With Sukuna's help, and after cross-referencing the timing, they discovered that the strengthening of the cursed spirits and Locke's awakening and empowerment were essentially simultaneous. Gojo Satoru fully relaxed.
As for Locke, he naturally relaxed as well. After initially agreeing to cooperate, Gojo Satoru contacted his exclusive assistant, Ijichi, who sent a message to the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Masamichi Yaga, and everyone headed to Tokyo.
Of course, Ijichi was driving. Gojo Satoru sat in the front passenger seat. Locke and the two young men were crowded into the back row. This wasn't because of Gojo Satoru's high status—it was purely because Megumi Fushiguro disliked him, and Locke was also a bit petty, so he took the front row for himself.
Exhausted from the tense morning, the group quickly fell asleep. Locke was no exception, drifting off and returning to his unique dream world.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Hogwarts Locke: "Daddy, come sit here, come sit next to your son."
Naruto Locke: "Can you say such things just for popularity points, kid? I despise you."
Hogwarts Locke: "?"
One Piece Locke: "Aren't you ashamed? You two are fifty steps and a hundred steps—neither of you has any face. I'm different. I want less. Just give me a thousand."
Invincible Young Hero Locke: "Righteous father, I've long coveted the Alien Proto-X Superman. Please do me this favor."
The Boys Locke: "No. If you want face, it's not enough to unlock X Superman and crush everything. Don't cause trouble. Step aside."
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Don't worry. Everyone gets a share. I promise I won't enjoy this glory alone. After paying off the debt, we'll all split it together. Each person gets their share!"
One Piece, Hokage, Hogwarts, The Boys, Invincible Young Hero Locke: "Cold, Your Majesty. Put on more clothes. Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Hey! ... You're killing me! Anyway, it's come to this. It seems I can't do it alone."
With everyone's cooperation, satisfying their desire to perform, the Lockes lined up to wait for Jujutsu Kaisen Locke to distribute the points.
"Black Robe, you've made a meritorious contribution. Take two thousand!"
"Pirate, you act for the heavens. Take three thousand."
"Young Hero, gather round. Take two thousand."
Invincible Young Hero Locke: "Hey, no, why am I getting so little? I'm not convinced. I've bled for the organization. I've done it for the organization... Hurrah! (The first two drag him away forcibly.)"
"Hokage, you are a righteous man who destroyed your own relatives. These five thousand are for you!"
After waiting for the last person, Hogwarts Locke's expectant eyes were practically glowing. He was tired of being the system's helper, and now he was about to shed his bureaucracy!
"Sorcerer, you've endured humiliation and shouldered the burden. These three thousand are for you to exchange for loans."
[-2532 → 468]
For a moment, Hogwarts Locke nearly burst into tears. He realized that what came next would be the main event.
"As for the remaining four thousand six hundred—those are what I painstakingly saved up little by little tonight. I hope you won't disappoint them."
[468 → 5028]
Hogwarts Locke: "Daddy!"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Good boy!"
Hogwarts Locke: "Daddy!!"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Good boy!!"
Hogwarts Locke: "Daddy!!"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Good boy!!"
Hogwarts Locke: "Daddy!"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "That's enough. I'm getting a bit nauseous. Cut it out. The smell is too strong."
Hogwarts Locke: "6"
After distributing the points, the capital bosses exchanged experiences with the actors, established unspoken rules for the future industry ecosystem, discussed the details, and then left the dream world.
Back in his dormitory, Hogwarts Locke couldn't wait to upgrade his panel—preferably directly channeling his intelligence to fifty, and then finding a way to make some changes for himself.
Then, to his despair, he discovered that, like The Boys Locke, his popularity points had begun to be automatically absorbed. This time, it directly emptied his entire savings, causing his popularity to vanish completely.
[5028 → 28]
Hogwarts Locke: "?"
In an instant, Hogwarts Locke collapsed to the floor of his dormitory, looked up at the sky, full of grief and indignation, and let out a desperate cry.
Hogwarts Locke: "No!!"
Seeing this, his dormitory neighbors instinctively used a snow spell, causing snowflakes to begin floating around him.
Neighbor #2: "What are you doing?"
Neighbor #3: "I didn't say anything. I just did it instinctively. And it felt more reasonable somehow."
Faced with Hogwarts Locke's tragic situation, no one naturally knew. When their popularity points came under control, they had actually spent almost all of them. The high consumption wasn't up to them.
Back in the Jujutsu Kaisen world, Locke, who had exchanged character cards with Naruto Locke, opened his eyes, looked at Megumi Fushiguro, who was still catching up on sleep in the car, and gave him a meaningful smile.
Megumi, it's not that I want to lie to you. It's just too popular. It gave too much.
At that moment, the car stopped. The three of them had finally reached their destination—Tokyo Jujutsu High School.
After Ijichi, who was nearly exhausted, said his goodbyes, the three walked side by side across the campus. Gojo Satoru enthusiastically introduced the school facilities to Itadori. The group happened to pass by a training ground.
Seeing an opportunity, Locke suddenly stopped, glanced sideways at Megumi Fushiguro, and said casually:
"By the way, your technique is the Ten Shadows Technique, right?"
Megumi Fushiguro looked up at Locke in surprise, nodded instinctively, and what the other party had said earlier flashed through his mind.
"That's right. Someone wants to talk to you. Take this chance to meet."
As soon as he spoke, a light smoke rose beside Locke. The moment the smoke cleared, he was no longer standing there—instead, a ninja who was indistinguishable from Megumi Fushiguro appeared.
Knotted's eyes widened: "Wow! Big brother turned into Megumi!"
While he was still surprised, Gojo Satoru had already activated his Six Eyes and clearly saw the other person. Locke, who had no magical power or magical reaction, after transforming into another person—similar to Nishida Kagetatsu—now had magical circuits in his body. And those familiar circuits were the Ten Shadows Technique.
In other words, Locke wasn't actually lying. The current situation was the most convincing proof of his words.
A wicked smile appeared on Locke's face. His gaze coldly swept over Megumi Fushiguro. When he saw that the other party's entire body was tense to the limit, he sneered softly and said:
"Huh? You look exactly like me? It's such a posture. It really upsets me. Lift your head! My foolish descendants, don't bring shame to the name of Shadow Flow!"
╔══════════════════════╗
📘 Want more?
Join me on Patreon for bonus chapters
and early access!
🔗 https://www.patreon.com/cw/OverlordD
╚══════════════════════╝