Chapitre 31: New Shadow Style
Nobara
'Look at him.' Nobara stares at Megumi chilling while surrounded by his girlfriends 'Acting all normal after last night... As if I'm the only one overreacting. It's making me look bad.'
Nobara is staring at the nonchalant Megumi as if he owes him money.
The guy is literally doing nothing but sharing some snacks with his girlfriend as they watch the white clouds moving slowly in the sky.
It's a little strange to Nobara now because she saw his "thing". So she can't help but imagine... 'They fuck.' Embarrassing scenarios, acts, positions... She sees in her mind's eye the three doing all sorts of stuff.
She almost can't look directly at them!
"Shouldn't we be doing some mission?" Nobara asks
"You? You want to work?" Mai gives her a glance.
"I'm just bored" The first-year huffs.
"The weather is too good to enter some dark and moldy building to kill curses." Megumi comments while throwing a fry into the air and catching it with his mouth
"To you, it is easy to say that, your salary is constant and unaffected by missions." Nobara accuses, since she is tight on money... Well, she is always tight on money, but she dropped her phone recently, cracking the screen.
"Hey, I do my job! For your information, I periodically exterminate curses at night, and I don't even report it." His words make Nobara narrow her eyes
He especially focuses on the word report while talking about the night makes her notice that he is teasing her with the fact that she can show the video of her stuffing her face at 02 am.
Megumi continues after his teasing glance "By the way, don't say that I'm the one that said this but... Gojo-sensei is working on increasing everyone's ranks. So wait a little then the missions will come and your salary will be bigger."
"Really?" Maki asks curious
Without the clan meddling she eventually reached the first-grade rank, but they denied her recommendation to Special Grade.
"Yep, there's some boring bureaucracy like the fact that Gojo-sensei can't recommend because she is the teacher, technically I can... but they're complicating things." Megumi explains
Nobara is impressed "So you're really a bigshot, huh?" Megumi doesn't pass the vibe.
"...what image of me do you have in your mind? "
"You don't even want to know." 'Right now? Your cock... Damn, Nobara. Down!'
"You never saw me in my serious mode." He scoffs
"Do you have a serious mode?"
"You don't even want to know." He throws her words back
"Hmpf, you only have two modes: edgy and horny." Nobara scoffs "By the way, where is Yoshino-kun?"
"In the Library."
"Again?" The guy went there every day
"It's fun..." Megumi shrugs "To a normie it's like going to Hogwarts."
"Nerd..."
"Dumbass."
It's impressive how easily he can get under her skin, she is ready to retort but his phone beeps.
"You cursed me..." He comments after checking and stands up, interrupting Mai who was playing with his hair, slicking it back.
Nobara hates that his hair is so easily combed too.
"Too early for this hairstyle. This is the King of Curses hairstyle." He comments as he messes with his.
Nobara doesn't understand, but it's already a normal occurrence to let whatever nonsense he says fly over her head.
"Bye girls, miss me." He gives each of his girlfriends a peck and turns to Nobara. "..."
"Kiss this." She flips him off.
But he is not bothered, laughing lightly while giving her a look that only she understands
Nobara watches him go, complicated feelings still clinging to her mind and heart "How and why do you guys put up with him?" She asks the twins
"Everyone asks that..." Mai laughs lightly
"I don't think it is even that much different from a normal relationship... Just with more people." Maki adds
"..." Nobara pauses at that, there's something she wants to ask, but she doesn't know if- "How is it?" She asked without thinking much
"..." The twins stared at her, making Nobara flinching a little.
"Are you asking if we do lesbian shit?" Maki raises an eyebrow
Yes. "No! I mean... More or less... I'm asking about the... logistics... Sharing and stuff." She panics as she tries to explain herself
"..." Once again she is stared at silently by them.
"Stuff, huh?"
"Logistics, huh?"
"~~" Nobara is seriously considering hitting her own head with her hammer so that she can escape this situation by going unconscious.
"Haha~" Eventually Maki laughs after seeing Nobara embarrassed "Well, he can deal with the logistics pretty nicely~" She smirks at her kouhai
"Are you curious?" Mai asks next, matching her sister's smirk "I bet you are~"
"Nonononononono!"Nobara waves her hands in denial
"No, it's okay. It's a natural response... I saw in a magazine that women normally get interested in men in relationships because he was already chosen." Mai stops her teasing a little
"A little scummy, no?" Maki asks.
"I think it is something like... It already has the Seal of Approval of another woman." Mai explains "So Megumi that has multiple Seals of Approval..."
"He should be good and women would get curious." Maki completes.
"Then Kugisaki here is curious about that." Mai points at their kouhai
"Geez! It's not like that!" Nobara continues to deny
"It's okay, Nobara. We are just saying that is a natural reaction." Maki assures her
"Yep, but this made me think... Doesn't it mean the more Megumi gets involved with other women, the more attractive he will be?" Mai ponders
"What is this? Some snowball harem?" Maki groans
"Hehe~. You know what I was thinking? When he acts all goofy and scummy to the girls from Kyoto initially... It's like he is warning them,. 'This is how I am'. Hehe."
"Like a heads up that he is a fuckboy? What a considerate scum." Maki rolls her eyes as she jokes
"If they fall for it even after that... They can only blame themselves." Mai laughs
"If he was really trying, that blue-haired girl would have already been devoured by that bastard."
"..." Nobara grew silent as she heard the Exchange
"By the way Kugisaki, Megumi asked me to make you a new hammer" Mai changes the subject
"Really?" Nobara looks starry-eyed at her senpai
"Yep, the curses activity is getting weird... Like, smart and talking curses? Organizing and planning? We better prepare." Mai explains
"Thaank you, senpai~~" Nobara hugs and rubs her head on the bosom of the Cursed Tool Crafter
"Okay, okay... Just tell me how you want it." Mai taps her shoulder "Be specific because after that I will stay some time focusing on other tools, and I will not be able to make another one for you."
"Hai!"
..........
- Megumi P.O.V. -
"If you want to seduce me, no need... I accept." It's the first thing I say after arriving at the place of the meeting.
Mei Mei giggles in her knuckles "Ufufu~ As much fun as it would be, I asked for you for another reason."
"Are you sure? I'm ready to be a victim."
"Maybe later..." She gives me an up-and-down look "Yeah, very probably later."
"Okay then... Say what you want to say." I go to sit beside her on the bench
"I trust you know the New Shadow Style?" She starts
"Duh, I know how to use it. It's the most popular and actually Simple Domain."
"You know about the school then?"
"From history books... It is extinct."
"No, it's not." Mei Mei says to my surprise
"Okay?" She is trying to get somewhere...
"The New Shadow Style School is still alive and it's a problem."
"?"
"It means that everyone who learned the New Shadow Style falls under the jurisdiction of the School Head. Because of the Inherited Bindind Vow..." She explains... Wait what?
"Inherited Binding Vow? Shouldn't it be only the ones that learned directly from the School to fall under their jurisdiction? It's not that hard of a technique, so people reverse-engineered it, that's why the school fell eventually."
"This is only half right... Yes, the school fell from grace. Outsiders learned the technique eventually, and they stopped having a very tight control over the users... But the School still has a certain degree of control over almost anyone who learned the technique. Like, instead of killing instantly, like they did in the past to the ones that broke their rules... The School Head can take the users' lifespans, it's a strong chip to blackmail that can mobilize anyone."
"So you're saying that I'm under this? Are you warning me?" Why didn't Gojo ever say anything about this shit? I'm getting angry.
She suddenly points at me "That's the reason for this talk... You are a special case that doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Binding Vow."
I narrow my eyes at her "Because I learned mostly alone?"
"This is one of the factors."
"Because I'm and at the same time not, part of the Great Clans?"
"Bingo. And that is another one of the factors... Everything combined makes you this anomaly." She stops pointing at me to recline herself in her seat "There's a pact between the New Shadow School with the Great Clans, you know? I don't know all the details, but it is an assurance and protection to both sides."
"So you came here just to warn me of a potential danger, and then say I'm not in danger? Get to the point already..."
"The point is that, even if it does not apply to you, it applies to the people you taught." She finally said what I was expecting to hear.
"Then... Who do I need to kill? And what do you want for the information?" I look at her dead in the eyes, and some birds (crows) fly away from the trees after feeling my intent., the air growing dark, heavy, and cold.
But Mei Mei only smiles in kind, without getting intimidated "I like negotiating with smart boys~"
"..."
"It's simple, I will lead you to the School Head and you kill him. After taking his place you will release my little sister from the Binding Vow permanently, allowing her to found her own School." She gives the terms- wait, sister?
"Sister?" I can't help but ask, even in the Middle of this serious conversation.
"Yes, I have a little sister who is my proxy in using Simple Domain..." She explains
"..." Damn, I heard of gender-bending the character to fuck the character, but gender-bending another one to clear the way is wild... It's almost like gender-bending the husband to make it easier to fuck the wife "Can't you kill the School Head? Is he that strong?" Mei Mei is pretty strong, and if she knows the guy she can kill him sneakily with her crows.
"Why should I work for the benefit that will fall in another person's lap? You do it." She rolls her eyes with a playful smirk
"Fair enough."
"And it would be for the best if you kill to make sure you inherit the position. Apparently, the next School Head is the most skilled of the users, so it would be you or Kusakabe. If you defeat and kill the Head in a 1v1, it would prove you worth even more, right?"
"Then you have some weird faith in me... Kusakabe-san is a practitioner of the New Shadow Style for what? A decade? The position will undoubtedly fall to him."
"I asked..." She interrupts me with a smile "Kusakabe himself said that you are as good as him or even better. You sometimes spar with him, right?"
"..." I thought that you were more tight-lipped Kusakabe-san.
"If it falls on him, I would have nothing to worry about, he is a nice guy."
"And I'm not..." It's my turn to smile now "So you're making sure to have your bases covered before disposing of the actual School Head."
She pouts "Can you blame me? Imagine going through all the work and gaining nothing. I would have to convince you to free my poor sister with my body..." She says pitifully, her hands going through her curves from bottom to bosom, finishing with a squeeze in her respectable knockers.
I think she is in the same grade as Nobara, only losing to Geto.
"I would not do that..."
"No?" She bats her eyelashes innocently
"No, a concubine contract would be enough. I would not use and dispose of you like that."
"Ah, you just know what to say to make a woman feel desired~" She says sarcastically while passing a finger through my torso "But thinking about it... Probable future Clan Head of the Zen'in, School Head of the New Shadow Style, Special Grade Sorcerer... Maybe it's not a bad idea after all." She says as she breathes close to my face.
The biggest benefit would be being part of my retinue and gaining some cheats, but I'm not gonna say that.
"And what about Gojo? Do you think I'm easier to manipulate?" I ask with a steady voice, even when she is trying to throw me off my loop
"Well, yes." She smiles, her hand blatantly caressing my torso
"I appreciate the honesty." I nod "And you're kinda right... I'm almost folding here."
"Fufu~ You're a fun boy, Fushiguro Megumi~ Not nearly as dumb and horny as you paint yourself to be."
"I'm pretty horny."
"That I believe." She gives me one last look up and down before moving back again "And to answer your question... A member of the three clans can't inherit the School Head position. It's in the Binding Vow."
"I see... So I'm really in the perfect position to do that."
"Exactly." She stands up "You should thank Gojo. She stopped your father's contract with the Zen'in clan. As a kid, your father had the right to decide for you, so you would be part of the Zen'in clan no matter how much you disliked it. Your very comfortable position of benefitting from everything without consequences or responsibilities is thanks to her."
"..." I know that.
"Then..." She extends her hand as she lets the question hang in the air.
I don't know shit about this piece of lore, it's out of the canon probably?
Sounds interesting, new content! Let's go!
I take her hand.
.............
The Binding Vow is simple...
If I become the School Head, I would release Ui Ui from the Inherited Binding Vow, allowing her to leave the school.
I would never use it to have control over people, I have better options with the Catalogue. But Mei Mei is a greedy bitch that wants her sister to open her own school and charge tuition fees. More like subscription fees... You learn the things and need to pay for them for the rest of your life.
Is she forgetting about me? I can become a competition in this line of business...
I think she will try stop me later with other methods.
Woman, you are playing a dangerous game... You can't seduce and control a Contractor. One stamp or a fake confession and you're captured... I'm the natural enemy of vixens.
"Here?" I ask with a raised eyebrow
"Yes." She doesn't even wait for me, entering the small candy shop.
This reminds me of that manga... what is the name again? Dagashi Kashi!
I follow her inside and I see no one inside beyond the old owner, these candy shops are dying... What a pity. It feels nostalgic.
"Welcome~ What do you kids want?" The old lady asks. What a pleasant person...
"It's her." Mei Mei points at her.
"Oh... Okay then." *Bam*
Faster than the old hag can ask for your seat in the bus, I move, grab her head, and smash it onto the ground, making her fall unconscious.
"..."
"..."
"..." Mei Mei stares at me strangely
"What? You are not gonna say that it's not her now, will you?"
"No... Just... No hesitation, huh?" She makes an impressed face "I'm starting to really like you, Fushiguro-kun."
"..."
"But you didn't kill her..." She points out.
"Why kill her now? I have a method to extract information and make sure I become the new School Head."
As I talk, shadows are emitted from my hand, which is still holding the Old Hag's head down, covering her like a cocoon before putting her in my Shadow Inventory.
I can store people there, but I need to put in oxygen beforehand. Like on those underwater caves with pockets of air.
"Oh, what method?"
"Trade secret~" I say with a sly grin
"Mou~ Maybe I don't like the smart you, after all~" She pouts
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna trick you. Come back to me in three days and we will talk."
"Okay."
I bet she is imagining something of the likes I did with curses. Like consuming or anything like that.
It's good to keep secrets, people go wild guessing.
............
Three days later I captured the old hag, gaining 6 credits. So weak...
I was finally able to test how the capture works with someone who feels no love for me. And it's kinda funny.
It's possible to see that the old hag doesn't like me but she can't help but answer my questions with some resistance. It's not like full-fledged mind control... It's like a part of her is starting to see me as an ally/friend and this part is slowly growing.
I guess things would go smoother if I used some lures to soften her, but I'm obviously not doing that. I will do it in the future when I capture enemies.
After going through all the hassle to make sure I would inherit the position, I sold her.
As planned, I became the new School Head of the New Shadow Style.
Fitting, right? Shadow Style... Me... It was Fate.
I know what Mei Mei was talking about now. I can instinctively feel the existence of the Binding Vow. This huge web that connects a lot of people. Now I understand why Kusakabe was so cryptic while explaining to me in the past. He only gave me clues to do on my own. And he could only do that because I was kinda part of the Great Clans.
Well, it's not like I will ever use this shit. One of the reasons sorcerers die is because of this hoarding of techniques. Fuck you, Jujutsu World.
Initially, the Creator of the New Shadow Style created those restrictions so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of Curse Users... And like with everything in the world, it eventually got corrupted by the descendants that want to monopolize and profit from it.
Not anymore. I ask myself if Gojo and Mei Mei are in this together...
Now I patiently wait for the hot sorcerer in the common room of the dorm sitting on a bench, I think here is where Geto and Yuki had that talk... Or was it the one on the other side?
"Fushiguro-kun..." Mei Mei's soft voice makes me look up from my Company smartphone.
I see her being accompanied by a small girl. Yeah, it's basically Canon Ui Ui but with long hair. Looking closely, it's basically a smaller Mei Mei.
"You are here... It's time for to me pay my part of the deal." My words make Mei Mei smile.
"How is the Old Hag?" She asks
"Do you need to ask?" I give her a flat answer
"Fufu~" After a giggle she gestured to Ui Ui "This is my cute little sister, Ui Ui. Ui Ui, this is Fushiguro Megumi." She introduces us.
"..." Why is she looking at me like that?
"Nice to meet you, let's do it." I extend my hand.
A handshake is the easiest way to seal a Binding Vow. And I don't need to verbally say anything because I'm altering a pre-existing Binding Vow.
Ui Ui continues to look at me strangely, eventually taking my hand after a nudge from Mei Mei.
"Aaaand done." As I said, I easily take Ui Ui out of the Pyramid Scheme that is the New Shadow Style.
The two sisters exchange glances and the youngest nods in confirmation after feeling the release from the restraint. Relax, I don't care if you mistrust me.
"This is great, thank you Fushiguro-kun." Mei Mei looks really happy, I bet she is already counting the money.
"You did all the work." I shrug my shoulders, it's all luck that I'm needed on that.
"Fufu~ Even so, it would not be possible without you."
"Meh." I can't claim any shit on this, I'm only existing and being the Chosen One.
"You did such a good job, that you deserve a bonus~" She gets close, putting her hands on my shoulders and leaning forward to let gravity do better work on her boobs, as they jiggle like jello.
"These look heavy... Want me to hold them for you?" Do you think I would stutter and blush? If you show me the goods, I will appraise the goods!
"You're so direct~ I like a man who doesn't waste time, time is money after all."
She didn't say yes, but she is pushing her knockers at me, soooo...
"Sister!" But obviously, someone needs to interrupt me! Am I cursed? "He is not worthy of you!" The Ui Ui brat shouts to interrupt our moment.
"Ui Ui... Calm down, we are just getting to know each other." Mei Mei admonishes "I can feel that Fushiguro-kun and I will be constant partners in the future." She gives me a sultry smile
"Bet." You have no idea...
Ui Ui puffs her cheeks so badly as she pouts, that she looks like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts...Pause.
Damn, she is getting red from the lack of air... You did a good job grooming this one, Mei Mei. I have no interest in this brat, but let's mess with her a little more.
"What is the problem? Mei Mei already agreed to become my concubine anyway..."
"Sister!" Her look of shock and betrayal would go well in a soap opera, I can almost see the lightning hitting her in the background, and her art style changing.
"Ara~ Don't tease her too much, Fushiguro-kun. My cute little sister is very protective." She says that but she didn't move away from me. I'm really gonna grab your tits, ma'am. "And it would not be that bad of an idea... A stable life and retirement with a handsome and strong man to protect and take care of me, what more can a woman want?"
"So I am your retirement plan?" I laugh
"Just being honest here, like you..." She shrugs her shoulders in a way that makes her breasts bounce... Impressive "You're a pervert, I'm greedy... You can have my body and I can have your money." She bats her eyelashes as she shamelessly lays down her plan.
"Not a bad deal indeed." I say. And it's true, what kind of guy that can travel the multiverse cares about money? I only care about booty.
Obviously, Mei Mei is the type that would suck me dry and abandon me if I can't provide her with anything more, but... Again, I'm a Contractor. She is not going anywhere after she is in. Her everything will be mine~ Zeha~
"I'm glad you think this way~" She gets even closer, kissing my cheek before whispering in my ear "And I'm serious... If you inherit the Zen'in clan, I'm all yours~" She finally disengages, giving me a last wink before turning around to leave.
Obviously not forgetting to sway her hips on her way out. I remember seeing that catwalk in the anime before, but from this angle it's even better.
I'm gonna tap that ass. I, Fushiguro Megumi, have a dream. Put all those mature Jujutsu Sorcerers aligned on all fours, their asses pointing at me!
So a new side quest to become the head of the Zen'in clan, huh? Easy enough
Ui Ui follows her sister, not forgetting to poke her tongue at me while pulling her eyelid... Hmpf, grow a little like your sister so that I can use my Bratty Correction Technique on you.
____________________X_____x_____X________________________
Author's Note: Hello there, people. Let's talk a little about the whole New Shadow Style situation.
Due to the lack of information and the obscurity of Binding Vows, and this one is particular, many things are left to interpretation.
I have my take, can be wrong, you guys can have yours. Life goes on.
As you guys just read, apparently just the fact of you learning the New Shadow Style Simple Domain would be enough for the School Head to have some control over you. I imagine that in the past the control was more tight, like insta-killing, nowadays the Head could only take some lifespan. Thanks to the geniuses who figured out the New Shadow Style on their own. Hence why the New Shadow Style is dying.
But this can be questioned.
Can someone be forced into a Binding Vow just by taking an action? Don't know. We never saw anyone shaking hands to seal a contract. Yuji was kinda forced by Sukuna by losing that bet.
I believe the level of control that the School head has over the practitioner of the New Shadow Style depends on how he the new user went through the whole process.
My headcanon is that the School Head can't do shit with anyone in the Great Clans, but at the same time, they can't teach outsiders. Or do anything with the School Head
Did the people Megumi taught really fall on the Binding Vow? Who knows. Maybe Mei Mei is tricking him into taking action or even she doesn't know it herself.
Anyway, Binding Vows is a convoluted mess. Not even the characters are sure about anything lol. Jujutsu is a weird power system. Nen is better. Many of my interpretations came from how Nen works.
I believe there's a balance… You all can disagree.
It doesn't matter anymore, All this chapter can be wrong because Mei Mei is an unreliable narrator. What matters is the result. Megumi is the new head and he is erasing this shitty Vow. Anyone can learn now.
Unless Mei Mei tries to stop him in some way~ She wants to profit a little.
We will see, bye-bye.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone