The meal concluded in a haze of warm laughter and quiet satisfaction. Dishes clinked gently as Hotarugusa—ever graceful and precise—began clearing the table without a word. Akiyama Ren leaned back in his chair, arms loosely folded, his sharp gaze drifting toward the two girls seated before him.
Maki Zen'in. Kurahashi Kyōko.
Both warriors in their own right. Both about to be reshaped.
"Now then," Ren said, his voice cool and commanding. "Let's begin."
The warmth in the air thinned, tension creeping in like the prickle before a storm. Gone was the casual host—what remained was the teacher, the guide.
"I'll be teaching you magic," he began. "Not Cursed Techniques. Not Jujutsu. This is a system from another world. A world governed by mana, monsters, gods—and those who slay them."
Kyōko tilted her head, skeptical. Maki's arms remained crossed, but her eyes had sharpened.
"This isn't just an alternate power system. It's how the soul refines itself through structure. In that world, every mage—every warrior—has two vital components: the Mana Core and the Inner Circuits."
He raised a hand, conjuring a slow spiral of glowing energy above his palm—soft, azure, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Your Mana Core is your engine. Located just below the navel, it stores and purifies magical energy. The stronger your core, the more mana you can hold, the more powerful your spells become."
"And the circuits?" Maki asked, voice level.
"Think of them like magical veins," Ren explained. "They stretch through your body, connecting the core to your limbs, your brain, your senses. They carry mana where you need it—hands for spellcasting, eyes for perception magic, legs for movement arts. But they start off dormant. Fragile."
He took a step closer, the light above his palm fading.
"To use magic, you don't just think it. You channel it. From the core, through the circuits, and into the world."
Kyōko looked down at her hands, slowly flexing her fingers. "So… if someone's circuits are blocked?"
"Then their magic falters. They miscast, burn out, or worse—rupture from the inside."
Maki's eyes narrowed. "You can't brute-force this, then."
"No," Ren said with a faint smile. "This system isn't just about strength. It's about flow. Precision. Discipline."
He stepped in front of them, holding out his hands.
"I'll activate your cores. Don't resist. I'll awaken your circuits, guide your mana flow, and let your bodies remember the path."
They closed their eyes. A moment later, Ren's fingers brushed their foreheads.
A pulse of golden light surged forward—not harsh, but firm. Controlled. His mana spiraled inward, slipping past skin and muscle until it touched something deeper.
Their cores.
With a single twist of his will, he ignited the dormant potential inside each of them.
The reaction was immediate.
Kyōko gasped softly. Maki inhaled sharply, fists clenched.
Inside them, once-silent cores throbbed to life, like stars stirring beneath their skin. Energy—not raw and chaotic, but rhythmic and fluid—began to course outward. It flowed into the circuits: thin channels at first, like trickles of water through dry clay.
But under Ren's control, the flow intensified. He looped the current, again and again, until the circuits warmed, softened, opened.
And then—he withdrew.
The golden glow faded. Silence followed.
Until both girls opened their eyes.
"I felt it," Kyōko whispered. "Running through me. Like light."
"It doesn't clash with my Heavenly Restriction," Maki added, her tone taut with emotion. "I can finally… go further."
After years of being trapped behind an invisible wall—no cursed energy, no Domain Expansion, just raw strength—she had finally stepped onto a different path. A real one.
She clenched her fists again, but this time in awe.
This time… she felt whole.
Ren nodded. "Your mana has begun to circulate. Your core is active. From now on, you'll feel it—like a second pulse. When you cast spells, you'll pull from the core and guide the flow through your circuits. If they're weak, the flow will be slow. Unstable. But over time, they'll strengthen. You'll refine them."
He stepped back and drew a glowing circle in the air—thin lines etched with sigils and runes. A basic magic circle.
"Let's try your first spell. It's called [Spirit Veil Sight]—a perception spell. It reroutes mana through your ocular pathways, allowing you to see spirits, curses, and other invisible phenomena."
He spoke the incantation clearly:
"Through flow unseen, reveal the shroud,Let spirit's path be shown aloud—[Spirit Veil Sight]."
Violet light shimmered in his pupils for a moment.
He turned to the girls. "Repeat it. But this time, channel the mana consciously. Draw from your core. Let it move through the circuits, into your eyes."
They nodded.
They spoke.
Their mantras, uncertain at first, rang with ancient weight.
The mana responded.
A pressure built behind their eyes—not painful, but dense, as if lenses were sliding into place.
And then—
Their sight broke open.
The room transformed.
A faint glow shimmered across their pupils as their senses expanded. The room brightened, revealing hidden traces of residual curses. Out on the balcony, shadows moved—creatures neither dead nor living.
Maki removed her glasses, slowly stepping toward the balcony. Her gaze scanned the night sky.
She saw them.
Curses. Wandering spirits. Faint spectral trails that had been hidden from her eyes all her life.
"Finally… I don't need these anymore." Her voice was low, almost trembling. A soft smile formed on her lips—but it was bittersweet, fragile.
All those years of struggling. Training until her bones ached. Battling rejection and ridicule from her clan… just to prove she wasn't some powerless outcast.
And yet, she had always known—deep down—that she could never truly reach the pinnacle.
Yes, she possessed the Heavenly Restriction and its incredible physical prowess. But even that blessing had felt more like a cruel joke—an incomplete gift that failed to make her whole. She was stuck between worlds: too weak to wield Cursed Energy, too mortal to defy her limits.
She had been called many things—burden, reject, waste.
But Akiyama Ren changed all of that.
He offered a different path. A new system. A second chance.
Now, with Magic, she could grasp the extraordinary with her own hands. She could finally stand as an equal on the battlefield—without the aid of cursed tools or the approval of old men locked in their dusty ways.
Kurahashi Kyoko watched quietly from the doorway, her expression tinged with emotion. She knew Maki's story well. In elite families like theirs, whispers traveled fast. Even in different traditions, the world of high-society sorcerers was a small and merciless one.
Akiyama Ren approached Maki and gently patted her shoulder. "Let's move on to the next spell."
"…Right." Maki's eyes gleamed with new resolve, her past burdens beginning to lift like morning fog.
What followed was a string of introductory spells: basic Transformation, lock manipulation, spirit binding, minor healing, and even early-stage evasion and stealth techniques.
What stunned Maki the most, however, was the classification of healing magic.
"Wait… this is low-tier?" she blurted, eyes wide.
Healing magic, in her world, was an elite skill. The Reversed Cursed Technique was rare—even revered. Only a handful of Jujutsu users could wield it, and even fewer could heal others. Among them, only Shoko Ieiri had achieved true mastery.
Even Gojo Satoru, the strongest, could only mend himself.
But the spell Akiyama Ren had just taught them could heal minor wounds on others—and it was categorized as elementary.
Seeing her astonishment, Ren offered a knowing smile. "Different systems follow different philosophies. Magic in this world is versatile—balanced between creation and destruction. Jujutsu, by contrast, leans heavily into raw power and eradication."
He continued, "Of course, what I taught you is only the first layer. It can't regrow limbs or reverse fatal injuries, unlike the pinnacle of healing magic or advanced Reversed Techniques. But even basic healing can turn the tide in a pinch."
"I understand now…" Maki nodded, the spark of hope in her chest growing warmer.
Even the smallest light could illuminate the dark—and with this new system, she had finally found her flame.