Jujutsu Kaisen: Yearning to Become an Immortal God

"Next, let's discuss how to get rid of Satoru Gojo and stop Tengen from becoming a god." After a pause, he continued smiling as he said:

"I'm looking forward to your plan, Kenjaku—teacher."

9. Beginning.

The girl named Miyoku looked numb at that moment, her heart as dead as ashes.

She looked mournfully at the infirmary teacher and pleaded softly, "Tell me, teacher, this isn't real." Shoko Ieiri, physician affiliated with Tokyo Jujutsu High.

It was said that even in all of Japan, she was among the finest doctors. She was a stunning beauty, with chestnut hair falling to her shoulders and eyes of the same color lazily watching the girl before her. She wore a white coat over blue clothing, her curvaceous figure entirely unhidden.

The only pity was the dark circles beneath her eyes, which even makeup could not fully conceal, slightly marring her lovely face.

She glanced at the girl and sighed. "It's your period." "No—!!"

Miyoku's heart finally died.

Satoru Gojo, standing by the door, immediately burst into thunderous laughter that nearly shattered their eardrums.

"Ahahaha, hahahahaha! What is this? What is this?! You even get periods? Your sex change is just too perfect, Miyoku-chan! You can even have children!"

That was right. She was Junpei Yoshino.

She had now spent two weeks at Jujutsu High. During that time, she had accepted her identity as a Jujutsu Sorcerer and diligently learned every bit of jujutsu knowledge she could. Up until now, everything had been fairly normal.

What had not been normal was the moment Satoru Gojo met her mother after she went home for the first weekend.

Her mother had said the one thing she absolutely should not have said to her child—"Junpei, do you want a dad?"

It was as though she had been bewitched. Her own child had been taken away for a week and even changed from male to female, yet she had not spared her a single glance. She had only hovered around Satoru Gojo. If she had not retained the barest shred of restraint, she probably would have tried to hold his hand.

Junpei Yoshino had never realized her mother was that kind of person!

Due to Japanese policy, Junpei Yoshino had disappeared from society. Unless she could return to a male body, as long as she remained female, Junpei Yoshino had to remain officially missing. To be safe, she could not even inherit her surname.

She had to become an undocumented person.

And because of that, she needed a new identity.

After thinking for a while, Junpei's mother gave her a new name—Miyoku.

The meaning of "Miyoku" came from the Japanese wedding custom of bathing with rice, symbolizing the bringing of happiness to those around her.

She had no surname, only Miyoku. From then on, although she could still visit her mother, socially speaking, she had no relationship with the Yoshino family whatsoever.

Only this new name, carrying a blessing, gave Junpei Yoshino a little comfort. Otherwise, she would have suspected that her mother had completely forgotten she existed the instant she saw Satoru Gojo.

Incidentally, when the deeply despondent Miyoku was dragged back to Jujutsu High by Satoru Gojo, he had said to her meaningfully:

"Your mother is very smart, and she loves you very much." Miyoku only wanted to tell him to shove it.

In any case, she absolutely did not want to go home now. She might as well stay at Jujutsu High and study. Was studying not good? I love studying most! What was home? Home was a shit pit!

Thus, over those two weeks, she studied hard in hopes of finding a way to break Mahito's sex-change technique. She wanted to return to being male. She had to return! She absolutely had to! She did not want to become some shrine maiden. Absolutely not!

But all that effort had come to nothing when her period arrived. Shoko Ieiri looked somewhat reluctant, but she still delivered the final verdict:

"I'm sorry, Miyoku, but you may need to prepare yourself to spend the rest of your life as a girl. Your sex change is incredibly complete. If it were merely a jujutsu transformation, there might still be hope, but your situation is not simply a jujutsu issue. Your body has been physically altered. Physiologically, you are already a complete woman. Gojo's words may not have sounded nice, but the truth is exactly as he said—"

She sighed and spoke softly:

"You can even have children normally."

It was now 2018. Sex-change surgery in Thailand had long ceased to be big news. Even the most advanced procedures could never claim to leave no aftereffects at all, much less allow someone to bear children. A transitioned male simply did not have a uterus, ovaries, or other reproductive organs.

But Miyoku's situation was completely different.

9. Beginning.

The girl named Miyoku looked numb at that moment, her heart as dead as ashes.

She looked mournfully at the infirmary teacher and pleaded softly, "Tell me, teacher, this isn't real." Shoko Ieiri, physician affiliated with Tokyo Jujutsu High.

It was said that even in all of Japan, she was among the finest doctors. She was a stunning beauty, with chestnut hair falling to her shoulders and eyes of the same color lazily watching the girl before her. She wore a white coat over blue clothing, her curvaceous figure entirely unhidden.

The only pity was the dark circles beneath her eyes, which even makeup could not fully conceal, slightly marring her lovely face.

She glanced at the girl and sighed. "It's your period." "No—!!"

Miyoku's heart finally died.

Satoru Gojo, standing by the door, immediately burst into thunderous laughter that nearly shattered their eardrums.

"Ahahaha, hahahahaha! What is this? What is this?! You even get periods? Your sex change is just too perfect, Miyoku-chan! You can even have children!"

That was right. She was Junpei Yoshino.

She had now spent two weeks at Jujutsu High. During that time, she had accepted her identity as a Jujutsu Sorcerer and diligently learned every bit of jujutsu knowledge she could. Up until now, everything had been fairly normal.

What had not been normal was the moment Satoru Gojo met her mother after she went home for the first weekend.

Her mother had said the one thing she absolutely should not have said to her child—"Junpei, do you want a dad?"

It was as though she had been bewitched. Her own child had been taken away for a week and even changed from male to female, yet she had not spared her a single glance. She had only hovered around Satoru Gojo. If she had not retained the barest shred of restraint, she probably would have tried to hold his hand.

Junpei Yoshino had never realized her mother was that kind of person!

Due to Japanese policy, Junpei Yoshino had disappeared from society. Unless she could return to a male body, as long as she remained female, Junpei Yoshino had to remain officially missing. To be safe, she could not even inherit her surname.

She had to become an undocumented person.

And because of that, she needed a new identity.

After thinking for a while, Junpei's mother gave her a new name—Miyoku.

The meaning of "Miyoku" came from the Japanese wedding custom of bathing with rice, symbolizing the bringing of happiness to those around her.

She had no surname, only Miyoku. From then on, although she could still visit her mother, socially speaking, she had no relationship with the Yoshino family whatsoever.

Only this new name, carrying a blessing, gave Junpei Yoshino a little comfort. Otherwise, she would have suspected that her mother had completely forgotten she existed the instant she saw Satoru Gojo.

Incidentally, when the deeply despondent Miyoku was dragged back to Jujutsu High by Satoru Gojo, he had said to her meaningfully:

"Your mother is very smart, and she loves you very much." Miyoku only wanted to tell him to shove it.

In any case, she absolutely did not want to go home now. She might as well stay at Jujutsu High and study. Was studying not good? I love studying most! What was home? Home was a shit pit!

Thus, over those two weeks, she studied hard in hopes of finding a way to break Mahito's sex-change technique. She wanted to return to being male. She had to return! She absolutely had to! She did not want to become some shrine maiden. Absolutely not!

But all that effort had come to nothing when her period arrived. Shoko Ieiri looked somewhat reluctant, but she still delivered the final verdict:

"I'm sorry, Miyoku, but you may need to prepare yourself to spend the rest of your life as a girl. Your sex change is incredibly complete. If it were merely a jujutsu transformation, there might still be hope, but your situation is not simply a jujutsu issue. Your body has been physically altered. Physiologically, you are already a complete woman. Gojo's words may not have sounded nice, but the truth is exactly as he said—"

She sighed and spoke softly:

"You can even have children normally."

It was now 2018. Sex-change surgery in Thailand had long ceased to be big news. Even the most advanced procedures could never claim to leave no aftereffects at all, much less allow someone to bear children. A transitioned male simply did not have a uterus, ovaries, or other reproductive organs.

But Miyoku's situation was completely different.

Her sex change was flawless. Her bones, muscles, meridians, internal organs, and even her brain—which remained a black box to modern medicine—had all been permanently transformed into those of a woman.

One could even say that she could serve as a template for "women."

It was too perfect—so perfect that it sent chills down Shoko Ieiri's spine.

Normally, Miyoku would have screamed and raged upon hearing this news. Her fury would have made it impossible to suppress the massive Cursed Energy lurking within her, causing curses to spread over a wide area. But Miyoku was now utterly dead inside. She cried quietly, tears streaming endlessly down her face like an abandoned puppy. Even the Cursed Energy around her had sunk low, and the negative energy leaking from her was filled with nothing but grief.

Even her pitiful sobbing carried the tender vulnerability of a girl.

Shoko Ieiri sighed again and looked at Satoru Gojo, who was still making choking noises as he tried to suppress his laughter.

Others might treat Satoru Gojo with reverence because of his strength or status, but Shoko Ieiri was absolutely not among them. She slapped him on the back, her face full of helplessness.

"Hey, read the room," she said.

"Sorry, sorry..." Satoru Gojo took several deep breaths before finally putting on his usual expression. "So, did you find anything?" Shoko Ieiri glanced at Miyoku, who was sitting by the bed and crying softly, then quietly told Satoru Gojo, "Let's talk outside."

Satoru Gojo shrugged. He had assumed Shoko Ieiri only wanted him to speak outside with her to spare Miyoku's feelings. What they were about to discuss was the condition of Miyoku's body. After two weeks of observation and examinations, Shoko Ieiri should have reached a preliminary conclusion. Normally, it would have been fine to speak in front of Miyoku, but she had already broken down this badly. Discussing it beside her would have been a little too cruel.

Once they left the room, Satoru Gojo and Shoko Ieiri walked down the corridor. After confirming Miyoku could not hear them, Satoru Gojo finally spoke:

"What exactly is going on? Other than the sex change?" Satoru Gojo's attitude remained casual. He did not think the current situation was particularly serious. The old men above kept demanding that Miyoku be executed, but as long as he was alive, they could not openly harm the girl.

Satoru Gojo had once told the girl that he held some authority in Jujutsu Society. He had not lied to her. It was far more than some authority. Satoru Gojo was not pedantic. As the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer currently alive on this planet, if he wanted to, he could violate many fundamental principles and still face no consequences.

The only reason he had not killed those people at the top was that he had not yet found replacements for them. Once he did, an armed coup would take him only one day. No, half a day. Half a day was enough for him to overturn modern Jujutsu Society.

He was not squeamish about killing, and he had indeed killed quite a few people.

Naturally, those above knew exactly what Satoru Gojo was thinking. Yet Gojo was still alive and well. Was it because they did not want to kill him?

No. It was because they could not!

Precisely because they could not do it, Satoru Gojo treated those above with such contempt. That was the confidence of the strongest of the modern era.

Shoko Ieiri knew Satoru Gojo's thoughts well. They had once been inseparable companions, so naturally she knew his attitude toward the higher-ups. She even knew that the reason he was willing to remain at this school was because he wanted to raise Jujutsu Sorcerers capable of replacing those people.

More than once, Satoru Gojo had told her that he wanted to overturn the current rotten state of Jujutsu Society. To do that, he needed to raise students who could keep pace with him.

Then was Miyoku also one of the people you intended to raise?

Shoko Ieiri pulled her wandering thoughts back. She took a cigarette case from the pocket of her white coat, drew one out, lit it with practiced ease, and placed it between her lips.

"Where should I begin?" Shoko Ieiri thought for a moment, then asked, "Gojo, do you know about the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings?" Satoru Gojo confidently replied, "Just give me the conclusion. I'll understand."

Shoko Ieiri shot him a look and said flatly, "Miyoku is a Half-Cursed Spirit." Satoru Gojo's expression grew solemn as he drew a deep breath.

"Sorry, I was being arrogant. Please explain from the beginning, Miss Shoko." He had not understood! Besides, was there even such a thing as a "Half-Cursed Spirit" in Jujutsu Society scholarship?

Were there not only Jujutsu Sorcerers, Cursed Spirits, and Cursed Objects? Since when had Half-Cursed Spirits appeared? Had that term been made up specifically for Miyoku-chan?

Shoko Ieiri said flatly, "It's normal that you don't understand. Half-Cursed Spirit is a term I coined specifically to explain Miyoku's physical condition."

So it really was made up!

"Back to the original question," Shoko Ieiri said. "Gojo, how much do you know about the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings?" Satoru Gojo gathered his thoughts and slowly said:

"It originated from a scandal within the Kamo clan.

"Around the Meiji era, there appeared a woman who could give birth to Cursed Spirit children. Noritoshi Kamo, known as the most evil Jujutsu Sorcerer in history, performed inhumane experiments on her and mixed his own blood into those experiments. The woman became pregnant nine times and miscarried nine times, producing nine stillborn fetuses.

"In the end, those nine stillborn fetuses became Cursed Objects. Those are the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings we know today." Shoko Ieiri nodded gently.

"That is the widely known version, but because of my profession, I had the privilege of observing the Death Paintings... Numbers One through Three were not dead. They continued existing as living Cursed Wombs and were sealed away. Did you know that?"

Satoru Gojo was genuinely surprised this time.

"I didn't know that. Are you saying that Cursed Wombs One through Three can actually continue growing? In other words, become normal infants?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I'm merely making deductions based on my professional knowledge. I can only say that Numbers One through Three can continue growing, but I cannot guarantee whether they could continue growing until they became normal living beings." Shoko Ieiri exhaled smoke. "No one would voluntarily unseal a Cursed Object. Even if they did, they are already Cursed Objects. No one knows whether they could still grow into normal lifeforms."

Satoru Gojo nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand what you mean. Miyoku-chan is in this kind of situation, right? The difference is that the Cursed Wombs were forced into becoming Cursed Objects before they could mature, while she... is a completed product."

That was why she was a Half-Cursed Spirit. Satoru Gojo completely understood. "The term Half-Cursed Spirit is indeed simple, easy to understand, and incredibly precise." Shoko Ieiri praised him. "You're awful and willful, but your mind really does work fast."

"Hey—!" Satoru Gojo shouted in dissatisfaction, but Shoko Ieiri pretended not to hear him. After a pause, she slowly continued:

"Though she is unquestionably female physiologically, the nature of her Cursed Energy is closer to that of a Cursed Spirit than to ours as Jujutsu Sorcerers.

"When you brought her to me, you said that the reason she possessed such enormous Cursed Energy might be a Binding Vow. She had exchanged the transformation of her entire body for a massive amount of Cursed Energy.

"But now, I must overturn your conclusion—"

She removed the cigarette from her lips and stared at its burning tip, her gaze sharp as an eagle's.

"The reason she gained such tremendous Cursed Energy is not a Binding Vow. It is because she has already become the 'avatar' of a certain Cursed Spirit, which is why she possesses such immense Cursed Energy."

Satoru Gojo's casual expression vanished, and the Six Eyes beneath his blindfold abruptly contracted. "She... is the avatar of some Cursed Spirit?"

"Perhaps it's even more terrifying than that." Shoko Ieiri resumed her lazy expression and put the cigarette back between her lips. "That Cursed Spirit placed a curse on her, making her body more suited to the Cursed Energy traits of Cursed Spirits."

She considered how to explain it in simpler terms.

"Yes, let me put it in a way you can understand—she has been remade into that Cursed Spirit's Vessel. If that Cursed Spirit wishes it, it can seize Miyoku's body at any time and adapt perfectly."

Cursed Spirits did not incarnate because there was no need. Cursed Objects were the ones that needed Incarnation, because Cursed Objects could not act solely in the form of Cursed Spirits. They required a Vessel to move.

Although Shoko Ieiri's words might make people question her professionalism as a Jujutsu Sorcerer physician, Satoru Gojo understood.

Ordinary Cursed Objects did not actually have designated Vessels. As long as anyone swallowed a Cursed Object, it would react to their body and alter it. Eventually, the Cursed Object would overwhelm the Vessel's will, rise to the surface, and take possession of the body.

But some exceptionally special Cursed Objects required specially prepared Incarnation. Without a special Vessel, the body could not withstand the curse of the Cursed Object. Miyoku was like that now—she had been deliberately modified so that one day, she could adapt to the curse of a particular Cursed Spirit.

Though he had already praised her inwardly once, Satoru Gojo could not help praising Shoko Ieiri's expertise again. With only a few words, she had enabled him, a half-outsider, to completely understand Miyoku's current physical condition.