Seclusion

Ren cut open space and appeared directly at the agency entrance.

"Boss, what happened?"

The profound aura around him was growing denser. It had nearly become solid.

"I am fine."

Ren's voice remained steady, but the force around him made the air feel heavy.

"If anyone comes looking for me, say I am in seclusion and will not meet anyone."

He looked at Kento Nanami.

"During this period, Toji will act in my place."

Before Nanami could answer, Ren entered his office.

Nanami saw his condition and felt concern, but he knew there was nothing he could do directly. He called Toji and Gojo.

Inside the office, defensive barriers opened at once. Unless the attacker possessed cursed energy above Ren's own level, the barrier would not break.

Only then did Ren sit cross-legged and float into the air.

The understanding of Truth bloomed in his mind.

Niten Ichiryu had damaged Folly's source, leaving part of Truth incomplete. But Folly's understanding of Truth had been inherited in full.

Together with its long accumulation of time, the amount of knowledge was enormous.

Incomprehensible symbols appeared around Ren and circled him like guards protecting a god.

Cursed energy surged out again and again, battering the barrier.

If he had not arranged the barrier first, that force might have destroyed the entire street.

Toji and Gojo arrived at the agency almost at the same time.

They stood outside Ren's office with Nanami.

For once, neither of them had time to argue.

"You are sure the boss did not look well when he came back?" Toji asked.

"Where did Ren go recently?" Gojo asked at the same time.

Nanami pushed up his glasses.

"Yes. When the boss returned, a powerful cursed energy surrounded his body. He also told me to pass on those words."

Toji frowned and reached for the door handle.

The lock sounded from inside.

"Looks like the boss really needs to enter seclusion."

Gojo touched his chin. The Six Eyes focused on the door.

Then he vanished.

A hole appeared in the wall across the hallway.

Gojo appeared again, staring at the office door with blank eyes and his mouth slightly open.

A storm had risen in his mind.

The moment he used the Six Eyes to observe inside, incomprehensible symbols filled his sight. With a single glance, a massive amount of information rushed into his brain.

It felt like being struck by his own Unlimited Void.

Only Unlimited Void filled the target with useless information.

This was useful information.

To leave the stream quickly, Gojo had used his technique to move himself away. If he had not, he might have stood there for years.

Toji saw his expression and almost mocked him, but this was not the time.

"What did you see? Is he all right? When will he wake?"

Three questions came out together.

Gojo finally swallowed and adjusted his blindfold.

"I saw nothing. A stream of information hit my eyes, and I almost could not come back."

Toji understood what that meant.

"How long?"

"I do not know. Maybe a year. Maybe ten."

Gojo looked toward the window.

But when Ren woke, he would be even more terrifying.

No.

Gojo's eyes focused again.

Ren was his rival.

If Ren kept growing stronger, how could Gojo remain still?

He breathed out, as if expelling the complicated thoughts.

"Do not worry. His current condition is very good. We just do not know when he will wake."

"He set a barrier inside. We will set another one outside and make sure he is safe."

Gojo's tone became serious.

"After that, we maintain the agency."

All three understood the situation.

The agency's transcendent position existed because of Ren. If others discovered Ren was in seclusion and unable to respond, some people might unite against the agency.

Toji could kill those people, but he could not control every decision before it was made.

And if Ren woke to find that someone had taken advantage of his absence, the result would be ugly.

Their eyes met.

Determination appeared in each of them.

The pressure they released together filled the hallway.

The already damaged wall collapsed.

The sound woke the three from their seriousness.

"After I graduate, I will come work at the agency," Gojo said brightly. "I am leaving first. Bye."

He vanished.

Toji looked at the broken wall with dark lines practically covering his face.

"Next time I see that blindfold, I am making him pay for repairs."

He left while cursing and called someone to fix the wall.

Nanami looked at the collapsed wall and remembered Ren's instruction.

A warmth rose in his chest.

He was needed.

Since joining the agency, he had done his best with work, but he had always felt that he had contributed little. The agency's status had been carved out by Ren alone.

Today was different.

"I will protect the agency."

He returned to his desk and continued working.

Time moved to August.

Two months had passed, and almost no one had noticed Ren's disappearance. Everyone knew Ren hated trouble and often stayed inside the agency anyway. Recently, the fact that he did not appear even made many sorcerers sigh with relief. They were afraid of offending him by accident.

At the Jujutsu High library, Suguru Geto sat with a book.

"Suguru Geto," Yuki Tsukumo asked from nearby, "what type of woman do you like?"

Geto looked up.

"Hello, Yuki Tsukumo. What do you need from me?"

"Boring." Yuki sat beside him. "Nothing much. I had time recently, so I came to see you and Satoru Gojo."

Geto looked at the tall woman once, then returned to his book.

"You seem more normal than expected," Yuki said. "You do not look like someone with psychological problems."

The plain sentence made Geto pause.

"Who told you?"

To grow stronger, Geto had done many things he once would not have approved of. Constantly absorbing curses had also pushed him mentally. He had suffered inexplicable disappointment, hatred, and anger countless times.

If cursed spirit activity had not decreased recently and given him a chance to breathe, he might truly have collapsed.

Yuki leaned back in her chair.

"Haibara, your underclassman. He thought your mental state had been poor recently. He did not dare ask you himself, so he asked me to look."

"That guy?"

Geto's mouth curved faintly.

Haibara was his underclassman and admirer. Every time he went on a mission, he brought back local specialties. He was close with Geto and Gojo.

"He also tried to find Satoru," Yuki said. "But no one knows where Gojo went lately, so he came to me."

She stretched her arms and relaxed in the chair. Wind moved a few strands of hair.

Geto leaned back too and closed his eyes.

"What peaceful days. A pity this may only last a few months."

"Not necessarily," Yuki said. "If curses are killed while they are still small, before they grow, the problem becomes easier."

Her voice was casual, but Geto understood.

The idea was correct, but almost impossible to execute.

Humans produced countless negative emotions every day. Even if this period was peaceful, after half a year the old rhythm would return.

"The efficiency is too low," Geto said.

"Yes. Jujutsu High's method is to kill curses after they appear. Slow and inefficient."

Yuki tilted her head.

"But there are other methods. If cursed energy did not leak from humans, the problem would be solved."

Geto thought of one possibility and spoke before stopping himself.

"Then if ordinary people did not exist, would that solve it?"

As soon as he said it, goosebumps rose across his body.

How could I say that?

Guilt surfaced in him.

Until now, he had only killed people he judged deserving of death. Toward humanity as a whole, he still held the belief that sorcerers protected them.

That sentence pushed him directly against humanity.

"In theory, yes," Yuki said. "That could apply pressure to ordinary humans and force evolution. The method is interesting. Unfortunately, I am not that insane."

Geto lowered his head in thought.

Silence stretched.

"Well, since you are fine, I will not stay longer. I will tell Haibara."

Yuki put on her helmet and left the library.

Geto remained alone, staring at his hands.

His expression shifted again and again.

At last, he sighed.

September arrived.

Cursed spirit incidents began appearing across Japan again, and sorcerers returned to work.

In a Jujutsu High classroom, Yaga placed a folder before Geto.

"Suguru, this mission is in a village called Kurokado. There are suspected traces of a Grade 2 curse."

"Satoru Gojo is still missing, so you will handle this mission alone. The documents are on the desk. Read them first."

Geto opened the folder. It contained the mission address, photos of the village, descriptions of supernatural incidents, and Window's assessment.

Overall, the danger should not exceed Grade 2.

"No problem. I will leave after reading."

He did not refuse. A mission like this should be simple.

He only had not expected curses to regenerate this quickly.

Human negativity truly had no end.

Yaga left for other business.

Geto looked at the folder, smiled helplessly, and stood.

Much later, he arrived at the village.

The moment he looked at it, a strange pressure settled in his chest.

"This feeling is unpleasant. I should resolve it quickly and leave."

He walked into the village.

A fat villager came to greet him with forced enthusiasm.

"You must be the master here to handle the supernatural matter. I am the village representative. I came to welcome you."

The man looked Geto over.

"A young hero indeed. Come, eat something first. Exorcism can wait."

His mouth said there was no hurry, but his hands kept rubbing together, betraying his anxiety.

"No need. Handle the matter quickly. I have other things to do."

The environment was oppressive, and the man seemed covered by a faint black aura. Geto did not want to stay near him.

"Good, good. A master really puts the public first."

The man led him to a house.

"Here. This house has been empty for more than ten years. Recently, people heard a woman screaming inside. That alone would not be much, but people have begun disappearing. Before each disappearance, the person entered this house."

He stopped more than ten meters away and refused to go farther.

Geto did not argue.

The house was an ordinary rural wooden building. The windows were sealed. Sunlight probably had not entered for years.

The report matched what the man described. The manifestation seemed limited, more like a Grade 3 or 4 land-bound curse that had not broken its restriction.

"I understand."

Geto walked forward.

"M-Master, good luck."

The door closed behind him.

Inside, darkness filled the room. The sealed windows allowed no light. The air smelled of mold, blood, and rot.

A scraping sound came from the shadows.

"Come stay with me."

"Stay with me."

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