Headquarters of the Star Religious Group. The House of the Children of the Star.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?"
Shiu, who had been waiting near the entrance, was completely baffled after seeing Toji and Mukuro stroll in with two girls in tow. It didn't make any sense. The girls weren't just unharmed, they were practically full of life.
He had already been surprised that the brothers even accepted such a mission. But now, judging by what he saw, this didn't look like they were completing the cult's job at all.
"What do you mean what's going on? Obviously, we're making money. Baby formula money, you know? Don't tell me you don't get that?"
Toji stepped forward and slung an arm around his shoulder, teasing him for being single.
"..."
"Forget it, do whatever you want."
After a short silence, Shiu sighed and gave up on asking further. He had known these brothers long enough to guess they were up to something. Besides, he was just a middleman in the underground world. Whatever these two did or how they planned to do it was none of his business.
"Put this on. From now on, you two are dead people."
Mukuro pulled out a roll of thick tape from who-knows-where, tore off two strips, and stuck them over Kuroi and Riko's mouths.
Neither of them understood what was going on, but they still nodded obediently. With Satoru and Suguru not around, if he wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have needed to go through any of this.
"Show me your hand."
Riko blinked, puzzled, but did as she was told. Mukuro lightly traced his finger across the back of her hand, making a small cut before covering it with a bandage. She flinched but didn't pull away.
And so, the group of five headed toward a designated office inside the building.
* * *
"This is... the Star Plasma Vessel! You actually succeeded!"
A middle-aged man sitting on the sofa suddenly shot to his feet, his worried face replaced by wild excitement the instant he saw Riko.
If they could kill this girl, it would be a huge blow to the entire jujutsu world. The Star Religious Group would rise again, greater than ever.
"Are you the leader of the Star Religious Group?" Toji questioned as his gaze swept around the room, but besides the person in front of them, there was no one else.
"Shigeru Sonada. He's just one of the board members," Shiu explained before the man could speak.
"We made it clear before, didn't we? Once we brought the Star Plasma Vessel here, we'd meet your leader in person," Mukuro said as he dropped onto the sofa, his arms resting lazily across the backrest.
When they had accepted the mission, they'd made that one condition: they wanted to deal directly with the cult's leader once it was done.
"That's because... we didn't actually think you'd succeed. We'll pay you double, no, triple the original amount! So please, just let me take them away now!"
The man's voice trembled slightly, his tone rushed, clearly afraid they'd turn on him.
After all, the two before him were infamous in the assassination world. No one knew much about their methods, only that they were ruthless and had never failed a single mission.
"Are you kidding me?" Mukuro's gaze hardened, and his voice carried an edge that made the man's knees buckle.
"Alright, alright! The leader's downstairs in the underground hall, holding a meeting with the believers!" Sonoda blurted out, abandoning any attempt to hide the truth.
They had expected the plan to fail and hoped to hold an emergency meeting before Tengen's assimilation. Instead, fate had handed them an unexpected win.
"Then call him up here."
"Huh?"
Sonoda froze. He stared blankly at Mukuro, wondering if he'd heard right.
"Wouldn't it be better if I took the Star Plasma Vessel down right away? I'm worried the sorcerers might track us here." He rubbed his hands nervously, glancing between Toji and Mukuro.
"That's why we're telling you to call him up now. The sooner we talk, the sooner you can get what you want," Toji said, matching his brother's calm tone as he sat beside him.
Sonoda turned toward Shiu for help, but the man only raised his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me. I'm just a middleman."
"...Understood."
After casting one resentful glance at the innocent Riko, Sonoda pulled out his phone and left the room.
Less than ten minutes later he returned, this time followed by a fat middle-aged man.
"I was told you two insisted on seeing me in person..." the newcomer spoke as his eyes immediately locked on Riko.
The living Star Plasma Vessel. The sight alone made his pulse race. If he could shoot her dead in front of the followers later, his prestige would reach unimaginable heights.
But after that fleeting moment of excitement, his gaze shifted toward the two men sitting on the sofa. Forcing a polite tone, he asked, "So, what exactly do you want?"
"Hand over all the money you have on you."
Toji made the demand bluntly. That was the whole point of their visit.
"Hey now, our offer was already very generous! You can't just—"
"Enough."
Sonoda wanted to step forward to argue, but the leader raised a hand, stopping him.
"You do realize this could ruin your reputation, don't you?" the man continued evenly.
He saw the situation clearly. If they botched this negotiation and Riko safely returned to merge with Master Tengen, the entire cult would crumble overnight. Still, being extorted like this irritated him, so he tried appealing to their professionalism.
"You don't need to worry about that," Mukuro replied flatly.
What use did the dead have for money anyway?
"Fine. Come downstairs. The money's there."
The leader exhaled through his nose and agreed without further fuss. The top priority now was to get control of the Star Plasma Vessel.
"Hm?"
Just as things seemed settled, both Mukuro and Toji turned toward the window in unison.
Outside, an overwhelming surge of cursed energy flared to life.
"Did he succeed, or…?"
The two stood up and stepped closer to the window, looking down to see a lone figure standing in front of the building, covered in blood. White hair. Sapphire-blue eyes burning with feral intensity.
Satoru Gojo.
His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, his uniform soaked. But despite his battered state, a wild grin spread across his face once he spotted the brothers.
"So the heterochromatic bastard's here too? Whatever... Toji Fushiguro, right? Now then, how about we start round two!"
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