Chapter 27
Geto's eyes suddenly widened.
Not surprise, not fear, but… an almost ecstatic shock. His body leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped on the table, his knuckles white from the pressure.
The two girls—Nanako and Mimiko—both stepped back. Nanako on the left even assumed a fighting stance.
"Don't be nervous," Geto raised a hand to stop them, but his gaze never left Genji. "Nanako, Mimiko, step back. This… is our guest."
His voice trembled.
Not a tremble of fear, but an excited, uncontrollable tremor.
"You…" Geto took a deep breath, trying to calm his tone. "Are you Zen'in Genji?"
Genji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How did you figure that out?"
"Because," Geto smiled—a smile with an almost reverent light in it—"I've been waiting for you to come to this world."
The café suddenly became strangely quiet.
The traffic noise outside the window, the music in the shop, even the conversations of customers at the next table—all disappeared at that moment. They didn't truly vanish, but were isolated by some invisible barrier. Genji had deployed a "curtain," one that covered only their table.
"Go on," Genji leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed, but his eyes sharp as knives.
Geto didn't speak immediately. First, he thanked the waiter for bringing the milk—when the waiter set down the milk and left, he seemed not to notice that there was another person in ancient robes at the table—then slowly said:
"About ten years ago, when I was still a student at the Tokyo Jujutsu High, my teacher, Masamichi Yaga, showed me a secret scroll. It was a top-secret file from the Jujutsu Headquarters, recording the events of a thousand years ago, at the end of the Heian period."
He picked up the glass of milk, but didn't drink it. Instead, he gently swirled the white liquid in the glass.
"According to the archives, there were two 'strongest' in that era. One was the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. The other… was the God of Curses, Zen'in Genji."
Eriri held her breath. She remembered last night's dream—Genji sitting on a throne, receiving the emperor's worship.
"Zen'in Genji was a once-in-a-millennium divine child born to the Zen'in clan. He possessed the complete Ten Shadows Technique and was the only sorcerer in history to subjugate Mahoraga," Geto continued, with the precision of a scholar in his voice. "He unified the chaotic jujutsu world, established rules that still hold today, exorcised countless cursed spirits, and protected the people of that era. But the most shocking thing was…"
He paused, looking at Genji with a complex light in his eyes.
"In his later years, he created a barrier that covered the entire world. A technique that could automatically absorb the scattered cursed energy of ordinary people, preventing the birth of cursed spirits. This barrier has been in effect for a thousand years. Only in modern times, due to population explosions and a surge in pressure, has it gradually shown signs of insufficiency."
"After I graduated," Geto continued, his voice lowering, "I became a sorcerer, exorcised cursed spirits, and saw the dark side of this world. I started thinking… how can we fundamentally solve the problem of cursed spirits? Kill all people? Impossible. Kill all cursed spirits? That would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
He put down the glass of milk and lightly tapped his fingers on the table.
"Then I remembered the secret scroll and Zen'in Genji's barrier. If… if we could improve that barrier, increase its absorption efficiency, or find other ways to use cursed energy… could we create a world without cursed spirits?"
Genji listened in silence. He didn't interrupt, didn't comment, just listened as if hearing an interesting story.
"But that barrier is too complex," Geto smiled bitterly. "I studied it for a long time. I even found a barrier expert, Yuki Tsukumo, to help analyze it. The conclusion was… with the level of modern sorcerers, it's impossible to replicate, let alone improve. It's a masterpiece far beyond its time—a true 'miracle.'"
He looked up, staring directly into Genji's eyes.
"So when the secret scroll mentioned that in his later years, Zen'in Genji turned himself into a shikigami, sinking into the shadow realm, waiting to be summoned by a future successor of the Ten Shadows Technique… I started waiting."
"Waiting for me to come to this world?" Genji asked.
"Yes," Geto nodded. "I thought that if there was anyone in this world who could fundamentally solve the problem of cursed spirits, it would be you. Whether it's improving the barrier or finding another way… you should know the answer."
The air fell silent again.
The sunset had completely sunk below the horizon. The streets outside the window were lit by streetlamps. The lights in the café turned on automatically, casting a warm yellow halo over the table, enveloping the five—or six—people from different worlds.
"So," Genji finally spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion, "you want me to give you the 'answer'?"
"Yes," Geto admitted frankly. "I want to know, Zen'in Genji—what do you think? How can we create a world without cursed spirits?"
"Suguru Geto," Genji said, "do you know? A thousand years ago, someone asked me the same question."
Geto's body leaned forward slightly.
"My answer was…" Genji paused. "'Leave it to future generations.'"
"…What?"
"My barrier can absorb scattered cursed energy, reduce the number of cursed spirits, and keep the scale of this problem within a certain range. Reduce the intensity of disasters until future generations find a cure."
He paused, looking at the darkening sky outside the window.
"I created this barrier not to 'completely solve the problem.' I just want to keep the problem within a manageable range, buying time for future generations to find real solutions—if they exist."
Geto lowered his head and was silent for a long time.
The two girls—Nanako and Mimiko—watched him anxiously. Nanako on the left even wanted to step forward and say something, but Mimiko pulled her back.
Eriri watched this scene with mixed feelings. She didn't know what kind of person Suguru Geto was, but from his words, it was clear that he genuinely wanted to change the world—even if his methods might be extreme.
"I thought," Genji continued, a slight, almost self-deprecating fluctuation in his voice, "that in a thousand years, people would be wise enough to stand on my shoulders and see further. Ambitious enough to try to build grander plans. At least… latecomers wouldn't have to come back and ask the same questions to a thousand-year-old ghost."
His gaze fell back on Geto's face, his eyes clear and sharp, as if they could see through all appearances.
"I didn't expect that after a thousand years, the status quo hasn't changed at all," Genji shook his head slightly. Not denying Geto as a person, but feeling helpless toward some kind of stagnant situation. "You're still stuck on the most primitive idea of 'how to destroy cursed spirits.' You still need to ask an old antique like me… It makes me wonder how much of what I left behind was actually understood by future generations? How much was actually used?"
These words weren't harsh. Even his tone was calm. But the weight of the content made Geto's face pale a little.
"However," Genji suddenly spoke again, "even if it can't be completely solved, improving the situation… is still possible."
Geto suddenly looked up.
"My barrier is now saturated. It can't handle the massive amount of cursed energy generated by modern people," Genji said. "But if we can find a way to increase its efficiency, or set up auxiliary barriers to share the load, we could at least return the situation to the level of a decade ago—cursed spirits would be rare and easily handled by sorcerers."
"…Can it be done?"
"I don't know," Genji said honestly. "I need to first examine the current state of the barrier, analyze the data, and find out where the bottleneck is. That will take time and resources."
Geto's eyes lit up again. "I can help. I have connections in the jujutsu world. I can provide some resources. Whatever you need—"
"Before that," Genji interrupted, his tone serious, "I need to confirm something."
"Please, speak."
Genji leaned forward, his deep indigo eyes staring directly at Geto:
"Did you orchestrate the last two cursed spirit attacks—the Grade 2 cursed spirit in the Ginza hotel and the parasitic cursed spirit on the bus this morning?"
The air instantly froze.
Eriri felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest. She stared at Geto, waiting for his answer.
Utaha also tensed up, a cold light flashing in her crimson eyes.
Geto was stunned.
After a few seconds, he slowly shook his head, his expression serious:
"It wasn't me. I noticed Sawamura-san and had someone keep an eye on her—after all, her condition was abnormal. But releasing cursed spirits to attack like that… I wouldn't do that."
He paused and added, "Besides, if I had known that Zen'in Genji was helping her, I would have been even less inclined to do such an offensive thing."
Genji stared at him for a long time. A faint light flowed in his eyes, as if he were analyzing the truth or falsehood of Geto's words.
Finally, he nodded.
"I believe you," he said. "Then… who did it?"
"I'll investigate," Geto said. "Based on the analysis of the cursed energy residue, both cursed spirits were artificially controlled. The technique is very sophisticated, but the purpose is unclear. If it was a test of Sawamura's strength, someone should have contacted her after the test. But so far, there's been no movement…"
He frowned. "Unless their target isn't Sawamura-san, but…"
"Me," Genji finished his sentence.
"Yes," Geto nodded. "If the people behind this know about your existence but don't dare to confront you directly, then testing the strength of the person you possess with a cursed spirit is the safest way to probe."
Eriri felt a chill down her spine. So these attacks… might have been aimed at Genji?
"Interesting," Genji smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "I haven't been active for a thousand years, and I'm being targeted as soon as I wake up. It seems this era… isn't very peaceful."
He stood up—a gesture that made Nanako and Mimiko both step back.
"Suguru Geto," Genji said, "help me find out. Find out who's behind this, and what their purpose is. In exchange…"
He paused.
"After I finish examining the current state of the barrier, if improvements are needed, I'll let you participate."
Geto's eyes lit up remarkably. He stood up and gave a solemn bow:
"I obey. I will find out the truth as soon as possible."
"Also," Genji looked at Eriri and Utaha, "you are responsible for their safety. When I'm not around, if anything unusual happens—protect them."
"Understood."
The deal was struck.