Thinking about what Satoru Gojo would call him from now on, Sakurada Niji deeply regretted his earlier stubbornness.
Why did I have to argue with him... I'm a normal person... Hurry up and remember how you normally get along with classmates!
Sakurada Niji sat on his bed, banging his forehead against the wall-thump! Thump! Thump!-in an attempt to restore his normal self.
Satoru Gojo is terrifying... He can turn a normal person into a scumbag just like him. This definitely isn't my fault!
Just then, Suguru Geto's voice came from next door. "Is that you, Sakurada? You haven't had dinner yet, right? Want to come over and eat with me? I made oden."
How... embarrassing... Is the soundproofing that bad?! Deep breaths~ I'm normal, and Suguru Geto is normal too. Talking to a normal person will make me normal! Time to eat!
"Thanks, Geto. I'll be right over." Sakurada Niji jumped off the bed and washed his hands in the bathroom before heading for the room next door.
"I'm coming in, okay? Geto, the bed wasn't in quite the right spot earlier, so I was moving it. Sorry for all the noise!"
Before stepping into Suguru Geto's room, Sakurada Niji made sure to announce himself with a perfectly serious expression, explaining along the way that he hadn't been banging his head against the wall.
"Hi~ o(*￣▽￣*)ブ~ Niji-chan~!" A white-haired creature lay on the tatami, greeting Sakurada Niji with a delighted look.
This time, Sakurada Niji reacted instantly. He covered his forehead with one hand to hide his expression, which was about to crack, and answered Satoru Gojo as normally as he could.
"Good evening, Gojo."
Satoru Gojo sighed. "Niji-chan~ So stiff and proper~ ε=(´ο｀*)))..."
Right now, everything about Satoru Gojo looked infuriating to Sakurada Niji.
...Heh~ Sooner or later, I'm getting my hands on the Inverted Spear of Heaven...
Having quietly settled on his plan, Sakurada Niji walked over to Suguru Geto, who was busy in the kitchen, and started helping without being asked.
"Why are some people just like little kids~ Waiting for Mommy to bring them dinner before they'll eat~" Sakurada Niji muttered loudly to himself as he sliced a radish.
What... am I doing!!!!
Sakurada Niji regretted it as soon as he spoke.
Why can't my brain keep my mouth under control...
Beside him, Suguru Geto's lips immediately curved upward. He slowly suppressed his smile and asked a question he already knew the answer to. "Sakurada~ Where's this little kid?"
Not to be outdone, Satoru Gojo pinched his nose and put on a disgusted expression, speaking in a childish voice. "Bleh~ Wonder who was tattling to the teacher earlier~"
Then Satoru Gojo pretended to wipe away tears and continued his performance. "Boo-hoo~ Gojo did it~ Teacher~" After that, he made an "Ugh~" sound and stuck out his tongue in disgust.
Sakurada Niji merely strengthened his silent resolve to obtain the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
Once I get a little better at this, I'm definitely developing a fighting style specifically for beating Satoru Gojo! I'll fix space in place and make an incredibly thin spatial wall! Let him run into it himself and split in two!
Suguru Geto broke the silence. "Well~ Now you're both little kids~ All right, let's eat. The broth and ingredients are ready~"
Suguru Geto carried the pot of broth over and set it on the table.
With an icy expression, Sakurada Niji carried over the sliced ingredients and set them down in front of Satoru Gojo with a bang, as though venting his anger.
"Niji-chan~ What's wrong~?" Satoru Gojo asked knowingly.
"Heh~ Nothing." Sakurada Niji silently clenched his fists.
"Sakurada, Satoru, stop it. Come to think of it, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet," Suguru Geto said, watching the two who looked ready to start fighting.
"I'll go first. Sakurada, my name is Suguru Geto. I'm fifteen, and my Cursed Technique is Cursed Spirit Manipulation. I can control cursed spirits I've subdued."
"Satoru, your turn," Suguru Geto said to Satoru Gojo with a smile.
After muttering, "What a pain," Satoru Gojo reluctantly began introducing himself.
"The name's Satoru Gojo. I'm sixteen, and my Cursed Technique is Limitless. Simply put, it brings convergent infinite series into reality."
If I hadn't watched the anime, I wouldn't understand a word of that...
"My name is Sakurada Niji. I'm fourteen and 175 centimeters tall. My Cursed Technique is the Fixing Cursed Technique. It fixes whatever it comes into contact with in place. I'm still figuring it out."
"Pfft~ You really are a little brat~" Satoru Gojo suddenly burst out laughing.
"Heh~ White-haired old man." Sakurada Niji refused to back down.
"Shorty~"
"Beanpole~"
"Enough! Stop arguing!" Suguru Geto held his head, unable to take much more. When it had only been Satoru Gojo, he could still manage. Now that someone else had arrived who could bicker endlessly with him, Suguru Geto felt as though his head was going to explode.
Ah, this is exhausting. More exhausting than exorcising cursed spirits, Suguru Geto thought.
With a rattle, the door to the room suddenly slid open.
"Excuse me~ Geto~ Sorry I'm late~ What are you all talking about? I could hear you from outside~"
Rubbing his forehead, Suguru Geto said to Shoko at the door, "Shoko, perfect timing. It's your turn to introduce yourself."
"My name is Shoko Ieiri~ I'm sixteen~ My Cursed Technique is Reverse Cursed Technique. I can heal other people~"
...The boys and girl ate...
Once the ingredients in the pot were gone, Suguru Geto took the initiative to bring his classmates closer together.
"All right, let's get along from now on, study together, and exorcise cursed spirits. That's what we should be doing."
"Jujutsu exists to protect non-sorcerers," Suguru Geto said earnestly.
"Here we go again~ Boring moral lectures~" Satoru Gojo looked disgusted.
"Satoru, as Jujutsu Sorcerers, we exist to save the weak." Suguru Geto's expression was serious.
"Ugh~" Satoru Gojo stuck out his tongue in disgust.
Shoko quietly moved her cushion backward, then took a cigarette out of her pocket.
Seeing the vein bulging on Suguru Geto's forehead, Sakurada Niji sensed trouble brewing and hurried to intervene.
Sakurada Niji said to Suguru Geto, "Geto, I agree with your thinking, but I don't think we exist solely to protect the weak."
Suguru Geto stopped paying attention to Satoru Gojo. His expression softened, and he asked Sakurada Niji with some curiosity, "Then what do you think, Niji?"
Sakurada Niji shared his thoughts. "Jujutsu Sorcerers don't exist simply to protect the weak. They exist because people who have the ability to destroy cursed spirits can't tolerate their existence."
Suguru Geto lowered his head in thought. He felt Sakurada Niji's words were a little roundabout, but they seemed meaningful.
Sakurada Niji continued, "As individuals, every human has different experiences, different abilities, and different perspectives. Some people are ignorant because of their circumstances, yet spend their entire lives producing things that sustain others. Some are exceptionally intelligent thanks to their family circumstances, yet don't consider their poor and ignorant fellow humans to be their equals."
"On the other hand, some give away their entire fortunes just to help the world, while others live in hardship all their lives for their beliefs."
"In fact, even if every cursed spirit were destroyed and humans stopped producing them, as long as humanity hasn't gone extinct, there will always be conflict, and there will always be casualties."
"My idea is to improve my abilities, then protect those I want to protect and eliminate whatever I can't tolerate, within the limits of what I can do."
"With the way you think, Geto, you're not treating yourself as a human being, are you? You're more like a savior."
Sakurada Niji's words shook Suguru Geto. He had never given much thought to why he wanted to save the weak, nor did he know whether he considered himself human. Perhaps he really had always been saving humanity from a position outside it.
When did I become so arrogant, reaching down from above to offer ordinary people charity? Suguru Geto thought.
"That's why I hate moral lectures~ Insisting on giving power a reason~ Or a responsibility~ That's something only the weak do~" Satoru Gojo's face was full of incomprehension.
Suguru Geto's brow twitched, but he held back. He had now recognized his own arrogance.
That's right. Nobody begged me to save them. I save people out of arrogance, then get moved by my own actions, and blame ordinary people for my injuries. I only got hurt because I was saving you. When did I start thinking like that?
Suguru Geto felt he needed to calm down and think things through.
Seeing Suguru Geto fall silent, Satoru Gojo said nothing more to provoke him.
For a while, the only sound in the room was Shoko smoking, making the atmosphere somewhat eerie.
Shoko and Sakurada Niji exchanged a glance and gathered up the dishes together. Staring at Satoru Gojo, they said, "Come wash the dishes."
"No way~ Niji-chan and Shoko are such good homemakers~ There's no need for me~" Satoru Gojo's shamelessness left Sakurada Niji speechless.
"Going back to sleep~" With his head tilted up and both arms tucked behind his neck, Satoru Gojo sauntered back to his room like a street loafer.
"Thanks, you two..." Suguru Geto said quietly, looking rather drained.
"I'm leaving too~ Geto, get to bed early~ We have class tomorrow~" Shoko left the room after speaking.
"Geto, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Take your time thinking it through... If there's anything you can't figure out, come talk to me."
Suguru Geto forced the corners of his mouth up into a smile and said to Sakurada Niji, "Thank you, Niji. Without you, I might never have realized how I was thinking."
"Good night, Geto." Seeing Suguru Geto make an effort to smile, Sakurada Niji said nothing more and returned to his own room.
Before you continue