Chapter:42 Basics

A blank silence hung over the room, interrupted only by the annoying news reporter on the television. Renko's head was aching from thinking about the options presented to her by Gojo, not that she liked any of them, but they seemed like the only available options to her.

"So, Matriarch of one one of the big three clans, huh?"

Renko snorted, studying Gojo's face for any hint of deceit but instead, the white-haired woman grinned, her serious demeanor melting into a playful one. 

"The one and only! You're basking in the presence of the great Big-Sis Gojo, leader of the prestigious Gojo Clan."

She declared, sticking her upper body out like she expected some sort of praise.

Renko arched an eyebrow, eyeing the Gojo's rather... 'sizable' chest with an unimpressed look on her face,

"Big titles, big responsibilities, and I assume, bigger tits..."

Though the last part came out as an inaudible whisper.

Gojo laughed as she heard Renko's take on her title, that is until she heard the last part and her grin froze,

"Eh?"

Renko chuckled,

"Nothing, please continue."

*Cough*

Gojo coughed to hide her bewilderment before continuing,

"Anyway, you do catch on quickly, Kono-chan. As a Matriarch, I have access to some pretty wild perks. You know, I can even pull a couple of strings here and there, help out promising talents like you."

Renko's eyes remained glued to her chest but she managed to converse normally,

"What's your goal in all this? Surely you aren't just doing this cause you enjoy the feeling of helping others?"

Gojo shrugged, her lips taking on a mischievous smirk,

"It keeps things interesting. Watching oddballs like you gather and grow has a certain kick to it. Plus, a couple of oddballs with the potential to make it big owning me a favor is kinda handy."

Renko sighed, her eyes narrowing,

"Define 'Favor,' I ain't signing you a blank check."

Gojo leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs casually.

"That's fair I guess? A favor within reason, noting that might compromise your principles or harm your reputation. I'm not a loan shark you know, I don't collect debts by breaking people's legs."

Renko considered her words carefully, it was quite evident that she needed some help to not get turned into a political pawn in a game she had no idea about. Gojo's offer was tempting, however, she still wouldn't quite trust this white-haired woman just yet.

"I'll take you up on that offer. But I want to know more about this Jujutsu Society, I am mostly still in the dark."

Gojo grinned, seemingly pleased with Renko's decision. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees.

"Well, Kono-chan, the Jujutsu Society is, in a way, a secret organization affiliated with the government that deals with curses and the supernatural. Its main duty is to take care of curses before they become a nuisance to society, our secondary duty is to regulate other supernatural entities, and the last is to take care of rogue sorcerers."

Renko listened attentively, the last line registered in her brain, and she finally understood,

'So if I don't join up with the society they will mark me as a rogue sorcerer, huh? The illusion of choice, I see.'

"While there are a lot of clan-less sorcerers in the organization, a bulk of its combat forces are made up of the members of the major clans: the Zenin Clan, the Kamo Clan, and of course, my very own, Gojo Clan. Each one of us has our unique techniques, traditions, and responsibilities within the organization. You with me so far, Kono-chan?"

Renko nodded, motioning for her to continue,

"Alright, Of the three big clans, the Zenin Clan specializes in curse tools and has a rather extensive collection of the same. Another reason why they will want you is to not lose their monopoly on cursed weapons. Then the Kamo clan, they are a stuck-up bunch, with a bunch of strange techniques and the ability of, well... divination."

She took a dramatic pause before continuing,

"And finally, my Gojo Clan, we don't have as many members as the other two clans but I am freakishly powerful so the 'Gojo' clan remains one of the big three. Well, there are a couple of powerful people in my clan but they are nothing when compared to me. Anyway, the Gojo clan acts as an overseer for the other clans."

Renko interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Overseeing? Like some kind of police force?

Gojo chuckled, shaking her head.

"Nah, not like that. It's more like a power balance. Our job is to make sure none of the other clans become too dominant, in a way, to prevent them from abusing their authority or the competition between them doesn't get too bloody. As you can probably guess, it puts us on the bad side of the rest of them. Another reason why I can't just up and adopt you into the Gojo clan."

Renko took a moment to process this new information, this 'secret society' sure had a shit-ton of power struggles despite being a micro-sized one.

"And what about you? What's your role as the Matriarch of the Gojo Clan?"

Gojo's expression turned thoughtful for a moment.

"I am the strongest... does that count? And of course, I take part in most of the clan's decision-making and represent it in the council, and do most of their duties on my own."

Renko thought about everything she had heard so far and immediately came to a conclusion,

"So, by helping me, you're doing your duty of limiting the Zenin clan, warning the Kamo clan, and sending a message to the rest of the clan-less sorcerers. Not to mention now I owe you two favors." 

Gojo grinned, unapologetic.

"Spot on! Three birds with one stone and the stone flies back into my hand. Pretty neat isn't it?"

Renko leaned back, crossing her arms. She couldn't deny the logic in Gojo's words, but she wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of becoming a pawn in a game she barely understood.

"That's fine and dandy as long as you deliver on your promise. Now tell me more about the work and stuff."

Gojo leaned back, the mischievous glint in her eyes seemed to suggest that she was enjoying Renko's resignation,

"Nice, glad to see you're finally coming around. Anyway, once you officially join the Jujutsu Society, your role will most likely be in the logistics department. I actually have a friend over there, and she would love to dis*Cough* study your unique ability."

'Wait... did she just say what I think she did?'

"And the combat department??"

Gojo made a strange face before scratching the back of her head,

"It isn't much, if you join as a combatant, you'll be tasked with dealing with curses, curses, and more curses. Sometimes you'll even have to deal with other supernatural beings, but those are not something a beginner like you should know about."

She paused, sipping her apple juice before continuing.

"The Jujutsu Society has two main schools that also work as their main headquarters and research institutions. If you were, let's say, 15 or 16 then you would likely have been assigned to one of them for further training. But since you are already 18 and in your final year in high school, you will do an internship under a sorcerer until he or she decides you are fit for the field."

Renko was still listening intently, making notes of key points she wanted to inquire further on.

"That was the 'stuff' part, now we get down to 'work.' The Jujutsu society operates via a ranking system which in turn is based on contribution and strength. The higher the rank, the more challenging and critical missions will be assigned to you."

Renko frowned, not entirely thrilled with the prospect but also not entirely against it,

"Mind explaining the rankings."

Gojo flashed a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the opportunity to impart knowledge or show it off at least,

"Sure thing, Kono-chan! The ranking system is divided into several grades. At the top, you have the Special Grade, which is as high as it gets. Only the elite and the most powerful sorcerers hold this rank. Below that, you have the First Grade, then Second, and so on, until you reach the Fourth Grade, which is considered the entry-level rank."

Renko nodded, absorbing the information.

"It is the same with cursed spirits, the most dangerous of them, the 'special grades' are capable of wiping out entire cities off the face of the map, when given enough time that is. Then there's the first grade, they can easily cause wide-scale massacres but it's rare for them to leave their nests."

Gojo's demeanor suddenly turned serious,

"What makes them so dangerous is their intelligence, while curse spirits of rank two and below act purely on instincts, the higher level start developing intelligence making them absurdly more dangerous."

She suddenly chuckled,

"You, my dear, will begin as a Fourth Grade Sorcerer. Your curse energy reserves are no more than that of a rank four, a pretty weak one as a matter of fact. You'll have to prove your skills and climb the ranks from there."

Renko sighed, remembering back to the times she had done just that,

"I've dealt with worse. What about missions? What kind of work does a Fourth Grade Sorcerer usually handle?"

Gojo leaned forward, a curious smirk on her face,

"Did you now? Well, anyway, as a Fourth Grade Sorcerer, your initial missions will involve dealing with civilians and acting as logistics. It's essential to build up experience after all. But you will need one special technique to do that which is..."

*ROAR*

*MOAN*

*PLEASE FORGIVE ME!*

Sudden noises made it hard for Gojo to continue as she stared at the walls of Renko's apartment in horror,

"What the hell was that?"

Renko sighed, shaking the empty juice box before closing its cap and placing it back down on the table.

"In chronological order? The Dragon next door seems to be frisky for some reason, then there's the high school boy living upstairs, and the last one is probably the Yakuza Househusband."

'Wait... was there a second floor in this apartment complex?'

[*SFX* Author: Domain Expansion: The All Mighty Plot Armor!]