Jie, Go Find the Meaning of Life

The black shell of the domain dissipated.

In the deep pit, a disheveled Suguru Geto lay on the ground, staring blankly at the star-dotted night sky.

Gojo Sawa walked over, lay down beside Geto, and propped his hands behind his head.

Neither spoke, just gazing at the stars in a daze.

The cold night wind lifted the tips of their hair and slipped into their sleeves, bringing a hint of chill.

"Taku, what do you think is the meaning of a sorcerer's existence?"

Geto suddenly asked.

Gojo Sawa chuckled. "The meaning of a sorcerer's existence? There's no such thing! In my view, it's just a profession, not much different from a driver or a doctor."

"If you want to find meaning in existence, the target should be the individual sorcerer, and the answers ought to be all kinds of strange."

"Is that so..."

Geto exhaled, smiling with some disappointment. "All this time, I've had protecting the weak carved into my bones, but it turns out I never really found the meaning of my own existence!"

"I just... cast a curse on myself."

"Don't be a dumbass! You've still got decades ahead of you. If you're really lost, you can just coast through life until you die!"

"..."

Geto smiled bitterly and scratched his head. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "By the way, there's something I don't get."

"What?"

"Back when we faced those people from the Star Religious Group, you didn't hesitate to kill them all. But now, why choose to protect these villagers?"

"By your logic, scum belong in hell. These people count too, right?"

Gojo Sawa rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I really get tired of you and Satoru's childish brains!"

"Let me put it this way: imagine you're one of the villagers in this village, just as unable to see curses as they are."

"One day, strange things start happening in the village—people go mad, even die. Panic breaks out, and you're worried about when misfortune might strike your family, your friends, or even yourself."

"Then you notice that every time these incidents occur, two little girls are at the scene, acting oddly. So, what would your reaction be?"

Geto rubbed his chin, a bit dazed. "Well... I'd probably think they were involved."

Gojo Sawa spread his hands. "See? Put yourself in their shoes, and even you think that way. What about these villagers from a remote mountain area with little education?"

Geto snapped angrily, "So that justifies them abusing those sisters?"

"That's human nature—fear of the unknown makes people want to eliminate it as much as possible."

Gojo Sawa looked around. With the battle over, many villagers had gathered their courage and crept back, spying on them from the shadows.

"I admit these villagers' behavior is vile, but it stems from ignorance, from fear of the unknown. At worst, they're fools."

"As for those people from the Star Religious Group, they fully understood the existence of curses and knew the relationship between Tengen and the Star Plasma Vessel. Yet they still chose to kill an innocent girl."

"They saw the truth of this world but still chose ignorance and bigotry. That's what makes them scum."

"The difference between fools and scum is this: the former can be pitiable and hateful, but not necessarily deserving of death. The latter are truly beyond saving."

Geto was silent for a long time before letting out a helpless sigh.

"As much as I hate to admit it... Taku, you really do think about things more deeply and far-sightedly than I do."

"Alright!"

Gojo Sawa stood up and dusted himself off. "Our big fight didn't exactly hide itself from these villagers. We're going to have to write a report when we get back!"

"And you, Geto, openly threatening to kill these villagers—you'd better apologize properly!"

Geto's eye twitched. "Yeah~ yeah~"

Smack!

A stone flew over, bounced off Gojo Sawa's Infinity, and ricocheted away.

"You two monsters! Get out of our village!"

The village chief shouted, leaning on his cane.

Gojo Sawa's face darkened. "Well... Geto, forget the apology. And I need to add one more thing to what I just said..."

"Fools might not deserve death, but they sure deserve a beating!"

"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"

In the next instant, over a hundred villagers watched in terror as their feet left the ground and they shot upward at breakneck speed.

When the houses below shrank to dots, the lifting force suddenly vanished, and the villagers began free-falling.

"Aaaaaah—!"

Their terrified screams pierced the silent night, especially harsh.

Just before they hit the ground, the lifting force gradually returned, starting the cycle over again.

Watching Gojo Sawa having the time of his life, Geto covered his face. "Clearly, you're way worse than me!"

"Um..."

A soft, timid voice came from beside him.

Suguru Geto turned his head to see the two abused little girls crouching nervously next to him.

One of them, a girl with brownish-yellow hair, pulled out a worn handkerchief and wiped the wound on Geto's face.

"Uh... thanks."

"You're... welcome."

Nanako Hasaba looked toward Gojo Sawa, who was having a blast playing around. "Um... are you two... monsters too?"

"Monsters?"

Geto slowly stood up, gently ruffling Nanako and Mimiko's hair.

At the same time, he activated the Reverse Cursed Technique, and the bruises on both girls vanished instantly.

"We're not monsters, you know. We're sorcerers."

Nanako and Mimiko's mouths fell open in surprise. "Th-That's amazing... Can we do that too?"

"You can."

Geto felt as if a weight had lifted from his heart, as if he'd found a new reason to live.

"From now on, I'll teach you."

"Gojo Sawa!!!"

"Here!"

Gojo Sawa raised his hand guiltily. "Sensei! I know I was wrong!"

Masamichi Yaga's face darkened as he threw a punch, and a smoking red lump instantly swelled up on Gojo Sawa's head.

"Over a hundred villagers, and you tossed them into the air for bungee jumping, making a racket for half an hour!"

"Fifty-some fainted and ended up in the hospital, thirty-some developed acrophobia, the rest all pissed themselves, and over a dozen elderly folks had heart attacks!"

"I did treat them with the Reverse Cursed Technique, though..."

"You little brat!"

Yaga twitched in irritation. "Do you have any idea that because of the follow-up resettlement issues and the confidentiality agreement, the Logistics Department people came storming into my office?"

"No problem, Sensei. I'll—the Gojo Clan will cover all the costs!"

"..."

Yaga rubbed his temples. "Fine. Let's drop this for now."

Gojo Sawa had just let out a sigh of relief when Yaga suddenly spoke up again.

"By the way, Taku, according to the villagers' witness statements, you and Geto seemed to have a serious fight. What happened? What did Geto do?"

Meeting Yaga-sensei's suspicious gaze, Gojo Sawa simply played dumb.

"I dunno!"

"..."