Chapter 149
"You’re serious?"
Kiriya was not the only one caught off guard. Panda turned to stare at Maki as well.
Maki gave him a quick look, then faced Kiriya again.
"You said you came here to exorcise curses, right?"
"That’s right. That’s the only reason I’m here."
"Does it matter how strong they are, or how many?"
"The stronger, the better." Kiriya grinned. "And as for numbers, I’ll take as many as I can get."
The confidence in his voice sent a faint chill through both of them.
"I’ll admit you’re strong," Maki said. "Probably around the level of a Grade 1 sorcerer. But no matter how strong you are, you’re still only one person. Tokyo’s huge. You can’t cover it all by yourself."
"Just finding cursed spirits would eat up most of your time."
She folded her arms, growing more confident as she continued.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High has one of the best intelligence networks in Japan. If you worked with us, you’d spend a lot less time searching and a lot more time actually hunting."
Kiriya considered that.
’She has a point.’
Encouraged by his reaction, Maki kept going.
"And if you’re trying to get stronger, Jujutsu High isn’t a bad place to do it. We have proper training facilities, records on cursed techniques, and teachers who actually know what they’re doing."
She paused, clearly reluctant to say the next part.
"I hate giving that idiot credit, but our blindfolded teacher really is the strongest."
"That was a decent pitch."
Kiriya gave her a small round of applause, then smiled.
"There is one problem, though. I don’t handle authority very well. If some arrogant old fool decides his status gives him the right to order me around, and I end up killing him, that could get awkward."
He said it casually, but there was no humor in the threat.
Maki and Panda both felt their scalps tighten.
He was not bluffing.
He genuinely sounded like someone who would do it!
Panda glanced at Maki.
’You’re sure you want to bring this guy back with us?’
Maki answered with a confident look of her own.
"Don’t worry about that. The blindfolded idiot is unreliable, but he’s strong. If he approves of you, those old men won’t dare do much."
"And if they do start something, just don’t kill anyone. Breaking a few bones should be fine. He can handle the aftermath."
Panda leaned toward her and whispered, "Are you sure you should be making promises on Gojo-sensei’s behalf?"
"It’s fine."
Maki waved him off.
"He’s always talking about raising a new generation that can change the future. I’m bringing him someone this talented. He should be thanking me."
Kiriya rubbed his chin.
"This Gojo-sensei of yours sounds interesting."
"In certain ways... he is," Panda said.
Maki grimaced as she remembered Gojo’s habit of throwing students into ridiculous situations and calling it training.
Actually, someone like Kiriya might get along with him far too well.
"I’ll come," Kiriya said, raising a finger. "But I have conditions."
"First, I’m there to train and exorcise curses. I’m not interested in politics, clan disputes, or taking orders from strangers."
"Second, I want to meet this ’strongest’ sorcerer."
"Fine," Maki agreed immediately.
Once Gojo saw someone like Kiriya, there was no chance he would turn him away.
...
The three of them left the school and found Ijichi waiting outside.
"Good work, both of you. And this young man is...?"
Ijichi had begun walking over to greet them when he noticed Kiriya behind them.
Then he realized something else.
There was no cursed energy coming from him at all!
Cold sweat immediately appeared on Ijichi’s forehead.
The investigation report had not mentioned anyone remaining inside the school.
Which meant their evacuation team might have accidentally trapped an ordinary civilian inside the Curtain.
That would be a serious failure.
Maki noticed his panic immediately.
"Relax. He’s not an ordinary civilian. You can treat him as someone around Grade 1."
"G-Grade 1?" Ijichi blinked.
"But he has no cursed energy. He looks completely normal."
"Normal?"
Maki gave a short laugh.
"How many normal people do you know who can kill a Grade 2 curse with one punch?"
"Seriously?"
Ijichi stared at Kiriya from head to toe.
The cheerful young man in front of him looked nothing like the kind of monster Maki was describing.
"Why would I lie about that?"
Maki patted Ijichi on the shoulder.
"I’ll report everything to that idiot teacher later. You can handle the cleanup here."
With that, she walked away without another word.
...
Elsewhere in Tokyo, inside an old and heavily guarded estate, a tall young man with silver hair stood in a dark audience chamber.
A black blindfold covered his eyes.
Around him, the senior figures of the jujutsu world delivered their judgment.
"Yuta Okkotsu has already caused the deaths of several sorcerers through the curse known as Rika Orimoto. He poses an unacceptable threat to both jujutsu society and the public."
"He is to be sentenced to secret execution."
"Gojo, you will carry it out."
The blindfolded man—Satoru Gojo—let out a tired sigh.
"He’s still a kid. Killing him now would be a waste."
He spoke lightly, but there was steel beneath the casual tone.
"How about transferring him to Tokyo Jujutsu High instead? If he learns to control the curse, we gain a powerful sorcerer instead of throwing one away."
The chamber fell silent.
Only the soft crackle of candle flames could be heard.
"Unacceptable," an elderly voice said. "The curse attached to him is too powerful and too unstable. If it loses control, the consequences would be catastrophic."
Several others voiced their agreement.
"Then I’ll take responsibility," Gojo said. "His education, his supervision, and anything that happens if he loses control. All of it."
Silence returned as the elders weighed the offer.
Finally, the figure seated at the center spoke.
"If it is you... then it may be worth attempting."
"But understand this. The moment Okkotsu shows signs of becoming uncontrollable, the execution order will be carried out immediately."
"Yeah, yeah. Understood."
Gojo nodded repeatedly.
"I’ll stake my life on stopping Rika if that happens. Happy now?"
"Remember your words."
The voices fell silent.
Gojo turned and left the suffocating hall. The moment he stepped into the sunlight outside, his mood improved.
"Being around those old fossils is exhausting."
He stretched.
"My students are much more fun! I wonder if they’ve been training properly."
His phone rang just as the thought crossed his mind.
He checked the screen and smiled.
"Hello, Maki. How did the exorcism go?"
"There’s something I need to explain in person," Maki said from the other end.
As she continued, Gojo’s smile gradually faded into something more focused.
"Where are you? I’ll come over."
She gave him the address.
After ending the call, Gojo tilted his head toward the sky.
"No cursed energy, but he can exorcise curses."
"Strength comparable to a Grade 1."
"And unusual red eyes..."
A grin spread across his face.
"Now that sounds interesting!"
A moment later, he vanished.