In the classroom usually reserved for third-year students at Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga, Satoru Gojo, and Sōjun Minamoto were gathered.
Masamichi Yaga was the one who delivered the news of Suguru Geto's defection to Satoru Gojo.
It was hard for Gojo to believe—especially when he heard that Geto had wiped out an entire village of non-sorcerers...
"No way!"
He kept asking Yaga to confirm the details.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Yaga snapped, clearly frustrated.
One of his own students had done something like this—his best student, the one he trusted most...
As a teacher, he could only bottle up his anger—without even knowing who to be angry at—and focus on how to deal with the situation. At the very least, he needed to hear Geto's side of the story.
A moment of silence passed between them.
"So, what now?" Sōjun Minamoto broke the silence. "They've already issued a warrant..."
"I'm going to bring him back," Gojo said firmly, turning to leave. "Right now. As long as we can clear things up, everything will be fine."
"..."
Sōjun gave him a glance but didn't say anything. He wasn't in a rush—didn't really have any strong opinions about it.
After all, Geto had just sent him an address, asking to meet at noon... Whatever needed to be said could wait until then.
Sōjun sat in his chair, a little spaced out.
Yaga looked over at him but couldn't tell what he was thinking.
He used to think this guy had a difficult personality, that he might've been a good influence on Geto if they'd gotten closer. But every time it mattered—meetings, serious discussions—he was steady and dependable.
Maybe he'd always been like that. Never really changed.
Yaga couldn't read him. Then again, he'd never really been able to read anyone.
He found himself drifting off as well...
...
By noon, Sōjun followed the address Geto had sent and ended up in front of a small detached house. It looked like a villa at first glance, but it was actually one of those compact homes popular with regular families.
Low construction costs, minimal footprint, tight layout, great value. The whole street was lined with similar homes.
He checked the house number to make sure he had the right place, then rang the doorbell.
Geto opened the door, now dressed in casual home clothes. Maybe it was because Sōjun was so used to seeing him in uniform, but Geto looked like a different person—his face looked fresh, almost serene.
"What, you're not here to drag me back, are you?" Geto joked when he saw him at the door.
"Of course not." Sōjun smiled and stepped inside.
As Geto walked into the living room, two little girls who looked exactly alike trailed behind him. Each held onto one side of his shirt, half-hiding behind him as they peeked at Sōjun with wide, curious eyes.
"Sorry, the place is still a mess," Geto said, a bit embarrassed.
Sōjun waved it off—he didn't mind. It was obvious they'd just moved in. Furniture was still missing, bags and boxes were piled in corners.
In the kitchen, a man and a woman were cooking. When they heard someone come in, they turned around and greeted Sōjun. They looked to be in their forties—probably Geto's parents.
Sōjun smiled and introduced himself politely, calling them "uncle" and "aunt."
After glancing around the room, he suddenly leaned over and caught the little girls off guard. Tilting his head, he met their eyes and gave them a playful wink. "Hey there."
The two girls shyly ducked behind Geto.
Adorable—at least for now.
"Stay for lunch?" Geto asked, ruffling their hair. He didn't rush to explain anything.
Sōjun didn't press either, smiling as he replied,
"Sure."
Lunch was ready not long after. Sōjun helped set the table and earned a round of praise.
Geto's parents even scolded him a little—"Learn from Sōjun."
Sōjun laughed, throwing Geto a playful look as he rolled his eyes in silent defeat.
They all sat down together. The little girls took their seats on either side of Geto, while Sōjun sat across from him. During the meal, Geto's mother kept piling food into the girls' bowls.
"You're too skinny—eat more."
She even added some food to Sōjun's bowl a few times. Geto, however, got nothing.
His father wasn't much of a talker, only asking a few questions: was Sōjun a friend of Geto's, how Geto was doing in school, how his grades were.
Clearly, he didn't know anything about the jujutsu world.
Thankfully, Sōjun kept his eyes mostly closed—otherwise, he might've blown their cover.
After the meal, Sōjun got the sense that Geto's parents had high expectations for him and cared deeply, but just weren't great at showing it.
Now, with two young girls in the picture and Sōjun visiting, they finally had a chance to express that concern, even if indirectly.
"Suguru made some money out there, and without saying a word, came back home and bought a house for his parents."
Sōjun wasn't good at lying. He'd never been in this kind of situation before—he wasn't even sure he could pull it off.
Geto's sudden return, the new house, the large sum of money—it was obvious his parents were suspicious, even if they didn't say anything.
During lunch, they'd tried probing Sōjun for answers, clearly worried Geto had done something wrong.
Sōjun could see right through it and did his best to cover for him. Unfortunately, deception wasn't his strong suit. He just had to hope it was enough.
Luckily, his parents didn't push too hard. Even though they weren't fully convinced, as long as Geto hadn't done anything terrible, they were willing to accept it.
...
After the meal, the two went upstairs to Geto's room. The twin girls followed but stopped at the door, quietly waiting outside.
"What's the situation?" Sōjun Minamoto got straight to the point.
"I killed people. A lot of people. And they weren't sorcerers."
"You mean those two girls...?"
"Yeah."
"I called you here to ask you to take back those Cursed Tools. We probably won't get the chance to work together again," Suguru Geto said, sounding resigned.
Jujutsu High had definitely issued a warrant. If they kept working together, it might drag Sōjun into it too. He was only reaching out now because the higher-ups hadn't caught on yet. After this, he planned to leave his parents behind and move to another city.
"Just take it," Sōjun didn't care. "When your storage fills up, message me. I'll come split the Cursed Spirits with you."
"You're so efficient, I have to keep you tied down."
Suguru looked at him intently. "You don't mind that I'm a Curse User?"
"We're both sorcerers. Why draw lines like that? Are you going to hurt me?"
Suguru looked genuinely moved.
"I'm a Special Grade. Could you even hurt me if you tried?" Sōjun added.
"..."
A brief silence fell between them as things got more serious.
"What's your plan from here?" Sōjun asked.
"I'm going to create a world where only good people exist."
Huh?
"Sorcerer or not, wiping out evil—that's what my life is about now."
"And it's righteous."
"The people who bullied Haibara's sister, and the villagers in that place... their existence stains this world. I'll purify them all."
Really?
Suguru had changed, but he hadn't fallen completely into darkness. As for this whole "judging good and evil" thing—that kind of thinking was common in the jujutsu world. It almost felt normal.
"So how are you going to do it?" Sōjun wasn't curious about his ideology—he wanted to know the concrete steps.
"You once said relying on personal strength alone leads nowhere," Suguru paused, "so I'm going to rebuild the Star Religious Group. I'll find people who share my ideals and achieve something great together."
"Would you consider yourself one of them?" he asked.
"I could be," Sōjun said bluntly.
Suguru gave him a long look.
"Sōjun, in truth, you're more unrestrained than I am."
"Sometimes I wonder if there's anything you actually care about. You don't fear death, don't care if the higher-ups target you, don't even care whether things have meaning or not... In my eyes, you're the one who's truly lost."
Sōjun stayed quiet. It wasn't self-doubt. His goal had always been simple and unwavering: to become stronger. If it didn't interfere with that, then it didn't matter.
"But that doesn't matter now," Suguru went on. "I probably seem just as incomprehensible to you, right?"
"This whole thing taught me something: don't judge hearts—judge actions."
He looked at Sōjun seriously.
"Will you join us? Help build the Church of the Stars and ignite the fire of righteousness."
...
How did becoming a Curse User come with the ability to inspire people so easily?
Sōjun still agreed. As long as it didn't clash with his goals, he didn't mind working together.
If the Church of the Stars grew, their teamwork would become more efficient too.
Who said the Church of the Stars couldn't exorcise Cursed Spirits while passing on the flame? If they were exorcising curses anyway, what was wrong with finishing the job using a thorn-covered broken sword?
The thought made him smile. He relaxed and offered a suggestion.
"How about we make our symbol a broken sword wrapped in a thorned flower?"
"I already saved you the Vice Leader spot. You can handle little things like that yourself," Suguru said with a raised brow.
"Vice Leader? So I'm just your underling now?"
"No. A kindred spirit, why draw lines like that?" he echoed Sōjun's own words from earlier.
"..."
"What about Jujutsu High? And Satoru...?"
"Please don't tell Sensei or Satoru yet."
"You're not going to meet them one last time?"
"...We'll meet again—in the new world."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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