Questionable Questing
Gusfes, SirHelios replied to a thread you are watching at Questionable Questing.
[NSFW] - A Game of Unlimited Curses (Jujutsu Kaisen/Chainsaw Man/Multicross Gamer SI)

Chapter 5
"This is the headquarters of the Public Safety Curse Hunter Association?" Nobara questioned in disbelief, gawking at the awe-inspiring before her.
Having just arrived at their destination's front gate, she could clearly see several, shining building complexes spread out for miles, with the tallest one at the centre going up fifteen stories. Each complex was surrounded by intricately decorated gardens and refreshing-looking pools and ponds, where she could see dozens, if not hundreds, of people who were clearly not professionally hires frolicking about. She could even see waiters walking about, holding trays of liquid-filled glasses, waiting to serve those people.
If anything, this place seemed more like a five-star resort than a gathering place for supernatural warriors. She was so used to the dead-serious, almost boring serenity of the tradition-inspired Jujutsu High that she couldn't help but have whiplash. The pictures did not do this place justice.
"It's a brand new organisation, how come their facilities already look so much better than ours?" She asked, annoyed. She couldn't hide her jealousy—she wanted to relax in pools; she wanted to sleep in rooms that could only be first-class considering the layout of this place; she wanted to be served like a VIP, damn it!
She turned towards her mentor, Gojo Satoru, as she heard him laugh at her expression.
"Surprising, isn't it? Well, that's what happens when you've got some of the richest people in the world funding you. But the old geezers back at HQ are too prideful to be seen begging like dogs; sorry, Kugisaki, you'll have to stick with our third-rate services." He teased, which only ticked her off even more.
She looked towards her fellow classmate, Megumi—who was trying desperately to act aloof, but even she could tell, he was impressed.
"Fushigoro, you're a part of a really famous clan, aren't you? Please tell me their residence is on this level." She pleaded to him. When her fellow sorcerer simply looked awkwardly to the side, she knew his answer.
Damn it, she should have considered her options more carefully. There was no better mentor than Gojo… but… but… but…
She had to peel her eyes away from those lucky bastards enjoying themselves, and stomped her feet to release her frustration. When that was done, harrumphing, she began walking forward hastily with her eyes closed and head held up high.
"Come on, let's finish your business, Mr Satoru." She demanded, unwilling to wait for her two companions, lest she allow herself to fall into temptation.
Of course, her mentor quickly and leisurely fell into step beside her, and she could hear Megumi soon close in from behind.
"No need to rush, Kugisaki. There'll be someone who'll come out to greet us soon, anyway. You'll be lost without a tour guide." Gojo remarked, and at that, she slowed down, realising the truth in his words.
Sure enough, soon, she saw a suited woman exit the main building and approach them.
"Welcome, Mr Satoru. And these two must be Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki. On behalf of the Public Safety Curse Hunter Association, we hope you two enjoy what will hopefully be the first of many visits to our facilities." The woman had a sly smile when expressing that last bit. It was an open secret that the higher-ups at Jujutsu High despised the modernised Jujutsu organisation, and though the government frowned upon such restrictions, there was an unwritten rule within Jujutsu High that a person's career progression would be made very difficult if they were known to consort with the public association.
The only reason they were here was because of Gojo, and because Gojo had no problem whatsoever with antagonizing the 'old geezers' whilst getting away with it.
"Alright, Makoto, I'll go on ahead, I know my way around. You should stick with my adorable little students and show off your facilities."
Before Gojo walked off to finish his own business, which he had yet to explain the specifics of to her or Megumi, he turned to his students and advised them.
"This is a rare opportunity; you'll be too busy after this. So make sure to fully learn how these guys operate. They have an interesting approach in how they organize and deal with curse-related matters; it might end up being useful to you in the future. Cya."
At that tidbit, he waved goodbye and teleported to God knows where.
Right, this was serious—her prospective career and life was at stake—completely serious; forget these bozos lazing around, she needed to learn all she could.
"So then, how should we start the tour? Are you hungry, would you like to be served by our resident Michelin star chef first? Or would you like to join some of our VIP sorcerers in relaxation and discussion? You can see some of them in those pools there? Or would you like to head in to see some of them at the spas?"
Her focus was immediately broken by those words. Her eyes shone in delight, adopting a starry-eyed look towards their tour guide.
Distracted by the temptations dangling in front of her, Nobara did not notice Megumi sighing behind her, knowing full well that he would have to reel her in.
XXXXXXXXXX
Much to Nobara's chagrin, Megumi had denied her desire to languish in luxury. The two had argued for quite some time, until they reached a compromise.
They'd get takeout from the association's hired chefs, and whilst eating, Makoto would bring them to what he really wanted to see. Above all else—the training grounds, the residential area where their hired or trained sorcerers were, or their command infrastructure—he wanted to see their R&D facilities first.
Makoto had agreed to their request, before pointing to an assortment of buildings in the forest area nearby, and stating that she would bring them to meet the association's hunters afterwards.
"So, what are your hunters like?" Megumi asked, before elaborating. "Our faction is more traditional, and prejudiced in favour of bloodlines and secret arts that have been built upon for centuries. The publicized appeal of your organisation is that you build sorcerers from the ground up, regardless of their latent ability, how does that work?"
Whilst that narrow view of jujutsu meant that their pool of sorcerers were relatively low, it also meant that long-standing entities like Jujutsu High or the Zenin Clan raised only the cream of the crop.
And yet, it was the hunter association that was achieving the higher standing in public perception in recent days. For an organisation that had only been established within the year, that was impressive, and suspicious.
Unlike the fossils back home, like Gojo, he couldn't deny the association's effectiveness. But whether that effectiveness was really only in terms of PR or the real deal was yet to be determined.
"Well, like you said, in terms of techniques, most of our roster isn't anything special. In terms of training, it's mostly a hotchpotch of special force regimes revolving around curses we've captured. And even we don't have the luxury of people of Gojo Satoru's or Jinichi Zenin's calibre being on the training staff—they're either always on the field or contracted hires who can't be bothered to teach." Makoto confirmed. She was leading them towards a small white building. He had spotted several of their like spread across the vicinity—the simplicity of their design stood out amongst the opulence of this fortress/resort.
"So does that mean you've got a lot of first-generation sorcerers like me?" Nobara asked, right after she had finished her box of sushi and tossed it towards a nearby bin, before following Megumi and Makoto and passing through the sliding doors of the white building.
"Yes." Makoto nodded, flashing her dangling member's card to a staff member working behind the front desk, and elaborated. "A lot of our recruits are victims of the Gun Curse's Massacre or survivors of day-to-day curse attacks who only recently awakened their abilities, and want to learn how to defend themselves. Naturally, and no offence to you Miss Kugisaki—being able to be noticed by Jujutsu High is undoubtedly a sign that you are exceptional—there are limits to how powerful an ordinary first-generation sorcerer can be, no matter how much they train."
Nobara scoffed, taking no insult, but reaffirmed her position, thumbing her chest. "Of course, talents like me don't just fall off trees, you know. But I'd like to share notes; with abilities like mine, without raw power, you've got to get creative with your application." Nobara half-bragged and half-insinuated; Makoto agreed to that statement, noting to Nobara that there were some mad geniuses in their hunter division that Nobara would like.
They were waiting for the receptionist to type in a few things and finish a call. When their call ended, the receptionist nodded to Makoto and pointed them towards the elevator in front of them. For a single story building, that could only mean they were going underground. After waiting a bit for the elevator to arrive, they walked in and Makoto pressed the number 15, the highest option available, commencing their descent.
Megumi was internally analysing Makoto's words whilst they were waiting in the elevator. The hunters weren't as mundane as Nobara and Makoto were making them out to be. Whilst on his own assigned missions, he had seen some of the hunters in action. Their toolkits were unique.
"It's not just creativity, is it? You guys are creating some 'monsters' down there, right?" Megumi questioned, intentionally being ambiguous.
Makoto smiled at that, no doubt used to being probed for transparency. Whilst the public knew the association dealt with 'unseen, yet catastrophic monsters', their process was shrouded in mystery. Naturally, a loud minority of the general public—which was still a lot of people—went crazy with conspiracies.
"Indeed, we're running inhumane experiments to create biological superweapons." Makoto joked. "But on a serious note, and to answer your earlier question, the gem of our organisation—our R&D department, as you've guessed earlier—is what props our organisation up."
As she said that, the elevator had finally stopped fifteen floors down. Walking out and waving at Megumi and Nobara to follow, she repeated the same gestures she expressed with the receptionist above to the security staff waiting in an office behind a glass panel to the left of the hallway they had just entered. In front was a gigantic door.
The security staff nodded and spoke through the panel. "We've already registered Megumi Fushigoro and Nobara Kugisaki as guests at Gojo's behest. You're free to proceed." That confirmed his minor suspicion—that damn teacher of his was planning to split up and leave them to a babysitter from the start.
At the security staff's allowance, the two students followed Makoto's lead and walked up to the door, only to be met with an electrical device's scan, a red light passing through them, and a robotic voice regarding them.
Makoto Nejima, Level 3 Authorization
Megumi Fushigoro, Temporary Level 1 Authorization
Nobara Kugisaki, Temporary Level 1 Authorization
"If creating barriers to protect secrets is the foundation of Jujutsu High's sorcery; creating tools to unravel secrets is the foundation of ours." Makoto further elaborated. Indeed, Megumi knew that. The antagonistic relationship between Jujutsu High and the Hunter Association wasn't due to one-sided jealousy; the Hunter Association had also, on occasion, provoked Jujutsu High by sending officials to investigate the institution—though adhering due to sanctions, he knew that the higher ups at his institution would never allow the full extent of their powers to be uncovered.
His musings were interrupted by the door opening. He frowned; he looked to Nobara who held the same, slightly confused expression. The sight in front of them was a bit anti-climactic.
"What do you see?" Makoto asked with a sly smile on her face.
"Just another hallway and another door." Megumi replied dryly, causing Makoto's smile to widen. He didn't like that at all.
"Come along, step through the door and you'll see." So they did, and what happened next caught Megumi and Nobara off guard.
The moment they stepped through, the hallway vanished and their location changed seamlessly. The door shut behind them; they were now in a round hallway, the mirrors of its innermost walls allowing them to see that it surrounded what seemed to be a massive research facility—it was wider than their entire school—in the centre and a few levels down. He could see several escalators connecting the centre laboratories to this hallway.
The two students looked towards their guide, who explained the phenomenon that had just taken place. Megumi internally noted that it was almost like entering an innate domain—he had sensed cursed energy the moment he had passed a line.
"Our research of Jujutsu High's barriers was very fruitful. We've simply reverse-engineered it to suit our own purposes. This curse research facility—one of many, mind you—that we just entered isn't physically accessible through the Tokyo Headquarters. So if you two alone had come through those doors, you would have simply walked on and on until you reached a dead end. It is only through my authorization—with Level 3 being the minimal requirement—that the barrier technique can be controlled to where I redirect it to transport us."
Though he didn't know the specifics of it, he knew that the Tombs of the Star Corridor were similar in nature. But he also knew that something that convoluted needed someone like Tengen overseeing it.
Nobara turned away from Makoto and walked to the glass panels in front of her, an amazed and almost-horrified expression on her face.
She looked through them and down towards the scientists who were actively monitoring restrained curses and live showcases with what seemed to be experimental weapons.
"Are you sure you're not ripping off Resident Evil?" Nobara asked, half-serious and half-joking, Megumi assumed. He had no idea what Resident Evil was, but considering the name, it might be something horror-related.
She turned her head back to look at Makoto, an incredulous look becoming more prominent. "You're not going to suddenly rant on about how the next step of human evolution is fusing with curses, are you?" Seriously, that was what she was concerned with? Not the complex technique that had just taken place, but some random motive straight out of a horror-action plot? He was more familiar with techniques like these, and even he hadn't gotten over the fact that the Association already had something like this up their sleeves.
Makoto laughed at that. "No, no, no! We're not focused on that; furthermore, the nature of curses is too unpredictable and unsafe for research into that area to ever be socioeconomically fruitful."
She walked left, presumably heading towards an escalator to access the laboratories below.
Following her, Megumi noticed several doors along the hallway's outermost walls, but no label to indicate what rooms they led to.
"Are these doors passages to other association buildings?" He asked—a frightening possibility came up in his mind. Makoto nodded in reply, sensing what he was really asking for.
"Yes, the barrier technique has registered several distant locations, some of them overseas too—as the connection isn't physical, we can control and change what locations this place is linked to. It allows us to more easily connect with our VIPS; and more efficiently redistribute our forces."
This wasn't just copying; that was straight up innovating. Teleportation of the scale Makoto was implying was unheard of. But that also confirmed another, scarier theory—something had happened to Master Tengen; for security reasons, he would have never allowed such spatial loopholes to exist in Japan, regardless of what the government allowed.
Once they made it on the west escalator, as they made their way down, Megumi could more clearly see what was down there.
There seemed to be four quadrants: the northwest section was where the scientists were examining curses—some of which were restrained to lab tables or suspended in liquid-filled tanks. The northeast section was where there weapons were being tested. The southeast section seemed to revolve around a lot of vials containing unknown substances. And the activity within the southwest section was too ambiguous for Megumi to accurately pinpoint it.
"Wow, this is my first time seeing foreigners—wait, they're normal?" Nobara noted, waving her head left and right as they arrived at the bottom of the escalator.
Megumi shared Nobara's surprise. The foreigners in suits, spread throughout all the sections, were out of place. He had never seen this many foreigners in one place before. If it was just that, he wouldn't have minded them, but they weren't doing anything but observing, standing to the side of any active projects.
They didn't feel like sorcerers, or people who were used to curses. It was almost like they were children at a zoo.
"Is it normal for this many civilians to be allowed to spectate your research?" Megumi asked.
"They're the agents of several governments, or our sponsors." Makoto replied. "Naturally, in return for their support, we have to showcase our findings. The information exchanged here will be the foundation of the world's future policies towards curses."
So the rumours were true. Foreign investors and government aid pooled in their resources to build this organisation; and in exchange, the knowledge and experience accrued here would serve foreign efforts to build their own Jujutsu fighting force.
The times when Japan was the hidden and only superpower in dealing with curses was soon coming to an end, it seemed.
Because this time, it was a matter of necessity. With the Great Hole, and Master Tengen's fate uncertain, the whole world risked extinction if they couldn't learn how to deal with curses.
Naturally, this reminded Megumi of what had provoked this necessity.
"Is it true then that you've stored away the Gun Curse here? Is it being used as a basis for your research?"
At the mention of that curse, and it being possibly nearby, he could see Nobara's hand clench.
After the Valentine Massacre had forced Gojo's intervention, the fate of the Gun Curse had been left unknown. Gojo had told Megumi that he hadn't exorcised the curse; but the world governments had collectively stated publicly that whatever had caused the unprovoked destruction of several cities and the deaths of millions of lives all over the world was in their custody. They didn't show the curse—and given the strong feelings towards it, every normal person in the world would be able to see it—they didn't show any footage of it being destroyed; they simply gave public speeches that the world was now safe.
Given the worldwide catastrophes that curse had caused upon leaving Japan; such vague statements had left the world restless and angered. Proof of exorcising it would be the only mollifying solution.
"My apologies, but I'm not authorized to even know about that matter. If it was entrusted to our organisation, it would be stored in a much more secure location, and under the provision of our most powerful and trusted overseers."
Leaving the topic of the Gun Curse at that, she guided them towards the northeast section, hollering at a staff member.
When the male employee came towards Makoto, she whispered something into the person's ear, causing him to look at Megumi, and particularly towards Nobara. He soon adopted a look of understanding, his eyes shining, before he nodded and jogged away to parts unknown.
"What was that?" Nobara asked, slightly miffed with the way the man's gaze had lingered on her for reasons unknown.
"Oh, nothing that you'd dislike, Miss Kugisaki. On behalf of the association, we have simply prepared something for you—I've ordered him to fetch it."
Ignoring that exchange, Megumi walked ahead of Makoto towards a peculiar sword that was resting on one of the nearby tables. A scientist hovering over it noticed Megumi approach.
"Hey, if you're not licensed to tinker with cursed weapons, you shouldn't get so…" The scientist gawked briefly, a hint of recognition within his eyes.
"These cursed weapons, they're not formed the traditional way, are they?"
The scientist seemed a bit stunned, and he looked towards Makoto, who also approached and gestured for him to speak.
"Ah… well…" The scientist breathed deeply, regaining his bearings. "Well, you're correct, partially. Normally, it takes years, if not at least decades, of a weapon absorbing residual cursed energy to form any cursed traits." He took up the sword, showing it off to the small audience in front of him.
The blade wasn't ordinary steel that had been enhanced by cursed energy. The blade was black, with a line of red matter—Megumi would daresay it was organic matter—running across its centre.
"But we form our 'curse' weapons from the remains of curses."
That confirmed Megumi's suspicion when he had seen the weapons of those hunters in action a few weeks ago. They didn't have the same feeling of any of Maki's weapons.
"You… How the hell does that even work?" Nobara questioned loudly. "If you defeat or dissect curses, they just disappear completely. No parts should remain, unless we're talking about special-grade cursed objects and those aren't just flying off trees; and even if they were, they shouldn't be capable of being re-purposed to a weapon."
The scientist had a brief look of confusion, which Makoto quickly corrected.
"They have a different ranking system from us; she's talking about Grade A Curses.' Makoto explained to him. The scientist clicked his fingers and oohed in understanding; before he had a look of concern, which he directed towards Makoto, flicking his head towards Megumi and Nobara or more specifically, their uniforms.
"It's okay." Makoto placated him. "They're students of Mr Satoru. You can tell them what you learned in our guidebook; if they blab to their higher ups, there will be no consequences for you."
"So it is him." The scientist whispered, looking at Megumi. "You're this generation's bearer of the Ten Shadows Technique." It wasn't a look of respect or reverence—it was the look that a scientist would direct towards a particularly interesting lab rat.
"Mind your manners." Makoto lectured the scientist. "These people are guests, and they are still waiting for their curiosity to be sated."
"Ah, yes, my bad." The scientist's look was gone, replaced by a sheepish one. "Well, miss…?"
"Nobara. Nobara Kugisaki." She filled in the blank for him.
"Miss Kugisaki; you'd be right if we were working under ordinary means. But in our early days, before the government backing and when this organisation was still forming its identity," That was news to Megumi, he thought the association was directly formed by the government—that was what the news had reported officially. "One of our founders formed a contract with the Eternity Curse."
"Now, it wasn't as powerful as such a grand title would suggest, but it did have certain useful skills. Using its blood and its bones, which it had much to offer, the first 'blacksmith' of our organisation apparently created the Cursed Blood Weapon Series, the prototypes of the cursed weapons we use now."
"Could you show us what those prototypes looked like?" Megumi asked.
"Ah, well, I don't think there's any lying around in this facility. But I can show you a picture of one design." He walked away quickly towards a desk, opened a drawer, presumably searching for the picture. When he found it, he returned promptly and placed it on the desk near the weapon for Megumi and Nobara to see.
The picture showed a thick bone cleaver, tinged blood red, with spikes at the side and hints of slight separation at several points along the blade. It also showed a boned whip alongside the cleaver, indicating that the cleaver's blade could separate into the whip.
Something was off.
"So these weapons were conceived nearly alongside the organisation? If that's the case, how long was this organisation formed?"
The scientist didn't seem to have a resolute answer.
"Ehh, five years, I think."
"You think?" Megumi questioned, looking towards Makoto as well, who only shrugged and spoke for the scientist.
"Employees at our level don't know the full history of this organisation. What we're telling you is essentially what've we learned from the brochure or from the mentors assigned to us."
Megumi nodded in understanding, but he was troubled inside.
"Were there any special properties about these weapons? How do they specifically relate to Kugisaki's question?"
"Ah, yes, that was going to lead to my next point." The scientist replied. "Those weapons when used to cut curses, forced a curse of eternity upon its victims, or at least upon any appendages cut off. From what I've gathered, our earliest hunters brought two weapons: a blood-bone weapon to gather blood and body parts," Nobara cringed at that. "And a regular cursed weapon to exorcise the curse itself."
At that explanation, the scientist looked towards Nobara. "So to answer Miss Kugisaki's question, we have tools that can prevent the body parts of curses from disappearing upon exorcism, which we use to form what we call Curse Weapons, not cursed weapons, curse weapons." He clarified.
"These Curse Weapons are much better than the prototypes, because they're formed from and have taken the abilities of much stronger curses. So nowadays, our hunters usually just bring a Cursed Blood Knife for looting, instead of the gaudy weapon you see in this picture."
Megumi now understood. That was how the association was able to catch up so quickly in terms of a capable fighting force. Whereas Jujutsu High cultivated techniques and bloodlines; the association evolved their weapons, which would take the techniques of curses. And he knew from experience, that whilst the association lacked sorcerers of the Zenin family's top sorcerers—he wouldn't compare Gojo, who was a stupid outlier—those weapons could elevator a Grade 3 sorcerer, even with all their inexperience, to a Grade 1 sorcerer.
He looked towards the northwest section, where the curses where.
"I assume that those curses you've got locked up over there help in the development of weapons like these?" He asked, to which Makoto replied.
"Yes, among other things. But yeah, weapons are the primary development focus; areas like medicine and techniques are still going too slow for us, due to a lack of knowledge."
Megumi nodded, satisfied at that. But one thing still bugged him from earlier. He looked back at the picture.
Maki was a fanatical weapons collector, to the point where she spent a fortune on the black market to buy a lot of shifty antiques. She had shown him her collection, and though his memory could not accurately recall every weapon within it, he could've sworn she had shown him a weapon that looked eerily similar to the one in the picture. Maki's one wasn't blood red, nor did it have any cursed technique, but he still couldn't shake the feeling.
And he remembered Maki bragging that it was a weapon created centuries ago.
His musings were interrupted by the return of the staff member Makoto had earlier whispered to. In his hands was a box, which he soon held right in front of Nobara. She had already been warned that she was going to receive a gift, so without a hint of surprise, she took the box and opened it.
"No way!" Nobara exclaimed excitedly. It seemed the gift was good.
Megumi walked closer to Nobara to see what was inside the box. It was an elegantly-designed, expensive-looking, completely silver hammer.
"Is this…?" Nobara's question was cut off by Makoto's nod, a knowing smile on her face.
"Yes, we commissioned one of our finest blacksmiths, Andre, to create a Curse Weapon for you.
Would you like to test it out, whilst we explain its functions to you?"
"Would I? Hell yeah, I would!" Nobara exclaimed, before halting and holding up a hand.
"Wait, how much is this thing worth?" At that question, Makoto hummed.
"Considering the wage of the hunter who bought in… blacksmithing costs… Grade B designation…" She mumbled, before declaring. "About 50,000,000 million yen."
"50,000,000 million yen?" Nobara looked at the hammer as if it was priceless treasure. Megumi remembered something. Considering Nobara's background, that was well outside her comfortable price range, even if she were to become a professional sorcerer. Knowing her somewhat, she'd buy luxuries before she would think about spending it on a cursed weapon.
"And I get this… for free?" Nobara stressed the 'for free' bit.
"For you, yes, this is free of charge. Consider it a token of our good will." Nobara had a grateful look, before it was immediately replaced by suspicion. Megumi was surprised; he thought she would make a fool of herself for a bit by acting like a child who had just gotten their toy.
"Why are you going so far to accommodate us? Aren't you guys unfriendly with our side?" She asked.
Megumi immediately knew why, and he suspected Nobara faintly knew too—they were trying to curry favour with Gojo, or at least improve his impression of them. But…
"Though he doesn't know it, Gojo has done us many favours whilst we were still coming into our own; we simply wish to return one of those favours to his own students, who are also coming into their own."
Makoto flicked her hand to indicate the staff member to continue his own business, before continuing.
"But you're right. Our higher ups don't like the traditionalists in your faction—if they were the ones to ask for a favour, we would undoubtedly tell them to go stuff themselves—but at the end of the day, we are all fighting for the same thing, and heading in the same direction. Just as the elderly have come to embrace the comforts of modern technology despite looking down upon the youthful for their reliance on it, there will come a day when those traditionalists will choose to benefit from our discoveries, as will all of humanity too. It might as well be now, rather than later."
At that explanation, Nobara nodded in acceptance, and bowed.
"… Thank you very much. I'll repay you guys somehow."
Makoto's explanation was fine. For how prideful and prickly Nobara could be, she wasn't an immature child. Motives didn't have to be black and white, and they didn't have to be singular. It didn't matter if Gojo was the primary reason for this gift; for it was fact that Nobara would be benefitting from it—it might even help save her own life in the future. In which case, it would be improper to be anything but grateful.
Makoto smiled.
"That's alright. You can repay us by being the best sorcerer you can be and exercising as many curses as you can with that weapon." She stated.
In response to that, Nobara lifted her head and cheerfully stated.
"I was planning to do that anyway. But you said you were going to teach me the ins and outs of this thing, come on, tell me where's your training grounds, I want to test this baby out—and hopefully on some live curses; I can see you've got some laying around."
Makoto nodded and pointed at the scientist, indicating that he should bring Nobara to that place in her stead.
The scientist sighed, "You do know I'm busy, right?" He mumbled, before looking at Nobara.
"Alright, follow me."
Nobara looked at Makoto questioningly as the scientist left his station.
"Don't worry, you go on ahead, we'll join you soon." 'We?' Megumi thought, as Makoto looked at him. "There's something that I have to talk about with Mr Fushigoro first, and he'd want this topic to be private." So, it was something personal, but he was drawing up a blank.
Nobara silently checked up on him, but he shrugged in response. It wasn't a big deal. Accepting that, Nobara started following behind the scientist.
"Don't stay behind too long now!" She shouted at them, "Or I'll start swinging my brand new toy without you; and if that happens, don't blame if things start breaking!" Makoto chuckled nervously at Nobara's teasing, before looking towards Megumi seriously.
"We would like to extend our apologies to you, Mr Fushigoro, if you found offence in us giving Miss Kugisaki a Curse Weapon, but not you." Megumi shrugged nonchalantly, he wasn't the sort to expect or accept freebies at all. But given that Makoto had admitted that her organisation was currying favour with Gojo, it was strange that they appealed to Nobara over him—tactically speaking, it would've been wiser to appeal to him, if not both.
"We had thought about crafting you a weapon, but given your illustrious background and the vast inventory at your disposal, we eventually decided that such an option would only be superfluous."
It wasn't like he was the heir of the Zenin clan, he didn't own any of their belongings, nor would he inherit it.
"Instead, through one of our most trusted sources, we attained information that we thought you would find most valuable."
Megumi raised his eyebrows, he doubted that; but Makoto closed in towards him, and whispered to his ear words that would shake him to his core.
"Whilst we have monitored that their project is still in development, there is an individual that has the potential to cure your sister."
… What?
XXXXX-Gojo-XXXXX
He could feel those disgusting eyes on him again. Anytime he would come near this place, his senses alerted him to a foreign presence. In these grounds, it seemed to be omnipresent, analysing him from all directions—he knew this feeling it provoked; it was the feeling of a predator looking upon its prey.
Before teleporting away from his students, without letting them see his face, he had smiled aggressively. He wasn't bothered one bit by that feeling. If someone wanted to start something with him, he would end them, easily.
But he couldn't help his curiosity. Whenever he tried to respond in kind with his own eyes, all he could seem to visualise were a pair of yellowy, ringed eyes.
It wasn't just money. The Public Safety Curse Hunter Association had something or someone similar in nature to Master Tengen backing them up.
But that someone was not on the Association's official roster. And knowing Master Tengen, this being would most likely also have several convoluted protection mechanisms in place.
Popping up in the middle of a certain lounge on the fifteenth floor of the association's main building, he plopped down straight away on a black sofa he had landed in front of.
From a nearby office desk, a manager walked up to him, not in the least surprised.
"Mr Satoru, Ms. Kirijo has been expecting you. But a certain friend of hers has made an unexpected visit. We apologise for the inconvenience, but could we ask you to wait just a bit longer here?"
He smiled and nodded.
"While you wait, would you like anything? Food, beverages, commissions?" The manager asked.
He internally sighed. No questions about how his day was going; no catch-up conversation.
Unlike the people hanging around divisions like R&D, the guys hanging around the upper floors were so uptight, even more so than Nanami, no matter how much he prodded them to lighten up. They took up after their boss', Mitsuru Kirijo's, mannerisms a bit too well.
That was fine, for today, he was also feeling unusually serious.
So, without bothering to tease them, he went straight to the heart of the reason he had decided to come visit.
"If that's the case, would you do a favour for me?" The manager's eyebrows rose up at that. A request from one of the most capable sorcerers in the world was certainly priceless, and unusual.
Taking a slip of paper from out of his pocket, he held it up to the manager.
"Two weeks ago, I received an anonymous letter in my residence. I'd like you to read it." He didn't elaborate; he simply chose to pay close attention to the manager's reaction as he obeyed Gojo's request.
Geto is walking around.
He is not alive; his body has been taken over by someone named Kenjaku.
Be careful; do not recklessly search for him. He is planning to seal you. He is in possession of the Prison Realm. If you see a box, don't listen to Geto's voice, just run a good distance away and you'll be safe from being imprisoned.
If you see a patch-faced curse, a volcano-head curse, or a tall tan cursed spirit with wood on its head, kill them on sight. Don't play around with them, go all out immediately.
There is a traitor in Kyoto Jujutsu High by the name of Kokichi Muta, who is leaking information to Kenjaku's group. Don't bring him in, yet. He made a Binding Vow with them to repair his real body in exchange for his cooperation. Keep close tabs on his real body; in time, Kenjaku will meet with Muta alongside the patch-faced curse to repair his body.
That could be your opportunity to jump Kenjaku—have a proper plan.
Sincerely, Concerned GM.
PS: in case additional information comes to light or needs to be addressed, I will contact you again.
"Would you happen to know anything about this? Do any of your information brokers go by 'GM'?" Gojo asked.
The manager didn't react to the unbelievable words on the letter, at least in a way that would incriminate him or his associates. He did react to Geto, anyone knowledgeable in this business should, but his expression grew increasingly lost as his eyes roamed towards the mention of the Prison Realm, and the curses, and Muta. In the end though, he simply shook his head.
Nonetheless, Gojo had to make sure.
"When I read this letter, I didn't want to believe it." He didn't want to believe in this sacrilege to humanity; this blatant disrespect to his friend's memory and his own will. But the world of curses was exceptionally cruel, particularly to those who were gifted.
The only reason why someone would be interested in Geto's body was most likely his cursed technique: Cursed Spirit Manipulation. He had always suspected, but he didn't want to know, considering the taboo nature of the subject, the body retained the abilities of the soul even after death.
"I immediately went back to where I had my friend buried. Suffice to say, his body was not there. The burial site had been desecrated." Gojo snarled, uncharacteristically, at the mere reminder of that memory.
After seeing the hollow coffin, Gojo immediately went to the government records and his family's library to find out if there was any mention of this Kenjaku.
No one recently born, as in the last century, went by that name; nor did anyone in the millennia of history contained within his family's books. So instead, he went to research any sorcerer who was known for body snatching—the fact that the letter made a distinction between Kenjaku and the curses meant that Kenjaku was likely a sorcerer. That list of rare monsters consisted of names like Noritoshi Kamo, an infamous sorcerer during the Sengoku period; or Doctor Iosefka during the 1800s in Europe. All of them were born ages past, but it was well within the means of sorcery—especially sorcery of this twisted skillset—to extend one's life past centuries, if not millennia.
"I've searched all over Japan these last two weeks in search of this vermin who's taken possession of my friend's body. Nothing, I've found nothing. Which means something or someone is sheltering this Kenjaku." The manager visibly gulped, realising Gojo's insinuation.
Even through the blindfold, Gojo's glare was palpable.
"When I do find Kenjaku, and I do confirm that which was aiding him along… I'm going to wipe them off the face of this planet—and when that time comes, I'm not going to care about this world's stability."
At that threat, the manager tensed up, his earlier, practised composure when he first greeted Gojo was completely gone. He could feel the air grow suffocating, as if the world itself was bowing to this sorcerer's 'truth'—those words weren't merely a threat; they weren't merely a promise; they were as synonymous with Death and Fear as a universal truth.
The business chatter and sounds of typing from his colleagues on this floor went still. Even those who had no direct line of sight with Gojo could feel his presence.
He wanted to reassure Gojo that the public conspiracies about government agendas held no water. He wanted to say that the association would never knowingly commit acts that would enrage Gojo. But as Gojo stared at him, as he felt the sorcerer dissect his entire being in search for answers, and realised instinctually that Gojo knew his response before even he did, his mind collapsed abruptly.
"I… um… we at the… uh," The manager uncharacteristically stuttered.
But before he could make an even bigger embarrassment of himself, he was saved by the sound of the doors to his boss' office opening. That sudden sound broke the chilling tension he was feeling like a soothing summer breeze.
He looked back to see a young, purple-haired woman walk out of Miss Kirijo's office.
Immediately, she sauntered towards them as if the pressure emanating from Gojo was nothing.
Both to convey respect and gratitude, he bowed to greet the lady once again and stepped aside. He was merely a side actor.
Gojo looked at the lady and smiled, releasing his killing intent.
"Saeko Busujima, it's been a while." He greeted jovially. "I didn't think I'd see you here." He had noticed she had come directly from Kirijo's office.
Saeko smiled in return, responding, "I came here to chat with a dear friend of mine. I could say the same to you, but before that—are you doing well, Mr Satoru; and how are the masters at Jujutsu High, particularly Mr Tengen, faring?"
Gojo almost burst out laughing—he settled for a chuckle, struggling to downplay his reaction—amused by Saeko's cheek. Though her demeanour carried the essence of politeness and class, there was venom hiding beneath it.
"The old geezers are still in desperate need of vacation time; Tengen… he's still at death's door." It was an open secret in the Jujutsu world. When curses of the Gun Curse's calibre started popping up out of nowhere—when they didn't before—and were allowed to escape Japan, naturally the first fear would be that something had gone wrong with Tengen's barriers.
After cleaning up the events of the Massacre, he, alongside the old geezers, had checked up on Tengen. The reality was worse than their fears.
They found him in his realm, lying in a pool of his blood. He was still alive, but lingering unnaturally between a state of consciousness and unconsciousness.
A hole had been formed through his chest, its appearance coinciding with the ominous black hole—the Great Hole, as it was dubbed by the world—that had formed above Japan in the skies.
Naturally, an investigation ensued. Even he was a suspect, if only due to sheer ability. That line of reasoning by the higher ups meant that individuals like Yuta or Hakari were also on the list of suspects. But on top of that list, even above himself, was Saeko Busujima—her abilities were uniquely suited to assassination and unlike Yuta, who had yet to reach his prime, her threat level was sufficient enough to properly warrant such fears.
So without etiquette, and because those old geezers had feared this lady long before Tengen's mysterious life-threatening injury, Jujutsu High had sent out an order to capture and imprison Saeko for interrogation.
If not for an unnatural change of heart—something had clearly spooked those old geezers; then again, what didn't?—Saeko would undoubtedly still be in hiding, fending off the secret enforcers of the higher ups.
It was safe to say that the young lady was not especially fond of his organisation.
"My condolences to Master Tengen. I hope the wise elders are doing everything in their power to capture his attacker, for the sake of justice." There it was, Gojo mused. Despite bearing herself as a yamato nadeshiko, there were moments, particularly when faced with the prospect of a worthy battle, when Saeko couldn't hide the sadistic madness within her eyes—those unnatural blue and red eyes of death.
But the madness was quickly suppressed by discipline, the back-and-forth shift so minute and instantaneous that only someone with his level of perception could have noticed, and her eyes returned to normal blue.
He shrugged, "Meh, I wouldn't count on it. They're completely useless."
Saeko somehow nodded politely at that, as if pretending that she didn't agree with his opinion, before turning to the manager, who was just awkwardly standing there.
"Forgive me, Mr Toriko, I must have interrupted your conversation with Mr Satoru. It is improper for me to ask, but would you allow another grievance so that I may discuss something with Mr Satoru, in private?" She bowed sincerely, whilst slightly lifting up the sides of her school uniform's skirt.
"Oh, oh no troubles, Miss Busujima, certainly!" He exclaimed. In fact, he looked relieved that the girl had taken control of his situation. He turned to Gojo and bowed.
"Well, I'll be off to finish some paperwork. But I'll still be nearby in case you or Miss Busujima require anything. Have a wonderful day." The man walked off hastily, leaving Saeko and Gojo to themselves.
Gojo chuckled, particularly at Saeko.
He didn't miss how she had conveniently shown up the moment his killing intent started rising. He didn't miss the flash of those blue-red eyes the moment she had stepped out of Kirijo's office.
She had been fully ready, and eager, to confront him.
Honestly, if not for how much importance she placed on her public façade, Saeko reminded him way too much of Toji, except worse.
This new generation was looking scary.
He made a mental note to never allow Megumi and Saeko to meet. Mentally, Megumi wasn't like his father, but he was still growing, things could change, and he couldn't dismiss the possibility that Saeko could somehow awaken some Inner Toji within his student.
The young lady sat on the sofa opposite of Gojo, and addressed him.
"If I may ask, what was the cause for earlier? Perhaps I could help?"
"Oh, it wasn't anything that man or this organisation did specifically," Gojo replied. "I was merely venting."
She raised her eyebrows, "About what?"
Gojo considered his options. Honestly, he didn't want the information inside his letter to be spread out to just anyone—he hadn't even told any of his friends. So he settled for something vague.
"Something unsettling is on the horizon. And there's been a lot more on my plate in recent days." He mused softly.
Saeko looked thoughtful at that, before saying something that caught him off-guard.
"Are you perhaps talking about that American CEO, Gil Strife, coming over?" Gojo groaned at the mention of that egotistical jackass.
Sensing her mistake, Saeko noted, slightly flustered.
"Was that not who you were thinking about? My apologies then, with you being at the association, and the earlier negative emotions I sensed, I assumed you had received the same news that my father had spoken to me."
From her tone, Gojo assumed it wasn't just the regular controversy concerning that man of strife.
And whilst he kept up with the news, with how busy he was, he wasn't exactly a government insider.
"What news is that?"
Saeko grimaced, disgust written on her face.
"It's not official, on behalf of my father's honour. But from what he's heard, Mr Strife has been allowed to join the upcoming talks between the US and Japanese government to negotiate American citizens having access to Curse Weapons—more specifically, the Hunter Association's Curse Gun Series, which is nearing completion."
For fucks sake.
There's Chapter 5. Sorry, it was a bit late. I'll be uploading another chapter this week, and I'll be uploading the new/old story tomorrow, and hopefully I can juggle between two stories and work.View This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
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