The black shell of the domain faded away.
At the bottom of the crater, Suguru Geto lay sprawled on the ground, gazing blankly at the star-speckled night sky.
Seeing this, Gojo Sawa walked over and lay down beside Geto, propping his hands behind his head.
Neither of them spoke. They just stared blankly at the sky.
The cool evening wind ruffled their hair and slipped into their sleeves, bringing a touch of chill.
"Sawa, what do you think is the meaning of a jujutsu sorcerer's existence?"
Geto suddenly asked.
Gojo Sawa smiled. "The meaning of a jujutsu sorcerer's existence? There's no such thing! To me, it's just a profession, no different from being a driver or a doctor."
"If you want to search for the meaning of your existence, you should look at each individual jujutsu sorcerer. And the answers should be as varied as the people themselves."
"I see..."
Geto let out a breath and smiled ruefully. "All this time, I've had protecting the weak ingrained in my bones, but it turns out I never found the meaning of my own existence!"
"I just... placed a curse on myself."
"It's fine! You've still got decades ahead of you. If you're really lost, you can always just coast through life!"
"..."
Geto gave a wry smile and scratched his head. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "By the way, there's something I haven't been able to figure out."
"What?"
"Back then, when we faced those people from the Star Religious Group, you killed every last one of them without a moment's hesitation. But now, why did you choose to protect these villagers?"
"By your logic, scum belong in hell. These people count too, don't they?"
Gojo Sawa rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, I really can't stand the intelligence of you and Satoru. You're both like little kids!"
"Let's try this. Imagine you're one of the people in this village, and, like them, you can't see Cursed Spirits."
"One day, strange things start happening in the village. A few people go mad or even die, and panic breaks out. You're worried that disaster might one day befall your family, your friends, or even you."
"Then you find that two little girls are at the scene every time something strange happens, and that they act rather oddly. So, what would you think?"
Geto rubbed his chin, a little dazed. "Well... I'd probably think they had something to do with it."
Gojo Sawa spread his hands. "See? Even you'd think that if you put yourself in their shoes. What about these villagers in a remote mountain village, with little access to education?"
Geto snapped, "Does that mean they can abuse the sisters?"
"That's human nature. People fear the unknown, so they try to eliminate it whenever they can."
Gojo Sawa looked around. Now that the fighting was over, many villagers had gathered the courage to come back, peeking at the two of them from the shadows.
"I admit these villagers behaved terribly, but it came from ignorance and fear of the unknown. So, at worst, they're idiots."
"Those people from the Star Religious Group, on the other hand, knew all about jujutsu. They knew about the relationship between Tengen and the Star Plasma Vessel, and still chose to kill an innocent girl."
"They saw the truth of this world and still chose ignorance and backwardness. That's what makes them scum."
"That's the difference between idiots and scum. The former can be pitiful and hateful, but they don't necessarily deserve to die. The latter are truly beyond saving."
Geto fell silent. After a long while, he let out a helpless sigh.
"Though I hate to admit it... Sawa, you really do think things through more deeply and thoroughly than I do."
"Right!"
Gojo Sawa got to his feet and brushed the dust off his clothes. "We had our big showdown right in front of all these villagers. We'll have to write an incident report when we get back!"
"And you, Geto—threatening to kill all those villagers in broad daylight? You'd better apologize properly!"
Geto's eye twitched. "Yeah, yeah."
Smack!
A rock flew toward them, bounced off Gojo Sawa's Infinity, and shot away.
"You two monsters! Get out of our village!"
The village chief roared, leaning on his cane.
Gojo Sawa's face darkened. "Um... Geto, forget the apology. And I should add one more thing to what I just said..."
"Idiots may not deserve to die, but they definitely deserve a beating!"
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!
A hundred or so villagers watched in terror as their feet left the ground and they shot rapidly into the sky.
Once the houses on the ground had shrunk to mere dots, the upward force suddenly vanished, and the villagers began to fall.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
Their terrified screams rang out sharply in the quiet night.
Just before they hit the ground, the upward force gradually returned, and the next round began.
Watching Gojo Sawa having the time of his life, Geto covered his face. "You're clearly worse than I am!"
"Um..."
A soft, timid voice came from beside him.
Geto turned and saw the two little girls who had been abused, crouching timidly beside him.
The brown-haired girl took out a worn handkerchief and gently wiped the wounds on Geto's face.
"Uh... thank you."
"N-no problem."
Nanako Hasaba looked at Gojo Sawa, who was enjoying himself immensely. "Um... are you... monsters too?"
"Monsters?"
Geto slowly stood up and gently ruffled Nanako's and Mimiko's hair.
At the same time, he activated Reverse Cursed Technique, and the injuries on the girls vanished.
"We're not monsters. We're jujutsu sorcerers."
Nanako and Mimiko stared at him with wide eyes. "Th-that's amazing! Can we do that too?"
"You can."
It was as if Geto had finally set down the burden in his heart and rediscovered the meaning of life.
"I'll teach you from now on."
"Gojo Sawa!!!"
"Present!"
Gojo Sawa raised his hand guiltily. "Sensei! I know I was wrong!"
Masamichi Yaga glowered and threw a punch. A red bump, steaming with anger, sprang up on Gojo Sawa's head.
"There were more than a hundred villagers, and you tossed them into the air to bungee jump for half an hour!"
"Over fifty of them were so scared they fainted and ended up in the hospital. More than thirty developed a fear of heights, and the rest wet themselves. Over a dozen elderly villagers even had heart attacks!"
"But I healed them with Reverse Cursed Technique..."
"You little brat!"
Masamichi Yaga's face twitched. "Do you have any idea how the people in the Logistics Department are raising hell in my office over relocating the villagers and getting them to sign confidentiality agreements?"
"No problem, Sensei. I'll cover the costs... The Gojo Clan will cover them!"
"..."
Masamichi Yaga rubbed his brow. "Forget it. We'll let this one slide for now."
Gojo Sawa had just breathed a sigh of relief when Masamichi Yaga suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, Sawa, according to the villagers' testimony, you and Geto had a huge fight. What happened? What did Geto do?"
Under their teacher's suspicious gaze, Gojo Sawa shamelessly played dumb.
"I have no idea!"
"..."
Before you continue