguru smiled faintly and was about to answer. However, Hijikata raised his hand forward and motioned for Geto to be quiet. Seeing this, Geto raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's happen?" Geto asked for an explanation.

"My Shikigami in Chiba have been defeated."

"Really? I was a little surprised when I received the report that Hikigaya-kun had managed to kill Quanxi. However, I never thought he would be able to defeat your shikigami," Geto commented, "Didn't you say, your shikigami has already manifested into yourself?"

Hijikata Toshizo had a very unique state and could be said to be an anomaly. Generally, only strong sorcerers who die without being killed using cursed energy turn into vengeful spirits. In addition, there was another unique case where an ordinary girl like Orimoto Rika turned into a vengeful spirit due to the effects of being cursed by Okkotsu Yuta. However, Hijikata Toshizo's case was different.

He wasn't a jujutsu sorcerer, nor was he cursed by a powerful sorcerer. The only thing that brought him back from the dead was his intense hatred of the new government. It was amplified by all the grudges held by the vassals of the Tokugawa Clan.

As the former Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi who resurrected again to become a vengeful spirit, Hijikata Toshizo's cursed technique was not much different from his field in the past. His cursed technique had no name, but Hijikata Toshizo named his own technique the Shinsengumi. That was based on the fact that the shikigami he issued were soldiers who wore Shinsengumi uniforms.

"No, the one who defeated me was not Hikigaya Hachiman, but Hiratsuka Shizuka," Hijikata replied.

"Hiratsuka Shizuka, huh? She is indeed a very troublesome woman."

Speaking of shikigami, Hijikata's shikigami had unique attributes. That said, Hijikata used his technique based on the shogi. For someone who had served as Vice Commander and Minister of Defence of the Ezo Republic, Hijikata could be said to be a formidable battlefield general.

Therefore, utilizing the his shikigami's unique attributes and the shogi's rules, Hijikata could promote his mere shikigami to become a shikigami with abilities befitting a general. The main conditions were the same as shogi. Fuhyou, the equivalent of a pawn in chess, could be promoted to a tokin, a piece that had set movements like a kinshou, which literally was a golden general. The conditions for promotion were the same. Your piece must reach the opponent's line of defence.

In Hijikata's case, he took out his weakest shikigami, which naturally had a low presence, and let him infiltrate the Hachiman group's line of defence. In this case, Hachiman's group's line of defence was the Chiba Folk Museum, a place Hachiman had protected with his life so Quanxi couldn't enter it.

Actually, Hachiman and Iroha, who was able to awaken her sensory abilities, could have sensed the presence of Hijikata's shikigami. However, because the concentration of cursed energy around the museum was very thick due to Turbo Granny's fought against Megumi cs and continued with Hachiman against Quanxi, Hijikata's shikigami's cursed energy was disguised.

"Her domain was able to take over mine. It nullified all my domain effects and cursed techniques," Hijikata said in a deep voice, "In fact, I lost half my strength. On top of that, Hiratsuka Shizuka absorbed all of my lost power and it doubled her strength."

"Room Takeover, a domain expansion that has the strongest anti-domain properties ever. Actually, it wouldn't be surprising if your shikigami lost to her," Geto paused for a moment, "No. Even if you fought her yourself, you may still have to risk your life to defeat Hiratsuka Shizuka."

"Is she that strong?"

Geto smiled slightly and replied, "Her domain may only be activated once the opponent has taken out their domain. And her domain effect is indeed very troublesome. However, that's not all Hiratsuka can do.".

"Even though you said our main target is Gojou Satoru, there are still many other powerful sorcerers in this country, huh?" said Hijikata.

"Well, since Tengen covered mainland Japan with his barrier, this country has always produced powerful sorcerers in every era."

"Tengen?"

"Ah, he is a great barrier technique user. He is a semi-immortal being who has lived since the Nara Period."

"Really, how can he live that long?" asked a curious Hijikata.

Geto Suguru looked straight into the only eyeball Hijikata had. Then, he turned his gaze to the sky, gazing at the old memories that were hard for him to forget.

"Do you know, why did Tengen use his technique to confine the main island of Japan using his barrier?"

Hijakata Toshizo was a creature who had just awakened and was still new to this new life. Hearing Geto, who was about to give one the information about the history of the success of Japanese jujutsu sorcerers, made Hijikata's attention entirely focused on the man with horizontal stitches on his forehead.

"The Tengen Barrier is an imaginary barrier that only confines the cursed energy within it. That's why, the concentration of cursed energy in the mainland of Japan is very high. It makes the cursed energy within humans react and awaken their abilities as jujutsu sorcerers. With a similar cycle, Japan always has the highest number of sorcerers compared to other countries."

Hijikata was silent for a moment, trying to process the information he had just obtained.

"So, you're saying, Tengen is the one who spread jujutsu in Japan?"

"That's the answer people generally think. However, Tengen's main goal is not that."

Geto deliberately paused for a moment to see Hijikata's reaction. After seeing the curious look of the former Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi, Geto continued his explanation.

"You saw how Hiratsuka absorbed all the wasted cursed energy from you and made it her own, right?" asked Geto, to which Hijikata nodded.

Seeing that, Geto smiled and continued, "Just like Hiratsuka, Tengen can do that too."

"Barrier Tengen. The cursed energy concentrated in large quantities in Japan, he absorbed it?" asked Hijikata, who quickly realized the direction of Geto's explanation.

The man dressed as a monk smiled faintly. Then, he nodded his head in reaction to Hijikata's deduction.

"With Tengen's unlimited energy supply, that's the key to his immortality all along. A body that has a large amount of cursed energy will easily perform the Reverse Cursed Technique that keeps the cells in his body healthy."

"In that case, isn't Tengen a more dangerous than Gojou Satoru?"

Geto giggled softly at Hijikata's question.

"No. Even though he is semi-immortal and has an almost unlimited supply of cursed energy, Tengen is not a fighting type. Unlike Hiratsuka who developed her technique into an offensive style, Tengen was a timid person. He uses his techniques purely for defence. His defences are penetrable than Gojo Satoru's defences, though."

Hearing that long answer made Hijikata conclude one thing. Whoever this Gojo Satoru was, he was a man whose defences were almost impenetrable.

Of all the explanations, Hijikata felt that there was one thing that remained unanswered.

"Your explanation still didn't answer the reason about why Tengen covering mainland Japan using his barrier."

Geto smiled faintly and replied, "Evolution. Humans are three-dimensional beings bound by space-time. By spreading his barrier across mainland, Tengen managed to break free from the concept of space. However, he could not escape the concept of time. Or should I say, he dared not let himself go. He has no intention of becoming a fully four-dimensional being."

Hijikata narrowed his eyes sharply at Geto, "So, your main goal all this time was Tengen? By getting rid of Gojou Satoru, you want to target Tengen? You want to continue what Tengen couldn't finish?"

Geto Suguru laughed after the vengeful spirit. He had already guessed Hijikata could see his purpose when he started to tell him about Tengen. However, witnessing it in person felt more interesting than he had imagined.

Geto wiped his tears using the back of his index finger. He looked at Hijikata, who was still keeping a sharp gaze.

"Just so you know, I don't care about your obsession with Tengen," Hijikata said again, "After we finish taking care of this Gojou Satoru, and if after that I feel that your plans will get in my way, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Geto again chuckled softly hearing that. He was not underestimated, but it would be exciting if he fought Hijikata and managed to control him. However, he would not do so. Not yet. Not until Hijikata had reached his potential.

"Chill, my friend. My plan won't interfere yours," Geto replied casually, "In fact, it's possible that what I'm about to do could be where you fight to the end once you finish your business with the Emperor and the Japanese Government."

—OoOoO—

The Boso Peninsula—or more commonly known as the Chiba Peninsula—was a small paradise located at the eastern tip of Japan. The natural wealth and tourist attractions on the Boso Peninsula were considered one of the best in Japan. If Japan was called the land of the rising sun, it means the Boso Peninsula was the land of the rising sun's land.

On the east side of the Boso Peninsula, more precisely on the Onjuku beach, was one of the top beaches in Chiba. The waves that came directly from the Pacific Ocean made this beach one of the favourite destinations for surfing. In addition, the beautiful scenery of coral reefs and marine life made this place very popular among divers.

The beginning of summer, like now, was the beginning of the peak of the divers visiting Onjuku beach. Because the location directly faces the Pacific Ocean, strict regulations were enforced on this beach. Whether it's divers or surfers, they must not move beyond a predetermined distance limit.

However, no matter where it was, one or two stubborn people always broke the rules at will. About 20 kilometres from the shore of Onjuku, there was a medium-sized ferry. On the ship's deck, a woman was lying on a beach chair. The woman was utterly immersed in the serenity accompanied by the sound of the waves from the sea. Even though the sun was scorching enough, the woman was not bothered in the slightest.

The woman with long black hair wore sunglasses that matched her hair colour. The woman wore a bright red bikini, which automatically made all of her charming curves exposed. However, blue batik-patterned cloth covered her hips and legs. As such, her slender legs were slightly disguised.

"This is how people should enjoy life," she said to herself.

The woman then grabbed a lemon tea from the table next to her and drank it slowly to quench her thirst.

"Dang it, if only this really was my full vacation," she said, standing up from her seat.

After fighting the laziness, the woman was finally able to stand perfectly. She stretched the slightly saturated muscles of her body.

"Well, it's time to see how they both are," she said, walking towards the ferry's railing.

Arriving at the ship's barrier, the woman leaned her hands on it, allowing the guardrail to support her weight. So that her eyes could see more clearly, she lifted her sunglasses and let them just above her head.

The two beautiful black irises scan the entire surface of the sea, which could be said to have relatively large waves. Not long after, the figure of a girl came out from the sea.

"Hah… hah… hah…," her ragged breaths were the first thing out of her mouth, indicating that oxygen was something she needed the most right now.

"You are faster than I expected, Isshiki."

The girl, Isshiki Iroha, turned to the woman with a exhausted expression that she could no longer hide.

"I… finished, Hiratsuka-sensei," Iroha replied while raising her right hand.

Hiratsuka smiled broadly at her hard-working student.

"Good job," she said as she tossed a ring buoy at Iroha.

The girl, swam towards the ring buoy thrown not far from her place. In just a few seconds, Iroha's hands had grabbed and embraced it. Then, Hiratsuka pulled Iroha closer to the ship.

With the help of her mentor, Iroha finally managed to get on the ship. She immediately took off her diving suit and lay down on the ship's deck. Her chest, which was only clad in a white swimsuit, was expanding and contracting as if she wanted to take in as much oxygen as she could.

As a teacher, Hiratsuka was a compassionate person. She came to where Iroha was lying with a glass of warm drink in her right hand and a warm towel in her left.

"How?" Hiratsuka asked while handing her a drink.

Seeing that, Iroha got up a little reluctantly. Her hand accepted the warm drink given by her mentor and drank it slowly.

"Even though it's the fifth time today, I'm still not used to it at all," Iroha replied and put down the drink.

Her hand now turned to take the warm towel that Hiratsuka had prepared. Her pretty face was the first thing she wiped with a towel, letting the warm heat from the towel transfer to her face.

"And seriously, I think I've reached the limit," added the brown-haired girl.

"We will continue tomorrow then. Tomorrow will be the last day and you will start school again the day after tomorrow."

Hearing that, Iroha nodded slowly in relief. A long breath was accidentally released from her mouth. This was the second day of her training. Yesterday, or the next day after the Chiba Folk Museum incident, Hiratsuka immediately dragged her students to practice in the middle of the sea.

Physically, Iroha and Hachiman were already in good shape. Their cursed energy was already filled enough after one night's sleep. However, mentally, both of them were still exhausted. Still, with various considerations, Hiratsuka decided to drag her students to practice.

Iroha looked around. She was looking for the figure of the man who should have come with her, a senior figure who she secretly amazed and surprised her with his strange nature.

"Has Senpai not gone up yet?"

Hiratsuka shook her head slowly. That was enough to answer Iroha's question.

"Senpai dives much deeper than me. Is that really okay?"

Hiratsuka smiled widely and stroked Iroha's hair roughly.

"You know him. He's tougher and more stubborn than he looks. Besides, I wouldn't have told him to dive that deep if I wasn't confident in his abilities."

"Well, that's right. It's just…, I still have a hard time believing your training methods this time."

Hiratsuka turned her gaze to the sky, staring at the blue sky dotted with white clouds. She knew this method might be too heavy, especially for Iroha, who wasn't the fighting type in the first place. However, memories of the past, where her precious friend had to die because he met a powerful cursed spirit, came back to haunt her.

Turbo Granny, Quanxi, and Hijikata Toshizo. Two special grade cursed spirits and a jujutsu sorcerer equivalent to the Head of Zen'in Clan. The three powerful existences appeared in the same place at the same time. Although, according to reports, Turbo Granny's appearance was purely due to being provoked by Sukuna's finger. Meanwhile, Hachiman suspected that the appearance of Quanxi and Hijikata Toshizo had some connection.

The theory was based on Quanxi's goal of stealing something from the Chiba Folk Museum and Hijikata, who came to retrieve his beloved sword, which that day happened to be on display at the museum.

"To be honest, I do want to let you guys grow at your own pace. However, the appearance of Hijikata Toshizo made me feel uneasy. A shikigami that can change and possess the abilities of its master, I've never encountered anything like that before. I don't know what will happen in the future. However, at least I want you to have a higher survival percentage if you encounter a cursed spirit of Hijikata Toshizo's level."

Iroha lay back down on the ship's deck. The girl digested the words that came out of her teacher's mouth. It wasn't like she was complaining about her mentor's increased exercise portion. She would also be happy if she could increase her chances of survival in a world where her life was at stake every day.

"Well, it's not like I don't like it or anything, really. Just…, this practice was too sudden. Besides, is this practice really effective in increasing our cursed energy control and efficiency?"

Hiratsuka just smiled sweetly at the question.

With a thumb she pointed at herself, Hiratsuka replied, "Of course. This is an exercise I did when I was young. Well, that doesn't mean now I'm old, anyway."

Divers were people who could regulate their breathing very well. The distribution of their oxygen and power must be very efficient. Otherwise, they won't last long underwater.

Ordinary humans could only dive to at least 50 meters. However, with rigorous training and adequate scuba equipment, the maximum limit a scuba diver could go was 323 metres. This limit was the agreed limit as the point at which sunlight could no longer penetrate into the seawater. In other words, anything below 323 meters was total darkness. Meanwhile, the most profound record that a free-diver could do was 253 meters below sea level.

"Ah, looks like Hikigaya will reach the surface," said Hiratsuka when she felt Hachiman's cursed energy.

After saying that, Hiratsuka got up and walked toward the ship's barrier to greet her student. Iroha followed her mentor from behind. Even though she was still tired, her curiosity dominated her at the moment.

"Dive to a depth of 550 meters. I want to see, did Senpai also turn out to be like those strange sea creatures?"

Iroha indeed did free-dive to a depth of 100 meters. However, Hachiman was different. He did scuba diving, but the depths he had to reach were much deeper than Iroha's.

"You have to live at a depth of more than 850 meters if your body want to evolve to be like them."

"Ewh… I didn't say I wanted to be them," Iroha retorted while sticking out her tongue.

Hiratsuka's training method was actually quite simple, but you could say it's very extreme. Diving was an activity that required a person to have an efficient distribution of oxygen and power. However, that only applies to the standard depth limit. If you dive further, your constraint was not only on oxygen and power but also hydrostatic pressure.

On land or at surface level, the pressure received by humans was one atm. Meanwhile, the hydrostatic pressure increases by about one atm every 10 meters when you dive into the sea. When this pressure was converted to a more familiar unit such as the kilogram, one atm was approximately equal to 1,003 kilograms-force per square centimetres.

In other words, a scuba diving Hachiman to 550 meters would be under pressure of up to 55 atm, or equivalent of 56.82 kilograms-force per square centimetres. Or, every 1 cm2 of Hachiman's body would get a pressure of 56.82 kilograms. If you put a small square with an area of 625 cm2 above Hachiman's head, and the square was likened to the pressure on Hachiman's head, that means Hachiman must hold a weight of 35,512 kg on his head. That weight was equivalent to the weight of four to five African elephants.

The problem of hydrostatic pressure was not the only problem Hachiman had to deal with. Humans need oxygen to survive, but about 78 per cent air we breathed was nitrogen gas. That means there was only about 22 per cent oxygen when we breathed air. Even so, nitrogen had a relatively slow reaction if it was above sea level or on land. The same applied to oxygen. That way, humans on land don't have to worry about nitrogen poisoning.

However, what happens to these gases when humans dive deep into the ocean?

The increased pressure caused more nitrogen and oxygen to leach into the blood. This made the chemical reaction of nitrogen faster and would harm humans. A person who was exposed to nitrogen narcosis would cause that person to faint. Conditions in the depths of the sea, these conditions were a disaster for divers.

"Oh, there's a shadow starting to appear on the surface," Iroha said a little excitedly, "Eh, wait, why are bubbles appearing too? Senpai wasn't poisoned or anything, right?"

Hiratsuka wasn't bothered by the scene. More than anyone, she knew that her disciple was fine. Well, maybe he was drained, but it wasn't something that would threaten his life.

"If he was poisoned, he would have sunk to the bottom of the sea."

Of the many obstacles that must be overcome in Hiratsuka's training method, the essence of her training was to increase the capacity and control of her students' cursed energy. Especially for Hachiman, because he also had to fight against nitrogen poisoning, inevitably, Hachiman was forced to perform a reverse cursed technique efficiently to neutralize the nitrogen concentration in his blood. Otherwise, he would definitely die.

At the same time, he had to protect his body from the high hydrostatic pressure using cursed energy reinforcement. However, Hachiman could not carelessly use his cursed energy. Too much cursed energy would make his body mass increase. If his body mass increases, the power he used to dive also increases. On the other hand, if the cursed energy he used was too low, he fucked up.

In simple terms, he had to do his best to make the most efficient use of his cursed energy. In other hand, he had to know when to activate the reverse cursed technique to neutralize the poison in his body, while he also had to defend his body from hydrostatic pressure.

Actually, neutralizing poison using the reverse cursed technique was extremely difficult. Even Hachiman couldn't do it at first either. However, by being forced to face a life and death situation under the sea, Hachiman could finally neutralize the nitrogen poison in his body.

After some seconds, tiny bubbles and a shadow on the sea's surface finally reveal Hachiman's body.

"Eh, he floats! Senpai floats, and the oxygen cylinder is gone!" Iroha shouted hysterically when she saw Hachiman floating with his face facing the sky.

Meanwhile, Hiratsuka ignored it. The woman felt so proud to see her favourite student succeed.

"Hey dude, how are you doing?" shouted Hiratsuka.

Hachiman, who heard that, raised his right thumb, indicating that he had done well. However, because he couldn't find a marker placed by Hiratsuka, Hachiman, unfortunately, swam three meters deeper than his target.

"Take this, Hikigaya," said Hiratsuka while tossed the ring buoy, "Tomorrow I will add a little more to your training portion. So, relax as much as possible for the rest of the day."

'I hate this practice. It's too tiring. My muscles felt like they were going to rip, my lungs wanted to burst, the blood in my brain seemed to freeze, and my heart felt like forgot to beat. This barbarian training is more suitable for a muscle head like Maki,' Hachiman thought, full of complaints.

The purpose of this exercise was not only to control and increase the capacity of the cursed energy but, of course, to train physically, especially in breathing.

By the way, Hiratsuka's deepest diving record was 650 meters. That's what she did six years ago to hunt down the cursed spirit in the deep ocean.

—OoOoO—

Yukinoshita Haruno was the pinnacle of what normal humans could do. High brain power, impressive adaptability to other people, beautiful face, a very proportional body, and quite skilled in martial arts. She was a woman who had everything, from personally and socially to financially. With her intelligence, beauty, and status, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the world revolved around Yukinoshita Haruno.

Her father was a chief cabinet secretary and Prime Minister Abe's right hand. Her mother was the president and legal owner of the Yukinoshita Group, which oversees many businesses run by the Yukinoshita family. So, if Haruno wanted to, she could get whatever she wanted by simply pointing at it.

However, such a lifestyle actually dragged her into boredom and emptiness. When she tried something new, Haruno would master it in just a month. All the privileges she had, it became curses that weighed on her. She was always used to living to meet other people's expectations. So, she sometimes forgot what she wanted the most.

Simply put, Haruno was a person who couldn't find passion in her life. Yet, she still a woman with high curiosity.

That's why, when the attempted murder incident happened at the masquerade party last weekend, Yukinoshita Haruno had complicated feelings. She was afraid, anxious, and restless, but on the other hand, an intense curiosity made her unable to forget the phenomenon.

The concrete wall that suddenly formed a crater as if it had been hit by something, as well as the thick bulletproof glass that suddenly shattered as if someone had broken through it, those memories were deeply rooted in her brain.

"What did you say? You can't find the CCTV footage?" Haruno asked through the smartphone attached to her right ear.

"I'm sorry, Haruno-sama."

"I can understand if you couldn't find the CCTV footage of the masquerade party because it involved a high-ranking party. However, you also couldn't find the CCTV footage of the terrorism and theft incident at the Chiba Folk Museum?"

Haruno slightly raised her voice. She was so annoyed because no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find the slightest trace, whether it was from the attempted murder party or the incident at the Chiba Folk Museum.

"Have you searched for it all the way to the underworld?" asked Haruno, who was impatient because she didn't get a reply from her interlocutor.

On the other hand, a man on the other side of the phone hesitated a little to answer Haruno's question. The fact that he could not carry out Haruno's simple task made him ashamed of himself.

"My apologies, Haruno-sama. No one sells information about the two incidents even in the underworld or the black market."

Haruno leaned her back on the chair she was sitting on. Her luscious mouth bit her fingernails, trying to hold back the irritation she felt.

"What do you mean by no one's selling the information?"

Haruno was an intelligent and sensitive woman. She was not a naive woman raised to see only beautiful things. As the next heiress of a powerful Yukinoshita family, Haruno realized that the surface she stood on was not the only side that exists. The woman was well aware that Japan—known as one of the countries with a very low crime rate—also had a dark side that ordinary people could not see.

As clean as the politicians or businessmen were on the surface, they must at least have been or were still involved with the world in which the yakuza and mafia exist. Haruno had long since realized that. Utilizing the channel owned by her family, it was not uncommon for Haruno to interact with the underworld just to satisfy her curiosity.

However, the fact that there was still information that couldn't even be obtained in the underworld, left Haruno unable to do anything but be shocked.

"They are aware of the incident. However, when they wanted to secure the evidence for sale in the underworld, all the information suddenly disappeared and all that was left was the official information released by the government."

Haruno snorted in annoyance at that answer. No matter how, it was always deadlocked.

"Alright, continue your work. If you find something, tell me," Haruno said and ended the call.

Haruno looked up at the ceiling of her room. She still couldn't believe that she couldn't find a single piece of evidence or valid information about the two incidents. The two indeed were not related. However, both incidents were equally inexplicable to common sense.

'The incident at the masquerade party last week should be enough to fill the headlines in all media. Unfortunately, the news was drowned by news of artist scandals, corruption cases, and the parliament which suddenly brought up hot issues to be resolved immediately. It's as if some force is trying to distract people from the incident.'

Haruno exhaled and said, "Seriously. In fact, the guests at the party refused to discuss the incident further. I know why they refuse to talk about it, though."

Actually, Haruno had also extracted information about the incident from the invited guests' point of view. However, all of them did not know what was really going on. In addition, they also refused to discuss it further.

As Haruno thought, the incident should have become a hot topic in various media. However, the sensitive issues that were used to hoard and distract from the incident allowed the guests—all of whom were elites—to understand that there was a great power behind it. If they discussed it further, they could be the next victim to cover up the case.

She always thought that the underworld where the yakuza and mafia reside was the darkest society. However, from these two incidents, Haruno knew that there was still a world much darker than she had thought, a society where the yakuza were only seen as anchovies unworthy of attention.

Because of that, Haruno was cautious in investigating what really happened.

'As for the Chiba Folk Museum incident, the government claimed that was an act of terrorism and the looting of antiques in the museum. The museum's walls were broken down, the courtyards were bombed and blown up, the asphalt roads were bombed to cut off the access of the officers to the location, those are all claims from the government.'

Haruno rose from her seat. She walked toward the door that connected her room to the balcony. When both hands opened the door, the cold and dry night breeze hit Haruno's beautiful face.

"The question is, why Chiba? What was gained from carrying out acts of terror in Chiba? Besides, are the government's claims true? The witnesses interviewed did say that it was terrorism. However, their statements seem a little inconsistent, but they are too innocent to be called false givers."

Haruno came out to the balcony of her room. She sat in the only available chair. Haruno closed her eyes and tried to find a common thread that might connect all the puzzles. However, the result was nil. She lacked evidence, she lacked information, and she also lacked witnesses. There was no suspicious person she could extract information from.

'No, there's still one more person I haven't investigated. And perhaps, his demeanor is the most suspicious of all.'

The lazy face of a teenager with eyes that resembled a dead fish flashed in Haruno's mind.

'Hikigaya-kun, why he worked as a one-night waiter in Tokyo while here in Chiba we have the part-time jobs that paid well? On top of that, he disappeared instantly when the glass of the party hall shattered. He could have panicked and gone into hiding. However, normal people will generally ponder first to process the situation before finally running away. The point is, his reaction was too fast, as if Hikigaya-kun knew what was going on.'

Hachiman was the last person in the party hall that Haruno hadn't had the chance to question. At first, Haruno wanted to ask her sister for help contacting Hachiman because she didn't have his personal contact. However, her sister said that Hachiman had not attended school since last Monday until today. That means Hachiman had not shown his nose for four days.

'Besides, he hasn't been around since last Monday and it was the same day as the Chiba Folk Museum incident.'

"Well, he couldn't possibly have anything to do with that incident, could he?" chirps Haruno, who quickly discarded the thought that she thought was unreasonable.

Still, the word "reasonable" could no longer be used in these two cases. As such, many doubts came to her mind.

"He couldn't be involved, could he?" Haruno muttered quietly.

This investigation that Haruno carried out independently was fruitless, or rather, it did not yet produce any results. However, Haruno's eyes were now directed into the endless of darkness.

Unfortunately, Haruno was not aware of one thing. When she stare deep into the abyss, the abyss would also stare back at her.

—To Be Continued—

Author's Notes : I now declare that the Chiba Folk Museum arc has ended. You could say the villain is the winner because they managed to get the item they wanted, in this case, the sword Izumi no Kami Kanaseda (Hijikata Toshizo's sword).

In this closing chapter, I made three parts, where all three have the same information and set up for the next arc. Especially the last part (Harono's part) will be an essential point for the next arc. And as a set-up, the following two or three chapters will run a little slower because I will be writing about Hachiman's daily life. Well, not really, really.

In essence, the next arc will focus more on Haruno and, of course, Hachiman himself.

For Hachiman Fan, first they fought against Turbo Granny. Some people misunderstood that this Turbo Granny is the same as Dandandan's Turbo Grany. but nah, the original Turbo Granny is from the Japanese folklore, and maybe Dandandan's author also made his Turbo Granny form the original origin. The second was Quanxi from Chainsaw-Man. and the third was Hijikata Toshizo. Hijikata Toshizo is the original character here. his first appearance was in chapter 6. his origin is same as the Hijikata Toshizo in the real life.

Now that this arc is over, I'll probably share my focus on writing The Villain Does Not Want to Repent (Toji's journey in the MHA universe). So, if you have time, please drop by this story as well.

Well, that's all from me. I hope Hijikata's technique explanation is not that bad. if you have question, you can directly say it in the review column.

So, what do you think about this chapter? And thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Please leave your review for this chapter because your review is my encouragement. See you in the next chapter and stay safe.