A Better Patron

In the school study room, Koyuka studied seriously while Dorin scrolled on her phone.

Koyuka looked up with helpless eyes.

Forcing Dorin to study would only make things worse. If pressured, she would fall asleep and snore like a drill in the quiet room.

"Koyuka, look at this. Is this one of those cursed spirit things you told me about?"

Dorin had learned more about the jujutsu world after everything they had survived. What stayed in her mind most, unfortunately, was that Ren Zenin and Satoru Gojo came from major jujutsu families.

That knowledge had troubled her for days.

Koyuka took the phone.

The headline was ridiculous.

The truth behind the sudden disappearance of Yamata no Orochi in the commercial district.

Photos followed. The article claimed reporters had interviewed people who witnessed a god manifest by the sea. Experts later explained it as mass hallucination.

Koyuka remembered the commercial district.

The same sudden appearance. The same ability to be recorded by ordinary people.

Only this time, the news sounded less bloody.

"Do you think this has something to do with Ren?" Dorin asked. "Also, how is your temple?"

Koyuka lowered the phone.

"Repairs have started. The Gojo family is paying. Donations will be split twenty percent to them, eighty percent to us."

Kintan Temple had become ruins. If the monks had paid alone, the temple might never have recovered.

Gojo had offered to rebuild it in full as humanitarian support. Mikura Shufuku had refused to accept a favor with no return, so the Gojo family reluctantly accepted a share of future donations.

Dorin frowned. "Your grandfather is strange. The Gojo family is rich. If they do not care about the money, why insist?"

Koyuka had thought the same at first.

Now she understood she had been young.

"Grandfather said if we do not pay them, the connection ends after this matter. If money is involved, we can publicly say we are working under the Gojo family. The future will be easier."

Dorin raised a thumb.

"Your grandfather is sharp."

At Kintan Temple, Mikura watched workers rebuild the walls.

For generations, the Shufuku lineage had maintained the seal. Now, finally, the demon was gone.

The elders in the Pure Land would be happy.

He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes.

After this incident, he had learned one truth.

Finding a strong patron felt wonderful.

If Kintan Temple had leaned on the Gojo family earlier, the Abe onmyoji would have thought twice before causing trouble.

Mikura still wanted to connect with Ren, but Ren had refused without mercy.

"Mikura, are you tearing the place down and rebuilding it?"

A familiar voice sounded beside him.

Mikura turned and saw Kaichi Tamada, abbot of Horyo Temple. The man had the bearing of a sage despite being a monk; if not for his robes and shaved head, people might have mistaken him for a wandering ascetic from an old painting.

"Kaichi. Why are you here?"

"This year's exchange meeting should be held at your temple. I arrived two days early." Kaichi smiled. "We recruited twenty more monks this year. Our seal is temporarily stable. You should also recruit more people while you can."

Then he looked at the reconstruction site.

His smile froze.

"Are you insane? You chose this moment to rebuild? What about the seal?"

If the monks failed to chant for even a few days, the seal would weaken. Rebuilding now was like slowly cutting flesh with a dull knife.

Mikura understood his friend's fear.

"Relax. I no longer need to worry about the seal failing."

Kaichi grabbed him.

"Explain."

His eyes were bloodshot.

The three temple lineages had endured disdain for generations, yet none had abandoned their duty. Even the fallen Risshi lineage had held until death.

If Mikura had released the demon voluntarily, Kaichi might have killed him on the spot.

Mikura smiled bitterly.

"You misunderstand. The sealed demon was destroyed."

"What?"

"I am free."

Kaichi stood frozen.

Then his hands trembled.

"How?"

His voice cracked.

"Tell me. I cannot keep living like this."

He had money from a wealthy patron. He had repairs. He had more monks. On the surface, Horyo Temple was better off than Kintan had been.

But every night, Kaichi feared not seeing morning.

Every time he looked at the Buddha statue, he imagined breaking it and letting the demon run wild, simply so the burden would end.

"What did you do?"

"It was an accident," Mikura said. "But if you want help, think of something that can move Ren Zenin. Without payment, I cannot help you."

Kaichi thought.

The three lineages knew one another's foundations. Kintan had possessed two relics. The Risshi lineage had once held two treasures, now destroyed. Horyo had money, but money alone might not be enough.

Then he remembered.

"There is a treasure hidden in our main hall. I think it was meant as a safeguard if the seal broke."

He turned immediately.

The purpose of the exchange meeting had been to compare seal conditions. If a path to true liberation existed, there was no reason to waste another moment.

The next afternoon, two men stood before Ren's desk.

Taiga Yashima and Toji Fushiguro stared at one another. Neither wanted to speak first.

"Say what you came to say," Ren said. "Then leave."

Toji refused to go first. He wanted information from Ren that could be sold.

Yashima stepped forward, opened a tablet, and placed it before Ren.

"This is our latest experimental data and the test product."

Ren watched the video at high speed. It recorded the process in detail.

"Continue."

Yashima clasped his hands near his chest.

"This time, we successfully manifested Susanoo in front of ordinary people. Less than one minute, but it is a major step toward..."

"The point."

Yashima laughed awkwardly.

"We are out of resources."

Toji stared at him.

"Wait. The Susanoo that had the whole city talking was made by you?"

Yashima straightened, previous flattery vanishing.

"More accurately, it was achieved through the hard work of every researcher in the laboratory."

He pushed his glasses up.

"Our next plan is to allow Susanoo to absorb human faith and sustain itself for longer manifestation."

Toji translated all of that into one sentence:

I made Susanoo.

"Did you make the Yamata no Orochi Ren killed too?"

Yashima's eyes showed contempt.

"No. That fake was not worthy."

Toji grinned.

"The information about Susanoo is already worth ten million online. We release it and wait for money."

"No," Yashima said sharply. "The experiment has not succeeded. Exposing it now will only bring trouble."

At the word trouble, Toji's expression turned violent.

"Trouble? Who dares bring trouble?"

A wave of murderous pressure shoved Yashima sideways.

Ren waved it away.

"This matter is not urgent."

Toji abandoned the thought for now.

Yashima remembered something and placed a test tube on the desk.

"This is a simplified version of the rapid cursed-energy recovery drug. The original restored roughly thirty percent. This one restores twenty percent, but it can be mass-produced. If sales go smoothly, we can become self-sufficient."

Toji took the tube and examined it.

He had heard of these drugs in assassin circles. Expensive. Always out of stock.

They were useless to him because he had no cursed energy.

But useless to him did not mean useless for profit.

"I will sell them," Toji said. "Your research will not be affected. Eighty percent to you, twenty to me."

Yashima's eyes trembled.

"Convert my share into curses. Higher grade if possible. More quantity if possible."

Toji's grin split wide.

Money had arrived on its own.

"Done talking?" Ren asked.

They left the office together.

Yashima continued staring at Toji.

Toji did not mind. He disliked sorcerers, not patrons.

Then Yashima asked, "Would you let me dissect you?"

Toji turned slowly.

"Hm?"

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