The same driver from yesterday was waiting outside my house, double-parked.
As soon as Ino he saw me come out, he raised a hand.
“Get in, Nagi!”
I opened the back door and settled into the seat.
For the first few minutes, I just stared out the window, watching the streets of Kyoto pass by one after another.
I think I’m starting to feel nostalgic.
I guess it was because, somehow, I felt like I was entering a completely different stage of my life.
I pulled away from the window when I remembered something.
“Ino, I forgot to ask you yesterday.
What exactly was that finger I found?”
“That was a cursed object.
Some objects are imbued with enormous amounts of cursed energy, and some can even preserve curses inside them.
The one you found is pretty special.”
He paused briefly before continuing, this time in a more serious tone.
“That one, specifically, is one of several objects containing the strongest curse in history, Ryomen Sukuna.
We’ve been searching for them for a very long time.”
Ino rummaged through his things for a moment, turned around in his seat, and handed me a small book.
“Here.
If you’re curious, it explains the basics of cursed objects, how they’re classified by grade, and it also talks about Sukuna.”
I took the book and looked at the cover.
Cursed Objects: Grades and the Legend of Sukuna.
“And what was something like that doing inside an insurance company’s office?”
Ino shrugged.
“Not the slightest idea.
Trust me, we’d like to know that too.”
I put the book away to read later and rested my head against the window again.
The car began moving away from civilization, leaving the urban area behind as we headed toward the outskirts of Kyoto.
The buildings gradually disappeared, replaced by vegetation and vast stretches of forest.
The air was cleaner and more pleasant, far away from the pollution.
Birds singing outside were the only sound that made its way into the car.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Kyoto Metropolitan Jujutsu High,” Ino replied.
We continued up a narrow, winding road surrounded on both sides by thick trees until the car finally slowed down and stopped in front of an entrance marked by a long stone staircase.
“We’re here.”
Before me stood Kyoto Metropolitan Jujutsu High.
It was a sprawling complex of traditional Japanese buildings, with dark tiled roofs and polished wooden structures.
Stone paths crossed the courtyards and connected thebuildings, all surrounded by a dense forest that isolated the place.
Numerous cherry trees grew along the paths, though since it was October, none of them were in bloom.
More than a school, it looked like some ancient religious complex hidden in the mountains.
What an impressive temple.
“This is where the Kyoto sorcerers train and gather.
Some of them even live here,” Ino explained from behind me.
“It’s used to train new sorcerers and also serves as a base of operations for missions in the area.”
“Is this the only one?”
“There’s another school in Tokyo.
That’s the one I belong to,” he replied.
“Running into each other yesterday was pure coincidence.
I don’t normally work in Kyoto.
I was just passing through the city for other reasons and happened to be available when the cursed-object mission came in.”
For a school, the place was surprisingly empty.
“Don’t see many people around,” I commented.
Ino nodded.
“Because there aren’t many of us.
Sorcerers are a minority in Japan.
And even then, this country has by far the largest number of sorcerers in the world.”
“Could you explain how all of this works?” I asked.
“Because all of this is completely new to me.”
“Principal Gakuganji will take care of that.”
He pointed toward one of the buildings in front of us.
“That’s his office.
I’ve got to go.”
He gave me a light pat on the shoulder before walking away.
“Good luck, Nagi.”
I was left standing alone in front of a large, dark wooden door.
I took a deep breath and raised my hand to knock.
Before my knuckles could even touch it, the door opened.
Standing in front of me was a girl around my age, with long light-blue hair and an animated expression.
The moment she saw me, she stepped closer with obvious curiosity.
“You’re the guy they told me about!
Is it true you touched a special-grade cursed object?”
“I think so.
I’m Nagi, nice to meet you.”
“Seriously?!” she replied, somehow even more excited.
“That’s incredible!
Oh, I’m Kasumi Miwa.
And your technique, is it true that it can…?”
She suddenly stopped herself.
“Ahem.”
Miwa cleared her throat, straightened her back, and put on a serious expression that looked painfully forced.
“Come in,” she added.
“The principal is waiting for you.”
The office was spacious and decorated in dark wood, with a table in the center and two large armchairs facing each other.
Sitting in one of them was an elderly bald man with a prominent beard and several piercings.
His eyes locked onto me the moment I walked through the door.
“Make yourself comfortable, young man.”
I sat down across from him.
I could feel his eyes examining me from head to toe.
“Tell me everything you know about curses.”
I shifted slightly in the chair.
“Not much.
I know they exist, that normal people can’t see them, and that they’re connected to that energy we use.”
“Ino informed me that you eliminated numerous curses on your own and even managed to restrain a semi-grade-one curse.
And yet, you seem to know practically nothing about the world of jujutsu.
How is that possible?”
“I couldn’t tell you…
I’ve been able to see curses for years, but until yesterday I didn’t even know they were called that.
I’d never met anyone like me before.”
The old man nodded slowly.
“You see, young man, sorcerers are a small portion of the population capable of perceiving curses and using cursed energy to fight them.
Our duty is, primarily, to protect those who cannot defend themselves against them.”
“I see…
So I’m a sorcerer, then.”
“Indeed.
Curses are born from the negative emotions of human beings.
Fear, hatred, stress, sadness…
All of those emotions release cursed energy, and when enough of it accumulates, it can eventually give birth to a curse.
They can also gather around certain places or cursed objects, such as the one you found last night.”
I nodded slightly.
That fit perfectly with some of the things I’d observed over the years.
“All sorcerers possess a certain amount of cursed energy,” he continued.
“We learn to control it to reinforce our bodies and fuel our techniques.
The amount one possesses and their ability to use it vary enormously from person to person.”
“Some of us are also born with our own cursed techniques.
Abilities that are unique to each sorcerer.
Ino told me about yours.
A sphere capable of immobilizing its target, if I understand correctly, as well as a pair of glowing eyes.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Chronostasis and Shinkeigan.
That’s what I call them.”
“Interesting…” he said with a nod.
“However, there is something you must understand.
Using your abilities without being registered and under our supervision is forbidden.
From now on, you are not to use cursed energy on your own.”
…
It didn’t take me long to understand what that meant for me.
Football, tournaments…
Pretty much my entire plan to get rich by taking advantage of my powers had just gone straight down the drain.
I don’t like where this conversation is going.
“Normally, your actions could result in some form of punishment,” the old man continued.
“However, given the circumstances and how you used your abilities last night, we will not be taking any action against you.
In fact…
I believe you have talent.”
I raised my head slightly.
“That is why I am offering you a place at Kyoto Jujutsu High.
Here, you will learn everything necessary to become a sorcerer, properly control your cursed energy, and develop your technique.”
If I rejected the offer, that meant giving up on using my powers.
And without them, I’d have to study, get a normal job, work eight hours a day…
No fucking way.
“Before I answer…
can I ask you two questions?”
“Go ahead.”
“One: will you help me get stronger here?
I don’t want to feel as helpless as I did yesterday against that curse ever again.”
“Of course.
That is precisely one of the purposes of this school.”
Perfect.
“And two…” I went quiet for a second.
“Does it pay well?”
The old man stared at me.
A small bead of sweat ran down his temple.
“Sorcerers are compensated for their work,” he finally replied.
“The funds ultimately come from the taxes paid by Japanese citizens.”
“And yes, a competent sorcerer can earn quite a substantial amount of money.
Compensation increases depending on rank and the missions one is capable of undertaking.”
I could train to become stronger, use my powers without having to hide them, and on top of that, make pretty good money if I became skilled enough.
If this world was even half as interesting as everything that had happened the previous night, it would probably solve one of the biggest problems in my life.
Boredom.
“But I must warn you about something,” Gakuganji continued.
His expression became much more serious.
“Being a sorcerer is not a game.
If you don’t take this seriously, you will die.
And there is a possibility that you may die even if you do everything correctly.
Are you certain you want to accept?”
“Absolutely.”
The old man smiled broadly.
“Excellent.
I will begin the paperwork for your enrollment.
You will be assigned to the first-year class.
Tomorrow, your teacher, Utahime, will explain the details.
You may leave.”
I headed toward the door, but the old man’s voice came from behind me once again.
“By the way, young man…
do you play any instruments?”
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