Must Be the Influence of a Curse

A pack of Renjaku High delinquents loitering at the gate keeps Kinta and other Kami High students from leaving. Walking the hall with Bamora, Okarun frets over whether Seiko will take his training seriously, and Momo assures him he will get the same regimen as Jiji, though he suspects Jiji's natural gift puts him ahead. The trio decides to face the loiterers, impressing onlookers with Okarun's nerve. Unji then appears, asking after Momo; his longer hair and glasses make him unrecognizable until he names himself. Delighted to see him healthy, Momo startles him with a kick to get his attention, and her shrunken size shocks him.

Unji explains he has hunted for Momo since they escaped the cursed trunk, that his eyesight has failed, and that Daiki Hakono, an old man freed alongside them, is aging at an unnatural pace. Daiki's parents reject him as their son because of the four years lost inside the trunk, and Unji wants to restore him. As Momo agrees to bring them home, Aira and Jiji emerge, mistake Unji for a foe holding Momo captive, and attack; Aira snares his wrist with her Acrobatic Silky hair while Jiji lunges. Unji blocks with a conjured umbrella, and the three scuffle until Bamora joins with her kaiju suit and Momo strips away Aira and Unji's transformations. She clarifies they are allies, scolds them for transforming in public, and orders mutual apologies.

Published January 14, 2025 in Volume 21, this chapter continues the Kozuka Knives Arc within the Ultimate Yokai Saga. It ties Daiki to the Renjaku Apartments Incident and details Unji's distorted experience of time, twenty years inside the trunk against four outside. Seiko and Koki appear only in mention.