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Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: The Bait and the Defector

​"Don't make me repeat myself."

​"Suguru... he killed everyone in the village."

​Tokyo Jujutsu High.

​Principal Yaga Masamichi stood in his office, his voice heavy with grief. He was the teacher of the strongest generation: Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, and Ieiri Shoko.

​When confronted by Gojo seeking confirmation, Yaga calmly recounted the horror.

​"Not just the village," Yaga continued, looking out the window. "He also went to his parents' home..."

​"Judging from the bloodstains and the residual Cursed Energy... Suguru killed his own parents."

​"How is that possible?!"

​Gojo Satoru shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief. "Suguru wouldn't do that! There must be a mistake!"

​But seeing the deep pain and helplessness in Yaga's eyes, Gojo's shout died in his throat.

​Gojo gripped the report in his hand. His knuckles turned white. His fingernails dug into his palm, drawing blood.

​The scarlet text on the paper burned into his retinas.

​Investigation: 112 villagers confirmed dead. Cause of death: Cursed Spirit Manipulation.

​Perpetrator: Special Grade Sorcerer Geto Suguru.

​Status: Defected.

​Motive: Unknown.

​Action: Execution order issued.

​Gojo stared at the word "Execution." The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

​...

​Zenin Estate. The Conference Room.

​One of the advantages of being a Great Family is intelligence. The Zenin Clan received the report on Geto Suguru at the same time as Jujutsu High.

​Mirai glanced at the paper. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

​So, the butterfly effect hasn't changed the main plot, he thought. Geto Suguru has fallen.

​"Go and get ready," Mirai said, tossing the report onto the table. "I'm going out."

​Naobito blinked. "Going out? Now?"

​"But Clan Head... the bounty on your head is at its peak. There are Curse Users watching the estate gates day and night."

​"Exactly," Mirai said, standing up. "I'm bored of the basement. I want to go shopping."

​Naobito hesitated for a moment, then looked at the boy's calm, confident eyes. He sighed.

​He wants to test his new power.

​"By the way," Mirai added, pausing at the door. "Make sure my first trip outside is... grand. I want everyone to know I'm leaving."

​Naobito smirked. "Understood."

​First, he raises the bounty on his own head. Now, he makes a big show of leaving the safety of the estate.

​It's a classic bait-and-switch. Or rather... a fishing trip.

​...

​The Gate of the Zenin Estate.

​Curse Users are not typically organized criminals. They are closer to rabid dogs. They ignore laws, kill for money, and do whatever they want.

​And right now, a One Billion Yen bone was dangling in front of them.

​Outside the massive gates of the Zenin estate, hidden in the trees and shadows, dozens of eyes watched.

​Clang!

​The heavy iron gates groaned open.

​The spies perked up. Phones were dialed. Weapons were checked.

​Vroom...

​A convoy of ten expensive black sports cars rolled out, moving in perfect formation.

​But it was the car in the center that drew every eye.

​A bright red, four-seater convertible supercar. Top down.

​The driver was a non-sorcerer servant.

And in the passenger seat, wearing loose black robes, sat a boy with choppy black hair.

​Zenin Mirai. The One Billion Yen Boy.

​He looked around with genuine curiosity. Since his rebirth ten years ago, he had never stepped foot outside the Zenin estate.

​"Brother Mirai..."

​In the back seat, Maki pursed her lips. She looked nervous. "Maybe you shouldn't have taken us with you."

​Beside her, Mai clenched her fists on her lap. Her face was a mix of longing and fear. She wanted to see the world, but she didn't want to be a burden.

​Mirai glanced back at them. "Don't worry. No one in the Zenin family dares to question my decision."

​"If they do," Mirai said lightly, "let them die."

​He smiled at the twins. "Your mother is in the car behind us. Once we get to Shinjuku, she can take you shopping. Buy whatever you want."

​"Let's go," Mirai ordered the driver.

​The convoy accelerated, heading toward the city.

​In the shadows of the forest, the spies grinned.

​The target is moving.

The hunt is on.

​...

​Shinjuku. August 2007.

​It was a sunny, pleasant day.

​On a busy street corner, a man and a woman stood leaning against the railing.

​The man was tall, wearing casual black clothes and baggy pants. His hair was tied up in a half-bun.

The woman wore a school uniform and smoked a cigarette, looking bored.

​Geto Suguru and Ieiri Shoko.

​"Let me ask you this," Shoko said, taking a drag. "Did you really do it? The village? Your parents?"

​Geto chuckled softly. He shrugged. "Unfortunately... the school didn't wrong me. I did it."

​"Yeah..." Shoko exhaled a plume of smoke. "One more question. Why?"

​Geto squinted at the crowd of "monkeys" surging past them.

​"I want to create a world where only sorcerers exist."

​Shoko stared at him. Then she laughed. It was a dry, humorless laugh.

​"I don't expect you to understand," Geto said calmly. "I just want to create the ideal world."

​"So you felt misunderstood, and now you're going to commit genocide?" Shoko scoffed. "How childish."

​She pulled out her flip phone.

​"Moshi moshi, Gojo? Yeah. Suguru is with me. Shinjuku."

​Geto didn't stop her. He just watched the crowd.

​Humans are the darkest species on Earth, he thought. Their negative emotions create Cursed Spirits. Sorcerers clean up their mess, die for them, and get nothing in return.

​It's an endless cycle. Unless the source is removed.

​"Hm?"

​Geto suddenly looked up. The crowd on the street was parting, moving aside for vehicles.

​A long convoy of black cars was driving slowly down the street, heading straight toward them.

​"Zenin Clan?" Shoko frowned, recognizing the crest on the cars.

​Then she saw the red convertible in the center.

​And the boy in the passenger seat.

​"That kid..." Shoko muttered. "He looks familiar."

​"The eleven-year-old Head of the Zenin Clan," Geto murmured, his eyes narrowing. "Zenin Mirai."

​"Right," Shoko realized. "The kid with the highest bounty on the black market."

​Geto watched the car approach.

​A child ruling a Great Family, Geto mused. A strong sorcerer.

​Someone who belongs in my new world.

....

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