Chapter 48: Heading to Kyoto
Fushiguro Toji was completely stunned, as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world.
He opened his mouth, wanting to mock, wanting to refute, but looking into Toho Hiroshi's calm yet terrifyingly profound eyes, all words got stuck in his throat.
To protect those two brats he abandoned?
To be a father?
Such sentimental and troublesome things.
But—
An untimely flash of the spiky-haired brat's stubborn, silent gaze, and the girl who always smiled gently, calling him "Dad," appeared in his mind… His life was rotten, he lived like trash, and he was prepared to die like trash.
Money, killing, excitement—after all that was immense emptiness.
He had never cared about anything, and he thought there was nothing for him to care about.
But at this moment, Toho Hiroshi's words were like a rusty key, forcefully prying open the deepest, most forgotten and deliberately buried corner of his heart.
A long silence permeated the Kamui Space.
Finally, Fushiguro Toji forced out an extremely complex smile, uglier than crying, his voice hoarse: "You really know how to cause me trouble, you stinky brat."
He didn't explicitly agree, but this sentence was already a disguised surrender and tacit approval.
Toho Hiroshi said no more, raising his hand, and space began to twist violently.
"Remember your choice, Fushiguro Toji. This is your only remaining chance to 'start over.' Don't disappoint me, and even more, don't disappoint them."
The next moment, Fushiguro Toji's figure disappeared into the distorted spatial vortex, sent by Toho Hiroshi to a pre-arranged lodging point closest to the Fushiguro Siblings.
After doing all this, Toho Hiroshi didn't linger, his figure once again fading in the Kamui Space.
It was also time to completely resolve Fushiguro Megumi's "indentured servitude."
After dealing with Fushiguro Toji's matter, Toho Hiroshi didn't hesitate, immediately using Kamui for a spatial jump, returning to the vicinity of Jujutsu High.
He took out his phone and dialed Gojo Satoru's number.
"Moshi moshi~ Who is this?"
Gojo Satoru's lazy voice came from the other end of the phone, with some background noise, seemingly at a mission site.
"It's me, Toho Hiroshi."
"Oh~ Toho!"
Gojo Satoru's voice immediately became excited, "What, missing me so soon after we parted? Or do you want to spar again? I'm currently exorcising a noisy Cursed Spirit in a very—distant place, so I'm busy for now, you know."
"I need to borrow money from you."
Toho Hiroshi concisely interrupted his rambling.
"Borrow money?"
Gojo Satoru's tone instantly took on exaggerated surprise, "Wow! Our dignified 'the uncrowned king,' Mr. Toho Hiroshi, who just defeated the invincible Lord Gojo Satoru, actually has financial difficulties? What earth-shattering news! How much do you need? If it's three or five hundred yen, I can sponsor you, enough for a few onigiri~"
Toho Hiroshi remained expressionless, automatically filtering out his trash talk: "Two billion yen."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds, then a louder burst of laughter: "Two billion?! Toho, have you finally gone blind from overusing those eyes and your brain is also damaged? Or are you possessed by some strange curse?
"Two billion! Do you know how much that is? Piled up, it could crush a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit! No, no, I'm very poor, my salary is almost all spent on sweets, I'm dirt poor~"
Toho Hiroshi had long anticipated this reaction, his tone still flat: "One billion to redeem Fushiguro Megumi's 'indentured servitude' from the Zenin Family, and the other billion is your investment in the future 'the strongest' partner's activity funds. If you encounter trouble in the future, I can prioritize helping you once."
"Eh—it's for that brat Megumi?"
Gojo Satoru drew out his words, seemingly considering, "And prioritize once? That kind of empty promise isn't sincere enough, you know. But…"
He changed his tone, his voice suddenly becoming cheerful: "Alright, alright! Who told you that you're my most important partner Send me the account number. Two billion, right? That's nothing Remember to pay it back, though I'm not short on money, I still have to charge interest, let's say…"
"I've sent you the account number."
Toho Hiroshi directly rattled off a string of numbers, interrupting him again.
"I know, I know, so impatient."
Gojo Satoru's phone made a few notification sounds, "Done! Transferred! Two billion yen, please check your balance~ Alright, I need to continue exorcising this Special Grade Cursed Spirit, this Cursed Spirit is really ugly, it's ruining my mood… Beep beep beep~"
Gojo Satoru finished speaking to himself and hung up the phone decisively.
Almost the instant the call ended, Toho Hiroshi's phone received a bank transfer notification.
[Your account ending in XXXX has received a transfer of 2,000,000,000 yen, balance...]
Looking at the long string of zeros, the corner of Toho Hiroshi's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
This guy, as expected, was just deliberately teasing; two billion yen was probably truly "nothing" to him, the head of the Gojo Family.
With the funds in place, Toho Hiroshi no longer delayed, his figure once again merging into the distorted spatial ripples, destination—Kyoto, Zenin Family… Kyoto, Zenin Family Estate.
Unlike the classical style of the Gojo Family, the Zenin Family resembled a heavily guarded classical Japanese fortress, with high walls and deep courtyards, exuding a stale and oppressive atmosphere.
When Toho Hiroshi's figure appeared out of thin air outside the Zenin Family's imposing yet somber main gate, it immediately drew the guards'alert.
"Who goes there!"
Two guards, dressed in traditional attire with swords at their waists, stepped forward and shouted sternly, Cursed Energy surging around them.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Special Grade Sorcerer, Toho Hiroshi."
Toho Hiroshi calmly stated his name, "I have come to discuss the redemption of Fushiguro Megumi."
"Special Grade Sorcerer?"
The guards exchanged glances, a hint of surprise and an almost imperceptible disdain flashing in their eyes.
Although Toho Hiroshi's reputation had spread among the Higher-Ups, to these tradition-bound guards of an ancient family, a "Special Grade" who appeared out of nowhere with no background held far less weight than a name from The Big Three Families.
In front of the Zenin Family's main gate, the air seemed to solidify.
The two guards who had spoken mockingly were now as if choked by an invisible giant hand, their faces pale as paper, cold sweat pouring down, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
The vast and terrifying Cursed Energy pressure emanating from Toho Hiroshi, though not directed at them, was merely the tip of an iceberg unconsciously revealed, yet it made them feel as if they were facing divine wrath, unable to muster any resistance, and even breathing became extremely difficult.
"Spe… Special Grade…"
One guard painstakingly squeezed out these two words through gritted teeth, the disdain in his eyes long replaced by boundless fear, his legs giving way, almost collapsing to the ground.
Just then, the heavy gate of the Zenin Family creaked open from within.
A group of people walked out quickly.
Leading them was a tall, bearded middle-aged man with a large sake gourd hanging from his waist.
He appeared unrestrained and wild, but his sharp, discerning eyes revealed his extraordinary status and strength.
He was the current head of the Zenin Family—Zen'in Naobito.
Behind him followed several core members of the Zenin Family, including his son, Zen'in Naoya, who wore a clearly defiant and arrogant expression, and standing a little further away, with complex expressions,
The twin sisters in kimonos—Maki Zen'in and Zen'in Mai.
Naobito's gaze was like lightning, instantly sweeping over the situation at the gate, seeing the miserable state of the two guards and Toho Hiroshi, who stood calmly with an unfathomable aura, and he immediately understood.
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