An encounter at the café

Although ordinary people could not see jujutsu or cursed spirits, letting them learn of these abnormal beings would still inevitably cause chaos.

That sense of the unknown was the emotional engine most likely to generate negative energy, so jujutsu sorcerers had to avoid letting ordinary people learn of Jujutsu Society whenever possible. This was the most basic knowledge a jujutsu sorcerer needed.

Of course, sometimes there was simply no way to prevent ordinary people from finding out. In those cases, there was no need to panic. First, keep those people under control and report to the higher-ups in Jujutsu Society. They would send a dedicated team to educate them and have them sign confidentiality agreements.

At this café, Chinatsu and Satoru Gojo were not actually very close to most of their coworkers. After all, their part-time attendance was wildly inconsistent. Sometimes they would not show up even once in a whole week.

How could they build strong relationships under those circumstances? Still, being unfamiliar did not mean they were on bad terms. Maintaining a basic level of friendliness was easy enough.

As the ordinary employees who knew nothing of Jujutsu Society entered the break room, Chinatsu and Satoru Gojo both lifted their heads and greeted everyone.

Normally, everyone would exchange the usual pleasantries and then settle back into silence, but this time seemed a little different.

"Chinatsu, would you be interested in becoming an idol?!" The girls worked up their courage and asked her in unison.

"Huh?"

Chinatsu froze on the spot, wondering how the conversation had suddenly swerved straight into idols.

The girls then explained what had happened. Apparently, an idol talent agency was handing out flyers around Akihabara to promote its idol trainee program.

Seeing those idol recruitment posters had rekindled their dreams of becoming idols. But they were still a little scared to go on their own, so they wanted to bring Chinatsu along, hoping her reassuring presence would bolster their courage.

"Uh, well..."

After hearing them out, Chinatsu could not help lowering her head and lightly pressing a palm to her forehead.

Meanwhile, Satoru Gojo leisurely tapped away at his phone beside her, searching for the name of the idol talent agency they had just mentioned.

"A lot of idols and entertainers signed with this agency have recently insisted on leaving, even if it meant breaking their contracts. It's caused quite a stir in the idol industry."

"What?!!!"

At Satoru Gojo's words, it was the girls' turn to freeze. Their mouths fell open in disbelief, and traces of disappointment soon appeared on their faces as well.

At the same time, both Satoru Gojo and Chinatsu narrowed their eyes slightly. As jujutsu sorcerers, how could they not read more into such a strange situation?

Chinatsu and Satoru Gojo exchanged a discreet look, communicating silently with their eyes.

Chinatsu: Want to go take a look later?

Satoru Gojo: You go. I'm not coming. The most crucial episodes of the TV drama I've been waiting ages for are airing later. I'm staying put to watch.

Chinatsu: You can record it.

Satoru Gojo: I'm watching both the broadcast and the recording. It's a detective show, and there are lots of details to watch for. I want to be the first to figure out who the killer is, then go online and spam spoilers!

Chinatsu: *...*

Chinatsu had so many objections that, for a moment, she did not even know where to begin.

Fine. If I have to go alone, I'll go alone.

Chinatsu sighed softly, then turned to the girls in front of her. She raised a finger and opened her mouth.

"I'm not going to become an idol, but I can look into this agency for you," Chinatsu said with a smile.

Everyone was delighted and thanked Chinatsu in turn. As for the investigation she had mentioned, they all assumed she intended to use her family's resources to look into the agency online. After all, even they could tell that Chinatsu and Satoru Gojo were a wealthy young lady and young master working here to experience ordinary life.

Their shift ended at dusk.

Chinatsu changed out of the formal tailcoat she wore at the café and into casual clothes, then put on solid black sunglasses to obscure her vision.

Although Chinatsu could reach her destination quickly with a series of short-range Teleportations, she thought it over and decided against it.

Abilities like jujutsu should not interfere too much with ordinary life. Jujutsu Society and the ordinary world needed to remain properly separated, without either intruding too much on the other.

Even without using jujutsu, Chinatsu could take a taxi for such a short trip. Half an hour later, she arrived outside the idol talent agency.

With both hands in her pockets, Chinatsu lifted her head and looked up at the building housing the agency. Judging by its exterior alone, it looked quite decent, but appearances were never enough to judge anything.

Chinatsu's unusual eyes gradually pierced through that outer layer, revealing the "truth" inside the building.

"So it is a cursed spirit. And at least Grade 1..."

There was something wrong with this country. Something very wrong.

When incidents of the same severity produced negative energy in other countries, the likelihood of that energy giving birth to cursed spirits, as well as their strength, would be noticeably lower. In this country, however, cursed spirits were born all the time.

The scenery Chinatsu saw through her Six Eyes was completely different from what ordinary people saw. Chilling cursed energy lurked inside the building, its color even tinged with streaks of scarlet.

Chinatsu stretched both arms out and loosened up her body. Reporting to the higher-ups before exorcising the spirit would earn her a bonus in a situation like this, but she was wealthy enough not to bother.

She and Satoru Gojo had already been promoted to Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers. Even without spending the Gojo Clan's money, they had accumulated a hefty sum in bonuses from completing jujutsu missions over the years.

Get this done early and get home early!

Chinatsu took a deep breath and let it out heavily. Just as she readied herself and stepped forward, intending to enter the building and face the cursed spirit hiding inside, she sensed a jujutsu sorcerer behind her.

Grade 2? Semi-Grade 1?

Wait, he's...!

Because she possessed the Six Eyes, Chinatsu had a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision with no blind spots. Even without turning around, she could see what was behind her.

Narrow eyes, earlobe-shaped studs, hair tied in a bun, a lock of bangs over the left side of his forehead, and a face that looked like it belonged to someone very good at deceiving people.

Wasn't that... Suguru Geto?!

Chinatsu turned to look behind her and saw the jujutsu sorcerer jog across the road and stop in front of her.

"You're a jujutsu sorcerer too, right? How about... teaming up?"