章 12: Chapter 12: Friends, Once
"Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll be off."
Suguru Geto waved a casual goodbye to Mirai, who was seated in the sports car.
"Goodbye, Shoko. Until we meet again."
He smiled as he addressed Shoko, who had just ended her call. With that, he stepped into the crowd, disappearing without hesitation.
Shoko's gaze lingered for a moment on Geto's retreating figure, her expression turning slightly melancholic.
"Miss Shoko, are you waiting for someone else, or heading back?" Mirai asked.
Shoko gave him a knowing look. "Just sending the message is enough. I have no interest in waiting under this blazing sun for that scumbag."
"Why? Planning to give me a ride?"
Mirai chuckled. "I'd be happy to."
The driver, perceptive as ever, quickly got out of the car and opened the rear door for Shoko.
...
The summer breeze brushed gently against them as the convertible cruised down the road.
Pushing her hair behind her ear, Shoko glanced out at the passing scenery and spoke, "Is the head of the Zen'in family always this flashy?"
"Not really," Mirai replied calmly. "The convertible just makes it easier to move around when needed."
"Ordinary people may not see cursed spirits, but if they spot a gaping hole in the roof, they'll definitely make a fuss."
His voice, clear and unbothered by the wind, reached Shoko's ears effortlessly.
She nodded slightly, then asked, "So, was today's meeting just a coincidence?"
A faint smile played on Mirai's lips. "Not quite."
"I had someone following you since you left Jujutsu High."
"Oh?"
Shoko's curiosity was piqued as she shifted her gaze from the window to the back of Mirai's head. She hadn't expected him to be so direct.
"I didn't sense anything, and the assistant supervisors should've checked too."
Mirai chuckled. "That's normal. The person tailing you wasn't a sorcerer."
"If Jujutsu High is still only using cursed energy to assess threats, they haven't learned their lesson."
A hint of agreement crossed Shoko's face. "True enough."
"The Star Plasma Vessel's death, Fushiguro Toji's assassination..."
"Even after all that, the school's higher-ups haven't changed at all."
"The idea that non-sorcerers aren't human doesn't just exist in the Zen'in family, it seems."
Shoko didn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact that she had been followed. Instead, her tone was calm as she and Mirai continued their conversation.
Mirai smiled at her words. "The moment a sorcerer awakens, most of them stop seeing themselves as ordinary humans."
"Take Toji, for example. Despite having strength on par with Gojo at the time, he never gained the Zen'in family's acceptance."
"But me? I showed just a bit of potential, and even at my age, I was made the head of one of the Big Three families."
Shoko nodded in thought, murmuring to herself, "The arrogance of sorcerers, huh..."
"So what's your real goal?"
"You followed me to find Geto, then dealt with those who had their eyes on you?"
"Or... are you really thinking of working with Geto?"
The elaborate display, the entourage, was clearly meant to draw out the rats lurking in the shadows.
Then, in front of Geto, Mirai had purposely sent the bodyguards away, forcing those rats to make a move.
And afterward, he showcased that unknown Special Grade cursed spirit.
On the surface, it seemed like his target was the cursed users, but in reality, it was Geto himself.
If the Zen'in family wasn't pulling the strings behind all of this...
Shoko appeared calm, but in her heart, she couldn't help but raise her estimation of how dangerous this young, overly mature boy was.
Sensing her wariness, Mirai smiled and reassured her, "Relax."
"I don't have any wild ideas about wiping out all non-sorcerers."
He was telling the truth. The cursed spirits born from negative emotions were a limitless resource for him to harvest. Why would he ever want to wipe them out?
"None at all?" Shoko was surprised. "If you don't share that crazy belief, then why propose working with Geto?"
"Or did you go through all of this just to mess with him?"
Mirai responded softly, "Collaboration doesn't have to revolve around wiping out humanity. There are other things we could agree on."
Shoko narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing the shift in the tone of their conversation.
She knew that from this point on, the sincerity that had been present earlier was gone.
———
The sun was setting, casting a warm, orange glow across the sky, as if it had been set on fire. The soft light wasn't harsh anymore, leaving only a gentle warmth.
"Huff... Huff...!"
Gojo Satoru, having not yet mastered long-distance teleportation, had raced all the way from Jujutsu High to Shinjuku.
Seeing the familiar figure in the crowd, he called out, panting heavily, "Geto!"
Geto's steps slowed slightly as he walked against the flow of people. "Shoko should've already told you."
The two of them were ten meters apart, separated by a mass of people, yet Geto's words, enhanced with cursed energy, reached Gojo's ears clearly.
Pulling off his sunglasses, Gojo, despite already knowing the truth, still found it hard to believe.
"You plan to kill all non-sorcerers?"
"Even your own parents?!"
Geto, still facing away from Gojo, kept his hands in his pockets and replied in his usual calm tone, "Even my parents... can't be treated any differently."
"Killing all humans to create a world where only sorcerers exist?"
"That's impossible!" Gojo yelled, his voice filled with anger, his arms swinging wildly.
He couldn't understand how the friend he once knew—the one who had always talked about the strong helping the weak—could change so much.
It didn't make sense to him at all.
"Impossible?"
"If it were you, you could do it, couldn't you?"
"Is it your arrogance that makes you think others can't achieve what you can?"
Geto turned to face Gojo, locking eyes with him. "You really are arrogant, Satoru."
"I've already chosen my path. I'll do my best to fulfill the dream you think is so foolish."
He turned to leave but paused briefly. "Oh, by the way, the Zen'in family's mysterious head showed up today."
"An eleven-year-old Special Grade sorcerer. Even he seems to understand me better than you do."
With that, Geto disappeared into the crowd, leaving only his lonely silhouette behind.
Gojo clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked under the pressure.
After a long hesitation, he ultimately decided not to pursue him.
———
In front of Jujutsu High, the bright red sports car gleamed under the setting sun.
"Well then, Miss Shoko, until we meet again."
Shoko pushed open the car door and glanced deeply at the boy in the passenger seat. "Until we meet again."
As she walked away, Mirai murmured softly to himself, "Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon."
"And maybe next time, we'll be even closer."
The driver glanced sideways at him but wisely refrained from asking any questions.
"Let's go. Back to the estate."
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