"Seele-chan's situation is a bit special, you see."
Gojo Satoru didn't seem inclined to explain directly. "Anyway, if you run into any danger and I'm not around, just count on Seele-chan~"
"Huh? Seele's that strong?"
Yuji hadn't expected that answer and couldn't help eyeing the girl beside him with some puzzlement.
Though she was a bit petite, her skin was fair, and her face was just as adorable as in the photos he often saw—maybe even too cute.
Combined with her shy, timid personality, Yuji found it hard to imagine this girl being a stronger jujutsu sorcerer than him.
What did he mean by photos?
Oh, right—there were always people at school secretly snapping pictures of Seele and sharing them in private group chats.
She had her own fan club, after all. A beauty this rare and cute wasn't something you'd even see on the big screen.
He supposed he was a fan too, though his usual type was the opposite of Seele—tall, with a killer figure.
But now that he took a closer look, Seele actually had some surprising curves of her own.
"Don't go scaring your classmates now."
Gojo reached out and flicked Yuji on the forehead.
"Ah, sorry!"
Only then did Yuji realize his gaze had been a bit rude. He hadn't meant anything by it, but she was the easily flustered type. Even without any ill intent, he'd probably made her uncomfortable.
"It's fine…"
Amber was indeed feeling very uneasy.
In the last world, since it wasn't her own body, it had felt like watching through a screen, so it was manageable. But this world… even though it still wasn't her original body, the resemblance was so strong that Amber felt like she was browsing the internet under her real name.
It wasn't quite as bad as her real-life social anxiety, but it wasn't much better either.
Seeing Yuji look away and resume his conversation with Gojo, Amber poked at the dark Amber inside her: 'Humans aren't so bad, are they? Even though you've only met once, Mr. Gojo already trusts you a lot.'
Dark Amber curled her lip dismissively: 'He doesn't trust me—he trusts you.'
'What's the difference?'
Amber saw it differently: 'You and I are both Amber. Trusting me means trusting you too.'
'What a childish way of thinking.'
Hearing Amber's naive remark, like something a kid would say—'my friends are your friends'—Dark Amber felt nothing but scorn.
After all, just as Fu Hua had said before, the Herrscher of Sentience wasn't Fu Hua, and she wasn't Amber either.
But the words stuck in her throat, leaving her irritated. Since Amber was the one who'd made her feel this way, she retorted: 'Only someone as naive as you would think that. He's clearly just trying to win you over!'
Feeling like that lacked bite, Dark Amber grew even more annoyed: 'Whatever, it's not like you'd understand even if I explained. I'm going to sleep.'
'You sleep?'
Amber was curious. Logically, without a physical body, there shouldn't be any fatigue.
But her question went unanswered.
'Other me?'
Amber called out once more.
After a long silence with no reply, she could only wonder how Dark Amber managed to sleep and resolve to ask her next time she showed up.
--+--
Elsewhere.
Geto Suguru had just decided to check on those special-grade curses who'd been causing so much trouble. But the moment he stepped into the domain, the scene before him left him utterly speechless.
"What… are you doing?"
Before him stood the former special-grade curse, Mahito, now appearing as a petite figure with light blue twin-tails.
Even the loose frilly dress she wore couldn't hide the sutures marking her face and body. Despite having cultivated patience for thousands of years, Geto found himself at a loss for words.
"Ah~ Suguru's back."
The one who'd once been Mahito, now known as Mahina, smiled as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "It's the new comrade's idea."
"New comrade?"
Only then did Geto take a proper look at their surroundings.
He noticed an unfamiliar gray-haired woman in the domain, dressed in a black-and-red jacket, matching short skirt, and cap.
She was arguing with Jogo, who sat on a rock holding a guitar, before suddenly slapping him across the face.
Geto: "..."
"I told you! Rock isn't something you can play by just memorizing a few notes! What you're doing isn't rock—it's just a shallow imitation!"
The Herrscher of Sentience looked thoroughly disappointed.
"We are noble curses! Why should we learn these things meant for human entertainment?"
Sparks flickered around Jogo's head as he vented his frustration.
"Ridiculous! Who said only humans can appreciate music? Besides, if you won't learn from human pleasures, why do you smoke? Why wear clothes?"
The Herrscher of Sentience shot back bluntly: "If you don't learn these things, how can you call yourselves higher beings? What difference is there between you and beasts following their instincts?"
"And learning this proves we're different?"
Jogo wasn't having it: "And what's this about debuting as idols!? We're curses—there's no way we'll make peace with humans or perform for them!"
The Herrscher of Sentience gave him another hard slap: "That's exactly it! Rock is about expressing your anger and vision. Winners in life don't play rock!"
Though Geto still didn't fully grasp the situation, the Herrscher's familiar tone reminded him of a certain someone, leaving him with a bad feeling.
"Are you not getting my point, or are you playing dumb!?"
Jogo grew even angrier: "Are you really trying to help curses walk in the sunlight!?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
The Herrscher of Sentience, tired of being doubted, was annoyed: "Who understands humans better—you or me? If curses like you don't adapt to the times and change, you'll all be dead within a few years!"
"What did you say!?"
Jogo was both furious and alarmed. The other was also a curse, and an immensely powerful one at that, so he didn't think she was lying. Yet he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
If before he'd thought himself the strongest under heaven, now he was truly under heaven's rule—and now that very heaven was saying curses had less than a year to live. How could he not be terrified?
"Let me spell it out for you: if you can't coexist with humans, you'll be dead within ten years."
The Herrscher of Sentience laid her cards on the table.
She knew the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen pretty well—it spanned about a year. And she understood Amber thoroughly.
Amber might seem introverted and kind, but she had a childlike, innate cruelty to her. Letting Kingu go back in Uruk was proof enough.
Deaths that didn't happen right under her nose simply didn't register in her mind.
Based on her read of Amber, if given the chance, Amber would likely stay in this world for a long time—at least until all her friends grew old and died.
In that scenario, curses would just be in the way.
As enemies of humanity and in a world her friend cared about, it was easy to foresee Amber wiping out all curses before leaving.
How to prevent curses from being born? Simple—just teach people to control cursed energy.
If Amber could teach the whole world to control cursed energy—or even just 70% of it—curses would basically be dead on arrival.
That goal might seem impossible to others, but for Amber, who possessed the Fenghuang Down and whose power surpassed the entire world combined, it wasn't out of reach.
So if curses wanted to survive, they had to change. And it just so happened that the magnificent Herrscher of Sentience found curses interesting and was looking for some entertainment—which was why she'd come to show them a path forward.
--+--
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.