Everyone present immediately turned their gaze toward Harutora, waiting for his decision.
Even the Twelve Divine Generals, the nation's top-class Onmyoji, were no exception.
It was clear—they had already been convinced by Rozen, and intended to nominate Tsuchimikado Harutora as the new Director of the Onmyo Agency.
As long as these national-class Onmyoji made a joint recommendation, and with the support of both the Kurahashi and Souma families, even the Tsuchimikado clan—traditional leaders of Onmyodo—would publicly endorse Harutora. At that point, Harutora becoming the Director of the Onmyo Agency was virtually a done deal.
The problem lay in whether Harutora could accept it himself.
This boy had never forgotten—in his previous life, as the head of the Onmyo Bureau, he had brought great trouble to the world of jujutsu and to the Onmyoji community.
So Harutora was still struggling.
Until...
"Just accept your fate already, Harutora."
The one who said this was none other than his strongest protector—the ogre king, Kakugyouki.
"Even if you refuse, you won't just go into seclusion in the mountains, right?"
Kakugyouki grinned.
"That's right." Hishamaru nodded slightly and added calmly, "You are the direct heir of the Onmyodo's main house—the Tsuchimikado family. This has been true both in your previous life and in this one. Because of that, your entire life is bound to jujutsu. That is your destiny."
Indeed.
Harutora had no other path.
Having awakened the memories of his past life and realized his true bloodline, it was no longer possible for him to live as a normal person again. He couldn't go back to a simple life, nor could he retire and vanish without a trace.
He was, and always would be, Tsuchimikado Yakou. He was, and always would be, Tsuchimikado Harutora—the father of modern jujutsu, the founder of the Imperial Style, and someone with deep ties to Taira no Masakado. His connection to jujutsu was something that could never be severed.
Even Kyouko spoke up.
"Please become the leader of the jujutsu world."
Kurahashi Kyouko said this with a solemn expression.
If one looked closely, they could even see starlight shimmering in her eyes.
"Your path lies where the stars turn."
The guidance from the star gazer left Harutora breathless.
And then...
"Looks like you've got no choice now, bakatora."
Ato Touji patted Harutora on the shoulder, with a playful look, as if laughing at a friend walking into a trap, but also showing genuine joy that Harutora had found his rightful path.
"Brother."
Natsume also looked at Harutora.
The scales in Harutora's heart tilted.
There was no helping it.
Just like everyone said—what else could he do?
Now that Taira no Masakado had descended and his long-held wish fulfilled, if he didn't walk this path, Harutora truly didn't know what else to do next.
After all, he was not yet twenty years old. Even when counting his past life as Yakou, his life had only lasted a bit over twenty years. Compared to many others present, that was nothing. Aside from his talent in jujutsu, he wasn't outstanding in other areas, so feeling lost about the future was understandable.
In the end, Harutora turned to Rozen.
"And what about you?" Harutora asked. "What do you plan to do now?"
This one question caused everyone's gaze to shift again—to Rozen.
In fact, it seemed they were even more concerned about Rozen's next move than Harutora's.
Rozen was no longer someone who could be ignored. His every move could influence the entire jujutsu world—so it was only natural for everyone to care.
To that...
"I'll just continue being a jujutsu criminal, wandering the world in exile, maybe?"
Rozen said this with a smile.
In short—Rozen would not be staying.
Rather than a fugitive, he would be heading to another world.
After all, everything he needed to do in this world was already done.
So, quietly stepping down in a time of peace and celebration—this was undoubtedly the best choice for Rozen.
"If I stay here, not only you guys—even this whole country would be uneasy. Who knows when I might go on a rampage again, leading the Hundred Demons on a night parade and attacking cities? If you were forced to arrest me, it would be a headache for everyone. I might even overreact and do something extreme. So, if I leave, everyone wins."
Rozen's indifferent explanation made many people breathe a sigh of relief.
Clearly, Rozen leaving was good news to many.
That showed just how reasonable his words were.
Even the Twelve Divine Generals looked conflicted about it.
However...
"I'll be leaving Natsume, Suzuka, and Kyouko behind."
When Rozen said that, everyone was stunned.
The three girls in question—Natsume, Suzuka, and Kyouko—immediately panicked.
"Wait!"
"Why are you leaving us behind!?"
"Yeah! That's not fair!"
All three girls instinctively protested.
It was clear—they didn't want to be separated from Rozen.
Whether from the standpoint of being his Shikigami, or due to their personal feelings, the three of them couldn't bear to leave him.
Having already endured a year and a half of separation, they didn't want to go through that again.
Truthfully, Rozen wouldn't have minded taking them along.
But it wasn't realistic.
"Do you really think you can just leave like that?"
Rozen explained, a bit exasperated.
"Kyouko, you're the only daughter of the Kurahashi family. Your father committed a tremendous crime, your grandmother is aging, and your family is bound to face chaos. You also need to help the Onmyo Agency rebuild. Can you really abandon the Kurahashi family and the jujutsu world just to wander the world with me?"
At that, Kyouko went silent.
"And you, Natsume." Rozen turned to her. "You're a child of the Tsuchimikado branch family. Since childhood, you swore to support the main house. Now that Harutora is stepping up as the rightful heir, and the main house is returning to the spotlight—if you abandoned your family's honor, and the parents who raised and nurtured you, just to run off with me... wouldn't that make you feel sad?"
Natsume held her breath, unable to respond.
Lastly, Suzuka.
"You may not have many ties, but technically, you're also part of the Souma branch family, and a specialist researcher. Now that Souma Takiko, the direct heir, has successfully descended the gods, I'm leaving her behind too—so she can help push the jujutsu world into new frontiers. But she's lost her Yase Douji, and she has no guidance or care. If someone with ill intentions targets her, the consequences would be devastating. Thinking it over, you're the best person to stay and look after her. You wouldn't refuse that, would you?"
Rozen's words left Suzuka speechless—each time she tried to argue, she was stopped by Takiko's pitiful gaze.
Suzuka had spent time with Takiko before and knew how mentally immature she was. In her current condition, without proper care, she could be easily targeted due to the god residing within her. Just her mere presence could disrupt spiritual veins, spiritual phases, and spiritual layers. Without someone trustworthy to protect her, she might become a "living spiritual disaster," tightly controlled by the government.
Given all that, Rozen wanting someone to care for Takiko was more than reasonable.
And Suzuka really was the best choice.
The three girls fell silent.
"It's decided then."
Rozen declared it unilaterally.
The discussion ended there.