Although he regretted not being able to study and live alongside Chingetsu at Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo was not someone who rigidly clung to convention.
"Still, what happened today might only be a prelude. I can feel it-the cursed spirits are starting to stir." Satoru Gojo looked more serious than ever as he said this.
"So the three great clans are bound to make a move soon. If you're going it alone, you must be careful." Satoru Gojo's words were not unfounded.
Leaving the Gojo Clan meant losing its protection.
That was aside from the suspicions of certain people within the clan.
If the Kamo Clan and the Zenin Clan, both at odds with the Gojo Clan, had a chance to conveniently kill a direct descendant of the Gojo Clan, they would be more than happy to deal such a blow to its reputation.
Chingetsu had naturally considered everything Satoru Gojo could think of. He had also sensed the cursed spirits' unrest.
Or rather, from the day his Stand awakened, the balance of Jujutsu Society had been broken once again. The first time had been Satoru Gojo's birth; the second was the day Chingetsu awakened.
Curses existed everywhere. Wherever there were people, there were bound to be cursed spirits.
Cursed spirits were tangible curses born from the gathering and manifestation of humanity's negative emotions, products entirely of the mind.
Cursed spirits could never be completely exterminated.
As long as humans existed, negative emotions would always arise.
Cursed spirits would never die out either. Like wild grass, they could never be burned away completely, springing up again with the spring breeze. An uprising of cursed spirits was undoubtedly a disaster for humanity.
But to some jujutsu sorcerers with ulterior motives, or the parasites within certain jujutsu clans, cursed spirits were tools for amassing wealth or climbing the ranks.
That was why, after seeing Chingetsu's "cursed spirit," Killer Queen, Satoru Gojo had worried that people with ill intentions would set their sights on him.
No matter how strong an elephant was, the harassment of ants could still become unbearable. Besides, even an elephant had to sleep sometime.
Those lurking in dark corners were like bloodsucking worms writhing in a filthy ditch. There was no telling when they might bare their vicious fangs and take a savage bite.
Chapter 13: The Shadow of a Curse User
"Still, sometimes I really envy you." Satoru Gojo stood and straightened the hem of his school uniform.
"I've been training at Jujutsu High lately. If you really run into something you can't handle, make sure you let me know. Also-" Before he finished speaking, Satoru Gojo vanished before Chingetsu's eyes.
"Remember to stock up on sugar cubes. Coffee with six sugar cubes really is still too bitter for me." "That guy... Even if you're trying to look cool, at least close the window on your way out."
Chingetsu shook his head helplessly, got up to close the window, and continued savoring the mellow drink in his glass. A glass of red wine before bed was the most pleasant way to relax and shake off a day's fatigue. This was Chingetsu's habit.
Meanwhile, as Satoru Gojo left, a ball of lurid green ghost fire appeared beneath the window.
The green ghost fire was wrapped in cursed energy, with a hideous human face faintly visible inside. Clearly, this ghost fire had not formed naturally, but was the work of a curse user.
Not far from Chingetsu's bar, a hunched old man with sparse hair hid in the shadow of a billboard, muttering under his breath.
If anyone could have seen the old man at that moment, they would have noticed that his eyes were a ghastly green, exactly the same color as the ghost fire.
The ghost fire drifted leisurely, its gaze fixed on Gojo Chingetsu, who was casually savoring his red wine indoors. "Found you..."
The cursed energy around the ghost fire rippled like water. It actually passed through the windowpane and entered the second-floor room. The face within the ghost fire stared sinisterly at Chingetsu, who was swirling his wineglass with his eyes half-closed.
"There's no fluctuation of cursed energy. How did this fellow get involved with Satoru Gojo?"
"But that's just as well. An ordinary person like this is easier to control. If he were a jujutsu sorcerer, I'd have to put in a little more effort." The green ghost fire silently approached the seemingly unguarded Chingetsu.
"A little closer. Just a little closer..."
"That Satoru Gojo fellow should be far away by now."
"Young man, don't blame me. Blame yourself for being too close to Satoru Gojo." "Once I touch you, you can look forward to becoming this old man's puppet."
The green ghost fire laughed wildly without a sound, as if the boy before it were already a fish on the chopping block, helpless to resist. Just as the ghost fire was about to succeed, it discovered that the boy before it had opened his eyes and was watching it with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Damn, he noticed me! Impossible-when?!"
The face within the ghost fire twisted. There was something uncanny about this boy.
There was not a trace of panic in his expression. The green ghost fire was certain that he had discovered its presence long ago.
Had this fellow been putting on an act for it all along?
Seeing the mockery curling at the corner of Chingetsu's mouth, the ghost fire flickered erratically. This was going too far!
"Damn you, brat! Don't get so full of yourself!"
The hunched old man controlling the green ghost fire nearly spat blood in anger. Since the gentle approach would not work, he would have to use force.
Steeling himself, he made the originally dim green ghost fire blaze brightly.
A strange mental fluctuation issued from the mouth of the face within the green ghost fire. "Netherworld Sound-Wailing!"
This was a vicious cursed technique that targeted the mind and could cloud a person's senses. Even jujutsu sorcerers would be affected. Although there was something uncanny about the boy before him, no cursed energy flowed through his body. At most, he was an ordinary person with unusually keen perception.
Under the attack of my Netherworld Sound-Wailing, he'll definitely fall victim!
The green ghost fire suppressed its inexplicable unease, forcing itself to take comfort in that thought.
Yet simply being watched by those eyes filled the green ghost fire with a hair-raising sense of dread.
End this quickly!
The green ghost fire increased its output of cursed energy, wanting to dispose of this somewhat uncanny boy as quickly as possible.
But the next second, a large, pale, powerful hand appeared behind the boy. Disregarding space, it pressed directly against the core inside the ghost fire.
"Ugh... Mmph..."
The face inside the green ghost fire was suddenly seized and let out terrified whimpers.
This face was a manifestation of the hunched old man's soul, as well as the core of his cursed technique.
Only after Killer Queen had restrained the face inside the ghost fire-the hunched old man's soul-did Chingetsu leisurely set down the wineglass he had been swirling and walk unhurriedly over to the ghost fire.
"You followed me all the way here. Finally couldn't hold back?" "I thought I could play with you a little longer."
An eerie smile appeared at the corner of Chingetsu's mouth, sending chills through the ghost-fire face. This guy really did notice me long ago. Damn it!
"But your tricks are rather crude. I don't like them." Chingetsu's words were thick with murderous intent.
His undisguised killing intent made the temperature throughout the room begin to fall.
The ghost-fire face restrained by Killer Queen shuddered in fright at that killing intent, momentarily forgetting to struggle. Impossible. How could this be?
Why does this boy have such astonishing killing intent?!
His killing intent alone has cowed my consciousness, and I'm a curse user specializing in the mental realm! And what exactly is that thing behind him?
Is it a Special Grade cursed spirit? Or something else?
The ghost-fire face's eyes were filled with despair and shock, along with terror it could not conceal.
Chapter 14: I Have Always Kept My Word
Chingetsu slowly brought his face closer, staring at the face within the green ghost fire...
"A curse user?"
The ghost-fire face trembled, silent as a cicada in the cold. It dared neither move nor speak.
Held in Killer Queen's large palm, the ghost-fire face could feel the aura of destruction emanating from Killer Queen's hand.
That power was enough to kill him instantly. Time ticked by.
The ghost-fire face was like a frightened quail, even breathing with the utmost care.
Under the gaze of Killer Queen's deep, catlike eyes, it seemed that the slightest movement would cause this "evil spirit" to annihilate him without leaving so much as a scrap.
How did I provoke something like this? Damn it! He clearly looks like an ordinary person. How could he possess such a terrifying evil spirit?!
The ghost-fire face inwardly lamented his plight, secretly regretting his impulsiveness.
Of course. How could someone so close to a person like Satoru Gojo be ordinary? I've hunted geese for years, only to have one peck my eyes out. I went and provoked this monster. The ghost-fire face was filled with remorse, but it was too late.
His life was now in the other party's hands.
The situation had completely reversed, and now he was the lamb awaiting slaughter. The ghost-fire face simply closed his eyes and played dead.
"Not talking? Are all curse users this aloof?"
At Chingetsu's signal, Killer Queen changed its grip, hooking all five fingers over the crown of the ghost-fire face's head and lifting him up entirely.
"You really won't talk? I never expected curse users to have such backbone!" Chingetsu remarked with a sigh.
This guy... From his tone, could he be planning to let me go?
The ghost-fire face could not help opening his eyes, a trace of suspicion appearing on his face. "Damn it, you bastard!"
Seeing the mockery in Chingetsu's eyes, the ghost-fire face could not help cursing aloud. "Shh."
Faced with the ghost-fire face's abuse, Chingetsu made a gesture for silence. "Now, I ask, you answer!"
"Tell me why you came. If I'm in a good mood, I might spare your miserable life."
Chingetsu's voice was calm, but the ghost-fire face could tell that he was not joking. "Is what you said really true?"
"If I answer your questions, you'll let me go?"
"I'm the one asking questions, not you. You'd better understand your situation. Answer another question with a question, and I won't have the patience to waste any more time on you."
"As for what I said earlier, I, Chingetsu, have always kept my word." The ghost-fire face gritted his teeth, seemingly making up his mind.
Before you continue