This sentence was like a thunderclap, stunning everyone into silence.
Negi froze completely, staring blankly at Rin, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Even he himself hadn't truly believed the accusations from just moments ago, yet Rin had actually admitted to them?
He opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time. After a while, he squeezed a roar laced with profanity from his throat:
"Rin, f*** your mother!"
Before the words had even faded, he lunged at Rin like an out-of-control beast, his fist aiming straight for Rin's face.
But before he could get close, Miguel rushed up, grabbed his arm, and pinned him firmly to the ground.
Miguel's left arm was still bleeding. The movement of pinning him down tugged at the wound, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead, yet he did not let go, firmly suppressing the struggling Negi:
"Calm down, Negi!"
"Calm down my ass!"
Negi twisted wildly on the ground, a beast-like roar emitting from his throat:
"He is a traitor! A running dog! A reactionary who betrayed Lord Geto! I'm going to kill him!"
Filthy language spewed from his mouth, one insult after another, sounding utterly vile.
Miguel frowned deeply as he listened. He quietly gathered Cursed Energy in his right hand, intending to knock him unconscious to make him quiet down, but Rin reached out and stopped him.
Rin slowly crouched down, meeting the eyes of Negi, who was pinned to the ground.
His expression remained devoid of ripples. There was no anger from being cursed at, nor was there any grievance from being misunderstood; he simply spoke calmly, his voice ringing clearly across the training ground:
"First, I am not lying. Dissolving the Star Plasma Cult and my joining Jujutsu High were both Geto Suguru's wishes."
Negi wanted to retort, making a "huffing" sound in his throat, but Miguel pressed him down harder, leaving him unable to move.
"Second, Geto Suguru left a will in his meditation room in advance, which clearly details all arrangements."
Rin paused, his gaze sweeping over those present, "If you don't believe me, you can go and check."
As soon as these words were spoken, Negi's struggling suddenly stopped.
He stared blankly at Rin, the madness in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a hint of uncertainty.
His cursing just now was mostly venting after losing control of his emotions, but Rin mentioning a "will" made his heart skip a beat, vaguely feeling that things might not be as he had thought.
Larue reacted immediately, turning and running in the direction of the meditation room, his footsteps as hurried as if he were chasing something.
Before long, he ran back carrying a dark wooden box, on which was carved the Cursed Seal often used by Geto Suguru.
He placed the box on the ground and opened it carefully. Inside lay several letters arranged neatly, with the recipient's name written on the cover of each one.
There were ones for Nanako and Mimiko, ones for Miguel and Larue, and one more, written "To Rin, personally."
Seeing those letters, Manami's face turned completely pale, her lips trembling, unable to speak.
Rin's gaze returned to Negi, and he continued:
"Third, and the final point."
His voice remained calm, yet carried a trace of imperceptible heaviness:
"I am an orphan. I don't have a mother."
This sentence was like a thin needle, gently piercing Negi's last line of emotional defense.
He opened his mouth, the curse that had been on the tip of his tongue suddenly swallowed back. Looking at Rin's calm face, a sense of guilt inexplicably rose in his heart.
The profanity he had used earlier had happened to strike at the past that Rin least wanted to mention.
The training ground fell into silence once again, with only the sound of Negi's heavy breathing and the night wind blowing past.
Miguel slowly released his hand from Negi. Negi slumped on the ground, looking at the wooden box containing the will, his eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
The "betrayal" he had firmly believed in seemed, from the very beginning, to have been his own misunderstanding.
Rin stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and his gaze fell on the letters:
"The letters clearly state the arrangements for everyone; the arrangements for Nanako and Mimiko's emigration, and the resettlement funds for you, Miguel, are all inside."
"After you read them, pack your things now, leave Japan, and never come back."
"Gojo Satoru promised the teacher that as long as you do not step foot in Japan again, nothing will happen to you. This is his final wish."
After Rin's figure disappeared at the exit of the training ground, the residence of the Star Plasma Cult did not fall silent; instead, it fell into a busy yet oppressive atmosphere.
Moonlight shone through the windows onto the corridor floor, reflecting the patter of footsteps hurrying back and forth.
Nanako and Mimiko were packing things in Geto Suguru's room, their eyes red.
The two sisters had pestered Rin, wanting to stay a few more days, even if just for one night.
What they didn't say out loud was that they wanted to hold a simple funeral for him in the place where Geto Suguru had once lived; even without a body, they wanted him to "have a place to return to."
But Rin shook his head, his tone leaving no room for negotiation:
"You must leave tonight. The flight has been arranged. For the luggage you can't take, I will find someone to ship it over."
No matter how the sisters begged with red-rimmed eyes, he never relented.
He just stood at the doorway, watching them crouch on the floor, carefully folding Geto Suguru's black kasaya, and wiping his commonly used Cursed Tool box over and over, not even missing a single strand of hair.
They packed only Geto Suguru's things; their own clothes and accessories remained untouched, as if Geto Suguru were just going on a long journey and needed them to help pack, rather than having left forever.
The living room, however, was terrifyingly quiet.
Negi and Manami were long gone. After reading Geto Suguru's will, they hadn't said goodbye to anyone; they took the bank cards tucked inside the letters and left silently.
No one knew if they had gone abroad or stayed in some corner of Japan, nor did anyone know if a trace of obsession remained in their hearts regarding Geto Suguru's ideals.
Rin, Miguel, and Larue sat on the sofa.
Miguel held his letter in his hand, the edges of the stationery crinkled from his grip.
Larue's letter was spread out, the handwriting on it neat—it was Geto Suguru's familiar script.
Rin's letter, however, remained unopened; he kept it on his lap, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the envelope.
"Geto Suguru's body was taken away by Gojo Satoru?"
Finally, Miguel was the one to break the silence. His voice was hoarse, his gaze fixed on Rin.
Rin nodded slightly, his head still lowered, the bangs on his forehead obscuring his eyes; no one could see his expression at that moment.
The wall clock in the living room ticked, each second feeling like it was stretching the sorrow in the air.
After a long time, Rin finally raised his head and looked at Larue:
"Larue, I want to ask a favor of you."
Larue was stunned for a moment, then put down the letter in his hand.
Geto Suguru had specifically instructed in the letter that he personally escort Nanako and Mimiko abroad and not leave until they were settled.
He had intended to do so anyway, and upon hearing Rin's entrustment, he immediately sat up straight:
"Go ahead."
Rin took a bank card from his pocket and handed it to Larue, his tone solemn:
"This is all the money Geto Suguru left for me. I don't want a single cent; it's all yours."
"I only ask that you do one thing for me."
"Take this card back."
Larue shook his head quickly, not in refusal, but with a sincere tone:
"Geto Suguru also left me quite a lot of money, enough for me to use for the rest of my life."
"If you have something you need, just say it. If I can help, I definitely will."
Rin's fingers paused, and in the end, he took the bank card back and spoke slowly:
"I want to ask you to help me keep an eye on Nanako and Mimiko. Within two years, you absolutely must not let them return to Japan."
As soon as these words were spoken, both Miguel and Larue were startled.
They had thought Rin was just worried about the sisters, fearing they would be bullied abroad, but the requirement of "not allowed to return to the country within two years" revealed an unusual sense of caution.
Larue didn't ask more, just nodded heavily:
"Rest assured. Forget two years; until they are of age, I will stay by their side, and I will never let them return."
Only then did Rin heave a sigh of relief, the tension in his fingertips gradually relaxing.
The sky outside the window gradually turned a fish-belly white. When the five o'clock bell rang in the morning, Nanako and Mimiko finally walked out, carrying two heavy suitcases.
Inside were all of Geto Suguru's keepsakes.
Larue stood up to take the suitcases, put them in the car, and helped the reluctant sisters into the car.
Just before the car started, Rin suddenly stepped forward and knocked on the car window.
Larue rolled down the window and heard Rin's voice, carrying a trace of imperceptible worry:
"When abroad, you must be careful."
"If you meet any strange people or if anything unusual happens, call me immediately. Stay in touch."
Larue was stunned. Abroad was not like Japan; Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Sorcerers were few and far between, making it almost safe for them.
But looking at Rin's serious expression, he still nodded:
"I understand. You take care, too."
The car slowly drove away, its headlights gradually becoming smaller in the morning mist, eventually disappearing at the end of the road.
Rin stood at the doorway, watching motionlessly until the car was no longer visible, then slowly turned around.
Miguel stood behind him, looking at his back with a complex expression.
He wanted to ask Rin why he was so nervous about the matter of "returning to the country," and why he specifically instructed Larue to be wary of "strange people," but looking at Rin's silent demeanor, he eventually swallowed his words.
The morning light shone through the mist, falling onto the Star Plasma Cult's residence, but it didn't bring much warmth.
Rin looked down at the unopened letter on his lap, his fingertips finally gripping the seal of the envelope.
Wondering what he was thinking.