"I've brought the boy here. What happens next isn't my concern."
Jinsuke swaggered into Jujutsu High with Yuta in tow, stopping in front of a chamber covered wall-to-wall in talismans.
"You'll stay here for now. When you can walk out of this room alive… that's up to your own fate," he said, ending a phone call and turning to Yuta.
"Eh? Aren't you going to judge me for what I did?" Yuta asked in confusion. Even if they weren't going to execute him, he expected some kind of punishment.
"Judge you? I wasn't paid to do that," Jinsuke replied, waving a hand dismissively before walking out.He still had to collect his payment for "the kill".
Once he was gone, Yuta looked around nervously at the dense layers of talismans surrounding him. Was this his punishment? Was he to be sealed here forever?
"You're Yuta Okkotsu, right?"
"Ah!" Yuta nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice.
"Relax, relax. You're worth ten million yen to me — no need to be so tense."
It was Gojo, smiling as if this whole affair were a joke. Originally, he'd planned to fetch Yuta himself, but once the higher-ups caught wind of the incident, they'd begun digging into the boy's background.
Gojo had also done his own digging — and what he found surprised even him. No ordinary human could produce a curse as powerful as Rika.
Tracing Yuta's lineage, Gojo discovered connections to one of the ancient Big Three Vengeful Spirits — and even hints that the boy might share blood with the Gojo clan itself.
He decided the kid was far too valuable to be erased.
But when he'd gone to collect Yuta, the higher-ups told him the job had already been assigned… to Jinsuke.
Knowing Jinsuke's love for cursed spirits, Gojo had made a "small" arrangement ahead of time — calling him personally and asking for Yuta's life to be spared.
The price? Ten million yen.
In other words, Yuta's life was worth ten million — straight out of Gojo's own pocket.
Good thing he was a Special Grade with more money than sense; otherwise, Jinsuke would've bankrupted him by now.
"You are…?" Yuta asked, confusion still written all over his face. The man in front of him didn't feel like an executioner.
"I'm Satoru Gojo — your future teacher."
Gojo decided it was best to keep Yuta hidden for now.
After all, if Jinsuke had just reported in and Yuta suddenly popped up alive the next second, that'd cause problems for both of them.
Gojo clicked his tongue. He couldn't believe he was covering for Jinsuke. That didn't sit right with him. He'd definitely have to find a way to mess with that guy later.
Meanwhile, Jinsuke had already gone to "report the mission."
"The target's been eliminated?" a voice asked from behind a closed door.
"Mm," Jinsuke replied casually.
He'd marched Yuta straight into Jujutsu High just to show everyone he'd "delivered the target". That was enough proof for him that his mission was done. Whether the boy was dead or alive wasn't his problem.
"The body?"
"In the school infirmary. If you're that worried, go ask Gojo — he took it."
Without hesitation, Jinsuke tossed the responsibility right onto Gojo's lap.
After all, the man was powerful, disliked by the higher-ups, and perfect for taking the blame.
"..."
A moment of silence from the other side of the door. Suspicious, but unwilling to dig deeper, the elder finally replied:
"Your payment will be transferred as usual."
Hearing that, Jinsuke grinned. Another ten million yen in the bag. Life was good.
Between the higher-ups and Gojo, he'd found himself a pair of golden geese. And both looked plenty fat to pluck.
At the Zenin Clan estate, Naobito sat cross-legged on a cushion, sipping sake. Before him stood Maki, her eyes burning with determination.
"You're really not joining the Kukuru Unit? You're old enough now — and your strength isn't exactly remarkable. What else do you plan to do?"
He looked at her sharply. "I know you're close to Jinsuke and that you admire him, but that kind of strength isn't something you can copy. You don't have his talent — or his nerve."
His words were harsh, but they were also the truth.
He knew her situation well. The limit of her potential was clear — the Twin Curse was no joke. Not everyone could defy it like those two monstrous brothers.
"Hmph. I'll become head of the Zenin Clan through strength alone. I'll make every one of you shut up!" Maki declared, gripping her staff and turning on her heel.
Naobito burst into laughter, nearly spilling his drink."Ha! I'll be waiting for that day, girl!"
He actually didn't dislike her attitude. Her talent might be mediocre, but her will was unbreakable.
Still, the position of clan head wasn't something decided by willpower — and the next successor had long since been chosen.
Before leaving the Zenin estate, Maki went to see her master.
"Master, I've decided — I'm heading to Jujutsu High."
Her tone was firm; her eyes steady. She had hit her ceiling. To grow stronger, she needed real combat — against both curses and people.
"Then go," Jinsuke said easily. "Did you tell Mai?"
"I didn't. And I won't."
Maki shook her head. She knew her twin too well.
Mai had grown bolder over the years, but she still lacked the will to rebel against the clan. Deep down, she'd accepted that they were powerless to change anything.
But Maki refused to accept that.
If her sister wouldn't fight, she would.She'd bear the burden herself — because that's what an older sister was supposed to do.
"I won't interfere between you two," Jinsuke said, waving a hand dismissively. "The cursed tool Playful Cloud in my room — take it."
"Wait— really?"
Maki's eyes widened in disbelief, her pulse quickening.
For someone like her, who couldn't use cursed energy, cursed tools were everything.
And her master was handing her a Special Grade weapon.
How could she not be moved? Her heart burned with renewed conviction. Even if not for her own pride — for her master's trust, she would win.
"Take it," Jinsuke said with a faint smile. "But remember — for our next spar, you're only allowed to use standard-grade tools."
"Got it!"
She bolted into the room and gripped Playful Cloud, her eyes shining.
Even with a light swing, she could feel its immense weight and power — a tool so strong that even her master had once broken it in battle.
She couldn't even imagine how much power that would take.
Watching her excitement, Jinsuke chuckled quietly.
"I hope one day," he murmured, "you can draw out its true strength."