The Multiversal Tourist: 4 (Patreon)

"Uh huh. And what kind of animal is it this time?" Hana asked playfully, stepping closer.

"It’s a secondary-emotion parasite," Haruto explained, his voice light and conversational as he expertly peeled a layer of 'skin' off the squirming monster. "It likely manifested from the neighbor’s anxiety about her upcoming driving test. My hypothesis is that its structure  is held together by a specific frequency of cortisol-influenced energy. If I sever this node here..."

The creature let out a silent, gurgling shriek as Haruto’s blade bisected a part of its body.

"...it loses the ability to maintain awareness of its surroundings for some time."

Hana smiled, ruffling his hair. "You and your stories, Haruto. You make it sound so real. Do you want to take a break from your 'experiment'? I was thinking of heading out to get some ice cream."

Haruto’s hand froze. He looked at the half-dissected curse, then at the prospect of a cold, sugar-rich dairy treat. The curse was interesting, but he had already logged its primary data points. Ice cream, however, was a sensory experience that he still hadn't quite figured out the 'physics' of.

"Ice cream?" he asked, his frown deepening in thought.

"Yes. But if you’re too busy with your research..."

"No," Haruto said quickly. With a casual flick of his wrist, he flooded the plastic scalpel with a surge of energy, instantly vaporizing the remaining spirit into nothingness. Then hopped off his cushion and scrambled toward the door, leaving his notebook behind. "The experiment has reached a natural stopping point. I require fuel."

Hana laughed, following him. "Aren't you going to keep experimenting?"

"No." Haruto shouted back over his shoulder as he rushed to find his slippers.

He could always get another grade 4 curse. Ice cream was a whole other story.

Hana’s laughter followed him out the door.

Later, as they walked through the streets of suburban Tokyo, Haruto sat on a bench with a cone of mint chocolate chip, his trusty notebook open on his lap. While Hana looked at a nearby shop window, Haruto’s pen flew across the page.

_

Daily Log: Day 3125

_

'Finalized theorization of local 'Cursed Energy' laws. Unlike the void-adjacent realities I attempted previously, this universe possesses a unique 'Universal Governor.'

Most realities operate on a hard-cap limit. If an entity surpassing the limit (i.e., myself) enters, the reality either expels the intruder or undergoes total gravitational collapse. (The first always failing in my case).

Other realities are surprisingly lax; however, their worlds were home to a specific energy system that reacted violently once exposed to pure void energy.

Those that had neither problem simply didn't possess suitable physical forms for rebirth or possession.

This world was different.

Instead of attempting expulsion or collapsing at my presence, the universe... adapted. Branding me with an 'Innate Technique' the moment I was born to serve as a self-regulating mechanism designed to preserve balance.

I named it the INFINITE BOUNDARY. A technique that worked based on principles of motion and force.

It functions by establishing an absolute control over Entrance and Exit points—the literal start and end of any vector. At the moment of my birth, the technique instinctively set the 'Exit Point' of my internal power to the exact same spatial coordinate as its 'Entrance Point.'

Instead of flooding the universe, my energy is caught in a perfect geometric loop. It leaks from the Void and is immediately redirected back into the Void before it can interact with the local atmosphere. Effectively, I am a closed circuit of infinite pressure, held together by a recurring mathematical command.

The minute friction caused by this constant redirection—the tiny amount of energy that 'slips' through the loop—is transmuted by the universe’s laws into what the locals call 'Cursed Energy.' This byproduct acts as the fuel for the loop itself, creating a self-sustaining cycle of containment

_

Haruto paused his writing, the mint chocolate chip melting slightly over the side of the cone.

'Where do you think you're going?'

He caught the drop with his tongue. A biological reflex, one he genuinely appreciated in his new human form.

_

The secondary mechanism of this world is equally balancing. ‘Cursed Energy’—the byproduct of human cognitive waste. It’s essentially spiritual friction. Originating from negative human emotions (fear, anger, grief, etc.) which coalesce into spiritual mass. Sufficient concentration creates 'Cursed Spirits'—semi-intelligent entities ranging from mindless parasites to stronger predators.

There seem to be humans who can manipulate this energy much better than others. They refer to themselves as Jujutsu Sorcerers. From what more I've gathered, there is a hierarchy. Grade 4 to Special Grade. My balcony specimen was a Grade 4—the equivalent of a spiritual mosquito I believe.

_

"Oh! Mrs. Tanaka!" Haruto’s internal monologue was interrupted by the high-pitched, enthusiastic tone his mother used whenever she encountered a 'Social Target.'

He looked up from his notebook.

Hana was waving at someone approaching with a shopping bag and a warm smile. An older woman, Mrs. Tanaka from the second floor.

"Hana! What a coincidence!" Mrs. Tanaka beamed. "And little Haruto too! My, you've gotten so tall!"

"Hello, Mrs. Tanaka," Haruto said politely, closing his notebook.

"Such a well-behaved boy," Mrs. Tanaka cooed.

Hana smiled, then looked at the mini Tanaka beside Mrs. Tanaka. "I see you brought your little Mio with you today."

Mrs. Tanaka beamed. "I was just bringing her back from Piano classes. Say hello, Mio."

".. Um .. hello."

The girl was eight, a year younger than Haruto, with dark pigtails and eyes that were adorably wide.

""Hello, Mio-chan. How's your piano practice coming along?"

"... Good."

"Aww. How cute. You should bring her out more often Tanaka-san! It’s been so long!"

"It certainly has! Between classes and grocery runs, the day just slips away," Mrs. Tanaka laughed, adjusting her shopping bag. "But honestly, I was hoping to run into you. I’ve been meaning to ask about that new bakery on the corner..."

The two women immediately descended into a rhythmic, rapid-fire exchange of neighborhood news. As they began to walk, Hana naturally steered Haruto to one side while Mrs. Tanaka nudged Mio to the other, creating a protective adult buffer between the two children and the street.

Haruto tuned out the gossip (something about a neighbor's divorce and a suspected affair), and adjusted his pace, his notebook tucked under his arm. Beside him, Mio walked with a stiff, shy gait, her eyes darting toward him every few seconds before snapping back to her shoes.

_

Most humans exhibit heightened interest in interpersonal drama among neighbors. Possible evolutionary holdover—social cohesion through information exchange. Or just boredom. Hard to say.

_

He licked the melting edge of his cone, savoring the cold.

_

The 'Brain freeze' phenomenon remains inconsistent. It happens somewhat 40% of the time when consuming frozen dairy products. Can't really control it.

_

He took another bite.

No brain freeze this time. Disappointing.

His gaze drifted across the plaza. In the distance, a couple was arguing near a vending machine. Further, a teenager on a skateboard. A small curse, barely Grade 4, clinging to a trash can, feeding on ambient irritation. 'This ... is the road to the park.'

Haruto could see where this was going. The two women were clearly going to have their extended discussion on a park bench where they could comfortably sit while leaving the children to their own devices in a safe environment.

It was a classic adult tactic. One he wouldn't have minded if he were alone as he had gotten his ice cream and could just wait patiently, perhaps counting ants to pass the time.

However, that would change if there was a 'Peer' beside him. As he was expected to interact with others his own age and it would be considered rude if he ignored her.

'How unfortunate.'

Being nine was exhausting.

He'd thought, naively, perhaps that experiencing human life would be more... stimulating. That the mundane details of existence would hold some kind of hidden beauty he'd missed while observing from the Void.

Instead, he'd discovered that he hadn't watched said mundane details for a reason.

He couldn't go anywhere without supervision. Couldn't access most information without relying on picture books and children's programming. Couldn't engage in meaningful conversation because adults either talked down to him or looked at him like he was a curiosity.

And the other children.

Heavens, the other children.

They screamed. They cried over dropped toys. They hit each other and then cried about that. They had no concept of personal space, no filter between thought and action, no ....

Haruto stopped himself.

He was being unfair. They were children. Actual children, with brains still developing.

He was the anomaly. Not them. That fact changed nothing though.

'I have stayed in this world for Nine years though.'

Haruto thought, considering his options. He had seen the majority of what this world had to offer. Spending a few more years here for no reason would be a waste of time.

'Perhaps it's time I ...'

The thought had barely formed when something else drew his attention. He turned, snapping his head to the source. Said source also stopped, turning to look right back at him.

In that moment, Haruto's pair of brown eyes locked onto a pair of dazzling blue ones.

'Huh?'

Haruto’s internal monologue died instantly.

The world around them seemed to slow. The chatter of Hana and Mrs. Tanaka faded into a muffled hum.

The boy across from him was perhaps ten, dressed in a casual blue hoodie sportswear and shorts. His face, even now seemed expressionless. But what caught Haruto's attention were the eyes. They were a blue so piercing they seemed to be made of frozen crystalline.

If that wasn't enough though, the depths of his cursed energy certainly was. Haruto could feel the depths of power roaming within his form.

'That's ... special grade. So he's a Jujutsu sorcerer?'

Haruto's interest spiked. From his research, Special grade cursed spirits were rare, and a special grade sorcerer was even rarer.

He had only ever seen a single special grade cursed spirit, and come to think of it, he had never seen a Jujutsu sorcerer whose cursed energy could match.

Until today. Not only did this boy's cursed energy match, it possibly vastly exceeded. This was just his hypothesis however as it was suppressed by the opponent but he doubted he was wrong.

Across the distance, Satoru Gojo stood perfectly still. His "Six Eyes" were currently screaming.

Since his birth, the world had been a transparent map to Satoru. He saw the flow of cursed energy, the mass of atoms, the intent behind every muscle twitch. He lived in a world of infinite information. But as his gaze landed on the dark-haired boy with the melting ice cream cone, the map went blank.

There was no flow of cursed energy, no leakage, no "heat." Just a silent, black aperture held together by a web of geometric lines.

'What... is that?' Satoru wondered, turning slightly as he removed his hands from his hoodie pockets. This was the first time he was seeing a "Zero" since birth.