"Yep, it's me," I said, shifting my gaze from Ogami to Ino, who had approached us. There was genuine joy in my voice as I continued, "Long time no see, Ino."
"Indeed, it's been a while. How long has it been? About a year?" the guy replied, nodding thoughtfully.
"And you're still second rank," I smirked teasingly, knowing it was pointless to play on his ambitions. After all, he was cut from a different cloth.
"Yeah, but as far as I know, your relationship with Maki hasn't changed any more than my rank. Or am I wrong?" Ino responded with a light, easy smile, shrugging slightly as he finished.
"Glad to see you," I smiled back cheerfully, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Likewise," Ino replied, though his face briefly twisted with a hint of pain in his shoulder.
"I wouldn't recommend doing that," I remarked, turning my attention to Ogami, who had started to gather cursed energy.
Unfortunately, my authority in her eyes didn't compare to what Satoru's used to be. So, boldly, though more likely out of fear, she ignored my warning and, fortified with cursed energy, dashed towards the nearest edge of the roof.
"What a foolish move," was the first thing that came to mind as I watched her body slam into the platform floor. What wouldn't a person do in a state of agitation? Ogami had just witnessed me deal with her so-called grandson in a matter of seconds and "borrow" her charms, yet she chose to flee...
"I thought you'd be wiser," I said, looking at Ogami's aging body, trembling with pain. "Seriously, after living in fear of Satoru Gojo for so many years, you still haven't developed a sense of self-preservation or at least some restraint."
"Self-preservation instinct tells prey to flee from predators," Ino commented, standing slightly behind.
"You know, from my own experience, I'll say this: when the neighbor's mastiff growls at you, it's not wise to turn your back and run," I could imagine Ino rolling his eyes.
"That was a metaphor," I shrugged.
"What do you want, Sukehiro Yami?" Ogami, barely breathing, managed to squeeze out the words, firmly embedded in the concrete.
"Hey, Ino," instead of answering, I turned to the young man. "Why don't you go help Itadori and Megumi while I handle this myself?"
As it was already evident from my intention, I decided to get rid of him by appealing to his sense of duty and care for his younger colleagues.
"You're not going to kill her, are you?" Ino asked, frowning seriously.
"Goodness me, I may be a piece of work—saving people, exorcising curses, cleaning up the mess left by Satoru—but killing old ladies? No, that's a bit too much!" I exclaimed, patting my chest selflessly.
"Thirty seconds ago, you incinerated a person," Ino skeptically replied.
"Occupational hazards," I shrugged, not taking the guy's words too close to heart. "I'll just have a talk with her. Then you can see for yourself that she's safe, and if you want, I'll even allow you to ask her for help with getting promoted to first rank."
For a brief moment, silence hung between us, broken only by Ino's long sigh.
"Whatever," the guy said, taking slow steps towards the edge of the roof. "Even if I were against it, you'd still do things your own way."
"You know me well," I chuckled in response.
"You have no conscience," Ino shook his head.
"Conscience? Are you talking about that thing that kicks in when there are no logical reasons to behave as demanded?" I mused playfully over his words.
"Okay, enough," Ino raised his hands in surrender, turning to face me. "The last time we argued, you made me doubt whether people can be trusted. I don't want to be disappointed even more."
With these words, he took a small step back and disappeared from sight, jumping off the roof.
"He used to be so lively before our meeting," I commented to Ogami, who had managed to stand up by then. "I think he really should interact with me less."
"What are the terms?" ignoring my words, the old woman asked.
She clearly wasn't in the mood for idle chatter. When life hangs in the balance, humor and the desire for conversation pierce through like an absent father returning from a grocery run. On the other hand, her own actions had led her here, into such a state, so she could endure it.
"You knew he was supposed to become a first-rank Sorcerer long ago but refused promotion because he needed Nanami's approval. Honestly, you can't be that righteous... How can you enjoy life when you rigidly follow the rules?" I caught Ogami's gaze at that moment. "You of all people should know about this, right?"
"Too much talk for someone who flits around at the whim of the Sorcerer council and great families," Ogami venomously retorted.
"Don't belittle yourself like that," I couldn't help but smirk foolishly. "Just because I, due to my power, can officially be a Sorcerer but not follow the rules imposed by old fogies, doesn't diminish your worth... if you have any, that is."
"The Sorcerer council hasn't affected the way I live," Ogami shook her head. "It was a conscious choice given certain circumstances. Unlike you, 'Asakusa's King of Destruction'."
"Hmm?" I tilted my head slightly. "Really? And here I thought I was impeccable in my motives."
In response, Ogami paused for a moment, slowly shaking her head from side to side, as if weighing each thought. Finally, her gaze became firm again, and she asked directly:
"What do you want from me?"
"Anything you can give me," I replied, deciding not to stop irritating her. She clearly wanted to get down to business, but I enjoyed keeping her on edge, even if that was my primary goal from the start.
As expected, my words made her frown displeased. From the expression on her face, I could tell she was not only annoyed but also gradually becoming concerned. This was what I was waiting for: to play on her emotions, provoking and testing her reactions.
"If you don't like the answer, don't ask the question," Ogami reclined back as if trying to escape the pressure of my words.
"The seriousness of a mistake depends on its consequences," I stated. "What you did warrants a lifetime imprisonment by the Sorcerer council; I'm just going to make slight use of you."
"Why do you Sorcerers think you're better than everyone else?" Ogami locked eyes with me.
"Probably because of all the stuff about saving people, well, at least that's what I think," I chuckled lightly.
It felt strange to hear such words coming from someone as experienced and tough as Ogami. I had expected her to be the last person to complain about the unfairness and cruelty of the world.
"Sukehiro, there's trouble with Mei..." unexpectedly, Kokichi's voice sounded in my ear.
"Anyway, since our conversation isn't getting anywhere, let's get down to business. Time waits for no one," I said, sensing that this conversation was gradually losing its momentum and realizing that Mechamaru wouldn't have bothered me for nothing.
Though Ogami remained silent, her facial expression hinted that if she had the strength and courage to speak up, she would have exclaimed, "That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you all this time!"
"In exchange for your life, we'll make a binding oath," I proposed, preparing to use this moment to my advantage.
Binding oaths... This aspect of "magic art" is considered one of the most important among Sorcerers. Essentially, these are contracts created with cursed energy that can allow a Sorcerer to increase their power, which was incredibly useful in the constant missions to exorcise curses. On the other hand, a binding oath can also work as a means to achieve a goal, as demonstrated by Kenjaku. And it is this aspect that I will exploit, as big uncles exploit children in Vietnamese factories, namely, to maximize the benefit for myself.
"Would simple words like 'trust me' not be enough?" Ogami feigned a silly and innocent look.
The old woman clearly realized the dead end she had walked into. And this was a binding oath, not the constitution... Once you make it, you can't change the terms. And at this moment, I had full power to make her agree to any conditions, with no clause for refusal in the contract, but a paragraph detailing the consequences for her in case of oath violation.
"I've heard rumors that a Sorcerer who breaks a binding vow turns to ashes right away... It sounds horrifying and unlikely, but I really wouldn't want to test it out firsthand," these words circled in my head as I watched Ogami, whose face was shadowed with doubt and fear. She understood that she had no choice.
"The trouble is, if I don't trust you, then I can't trust your words about being trustworthy," I replied skeptically. "If you didn't get it, it means no, it's not enough."
Defeated, Ogami sighed.
"What are the conditions?" she asked.
"Firstly, you're forbidden from disclosing the existence of our oath and even this conversation. Secondly, in the near future, I'll have the right to command you to do anything for one hour. Thirdly, all of the above also applies to your cursed technique," I calmly listed the conditions.
Honestly, whether Ogami would divulge our conversation to anyone didn't concern me much. At this point, all she knew was that she would be required for some task, the specifics of which I deliberately kept hidden. But knowing the cunning of this old woman, I preferred to take precautions, especially considering her cursed technique, which could be described as "the technique of unholy resurrection," adapted for this world.
Yet, the conditions I proposed were surprisingly simple, concealing many loopholes ripe for exploitation. And that could... No, it should have raised suspicions for Ogami. However suspicious it all looked, her cunning mind was already spinning plans on how to deceive me — and thus, how to survive. Which was quite appropriate, considering that soon it would become the main task for Sorcerers of her caliber.
Of course, I wouldn't leave her unattended; after all, she was an old person who might fall off a ladder or catch an early morning bus and never return. And now I had a "radio nanny" for that.
"You're not kidding, are you?" Surprise and some relief flashed across Ogami's face. Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, it seemed like she couldn't believe her ears. There was bewilderment in her gaze: was it possible that the conditions turned out to be less harsh than she expected? In that case, I'm disappointed and...
"I can barely contain myself."