I Sealed Sukuna’s Finger#421+422: Can You Handle It? Gojo Satoru, You're Terrible

One had to admit, shared sensation was truly a wonderful invention.

Two minutes later, as Kuroka successfully claimed the top position thanks to her nekomata race's maxed-out sensitivity stats plus her strategic positioning, the other girls in the bath all trembled, displaying varying degrees of strain.

After all, unlike Kuroka—this "veteran" who'd gradually expanded her progress bar from a dozen centimeters to nearly thirty over seven or eight years through a complete step-by-step process—the other girls present simply couldn't handle the full extent.

At absolute most, they were like Lady Yasaka before today, managing two-thirds at their limit.

Especially for Koneko and Asia—their progress bar caps were only half of Kuroka's.

Taking on the complete full measure like this was something they'd never even dared imagine before.

They'd definitely break!

Fortunately, unlike direct physical experience, shared sensation after activation only transmitted tactile feelings without causing any actual damage to their bodies.

"By the way, about what I mentioned earlier."

Already settled in the bath, Bokue supported the waist of Kuroka—who was making victory signs at the other girls like a champion.

He'd originally planned to discuss this afterward, but thinking again, everyone would probably be too dazed by then. Better to speak while everyone's minds were still clear.

"After dinner, I first sent Yura back to the Keikain house, then stopped by Yasaka Shrine and learned something—Hagoromo-Gitsune has revived."

"Uh... eh? Hagoromo-Gitsune?"

Akeno Himejima, who'd been clutching her stomach and biting her lower lip with a strained expression, couldn't help but open her mouth wide.

In contrast, Rias, Asia, and the others looked completely lost.

"Hagoromo-Gitsune? What's that? Sounds like some yokai's name?"

"It is a yokai."

Akeno nodded gently.

"And... a legendary great yokai said to command a hundred demons."

As a former member of the Himejima family—one of the Five Principal Clans—she naturally wasn't unfamiliar with this name.

"Four hundred years ago, she entrenched herself in Kyoto as the lord of all demons and spirits. Even Hidemoto Keikain, the thirteenth head of the Keikain family and considered a genius of his time, couldn't handle her. It took the combined efforts of the Nura clan—yakuza from Edo led by Nurarihyon—to kill the then nearly nine-tailed Hagoromo-Gitsune and seal away her scattered power."

"Even the so-called 'killing' was only temporary."

"Legend says Hagoromo-Gitsune is a reincarnating yokai. Once she dies in one life, she immediately enters reincarnation for the next, inheriting memories from her previous life. Each reincarnation adds another tail and increases her power until she becomes a nine-tailed celestial fox."

"Oh~ sounds pretty impressive." Rias said casually, her cheeks flushed.

"Well, don't worry about the specifics. I'll handle it myself." Bokue remained as unconcerned as ever. "Just that I might not be on Itogami Island for the next few days, so let's make up for those days tonight."

"Really? Then hurry up! Leave everything to big sister!" Kuroka leaned back, pressing her cheek against the youth's and nuzzling hard.

"Don't rush, here it comes." With that, Bokue moved his hands to the cat-eared girl's shoulders, then suddenly applied force.

"Nyaa~!"

The next second, accompanied by a heart-melting cat's cry, Kuroka's head tilted high, her slender neck suddenly straightening.

Simultaneously, several other warm currents rushed through the bath.

❁❁❁❁

Time flew to the next morning.

Kyoto Shinkansen Station was crowded as always. Dazzling sunlight poured through the station's glass dome. Conversations, footsteps, and various sounds mixed with station announcements, echoing through the vast space.

[Attention please, the train bound for Tokyo Station is arriving. Passengers boarding please mind your belongings. Let passengers exit first before boarding. Please be careful. Once again...]

As another train arrival notice lit up on the electronic board suspended above the waiting hall, the rumbling sound of tracks already echoed faintly from far outside the station.

The next second, a high-speed train shot into the station, stirring up air currents behind the waist-high safety barriers before steadily stopping at the corresponding platform doors amid braking sounds.

Doors opened, and masses of passengers with luggage poured out like water from a punctured plastic bag.

Saeko Busujima was among these many passengers.

She also dragged a large suitcase, but unlike other passengers, she carried a sword bag with a katana on her shoulder. Stepping from the train into the waiting hall, she couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Phew~ Finally in Kyoto. Next is..."

Speaking, the kendo girl pulled out her phone from her pocket.

According to the text sent to all students by Kuoh Academy last night, after arriving in Kyoto, she still needed to queue for tickets to Itogami Island.

This was quite puzzling. Logically, wasn't Itogami Island in the waters near Tokyo?

Though three hundred kilometers couldn't really be called "nearby," it was at least closer than from Kyoto to Itogami Island, right?

Saeko truly couldn't understand.

But just as she pulled out her phone and lit up the screen, a new message popped up before her eyes.

[Yo-ho, when are you getting to Kyoto? —Satoru Gojo]

Below the message was attached a selfie of a certain unreliable white-haired blindfolded male teacher with his three students in front of Kiyomizu Temple.

[Just arrived, at the station now.]

Though unclear why he was also in Kyoto, Saeko still replied.

But her message had barely shown "Sent Successfully" when an incoming call appeared on screen.

It was from Gojo.

What did this guy want now...

After brief consideration, Saeko chose to answer.

"It's me. What is it, Gojo-sensei?"

"Well, nothing much. Just guessed Busujima-san would come to Kyoto, so sending a message to confirm."

Gojo's familiar frivolous voice came through the phone, and from the noisy background, the guy seemed to be at a tourist spot.

"Oh right, by the way, we've already bought your ferry ticket, Busujima-san. Though boarding time might be about a week from now."

"A week from now? Why?"

Saeko grew more confused.

"Because there are so many people wanting to go to Itogami Island now. Kyoto doesn't have enough ships..."

Gojo paused here, then continued in an incredulous tone.

"Oh my? Don't tell me you don't know, Busujima-san. Just yesterday, for some unknown reason, Itogami Island was moved to the waters near Kyoto?"

What...?

Saeko's mouth fell open in shock.

Could artificial islands actually sail around the ocean like ships?

<><><><><><><><>

Having spent most of last night in the old school building fooling around until ridiculously late, Bokue didn't wake up until nearly ten the next morning.

The brilliant late-summer sunlight filtered through the bedroom curtains, illuminating the room. From the pillow beside him came the sleepy murmurs of a certain cat-eared girl still lost in her dreams.

"Mmm... Bokue wants more...? You're so greedy... my—my belly's already swollen up, and you still want me to have kittens? Ehehehe..."

Bokue: "..."

Looks like she still hasn't come down from last night's high.

Though to be fair, they'd gone pretty overboard last night.

Between the shared sensations and the sheer number of people involved, even if each girl only went once per round, that still added up to about ten rounds total.

And they'd done way more than just one round—especially with girls like Asia, whose stamina was on the lower side. Without Bokue constantly replenishing their energy with his magnetic field manipulation, she never would've made it to the end.

All told, they'd gone through five, almost six full rounds before finally calling it quits.

It was eerily similar to that time with Asagi Aiba—starting after lunch and going straight through until evening. Thanks to his magnetic field powers, there weren't any physical side effects, but mentally? That was a different story.

Back then, Asagi had been completely spaced out by the end, her brain utterly flooded with pleasure, incapable of thinking about anything else.

Last night in the old school building had been even more intense than that session with Asagi.

At the very least, the girls who'd participated in last night's hot spring party were definitely going to spend today completely wiped out and useless.

The cat girl lying next to him was prime evidence of that.

Well, since they'd stayed up so late anyway, might as well let everyone rest properly...

With that thought, Bokue didn't bother waking Kuroka. He carefully lifted the covers, slipped out of bed, picked up the scattered clothes from the floor, got dressed, and vanished from the room in a flash.

❁❁❁❁

The next second, the scene shifted to the Keikain family estate.

In the family head's private residence, having just finished her morning training session, Yura Keikain sat cross-legged atop a stone platform nearly as tall as a person in the back courtyard, slowly opening her eyes and letting out a long breath.

Behind her stretched a bamboo grove. A gentle breeze swept through at just that moment, rustling the bamboo leaves and causing the dappled sunlight filtering through them to dance across the ground, flickering and highlighting the fine sheen of sweat on the young Onmyōji girl's slightly cold face.

As the future head of the Keikain family, Yura took her personal training seriously.

According to her normal schedule, she should now take a bath, change clothes, and begin her morning study session.

Though it was already almost ten o'clock—leaving only about an hour and a half before lunch—she still had family business to handle in the afternoon, so every minute counted.

With that in mind, Yura pressed one hand against the stone platform beneath her and lightly hopped down.

But before she could land, someone caught her mid-air, sweeping her up in a princess carry.

"Huh...?!"

It all happened so fast that Yura didn't even register what was going on before finding herself horizontal.

At the same time, a familiar voice came from above her head.

"What were you doing? I show up and immediately see you practicing your long jump?"

"B-Brother..."

Hearing that familiar voice, Yura immediately recognized who it was without even looking.

When the young Onmyōji girl finally lifted her head, she found herself being held by none other than Bokue Keikain.

"What's with that look? You seem surprised to see me."

Bokue tilted his head, then leaned in closer to sniff.

"Hmm... worked up quite a sweat, huh? So you were training just now?"

"Uh, y-yeah..."

Yura's face flushed slightly as she nodded, then turned her face away awkwardly, her small body squirming gently.

"Um... could you maybe put me down first...?"

"Hmm? What, embarrassed someone might see us?"

Bokue didn't see what the big deal was.

"But this is the family head's private residence. Nobody else can get in, and we're in the back courtyard. Who's going to see us?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Little Yura's face turned even redder. Even her head drooped lower, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's just... I just finished training and I'm all sweaty... I'm gross."

"Oh, that's fine. I don't mind."

Bokue shrugged.

"You used to wipe your snot on me when you were little anyway."

"I—I did not!"

Suddenly confronted with an embarrassing childhood memory, the young Onmyōji girl instantly bristled, springing out of Bokue's arms and landing firmly on the ground.

She clenched her small fists and glared at him, her flushed cheeks puffing up indignantly.

Mmm...

Bokue didn't try to comfort her, just patiently watched, as if curious to see just how much air she could hold.

After about five or six seconds, Yura suddenly unclenched her fists, pouting slightly with an aggrieved expression.

"Brother, you're terrible..."

"Haha, alright, alright, I'm just teasing."

Bokue finally stopped pushing her buttons. He walked over, placed both hands on the young Onmyōji girl's shoulders, gently turned her around, and began steering her toward the house.

"You wanted to take a bath, right? Perfect—I'll heat up the water for you."

"...Okay."

As if accepting a truce, the girl being guided forward nodded softly.

After another two seconds or so, Yura looked up slightly. "Oh, by the way, Brother, after you left yesterday, Gojo-san and his group came by in the evening for a visit."

"Gojo? Who's that?" Bokue looked momentarily blank.

Yura had to clarify: "The current acting head of the Gojo family, one of the Three Great Families of the Jujutsu world—Gojo Satoru."

"Oh, him..." Only then did Bokue connect the dots, his mind automatically conjuring the image of a silver-haired, blue-eyed young man.

But he quickly scoffed. "What the hell kind of 'Three Great Families' are they? They're basically just glorified gatcha addicts. Their whole family doesn't even have a stable inheritance system, and they still have the nerve to call themselves one of the Three Great Families?"

"Brother..."

Hearing yet another of her older brother's signature hot takes, Yura felt a bead of cold sweat form on her forehead.

"The Jujutsu Association has already formed a partnership with our Keikain family, so for now we're acknowledging the Three Great Families' status in the Jujutsu world."

"Mmm... fine. So what did they want coming to Kyoto anyway?" Bokue thought about it and decided not to keep harping on that point.

But the moment he finished speaking, the young Onmyōji girl ahead of him narrowed her eyes and turned her head to give him a sidelong glance. "Brother, you didn't forget about something you promised someone, did you?"

"Hm? Did I?" A giant question mark appeared above Bokue's head.

After a brief silence, he suddenly gasped and let out an "oh."

Right—he'd promised to help that jock kid deal with the whole Sukuna situation.

Hmm... wait a second.

If that jock with Sukuna inside him was here in Kyoto right now, and Abe no Seimei's resurrection was imminent... huh?

He suddenly had a bold idea.