"Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll be off."
Suguru Geto gave a casual wave to Zenin Mirai, still seated in the convertible.
"And you too, Shoko. Till we meet again."
He glanced at Shoko, who had just ended her phone call, and smiled as he bid his farewell.
With that, he stepped into the crowd, not even a sliver of hesitation in his stride.
Watching his figure fade into the distance, Shoko's eyes lingered for a moment. Her expression darkened slightly.
"Miss Shoko, are you waiting for someone else, or shall we head back now?" asked Mirai calmly.
Shoko cast a pointed glance at Mirai. "Delivering the message is enough. I'm not about to stand out here in the sun waiting for that scumbag."
"What, want me to give you a ride?" Mirai said, a faint grin on his lips.
"Delighted," Shoko replied coolly.
The ever-attentive driver quickly got out and opened the back door for her.
The summer breeze tousled their hair as the open-top convertible cruised through the city.
Tucking a strand behind her ear, Shoko looked out the window and asked, "Is the Zenin Clan Head fond of being flashy?"
"Not particularly," Mirai replied without turning his head. "But having the roof open makes it easier to fight."
"Even if normal people can't see cursed spirits, they'd definitely freak out if a massive hole appeared above a car."
His tone was calm and steady, untouched by the wind, and his voice landed clearly in Shoko's ears.
She nodded slightly, then asked again, "So... was today's meeting really just a coincidence?"
Mirai's lips curved. "Not at all."
"I had people tailing you from the moment you left Jujutsu High."
"Oh?"
Shoko's eyes narrowed slightly. She looked away from the scenery and stared at the back of his head, her voice tinged with surprise.
She had suspected something, but hadn't expected him to admit it so casually.
"I didn't sense anything. The assistant supervisors should've picked up on it too."
"It's natural you didn't," Mirai replied with a quiet chuckle. "The person trailing you wasn't a sorcerer."
"If you're still using cursed energy alone to assess threats, then it looks like Jujutsu High hasn't learned its lesson."
Shoko gave a wry smile of agreement. "True enough."
"The death of the Star Plasma Vessel. The assassination attempt by Fushiguro Toji…"
"After all that, the school's leadership hasn't changed one bit."
"The belief that 'non-sorcerers are less than human' might not be exclusive to the Zenin Clan."
Despite being followed, Shoko didn't seem the least bit upset.
In fact, she spoke calmly, like she was chatting with an old friend.
Mirai listened, then smiled faintly. "From the moment a sorcerer awakens, most of them stop seeing themselves as the same as ordinary people."
"Take Toji for instance. He had strength that rivaled Gojo's back then, yet he was never accepted by the Zenin Clan."
"And now look at me. Just a hint of potential as a sorcerer, and even at my age, I'm already the head of one of the Big Three families."
Shoko nodded in quiet thought, murmuring, "So that's the arrogance unique to sorcerers…"
"Then what's your true goal?"
"Was following me just a way to find Geto, and clean up those rats that had their eyes on you?"
"Or... do you really intend to work with Geto?"
That whole flashy motorcade was clearly a setup to lure the rats out of hiding.
He had deliberately sent the guards away right in front of Geto to trigger their strike.
Then, as if it were part of the script, he unveiled an unknown Special Grade cursed spirit.
On the surface, it looked like his targets were the cursed users.
But really, his focus had always been Suguru Geto.
If the Zenin Clan wasn't pulling the strings behind this operation...
Shoko may have appeared composed on the outside, but inside, her assessment of this precocious boy's danger level had jumped several notches.
Almost as if he sensed her growing wariness, Mirai offered a lighthearted smile. "Relax."
"I'm not interested in killing all non-sorcerers. That idea's too extreme."
He meant it. Every word was sincere.
After all, cursed spirits were born from negative human emotions. Without humans, his food supply would dry up. Why would he want that?
"Really?"
Shoko blinked. "If that's true, then why even propose cooperation with Geto?"
"Was all of this just to toy with that fool?"
"Working together doesn't have to mean wiping out humanity," Mirai replied in a low voice. "There are other directions worth exploring. Maybe we'll find common ground."
Shoko narrowed her eyes and didn't press further.
She could tell. From this point on, their conversation had lost the honesty it started with.
The sun was setting. Clouds across the sky had turned molten orange, like they were set ablaze.
The light was no longer harsh, no longer hot. Just soft and warm.
"Huff… huff..."
Still unable to teleport long distances, Gojo Satoru had raced all the way from Jujutsu High to Shinjuku.
He spotted a familiar figure in the crowd, then called out between breaths.
"Geto!"
Geto stopped mid-step, walking against the flow of pedestrians.
"I'm sure Shoko told you everything already," he said without looking back.
Though they were ten meters apart and separated by a sea of people, his words—carried on threads of cursed energy—reached Gojo's ears perfectly.
Gojo ripped off his sunglasses, eyes wide with disbelief.
Even after hearing the truth, he still couldn't believe it.
"You want to kill every non-sorcerer?!"
"Even your own parents?!"
Geto kept walking, hands in his pockets.
His voice was calm. Detached.
"Even if they're my parents... why should they be the exception?"
"Wipe out all of humanity and build a world just for sorcerers?"
"That's insane!"
Gojo's voice rose, his emotions bubbling over.
He waved his arms as he shouted, furious.
He couldn't understand.
This was his closest friend, the one who had always abhorred senseless killing.
The same person who used to lecture him about the strong protecting the weak.
Why… why was he like this now?
Gojo truly couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Impossible?"
"If it were you, you'd probably succeed."
"Just because you can do something, does that mean no one else can?"
Geto finally turned around, locking eyes with him.
"You really are arrogant, you know that?"
"I've chosen my path."
"I'll do everything I can to bring this 'foolish dream' of mine to life."
He turned again to leave, but stopped suddenly.
"Oh, by the way," he added, without turning his head, "the mysterious Zenin Clan Head showed up today too."
"Eleven years old. A Special Grade sorcerer."
"Even he seems to understand me more than you do."
With that parting remark, Suguru Geto disappeared into the crowd.
Gojo watched his best friend walk away.
His fists clenched so tightly, his knuckles cracked audibly.
He hesitated for a long time... but in the end, didn't take action.
Outside the gates of Jujutsu High, the red convertible shimmered under the dying sunlight.
"Miss Shoko, until we meet again."
She opened the door and glanced once more at the boy in the front seat.
"Till next time," she replied quietly.
As she walked away, Mirai murmured under his breath, "Don't worry. It won't be long before we meet again."
"And maybe next time, our relationship will be even closer."
The driver gave him a sidelong glance, but wisely kept quiet.
"Let's go. Back to the estate."
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter