When people are busy, they often fail to notice the passage of time. The few days of leave Toji had pretended to request as a parent quickly passed, and Eichi had no choice but to return to school.
"What were you doing these past few days?"
On the school rooftop, Suguru and Eichi sat leaning against a wall, holding convenience store bread in their hands.
One had to admit, yakisoba bread was truly a strange food, carbs wrapped around more carbs.
"I went to tame Shikigami."
After finishing the last few bites of bread, Eichi opened a bottle of green tea and took a long drink.
"Oh? How many have you tamed?"
Suguru's interest was piqued. He was a true genius among commoners. After interacting with Eichi and Satoru, he had learned much about the Jujutsu world and understood the status of the Ten Shadows Technique and the Six Eyes.
However, he was confident that his Cursed Spirit Manipulation would not be inferior. After all, the Ten Shadows Technique only had ten Shikigami. Couldn't he overwhelm it with ten, or even a hundred times as many Cursed Spirits?
The only one to be wary of was Mahoraga, the strongest Shikigami.
Satoru had once said that when he and Eichi first met a few years ago, Eichi had exorcised a Special Grade Cursed Spirit using Mahoraga.
But that didn't matter. Once Suguru became strong enough, he would find a way to deal with it by capturing more Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
Actually, this was because Suguru lacked information about Mahoraga. Otherwise, he would have known that a Maximum: Uzumaki could destroy Mahoraga the moment it appeared.
"Nine."
"Which one's left?"
"Mahoraga."
"Huh?"
Suguru froze.
Hadn't Satoru said that Eichi had already tamed Mahoraga before?
"I haven't tamed Mahoraga, I only temporarily controlled it through special means."
Seeing Suguru's confusion, Eichi didn't bother to hide the truth.
"However, during this taming ritual, I figured out its strength. It won't be long before I can fully subdue it."
After speaking, Eichi glanced at the Command Seal on the back of his hand.
The anime Fate/stay night hadn't aired yet, but the preparations were complete.
Promotional posters had already begun circulating. It wouldn't be long before he could gather enough Illusion Power to start summoning Heroic Spirits.
Then, he would begin the taming ritual and shove a Noble Phantasm straight into Mahoraga's mouth to see if it would yield.
"How about you? How have things been recently?"
"I'm going to quit the club."
"Why?"
Eichi looked at Suguru with mild surprise.
"I want to use this power to help more people, to protect them from Cursed Spirits."
"Do you want to become a savior?"
Eichi tilted his head and looked at him.
Suguru's heart skipped a beat at those words, but he didn't admit it aloud.
"I don't have such grand ideals. It's just that only Jujutsu Sorcerers can exorcise Cursed Spirits, right?"
He looked up at the sky.
"Then, as someone strong enough to exorcise them, I have a responsibility to protect those who can't."
How arrogant.
Eichi glanced at Suguru's profile.
"Non-sorcerers aren't necessarily weak, nor are they all worth protecting."
That was also the reason why Suguru would abandon his so-called righteous path in the future.
Long-term exposure to twisted Cursed Spirits, coupled with the nausea of consuming them, gradually took its toll.
He had always been under immense pressure, and constantly spoke of righteousness to convince himself that swallowing those repulsive Cursed Spirits had meaning.
But human nature was never purely good.
Especially in this island nation, where countless bullying incidents occurred even at such a young, innocent age.
"Suguru, you have the aptitude to become a Devil King."
"Huh? What I just said sounds more like a hero, doesn't it?"
He was still a middle schooler after all. No matter how composed he acted, his true self surfaced whenever he was caught off guard.
"No, people like you, who believe in righteousness and care for the world, are more likely to become Devil Kings."
"Hey, hey, that can't be right. If anything, Satoru is the Devil King, isn't he?"
"No, Satoru will become a brave warrior."
A warrior who would one day challenge the Devil King Sukuna, trying to save Megumi.
Eichi recalled how, in his previous life, the Jujutsu Kaisen anime often focused on Megumi's long eyelashes, melancholy eyes, and slender waist.
Combined with his adorable Shikigami, he looked almost like a Disney runaway princess.
"Are you out of your mind? Satoru, with that lawless attitude, a brave warrior?"
Suguru looked disbelieving.
"Yes, Satoru might be lawless, but he can uphold his beliefs and never waver."
"I can do that too."
Suguru grew indignant, and the two began to argue back and forth.
"Hey, Suguru!"
Just as neither could convince the other, something unexpected happened.
The school they attended originally only had a High School Division, a private academy for the elite.
Later, due to its success, an affiliated Middle School Division was built next to it. After graduation, students could advance directly into the high school.
The two divisions were separated only by a wall.
At that moment, Eichi and Suguru noticed several people surrounding someone on the rooftop of the High School Division.
In anime, rooftops often appeared open, a place for friends and couples to grow closer.
In reality, school rooftops were locked, rarely accessible.
Eichi and Suguru could freely go there only because of their enhanced physique as Jujutsu Sorcerers.
But the situation across the wall clearly looked wrong.
"Is that bullying?" Suguru asked.
"Not sure, let's watch."
If it were bullying, the victim would usually look frightened and panicked, sitting on the ground and hiding their head.
But here, the larger group looked panicked, waving their arms frantically.
And the lone person remained calm throughout.
Though her face wasn't visible, her uniform showed she was a girl.
A girl being cornered on a rooftop and staying calm was definitely unusual.
The next moment, the situation escalated.
A boy suddenly grabbed the girl and pushed her toward the railing at the edge.
"Nue."
An owl with a bony mask emerged from Eichi's shadow and flew toward the opposite rooftop.
But it was too late. The girl had already been pushed off the roof.
"Quick, save her."
Even Suguru couldn't stay still. Both of them leaped off the rooftop. Suguru summoned a flying Cursed Spirit shaped like a manta ray to cushion his descent, while Eichi used the wind manipulation of Tiger Funeral to land steadily.
They sprinted toward the High School Division.
But as they ran, Eichi's doubts deepened.
Why did the supposed aggressors seem more terrified than the victim?
Why didn't the girl resist at all when she was pushed?
If she had resisted for even a few seconds, Nue could have saved her.
And why were the people on the rooftop cheering and dancing after she fell?
Everything about it reeked of something sinister.
(To be continued.)