Intern Geto

Gojo's words tightened the expressions of the people behind him.

Everything outside had suggested Ren's condition was excellent. None of them had considered another possibility.

Was he only pretending to be fine?

Had something gone wrong with his body?

Geto and Toji stepped closer at the same time.

"What happened?" Geto asked. "Is there a problem with his body?"

Nanami did not approach, but his eyes never left Ren. His sleeves had been twisted into a mess without him noticing.

Gojo smiled bitterly.

"I do not know how to say it. Let him explain."

With the Six Eyes, he still could not see Ren properly. It was like looking at the room during Ren's seclusion all over again.

Ren stretched and instinctively leaned back.

Only then did he notice that the office was empty.

"Did you move out my office while I was gone?"

The four fell silent.

"Do not change the subject," Toji said. "How are you now? I need to prepare myself."

"Nothing much. A little stronger than before."

The room went quiet.

All three who understood Ren inhaled sharply.

When Ren said a little, it usually meant a lot.

The silence lasted half an hour.

"Right. I almost forgot."

Toji tossed several stones onto the floor.

"That elder came a few times while you were in seclusion. He said they were payment. When he heard you were unavailable, he gave them to me first."

Ren took out the stone he already had and counted them.

There was even one extra.

A cursed spirit that had lived among humans for so long knew how to handle matters. Nurarihyon had even sent extra payment.

"The job is complete. The payment is received. The matter is settled."

After confirming Ren was fine, Toji and Nanami left to buy furniture for the empty office.

Gojo and Geto remained on either side of Ren.

Neither spoke, but neither left.

"Do you two have something to tell me?"

Geto spoke first.

"While you were in seclusion, I found the direction I want to work toward. It seems other people do not accept it."

He explained what had happened and stated his goal.

Ren was not surprised. He knew this part of the story.

"Have you considered creating cursed spirits corresponding to specific emotions," Ren asked, "then using them to gather human negative emotions while keeping them under our control?"

The words struck Geto like thunder.

"Yes. Why did I not think of that?"

His thoughts opened all at once.

"I do not have the ability to create cursed spirits, but I can capture them. The problem is that curses I capture cannot continue evolving. How do I make them keep absorbing cursed energy?"

Geto's mind filled with the problem of raising controlled curses.

Gojo frowned.

"Ren, do you not think what he is doing is meaningless? How can you let him continue?"

If this went on, Geto would sink deeper into the wrong road.

Ren looked at Gojo.

"What counts as meaningful?"

The same question, asked by a different person.

Gojo could not answer immediately.

Protecting all humanity? Protecting the weak? Maintaining peace in the jujutsu world?

Ridiculous.

He had said Geto's path was meaningless because it contradicted the ideals Geto had once held.

Ren had no such conflict.

Even if all humans died, what did that have to do with him?

"See," Ren said. "You do not know either."

He sat cross-legged and floated in the air, moon-pale eyes watching Gojo.

"Sorcerers do not have an innate duty. If I protect you, it is because I want to protect you. That is all."

"Meaning only means I want to do it."

"So what Geto is doing has meaning to him."

"Then I will do something meaningful too," Gojo said. "I will stop you from killing ordinary people."

Geto smiled gently.

"Do as you like."

Gojo vanished.

It seemed he needed to think about how to handle the matter.

Ren looked at Geto.

"Why are you still here?"

"There is one more thing."

Geto knelt before Ren.

"I am willing to use all my savings in exchange for becoming an employee of the agency."

"Recently, I founded a religious organization that exorcises curses for ordinary people. The income is good. During these years, I sent the accounts to the agency every year."

"If you agree, I will hand over everything."

His tone was sincere.

"What can you do for the agency?" Ren asked.

Light entered Geto's narrow eyes.

A question meant hope.

"I can use my organization to earn money for the agency."

"I also have an intelligence network. It cannot compare with the agency, but among ordinary people it has some ability. If you want to find someone, it can help."

He paused.

"Finally, I can help you research cursed spirits that absorb emotions."

Ren's fingers tapped his knee.

As time passed, sweat beaded on Geto's forehead.

The longer Ren considered, the colder Geto's excitement became.

Perhaps it still would not work.

The stones Toji had left appeared before Geto.

"Summon your curses one by one. If one of them can make these stones react, I will agree to let you become an intern at the agency."

Geto trembled and stood.

Those stones were his door in.

He had to succeed.

Curses appeared in the room.

Two hours passed.

"I succeeded."

Geto's voice was almost unsteady.

"Am I an intern now?"

Ren nodded.

The weight in Geto's chest finally fell away.

"Come by in two days. You will meet a colleague. From now on, you will mainly cooperate with his work."

"He is the main person responsible for that experiment."

The next day, news that Ren Zenin was alive spread through the jujutsu world.

"That thing over Tokyo yesterday was just Ren Zenin waking up?"

"Was that something a human could do? I thought the world was ending."

"So many people died yesterday. Is nothing going to happen?"

"That man is already above the entire jujutsu world, isn't he?"

"Was he not before?"

That last reply ended the thread.

Toji scrolled through his phone and laughed from time to time.

"These sorcerers are really idle."

He did not mention that he had sold the information himself.

That single piece of news had earned him more than ten million yen.

Information was more profitable than killing.

Footsteps approached.

"Dad, why did you call me?"

Megumi Fushiguro had grown from a small child into a cool, handsome teenager. Because he had often gone with Gojo to exorcise curses, he wore a Jujutsu High uniform even before officially entering.

"It has been a while since I saw you," Toji said. "Where is that blindfold?"

"Sensei has something to do today. He is not coming."

"Better. Come on. I will take you to meet the agency boss."

Megumi paused.

The boss?

Ren Zenin had awakened?

As Toji's son, Megumi knew Ren had been in seclusion. But he had been on a mission the day before and had just returned. Since he did not like talking with other sorcerers, he did not know what happened in Tokyo.

"Do not just stand there. Come meet Ren... no, Uncle Ren."

Toji had almost let Megumi use his name because Ren's face barely changed, but Ren was still old enough for the title to matter.

If Ren settled accounts later, the trade would not be worth it.

"Hello. Huh? Megumi is here too? Are you going to see Ren? Then we can go together."

Gojo appeared with Yuta Okkotsu behind him.

"The one behind me will join Jujutsu High in a few days. He will be my student and your upperclassman. You can meet first."

Yuta lowered his head and looked cautiously at the people present.

Megumi was also cold by nature.

Their first meeting passed in awkward calm.

"Blindfold," Toji said, "I brought Megumi because he has not seen Ren in years. Why are you bringing a stranger?"

"No reason. I found a piece of unpolished jade and wanted to show off. If Hakari had not been busy, I would have brought him too."

Toji's eyes sharpened.

He examined Yuta carefully.

Two huge arms suddenly appeared.

"Careful," Megumi and Yuta shouted together.

Toji already held two blades, one in each hand, blocking the attack.

He flipped backward into the hallway.

"This thing has strength. Let me see what it is."

He put on his glasses.

The two enormous arms became visible, guarding Yuta from both sides.

Special-grade cursed spirit?

Gojo smiled proudly.

"How about it? Pretty impressive, right?"

Toji said nothing, but his mouth lifted.

"Since we are here, let's go. Do not waste time."

He walked toward Ren's office.

"Boss, we are coming in."

The office had already been restored. Its style was the same as before. The refrigerator and snack shelves near the wall were even larger.

The moment the door opened, terrifying cursed energy erupted behind Yuta.

Rika's arms blocked him desperately, refusing to let him enter.

Ren's lazy voice came from inside.

"Five million to remove that curse. Do you need me to act?"

The enormous arms trembled.

Through their bond, Rika urged Yuta to leave immediately.

Yuta felt her fear for the first time.

Even before Gojo, Rika had never shown fear this deep.

"No," Gojo said. "I only brought my student for you to see."

He smiled.

"He has potential no lower than mine."

Toji and Megumi looked over.

Potential equal to Gojo's was frightening.

In the past ten years, only Hakari had received a similar evaluation.

Was the jujutsu world about to change?

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