He leaned against the tree trunk and began to seriously consider his situation.
Having transmigrated here with no one to rely on—no family, no friends—his only assets were the Sharingan and his ability to grow stronger by absorbing Cursed Spirits.
His goal was clear: to survive and become strong enough so that he wouldn't have to answer to anyone or fear being killed by a Cursed Spirit at any moment—strong enough to carve out his own place in this dangerous world.
Joining Star Plasma Vessel Society was a shortcut.
He could receive guidance from Geto Suguru, obtain resources, rapidly increase his strength, and even use the power of Star Plasma Vessel Society to learn more about the secrets of this world.
But the price was involvement in Geto Suguru's plans, becoming an enemy of Jujutsu High, and watching countless Non-Sorcerers die for Geto's "ideal." He might even become an enemy of Gojo Satoru in the future—an existence he didn't even dare to imagine facing right now.
If he didn't join, he would have to face everything alone.
Setting aside whether Geto Suguru would even let him go, even if he could leave, should he join Jujutsu High? He currently had two lives on his conscience, and there were witnesses to those deaths.
Would Jujutsu High even let him join? Even if he could, he would likely stagnate due to a lack of resources. After all, with the Sharingan, he needed a vast number of high-level Cursed Spirits, even Special Grade Cursed Spirits, to grow stronger quickly.
In this regard, even Gojo Satoru couldn't compare to Geto Suguru.
The sun had completely set, and darkness enveloped the land. The streetlights in the courtyard flickered to life, their warm yellow glow filtering through the gaps in the leaves and casting dappled spots of light on the ground.
Rin sat under the tree for a long time, until he heard the sounds of people moving about in the stronghold in the distance, and until a pang of hunger hit him. He hadn't eaten much for dinner, and it had long since been digested.
He didn't know how long he had been thinking; he only knew that when he stood up, the surroundings were pitch black, with only the distant streetlights providing any illumination.
The members of the Star Plasma Cult were actually all waiting for his answer.
Nanako and Mimiko would occasionally poke their heads out of their rooms, peering toward the courtyard.
Miguel had been keeping an eye on Rin's aura, confirming that he hadn't left the stronghold.
Larue sat in the dining room, holding an untouched glass of wine, his eyes drifting toward the door from time to time.
Geto Suguru, meanwhile, was in his room, standing by the window and watching the moon. His expression was calm, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Time passed bit by bit, and the lights in the stronghold gradually went out, leaving only a few streetlights burning.
Seeing no movement from Rin for so long, everyone began to speculate. Perhaps this newcomer Jujutsu Sorcerer didn't dare to stay after all and had quietly slipped away.
Nanako leaned against a pillar in the corridor, pouting with a hint of disappointment.
"So he really didn't dare to stay? How boring. I thought we'd get a powerful new companion."
Miguel, standing beside her, shook his head slightly.
"Don't say that. His aura is still within the stronghold; he hasn't left. He's likely still considering."
Just then, a figure emerged from the dark courtyard and walked toward the dining room. It was Rin.
His hair was a bit disheveled from the night breeze, and his face carried a trace of exhaustion along with a touch of helplessness.
He reached the dining room entrance and, seeing Miguel, Nanako, and Larue still there, scratched his head and spoke somewhat sheepishly.
"Um... dinner was a bit early, and I'm kind of hungry now. Do you guys have anything left to eat?"
Miguel was taken aback, Susan stopped in her tracks, and Larue set down his wine glass. They glanced at each other, realizing that Rin hadn't left; he had chosen to stay.
Geto Suguru's voice also drifted from the end of the corridor at that moment, carrying a clear sense of delight.
"Of course. I'll have someone prepare something in the kitchen; it'll be ready soon."
Rin turned to see Geto Suguru standing under the light not far away, a gentle smile on his face and his eyes full of gratification. "Welcome back, Rin."
He didn't know if this decision was right or wrong, but at least for now, he had a temporary "foothold" and an opportunity to continue growing stronger. As for the future... he only knew that he had to seize every chance to survive in this dangerous world.
...
Two figures stepped over scattered glass shards, the crisp "crunch" echoing through the empty campus and breaking the early morning silence.
Walking in front was Gojo Satoru, still in his signature black jacket, with a white bandage wrapped around his forehead covering his eyes. A characteristically nonchalant smile played on his lips, as if the mess before him had nothing to do with him.
Following closely behind was Principal Yaga, his brow furrowed as he scanned the surroundings with a grave expression. The walls were covered in deep gashes that looked like they had been torn by the claws of a giant beast. Several patches of dark red blood had already dried and blackened, silently telling the tale of the fierce battle that had taken place last night.
"Tsk, tsk. This is quite the scene."
Gojo Satoru stopped, reaching up to gently pull down the bandage on his forehead, revealing his sapphire-like Six Eyes.
Under the morning light, the Six Eyes shimmered with a strange glow as his ability activated instantly. Traces of Cursed Energy in the air, undetectable to ordinary people, appeared before his eyes like a sky full of stars, clearly outlining the complete trajectory of last night's battle.
There was a massive amount of violent, chaotic Cursed Spirit aura, a small amount of human Cursed Energy fluctuations, and one more... a Cursed Energy he was incredibly familiar with, yet had long since become estranged from.
"It's Geto Suguru's Cursed Energy residue."
Gojo Satoru's tone turned cold instantly, the smile on his lips vanishing without a trace, and the light in his Six Eyes became sharp.
"It's very fresh. The remaining Cursed Energy is still active; it must have been left between yesterday evening and late last night."
Principal Yaga's brow furrowed even deeper, his voice tinged with confusion.
"Why would he release so many Cursed Spirits in an ordinary school? There are no special Cursed Energy nodes here, nor any targets worth his time. Why cause such a stir in a place where ordinary people gather?"
"Who knows."
Gojo Satoru re-wrapped the bandage, covering his Six Eyes, though his tone carried a hint of knowing mockery.
"That guy's head is full of crazy talk about 'creating a world of only sorcerers' now. Maybe he thought an ordinary school was hiding'suitable material' and wanted to use Cursed Spirits as a'sieve' to filter out those he considers his 'own kind'."
The two continued along the corridor and soon reached the school warehouse, the core area of last night's incident.
The moment the warehouse door was pushed open, an even stronger smell of blood wafted out, making one's stomach churn.
The scene inside the warehouse was even more horrifying. A dozen student corpses were scattered across the floor. Some were still relatively intact, eyes wide with the lingering fear of their final moments, while others were reduced to mangled limbs, congealing into dark red clumps on the ground.
"After the [Curtain] dissipated yesterday, the police arrived first. Seeing this scene, they didn't dare move anything and contacted Jujutsu High immediately."
Principal Yaga explained in a low voice, "To allow you to fully reconstruct the scene, we've had people guarding it; nothing has been touched."