Chapter 61: Almost

"Although it seems a bit out of place, it must be said that with Gojo Satoru around, they can indeed feel more at ease.

'If we really can't hide it anymore, we can only make the existence of cursed spirits public. At that time, we will have to stand in front of people and become stars!'

After all, it is precisely because of this that only a powerful sorcerer can make the general public feel at ease and avoid generating more negative emotions.

But the secret of sorcerers can no longer be hidden.

'I just want to train and become stronger!' Maki declared. She didn't care whether she became a star or not, as long as she could get stronger.

'Alright! Let's go back first,' Gojo said, ready to gather everyone and leave.

At that moment, a calm voice suddenly came from Yaga.

'Gojo! Have you forgotten something?'

'Have I?' Gojo looked genuinely surprised. He didn't think he'd forgotten anything.

'You don't plan to reveal the identity of the sorcerer who killed the special-grade cursed spirit in seconds, because you don't want the higher-ups to know, do you?' Yaga asked pointedly.

Indeed, Gojo had intentionally kept this information under wraps. He didn't want the news about Ryuji to reach the upper echelons of the sorcery world. After all, he had long been fed up with the corrupt old men clinging to their power. If it weren't for needing someone to replace them, Gojo would have already wiped them out and installed his own people.

But since he had been asked directly, he didn't see the need to hide it anymore.

'His name is Ryuji, and he's even more powerful than Yuta Okkotsu!' Gojo announced casually.

At this, everyone's gaze naturally turned toward Yuta. After all, Yuta had been deemed a special grade as soon as he entered school. Could this Ryuji really be more talented than Yuta?

'Why not invite him to join the school?' Yaga suggested. If such a talented young sorcerer existed, wouldn't it be better to have him train at Jujutsu High?

'Don't look at me like that,' Gojo responded, waving a hand. 'I did invite him, but he didn't agree.'

'Is it because Mr. Gojo seems a bit out of tune?' Nanami Kento, who had remained silent until now, suddenly interjected.

'Nanamiiii!' Gojo immediately draped an arm around Nanami's neck, looking somewhat put out. 'I am serious!'

Nanami just sighed, accustomed to Gojo's antics.

'Well, everyone has their own path to follow,' Gojo continued, his tone a bit more reflective. Unlike Yuta, who possessed a massive amount of cursed energy and a powerful technique but lacked the mental fortitude to wield it effectively, Ryuji was different. Ryuji already had the strength and mindset of a seasoned sorcerer. He didn't need guidance the way Yuta did.

'Even if Ryuji joined the school, there wouldn't be anything for us to teach him. He can become stronger just by devouring cursed spirits on his own.'

'Devouring?' Yaga and the others picked up on the key word.

'Is it similar to Geto's cursed spirit manipulation technique?' Geto's technique involved controlling cursed spirits, but there were very few techniques that involved actually consuming them.

'Not exactly,' Gojo explained. 'Geto controlled the cursed spirits, but Ryuji absorbs their power by eating them.'

'Is there a limit to that?' someone asked, eyebrows raised. What kind of technique was this? It sounded rather grotesque, but the implications were staggering. Although it might seem lacking in the early stages, it was clear that a technique like this could potentially lead to overwhelming power later on, once enough cursed spirits had been consumed.

'Who knows?' Gojo shrugged again. 'Probably not.'

'What a terrifying technique!' Meimei, standing nearby, chuckled. A sorcerer like Ryuji could be very useful. If only she could get him to work for her... she could already imagine the amount of money she could make with his help.

'Wait a minute!' Maki interrupted, still looking puzzled. 'I saw him devour the cursed spirit, but before that, it seemed like he twisted the spirit's body with something.'

Maki had witnessed the special-grade cursed spirit's upper half being twisted and crushed in an instant.

'Twisted?' Gojo's interest was piqued again. 'Well, that makes things even more interesting!'

Was Ryuji using multiple techniques? Or was this something like Yuta's ability to imitate others' techniques?

Whatever the case, Gojo was intrigued.

'Isn't this perfect?' Gojo grinned. 'With cursed spirits mutating, our sorcerer world could use a few more exceptional young talents, don't you think?'

'...' Gojo said it lightly, but the others couldn't help feeling uneasy. After all, who was to say that Ryuji would choose to stand with them?

'Alright, alright!' Gojo waved his hand dismissively. 'I'm done talking with you guys. I need to head over and check on my students.'

The group fell into an awkward silence for a moment before Yaga Masamichi, the principal of Jujutsu High, broke it.

'In any case, we should keep this under wraps for now,' Yaga said firmly. He understood that the higher-ups were already wary of Gojo Satoru, and the last thing they needed was for them to get their hands on a weapon like Ryuji. They would undoubtedly try to control him.

'Understood,' the others nodded. They were all first-grade sorcerers; no one here was foolish. They knew how to navigate the political landscape of the sorcerer world.

---

The next day, Ryuji had no idea that he had become a topic of heated discussion among the higher-ups in the sorcery world. And even if he did know, he wouldn't have cared much.

'This is all your fault. Now I need to take another day off!' a voice whined from behind him as Ryuji got dressed. Shizuka, still lying in bed, looked up at him with mock resentment.

Ryuji chuckled as he looked back at her. 'How is this my fault?'

'You know very well why!' Shizuka's face flushed red as she recalled the previous night. 'You just couldn't stop!'

Ryuji grinned wickedly and leaned closer to her. 'But I seem to remember someone saying, "I want more!"' He imitated her voice from the night before.

'You... you shut up!' Shizuka's face turned beet red. If she weren't so exhausted, she would've thrown a pillow at him.

Ryuji just laughed, enjoying her reaction.

'Alright, alright. Rest up today,' he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently. 'Call me if you need anything. I'll come back right away.'

Shizuka, still embarrassed, softened at his gentle gesture and gave him a small smile.

---

By the time Ryuji got to the classroom, morning classes were just beginning.

'Negative energy?' Ryuji's eyes narrowed as he noticed something off. He glanced toward Yui's seat and saw that the dark energy surrounding her had grown even denser. It seemed the skeleton girl was about to make her move soon.

Still, Ryuji didn't feel the need to step in just yet. He knew that if things got bad, Yui would come to him for help. She had already witnessed his abilities with Third Dimension when she saw him twist that pen in his hand.

Thinking of that, Ryuji leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand, bored.

---

Meanwhile, Yumiko was sitting with her friends, Yui and Hina, looking concerned. Both of her friends had dark circles under their eyes, clearly from a lack of sleep.

'Did you have that nightmare again?' Yumiko asked.

The others nodded grimly.

In the dream, it was always the same woman with half her face covered by a skeleton. But this time, she seemed even more terrifying.

'Do you think... we really encountered something... you know, supernatural?'Hina asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Yumiko quickly shook her head, trying to stay strong. 'No way. It's just a psychological thing. These dreams will stop eventually.'

'You really think so?' Hina asked, still uncertain.

Yumiko tried to reassure her, but her own confidence was starting to waver. Deep down, even she was starting to doubt herself.

Yui, on the other hand, glanced over at Ryuji's seat. She had already started to believe that something supernatural was happening. If it continued tonight, she would definitely go to Ryuji for help. After all, he was a classmate, and he wouldn't refuse her, right?

Still, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Ever since she saw Ryuji use his strange abilities, she had been both in awe and a little scared of him.

---

During the lunch break, Ryuji was in the service club room with Miko and Yukino. They were sitting around after finishing their meal when Miko suddenly asked curiously, "Why are you covering your mouth with your collar?" Miko asked curiously, setting down the lunchbox she had been feeding Ryuji with.

Yukino, sitting nearby, also looked over with interest.

Rikka and Sanae were absent from the service club today, otherwise, the room would have been much livelier.

Ryuji straightened his collar and, with a completely serious expression, said, "Don't you think I look more handsome like this?"

"...???"

Both girls blinked, clearly surprised by the answer.

Yukino couldn't help rolling her eyes, feeling like her expectations were betrayed by such a frivolous answer. Meanwhile, Miko smiled softly. "Hmm, I think Ryuji-kun is always super handsome, no matter how he looks."

"Hahaha!" Ryuji laughed heartily at her unwavering response.

The truth was, Ryuji had started wearing his collar up to cover the cursed marks on his mouth from using the Cursed Speech technique. While he could control when the marks appeared, he thought it made him look even cooler, so he decided to keep his collar up. A whim, really.

Yukino glanced briefly at Miko. The way she gazed at Ryuji with admiration was clear to everyone in the room. Yukino couldn't help but feel a little helpless at the sight. No matter what Ryuji did, to Miko, he would always be perfect.

They had all been spending time together for days now, and Yukino could see it clearly: this gentle girl was completely in love with Ryuji.

Thinking of this, Yukino felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as she remembered the strange dream she had yesterday.

"Yukino," Ryuji suddenly called out, looking her way with a raised eyebrow. "Have you been avoiding me these past few days? Why are you sitting so far away?"

Yukino, who had been sitting across the room rather than closer to the group like usual, stiffened. She wasn't expecting him to notice.

"N-no, I haven't!" she quickly denied, her face heating up.

Miko looked at her, a curious expression on her face.

Not wanting her thoughts to be exposed, Yukinoshita hastily added, "I just... I wanted to sit near the window. It's nothing!"

"Hmm... by the window, huh?" Ryuji gave her a teasing smile, but he didn't press the issue further.