“Excellent work!
The mission was a resounding success.
You two have done splendidly.”
Ijichi offered his praise to the pair without reservation.
The mission had gone almost unbelievably smoothly, and the results they had achieved were more than gratifying.
To be honest, he hadn’t initially held high expectations for this side of the investigation.
From the intelligence they had gathered, Yoshino Junpei seemed to be an utterly unremarkable high school student—as ordinary as they came.
There was a high probability he had no connection to this incident whatsoever and had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The critical lead was on Nanami’s end.
The unknown entity that had brazenly left clues at the crime scene, luring them along from the shadows—that was likely the true culprit behind the incident.
But as it turned out, they had all guessed wrong.
Yoshino Junpei was no ordinary person.
Not only did he possess the perception to see curses, but he had also awakened his own cursed technique.
And according to the reports from Yuji and Ritsuka, it was hardly a weak one at that.
This was indeed an unexpected windfall.
Scratching his head with a sheepish grin at the praise, Yuji said, “It was all thanks to Ritsuka.
If she hadn’t noticed there was another civilian present and decided to hold off and observe a bit longer, who knows how things would’ve turned out.”
“And Itadori-kun, too.
It’s thanks to him acting in time to save that man.
Otherwise, it would have been another tragedy.”
Ritsuka and Yuji traded a round of mutual compliments.
Then, looking over at Junpei, who was being escorted into a vehicle by the personnel they had summoned, she asked Ijichi, “What will happen to him now?”
“That depends on his own circumstances,” Ijichi said, adjusting his glasses before elaborating.
“First, he’ll certainly undergo interrogation and be made to disclose whatever information he possesses.
Then, a judgment will be made based on the situation.
Generally, there are a few scenarios.”
“One: if he is the mastermind behind the attacks, or one of the masterminds, then without question, he will be sentenced to death.
Two: if he didn’t directly participate but was an accomplice in some part of the scheme, then depending on the severity of his actions, an appropriate punishment will be handed down.
Three: if he truly was just a sorcerer who happened to be there by chance—unlikely as that may be—then naturally, nothing will happen to him.”
“Additionally, today’s attack on a civilian will also factor into the judgment.
However, since you two stopped him in time and no real damage or casualties resulted…
I can’t say for certain how that will play out.”
“In any case, depending on the outcome, he might even end up transferring to Jujutsu High and becoming your classmate.”
“No way, seriously?!”
Yuji gaped in shock.
“Just a possibility,” Ijichi continued. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“As you both should know, jujutsu sorcerers are perpetually in short supply, and those with the innate talent to become one are exceedingly rare.
Even if the investigation finds that Yoshino Junpei’s issues are minor, the higher-ups are unlikely to simply release an awakened, untrained sorcerer back into the general populace.
Transferring to Jujutsu High would be the logical course of action.”
“So that’s how it works,” Yuji said, comprehension dawning.
Then, a thought seemed to strike him, and he clutched his head in dismay.
“Wait, doesn’t that mean I just beat up a classmate who hasn’t even transferred in yet?!
That’s way too unfriendly!”
“Itadori-kun, you’re getting ahead of yourself.
As I said, that’s merely one possibility.” Ijichi glanced at his notebook.
“And I consider that possibility to be quite small.”
Ritsuka listened quietly to Ijichi’s explanation, saying nothing.
She knew that Junpei was indeed uninvolved in this case.
The whole thing was entirely a coincidence.
It seemed Ijichi-san’s judgment was about to miss the mark yet again.
Back to the matter at hand.
With this, their side of the mission was wrapped up perfectly.
By now, dusk had fallen.
The setting sun dyed the clouds at the horizon a deep crimson, and the orange-gold light stretched their shadows long across the ground.
Gazing at the distant sunset, Yuji suddenly remarked with a sigh, “I wonder how things went on Nanamin’s side.”
Nanami’s end of things was undoubtedly far more perilous than theirs.
It was only natural for Yuji to worry.
Ijichi offered a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry.
Nanami-san is a highly experienced Grade 1 sorcerer.
His formidable strength is beyond question, and his ability to handle crises is—”
“Ijichi-san!”
Sensing something ominous brewing, Ritsuka quickly cut him off with a note of caution.
“I think it’s best not to say things like that.
It sounds like you’re raising a flag.”
Yuji nodded thoughtfully in agreement.
“Yeah, what Ijichi-san just said really did sound like one of those classic death flags.”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…!”
Ijichi caught himself too, realizing his words had indeed come out rather precarious.
Just as he was about to explain himself, his phone buzzed with an incoming call.
“It’s Nanami-san!”
“Nanami-san, it’s me.
Our side of the mission has been— Eh?
We’ll be right there!”
Ritsuka and Yuji watched Ijichi intently as he took the call.
After hanging up, he turned to them.
“Nanami-san’s side is wrapped up too.
We’re to go regroup with him.”
….
“It was just a minor injury.
Already healed.”
Ieiri Shoko stated this in her usual languid drawl.
Shoko was an intellectual beauty with chestnut hair, perpetually clad in a white lab coat, and bearing deep, dark circles under her eyes.
She had been Gojo’s classmate in their school days and was the only sorcerer in the entire jujutsu world capable of using the Reverse Cursed Technique to heal others.
Now serving as the designated physician for Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, she frequently dealt with all manner of patients—and corpses.
Her workload was immense.
She had been called in to treat Nanami’s injuries this time as well.
“That’s great!”
Hearing that Nanami was unharmed, both Yuji and Ijichi breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After seeing Nanami climb into the vehicle clutching his wound, they had been on edge the entire journey, terrified that something had gone terribly wrong.
“I’ve been telling you from the start—it was just a minor wound.
Nothing serious,” Nanami said.
Despite his perpetually even tone, a hint of exasperation still crept through at their exaggerated reactions.
But there was a trace of quiet gratitude there, too.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned to Ritsuka.
He retrieved the cord bracelet from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it back to her.
He’d been holding his wound earlier, making movement awkward.
As he returned the bracelet, he offered his earnest thanks.
“Thank you for the bracelet.
It was a tremendous help.”
When he had first accepted it, he had truly believed it to be nothing more than an ordinary cord bracelet.
But during his battle with the enemy just moments ago, that unassuming bracelet had suddenly erupted with a powerful purifying energy, dealing a devastating blow to his opponent!
It was only then that he realized, to his astonishment, that this was a Special Grade cursed tool of terrifying potency!
Yet, the fact that he hadn’t sensed any trace of cursed energy from it struck him as deeply odd.
It even gave him the impression that this bracelet wasn’t a cursed tool at all, but some kind of unknown entity altogether.
That power…
just what was it?