10 The Strongest (Part One)

In the darkness of night, the firelight in the forest became less conspicuous, obscured by layer upon layer of trees.

The campfire illuminated two figures sitting beside it, occasional sparks leaping up and flickering like red stars under the moonlight.

Osamu Dazai and Chuuya Nakahara sat quietly by the fire, just the two of them.

Hanami and Noritoshi had already left, showing little interest in Dazai’s idea. Though they treated their companions amicably, they did not actively seek each other out.

As cursed spirits, they had endless time to encounter their comrades. It was Dazai’s attention toward Chuuya that seemed strange to them; Hanami and Noritoshi’s concern for Chuuya stemmed mostly from curiosity.

Now that Chuuya had “hatched,” Hanami and Noritoshi were pleased to have another companion but had no intention of lingering. Cursed spirits did not have the habit of gathering in groups.

They were far more carefree than humans. After Noritoshi fought with Chuuya and expressed admiration for him, he left swiftly. Hanami also did not stay; her departure was in a different direction from Noritoshi’s.

Only Dazai and Chuuya remained in the forest. Having become cursed spirits, they no longer needed warmth, yet they still kept the fire burning.

Previously, they had talked about the new world, cursed spirits, Suguru Geto, and Chuuya’s reluctance to be born... Now, at last, there was nothing left to say.

After witnessing the soon-to-arrive special grade cursed spirits and no longer needing to gather as much information about this world to avoid exposure, Dazai and Chuuya sat together in quiet companionship.

This was truly rare for them, reminiscent of certain moments when Dazai was still with the Port Mafia on missions.

Chuuya gazed into the blazing fire and asked, “Do cursed spirits need to sleep?”

“Not only do we not need sleep, but we also don’t require eating, drinking, or any physiological activities,” Dazai replied. “Life has become more boring.”

Chuuya sighed regretfully.

“But we can still eat if we want,” Dazai said. “It just won’t make us sick.”

“How do you know that?” Chuuya looked at Dazai warily.

Dazai gave a meaningful smile and sighed dramatically. “Did you ever listen carefully to what I said? The only thing that can hurt a cursed spirit is cursed energy. You don’t really think we’d get an upset stomach, do you?”

“Only you get upset stomachs!” Chuuya shot back. “Who else would mix a bunch of random stuff together like you? How come you didn’t die from it?!”

“Wow, as if my upset stomach has nothing to do with you!” Dazai raised an eyebrow mockingly. “Since when did you learn to shirk responsibility?!”

Chuuya, feeling guilty, said, “That wasn’t… you asked for it! And didn’t I fix it later?!”

Dazai pouted. “Yeah, yeah, you sent me to Mr. Mori for gastric lavage and then made me the laughingstock!”

Chuuya retorted, “Using ordinary ingredients to make regular food have such effects… you might as well have told me you were making a new interrogation drug.”

Dazai disagreed. “It’s not an interrogation drug. My cooking has always been consistently praised!”

“I heard from Professor Glasses that being your friend is like having seven generations of bad luck,” Chuuya blurted out, then regretted it and quickly changed the subject. “What about those two cursed spirits?”

Dazai said coolly, “Chuuya, your topic-changing skills are still so clumsy.”

“None of your business!” Chuuya said, trying to sound fierce but feeling timid. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them.”

Dazai said coldly, “You’re still so easily fooled!”

“How am I easily fooled?!” Chuuya protested.

Dazai sneered, “Do you think it’s a coincidence they showed up right after Suguru Geto left?”

Coincidence? Since meeting Dazai, Chuuya had fully realized there was no such thing as coincidence in this world.

Chuuya raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that because you kidnapped one of his subordinates?”

“Yeah, I kidnapped a cursed sorcerer who just happened to be his subordinate,” Dazai said. “What bad luck!”

Chuuya ignored Dazai’s sarcasm and asked calmly, “Have you found anything wrong with them?”

“There are plenty of fools in this world who get used without realizing it,” Dazai said indifferently. “Those two are too dumb to be aware if someone’s exploiting them.”

“Just like you?” Chuuya said casually.

Dazai sneered, “Are you defending your new ‘companions’ now? Don’t worry, when we take down Suguru Geto, we can fulfill your wish to protect your kind.”

“I don’t have that wish…” Chuuya said speechlessly. “Where do we start?”

“After you severely wounded Suguru Geto, he’s probably nursing his injuries and won’t show up for a while,” Dazai said. “Let’s go after someone else—the strongest sorcerer, Satoru Gojo.”

He said, “It’s curious how someone universally acknowledged as ‘the strongest’ holds such value.”

In the wooded outskirts of Tokyo, a stately, ancient building nestled among the dense forest, with a wooden plaque on the gate bearing its name:

—Tokyo Jujutsu High School.

Deep within the courtyard, only a few scattered people walked across the campus, and to one’s surprise, a plump panda played among them.

A tall man with white hair and blue eyes stood in the principal’s office, looking at the burly middle-aged man opposite him. Upon hearing the news, his face showed shock.

“Geto was severely wounded by a special grade cursed spirit? Is that for real?!”

Satoru Gojo looked at Masamichi Yaga’s serious expression. Even knowing Yaga was not joking, it was hard to believe Suguru Geto had been ‘severely wounded’ by a special grade cursed spirit!

When they were sixteen, it was already rare to find a cursed spirit capable of hurting them.

“Could it be some kind of nonsense rumor?” Gojo asked suspiciously.

Yaga said, “It’s information from Mei Mei.”

“Oh, Mei Mei is moonlighting again,” Gojo raised an eyebrow. Although Mei Mei loved to earn money, her information was always reliable.

Interested, he said, “If there’s a cursed spirit that can hurt Geto, I’d really like to face it!”

Yaga said, “That’s why I came to find you.”

If even Suguru Geto was severely wounded, then only Satoru Gojo could exorcise this cursed spirit.

“I understand,” Gojo replied, then put on a sarcastic smile. “But I bet the higher-ups don’t think the same way.”

Yaga sighed inwardly. “Yes, the leadership hopes to use this time to strike at Suguru Geto first.”

Gojo rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. “They’d have to find him first!”

If the jujutsu world could locate Suguru Geto, he wouldn’t have been missing for nearly ten years.