"Abilities Users? What's that supposed to mean? Are you talking about actual superpowers?"
Kamihara Hajime looked puzzled after hearing Gojo Satoru's words. Gojo, leisurely stirring sugar into his coffee, explained, "They're just Jujutsu Sorcerers. It's just the overseas branding that makes them sound fancier."
"At the core, they're people born with Techniques, maybe refined through inheritance or personal development. The terminology changes with culture."
He took a sip before continuing, "Hajime, you know not all official organizations abroad are friendly with our Jujutsu community. Some are hostile. Recently, a group of so-called 'Abilities Users' entered Japan."
Hajime, of course, was familiar with foreign Sorcerers. During the Cursed Spirit incident in the Arctic region, he had encountered a few. Compared to native Jujutsu Sorcerers, most foreign ones were weaker and rarer.
He'd seen outsiders among Miguel's faction, but if Gojo-sensei was bringing it up, this wasn't just another cultural visit.
"So they're here with an agenda?"
"We're not sure yet. A lot of them came in under legit IDs, and deporting them would be troublesome and pointless. But their timing is too suspicious. We've been dealing with a lot of Curse-related chaos lately."
Gojo shrugged. "So, I need you to handle this. Nothing violent unless necessary—just get a sense of what they're after and make it clear we're not to be trifled with."
Hajime downed his coffee and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem. Let's see what kind of spellwork these tourists brought with them."
---
Tokyo, Shinjuku
"These guys are a trip."
Hajime stood outside a traditional-style guesthouse. Intelligence confirmed this was where the group was staying. Despite being from different nations, they had formed a makeshift tour group—almost all of them "superpowered."
Hajime found the whole setup ridiculous. Tourists who just happened to be Sorcerers? If it wasn't suspicious, it was downright absurd.
He knocked. A blond man with blue eyes answered, foreign in both looks and the Cursed Energy leaking from his body. He didn't move from the doorway.
"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked in clumsy Japanese.
Hajime smiled and switched to perfect English. "Local authority. I'm here to talk."
The man, clearly surprised by his fluency, glanced around and saw Hajime was alone. After a moment, he stepped aside. "You've got guts. Come on in."
He led Hajime into a large tatami-floored room. A dozen people were gathered, most foreigners, all radiating Cursed Energy.
A middle-aged man with a salt-and-pepper beard scowled. "Toure, who the hell is this? You brought a Sorcerer in here?"
Toure shrugged. "He said he's from local authority. Came alone."
Everyone turned to look. The older man narrowed his eyes, then muttered to someone beside him, "White hair... not too young..."
As tension thickened, the man leaned forward. "So, you're their envoy? What, too short-staffed to send someone older? You'd be more useful if you were a petite girl. I prefer the local women, heh."
Snickers rippled through the group. A woman with snake-like eyes stood and slithered toward Hajime with a smile that was all venom. "He's a cute one. You geezers step back—he's mine."
Hajime's eyes flicked to the bracelet on her wrist—pale white, embedded with what looked like human teeth. Classy.
He sighed and cleared his throat. "I'm here to inform you—"
A hulking man stood up—easily over two meters tall, musclebound and shirtless. "Let's welcome our guest. I'll play first. You can have what's left, snake girl."
"Bastard, wait—!" the older man started, but it was already too late.
The giant's face twisted in confusion, clutching his throat. Blood began to spurt through his fingers.
Hajime tilted his head. "Better hold that tighter. I was merciful enough not to sever it all at once. With your build, you'll last a little longer."
The others froze, alarmed.
"Let's not waste time. You're not tourists. So, I'll make this clear—behave."
Someone opened their mouth to curse him out, but coughed up blood instead. Hajime raised a finger. "That's two."
He stepped forward calmly. "You're just like the Curse Users I've dealt with. Maybe you're used to calling the shots wherever you come from. Not here."
"If this were up to me, none of you would leave this building."
A chilling silence fell. Then Hajime turned to the snake-like woman. "You. Talk. Why are you here?"
She froze. Then, just as she opened her mouth, pain shot through her wrist. Her hand dropped to the floor, bracelet and all.
"Oh, I hate cursed accessories. Now, continue."
Pale, sweating, she smeared black ointment on the wound to stop the bleeding. "There... was a post. On the 'Shadow Web.' Someone claimed they developed a drug that lets us absorb and use Cursed Spirits—like a fusion. More power. Extended lifespan..."
Hajime's expression darkened. This sounded exactly like Mahito's twisted experiments.
"Who posted it?"
"Don't know. The site's anonymous. No registration. The poster was new."
"You said there was a video. Show me."
The video was set in a dim room. A hulking, mutated man stood at the center. His limbs were grotesquely modified. He was trembling.
"The experiment was a success. Roughly Grade 2-level now—no, weaker, because combat sense still matters. Using it on regular humans is a waste..."
The audio was distorted, but Hajime recognized the tone. It reeked of Mahito's group.
Subtitled in English, the video offered fake stats and promises—pure bait. But to desperate mercenaries chasing power, it would be irresistible.
"These people... were drawn here as sacrifices," Hajime muttered.
He had the woman copy the video and handed her a flash drive. "You've been warned. Cause trouble, and I'll finish what I started."
He turned to leave. Pushing past the twitching corpse of the large man, he politely shut the door behind him.
Inside, no one spoke for a long time.
"I thought only the white-haired guy was dangerous. I didn't even see this one move..." someone murmured.
Toure stood drenched in sweat. The snake-woman collapsed to her knees.
"That drug..." she whispered. "It's not worth it. He's a demon."
But another voice inside her whispered darker things. What if it worked... What if I could reach that power...
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