Geto Suguru—once a special-grade jujutsu sorcerer in Japan, wielder of the Cursed Spirit Manipulation technique.
A decade ago, for reasons unknown, he fell from grace, becoming a special-grade curse user—the only one in the curse user world, their pillar of support. With him drawing the higher-ups' attention, curse users had lived far more comfortably than they did now.
But last year, on Christmas Day, he led a group of curse users in simultaneous attacks on Shinjuku and Kyoto, unleashing thousands of cursed spirits in an event later dubbed the "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
That same day, he personally assaulted Jujutsu High, was defeated by Yuta Okkotsu, and later executed by Gojo.
Only half a year had passed since then.
"Ogami Granny, I have my own plans," Kenjaku replied, his expression unchanging, his smile unwavering.
"Last year I was a bit naive, dispersing my forces across multiple locations. If I had concentrated them, that brat Yuta Okkotsu wouldn't have stood a chance against me. How utterly foolish... Though there's no point dwelling on that now. The important thing is I have a new plan—wondering if you'd all care to join?"
"A plan? What are you scheming now?"
The nearly ninety-year-old woman with graying hair furrowed her brows so deeply the wrinkles between them could crush a fly.
"Let me be blunt—I only came here out of respect for you. If you're planning something big again, don't drag me into it!"
This old woman must be the type who grows more afraid of death with age, Okita thought to herself.
Having already lived longer than most, yet still unsatisfied.
"What a shame."
Kenjaku sighed, putting on an expression of genuine regret.
"Still, aside from the plan, I have another commission. Would you be willing to take it on, Ogami Granny?"
"A commission?"
"Kidnap any one of the three first-year students at Jujutsu High."
"Geto Suguru, do you take me for a fool?!"
Ogami stood up angrily, her aged voice trembling with outrage.
"The homeroom teacher for Jujutsu High's first-years is that Gojo Satoru! Kidnapping his students? I'm not tired of living yet! A commission this obviously dangerous—who'd take it? You must think I'm an idiot!"
"Your information's outdated."
Kenjaku remained unperturbed by her anger, smiling as he responded.
"Gojo Satoru hasn't returned from overseas for the past three months—likely detained by some mission. Personally, I'm quite curious what could keep Gojo occupied... but that's beside the point."
"The point is, the current homeroom teacher for the first-years is that newly promoted special-grade foreign sorcerer named Roy."
"What? Is that true?"
Ogami Granny was taken aback.
She eyed Kenjaku suspiciously, clearly distrustful of his claim.
"I have an informant among the higher-ups in the Jujutsu Headquarters. There's no mistake."
Kenjaku nodded confidently.
An informant—more like a puppet, really.
But there was no need to share such details with these useless curse users.
"This isn't exactly a secret anymore. If you don't believe me, Ogami Granny, feel free to verify it yourself."
An informant in the Jujutsu Headquarters?
Both the middle-aged blacksmith Jiro and the blonde curse user with a side ponytail looked astonished, their expressions filled with awe at Kenjaku's capabilities.
Okita's face remained impassive, as if completely uninterested in the revelation.
"...I'll tentatively take your word for it."
After a moment's hesitation and internal struggle, Ogami Granny reluctantly sat back down, still half-doubting.
"But even so, kidnapping a first-year student would still mean going up against a special-grade, wouldn't it? Only slightly less dangerous than provoking Gojo Satoru!"
"Don't worry. I'll arrange for him to leave Japan soon."
Kenjaku brushed off her concerns with a smile, as if he'd anticipated this exact reaction.
"At the very least, it'll keep him away for over a week. That would be the perfect time to act. You just need to wait for my signal, then capture any one of the students. Ah, but I'd advise against targeting Yuji Itadori—the thing inside him is somewhat dangerous. The other two are fair game."
"If what you say is true, this old woman might just take this job."
Granny Ogami's expression softened slightly.
If everything went smoothly, she'd only need to deal with a few brats. Having spent so many years in the curse-user underworld, she'd be a laughingstock if she couldn't handle a few kids.
"Is this job offer exclusive to me?"
"No, everyone present can take it. There are multiple targets to kidnap, so there's no need for competition. You could each pursue different targets, no?"
Kenjaku's gaze swept across the other three in the room.
The middle-aged blacksmith, Jiro Awasaka, was a skilled cursed tool craftsman but mediocre in combat.
The blond side-ponytailed youth, Haruta Shigemo, had an unusual technique, but it wasn't particularly useful in battle.
The only one worth noting was—
Kenjaku's eyes finally settled on the girl in the tank top.
Though young, her swordsmanship was truly exceptional.
Even with his thousand years of experience, she ranked among the best he'd seen. If she took the job, success would be practically guaranteed.
"Miss Okita, would you be interested in this job?"
Kenjaku asked with interest, looking at Okita who had been sitting silently.
Calling herself Okita Souji—using a historical figure's name as an alias. Quite cautious, unlike her youthful and beautiful appearance.
"If that guy Roy isn't around, then I won't take the job."
Miss Okita remained expressionless, her tone indifferent.
"Oh? Why is that?"
Kenjaku rested his chin on his hand, smiling faintly.
"I have business with that Roy guy."
Okita's eyes suddenly sharpened, her expression darkening as if recalling something unpleasant.
"I have a score to settle with that bastard!"
Ah, I see.
Taking in Okita's murderous glare, Kenjaku instantly understood, mentally filling in a hundred-episode backstory.
In short, she must have suffered a defeat at his hands.
Come to think of it, they were around the same age. For someone as skilled as Okita to have remained unheard of until now was unusual—unless she, too, had returned from overseas. That would explain it.
Perhaps they had some history abroad, and Okita had suffered a major loss against Roy. So when Roy came to Japan, she followed.
Hmm, makes perfect sense!
Granny Ogami glanced around the bar. Seeing that Okita wasn't taking the job, and with Jiro Awasaka and Haruta Shigemo also silent, she understood their stance.
"Then this job shall be mine alone!"
Granny Ogami stood up and, with her grandson's support, headed for the door.
"I have no interest in whatever plans you're scheming, so I won't stay to listen. Geto Suguru, just contact me when the time comes."
"Sure thing."
Under Kenjaku's smiling gaze, Granny Ogami and her grandson opened the wooden door and left the bar.
After Granny Ogami departed, Kenjaku's eyes settled on the remaining three people.
"So, the three of you who stayed must all be interested in my plan, correct?"
"Just say it straight—what's your plan?"
Okita wore an expression that suggested she didn't want to beat around the bush with him and preferred to get straight to the point.
"Naturally, that's fine. But before that, I must ask the three of you to form a binding vow with me!"
Kenjaku obediently nodded, a pleased smile spreading across his face.
"After all, we're all part of the curse user underworld. Let's not talk about trust or distrust. If this plan were to leak, I'd be in quite a predicament. So, I'd like the three of you to form a binding vow with me—one that ensures this plan never leaves this room."
Jiro Awasaka and Haruta Shigemo complied without hesitation.
Both of them were the type of deranged curse users who thrived on chaos, utterly fascinated by whatever scheme Geto Suguru had concocted.
Finally, it was Okita's turn. Without hesitation, she made the vow right in front of Kenjaku.
If she were to break this vow, the world itself would surely punish her for it.
But she had no intention of leaking anything anyway.
After all, her Master already knew exactly what these people were up to.
Once all three had established the vow, Kenjaku laid out his entire plan before them.
Speaking of which…
Why did her Master always use her as the one to infiltrate?
Whether it was sneaking into other schools or embedding herself among the enemy ranks, her Master seemed obsessed with this approach.
Okita couldn't help but grumble internally, though she didn't dare voice it through their mental link.
Right now, she was an ostrich.
Just like Mitsuki-san—burying her head in the sand.
She absolutely couldn't let her Master find out she was already awake!
***
Another ten or so days passed, and July arrived.
On this particular day—
Roy, who had been training his three students, suddenly received a mission from the Jujutsu Headquarters.
A Special Grade cursed spirit had appeared overseas, and he was being dispatched to exorcise it.
"So this is what they meant by arranging for me to leave Japan."
Roy glanced at the mission details in his hand, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Perfect timing. My experiments with innate techniques have reached the point where I can safely test them on myself… Let's see just what kind of storm you all plan to stir up!"