Archer, the Sorcerer Chapter 9

Chapter 9: What's This About a 'Parade'?

Chapter 9: What's This About a 'Parade'?

There was always a calm before a storm.

Whether the world wanted it or not, it was inevitable—a universal sign that even the most tranquil moments could spiral into chaos.

Some might call it fate, others coincidence. But for those who had seen enough of life’s unpredictability, it was a warning. A whisper in the wind. A breath before the plunge.

Perhaps this day was one of those moments.

The air was inviting, the kind of crisp freshness that carried the scent of pine and old stone. The sky was a flawless blue, with soft clouds drifting lazily across its vast expanse. The scenery was picture-perfect. The mountains surrounding the temple added a layer of isolation and serenity, the kind of atmosphere you would expect from an ancient, sacred place.

The temple itself stood grand and solemn—its curved rooftops ornately detailed, its wooden beams aged with wisdom and history.

Despite the beauty, an unease lingered.

A mother and her daughter stood at the stone steps leading up to the temple’s gate. The mother looked to be in her late forties, her features lined with worry. Her short, slightly graying hair fluttered in the breeze, and her hands clutched a small prayer charm nervously.

The daughter beside her appeared to be in her early twenties—perhaps just out of university. She looked pale, her skin lacking its natural flush, and her eyes were distant, with heavy bags under them. Her clothes hung loosely on her frame as if she'd lost weight quickly. There was something off about her—something that didn’t align with mere physical illness.

The mother tightened her grip on the girl’s hand. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

The daughter nodded faintly. “Just tired, Mom. I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t fine. She hadn’t been for months now. Doctors couldn’t find anything physically wrong with her, yet she suffered from terrible fatigue, constant headaches, and sometimes—worse—bouts of confusion and hallucinations. Once, she had woken up screaming about hands reaching out from the walls.

Traditional medicine hadn’t helped. Nor had specialists. In desperation, the mother had turned to an old friend who had spoken of a monk who could heal those weird symptoms—a man known not only for his spiritual wisdom but for dealing with afflictions that defied logic and science.

They had come here because of that man.

They passed under the torii gate, their footsteps echoing faintly as they approached the inner courtyard. It was quiet—eerily so. Not even the usual bird calls or rustling of leaves interrupted the stillness. Then, from the shadow of one of the temple structures, a man stepped forward.

He wore a traditional monk’s robe, dark in color but immaculate in presentation. His long black hair was tied neatly behind him, and his expression was calm, almost serene. Yet, there was something unsettling in the way his eyes took them in—measured, perceptive, knowing.

"Welcome," the man said in a soft, steady voice. "You’ve come a long way, Sato family."

The mother bowed respectfully. “It’s Saito… and thank you for agreeing to see us, Master…”

"Suguru. Suguru Geto," he said with a faint smile. “Titles don’t matter much here. You may call me whatever makes you comfortable.”

The daughter looked up, her gaze locking with his for a moment. The look he gave her wasn’t one of pity or disbelief—it was as if he could already see something the others had missed.

"Please," Suguru gestured toward the inner sanctum. "Come inside. We’ll talk somewhere private."

They followed him through a corridor of polished wooden floors and paper doors. The scent of incense lingered in the air, subtle but distinct, and the occasional flicker of candlelight cast long shadows along the walls.

“I’ve taken her to every specialist I could find,” the mother said at last. “They all say the same thing—she’s physically healthy. But… she’s getting worse.”

Suguru folded his hands, his expression unreadable. “So, you think your daughter is cursed… right, Ms. Sato?”

“Yes, but.. umm my name is Saito…” the mother said.

“Nope, you’re Sato. That’s what I decided, Sato is better.”

She nodded slowly. “Right…”

The daughter flinched after hearing the exchange. Even though Suguru was bearing such a smile, his words were a bit demeaning the more time they spent with him.

“Mom, let’s just go…” she said to her mother who was beside her. “This has to be a scam…”

“But you’ve been losing sleep,” her mother answered with a whisper.

“You feel like something’s always watching you, right?”

Suguru cut their private conversation and the daughter widened her eyes a little after hearing his interruption.

“Like your shoulders feel heavy and breathing is painful… almost as if you’ve forgotten how to breathe.”

 “You also have dreams of being violated.” This time, Suguru looked at the daughter intently, or to be more precise, the figure that was latching behind her.

It was a multi-limbed, multi-eyed form of humanoid aberration, latching onto her with its hands choking her and violating her private parts at this very moment.

Of course, none of them could see it, except for the monk sitting in front of them.

“How do you know that…?” she asked, feeling confused and shocked as to how this monk of a man could perfectly describe her symptoms whereas many doctors and specialists couldn’t.

“Don’t move,” he commanded.

Suguru then raised his right hand and pointed it towards her. To the mother and daughter, they only saw a simple act, but unbeknownst to them, Suguru was absorbing the Cursed Spirit that was latching onto her.

They couldn’t see this act was being performed, or hear anything at all. They were just ordinary people with no Cursed Energy whatsoever.

But the daughter could tell that something was beginning to feel different.

“Huh? No way…” she reacted instantly and the invisible process was done.

“I feel so much better already!!” she reacted joyously. The fear vanished from her face and a glimmer of happiness and hope was what being sported.

It was over, and the monk in front of them kept sporting a smile.

Suguru then walked them toward the exit of the temple, escorting them out of the premises.

“We truly have nothing but gratitude for you,” the mother said while bowing her head continuously.

“Please. We must all help each other,” Suguru replied the mother’s gratitude in a nonchalant manner. “Come again anytime.”

“See? He’s like Buddha himself,” the mother said to her daughter while tugging her along, her voice being lighthearted and cheerful.

The daughter only shyly responded, feeling a bit shameful for distrusting him a few moments ago.

They then exited the premises, and Suguru just stood there watching them exiting his place of establishment.

As Suguru turned and walked away, his calm mask remained intact. “Like Buddha, huh? Well said.”

His calm mask then shattered in an instant.

“Coming from monkeys who can’t even use Cursed Energy.”

No longer was he sporting the same friendly smile, but a menacing smirk with his face being scrunched up to the fullest. His hand was holding some sort of black orb… that black orb was the Cursed Spirit he had just acquired from them.

Finally, Suguru Geto finally showed his true self; someone who—

“There’s the real you… Master Geto.”

A voice suddenly came from behind him, disrupting his train of evil and malicious thoughts. It was a feminine voice and a friendly one at that.

A young woman with long dusty-pink hair that did not reachpast her shoulders and dark blue-green eyes. She wore a sleeveless black dress and long dark heels.

This was Manami Suda; a close confidant for Suguru Geto.

“The commanders are here, in the meeting room,” Suda informed Suguru of their predicament. With that piece of information, Suguru quickly get himself readied… by pulling out some sort of spray and started to let it pour on him.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Disinfecting,” Suguru quickly explained while still spraying himself with disinfectant. “Can’t have that ‘monkey stench’ spreading.”

Suguru truly looked like he was geniunely disgusted; a total statement of his own mindset regarding his thoughts on those who couldn’t use Cursed Energy, the non-sorcerers.

After that, they both walked back in and entered the temple. Suguru’s expression was now cheerful and exuberant, walking like he was slightly skipping in the process.

“I’m so happy. It’s been a while since we all got together!” Suguru exclaimed to his assisstant. “Let’s take a group photo! Where’s the SLR camera?”

In an instant, Suda showed Suguru the camera, looking proud as ever in the process. “Right here.”

Some moments passed, or to be more precise, a few seconds passed, as both Suguru and his assistant started to take pictures of themselves using the camera.

All of a sudden, a shout came out coming from the other end of the hallway. “Geto!!! Get out here!!!”

A short, bald man suddenly appeared, wearing a suit and tie with also proper vest on. He looked like he was out of breath and was sweating profusely from head to toe. “Geto!!! Heyy!!!”

“Hello, Kanemori. What’s the rush?” Suguru immediately greeted the man, now known as ‘Kanemori’.

“Why you—! Hurry and exorcise my curse!! Just lookit the amount I’ve paid you!” the short bald man screamed, commanding Suguru with a false sense of authority.

Suguru looked at his assistant, where she had a ledger being held closely. “How much?”

“About 150 million Yen. No donations in six months though…” she answered while looking at her ledger, sounding more thorough.

“Hmm… we’re done then.”

Suguru immediately dismissed the man after hearing that.

“What... are you…?!?!” Kanemori started wheezing, sweating more profusely and snots coming from his nostrils as well.

“Monkeys… have their roles,” Suguru started to explain his view on this particular matter. “Money-collecting monkeys and curse-collecting monkeys. You’re the former.”

With that, Suguru looked at Kanemori with a smile that was friendly and charming, and then, he snapped his fingers.

Kanemori couldn’t see it, but small Cursed Spirits started to appear around him. They were flying around and had mouths with the shape of suctions.

The Cursed Spirits started to suck his face like a powerful vacuum… it was so powerful, his skin started to get peeled off.

Splat!!!

Seconds later, his face was sucked by an unseen force, leaving only a headless corpse laying down on the floor.

“Are we really the same race?” Suguru’s assistant made a comment that was pretty much in line with Suguru’s ideology.

“See? Non-Sorcerers are just monkeys,” he replied without looking back whatsoever.

Suguru then walked into the entrance of a room, not caring about the headless corpse he’d left behind whatsoever. The door opened and he was greeted with half a dozen individuals, with Suda folllowing close behind him.

“My family, the time has come,” Suguru greeted them with those words. “The age of monkeys is over,”

Everyone in the room looked at him, some rather lazily, some with intent, but it was pretty much evident that Suguru was leading this group.

“It is now time to realize the age of Jujutsu Sorcerers.”

With this declaration, he made his plans known for everyone to know and to follow. “First, we’ll destroy the cornerstone of the Jujutsu world…”

He knew that this was the time, and he was ready for no matter what.

“Jujutsu High… both in Tokyo and Kyoto.”

-------

The cold water touched him from head to toe, making every inch of his body feel its chilling embrace. A normal shower, part of a normal routine, for what should have been a normal day.

This was a moment of peace, however brief. A rare pocket of solitude where he could simply exist, without the weight of thought pressing down on him.

His white hair, now damp and heavy, clung to his forehead as droplets of water slid down his tanned skin. After methodically scrubbing away the sweat and fatigue of the day, he reached for a towel and stepped out of the shower. He wiped himself down, letting the coarse fabric absorb the lingering wetness from his body.

Standing before the mirror, he took a long, silent look at himself.

His hair, even when damp, still refused to behave, strands sticking out haphazardly as if resisting control. His skin, a deep bronze, was the same tone it had been in his past life—a mark of overusing his Magecraft beyond reason. But what always caught his attention, what never failed to make his thoughts stall, were his eyes.

Slightly amber, warm yet piercing. The same as before. The same as Shirou Emiya’s.

No matter how much he changed, no matter how many layers of identity had been stripped away and reforged, his eyes remained the one constant.

They were the one thing that stubbornly tied him to his past self. To the naive, idealistic fool who once believed he could save everyone. To the battle-hardened Counter Guardian who learned the cruel truth behind that dream.

And now? Now, he was neither.

He was Shirou Gojo.

It was still strange to think about. To wake up in a world where the shackles of Alaya no longer bound him. Where he had an older brother in Satoru Gojo—an insufferable, eccentric guardian who somehow managed to be both an idiot and the strongest man he had ever known. Where he had Megumi, a younger brother of sorts, though neither of them had ever spoken the words aloud.

He had a family now. A home. A life that was both different and eerily familiar.

Was it a blessing? A second chance? Or was it some cruel, cosmic joke?

A dry chuckle escaped him as he held his own gaze in the mirror. Maybe it was both.

Shaking off the lingering thoughts, he grabbed his clothes and dressed swiftly—dark sweatpants and a simple black long-sleeved shirt. Comfortable, casual, and easy to move in. Running a hand through his still-damp hair, he sighed and stepped out of the bathroom.

The duplex was quiet, save for the faint sound of a kettle whistling from the kitchen. The scent of green tea and something lightly fried drifted through the air, a sign that Megumi had taken it upon himself to handle dinner for the night.

Stepping into the dining room, he found Megumi standing by the sink, rinsing off a plate before placing it on the drying rack. The younger boy barely glanced at him before reaching for a glass and filling it with water.

"You’re done showering," Megumi remarked in his usual flat tone, not really a question, just an observation.

"Yeah," he replied, running a hand through his still-damp white hair. He pulled out a chair and sat down, watching Megumi move through his routine. "You ate already?"

Megumi nodded as he took a sip from his glass before setting it down. "I figured you’d take your time in there. Gojo-san said to meet up early tomorrow, so I didn’t want to wait until late to eat."

He smirked. "What, worried I’d take an hour-long bath and we’d miss our train?"

Megumi scoffed. "Knowing you? It’s a possibility."

They both chuckled, leaning back in the process. The back-and-forth was familiar, comforting in a way. Even though Megumi had his usual sharp tongue, Shirou could tell he was looking forward to the trip.

"So," he began, stretching his arms behind his head. "Today’s the big day. Meeting up at Tokyo Station with Satoru and Tsumiki before heading to Kyoto. You excited?"

Megumi shrugged, taking another sip of his water. "It’s just a trip."

He tilted his head, eyeing him with amusement. "You sure? It’s been months since we last saw Tsumiki. You haven’t been sulking about it or anything, have you?"

Megumi shot him a glare. "I don’t sulk."

"Sure you don’t," he teased, but there was no real bite behind it. "Come on, admit it. You’re looking forward to seeing her again."

Megumi was silent for a moment, then exhaled through his nose. "...I guess." He picked up his glass again, swirling the remaining water inside. "It’ll be nice to catch up."

They both nodded, satisfied with the answer. He knew Megumi wasn’t the type to openly express his feelings, but it was obvious he cared.

"What about you?" Megumi asked, glancing at the white-haired and tanned person in front of him. "You looking forward to the trip?"

He hummed, tapping his fingers against the wooden table. "Yeah, I think so. Kyoto’s got some nice places. Good food. Should be fun."

Megumi eyed him for a moment, as if weighing his words. "You don’t sound that excited."

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was heavy. They both understood the unspoken truth—things wouldn’t go back to the way they used to be.

After a moment, Megumi set his empty glass in the sink and turned to lean against the counter. "Your big brother probably has some ridiculous plans for Kyoto. I doubt this is going to be a simple sightseeing trip."

He couldn’t hold out and snorted after hearing the mentioning of his ‘big brother’. "Oh, no doubt. I’m betting he’s booked some extravagant place for us to stay, probably with a hot spring and an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Megumi rolled his eyes. "That does sound like him. He’s going to make a spectacle of it."

"He wouldn’t be Satoru if he didn’t," he smirked. "At least the food’s on him. Might as well enjoy it while we can."

Megumi crossed his arms, sighing. "I just hope he doesn’t make us do something stupid."

"With Satoru??" he raised an eyebrow. "That’s basically guaranteed."

Megumi shook his head but didn’t argue. The two of them sat in silence for a bit longer, the weight of their conversation still lingering. Eventually, Shirou stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "Well, I should get my bag packed. You already done?"

Megumi nodded. "Yeah. I packed earlier today."

"Responsible as always," he mused. "Guess I should take a page out of your book."

With that, he gave Megumi a small wave and headed toward his room. The excitement of the trip was there, buried beneath the reality of their shifting lives. Even so, for a few days at least, they’d get to be together again—just like before. And maybe, just maybe, that would be enough..

Little did he know about the impending doom that he was about to walk into… but for now, he started packing without any worry whatsoever.

The morning came with a crisp breeze, clouds drifting lazily across a pale blue sky. The sun had only just begun its ascent, casting a faint gold over the quiet streets of Saitama. The city was still half-asleep, just beginning to stir to life.

He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and stepped out of the duplex, locking the door behind him. Megumi was already waiting at the foot of the stairs, his own bag slung casually across his back.

“Ready?” he asked.

Megumi gave a silent nod, glancing down the street. “Let’s not be late. Gojo will never let us hear the end of it.”

“He’d probably teleport onto the train and make a show of dragging us off by the collars,” he muttered with a wry smile.

They began walking toward the station, their footsteps echoing softly against the pavement. The air smelled faintly of dew and early-morning cooking from nearby homes—rice steaming, miso simmering, and fresh bread baking in corner bakeries.

The station wasn’t far, a short walk that neither spoke much through. They didn’t need to. The quiet camaraderie between them filled the space with a kind of understanding that came only with time—and trust.

By the time they reached the local line that would take them to Tokyo Station, the city had begun to wake. Commuters boarded the train with groggy expressions, salarymen checked their watches, and students with oversized backpacks crammed into seats with tired eyes.

They found a spot near the window, seated side-by-side. The train lurched forward and began its journey, the view outside steadily shifting from suburban homes to urban sprawl.

“Hard to believe it’s already been months since she left,” the white-haired Shirou Gojo said as he gazed out the window, watching buildings blur past.

Megumi’s expression softened slightly. “She texts almost every day, but yeah... it's different.”

“I remember when I first got here,” Shirou murmured. “The situation was confusing, but she always had this way of making things feel normal. Like... nothing could go wrong with her around.”

Megumi didn’t respond at first, then looked over. “She does that. It’s her curse.”

He tilted his head. “Curse?”

“She tries too hard to hold everyone else together, even if she’s falling apart.” His voice was quiet, almost swallowed by the sound of the train wheels turning.

His gaze lingered on Megumi for a moment. Never had he realized this was what Megumi felt about his sister. “That’s a heavy observation for someone your age.”

Megumi didn’t answer, simply turned back to the window.

A moment passed. Then two.

“I’ve been thinking about Reverse Cursed Technique lately,” Megumi said, as casually as if he were talking about the weather, trying to change the topic altogether.

Wanting to divert the attention to another topic, he followed Megumi’s train of thought and then turned his head, brow furrowing. “What about it?”

“Yeah. I mean… we’ve been training for years now, but it’s still out of reach,” Megumi said, crossing his arms. “I understand the theory. Convert negative energy into positive energy. Use it to heal yourself. But in practice…”

Megumi leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. “It doesn’t come naturally. Maybe it’s because of how we channel cursed energy. You brute-force everything.”

“I do not,” Shirou said, pretending to be offended. “I’m methodical.”

“You’re a blunt instrument.”

“I prefer ‘straightforward.’”

Megumi didn’t crack a smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

“But maybe that’s not too far off. We’ve made progress in every area except the advanced techniques. At least we’ve got the basics down.” Shirou muttered

“I have to manage the advanced techniques,” Megumi admitted. “It’s… elusive. I get the feeling, but it’s like grasping smoke.”

He looked out the window again, lost in thought. “I think I figured something out though. About cursed energy.”

Megumi raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I don’t have much of it. Compared to you and Satoru, I’m running on fumes. But that means I have to be... careful. Deliberate. I’ve been thinking, maybe less cursed energy means better control.”

“You’re saying your weakness is actually a strength?” Megumi said, skeptical.

“In a way, yeah. Think about it. Big reserves let you throw out techniques without much thought. But if you’ve got almost nothing? You learn to make every drop count.”

Megumi seemed to consider that. “So... what? You’ll learn Reverse Cursed Technique by perfecting micro-control?”

“That’s the idea. If I can control the flow at a fundamental level, maybe I can reverse the polarity.”

“Sounds insane. But that’s you in general. The fact that you can make weapons in abundance with little Cursed Energy means that either your control is sublime… or there’s something more to it.”

Megumi had always wanted to know just how could Shirou do all those things, especially conjuring weapons and others out of thin air even though his Cursed Energy level were on the low-side.

Satoru called him ‘full of potential’, but Shirou Gojo, his little brother, was like an anomaly with layers of secrets around his abilities.

“Sounds like me,” he answered with a shrug, not intending to explain to Megumi… even though he knew Megumi was dying to know.

The train began to slow as Tokyo Station loomed in the distance, a towering structure of glass and steel woven into the heart of the city. The chatter of passengers grew louder, and the intercom buzzed with arrival announcements.

They stood, grabbing their bags and weaving through the crowd. Tokyo Station was always a chaotic mess—people hurrying to catch connections, announcements blaring in multiple languages, kiosks blaring music and selling snacks at exorbitant prices.

Despite the noise and the rush, Shirou’s eyes scanned the crowd calmly, trained to pick out familiar faces in unfamiliar places.

“There,” Megumi said, nodding toward the center atrium.

Tsumiki stood waiting near a row of benches, waving when she saw them. She had grown in just a few months—her hair a bit longer, her posture more confident. Dressed in a soft beige coat over a white turtleneck and jeans, she looked more mature already.

“Tsumiki,” he called out, lifting a hand.

She smiled wide and rushed over, throwing her arms around both of them in a tight hug. “You two took your time.”

“We’re right on schedule,” Megumi said, adjusting the strap on his bag.

“I’ve been here for twenty minutes,” she huffed, though she was clearly too happy to be truly annoyed.

“You look good,” he said. “Tokyo treating you well?”

She beamed. “It’s amazing. The classes are tough, but I love the whole experience. And my classmates are actually really nice. One of them lives nearby the apartment, actually.”

“Convenient,” Megumi noted.

They began walking together toward the shinkansen platform, the crowd parting slightly for them as they moved. There was something magnetic about their presence—three individuals who seemed somehow in sync despite their differences.

As they approached the platform for the bullet train, they passed under a large sign reading “Kyoto-bound – 10:12 Departure.” The sleek white-nosed train waited like a sleeping beast, hum quiet but powerful.

“Just where is that buffoon? We’re about to depart in a matter of minutes here,” Megumi commented while searching around, trying to find the tallest idiot he had ever met in his life.

“Should we wait for him? He always comes in a dramatic fashion, right?” Tsumiki said while giggling a little.

Just then, a phone ringtone could be heard by the three of them… coming from Satoru’s little brother’s pocket. He instantly grabbed his phone out of it and looked at the notification he had just received.

“It’s a text from Satoru,” he said while looking at his screen. Megumi and Tsumiki both looked at him rather curiously.

“What does it say?” Tsumiki asked while coming closer toward beside him. Megumi followed suit, slightly curious as well.

“Got caught up at work lolz. You kids go on ahead and have fun! Everything’s already paid for anyway… I’ll see if I can catch up to you guys anytime soon ;p~”

The three of them looked at the text with deadpan reaction. Considering this was Satoru Gojo that they were dealing with, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that he would notify them last minute like this.

“He’s probably busy with some last-minute stuff. I guess we should just enjoy the trip for ourselves for the time being,” Tsumiki commented while trying to cheer up the situation they got in hand.

“It’s just like him to do this last-minute…” Megumi added while having a small sigh. “Let’s just go. We don’t need to worry about him anymore now.”

“Right behind you, Megumi!” Tsumiki happily said while following Megumi from behind. She tried to hug her step-brother as well like a doting sister missing her brother after not seeing him after quite a long time… Megumi was having none of it, of course.

Meanwhile, the ‘younger brother’ of Satoru Gojo just stood there, lost in his own thoughts.

There was nothing wrong with this, or the situation, or the trip as it still was going on pretty smoothly…

But for some reason…

‘Why do I have a bad feeling about this?’ he thought while still looking at Satoru’s text message. It was nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps his brother was just handling paperwork or finishing up… but something just didn’t sit right with him.

“Shirou!! You coming?” Tsumiki waved at him from the train’s entrance while still not letting go of Megumi.

Perhaps, he was just overthinking things…

“Right behind you.”

--------------

He really, really wanted to have that vacation.

Even though his ‘planned’ vacation would be with three teenagers and he would be the ‘responsible adult’, which something that he really hated, a vacation with his brother and the two kids he had basically adopted and took care of sounded like a nice thing.

But he was Satoru Gojo, and of course, the situation he was ‘potentially’ going to deal with required his utmost attention for the time being.

After sending the text message to his little brother, Satoru looked ahead to see Masamichi Yaga, who was now the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, looking out of the window of the high school’s building.

“We still can’t confirm Geto’s involvement,” Masamichi Yaga said while still looking downwards from the window. “Maybe you’re just being paranoid…”

Satoru followed suit his former teacher’s movement and stature by joining him looking out the window as well.

“Sorry principal, but I’m sure about this,” Satoru answered Masamichi’s worries by reassuring his stance on the matter. “I went to the scene myself…”

“There’s no way that…” Satoru started to explain his stance on the matter. “I would mistake his residuals.”

That matter being the rogue Sorcerer known as Suguru Geto, his former classmate and former best friend, who was still being hunted down to this day.

Satoru looked on ahead out of the window and followed Masamichi’s field of vision. It turned out that the principal was looking at their students who were gathering altogether.

They could see Toge Inumaki, the Cursed Speech User.

Panda, who was…. a literal panda.

Maki Zenin, the reject of the Zenin Family that had no Cursed Energy whatsoever.

And last, but definitely not least… Yuta Okkotsu, the new student who was admitted.

The Cursed Child who had one of the most dangerous and powerful Cursed Spirits latched on to him. Satoru looked at him specifically and he could see the monstrous amount of Cursed Energy that Yuta Okkotsu had. It was more than anyone he had ever met… and that included himself.

From the outside looking in, Yuta Okkotsu looked like he was cursed by said the Cursed Spirit known as Rika… But looking at him more and the time he had spent with Yuta, Satoru had a feeling that it was the other way around.

As Masamichi Yaga stood by the window of Tokyo Jujutsu High, his gaze fixed on the training grounds below, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught his attention. The air grew heavy, charged with an ominous energy that sent a chill down his spine. Turning to Satoru Gojo, who stood beside him.

“Goddamn!!!” Masamichi shouted, disrupting Satoru’s train of thought altogether.

Satoru’s expression turned serious as he sensed the disturbance. In an instant, both men moved swiftly.

“Speak of the goddamn devil!! Gather all Sorcerers Semi-Grade 1 and above at the front gate!!!” the principal shouted his commands to all who could listen.

Fwooosh!! Fwoooosh!!

The source of the malevolent energy became clear. A huge bird-like Cursed Spirit descended from above in a quick instant and a group of figures descended from it, their presence exuding a palpable sense of dread.

At the forefront was none other than Suguru Geto, flanked by his followers.

The students, including Toge Inumaki, Panda, Maki Zenin, and Yuta Okkotsu, paused their training, their attention drawn to the unexpected visitors.

“It’s an intruder, right?” Maki commented on the situation while instantly brandishing a halberd out of nowhere.

“I’ve never seen a curse like that…” Panda commented on the bird-like Cursed Spirit that they were seeing in front of them.

“Salted fish roe…” Toge added his own… comment.

And Yuta could only open his mouth without any comment whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Suguru Geto looked around the place, sensing a form of familiarity with the scenery of Tokyo Jujutsu High. “Still the same as ever…”

“Whoa, Master Geto, is this Tokyo?!” one of his subordinates, who looked like a high-schooler asked him. “So country!”

“Nanako… that was rude,” the other subordinate, who also looked like a high-schooler, commented.

They then shifted their attention towards the Jujutsu High students, who were standing a few feet from them.

“Who are they?? OMG!! It’s a panda! So cuuuute!”

The Jujutsu High students clearly didn’t like seeing intruders nonchalantly commented and acted like they owned the place.

“Who are you? Mister Yuta won’t forgive intruders, you know?” Panda made his own comment on the matter while shooing them to go away.

“Kelp,” Toge added, looking like he was agreeing with what Panda just said.

“Wait, what?” Yuta was dumbfounded with the way his friends was acting, like he was the one that was going to beat the intruders up.

“Get out before Mister Yuta beats you up!!” Maki solidified the stance.

“What?!?”

"Nice to meet you, Yuta Okkotsu," Suguru instantly held Yuta’s hand to greet him, his voice calm yet commanding and he was sporting such a grand smile. "I’m Suguru Geto.”

Yuta could only shyly reply, his stance wasn’t guarded at all. "Oh, um, nice to meet you..?"

While this small exchange took place, the other students were quite in a shock… because they couldn’t react with how fast this intruder just moved and shook Yuta’s hand.

They widened their eyes once they realized that he was standing very close to them. “He’s fast!!!!”

“You have quite the fantastic power,” Suguru started to talk even more while still holding Yuta’s hand. “I think great power should be used for great endeavors.”

Yuta could only stand there without reacting whatsoever.

“Do you see anything wrong with the world today? Jujutsu Sorcerers are forced to work in the shadows to protect society…” in an instant, Suguru appeared behind Yuta and started to embrace him and continue his monologue.

“You see, it’s a paradox in which the strong must submit to the weak! It’s deplorable!!”

“Right…” Yuta had no words to say except for this.

“Humanity has hindered their own evolution. Such utter nonsense!! It’s about time we take another look at humanity’s survival!! So…. I would like your help.”

“Huh? With what?” Yuta asked in an innocent matter.

“Killing all Non-Sorcerers and realizing a world with only Jujutsu Sorcerers!!” Not only Yuta was shocked, but the other students as well.

Before they could respond, Satoru and Masamichi arrived a few feet behind the students and the intruders.

"Now, now, don’t be spouting crazy talk to my students," Satoru said, his tone cold. "You've got some nerve showing up here."

Suguru looked at Satoru behind him and offered a huge smile while still holding onto Yuta in a friendly manner. "Satoru!! It’s been so long!”

“Step away from them, Suguru…” Satoru commanded, his tone was still ice cold.

Suguru started to look at the students beside him. “I heard about the excellent first-years. I see, so, they’re under your care…”

“A Special-Grade Cursed Human..” Suguru looked at Yuta Okkutsu.

“An abrupt-mutation Cursed Corpse..” He then looked at Panda.

“A Cursed Speech User Descendant..” Then, he looked at Toge Inumaki.

“And…” Suguru’s eyes trailed toward the only female Jujutsu High student. “The Zenin family’s failure.”

“Why you—“ Maki was getting riled up, but then Suguru interrupted her saying.

“Careful what you say now,” no longer was Suguru sporting a friendly smile, but a menacing stare. “I don’t need a monkey like you in my world.”

After Suguru said those words, he felt his friendly embrace being forcefully removed by none other than the one he was holding onto.

Yuta swatted Suguru’s arm from his back, and Suguru was a bit shocked by his reaction.

“Sorry, I’m not sure yet what you’re talking about. But…” Yuta started to look at Suguru’s eyes in an intimidating way.

“I’m not gonna help someone… who talks down to my friends!”

Yuta said those words with conviction, and Suguru softened his face after seeing the young boy’s reaction to his intimidating words.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Suguru replied, trying to calm Yuta down.

In an instant, Satoru decided to intervene by standing between Suguru and Yuta. No one saw how fast Satoru moved, not even Yuta and Suguru.

“So then, why did you come here?” Satoru looked at Suguru with an unknown reaction, considering his eyes were covered up and no one could discern his eyes’ visage.

Suguru had his own moment of calmness for a few seconds. A moment of silence before he was about to proclaim his intention.

“To declare war.”

Everyone who was affiliated against him widened their eyes, not knowing what did Suguru truly mean by those words.

“To all those gathered here!! Listen up!!” the fake monk shouted to everyone in the vicinity.

"On December 24th!! At sundown!! I will unleash the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons!! This will take place at the crucible for curses…” Suguru started his proclamation of war.

“…Shinjuku in Tokyo!! And at Jujutsu’s sacred land, Kyoto!!”

“I will release a thousand cursed spirits in each city, sowing chaos and destruction. Of course, they’ll be issued orders to massacre. If you want to avoid this impending hell, put your lives on the line and fight!!”

Gasps echoed among the students. Masamichi's fists clenched, while Satoru’s eyes narrowed behind his blindfold.

“Let’s curse each other… to our hearts’ content!!” Suguru finally finished his declaration, leaving many of them shocked by this

"Why are you doing this?" Masamichi Yaga demanded.

Suguru Geto's gaze turned steely. "To create a world where only sorcerers exist. A world free from the blight of non-sorcerers.”

“Ahhhh!!” someone shouted from behind Suguru. As it turned out, it was one of his followers, the one named Nanako. “Master Geto!! The store is closing soon!!”

After such a dramatic declaration, even Suguru was a bit dumbfounded by what came after. “Going somewhere with so many monkeys.. what’s the—Sorry, Satoru.”

“The girls want to try the crepe shop on Takeshita Street. So, I’ll be on my way,” Suguru started to move toward his monstrous bird-like Cursed Spirit, with his followers following him and shouting ‘hurry up!!’ to him.

“But as for all those monkeys over there—“

“Leaving? Not on my watch,” Satoru interrupted his former best friend’s ramblings, intending to settle this matter right this instant.

Suguru, who already had turned around and facing his back to Satoru, started to be serious as well. “Don’t try it…”

Doooom!!! Roooom!!

In an instant, Suguru summoned a gigantic Cursed Spirit floating above him. The Cursed Spirit had an appearance of a Cyclops with one gigantic eye and a belly that started to expand.

“Your precious students… are all within my range,” the moment Suguru said this, skeleton-like Cursed Spirits started to spawn around Satoru’s students.

“Well then, everyone… see you on the battlefield!”

With that, he turned on his heel, his followers trailing behind. As they disappeared into the distance, the weight of his words settled over the school like a shroud.

“Dammit!!! Emergency meeting, now!!” the principal, Masamichi Yaga, shouted at everyone on the vicinity, intending to talk about the predicament that they were about to face.

Many minutes later, every Jujutsu Sorcerer that was affiliated with Tokyo Jujutsu High was summoned and gathered at the specific meeting place. A room where many were sitting down, except for Satoru and the one who was presenting and explaining their situation.

The room was filled with adults, and not the students, as they were still not ready to be sitting at the ‘big-boy’ table.

“Suguru Geto,” the one presenting began to speak. He was a middle-aged man wearing a suit, signifying him as an ‘assistant manager’ for the Jujutsu Sorcerers here. “A Special-Grade Curse User who possesses the Curse Manipulation technique.”

There were about a dozen or more who was in this room, and they were all listening intently. “He recruits vagabond Curses and controls them. He has amassed a huge number of curses.. by using his religious group as a lure.”

Satoru, who stood behind the sitting Principal, already knew this piece of information. Therefore, his mind was somewhere else… to be more specific, thinking about the three brats that were heading for Kyoto right this instant.

“That’s in addition to the curses he already possesses. Two thousand may not be a bluff,” the assistant manager finally halted his explanation.

Masamichi, who had been listening all this time, was in serious damage control and thinking of ways to end this matter with the least amount of lives as possible.

“Even so, most of ‘em are probably Grade 2 or less. The number of Jujutsu Sorcerers we have is 50, tops,” the principal added this particular information for everyone to hear.

“That’s the scary part,” Satoru started to voice his opinion. “It’s hard to imagine him starting a war he can’t win.”

“Goddammit!!!” Masamichi was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. “All alumni! The Three Big Families!!  We will also ask for help from the Ainu Jujutsu Society!!”

“It’s all-out warfare!! This time, we exorcise the curse known as Suguru Geto!!” with that, Masamichi made his own declaration regarding the ‘Night Parade of Hundred Demons’.. as an all-out war.

‘Yup, that’s my vacation getting canceled alright…’ Satoru thought after hearing Masamichi’s relentless tirade on his former best friend.

His thoughts then lingered on the matter that he was in Tokyo, and he needed to be in this city… because Suguru would definitely attack here than Kyoto…

Considering the Jujutsu Sorcerers were lacking in manpower in Kyoto as well, Satoru had an idea in mind…

‘Maybe, after he has fun in Kyoto with Megumi and Tsumiki … I’ll give him a call.’