Betty followed the direction Satoru Gojo was looking and saw a black-and-white bear-shaped figure walking toward them.
"So you're finally back. I was really worried while you were gone."
"Sorry, sorry. Something unexpected came up, and I had to deal with it before I had a chance to tell anyone."
Gojo pressed his palms together apologetically toward Panda.
"Is that a Demi-human from your world?"
Betty stared curiously at the black-and-white bear she had never seen before.
"No."
"This is another cursed corpse created by Teacher Yaga, just like the ones I told you about before."
"His name is Panda. He's modeled after a protected animal from another country."
"A protected animal?"
"That's a long story. Basically, the species is close to extinction for various reasons, so people protect and care for them to help them survive and reproduce."
"Sounds kind of pointless."
"There are still so many people who can't even afford food, yet you're spending effort protecting animals?"
"Does your world not have hungry people?"
"Of course it does."
"That's why this sort of thing usually only happens in countries that are relatively well-off."
"On another continent across the ocean, there are still plenty of people who struggle just to eat."
Masamichi Yaga remained silent.
He simply watched as Gojo patiently explained everything to Betty.
As his teacher, Yaga knew him well.
Whether it was Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo, or Shoko Ieiri.
Gojo had inherited both the Six Eyes and the Limitless Cursed Technique of the Gojo Family. Ever since childhood, he'd been labeled a genius.
He had grown up under a spotlight.
Although that didn't make him arrogant in his daily interactions, there was undeniable pride buried deep inside him.
Getting along with him was easy.
Earning his genuine acknowledgment was not.
Especially when it came to patiently explaining ordinary things in such careful detail.
If it were anyone else, Gojo would never have shown this much patience.
Panda looked from Betty to Gojo and scratched his head with a goofy grin.
"Want to pet me?"
"I'm pretty confident in how soft I am."
He was clearly treating Betty like a little kid.
"Besides my brother, I have no interest in anything fluffy."
Betty turned her head away immediately.
Though she had to admit he was pretty cute.
Still, in her heart, her brother ranked first in that category.
"You're pretty blunt."
Panda laughed and didn't take offense.
Gojo grabbed a senbei and handed it to Betty before looking toward Yaga.
"I'm sure you've got a lot of questions."
"But let's make something clear first."
"If it's something I can tell you, I will."
"If I can't, there's no point asking."
Yaga looked at him calmly.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone charger.
"Need this?"
"Teacher, you've always been such a great man."
Gojo grinned and immediately took out his dead phone, plugging it in to charge.
"As for where I disappeared to..."
"Let's just say it was a rather unusual place."
"How I got there, where it is, those questions are off-limits."
"I can't answer them."
"But I can say that it was an incredibly interesting place."
"I met Betty there."
"We formed a certain Vow, and from now on we'll be living together."
"That's the short version."
Gojo spread his hands and looked at Yaga.
Yaga stared at Betty for a moment before speaking.
"You should understand that this situation isn't that simple."
His voice was low and serious.
"Yeah."
Gojo smiled carelessly.
"Teacher, tell me something I don't already know."
"The higher-ups are only good at talking."
"They're nothing worth worrying about."
"If anything, you're the one who should be concerned."
"Those old guys couldn't have stayed quiet while I was gone, right?"
Gojo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"There was some reaction."
"But you disappeared for too short a period."
"No one knew what happened, and they could only judge the situation based on the Gojo Family's response."
"So they merely tested the waters."
"They haven't made any major moves yet."
"Those people really are annoying."
Gojo rubbed his cheek helplessly.
"You don't need to worry."
"As long as you and Suguru Geto are around, there won't be any problems."
Yaga shook his head calmly.
"The problem is that I'll probably be leaving again before long."
"This time I don't even know how long I'll be gone."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Having only Geto around isn't enough yet."
"Not until he has enough cannon fodder and develops a Domain."
"You're leaving again?"
Yaga frowned.
"Yeah."
"I don't know when."
"And I don't know how long."
Gojo shrugged.
"What about her?"
Yaga glanced toward Betty.
"Obviously she's coming with me."
"Without me, she'd die."
Gojo said it with a completely serious face, despite how suggestive it sounded.
"Going after little girls is a serious crime."
"Based on what you just said, someone could call the police right now."
"If they call the police, they'll probably deport you first."
"International relations are a much bigger problem than I am."
"That's fine."
"I'll just pretend I'm a robot."
"It's basically the same thing anyway."
The moment Panda joined the conversation, the topic immediately veered off course.
"We can talk about all that later."
"You should contact your family first."
"If you don't show up soon, your relatives might actually do something crazy."
"Oh, and Geto and Shoko have been worried about you too."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Teacher's right."
"I'll contact everyone."
Gojo picked up his phone, which had finally gained enough charge to turn on.
"What's that?"
Betty stared at the small rectangular object with endless curiosity.
This new world had far too many strange things.
"You can think of it as a Conversation Mirror with a lot more functions."
"It lets people talk to each other."
"It can also send written messages."
"You can socialize, take photos, listen to music, and a bunch of other things."
As he explained, Gojo casually snapped a picture of Betty and showed it to her.
"What a flashy little gadget."
Betty wrinkled her nose at the image.
Gojo simply took the phone back and set the photo as his wallpaper.
With her personality, he was absolutely certain she'd become addicted to smartphones once she figured out how they worked.
Soon enough, she would experience the wonders of technology.
Gojo opened his contacts and called the Gojo Family first.
The call was answered almost instantly.
"It's me."
"I'm back."
"I'm at Jujutsu High right now."
Just one sentence.
That was all it took for chaos to erupt on the other end.
He could hear people shouting and running around before someone hurriedly said they were coming immediately and hung up.
Just as Yaga had said, the Gojo Family had been desperately searching for him during his disappearance.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
After dealing with his family, Gojo called another familiar number.
Suguru Geto.
The call connected instantly.
Just like before.
But this time, the person on the other end didn't speak.
Only silence.
"Hello, hello."
"Don't tell me you've gotten so lonely without me that you've forgotten how to talk."
Gojo smiled lightly.
"Heh."
A faint chuckle came from the other side.
"I knew a guy like you would stay alive just to keep annoying people."
"Ouch."
"That hurts."
"I thought after being gone this long, you'd greet me with tears of joy."
"I was really looking forward to it."
"Then go die and become a Cursed Spirit."
"Maybe you'll finally hear it."
"Oh?"
"So you can capture me with your Cursed Technique and whip me every day?"
The line went quiet for a moment.
Then both Gojo and Geto burst out laughing at the same time.
"Sounds pretty interesting."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Quit wasting time."
"Get back here."
"If you're late, I'm going home."
Click.
The call ended.
Gojo immediately dialed another number.
"Hello, it's me."
"Yep, that's right."
"I'm back from my trip."
"Souvenirs?"
"Nothing like that."
"But I did bring back a cute little girl."
"Huh?"
"Little girl lover?"
"Hey, don't say things that sound so misleading."
...
"Hey, little Utahime."
"Your favorite handsome guy is back."
"Aren't you touched?"
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"Offering incense for me?!"
...
After making several calls, Gojo flopped backward onto the floor and sighed dramatically.
"Has all sincerity vanished from this world?"
"I missed all of you so much."
Panda squatted beside him and poked him.
"Actually, I'm curious."
He glanced toward Betty.
"Is she a Cursed Spirit?"
"Well..."
Gojo sat up and scratched his head.
"Betty isn't really the same as the Cursed Spirits you're familiar with."
"To be precise, she isn't a Cursed Spirit at all."
"I just taught her how to use Cursed Energy."
"Because of her unique nature, she gives off a similar feeling."
"If I had to explain it simply..."
"Do you know what a Spirit is?"
"Not the ones from Western mythology."
"I'm talking about the kind you see in fantasy novels, beings formed from elemental forces."
"Betty is that kind of Spirit."
"Since she isn't a purely flesh-and-blood lifeform, she shares some similarities with Cursed Spirits."
"And now that she's learned to use Cursed Energy, she feels even more like one."
"But honestly?"
"Her strength is already comparable to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
"Probably even stronger."
"Most Special Grade Cursed Spirits are brainless monsters."
"Betty's a lot smarter."
Gojo's explanation left both Panda and Yaga staring at each other.
Spirits?
What were those supposed to be?
In their world, only Cursed Spirits existed.
Spirits belonged in fairy tales and fantasy novels.
Something fictional.
And yet Gojo was telling them one was sitting right in front of them.
"Don't look so shocked."
"Ever heard of Alice in Wonderland?"
"Just think of it as me going on a journey like that."
"I saw a lot of incredible places and met a lot of incredible people."
As Gojo continued talking, neither Panda nor Yaga said a word.
There was simply too much to process.
Seeing that, Gojo wisely chose not to explain further.
Knowing more wouldn't help if they couldn't digest it.
Instead, he grabbed another senbei and encouraged Betty to try it.
Before they had eaten more than a couple, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
Gojo turned toward the entrance.
Several figures were rushing toward the building.
Faces he knew very well.
Members of the Gojo Family.
"Hey, hey."
"Sorry for making everyone worry."
"But relax."
"I came back perfectly fine."
Sitting cross-legged on his cushion, Gojo waved cheerfully.
The moment they saw him safe and sound, the tension that had gripped the Gojo Family finally disappeared.
For weeks they had searched without finding even the slightest trace of him.
"Thank goodness."
"Thank goodness you're okay."
"Gojo, where did you go?"
"Everyone's been worried sick."
"We practically searched all of Japan."
"If you hadn't shown up soon, we were preparing to ask Master Tengen for help."
Master Tengen.
The moment those words appeared, a certain face immediately surfaced in Gojo's mind.
Roswaal.
In a strange way, the two of them were surprisingly similar.