Killer Queen's existence would be discovered sooner or later. In the past, before he had grown stronger, he would have been cautious. But there was no need for that in front of Satoru Gojo.
Showing his strength also gave him another bargaining chip. For the sake of his plan, he had to bring Satoru Gojo on board. Failing that, they at least could not become enemies in the future.
Besides, Killer Queen was only his first Stand. Even if he revealed him, he still had other trump cards, such as his second Stand, [Bites the Dust], which had yet to be unlocked.
Chingetsu looked at the system panel. After dealing with the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, the Three-Headed Serpent, his cursed energy had reached 8188/10000.
Just one Grade 1 Cursed Spirit had given him 300 points of cursed energy. Compared with what Grade 3 Cursed Spirits provided, the difference was like night and day.
Chingetsu looked again. The Stand abilities displayed by the system had also changed slightly. First Stand: [Killer Queen (unlocked)], current development: 50%. Stand ability: "First Bomb," which could turn objects he had touched into bombs. There were two ways to detonate these bombs.
One blew up whoever touched the bomb, leaving the object turned into a bomb unharmed. The other made the object itself explode.
Stand ability: "Second Bomb," Sheer Heart Attack, unlocked after Killer Queen reached 50% development.
Second Stand: [Bites the Dust (awaiting unlock)], unlock requirement: 10000 cursed energy, current cursed energy: 8188/10000.
Third Stand: [Unknown (locked)].
He had not expected to unlock Killer Queen's "Second Bomb" ability.
Thinking of the properties of Killer Queen's "Second Bomb," even Chingetsu, who normally remained unmoved by praise or humiliation, could not keep his delight from showing.
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Chapter 11: I am this world's unknown variable
The ability of Killer Queen's Second Bomb.
It was an automatically tracking bomb. A bomb tank emerged from the back of Killer Queen's left hand and automatically tracked heat sources, exploding when it approached its target. It had high defensive power and was difficult to destroy through ordinary force.
Moreover, the bomb tank did not disappear after exploding.
Unlike the First Bomb's silent explosions, the Second Bomb produced actual, physical explosions. In theory, this was a bomb with no durability limit that could automatically seek out enemies.
Another trump card.
Chingetsu gently stroked the back of his hand, and the faint outline of a bomb tank emerged. "Getsu, was that a cursed spirit behind you just now?"
Satoru Gojo's cool, languid voice brought Chingetsu back to his senses.
"Yeah, you can think of him (Killer Queen) as a cursed spirit."
Chingetsu did not explain much. After all, something like a Stand could not be explained in a few words. To a certain extent, understanding a Stand as a special cursed spirit was not all that contradictory.
Chingetsu suddenly remembered the famous scene in which Jotaro, the fishmonger, had mistaken Star Platinum for an evil spirit when he first saw it. Without understanding how Stand Users' powers worked, mistaking a Stand for a cursed spirit was perfectly understandable.
Clearly, that was exactly the situation Satoru Gojo was in.
Satoru Gojo circled Chingetsu a few times, rubbing his smooth, fair chin in a show of contemplation.
"Hmm, Getsu, you clearly don't have any cursed energy, yet you can command a cursed spirit. That reminds me of someone, though you're even better at it than he is."
Someone who could command cursed spirits and knew Satoru Gojo.
A name immediately flashed through Chingetsu's mind: Suguru Geto.
Remembering Suguru Geto's short, contradictory life, Chingetsu could not help lamenting the vagaries of fate.
"But controlling such a powerful cursed spirit without any cursed energy defies all common sense, no matter how you look at it. Getsu, you're a total monster!"
Satoru Gojo spoke in an exaggerated tone. Chingetsu ignored him.
If we're talking about monsters, Satoru Gojo, your birth alone upset the balance of Jujutsu Society and caused the cursed spirits' side to grow explosively. You're the real monster.
As for me...
Chingetsu gazed into the pitch-black night sky.
I'm a bug, this world's unknown variable.
I just want to live peacefully in this world without anyone bothering me. If I'm not strong enough, I'll become the strongest. If anyone crosses me, they'd better be prepared to die.
Whether you're one of the three great clans or a sect among the higher ranks. A veiled trace of killing intent flashed past.
Satoru Gojo stopped rubbing his chin, and his previously flippant expression grew serious. "Getsu, I know you're strong, but you can't handle the three great clans yet."
"Gojo, Zenin, and Kamo cooperate while scheming against each other. But if someone threatens their interests, the Three Great Families could join forces at any moment."
There was worry in Satoru Gojo's voice.
He knew Chingetsu's temper. Though he seemed to want nothing to do with worldly disputes, once someone crossed his bottom line, he would turn into a blood-soaked asura.
Chingetsu was unquestionably powerful, enough to make even him, Jujutsu Society's acknowledged genius, feel somewhat inadequate. But Chingetsu was only one person, after all.
Against Jujutsu Society's tangled web of forces, Chingetsu's current strength was undoubtedly a little thin.
So, as both Chingetsu's family and his closest friend, Satoru Gojo did not want to see him do something foolish on impulse.
Though Satoru Gojo himself harbored thoughts of overturning this rotten Jujutsu Society, he knew the time had not yet come.
"Satoru, you're worrying too much."
The hem of Chingetsu's coat snapped in the night breeze. His dark eyes had returned to their former calm, as still as an ancient well.
"I'm not someone who starts trouble. That Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer from the clan coveted my secrets, so he died."
"Whether it's jujutsu sorcerers or the Gojo Clan, I believe in leaving people alone if they leave me alone. But..." Chingetsu paused, meeting Satoru Gojo's eyes.
"If those people cross me, I won't swallow it in silence. I'll use my Killer Queen to show them what despair means."
Satoru Gojo stared at Chingetsu's face. It was the first time he had felt such dominance and sharpness from him. "You always make it sound so impressive!"
Satoru Gojo laughed as he chided him and punched Chingetsu on the shoulder. "We're family and best friends, Getsu."
"I'll always be on your side." "We'll become the strongest together."
Looking into Satoru Gojo's earnest eyes, Chingetsu could tell that he meant it. Warmth flowed through Chingetsu's heart. Perhaps he was not alone in this world.
"Satoru, that was kind of nauseating."
"Getsu, that hurts a little. I spent ages coming up with that." "You did a great job. Don't do it again."
The two returned along the way they had come, the hazy moonlight stretching their shadows out behind them. Shortly after they left, a short figure appeared out of thin air.
"The Grade 1 Cursed Spirit is confirmed dead. Only Satoru Gojo could pull off such a one-sided fight." "That boy with Satoru Gojo seems close to him. This might be an opportunity..." The short figure watched their retreating forms and muttered to himself.
The short figure failed to notice that, the instant he appeared,
a flicker of something unusual passed through Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes behind his sunglasses, while a faint, amused smile crossed Chingetsu's lips.
Chapter 12: What made Jujutsu High different
Satoru Gojo and Chingetsu exchanged a smile, understanding each other without a word.
Petty rats who only knew how to spy from the shadows were hardly interesting. Of course, if the other party was foolish enough to walk into the line of fire,
it would merely mean one more soul dead at Killer Queen's hands. The two returned to the bar.
Chingetsu's bar was in a somewhat out-of-the-way location. The first floor was used for business, while the second floor was a place to rest.
Unlike ordinary bars, Chingetsu had opened his purely as a hobby, so he was very laid-back about its opening hours. It was now eleven at night. All told, less than half an hour had passed between their departure and return. "Seriously, won't you consider Jujutsu High?"
Satoru Gojo lay on his side on the large bed in Chingetsu's second-floor bedroom, holding a daifuku he had bought at some point and taking a bite now and then.
"No. I'm not interested in places like schools."
Chingetsu dried his wet hair with a towel. A bath towel was wrapped around his lower body, leaving his well-built, evenly defined eight-pack exposed.
He had his own considerations.
Jujutsu High was hardly a peaceful place.
Jujutsu High's full name was Fusang Jujutsu Technical School, and it was one of only two jujutsu educational institutions in Fusang. Publicly, Jujutsu High presented itself as a private religious school. Many jujutsu sorcerers continued to use it as a base for their activities after graduating.
Jujutsu High was not only an educational institution but also responsible for coordinating and supporting supernatural missions, making it an indispensable part of Jujutsu Society's forces.
But Jujutsu High's special nature meant it was never going to be as straightforward as an ordinary school.
The distribution of power within Jujutsu High was complicated and tangled, and the jujutsu sorcerers studying there faced restrictions and control at every turn.
How could being a student at Jujutsu High compare to the freedom of being the hands-off owner of his own little bar? A worker as good as Nanami was hard to find.
Besides, some of those old men at the school were even more hidebound than the higher-ups in the clan. Dealing with people like that, he might not even know when they sold him out or stabbed him in the back.
In the entire Gojo Clan, Satoru Gojo was the only person he had any fondness for.
Some people at Jujutsu High were worth getting to know and might become part of his own core group in the future. But going there now to look at those old men's sour faces every day? He was not that much of a glutton for punishment.
"All right, I was just asking." Chingetsu's answer was what Satoru Gojo had expected.
If Chingetsu had been willing to join Jujutsu High and submit to other people's control, he would never have left the Gojo Clan so decisively in the first place. "What about you, Satoru? What are your plans right now?"
Chingetsu casually took a bottle of red wine from the rack and poured himself half a glass. The rose-colored wine swirled against the glass, while hazy moonlight shone outside the window.
Chingetsu's soft silver hair fell naturally over his shoulders. His noble elegance contrasted sharply with Satoru Gojo's casual air.
"Me? I'm going to enjoy the prime of my youth at Jujutsu High." "I've met plenty of interesting people there."
Satoru Gojo immediately perked up and finished the remaining daifuku in one bite, licking his lips as though he still wanted more.
At the end of the day, Satoru Gojo was still only a teenager. Though he had already developed a little shrewdness, he was still, at heart, just a boy who loved to have fun.
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