(70 Power Stone Bonus)
Chapter 36: Isn't Abe no Seimei's Mother Kuzu no Ha?
"Are you there? I have something to look for you, it is highly urgent."
Seeing the message sent by Asuna, Yumesaki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and typed out a reply.
"What business could be so urgent?"
Rrrrring...
Right at that exact second, a phone call from Asuna came through.
Yumesaki picked up the phone and asked once more, "What exactly happened that makes it so urgent?"
Asuna's clear and melodious voice drifted from the other side of the line, "I met a strange, white-haired man who wants to recruit me to enroll in a school called Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School. Do you know anything about that school?"
Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School? Yumesaki was incredibly familiar with that name.
As for a strange man with white hair, besides Gojo Satoru, who else could it possibly be?
"You met Gojo Satoru? Where did you run into him?"
"You actually know that strange white-haired guy?" Asuna sounded slightly surprised.
Yumesaki nodded, "You could say I know him, but what I'm curious about is how you happened to cross paths with him."
Asuna said resignedly, "I ran into this guy at school."
Immediately following that, she briefly recounted the cause and effect of her meeting with Gojo Satoru.
It turned out that this morning, after Asuna had arrived at school, she discovered that a large cluster of Cursed Spirits had gathered inside the school building once again.
Therefore, after classes were dismissed, she stayed behind to begin clearing out those Cursed Spirits.
During these past days, while Yumesaki was playing around every day, Asuna was undergoing intense daily training, refining her Cursed Energy. Her strength had progressed by leaps and bounds, to the point where she had even awakened her very own Innate Technique.
Her Innate Technique was heavily influenced by the Soul Soul Fruit, which naturally leaned toward the domain of souls.
Asuna had given it the name Soul Slavery.
The effect of this technique was somewhat similar to Geto Suguru's Cursed Spirit Manipulation, in that it could convert Cursed Spirits into her subordinates.
However, when Geto Suguru absorbed a Cursed Spirit, he needed to compress the Cursed Spirit into a black, spherical object known as a Cursed Spirit Ball, then swallow it down his throat.
According to Geto Suguru himself, the taste of swallowing a Cursed Spirit was "like wiping up vomit from a gutter with a rag and then swallowing that rag raw."
But Asuna's Soul Slavery didn't require her to consume Cursed Spirits at all. As long as the Cursed Spirit was defeated, it would automatically transform into her servant and obey her every command.
Furthermore, she could even extract the power of the Cursed Spirit to use as her own.
This was far more high-level than Geto Suguru's technique.
Ever since awakening her Innate Technique, Asuna had officially begun her journey of exorcising Cursed Spirits.
Every day, she would spend a bit of time defeating a few weak Cursed Spirits in order to strengthen her own power.
Over the course of these days, Asuna had defeated dozens of Cursed Spirits, turning all of them into her thralls.
Her strength was becoming progressively more formidable.
Upon discovering that Cursed Spirits had appeared at her school, Asuna naturally wasn't going to just leave them be.
In short order, she defeated all of those Cursed Spirits and turned them into her servants.
"Yo, you're pretty good, aren't you?"
But just at that moment, a lazy and casual voice drifted from right behind her.
Asuna's heart skipped a beat, and she spun around abruptly.
Without her realizing when he had arrived, a tall, white-haired man wearing a black blindfold had appeared behind her. Both of his hands were shoved casually into the pockets of his black uniform, his posture completely relaxed as if he were merely passing through to admire the scenery.
He was remarkably tall, and his body was enveloped in a faint, subtle layer of Cursed Energy, looking as though it literally separated the air around him.
Even though his face carried a light smile, it caused Asuna to subconsciously tighten her nerves.
Because the Cursed Energy radiating from the opponent's body was truly too terrifying.
Asuna had never seen Cursed Energy this intensely powerful before.
Without a doubt, this person was a powerhouse, an expert far superior to herself.
"...Who are you?" she asked warily.
"Me?" The man kept both hands in his pockets, strolling toward her with leisurely steps.
"My name is Gojo Satoru, and I'm a teacher. Just so you know, I'm an instructor at Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School, and also the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer recognized by everyone."
"Curse... Technical High School?" Asuna knitted her brows.
Gojo Satoru came to a stop right in front of her, tilting his head slightly as he observed her, "To be honest, I've been watching you for a few days now. Your talent is incredibly strong—especially your Innate Technique, which is honestly so powerful it defies common sense."
"Defeating a Cursed Spirit allows you to enslave it, and you can even extract its power for your own use."
"If given enough time, you could easily become a Jujutsu Sorcerer whose level falls only just below mine."
"Any interest in coming to study at our school?"
Asuna was stunned, taking a long moment before she could finally respond, "Cr... creep."
Gojo Satoru's smile stiffened right on his face, "Haah?"
He truly had not expected that someone would call him a creep right to his face.
"No, no, no, in what way am I a creep?" Gojo Satoru couldn't help but argue back. Although he was frequently complained about by his students, not a single student had ever called him a creep—seriously, not one.
Asuna countered, "You said it yourself just now, that you've been watching me for a few days. As a teacher, secretly observing a young girl—if that isn't a creep, then what is?"
Gojo Satoru: "..."
Ah, well, she actually seemed to have a point there.
Gojo Satoru couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh, "Interesting, you really are interesting! I'm starting to like you even more now."
The corners of his mouth curved into a smirk, "Even though your fighting style is completely amateurish, I've noticed that your speed, reflexes, and combat instincts are absolutely top-tier."
"And you've been improving day by day during this period. That particular point is highly vital."
He paused for a brief moment, a meaningful glint flashing deep within his hidden eyes, "How about it, do you want to come to my school? I can instruct you personally. With your talent, it won't be long before you can become a Grade 1 or even a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer."
Asuna could tell that this white-haired man genuinely wanted to cultivate and train her directly.
"...Why look for me?" she inquired.
"Because I happen to like talented people," Gojo Satoru stated in a breezy tone, the smile on his face growing wider rather than fading.
"This world is full of boring people, and the higher-ups in the Jujutsu world are incredibly arrogant to boot. So whenever I spot an interesting sprout, I want to foster them personally, raising them into strong individuals capable of changing this world."
"Besides, someone who fights Cursed Spirits entirely alone like you will sooner or later run into an opponent they cannot defeat."
"Cursed Spirits have grades. Above Grade 3, there's still Grade 2, Grade 1, and even Special Grade. What you encountered in this old school building are merely small-time Grade 3 small fry. Against a true Special Grade Cursed Spirit, the current you is completely no match."
"Rather than letting you run into one of those and die in total bewilderment, it's better for me to mold you directly, turning you from a rough stone into a beautifully sparkling diamond."
"Don't you find that gives a massive sense of accomplishment?"
Asuna fell into a deep silence. She couldn't make a decision right now because she didn't understand Gojo Satoru at all.
Furthermore, she had no way of knowing whether what this man said was the truth or a lie.
"I won't force you to make a decision right this instant."
Gojo Satoru seemed to realize this as well. He pulled a business card out of his pocket and flicked it toward Asuna, "But if you want to know more about Cursed Energy, if you want to become stronger, you can look for me anytime. The address is on the back."
Asuna caught the business card, lowering her head to inspect it for a moment.
Printed on the front of the card were the words "Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School - Gojo Satoru," while the back contained the school's map coordinates and a phone number.
After Gojo Satoru departed, Asuna kept pondering over the matter. She had also tried searching the internet, but failed to find anything regarding this so-called Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School.
Left with no other options, she was forced to seek guidance from Yumesaki.
Having understood the full beginning and end of the situation, Yumesaki remarked placidly, "This guy named Gojo Satoru, I know of him. He thoroughly deserves the title of the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer. Aside from having a rather terrible personality, everything else about him is quite decent, and he really is an excellent teacher."
"As for Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical High School, it's an institution that educates Jujutsu Sorcerers."
"Whether you want to join them is something you can decide for yourself."
"If you wish to lead a life filled with battles, then join."
"If you don't want to live a life of constant fighting, then refuse. No one can force you."
"Of course, you can also go check out the school first. If you feel it doesn't suit you, there's no harm in quitting. They won't block your way."
Asuna caught his drift—meaning that the school and Gojo Satoru weren't evil entities, and the school could be entered or left freely at any time.
"I understand, I'll think about it."
"Yeah, consider it well. Also, there's one thing I should remind you about."
"Go ahead, tell me."
Yumesaki said, "I learned something today from the mouths of a few yokai. The highly famous Hagoromo Gitsune is planning to enter Tokyo and host a massive Night Parade of One Hundred Demons right inside the city."
"If nothing goes wrong, the authorities have likely already caught wind of this news and will do everything in their power to stop Hagoromo Gitsune."
"If you join this academy, you will inevitably clash with Hagoromo Gitsune's subordinates and engage in battle."
"Naturally, even if you don't join, there's still a chance you might cross paths with them anyway."
"After all, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons will affect the entirety of Tokyo. Once Hagoromo Gitsune succeeds, not many people will be able to survive that disaster."
Asuna fell silent, seemingly stunned by this piece of information.
After a few moments, she finally spoke, "Why would Hagoromo Gitsune do such a thing?"
What was Hagoromo Gitsune, and what was the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons? Such things were concepts she had only ever heard of in mythological tales.
Who would have thought that before long, these things that only existed in mythology would force their way into reality?
Yumesaki replied calmly, "Because there is someone who desires Hagoromo Gitsune to do so."
"Who?"
"Hagoromo Gitsune's son, Abe no Seimei."
"Haa? Who?" Asuna almost suspected her ears had misheard him. "Hagoromo Gitsune's son is Abe no Seimei? That legendary Onmyouji, Abe no Seimei?"
"Correct."
"Wrong, that isn't right," Asuna immediately corrected. "I distinctly remember that Abe no Seimei's mother was Kuzu no Ha. The records of the Kuzunoha Monogatari state that Abe no Yasuna rescued Kuzu no Ha while she was being hunted by hunters in the Shinoda forest. After being injured, he was tended to by the transformed fox woman, and they eventually fell in love and gave birth to Abe no Seimei."
"The Hoki-sho adds that Kuzu no Ha left because Seimei, at the age of five, accidentally saw her true form, leaving behind a waka poem that read, 'if you miss me, come to the Shinoda forest in Izumi to find Kuzu no Ha.'"
"So shouldn't Abe no Seimei's mother be Kuzu no Ha? Then who on earth is this Hagoromo Gitsune?"
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