Satoru Gojo opened the shop within the system.
Inside, he could clearly see that his Popularity Points had reached a staggering total of 750,000.
Seven hundred and fifty thousand.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Too bad I can't go back. If those guys from the Zen'in clan saw me using the Ten Shadows Technique, their expressions would be priceless.
The thought amused him.
Then, silently, he issued a command.
Exchange for the Ten Shadows Technique.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, 500,000 Popularity Points vanished instantly.
[Ten Shadows Technique successfully exchanged.]
As the notification appeared, Satoru Gojo felt a flood of information pour into his mind.
Knowledge of the Ten Shadows Technique.
At the same time, he could feel subtle changes taking place throughout his body.
Most Cursed Techniques used by Jujutsu Sorcerers were engraved into the body itself.
They were innate.
Innate Techniques.
Abilities etched into the soul and bloodline from birth.
Normally, the only way to obtain them was through inheritance or natural talent. Learning one from scratch was virtually impossible.
But now...
With the system's help, the impossible had become reality.
The hereditary technique of the Zen'in clan, an ability that outsiders had been unable to acquire for over a thousand years, now belonged to him after spending 500,000 Popularity Points.
"This feeling is pretty strange."
Gojo muttered to himself as he examined the changes within his body.
"What are you talking about?"
Across the room, Betty looked up in confusion.
"Nothing. I just got something interesting."
Gojo grinned.
Then he closed his eyes and carefully examined the technique.
He knew quite a bit about the Ten Shadows Technique already.
The Gojo Family and the Zen'in clan had clashed countless times throughout history, leaving behind extensive records.
The Ten Shadows Technique allowed its user to summon corresponding shikigami through hand signs.
At most, two shikigami could be summoned simultaneously.
The shadow shikigami were significantly stronger than ordinary shikigami.
However, once destroyed, they could never be summoned again. Their power and techniques would instead be inherited by the remaining shikigami. Through extension techniques, two shikigami could also be fused into a single entity.
According to the records he knew, there were numerous ways to use the technique.
For example, deliberately allowing a shikigami to die so its power could strengthen another.
Or combining different shikigami to create entirely new applications.
There were also smaller tricks.
One method involved making a shikigami's form unstable, greatly increasing the area of its effects while preventing it from being permanently destroyed.
For most people, even if they somehow obtained the Ten Shadows Technique, mastering it wouldn't happen overnight.
But Gojo was different.
As the Family Head of the Gojo Family, he had access to historical records that contained information others could never learn.
He glanced around the room.
It seemed large enough to try out the technique.
"What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird this whole time."
Betty sat up and stared at him suspiciously.
She had noticed it quite a while ago.
Gojo had been zoning out repeatedly as though something invisible was distracting him. He had even been muttering to himself earlier.
It was bizarre.
"Betty, do you like dogs?"
Rather than answering her question, Gojo asked one of his own.
"I'm not some little girl who likes playing with Mabeasts."
"That's not very loving of you. Though honestly, they're pretty cute. You should give them a chance."
As he spoke, Gojo pressed his palms together and formed a strange hand sign.
Betty blinked.
She had no idea what he was doing.
Then, in the next instant, she sensed Cursed Energy stirring.
As it surged outward, the black shadow beneath Gojo's feet suddenly came alive.
It twisted into a swirling vortex.
Betty's eyes widened.
As a Great Spirit of the Yin Attribute, she could immediately tell this wasn't the effect of Yin magic.
The vortex spun rapidly.
Within moments, two large figures emerged.
Betty stared.
A black dog and a white dog had appeared out of nowhere in front of Gojo.
Both looked powerful and remarkably handsome.
She blinked several times, struggling to understand what she was seeing.
After all, this world didn't have summoning magic.
"So this is the interesting thing you got? A new jujutsu?"
Betty hopped off her chair and walked over to inspect the two dogs.
After examining them for a moment, she frowned.
"They don't seem all that impressive."
"Weak."
"They're probably only about as strong as that Mabeast Meili used to control."
Before Gojo could respond, the two dogs bared their teeth at Betty.
"They're a little smarter than I expected."
Gojo laughed.
"Compared to you, of course they don't measure up."
"But their potential is anything but weak."
He rubbed the black dog's head.
The dog immediately wagged its tail enthusiastically.
"Potential?"
"That's right."
"This technique is called the Ten Shadows Technique. As the name suggests, it allows me to summon shikigami from shadows. Creatures like these."
"They might seem weak right now, but they're only the first stage of the technique."
"There are nine more types of shikigami after this, each with its own unique abilities..."
Gojo gave Betty a brief explanation of the Ten Shadows Technique.
She looked at the dogs skeptically.
"Even if their strength can stack, I doubt they'd become all that powerful."
"The room's too small. Once we have some space, I'll summon the others and show you."
Gojo had considerable confidence in the technique.
After all, it was one of the Zen'in clan's treasured hereditary techniques, rivaling the Gojo Family for generations.
As he spoke, a new notification suddenly appeared on the panel he thought had already closed.
[Follow this account to receive notifications when new content is released.]
Gojo's expression became strange.
The wording sounded exactly like something from a corporate website.
The fact that a system capable of transporting people between worlds used advertising language like that felt oddly out of place.
Yet the moment the notification appeared, the Comment section exploded once more.
[Followed!]
[Follow +1!]
[Follow +1!]
[Follow +1!]
...
Seeing the flood of responses, the smile on Gojo's face widened.
Come to think of it, he apparently had fans now.
"Seriously, why do you keep zoning out? What exactly is so important?"
When he finally snapped back to reality, he found Betty standing atop one of the newly summoned shikigami.
She had leaned so close that her face was only inches from his.
Clearly, she was trying to figure out what kept stealing his attention.
"It's nothing, really."
"Don't worry about it..."
Gojo waved his hand dismissively.
Then another notification appeared.
[As the current storyline of this world has temporarily concluded, preparations for future storylines will begin.]
[Supporting character will temporarily return to original world.]
[Awaiting recruitment into another suitable series.]
"What?!"
Even Gojo couldn't keep his composure this time.
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
Return to his original world?!
Ever since arriving here, he'd occasionally wondered whether returning might be possible.
But only as a vague fantasy.
After all, he had never discovered even the slightest clue about how to get back.
So he had adopted an attitude of going with the flow and stopped thinking about it altogether.
Yet now...
The opportunity was right in front of him.
And he didn't even need to do anything.
The system was simply sending him back.
The suddenness of it left him genuinely stunned.
Then his gaze shifted to Betty.
Silence followed.
Their Contract had been formed almost by accident.
But during their time together, Gojo had come to understand just how dependent Betty had become on him.
Many people surrounded them.
Felt.
Reinhard.
Others.
Yet Betty had never truly grown close to any of them.
After leaving the Forbidden Library, she had opened the heart she'd sealed away for four hundred years to him alone.
Gojo knew better than anyone how difficult that choice had been for her.
And he had no intention of betraying that trust.
But now...
He was leaving this world.
Leaving Betty behind.
Even if he would eventually return when the second season's story began...
How was he supposed to tell her?
How could he even begin that conversation?
As Gojo wrestled with the problem, a new system notification appeared.
[Detected profound bond between supporting character and native world character.]
[Bonded individual may accompany supporting character during return.]
Seeing those words, Gojo couldn't help praising the system internally.
Bringing him here had been rather inconsiderate.
But this?
This was genuinely thoughtful.
If Betty could come with him, then he had nothing to worry about.
As for Felt and Natsuki Subaru, they'd be perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
"Betty."
Gojo looked at the small girl in front of him.
"What?"
"Why do I feel like you're up to something?"
Betty narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"What if..."
"I told you I was about to go somewhere very far away. Somewhere completely unfamiliar."
"Would you come with me?"
"If I don't go with you, am I supposed to die from a lack of Mana?"
Betty rolled her eyes.
"In that case, come with me."
A smile spread across Gojo's face as he extended his hand.
Betty didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she stared at him, silently asking what he was planning.
"Relax. I'm not going to eat you."
"I just want to take you somewhere interesting."
"I think you'll really like it."
"It's a world that belongs to Jujutsu Sorcerers."
"So?"
"Wanna go?"
Seeing that he wasn't joking, Betty hesitated briefly before placing her hand in his.
"It's not like I have much choice. Wherever you go, I'll end up following you anyway, right?"
She placed her hands on her hips and looked up at him.
"But if it isn't as interesting as you're making it sound, I won't forgive you."
"Got it."
"I promise you won't be disappointed."
"Before we leave, though, we need to make a few preparations."
Gojo wasn't the type to disappear without saying a word.
After thinking for a moment, he left a note in the room.
It explained that he and Betty needed to leave for a while because of certain circumstances.
They would return eventually.
If they hadn't come back by then, Felt should proceed according to the plan.
He would meet her later in Kararagi, and she should leave behind clues that would be easy to find.
Only after watching him finish the note did Betty finally realize he wasn't joking.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"The only famous place related to Jujutsu Sorcerers that I know of is Elsa's hometown."
"Don't worry."
"It's definitely not somewhere you know."
Gojo folded the letter.
Then he dismissed the shikigami and led Betty outside.
Stopping in front of Felt's room, he slipped the letter beneath the door.
"That's it?"
"Yep."
"That's enough. Felt can handle the rest herself."
With that, he brought Betty back to their room.
"The next part is probably going to be shocking."
"If you're scared, you can close your eyes and hide in my arms. I'll carry you."
"You think I'm a child?"
Betty snorted.
"I want to see what you're planning."
She lifted her chin defiantly and stared at him with wide eyes.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Keep those eyes open, or you'll miss something amazing."
"Oh please."
"You're obviously trying to trick me."
Betty wore an expression that clearly said Nice try.
At that exact moment, Gojo silently selected the option to return to his original world.