Chapter 23 : Minamoto Family

Osaka, Japan. 

Genichi picked up his luggage and left the airport with the White Wolf. He had been thinking about how to bring it here, but it turned out that pets were allowed on this flight. Although the White Wolf was slightly bigger, its husky appearance and intelligent eyes made it very non-aggressive.

This mission is not difficult, but it is a little special. Genichi came here not only to solve the tasks related to the curse user, but the most important thing is that someone in the family related to this mission has awakened the cursed energy.

This place is originally closer to the Kyoto Jujutsu High School, so the problem should be solved there. However, although this long-standing family has not produced any sorcerers in modern times, it is just an ordinary family.

However, his ancestors had inherited some cursed techniques, but no descendants have this talent now. According to Gojo-sensei, it seems that one of the descendants of this family has awakened the technique in this generation.

Because she had no relevant teaching, the original owner always thought she had a 'superpower' or something (Genichi: What a coincidence) until her family discovered her in a recent accident. Then, her grandfather was quite familiar with the family's classics, and he found the Gojo family after some twists and turns.

The so-called accident was that a curse user seemed to have targeted their family. Gojo Satoru asked his beloved student to solve the problem and see if he could add a new student to Tokyo Jutsu High School.

Before Genichi left the airport, he saw someone holding a sign with his name on it. It seemed that someone was waiting to pick him up. That was right; Gojo Satoru didn't tell him the exact location. He just called him and told him that someone would take care of all the messy things when he arrived.

The woman who came to pick him up was dressed in a black suit. Her appearance was pretty, and her makeup improved her looks. She was estimated to be about 1.7 meters tall.

Genichi walked up to him, his sunglasses slightly lowered to reveal his eyes. He thought for a moment and said, "You must be from the 'Minamoto Family,' right? I am Genichi ."

The woman bowed and said, "Genichi-kun, I am Shimosugi Rinko. The car to pick you up is already outside. Please follow me."

After leaving the airport, Genichi saw a stretched luxury car that looked very valuable parked on the side of the road. The car logo seemed to be a triangular pattern, which Genichi didn't know much about. Then Shimosugi Rinko opened the car door for him, and White Wolf jumped in while she was stunned. Genichi got in.

There were only two seats in the spacious back row. Genichi was stunned when he walked in because someone was already sitting on the other side. She was a beautiful young girl with an oval face, almond eyes, and willow-shaped eyebrows. Her legs were well-proportioned and fair under a short skirt. She had no extra fat at all. She was probably the kind of person who would be constantly questioned by scouts when she walked down the street.

The girl seemed to be very curious about Genichi and the White Wolf. Even if a big dog was stuffed in, it seemed that there was still enough space in the car. Genichi took off his sunglasses and asked, "Are you from the Minamoto family?"

The girl held out her hand: "My name is Minamoto Nana."

Genichi politely shook his hand: "Genichi, you are the one who awakened the technique, right?"

Nana's eyes lit up: "How did you figure that out? Are you also that sorcerer?"

Of course, Genichi didn't see it but guessed it. Minamoto Nana's cursed energy is very well restrained, and according to intelligence, it seems to be related to her technique.

The reason for the guess was much simpler. He came here for this matter. The girl named Nana did not look like an employee like Shimosugi Rinko in the car.

She was also very curious about himself, so he must have been a member of the Minamoto family, which had just learned about the sorcerer.

The car started smoothly. Genichi saw that there was a partition between the front and rear seats. Shimosugi Rinko was sitting in the passenger seat.

Without answering Nana's question, Genichi sat on the comfortable chair and asked, "Now you know something about the sorcerer, right?"

It could be seen that Nana was very excited, and she nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. She had once wondered if there were other people in the world who also had "superpowers."

Finally, she learned about the existence of the world of jujutsu and that her family had once been a part of it. The ancient books that her grandfather, who was in charge of the ancestral home, dug out from the corners opened the door to a new world for her.

Her home had been attacked by someone with bad intentions before. It was with her "superpowers," no... it should be said that it was a technique that she could use to drive away the so-called cursed spirit.

"Do you have a technique too? What is your technique?"

"Is this dog an ordinary dog? Why does it seem a little... different?"

...

For a moment, the girl asked questions like a curious baby. Genichi listened to her chattering quietly and said: "Although most people's techniques are public, try not to ask others when you see them. By the way, my technique is related to speed."

"It's called White Wolf. Although it looks like a dog, it's actually a cursed corpse. It was created by our principal."

Afterward, Genichi answered some of her questions casually. From her questions, it can be seen that Nana did have some basic understanding of the world of sorcery. Still, because of curiosity and knowing the results but not the reasons, there were many questions that she urgently wanted to know the answers to.

The vehicle drove smoothly along the way. Genichi almost forgot that he was still on the road until he felt slightly stagnant. Then Nana smiled and said, "We are here."

After opening the car door, White Wolf jumped out first, and then Genichi got out of the car and saw that the car was parked in front of a house. There were several cars in front and behind their car, which seemed to be bodyguards or something.

Then Genichi had time to look around. Most of the surroundings were green, with very few houses. It seemed to be far away from the urban area, but the scenery was pretty good.

After Genichi and Nana got out of the car, a man, a woman, and an old man who were standing at the door of the house came over. Nana went over to greet them, and those people turned out to be her parents and grandfather.

The middle-aged man came over and smiled kindly: "My name is Minamoto Eiji, this is my wife, Minamoto Misora, and this is my father, Minamoto Masahiro."

"As for my beloved daughter, Minamoto Nana, I believe you have already met her. Tea and snacks are already prepared in the house. Please come in and talk in detail."

Genichi bowed slightly and introduced himself politely. He was too lazy to do the 90-degree etiquette. Perhaps Gojo Satoru had influenced him in this regard?

As they entered the gate, they found that this ancient courtyard was actually very large, and the atmosphere was a bit tense. If you looked carefully, you could see many people in black suits patrolling everywhere.

After passing through many gates and courtyards, they came to a room with a tea table on which was brewed tea that was still steaming.

Shimosugi Rinko opened the door, and only Genichi and the four family members were left in the room. Minamoto Eiji said, "First of all, thank you for your support. Let me tell you about the situation at home."

Genichi picked up a cup of tea and drank it in a few gulps. He was a little tired from talking in the car, so he said casually: "You can just call me Genichi."

Minamoto Eiji nodded and continued, "Actually, I know a little bit about the so-called jujutsu world. My family is a branch of the Settsu Minamoto clan, and it is only in the last two generations that our family has made some progress in business."

"After her level improved, I heard some vague things, plus the ancient books at home that no one cares about anymore. I didn't expect my daughter to have awakened this talent so early. I am a somewhat incompetent father."

Minamoto Eiji's expression suddenly became serious: "When Nana came back to visit his grandfather a few days ago, he encountered those things, and according to the clues, they were controlled by someone."

"Luckily, Nana injured the invisible cursed spirit, and we discovered Nana's abnormality. My father is familiar with the ancient books in our family, and we learned that after so many generations, Nana has become... a sorcerer."

"After that, I found many channels and invited a professional. Then, through the relationship at home, I contacted people in the world of jujutsu. I also ask Genichi-kun to deal with the person hiding in the dark. The Minamoto family will be very grateful and will reward you generously."

Genichi said calmly, "Mr. Minamoto, you are welcome. This is exactly my mission this time. I have a question that I would like to ask Mr. Minamoto to answer."

"That malicious man, whom we call the curse user, why did he target you? Was it for money?"

On the side, Minamoto Masahiro said: "Let me tell you, the curse user's target is a treasure passed down from my Minamoto family, a famous sword - Dojigiri Yasutsuna."

Genichi was puzzled when he heard this: "Old sir, if I remember correctly, this ancient artifact seems to be collected in a museum, right?"

Minamoto Masahiro put his hands on his legs, not looking like he was joking, and then continued, "It's not that one, but the Dojigiri from the history of the jujutsu world. It is said that the ancestors of the Minamoto family used it to kill the famous demon Shuten-doji."

"It has been enshrined here, in the ancestral home of our branch. I used to think it was just a legend, until..."

Unable to contain herself any longer, Nana finally raised her hand and interrupted, "I used that knife to injure that... um... cursed spirit! And then it ran away."

Nana's mother showed a look of blame and worry, while his grandfather showed a kind smile. It can be seen that Nana is very much loved by his family.

"A cursed tool."

Genichi came to a conclusion in his heart that it seemed that a group of curse users were plotting to get a curse tool passed down from someone else's ancestors. Still, he was more concerned about the "Shuten-doji" mentioned by the old man.

Horrifying beings like these from myths and legends or urban legends are called "imaginary vengeful spirits" when they appear as curses. Because people's fear of them is so accurate and real, they are often very powerful.

Many of the special-grade cursed spirits recorded or controlled by high-level curse masters are of this type, namely "special-grade imaginary vengeful spirits."

Could it be that there was once an imaginary vengeful spirit called Shuten-doji or a cursed spirit that people called Shuten-doji?

But there is another thing at the moment. Genichi said, "In addition to the problem of the curse user, I came here for another reason. In addition to the innate technique, the curse user also needs to inherit and learn their power."

"First, let me introduce you to the Tokyo Jujutsu High School."

He explained the existence of the jujutsu high school to them in detail in a formulaic tone and vaguely mentioned Teacher Gojo Satoru and the reason why he came here.

Minamoto Eiji and the others looked thoughtful, but Nana was even more eager to try. She was looking forward to attending a school that taught "superpowers." This kind of scene could only appear in movies or fantasies in the past, but she never expected that it would come true one day.

Genichi stood up after he finished speaking and said, "You can take your time to consider whether to enroll. Now, can you take me to see where the attack took place? I want to see if there are any clues."

Minamoto Eiji nodded: "Of course, then... Father, you take Genichi and Nana to see the place, and Misora and I will arrange those things."

Minamoto Masahiro nodded and stood up: "Come with me."

After the old man went out, he waved away the bodyguards who followed him and only let Shimosugi Rinko follow them. Then they came to an old wooden house.

The old man took out a key and opened the heavy door. In addition to a large number of wooden shelves and ancient books on them, there were only some well-maintained armors full of historical traces.

In the middle of the room, there was a long table, and on the shelf above it lay a sheathed ancient sword.

Genichi took White Wolf around the house and saw some bookshelves fallen to the ground and signs of damage. The books had been put away, but other traces were not destroyed.

The broken window had not been touched and almost remained the same as the original crime scene. Fortunately, it had not been too long, and the remaining cursed energy residues in the house could still be identified.

Let White Wolf remember the two kinds of cursed energy in the house. One of them should be Nana's. If he can meet the real owner of the remaining one, White Wolf will be able to recognize it.

Nana, on the side, asked curiously: "How is it? Did you find anything?"

Genichi stood up and said, "A little bit, the enemy shouldn't be very strong, probably around level 2, and it's a remotely controlled shikigami. It ran away after being injured by you, and it seems that it doesn't want to reveal its whereabouts."

"This knife..."

Genichi looked at the ancient knife on the wooden table thoughtfully. Suddenly, an old hand took it away. Genichi looked up at Minamoto Masahiro.

The old man smiled and said, "This is the sword that Nana used to cut the invisible enemy that day."

Nana whispered: "That thing looks like an enlarged monster fish, very ugly..."

Genichi kept this information in mind and then looked at the ancient sword Minamoto Masahiro-Dojigiri handed to him.