Chapter 7

Satoru POV:

"Can I atleast know where we're going?"

"We are going" I pause for effect. "sightseeing"

"There it is." Spreading my arms towards his face as if showcasing a award in some function. "For the brilliant act of comedy that contained a delicate balance of mystery, thrill and comic, I get the lovely deadpan face of Gumi-chan." I say earning a sigh from my grumpy little sorcerer.

"How do you manage to bear him, Shoko-san?" Megumi asks my former classmate Ieiri Shoko who as always has a cigarette between her lips.

"He's grown on me." Huh, this isn't like her. She doesn't say things like this. "Like a fungus."

"Hey!!"

"Oh, I see. Will the same occur to me too? Will I also be infected by it?" Megumi says looking almost horrified but with a voice as dead as possible.

"I'm standing right here!!" 

"Maybe. As much as I know there is no preventive measures currently available to humanity."

"Oh, I see. You must have it quite hard." He continues still in his similar monotonous voice, making his face neutral. "I feel sorry for you." He also fucking bows.

"Can you guys not see me?" 

"It's ok. Me too." And now Shoko joins him.

Maybe it was a bad idea to let both of them meet. Should've just kept both Gumi and Sumi for myself. These two are acting as if they have known each other their entire lives even though they only met since a month or so. But then again, considering he wants to start conquering his shikigami it was necessary for him to know our resident doctor. Also the reason for the trip I have planned today.

He needs first-hand experience with the ugliness of humanity given form. He must see the world he's about to enter. This will also work as a check to prove if he has the craziness. The craziness required to be a sorcerer; to dive head first into a fight with nothing substantial to gain from.

Now all we need to do is to wait for my darling angel to get here. Well, considering I am taking her brother away and with the recommendation of Shoko herself, she will be taken care of by our doctor dearest.

"Oh, looks like she's here." I say as I run towards her to rub my cheeks along hers.

"Hehehe" Looks like she's enjoying it.

"Oh Sumi-chan, help your ni-san. Look, Shoko and Gumi-chan are bulling me."

"Stop it, you idiot." Megumi says while swiping a fist at my head (with Shoko looking at scene amused by his side) with clearly an annoyed face. Man, I love this parenting gig.

"Is that CE infused?" I continue more dramatically. "See Sumi. Gumi-chan is still bulling me."

*cough* Ijichi fake coughs to get our attention.

"Uhh, we…it's already late. We should already get going." He says much to my annoyance.

"Ijichi" He perks up as I speak. "I will give you a serious flick." I stand up.

"Ehhh?!!" He squeals and backs up towards the car.

"That's enough." Megumi raises his voice. "Sis, this idiot is planning to take me somewhere. Will you fine with Shoko for a few hours?" 

"I'm not a kid." Tsumiki pouts.

Yeah, you are. Was the collective thought of everyone present, except her of course. Megumi wisely shuts up and enters the car followed by me as Ijichi drives us off. Shoko and Sumi will have to walk to her apartment.

As I sit in the backseat of the car with Megumi, I realize just how much he has changed in past couple of months(not even a year). His body has become a bit robust with definite muscle growth. Mostly as a result of his CE, of course. Elementary school seems like an entirely new life for him. Looks like joining the dojo was a good thing after all. His every movement now reeks of a certain confidence. Of course, it's just at an embers-stage right now. But it will definitely grow into something more….profound? Given he continues like this. But then comes the question; is the expedition we are about to do today really necessary? I can just push it for a few more years. No, he's starting to take his future as a sorcerer quite seriously now, opting to obtain more shikigami. This is necessary.

"We are going to Ueno, a village in Gunma prefecture." Seeing he has no intention to start a conversation, I speak up.

"I see."

"Any questions?" Breaking his focus on the road, I make him turn towards me.

"Yeah." He straightens his back up against the seat. "Do you take Ijichi every time you go on a mission? If so, why?" Huh?

"Huh?"

"I mean, sure he's a barrier master and all that but you don't need him." Making Ijichi at the driver seat perk up.

"umm, I need a driver?" Ijichi sulks down. Heh, it's always so fun to poke at him.

"You can teleport."

"umm…Yeah!! Creating barriers requires CE and a sorcerer needs to be at his peak before every fight." I raise my head proudly, making Ijichi sulk even more.

"You just take him around as your personal comedic relief, don't you?"

"Yep." Ijichi looks like his soul left his body. Seeing the slight hint of smile on his face I can confirm Megumi's enjoying this too.

This is what I'm fighting for. Children should be children. Childhood and youth must be enjoyed as carefreely as possible. That's the world I want to create. That is my dream? You won't resent me, right? Megumi? If for that dream, I destroy your childhood that is.*clenching his fist* No, I made my decision. This is already on the way. There's no stopping it now.

Looks like we reached it. Good. The silence was deafening. We get out of the car at a ruined area. Ijichi takes off.

"Megumi" He straightens up hearing my serious tone. "Remember to not make this mistake again. Always get a rundown of the situation before diving into it. You are jujutsu sorcerer, nothing more nothing less. Your job is to eradicate the curses of this world. That's it."

"Ok." He nods.

"Moreover, since you're a shikigami user, always remember to send one of your shikigami ahead of you to scout the area. As you can share their senses, it will the same as you mapping the surrounding."

He nods again bringing his hands together to make a handsign that casts the shadow of a dog. Completing the chant, he initiates the technique.

"Divine Dogs." Twin dogs of opposing colors of black and white are willed into existence on both his sides.

He sends the white one ahead and keeps the black one near him. Smart! Keeping one of the shikigami as a preventive measure. Not that it is needed, the only thing I want from here is to get him experienced with curses. This curse is way out of the league of a noob sorcerer like him anyway(being a peak 1st grade bordering Special grade and all that). Once he witnesses the curse through his shikigami, I will kill it instantly. It has never been out of my sight anyway.

But maybe this thing is too much for a first curse experience. After all, given his obviously massive CE any lower level curses must have ran away him. Though he has witnessed curses, they must not be any higher than 4th grade crumbs if they don't even have the survival instinct to run away at the mere sight of his CE.

"Now. This compound used to be an orphanage. But due a gas explosion a year ago the entire place is ruined. The rescue tried to get everybody out when they reached but were unable to do so. Later a window confirmed the presence of a First grade curse, when people surrounding the compound started disappearing. Our job is to scout the area for the curse and exorcise it. Any questions?"

"Yeah. What's a window? And is there any difference in grading of sorcerers and curses?"

"Hmm….Window is a person that gains the ability to see curses or sense CE but doesn't have enough qualifications to be a sorcerer. They are generally used to scout different locations suspected of cursed activity. Mostly they are people with very low amount of CE. Or they were normal people but had some near death experience with a curse resulting in their brain becoming sensitive enough to see cursed phenomenon."

Taking a few seconds to digest this info, he nods for me continue.

"As you must have read in the book, curses and sorcerer are graded into 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 4th grade. If we make a comparison 4th ones can be defeated with a bat, 3rd might require a pistol, 2nd may be difficult with even a machine gun and 1st grade cannot be done in even if we use a tank. But you see as we appoint sorcerers to fight the curses, their grading is generally one level higher. For example 2nd grade sorcerers can fight on equal grounds with 1st grade curses but for them to defeat a 2nd grade is an easy task."

"But you aren't in any of those category." He pointed out.

"Yep~~ I am a special grade. For comparison a 1st grade can fight on equal grounds with a special grade curse or with some help can even defeat it. But even a dozen 1st grades cannot put a scratch on a Special grade sorcerer without catching him/her off guard. Plus as a criteria of being Special grade, you must defeat atleast a dozen of 1st grade curses at once or a special grade curse your own. And on top of that he/she must have atleast one fuck-all move."

"Yeah, I know. It is also said that a Special grade sorcerer can wreck an entire country on their own if they go all out. But then again, there aren't enough of them to begin with."

"Yep~~ Right now, there are only a total of 3 special grades in the whole world including me."

"Yeah, yeah. You're so special-" Stopping himself from speaking, his expression turns to that of a pure horror.

So, you witnessed it, huh. It's ok. I know it's horrifying but this is the world you are now a part of. This is the shit of human emotions. This is what you have to deal with. Very often new comers to Jujutsu society come into this world thinking themselves as some sort of hero or savior. But no we, Jujutsu Sorcerers are merely cleaner of this world. Our only job is to clean this world of the filth generated by humans. But don't worry, I know you will be able to overcome this minor adversity. This is nothing more than a mock test to prepare you for the actual exam that is the real world.

Now, all I need to do is to exorcise the curse before his shikigami is destroyed. Don't worry Gumi-chan this was never for you to fight. And now, shall we? Huh?

"Wait, what are you doing?"

In the small moment that I was distracted for, Megumi has brought his hands together to make the….dog sign. Again? But they are already summoned. Now changing his handsign to clasp his fingers together, he chants? Damn, he is gritting his teeth so loudly that it's audible upto here.

"Divine Dogs: Totality" What?

"What?!!"

Tha…That's impossible. I can only watch to utter astonishment as the black dog in my presence disappears; more like melts into shadows. Huh? What just happened? What the heck? And now it's back? Resummoned? It did not even give me the time to question him. Wait, the curse is gone. Did he kill it? But how the fuck did that happen? Goddamnit. Wasn't this trip only supposed to be a mission to provide first-hand experience of jujutsu world for Megumi? Why on earth then, did this mission become an earth shattering experience for me?

It's official now. I fucking hate parenting.