"Geto Suguru's handiwork?"
Principal Yaga looked at Gojo Satoru, his tone carrying a sense of confirmation.
Gojo Satoru didn't answer immediately. He walked to the center of the warehouse, and his Six Eyes began to operate once more.
This time, he looked even more closely:
"Look here."
Gojo Satoru pointed to a corpse near the warehouse door.
"There are claw marks from a Cursed Spirit on the body, and lingering traces of Geto Suguru's Cursed Energy around it. He likely activated his Cursed Technique first to release the Cursed Spirits, and these students were killed by them before they could escape."
Principal Yaga looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, around the wounds on the corpse, he saw two different types of residual Cursed Energy intertwined. One belonged to a Cursed Spirit, violent and chaotic; the other belonged to a human, gentle yet carrying a hint of icy determination—it was precisely Geto Suguru's unique Cursed Energy signature.
Just as Principal Yaga was about to confirm his suspicion, his brow suddenly furrowed again. He sensed an extremely faint trace of residual Cursed Energy hidden beside a corpse in the corner of the warehouse. If he hadn't intentionally heightened his perception, it would have been almost completely masked by the Cursed Energy of Geto and the Cursed Spirits.
"Whose residual Cursed Energy is this?"
Principal Yaga looked at Gojo Satoru, his tone filled with confusion.
"Is it an accomplice of Geto Suguru's?"
Gojo Satoru also noticed that Cursed Energy. He walked to the corner, squatted down, and hovered his fingertips over the residual energy. His tone became serious:
"Doesn't look like it. This Cursed Energy is very unrefined, and its fluctuations are unstable, like a newcomer who has only recently awakened their Cursed Energy. No matter how desperate Geto Suguru might be, he wouldn't bring someone this weak to do his work."
He paused, a hint of solemnity flashing through his Six Eyes. "This matter might be more complicated than we thought."
Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the warehouse.
A girl in a school uniform walked in cautiously, supported by a teacher.
Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes red and swollen, and her uniform was still stained with blood that hadn't been washed off. When she saw the scene inside the warehouse, her body couldn't help but tremble violently. She gripped the teacher's sleeve tightly, as if afraid of falling back into a nightmare.
This was the very girl Rin had let go the previous night.
"Sorry to trouble you, but could you tell us what happened here last night?"
Principal Yaga quickly stepped forward, intentionally softening his tone and making his voice sound as gentle as possible:
"We mean no harm; we just want to uncover the truth."
Chika's body trembled even more. She bit her lip, and only after a long while did she speak tremulously:
"Last night... many monsters suddenly appeared in the school, killing people everywhere... We were all hiding in the warehouse, and it was Rin who saved us!"
"Rin?"
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity. "Who is he?"
"He's a student at our school."
Chika's voice was still shaking, her eyes full of lingering fear, yet also carrying a trace of gratitude:
"He... he's very strong! He has incredible strength. Even though I couldn't see the monsters, he held an iron rod and killed them all in one go!"
"Rin? An ordinary student?"
Principal Yaga frowned, silently committing the name to memory. How could an ordinary student have the ability to kill Cursed Spirits? Could he have suddenly awakened Cursed Energy?
"When was the last time you saw Rin?"
Principal Yaga continued to press, his tone even more patient.
Chika's gaze became somewhat hesitant. She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her school uniform. After a long while, she said in a small voice:
"After he killed the monsters... he got into a fight with the other students in the warehouse."
"A fight? Why?"
Principal Yaga quickly followed up, his tone filled with surprise. In such a dangerous situation where Cursed Spirits had just been eliminated, why would there be infighting among the students?
Chika hung her head even lower, her voice carrying a hint of grievance:
"I... I heard them arguing. It seemed like those students used to bully Rin often. After Rin defeated the monsters, they surrounded him, seemingly wanting to cause trouble for him, and then a fight broke out."
"So, were these students in the warehouse killed by Rin?"
Principal Yaga's tone instantly became serious. If that was the case, then this student named Rin might have a rather extreme temperament.
"No, it's not!"
Chika suddenly looked up, her emotions becoming agitated, and her voice rose a few notches:
"Rin is a good person! Those students were the bad ones! They used to steal Rin's money and corner him in the bathroom to beat him up! Rin only taught them a lesson; he didn't kill anyone!"
Gojo Satoru and Principal Yaga exchanged a look, both somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected this student named Rin to have such a history.
"Don't get agitated."
Gojo Satoru stepped forward. He removed his bandages, and his azure Six Eyes looked gentle and harmless. His tone was also soothing:
"We have no ill will toward Rin; we just want to know the truth. Take your time. What happened after that?"
Perhaps it was because Gojo Satoru's tone was so gentle, or perhaps his gaze was reassuring, but Chika's emotions gradually calmed down.
She took a deep breath and continued:
"After Rin knocked down the students who bullied him, he told me there was a small cubicle behind the warehouse and told me to hide inside... then he left. I hid in the cubicle until the teacher found me this morning; only then did I dare to come out."
After hearing Chika's account, Gojo Satoru and Principal Yaga walked out of the warehouse and onto the rooftop of the school building.
"From the looks of it, Rin shouldn't be working with Geto Suguru."
Principal Yaga spoke first, his tone analytical:
"It's highly probable that the Cursed Spirits released by Geto Suguru triggered him, causing him to accidentally awaken Cursed Energy. He killed the Cursed Spirits and taught his former bullies a lesson—the logic holds up. That faint trace of residual Cursed Energy in the warehouse must have been left by him."
"However, I'm still curious why Geto Suguru would do all this. After all, Rin's appearance was an accident, so what exactly was his goal in doing all this?"
Principal Yaga voiced his question.
After a moment of thought, Gojo Satoru provided an answer.
"Principal, have you noticed that the death toll in this incident isn't actually that high?"
The sudden answer caught Yaga a bit by surprise, but after thinking back carefully, he realized it was indeed the case.
Gojo Satoru continued:
"Based on my observations, the Cursed Spirits Geto Suguru first summoned numbered at least a hundred, and most were Grade 2 or Grade 3 Cursed Spirits with significant killing power."
"But aside from the students in the warehouse that Geto Suguru deliberately killed, only about thirty other students died at the hands of Cursed Spirits. Do you think that's reasonable?"
Principal Yaga thought for a moment and then nodded, agreeing that what Gojo Satoru said made sense.
From a normal perspective, a hundred Grade 2 and Grade 3 Cursed Spirits would be enough to cause hundreds of casualties within a few hours. What happened in the school now was indeed somewhat unusual.
Gojo Satoru continued:
"Based on the residual traces left by the Cursed Spirits on the playground, they didn't treat humans as their primary targets. Most of the time, they were killing each other."
"And that must have been Geto Suguru's goal. He used a special Cursed Technique to drive the Cursed Spirits into a frenzy, making them kill and devour each other to make them stronger. However, it seems this plan has failed."
"But that suddenly appearing Rin became an unexpected surprise for Geto Suguru."
"Judging by the battle traces he left on the playground, in just a few short hours, this kid has already attained the strength to exorcise a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit alone. This rate of progress is simply miraculous."
Principal Yaga was greatly shocked, saying that it seemed unlikely—how could a student who had just awakened face a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit alone?
"In addition to that."
Gojo Satoru continued:
"According to the information from the Six Eyes, this child very likely possesses some kind of ability to devour Cursed Spirits and copy Cursed Techniques."
Hearing this, Principal Yaga looked solemn. "If that's really the case, then this child must have been taken away by Geto Suguru. With Geto Suguru's abilities, this child will likely become a major asset to his mad plan."
"That's not good news for us."
"It's more than just 'not good'." Gojo Satoru chuckled, but his tone carried a hint of coldness:
"Rin's Cursed Energy fluctuations are very unique. They don't belong to any conventional Cursed Technique system, and they carry an aura that can devour Cursed Spirits. If Geto Suguru really trains him, he might become our biggest trouble."
"Should we track down the Star Plasma Cult's base now?" Principal Yaga asked.
"No need." Gojo Satoru shook his head and put his bandages back on:
"Geto Suguru dared to leave residual Cursed Energy here because he's not afraid of us knowing. The Star Plasma Cult is spread all over Japan. Without accurate information, moving in blindly would not only fail to catch anyone but also alert the enemy."
He paused, his tone becoming serious:
"First, investigate Rin's background—his origins, the source of his Cursed Technique, and why he suddenly awakened Cursed Energy. Once we've figured those out, it won't be too late to settle scores with Geto Suguru."
Principal Yaga nodded and turned to arrange for personnel to investigate Rin's information and comfort the other surviving students. Gojo Satoru, meanwhile, stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing toward the west side of the city, a cold smile curling on his lips:
"Geto Suguru, do you think you've found 'good material'? But how do you know if this kid named Rin is your helper or your death knell?"
The sun gradually rose, dispelling the morning chill, but the smell of blood and the residual Cursed Energy in the school building and warehouse seemed to freeze in the air, like an invisible net, foretelling a storm about to sweep through the Jujutsu World, quietly brewing.