Chapter 14: Geto Suguru at the Edge of Extremes
Tap, tap, tap…
A woman strode in briskly, one hand on her hip as she looked at the haggard Geto Suguru.
"You're Geto-kun, right?"
"What kind of woman do you like?"
Tsukumo Yuki's unfamiliar yet striking face appeared in the two of their eyes, instantly putting Geto Suguru on guard.
But Haibara Yu got interested. "I like gentle and kind women!"
Purely by instinct, he felt the unfamiliar woman in front of him wasn't a bad person.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Tsukumo Yuki glanced at him. "That underclassman's answer is pretty standard."
"Hehe… um, I've got something to do. You two talk."
Haibara Yu scratched his head, smiled, and left.
After Haibara left, Geto Suguru asked, "Who are you?"
Tsukumo Yuki spoke and stated her identity. "Tsukumo Yuki."
Geto Suguru's eyes flickered—he felt like he'd heard that name before, along with some not-so-good rumors.
Seeing Geto Suguru's thoughtful expression, Tsukumo Yuki pointed at herself with a completely unbothered face.
"That's right! I'm the special grade who never takes missions and lazes around overseas."
Tsukumo Yuki sat on the bench, her gaze calm.
Since Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru had become special grades, as their senior she should at least come say hello.
"I don't like Jujutsu High…"
Tsukumo Yuki began talking about her relationship with Jujutsu High on her own.
And she compared Jujutsu High's approach of hunting curses to "symptom treatment."
"Jujutsu High's method only treats the symptoms, not the root. What I want to do is create a world where curses aren't born at all."
Listening to Tsukumo Yuki's words, a ripple rose in Geto Suguru's lifeless gaze. He stared at her blankly, not understanding what she meant.
"Looks like you don't quite understand."
Seeing Geto Suguru's confusion, Tsukumo Yuki explained.
"Curses are things formed from the sediment of leaked cursed energy from humans."
"If you want to create a world without curses, there are two ways.
First, remove cursed energy from all humans. Second, make all humans able to control cursed energy."
Tsukumo Yuki continued. "I originally leaned more toward the first option, because a state of having absolutely no cursed energy does exist, but… I researched for many years, and in the end I still couldn't find a method."
Cases where Heavenly Restriction reduced cursed energy down to ordinary levels absolutely weren't rare, but a case of having zero cursed energy at all—worldwide, she had only found two examples.
She had studied Zenin Jinsuke for years and still didn't discover anything, and she even ended up owing a mountain of debt.
"I've temporarily given up on that direction."
She really didn't have that kind of money.
"Now I'm considering how to make all humans able to control cursed energy—make everyone a sorcerer. This world also wouldn't produce curses then."
Sorcerers leaked very, very little cursed energy. They could circulate it inside the body, so things like curses wouldn't be born.
Only when uncontrollable negative energy accumulated would curses be created.
Geto Suguru fell into deep thought.
A year of nonstop exorcising, nonstop swallowing curses that tasted like vomit-soaked filth, nonstop witnessing the ugliness of human hearts—his thinking had gradually become chaotic and extreme.
Tsukumo Yuki's words sparked an extreme notion inside his fractured heart.
"Then… killing all non-sorcerers would accomplish the second method, wouldn't it?"
Geto Suguru said blankly.
Hearing that, Tsukumo Yuki's expression didn't change at all. With one hand propping her chin, she looked forward and said calmly:
"That… would work."
She had likely thought of that method too—she just hadn't included it in her plan.
"That's the simplest approach under the second method. A better approach would be to give ordinary people more pressure, forcing them to become sorcerers in order to survive."
In other words: keep manufacturing fear and crisis, and make all humanity evolve together.
"Sigh… but right now, I'm not that extreme."
Tsukumo Yuki spread her hands. Because her conscience got in the way, she hadn't implemented that method.
"Geto-kun, do you hate non-sorcerers?"
"I don't know. If it were the old me, I'd answer 'no' without hesitation… but recently, I've started doubting the value of non-sorcerers."
Geto Suguru lowered his head. His mind was a mess.
The preciousness and ugliness unique to the weak—he could no longer tell which was which.
"I don't know whether despising non-sorcerers or protecting non-sorcerers is the real me."
"About that—whether either one is the 'real you' isn't important. The important part is that you're finally starting to make a real choice."
Tsukumo Yuki folded her arms. Looking down the corridor ahead, her eyes suddenly brightened.
"You're here."
Zenin Jinsuke's figure appeared in front of them. He looked down at the exhausted Geto Suguru.
Looks like even with Amanai Riko surviving, this kid was still being tortured badly by human ugliness and disgusting curses.
When Geto Suguru saw that familiar face appear out of nowhere, his confusion immediately pulled back.
"It's you!"
He instantly became guarded. "Why are you at Jujutsu High?"
Zenin Jinsuke smiled and spread his hands. "I'm a teacher here. Is it strange for me to be here?"
Geto Suguru said, "Teacher? Impossible. I've never seen you teach a class."
"Oh? Isn't it normal for a P.E. teacher to take leave all the time?"
Tsukumo Yuki stood up, staring at Zenin Jinsuke with a weird look.
"Not bad. One year and you've already wormed your way into Jujutsu High as a teacher? Pulled quite a few strings, huh?"
Her head tilted—him being a teacher just felt off.
"Forget that. Shouldn't you settle the debt you owe?"
…
Tsukumo Yuki puffed her cheeks and turned her head away in annoyance.
"Treat me to a meal. Otherwise don't expect a single penny!"
"Sure. Just didn't expect a special grade sorcerer to be so broke she can't even afford food."
"Geto, don't ever learn from your useless senior over here."
Zenin Jinsuke didn't mind a meal.
"Hmph."
Tsukumo Yuki snorted and walked out.
"Geto-kun, I only came to say hello to you and Gojo-kun this time. And don't worry about the Star Plasma Vessel issue—because of certain reasons, Tengen's situation is stable right now."
After saying goodbye to Geto Suguru, Tsukumo Yuki put on her helmet and tossed the keys to Zenin Jinsuke.
"Can you ride?"
"Who are you looking down on?"
Seeing Tsukumo Yuki's motorcycle, Zenin Jinsuke got a bit interested. He put on a helmet and got on.
Tsukumo Yuki also swung a leg over and sat behind him, naturally wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Bye-bye, Geto-kun."
She waved to Geto Suguru.
Zenin Jinsuke also turned his head toward Geto Suguru, who stood by the roadside with no light in his eyes, and spoke.
"Kid, you look kind of lost. As your teacher, I'll give you a hint. If you don't know how to choose, then pick whatever feels best—do what you like, and take out the people you can't stand."
Why think so much? If you get messed with, hit back. If you can't win, either run or endure it—who cares about all that other crap.
Sometimes, being selfish makes life a lot less troublesome.
"What the hell, and you're a teacher? Don't mislead kids."
Tsukumo Yuki complained.
Vrrr vrrr vrrr—
The only response was the motorcycle starting up.
Geto Suguru watched the two of them disappear into the distance, his eyes dazed.
"Do what I like…"