"So that's how it is."
Just as Jogo's companions were conversing, Tatsuma finally understood Jogo's goal.
Unlike the original story where the goal was to exterminate humanity and create a world where Cursed Spirits reigned supreme, in this world with Gods, Jogo's goal had changed to raising the status of Cursed Spirits, allowing them to ascend to the ruling class.
Although it sounded a bit difficult, after spending a large amount of time, Jogo and the others actually found a method.
That was to cling to a powerful backer.
Whether it was collecting fingers to resurrect Sukuna, or joining the Khaos Brigade to obtain Ophis' Snake, they were all part of Jogo and the others' plan to cling to a powerful backer. As long as there were strong enough people above them, after making enough contributions, raising the status of Cursed Spirits was not without hope.
But the premise of all this was that Tatsuma didn't know about this plan.
"Since you dared to come looking for trouble with me, you should be prepared to be beaten back."
Looking at the still unconscious Jogo at his feet, Tatsuma raised his sword and swung it down.
[Congratulations on successfully defeating Jogo, you have obtained the purple trait 'Flame Cursed Technique']
Purple trait + 1.
Glancing at the new trait, Tatsuma temporarily threw it into the storage.
Like Immortality, these combat-type traits could be swapped in during a fight. In daily life, it was better to have traits like 'Athlete' that sped up training.
Closing the panel, Tatsuma looked up at the hole in the ceiling above.
The moment his gaze landed, a figure appeared at the edge of the hole without any warning.
"Oh dear. Is it over already?"
"Gojo-sensei!"
Hearing this voice, Yuji instantly looked up and greeted him.
"You're too slow."
"Yeah, why are you only here now?"
Megumi and Nobara complained.
"Even if you say that, this is already my fastest speed."
Satoru jumped down through the hole, his gaze lingering on the three of them for a moment.
Then he looked at Tatsuma. "So what's the situation now? I heard Ijichi say there was a super terrifying Cursed Spirit here. It couldn't be you, could it?"
"It's not Tatsuma, it's a talking Cursed Spirit with a volcano head."
Before Tatsuma could speak, Yuji started explaining first.
After a moment, Satoru learned the whole story from Yuji, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"It can talk, its strength far surpasses a normal Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and it has an item that greatly boosts its power... It sounds quite troublesome indeed."
"Tatsuma, thank you so much this time. I owe you a favor. You can come see me anytime if you need help."
Tatsuma said, "Rather than thanks and favors, I want a reasonable explanation."
Satoru asked, "Explanation? What are you referring to?"
Tatsuma raised a hand and tapped his head. "Of course, it's why Yuji was sent to deal with a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Don't play dumb with me, you should understand."
"Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes this time, specifically sending Yuji and the others here to die."
Yuji, who was listening in, suddenly froze, looking a bit confused. "Huh? Why would they do that? We shouldn't have offended anyone, right?"
Tatsuma glanced at him and said, "An innocent man is guilty only for possessing a treasure. What's important isn't whether you offended someone, but that your very existence carries a certain danger."
"What do you mean?"
Yuji became increasingly confused.
However, just then, Megumi, who had been listening in, vaguely understood Tatsuma's meaning.
"Could it be... the higher-ups are worried Yuji will become Sukuna's vessel, so they want to get rid of him beforehand?"
"That's roughly the situation."
Tatsuma looked towards Satoru. "Yuji is just attending Jujutsu High as an exchange student. In terms of identity, he's still a Kuoh Academy student."
"I need the Jujutsu higher-ups to give an explanation, otherwise, I'll personally pay them a visit later."
Satoru nodded in agreement. "No problem."
In fact, even before he arrived, he had already realized there was something wrong with Yuji and the others' mission.
The timing was simply too coincidental.
He had just been sent on a mission out of town, and right after, Yuji and the others were sent to deal with a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
If it weren't for the accident here and Kiyotaka calling him for help, he probably would have only seen the corpses of Yuji and the others by the time he received the news.
With his students being targeted, Satoru naturally wouldn't just swallow his anger anymore.
However...
Looking at the murderous Tatsuma in front of him, Satoru felt a headache coming on.
This person represents the Devil forces, and they don't speak like he does. If the higher-ups don't give a reasonable explanation, this matter probably won't end so easily.
...
Kuoh Academy, Occult Research Club.
"Tatsuma, you're here."
Noticing Tatsuma push the door open and walk in, Rias, who was standing in front of a map studying something, stopped what she was doing and greeted him proactively.
"Sona told me about what happened this afternoon. Did you have a conflict with the Jujutsu sorcerers?"
Tatsuma shook his head. "It's not really a conflict, just helping a friend solve some trouble."
Rias asked, "A friend? Are you referring to Yuji?"
Tatsuma nodded. "Mm."
"That's a bit unexpected. I didn't think you actually had male friends."
"Isn't it normal for me to have male friends? After all, I maintain social relationships."
"Huh? Is that so?"
Rias frowned slightly, a rare look of confusion appearing on her face.
In her memory, Tatsuma was either training on weekdays or taking missions from her to go out and fight. She had absolutely no impression of him going out to eat or hang out with friends.
"Of course it's true, I don't need to lie to you about something like this."
Just as Rias was secretly lamenting that her understanding of Tatsuma wasn't deep enough, Tatsuma added two sentences.
"I chat with Yuji every day after class and school. Our relationship is quite good."
"Hmm? Wait a minute."
Rias suddenly realized something was wrong. "Your interaction with Yuji is just everyday chatting?"
Tatsuma nodded. "Yeah, what's wrong?"
"Uh... nothing."
A hint of contemplation appeared in Rias's eyes.
If, from Tatsuma's perspective, everyday chatting equals maintaining social relationships...
"I won!"
"Won what?"
Tatsuma was a bit confused.
"Nothing, don't worry about it." Rias coughed lightly.
***
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