Chapter 54: Fifty-Fourth Arctic
Hospital, patient room.
Sasaki and Iguchi had recovered significantly thanks to Kamihara Hajime's Reverse Cursed Technique. They were still in the hospital due to some psychological issues. After talking with them, Yuji Itadori bowed deeply to them: "I have a very important matter to attend to. Well... goodbye, seniors."
Afterward, Yuji Itadori went to the crematorium. Accompanied by Gojo Satoru, he placed his grandfather's cremated ashes into an urn. Holding the urn, he sat on a bench outside, looking lost in thought.
Gojo Satoru, with his legs crossed, sat beside him: "The deceased was..."
Itadori looked down at the pure white urn, his eyes unfocused: "He was my grandfather. As for my parents... well, I grew up with my grandfather, so he was like my parents to me."
"I see. I'm sorry that you got caught up in such a troublesome matter at a time like this. So... have you made a decision about the suggestion I made?"
Yuji Itadori exhaled deeply: "Are there many Curse incidents like this?"
Gojo Satoru rested his chin on his hand and explained: "Not really. This situation is somewhat special. In terms of the scale of victims, it's quite common. In fact, thanks to you all, there were almost no casualties, which is very good."
"But most of the time, if ordinary people who encounter Curses can't be rescued in time, it's already lucky if a complete corpse is left. More often than not, not even a body remains. The end of death is also the end of liberation."
Gojo Satoru leaned back in his chair, looking up at the sky: "How should I put it? In the process of searching for Sukuna, you will inevitably witness those tragic scenes. I cannot guarantee that you won't suffer the same fate. Just choose a path you like on the way to hell."
Yuji Itadori asked calmly: "If Sukuna completely disappears, will the number of people who die from Curses also decrease?"
Gojo Satoru tilted his head to look at him, a slight smile on his lips: "Of course. Sukuna, as the Curse King, possesses such destructiveness. Without a doubt, the sooner Sukuna is exorcised, the fewer people will be harmed in the future."
"Is that finger still there?"
Hearing Yuji Itadori's words, Gojo Satoru took out the finger he had used to demonstrate to him earlier and handed it to him. Yuji Itadori took the finger and examined it. That night, he had eaten it without much scrutiny. Now that he had a chance to see it clearly, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Looking closely, this thing is truly disgusting."
Without much hesitation, Yuji Itadori tossed Sukuna's finger into his mouth. After a difficult swallow, he ate it. Black patterns reappeared on his face, and an astonishing aura surged from him.
Gojo Satoru beside him still looked very relaxed. This was the second one; he was already one-tenth of the way there. Let me see... if you truly have this talent.
"Ugh, it tastes awful!"
Sukuna did not awaken. It was as if everything just now was an illusion. Yuji Itadori still had control of his body, and Gojo Satoru, who was ready to act at any moment, had no opportunity.
And Yuji Itadori, who was never picky about food, only described the taste of Sukuna's finger as extremely awful. Perhaps shoe leather with sauce would be easier to swallow than this. But then again... normal people wouldn't eat a dried-up finger, would they?
Gojo Satoru's smile deepened. This guy... not only has excellent physical resilience, but he can also easily maintain his self in front of Sukuna. He's truly a prodigy seen once in a century! No, once in a millennium!
"You're ready, I can assume that, right?"
Yuji Itadori rubbed his head: "Not really. I don't really feel anything about what you said. I still don't understand why I was sentenced to death. But... those Curses can't just be left unchecked. I will eat all of Sukuna, and after that, I don't know..."
"What a troublesome last wish! My way of dying has already been decided."
'You will die surrounded by others.'
Gojo Satoru burst out laughing, stood up, and patted Itadori's shoulder: "Not bad, not bad. You're not someone people would dislike. Go pack your bags today."
"Where to?"
"Tokyo."
It wasn't Gojo Satoru who answered him, but Kamihara Hajime, who appeared from the side. Megumi Fushiguro and Byakko were also there.
"Huh? It's you, Genichi! And Fushiguro!"
Kamihara Hajime handed a bag of Sendai's specialty Kikufuku to Gojo Satoru, who beamed with joy: "Thanks, Genichi! I've wanted to eat this for a long time, but I've been too busy to come over."
Besides what he brought for Gojo Satoru, Kamihara Hajime bought some extra, with various flavors. Since he was already there, he bought more so everyone could have some.
"You're coming with us to Tokyo and enrolling in Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School. From now on, you and Megumi will be in the same year."
Yuji Itadori showed a simple, honest smile: "Oh, that's good. Huh? What about you?"
Kamihara Hajime stuffed a small bag of Kikufuku into his arms and, hearing the question, put his arm around Megumi Fushiguro's shoulder: "I'm a year older than you, so you should call me senior, right? Megumi."
"Tch."
Megumi Fushiguro turned his head, looking displeased, but Yuji Itadori immediately bowed politely and greeted him: "Genichi-senpai!"
"Oh, right..."
Gojo Satoru seemed to remember something: "Speaking of which, you're the third student in the first year."
Kamihara Hajime looked over at the mention, thinking, 'Is it that Nobara Kugisaki? Three first-year students, huh?'
"When did you recruit a new student, Gojo-sensei? You never mentioned it."
Gojo Satoru, carrying the bag of Kikufuku, smiled innocently: "Haha, really? Never mind, it's not important. You know now, don't you?"
Forget it, he was used to it.
Afterward, Yuji Itadori went back to pack his bags. To be honest, he didn't have much to pack; he mainly needed to take care of his grandfather's funeral arrangements.
The next day, the four of them took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. On the way, they tried the Sendai specialty Kikufuku. It was indeed very delicious as a snack, but... it was very sweet. Kamihara Hajime's sencha flavor was alright, as it balanced out a lot of the sweetness.
As for the edamame paste and fresh cream flavor, strongly recommended by Gojo Satoru, it became cloyingly sweet after a few bites. However, this loyal sweet tooth enjoyed it immensely.
Upon returning to Tokyo Jujutsu High, Gojo Satoru took Yuji Itadori to see Yaga Masamichi. Kamihara Hajime and Megumi Fushiguro returned to their dorms.
He had originally wanted to give the souvenirs he brought to Panda and Maki, but none of them were at the school. He asked and found out they were all out on missions, so he could only put them in the refrigerator for now.
The next time he saw Yuji Itadori was when Gojo Satoru led him to his assigned dorm, right next to Megumi Fushiguro's, just a few steps from Kamihara Hajime's. The dorms at Jujutsu High didn't have specific areas; the number of students simply couldn't fill all the rooms, and each dorm was very spacious.
After sorting out the dorms, Megumi and Itadori received a notification from Gojo Satoru: "Tomorrow, we'll go pick up another first-year student!"
"I said, why did you call me too?"
The four of them stood on the bustling Harajuku street. Kamihara Hajime looked at the lively scene with a lack of interest. Gojo Satoru drank a freshly bought sweet drink: "Genichi, it's boring for you to stay alone at Jujutsu High. Why not come out and stroll around? Besides, I have a mission to give you later. I'll tell you more about it in a bit."
"What a hassle... Fine, I'm going to buy ice cream. What flavors do you want?"
"I want three scoops: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate!"
Gojo Satoru was the first to respond. Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro weren't picky about flavors. The three of them stood in the shade, waiting for Kamihara Hajime to bring back the ice cream.
"Where's the new student? And why are we meeting in Harajuku? Why not just have her go directly to Jujutsu High?"
Hearing Kamihara Hajime's complaint, Gojo Satoru, who was happily eating, explained: "She requested it herself, and it just so happens..."
Yuji Itadori, standing nearby, suddenly spoke, looking into the distance: "Is that her?"
Following Itadori's pointed direction, they indeed saw a short-haired woman there, entangled with a man who looked like a talent scout, talking about something. The girl was wearing a uniform that was clearly from Jujutsu High, but like Itadori's, it had some modifications, with a waist belt and a skirt that reached near her knees.
"That's her, right? Let's go say hello."
Gojo Satoru cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted: "Over here! Over here!"
Nobara Kugisaki, whose attention was caught, let go of the talent scout and walked over.
"Hello, nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Nobara Kugisaki. Cheer up, boys, I'm the token girl!"
The orange-haired woman, with one hand on her hip, showed little change in expression, as if it were only natural. This kind of girl... she's similar to Maki but also different.
"Yuji Itadori, from Sendai."
"Megumi Fushiguro."
From Nobara Kugisaki's perspective, one was rustic, like a kid who would eat his own boogers, and the other was the type who acted cool and could set oil-soaked seagulls on fire. In short, she wondered why the environment was still so bad even after changing places.
And that black-haired boy over there, he's quite handsome... but he looks like he's about to die. Is he also a first-year student?
Gojo Satoru clapped his hands and said cheerfully: "Alright, that's it! All the first-year students are here. Now, let's go explore Tokyo!"
"Oh, right, and this is your senior, a second-year student..."
Kamihara Hajime, perking up, took over Gojo Satoru's words and put on a professional smile: "Kamihara Hajime, second-year. I was dragged here today by this blindfolded idiot to make up the numbers. Please take care of me."
Speaking of which, after Kamihara Hajime became a second-year, their homeroom teacher was Atsuya Kusakabe. However, his situation was special; the missions he took were usually given to him by Gojo Satoru, who was not only the first-year homeroom teacher but also a Special Grade Sorcerer and a pivotal figure in the Jujutsu World.
Moreover, there were very few teachers and students at Jujutsu High, so the divisions were sometimes not so clear. Furthermore, Atsuya Kusakabe, the second-year homeroom teacher, was also someone who disliked managing things. Fortunately, Jujutsu High students were easy to manage and generally didn't require much effort... probably.
Gojo Satoru's suggestion to "explore Tokyo" made Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki, these two kids from the "countryside," incredibly happy. In no time, they were already familiar with each other and began discussing where to go. Kamihara Hajime sighed, looking at them; these two were thinking too much...
"Roppongi?"
Their initial plans of Disneyland and Chinatown all turned to foam. What lay before them was an abandoned building and the Cursed aura emanating from it.
"The entrance exam officially begins!"
Clapping his hands, the only one who was happy, Gojo Satoru explained the situation to Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki, informing them that they would be the ones to exorcise the Curse inside, and that Itadori was forbidden from unleashing Sukuna, otherwise the Curse would be instantly annihilated, but it would likely cause greater harm afterward.
Gojo Satoru, Kamihara Hajime, and Megumi Fushiguro sat outside. Gojo Satoru looked at the not-so-powerful Cursed aura in the abandoned building with some anticipation: "This time, the main focus is to test Nobara Kugisaki. Yuji Itadori has already been confirmed. He can swallow Sukuna's finger without hesitation and can fight Curses without hesitation when facing them for the first time. He has passed."
"He's not like you two, who started dealing with Curses early. Before this, he was just an ordinary student on campus. You've seen many Jujutsu Sorcerers who had talent but gave up halfway because they couldn't overcome their fear and disgust, haven't you?"
"And today, we mainly want to see if that girl is crazy enough."
Kamihara Hajime, standing nearby, sighed: "Only madmen can do well as Jujutsu Sorcerers, right? Oh, by the way, what about the mission you mentioned earlier that you wanted to give me? Are we going to leave immediately? Even a mule wouldn't be worked like this."
Gojo Satoru chuckled: "You two aren't much better, are you? And going too crazy can turn you into Curse Masters..."
Then he changed the subject: "As for the mission... do you remember I said that there are far fewer Spellcasters and Cursed Spirits abroad compared to domestically? This mission is one of the exceptions. There's a rare Special Grade Cursed Spirit that has been observed. After some exchanges, the mission came into our hands. As compensation, besides the basic money, Genichi, you can also make some requests, of course, provided you complete the mission."
"Huh? Why does this mission have extra compensation? Is it because the target is very strong?"
Gojo Satoru pinched his chin and explained: "Not entirely. It's because this is a commissioned mission, so part of the mission reward also comes from the client, so you understand..."
"Oh~"
He understood. It was like a main job and a side hustle. Exorcising Cursed Spirits domestically naturally came with a "salary," but the convenience gained from enjoying the established channels was also part of the salary. However, these foreign commissioned missions were another kind of allowed side hustle. After the headquarters received the client's exchange conditions, they would allocate some as additional compensation, especially since it was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and there weren't many who had the confidence to exorcise it.
Kamihara Hajime's eyes lit up: "Then I should be able to get some sufficiently valuable information, right?" He was referring to the treasured information that required status and more achievements to access. Some of it was even precious knowledge accumulated by The Big Three Families over nearly a thousand years. Kamihara Hajime had previously managed to acquire some due to his achievements in exorcising Special Grade Cursed Spirits and because of Gojo Satoru.
Thinking of the secret techniques and research data of the Kamo Family and Zen'in, Kamihara Hajime couldn't help but feel his heart flutter, especially the Kamo Family. Relying on their ancestral Technique, Red Blood Manipulation Technique, their research on the relationship between the human body and Jujutsu could be said to be superb. So... he was definitely taking this mission!
"When do we leave? Location, detailed information?"
"Next week, which is five days from now. The location is the Arctic."
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