"This guy…"
At first, Todo Aoi didn't notice anything unusual. But after just a few steps, his brow furrowed. "Has she been incarnated?"
Compared to Miwa Kasumi, whose abilities were average—even somewhat weak—Todo stood out even among first-grade Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Add to that his innate sensitivity to cursed energy, and he could tell at a glance that something was off with Amber at that moment.
If ordinary people had cursed energy swirling around their bodies, Amber's was completely concentrated at the center of her chest, while the cursed energy on her body's surface was as negligible as that of any regular person.
"Um…!"
Miwa Kasumi was starting to regret calling the others over, but there had been no other choice.
Given the situation, backup was necessary. Besides, when a special-grade curse appears without any prior monitoring by the "Window," it's essential to have strong Jujutsu Sorcerers and assistant supervisors check it out.
Amber knew it was too late for regrets now. More than that, she hadn't expected to come across to others as so clearly resembling an incarnated vessel.
After observing the two for another moment, Todo relaxed his furrowed brow and, acting as if nothing had happened, ordered a bowl of ramen at the shop before sitting down beside them.
Amber wasn't sure what he was thinking, so she glanced toward Miwa Kasumi.
Miwa herself hadn't known Todo for very long either. Seeing the newly acquainted, adorable girl looking at her so anxiously, she explained Amber's situation to Todo, then nervously asked her classmate, "Um… Todo, about Amber's situation…"
"Give it up. There's no hiding something like this."
Todo spoke between mouthfuls of ramen.
"Even if you managed to keep it under wraps today, this girl can't live in isolation forever. Sooner or later, other Jujutsu Sorcerers—or even curse users—will find out."
"Y-you're right…"
Miwa understood the logic, but her expression darkened all the same.
"Kid, what's your situation? Which curse incarnated into you?"
Todo asked.
"Seele doesn't feel any different than usual…"
Todo's appearance fit Amber's image of a yakuza boss perfectly. His ominous tone made her uneasy. "Seele hasn't been incarnated. The one who helped Seele earlier was… another me."
"Another you?"
Todo's expression turned odd. "You only started sensing cursed energy today, right? So this 'other you'… has it existed since before today?"
The girl had said the birthmark was innate, so he wasn't surprised that this "other her" had always existed. His question was whether she had been aware of this other presence inside her before now.
"She's always been there…"
"Hmm…"
Todo finished his ramen in a few quick bites, using the time to gather his thoughts.
"If the curse that incarnated into you was just some ordinary curse, I might've been able to help minimize the fallout. But one that can easily take down a special-grade? That's a different story."
He was a student of one of the four special-grade Jujutsu Sorcerers, Tsukumo Yuki. Though Tsukumo rarely appeared in public and was known for being highly independent—often ignoring the directives of the higher-ups—she was still a special-grade sorcerer.
Pulling strings to protect an ordinary rule-breaker wouldn't be too difficult.
But Amber's situation was far from ordinary.
While special-grade curses could be effortlessly eliminated by special-grade sorcerers, for a first-grade sorcerer, they were formidable opponents that could easily turn the tables.
The higher-ups would never allow such a ticking time bomb to roam freely under their noses.
"How could this…"
Miwa's face grew even paler.
"But it's not entirely hopeless."
Then, Todo shifted his tone.
"What way!?"
Miwa looked even more worked up than Amber.
Truth be told, Amber wasn't as agitated. She was worried, yes—but not about being monitored or eliminated by the higher-ups. Her real fear was that the entire Jujutsu world, including the higher-ups, might be wiped out by Dark Amber.
Right now, she was using every bit of her strength just to keep Dark Amber's anger in check!
Fu Hua was also closely watching Dark Amber's every move.
She had never wanted Dark Amber to return to Amber's body. After all, compared to Amber, Dark Amber had a far greater advantage in controlling their shared form. In other words, if Dark Amber wanted to, Amber wouldn't be able to stop her from forcibly taking over.
The reason Fu Hua had agreed to let them merge was to get a clear look at Dark Amber's true nature. If Dark Amber made any suspicious moves, Fu Hua was prepared to strike her down immediately.
But seeing how, despite her boiling rage, Dark Amber was still being suppressed by Amber… Fu Hua fell silent.
Could it be, as the Herrscher of Sentience had said, that Dark Amber wasn't as harmful as she seemed?
Back to reality.
Seeing Miwa's excitement and Amber's nervous expression, Todo spoke the only name that came to mind as a solution: "Gojo Satoru."
"If it's Gojo Satoru, even if the higher-ups are unwilling, they'll have no choice but to swallow their displeasure for now."
Todo explained, "It's not just because Gojo is the strongest special-grade Jujutsu Sorcerer—it's also because he's the head of the Gojo Clan, one of the three great jujutsu families of Japan. Even though the higher-ups and the clans aren't exactly aligned, they wouldn't openly oppose the three great families."
"Of course, the most important point is that if it's that Gojo Satoru we're talking about, he'll definitely intervene in this."
"Mr. Gojo Satoru…"
Hearing that name, Miwa's face lit up with admiration. "Now that you mention it, Todo, you have Mr. Gojo's contact info, right?"
"My teacher has some ties with Gojo," Todo nodded. What he didn't mention was that he and Gojo were actually fairly acquainted—Gojo had even given him some guidance in jujutsu.
"That's great! Let's contact Mr. Gojo right away!"
Miwa exclaimed.
"I've already sent him a message. If nothing holds him up, with his speed, he should be here soon."
Todo wasn't usually the helpful type, but this involved his classmate's savior—who also happened to be an exceptionally beautiful girl.
More importantly… he wasn't confident he could subdue a special-grade curse without causing a scene.
If the curse inside Amber decided to resist, he'd have to consider the possibility of the entire area turning into ruins.
Weighing all factors, he had no choice but to turn to Gojo for help.
Just as Todo had said, as the strongest in the jujutsu world, within five minutes of contacting him, another figure walked into the restaurant. He wore a jacket over a white shirt and black jeans.
His height—over 190 cm—his silver-white hair, and the faint glint of sapphire-blue eyes behind his sunglasses all confirmed his identity.
The Special-Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, Gojo Satoru.
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T/N: MY GOAT GOATJO
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.