"Come in. This will be your room from now on."
"As long as you don't cause trouble, you'll be safe here!"
Shoko Ieiri spoke to Ronova with a doting grin.
Ronova nodded, completely unaware
that Shoko Ieiri would be the greatest danger to her from now on.
Once Ronova's room was settled, Shoko Ieiri went to find Satoru Gojo.
"Tell me exactly what's going on with her."
"You're not still planning to hide it from me, are you?"
At this point, there was no reason to keep Shoko Ieiri in the dark.
She soon learned Ronova's true identity.
After hearing it all, Shoko Ieiri had only one thought.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"I knew you were a scumbag, but I never thought you were insane."
Back at school, Shoko Ieiri had been close to Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
She used to call the two of them "the scumbags."
She had used that nickname much less since graduation.
The fact that she brought it back now showed just how stunned she was.
And she had good reason to be.
Ronova's background was simply too outrageous.
Her status as a Special-Grade Curse was one thing.
After all, Shoko Ieiri knew Reverse Cursed Technique. No one would call her weak.
A Special-Grade Curse alone wouldn't have shaken her this badly.
But a Death Curse Spirit? That was another matter entirely.
How could a concept as abstract as death give birth to a Cursed Spirit?
Well, Cursed Spirits were already abstract beings.
Perhaps the birth of an even more abstract Death Curse Spirit wasn't so strange.
But anyone could tell this Cursed Spirit would eventually become unstoppable.
What could Satoru Gojo have been thinking when he decided not to exorcise her?
Not only had he spared her, he wanted to raise her.
Did he think he was so invincible that he needed to cultivate an opponent just for a thrill?
One look at Satoru Gojo's awkward expression told Shoko Ieiri she had guessed right.
That was exactly what he had been thinking.
He had been unbeatable for so long that he felt lonely, and he wanted a worthy opponent to amuse himself.
The thought was so absurd that Shoko Ieiri almost laughed.
But Satoru Gojo had an answer for her questions.
"I admit there was a bit of a gamble in what I did," he explained.
"But I clearly won."
"You're focused on Ronova being the Death Curse Spirit, but you're forgetting that she's a good kid."
"I watched her closely. She never caused a death herself. She only ever witnessed death as a bystander."
"And can you guarantee the next Death Curse Spirit would have a personality as good as hers?"
Even Shoko Ieiri had to admit that Satoru Gojo had a point.
A Cursed Spirit could be killed, but the fear that gave birth to it couldn't.
As long as humans feared death,
another Death Curse Spirit would be born sooner or later.
And who could guarantee the next one would be as easy to deal with as Ronova?
What if the next Death Curse Spirit was a maniac who loved causing deaths herself?
It was difficult for a fear of something as abstract as death to produce a Cursed Spirit.
But Ronova was standing right there. Who could say there wouldn't be another?
After Satoru Gojo's explanation,
Shoko Ieiri reluctantly accepted what he said.
All right, the real reason was Ronova's looks had won her over. Beauty had blinded her.
Shoko Ieiri was a sucker for a pretty face. How could she resist a girl like Ronova?
After a few more instructions, Shoko Ieiri promptly kicked Satoru Gojo out.
Only she and Ronova remained in the house.
Ronova was wondering how to get on Shoko Ieiri's good side and live off the brown-haired woman.
She didn't even need to ask.
Shoko Ieiri offered to take care of her first.
"Ronova, can I call you Little Ruo?"
"Of course, Shoko."
One affectionate address was all it took to win Shoko Ieiri over.
She was utterly helpless against Ronova's charms.
Sometimes, though, being too charming wasn't a good thing.
A few hours later,
Ronova stood like a lifeless doll while Shoko Ieiri played dress-up with her.
As Shoko Ieiri put it, failing to dress up someone with Ronova's looks and figure would be a crime.
Did Satoru Gojo know anything about style?
The clothes he had picked for Ronova were awful.
Shoko Ieiri would have to handle it herself.
For Ronova, though, it was torture.
As far as she was concerned, clothes only needed to fit and be clean.
Getting dressed up had never crossed her mind.
Yet Shoko Ieiri had dragged her out shopping for clothes, then started a dress-up session the moment they got home.
Ronova was nearly numb from it all.
But once they were done, she looked at herself in the mirror.
Maybe dressing up wasn't so bad after all.
While Ronova and Shoko Ieiri played Miracle Ruo-Ruo,
the outside world was in an uproar over her.
Suguru Geto was the first to act.
He had watched Ronova kill the "distance" between them and teleport away right before his eyes.
That had made her potential clearer to him than ever.
She was undoubtedly the strongest Cursed Spirit in history.
If Ronova grew to her full potential, she could take on the entire world by herself.
Wasn't a Cursed Spirit like that the perfect ally for his plan?
Suguru Geto even changed his plans for her.
He had originally intended to approach Yuta Okkotsu and see if they could work together, drawing on the power of the "Cursed Queen" bound to him.
But forget the Cursed Queen.
Ronova was the true King of Jujutsu!
If he could win her over, how could his plan fail?
Suguru Geto wasn't the only one looking for her.
The Jujutsu Higher-Ups summoned Satoru Gojo as well.
"What exactly is going on with that Special-Grade Curse?" they demanded.
"What fear does she represent, and what are her abilities?"
Satoru Gojo spread his hands. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What Special-Grade Curse? Didn't I already exorcise her?"
His shameless act nearly drove the Jujutsu Higher-Ups mad.
Satoru Gojo had everything going for him except obedience.
There were times when the Jujutsu Higher-Ups regretted not getting rid of that troublemaker sooner.
But it was too late for regrets. Satoru Gojo had grown too powerful.
They had no choice but to put up with him.
In the end, their questioning got them nowhere.
Before Satoru Gojo left, the Jujutsu Higher-Ups issued a threat. "How long do you think you can hide her?"
"We'll find her soon and exorcise her for good!"
"You can't protect her!"
Satoru Gojo stopped and turned around.
The Jujutsu Higher-Ups expected their threat to make him angry.
Instead, Satoru Gojo smiled.
"As if you could beat her!"
His voice dripped with contempt.
Just because Satoru Gojo could beat Ronova didn't mean anyone else could.
They would need a Special Grade Sorcerer at the very least.
Anyone below that level would be walking straight into a slaughter.
Ronova might not have reached her full potential, but she was still a Special-Grade Curse.
She was far beyond the likes of them.
Before you continue