During the dawn of the millennium, Suguru Geto made his living catching curses. One day, while following a path through a forest, he lost track of how far he had traveled.
Suddenly, he came upon a grove of peach blossoms. It lined the banks for hundreds of paces. No other trees grew there; the fragrant grass was fresh and green, and falling petals danced in the air.
Geto marveled at the sight. He pressed on, wishing to see where the grove ended.
At the edge of the forest lay the source of a stream, leading to a mountain. There was a small opening in the rock, shrouded in a dark, lightless Curtain. He followed his dog through the opening.
At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person. After walking a few dozen paces, the view suddenly opened up.
The land was flat and vast, with neat rows of houses. There were fertile fields, beautiful ponds, and groves of mulberry and bamboo. Paths crisscrossed the farmland, and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoed through the air.
Men and women going about their work were dressed in a style reminiscent of ancient times. The elderly and the children alike seemed happy and content.
They were greatly alarmed to see Geto and asked where he had come from. He answered them in detail, and they invited him into their homes, serving wine and killing chickens to prepare a feast. When word of his arrival spread through the village, everyone came to seek news.
They told him that their ancestors had fled the chaos of the Heian Period, leading their wives, children, and fellow villagers to this secluded place. They had erected a Curtain to hide themselves and never left, remaining isolated from the outside world ever since.
They asked what era it was now. They knew nothing of the Shogunate, let alone the Meiji Restoration.
Geto recounted everything he knew, and they sighed in wonder and lamentation. Others took turns inviting him to their homes, offering food and drink. He stayed there for several days.
"That should do it for now." Suguru Geto wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to the man beside him. "Ichiro-san, the sun's about to set."
"Good idea. We'll finish the rest tomorrow." The man, Ichiro Hirata, appeared to be in his thirties. He was currently drenched in sweat. He pulled off his shirt and wrung it out; sweat dripped like rain onto the ground before he slung the damp garment over his shoulder. "Let's go, Geto-kun. Time for dinner."
After staying here for a few days, Suguru had long since traded his Jujutsu High uniform for linen clothes and wooden geta sandals.
On the surface, he looked like any other farmer, but his towering height, fair complexion, and hands devoid of calluses betrayed his outsider status.
The two men walked side by side toward a small cottage, chatting and laughing. Outside the door, Hachi was lying on the ground next to another dog that looked ancient beyond belief. They barked at each other occasionally, seemingly deep in conversation.
At this point in time, Suguru's "poison" had not yet fully taken hold. Encountering these simple, honest people in this "Peach Blossom Spring" didn't trigger the revulsion he usually felt for the masses. Instead, he found himself drawn to this primitive, classical way of life, choosing to spend his vacation here.
However, what he didn't know was that this place was no mere paradise.
A laborer's meal was never extravagant. A pot of millet rice, half a salted fish, a few pieces of roasted chicken, and a small dish of pickles made up the dinner for the two adult males.
"Itadakimasu!"
After a day of hard labor, Suguru was famished. He grabbed a piece of chicken, paired it with a mouthful of rice, and began to chew vigorously. "Ichiro-san, it really is primitive here. You still rely entirely on manual labor for farming."
"It's certainly not as convenient as the outside world you described." Ichiro looked at the boy, who was only a few years younger than himself but possessed such an exaggerated height, with a hint of envy. "I truly can't imagine a world where machines do the sowing and harvesting. If that's the case, what is there left for people to do?"
"Machines only replace repetitive labor. Humans are meant for creation." Suguru set down his chopsticks. He was starving, but he knew he shouldn't eat too fast. He needed to pace himself. "Have you ever thought about leaving?"
"The next generation might." Ichiro tossed a piece of pickled radish into his mouth. "But we've been cut off for too long. The things you talk about are hard for us to accept. If we went out there, we'd probably struggle just to survive. Besides, we have our own mission."
"Speaking of which, what do you do for a living out there, Geto-kun?"
"How should I put it..." Suguru picked up his bowl and took another big bite of pickles and rice. He hadn't quite processed the "mission" comment, focusing instead on the final question. After swallowing, he hesitated before giving the answer Hasegumo often used: "I'm an exorcist, I suppose."
"A Jujutsu Sorcerer?" Ichiro Hirata asked.
"Huh?" Suguru stared at the man. The cursed energy leaking from Ichiro was faint and stagnant—he was a total non-sorcerer. "You know about sorcerers?"
"Not only do I know of them, I can see curses too." Ichiro set down his chopsticks and stood up to pour a bowl of water. "Want some?"
"I'll take a bowl. Thanks." Suguru took the water and downed it in one go.
"Our ancestors were sorcerers who were active during the Heian Period," Ichiro continued. "The curses of that era were too numerous and too powerful. The sorcerers were completely overwhelmed. Eventually, after witnessing too many tragedies, some of them grew disillusioned. they gathered like-minded comrades and came here to settle."
"The ancestors laid down a special Curtain. It absorbs the cursed energy of normal people to prevent new curses from being born within the village."
"I see." Suguru suddenly realized that this might be a viable solution to the world's problems. If the range of such a Curtain could be expanded to cover the entire world, wouldn't it eradicate curses at the source? "But I haven't seen any sorcerers in the village."
"That's right. Because of that Curtain, no sorcerers have been born here since the founding generation," Ichiro replied. "However, everyone in the village possesses the ability to see curses."
"Like a Window? Everyone?" Suguru felt something was off. The logic felt contradictory. "Wait a minute. If no curses are ever born here, how do you know you can see them?"
Ichiro didn't answer. He simply smiled. "We just can."
Seeing that Ichiro didn't want to elaborate, Suguru didn't press him. They had only known each other for a few days, after all. He went back to finishing his meal before pivoting to a topic that actually interested him: "The method for setting up that Curtain... is there a record of it?"
"There used to be books left by the ancestors in the village shrine. But it's been a long time, and none of us are sorcerers. I don't know if they're still there."
"I see... Tomorrow, could you take me to see it?"
Ichiro finished the last of his rice like a whirlwind. "Only after we finish the rest of the work."
"Of course."
As night fell, the two men lay side by side on a bamboo mat outside the house, gazing at the sky. The sound of crickets rose and fell around them. A cool breeze drifted past, making the rest after a day of toil feel incredibly blissful.
"Suguru, you look like you were raised in the lap of luxury, but you're surprisingly hard-working."
"You flatter me. I'm just experiencing a different lifestyle." Suguru felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. "You're the impressive ones, Ichiro-san. Don't you get tired of doing the same farm work day after day?"
"That's just life. I don't have any special talents. Being able to live off my own strength is good enough for me. Speaking of which, Kenjiro should be finishing his studies soon."
"Kenjiro?"
"My son. He's at school on the other side of the village. He comes back once a week. Last time, he told me this would be his last term." Ichiro explained, "The boy lost his mother when he was very young. I wanted him to learn enough to have a better life, so I sent him to live with the village teacher. The teacher says he's very gifted."
"There are teachers here too?" Suguru asked, surprised. "I thought there were only about a hundred people in the village."
"Those with talent pursue other trades—weaving, carpentry, teaching. People like me with no talent can only farm to survive."
"The starry sky here has a unique beauty to it." Suguru gazed upward. Under the filtration of the Curtain, the stars twinkled with a dim, muted light.
Humans are strange creatures. While working, their minds are blank, but the moment they sit still, they can't stop their thoughts from wandering. Especially when faced with the infinite expanse of the cosmos, one inevitably begins to ponder the meaning of life, the nature of the universe, and the ultimate truth.
And as a knowledgeable, responsible, and outstanding youth of the new century, Suguru Geto's mind was, of course, occupied with defining the relationship between non-sorcerers and sorcerers. He thought about how to eradicate curses so that the "well-known ugliness" of the world would never happen again.
"Ichiro-san, what do you think of Jujutsu Sorcerers?"
"That's a hard question to answer. You're the first one I've ever met," Ichiro said easily. "But from what I know, it must be a respectable profession."
"Respectable, huh..." Suguru drifted back into his thoughts.
"So, Geto-kun, how long do you plan to stay?"
"Hachi's condition seems to have improved since coming here. I think I'll stay for about a month?" Suguru estimated the length of his break and gave his answer. "So, Hachi really did wander in from the outside?"
Ichiro looked surprised. "I heard that only sorcerers can enter this Curtain. Because the entrance is so well-hidden, no one has stumbled in for years. I saw that dog come here to play with Kuro years ago, so I assumed..."
"It's thanks to him that I found this place," Suguru explained. "A classmate asked me to walk his dog. Hachi ran all the way across the mountain to get here. I followed him in because I was worried something might happen."
"I see. That's quite a bit of luck, then."
"Gumo-senpai, that Novski guy is incredible." Yu Haibara sat on the ground, munching on an onigiri. "He's already started building a brick kiln. I'm starting to feel a sense of guilt just watching him work all by himself."
"Where the hell is Suguru?" Hasegumo wondered if the cleaning curse was going to end up building a palace at this rate.
"Could there be a mole?" Suppressing the weird feeling in his gut, Hasegumo pulled out his phone and called Yaga-sensei. "Suguru left a curse here to do all the work, and he's been missing for days. Do you think our cover was blown?"
"What?" On the other end, Yaga looked around. Everyone who knew the plan was right there with him, and everyone looked normal. "No mole. The plan continues."
"Copy that. Over."
"I have no idea when he's coming back. Did he run into a curse in the woods?" Hasegumo felt his own hands itching for action. Real men were meant to saw wood, fire bricks, and build houses.
Haibara swallowed the last of his rice ball and looked at Hasegumo. "Senpai, should we...?"
In the end, neither of them could resist the temptation. "At this rate, Suguru will be back before the job is finished. Let's go help."