Ryuji's words made Mimiko and Nanako fall silent.
It was clear that something was difficult for them to talk about. Their fists clenched tightly, and anger was written all over their faces. The sudden change in their expressions made Ryuji raise an eyebrow in interest. Something intriguing had clearly happened.
"Come on, you're not about to ask me to kill Gojo to avenge Geto, are you?" Ryuji joked, half expecting the impossible.
While it wasn't entirely beyond his capabilities, Ryuji didn't believe the sisters could offer him anything worthwhile to warrant going up against someone like Gojo.
"No!" The sisters shook their heads, denying the suggestion immediately.
Nanako, the older sister with the yellow hair, finally spoke up.
"Master Geto's body... it's missing!" she said, her voice shaking slightly.
"Hmm?" Ryuji was taken aback for a moment before realization dawned on him. "Ah, so it's him... the brain swapper, huh?"
That made sense now. No wonder the sisters were so angry. To them, Geto had been more than just a leader; he was like a father. And now, after his death, someone had stolen his body. That was beyond disrespectful, it was desecration.
The sisters had apparently sought help from Miguel and the others, but no leads had turned up. Desperate, they'd turned to Ryuji, someone they had only met briefly in the past. Though their first encounter had been far from friendly, they knew Ryuji's strength. In fact, Geto had once told them privately that Ryuji might be even stronger than him, though they had refused to believe it at the time.
Now, however, they had no choice but to ask Ryuji for help.
"Please... Please help us recover Master Geto's body. Let him rest in peace!" The two sisters bowed their heads, kneeling before him once again.
Ryuji didn't answer right away. He was thinking.
If Kenjaku the cursed user known for switching bodies had Geto's body, that meant he had likely inherited Geto's curse manipulation technique as well. And Kenjaku was notoriously elusive, difficult to track down.
Ryuji's expression remained calm as he thought things over. The girls around him, including Yukino and Miko, wisely kept quiet. Despite how pitiful the sisters looked, they knew Ryuji well enough not to interfere. He had his own way of handling things.
"If you help us retrieve Master Geto's body, we'll do anything you ask!" Nanako said suddenly, her voice determined.
"Anything?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Anything," the sisters confirmed without hesitation. They knew full well what Ryuji might be implying, but desperation had left them with no other option.
"You two are quite decisive," Ryuji said, smirking. Curse users, after all, tended to have their own sense of pride and arrogance. Yet here they were, willing to do whatever it took."
"But," Ryuji thought, "he had another reason to find Kenjaku. Not just to retrieve Geto's body, but because Kenjaku's curse technique, Idle Transfiguration, was something Ryuji had been interested in for a while, Since he could activate a future ability from Itadori Yuki, why not from Kenjaku?" Kenjaku posed a significant threat that couldn't be allowed to roam freely. By finding him, he could kill two birds with one stone.
"The only issue is tracking him down," Ryuji finally said.
The sisters brightened instantly, sensing that Ryuji was willing to help. "We can take care of that!" Nanako said quickly. "The remnants of Geto's organization are still around. They'll help us find him."
"Alright then," Ryuji said with a shrug, "I'll wait for your good news."
The sisters bowed once more, grateful. They left immediately, eager to begin their search.
After they were gone, Yukino and the others looked at Ryuji curiously.
"Those two?" Yukino asked, wondering what Ryuji saw in them.
"They're talented sorcerers, despite everything," Ryuji explained. "Mimiko and Nanako are twin sisters, and they share a curse technique. Their abilities are decent, but because they're twins, their potential is split between them. If it wasn't for that, they might've reached the level of special-grade sorcerers by now."
"And now you're going to help them?" Yotsuya Miko asked, though it was less of a question and more of a statement.
Ryuji nodded. "Yeah. But more importantly, I'm building something here. Having a network of capable sorcerers isn't a bad thing. I can't do everything myself, you know?"
Yotsuya's eyes softened. "I see… well, you can always count on us, Ryuji."
"Definitely!" Hana jumped in, her usual bubbly self. "I'll help with whatever you need!"
"And me!" Sakurajima Mai chimed in confidently. "I'm a sorcerer now too, remember?"
Though Mai had finally developed her cursed power, Ryuji knew she still had a long way to go. He smiled at her enthusiasm but couldn't resist teasing her a little.
"Well, I look forward to it," Ryuji said, amused. "You're going to have to train hard to keep up, though."
"Don't worry, I won't let you down!" Mai's eyes shone with determination. She hadn't forgotten that Ryuji had been there for her during her darkest times.
"Tch, you're all talk," Saki, who had been quietly watching, quipped. "You better hurry up and get stronger, or I'll surpass you before you know it."
Mai shot her a glare. "You wish!"
The others just laughed, used to the playful banter between the two girls.
Marin, who had been standing quietly in the background this whole time, felt a sudden wave of envy. Watching how easily these girls bonded with Ryuji made her long for something similar. Sure, she was popular at school, but it was a surface-level kind of popularity. She couldn't exactly share her love for cosplay or her otaku habits with her classmates. Here, though, these girls didn't seem to care about putting on masks. They were just... themselves.
"Lucky," Marin thought, though she didn't voice it. She had planned to leave after thanking Ryuji, but now she found herself lingering, reluctant to go.
Eventually, though, Marin slipped out silently, her thoughts swirling. She wished she could be part of something like this.
Yukino noticed her leaving but didn't stop her. She could tell that Marin was still adjusting to the realities of the sorcerer world.
"Sorcerers and regular people… they're just too different," Yukino thought to herself. She remembered Ryuji once saying that to sorcerers, regular humans were little more than animals. It wasn't a widely shared sentiment, but it did exist within the community, especially among the more ruthless curse users.
---
Despite everything, life returned to normal for Ryuji. He hadn't expected any progress so soon, thinking he'd hear back from the sisters after attending Kaguya Shinomiya's birthday party.
But only three days later, Mimiko and Nanako were back, knocking on his door in the middle of the night.
Ryuji opened the door, greeted by the sight of the two sisters standing there, their faces pale and their eyes dark with exhaustion. It was clear they hadn't rested at all.
"You two look like hell," Ryuji remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Have you been searching the entire time?"
The sisters handed him a file, barely able to keep their eyes open. "We... we found the location," Nanako mumbled, her voice tired.
Ryuji flipped through the information. The brain-switcher, Kenjaku, had been found.
"You can rest here if you want," Ryuji said, motioning for them to come inside. It was the least he could offer after seeing how much effort they had put in.
At his invitation, the two sisters froze. They exchanged looks, their expressions suddenly bashful.
"What is it?" Ryuji asked, noticing their hesitation.
Nanako was the first to speak, her voice soft. "Can we… rest here first? And after that... maybe... we can..."
Mimiko, equally flustered, lowered her head and nodded in agreement.
Ryuji blinked, realizing what they were implying. They thought he was expecting something in return.
"You two really thought I meant... that?" Ryuji thought to himself. For a second, he was tempted to laugh, but he held it back.
"For now, go rest. By the time you wake up, I might have already retrieved Geto's body," Ryuji added, smirking. He was already planning his next move. Getting Geto's body back would be simple, but the real prize was the power of Idle Transfiguration from Noritoshi Kamo.
"Really?" Nanako asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"Just leave it to me," Ryuji assured them before heading out the door. He stretched his arms, ready to get moving.
"Time to shake things up," he muttered to himself, disappearing into the night.
The two sisters sat down in his room, still feeling a bit dazed. They hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
***
For every 500 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 80+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.