Chapter 57: Back to the drawing board.

"So...she left this?"

Before me lay a random assortment of different Jujutsu metals. I can't see a way to use any of this.

"Yeah. I thought you'd understand."

I kinda don't.

Collapsing back into the chair, I spun back down to the drawing board.

'It's a puzzle. I don't reall- heh. I remember when Grandpa got a puzzle of me. Perhaps I should get one of Mai.'

I hear Maki walk to me as she says,

"You don't know what to do with this?"

"Shouldn't you know? Your soul was connected to hers." I'm not all knowing you know.

Speaking of souls...

All those pieces on the table. They can be connected together, I'm sure. Like what Sukuna said.

I can see it.

"Mai put her entire soul into this. Don't worry Maki, I'll figure it out anyway."

"Her....soul?" Maki's eyebrows twitch. "Can a soul be pieced back together?" What a coincidence.

"Yeah. I know a little something about that?"

A smirk lights up on her face, she picks up the various metals with clear intent.

"We're going to put this back together. In the image Mai wanted."

Not too bad of an idea. What she doesn't know is that we'll definitely need more than just glue.

"Well Maki, first of all, we're gonna need about a trucks worth of J absorb. This will be quite experimental."

I've never had to remake a destroyed special grade cursed tool. It should be a nice challenge.

'Our conversation can wait.'

3 hours later.....

"Why? Why isn't working!" I've tried 13 different methods involving cursed energy. I don't understand! Urgh.

"Eeeshh." This is a lot harder than I thought.

"You!" I open a single eye. Maki sighs, extremely annoyed. "Do you even care?"

I close my eye.

"I'd like to think I do. But the truth exists for a reason."

"What does that mean?"

'Even the reliable technique Toji passed onto me was....in better words, lacking. Mai gave her soul to make this cursed tool, it's literally made out of her soul.'

Cursed energy.....souls.....Sukuna....

Oh! 'Cursed energy is mainly for destruction. Reverse cursed technique is essentially creating. Maki's technique is creation.'

Does that mean Mai's cursed tool works only on Reverse cursed technique. No cursed energy?

Damn. I'm embarrassed it took me so long to realise this.

"Hey Maki."

"Alright, what's the idea?" You know me so well.

"Instead of cursed energy, we'll use reversed cursed technique. On everything."

"Even J absorb?"

"Even J absorb." I'm going to reverse engineer something that's been used for millennia.

How fun.

J absorb is a liquid made to absorb cursed energy. Reverse cursed technique doesn't naturally exist so absorbing is a no.

I'll have to make a new version of J absorb that turns cursed energy into reverse cursed energy. Without storing any cursed energy.

But that's considered impossible. Doing so is basically a divine feat.

Mai. You're really something else.

"Let's get to work."

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"Amazing."

"I know. My sister is amazing." Cocky as always. Luckily....

"Remember that time you failed a mis-

My mouth immediately gets covered. I quickly take Maki's hand off before continuing my thoughts.

The gauntlet on the table is very interesting for someone like me.

'This tool doesn't hold cursed energy but can use reversed cursed technique. Usually, it has to be stored then multiplied, or, the reversed cursed energy is stored from another source.

This simply makes reversed cursed energy from essentially nothing.

This feeling of elation.

I Feel like God.

"Oof!" I turn back to Maki to see a big cube on the floor. That wasn't there last time.

"Maki?" She looks at the gauntlet covering her fist. She moves her pinky and thumb to the middle of her palm.

Wait a minute.

The rest of her fingers push forward whilst connecting together. This time, a chocolate bar forms.

Maki casually eats it.

That...

You....

Did....?

How?

"Is that Mai's cursed technique?"

"Sheems like it." Don't talk with your mouth full.

'She made a cursed tool that operates on a entirely different system. Whilst putting her soul and cursed technique into it.'

That's absurd. Though the same could be said for what happened yesterday.

"Hey." I look up at Maki. "Be honest. Why?"

That's quite a vauge question but I know exactly what you mean.

"I was already aware of what would happen with Satoru long before he did. I was preparing."

"Preparing what?"

"Can't exactly tell you. It's a risk. But, if it makes you feel better, just know that if I was aware of....just know I'd help you."

That's how I truly feel.

Maki doesn't respond. Her eyes look into mine. Two pairs of emeralds shine at each other.

She looks away and leaves with the gauntlet. It is her right after all.

But I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not annoyed at that. At least Maki can fix it in case the worst happens. I taught her basically everything.

Now, it's time to push a few blessings.

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A/N

If anyone's wondering about my other book I'm planning to re write it at some point. So, it's not dropped!

And to further help you understand what's going on in this chapter. Here's an example.

Normally, you have to hold a ball to throw it.

But what they did is throw the ball without holding it. If that helps a little.