I'll take out a loan if I have to beat you!

"Long time no see, Mr. Yamada."

The voice was rather deep, and it belonged to a tall man with half-tied hair and half-lidded eyes.

He wore a loose, midnight-blue kimono and a five-panel monk's stole with a dark green base covered in a golden grid pattern. His wooden sandals clacked as he approached.

Once inside, he lay sideways on the couch, propping his face on his right hand and resting his left on his leg. He took up most of the space, utterly at ease, as though he were the owner of the house.

"No, no, my surname is Sawada, Venerable Monk."

Mr. Sawada offered a mild correction and desperately forced a smile. He knew this monk's eccentric temperament very well; this was hardly their first meeting. But as the saying went-

Masters all had their own quirks. Besides, this master had originally come here in person to treat him. It was just that the young man who also knew magic had already cured him, and now he had to explain that to the esteemed monk.

"No, your surname is Yamada. I've already said so, so let's go with Yamada."

The monk was rather overbearing, clearly thinking little of either of them. He also noticed the boy beside them, who was trembling without saying a word.

"Oh? And who is this?"

"Ah, this young man is visiting. He seems to know magic too. Just now, he helped me get rid of my lingering ailment, just as you did before. Could you see whether he has a talent for magic as well?"

Mr. Sawada enthusiastically recommended the boy to the monk, thinking that if the esteemed monk took on an exceptionally gifted disciple, his trip would not have been wasted.

The monk's brow furrowed slightly, as though he had instantly realized something.

"Oh? Heroes really do emerge young. I never expected anyone besides me to be able to resolve these symptoms. Please, do let me speak with him in private."

The monk emphasized "in private," making it clear he wanted the couple to leave.

The Sawadas obeyed this somewhat suspicious monk without question and immediately stood up.

"Of course, of course. We'll wait in the backyard." The couple headed toward the backyard, though Mrs. Sawada felt a little puzzled and glanced at Dai Li.

Dai Li did not look back. He stared straight at the tall man, but did not dare meet his eyes.

Now, only the tall man and the boy remained inside.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Suguru Geto."

"Though judging by your expression, I probably don't need to introduce myself."

Suguru Geto introduced himself to the utterly terrified boy before him.

Although Dai Li was nervous and afraid, he was also somewhat relieved that Suguru Geto had come rather than a special grade cursed spirit.

Even though Suguru Geto was far stronger than a special grade cursed spirit, he could at least be reasoned with. With the latter, Dai Li might not even know how he had died.

"What sort of jujutsu sorcerer are you? Jujutsu High? A clan? Or are you self-taught? You look like the last kind."

"Relax. This isn't an interrogation. We're just talking."

Suguru Geto's tone was utterly relaxed and natural, but that only deepened Dai Li's fear of him.

"Self-taught..." Dai Li said, mustering his courage.

"Have you done any deliberate training?"

"No."

"Your cursed technique?"

"..."

Suguru Geto kept pressing Dai Li with questions.

"How about this? I'll let you ask me questions, or it'll seem as though I'm interrogating you."

"Why did you come here to see the Sawadas?"

Dai Li asked the question he most wanted answered. He wanted to know what could bring this special grade sorcerer here in person.

"When the two of them first came to me to have a spirit removed, there was a special grade cursed spirit on Mr. Sawada that hadn't begun developing yet."

"I shouldn't need to explain what a special grade cursed spirit means to someone with Cursed Spirit Manipulation. I told them to contact me immediately if anything felt wrong again, and that I would personally come to their house to remove the spirit."

Then Suguru Geto asked another question:

"So, roughly what grade was that cursed spirit? Since you could exorcise it so easily, it probably wasn't a high grade."

"Grade 4 at most..."

"Grade 4, huh..."

Suguru Geto seemed deeply disappointed, but this did not appear to be the first time he had encountered such a situation.

"Forget it. I'll kill those two monkeys. This is the fifth time already. Looks like they won't be of any value. Apart from the first one, every cursed spirit has been worthless."

"!!"

Dai Li's expression changed at those words, his thoughts written all over his face.

"What? Would killing two monkeys hurt you that much? From what they said, you just happened to stop here for a rest. You barely know those two monkeys."

As someone from another world, Dai Li could not understand Suguru Geto's thinking at all. Even in this world, most people did not agree with his beliefs. Yet he could compare ordinary people to monkeys and slaughter them at will.

"I don't agree with your values..."

"But you can't stop me."

"..."

He's right. I can't stop him. But I could stay out of it. After all, if I die, I'm dead for real. The system won't revive me...

Dai Li wrestled with himself. Was it really worth fighting a special grade sorcerer for strangers he had only just met?

Although Suguru Geto was a curse user, he did not indiscriminately kill young jujutsu sorcerers. Did Dai Li really have to make an enemy of him? Would he spare him if he begged for mercy?

But at that moment, Dai Li was suddenly horrified by his own thoughts. You vowed to become the strongest, and now you're thinking about getting on your knees and begging? You bastard!

Dai Li! If you back down here, you'll never become strong in your entire life! In a world where a cursed spirit could appear from who knows where and kill you, what's the difference between weakness and death?

Don't be afraid of Suguru Geto. So what if he's stronger than me! I'm not necessarily inferior to him! I have my own trump cards!

"Monkeys have their own roles. Some are used to collect money, and others to collect curses. But they have one thing in common-once they're useless, they deserve to die."

"I want to build a world without curses. The best and fastest way to do that is to kill every monkey."

Of course, Dai Li knew Suguru Geto's theory, but he had never felt his obsession and madness so keenly before. A normal person could not reason with a lunatic like this.

"Did you know? A jujutsu sorcerer's negative emotions don't produce cursed spirits. Only monkeys do, and there are far more monkeys than jujutsu sorcerers. So if we kill all the monkeys, no jujutsu sorcerer will have to die exorcising cursed spirits."

"I think there are other ways to create a world without curses. Killing ordinary people so you don't have to protect them is absolutely not normal."

After sixty-eight years of growth, Itadori had finally accomplished just that, completely eliminating all cursed spirits.

"The other ways are too slow. How many more jujutsu sorcerers will have to die to create that world? How many more will be sacrificed to protect those monkeys?"

"Jujutsu sorcerers exorcise curses for the monkeys, yet to preserve order in ordinary society, everything sorcerers do is restricted. It's such a nuisance."

Hearing Suguru Geto's extreme words and mocking tone, Dai Li became utterly furious.

"That lofty attitude of yours isn't something a jujutsu sorcerer-or a human being-should have. You're nothing but a fanatic whose thinking has been twisted beyond recognition. I don't know what experiences made you this way, but no matter what happens, I'll never become someone like you!"

He did not agree with Suguru Geto's beliefs, but he was not arrogant enough to think he could talk him around. He said what he wanted to say simply because he wanted to say it.

"I once abandoned it. I abandoned my own vow. Once, I thought I was the most special person in the crowd. But now I realize it's impossible to protect everyone. That was nothing but a fool's stupid words. Still, protecting only the people I cherish is possible. I've only known those two elderly people for a short while, but I still can't stand by and watch you kill them."

"I don't expect to reason with a lunatic like you. No matter how much we argue, you'll still kill them."

"So enough. I don't want to keep being your entertainment!"

"I'm challenging you to a duel! If I win, you aren't allowed to lay a hand on either of them."

There was no fear left in Dai Li's heart now, only a passion for battle burning in his eyes!

Come on, Suguru Geto! You're my first opponent in this world! I'll do whatever it takes to defeat you! I'm fucking going all out against you!

"Hahaha, arrogant. How incredibly arrogant."

Suguru Geto seemed amused by his outrageous claim, though there also seemed to be a trace of admiration in his eyes.

"If you really could beat me, who would dare touch them afterward? I wouldn't bully an adorable junior jujutsu sorcerer. You don't have to beat me. If you're strong enough to pique my interest, I won't kill either of them-or you."

"How does that sound?"

"Just what I wanted!"