Chapter 4
"Oh oh oh!!! Got you!!! Zen'in Ryuuichi!!! You killed someone!!! That's huge news!!!"
A playful boy's voice rang out from behind Ryuuichi.
But Ryuuichi didn't even flinch. The corners of his lips curved slightly, yet he didn't bother to turn around.
"Why are you here?"
"Sigh, still so boring, huh, Zen'in Ryuuichi?" The boy's tone was teasing. His body twisted unnaturally, and in the next second, he appeared in front of Ryuuichi.
The boy's hair was silver, scattered like frost under an autumn night sky. He wore black casual clothes, a pair of sunglasses resting lazily on the bridge of his nose, his expression relaxed and carefree.
Even though he had just witnessed a murder, he looked entirely unfazed—like it was something he'd seen countless times.
Crouching in front of Ryuuichi, the boy pulled out a camera and click! snapped a photo of him.
"Don't waste your time. You can't capture me." Ryuuichi's voice carried a rare trace of helplessness. Looking at the handsome boy with the camera, a black line of annoyance seemed to cross his face.
The boy didn't listen at all. His camera flashed several times, then he flipped it over to check.
The film was pitch black—not even the faintest outline of Ryuuichi appeared.
"Your jujutsu really is weird."
With a casual flick of his left hand, the boy made the camera vanish into thin air.
Ryuuichi straightened from the wisteria rocking chair he had been lounging on.
"The one recognized as the next head of the Gojo family sure has a lot of free time."
"…Gojo Satoru."
"Hey! What's with that tone? I came all this way just to see you, and that's how you treat me? So heartless." Gojo raised his brows, shrugged casually, and posed as though he'd been mortally wounded.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
Ryuuichi snapped his fingers. Under Satoru's curious gaze, the wisteria rocking chair dissolved into nothingness.
"It's been a long time… Satoru."
"Don't make it sound gross, Ryuuichi."
The two met each other's eyes and smiled.
Gojo Satoru—the ceiling of jujutsu power, even as a teenager—already carried the air of a king. The legendary Six Eyeshad made him famous, feared, and respected across the world. The Gojo clan had long since named him heir to the family.
Years ago, before Ryuuichi was expelled from the Zen'in clan, the Three Great Families had held a joint exchange meeting.
Back then, Satoru had been the center of attention.
But for some reason, his gaze had wandered through the crowd and found Ryuuichi—quiet, forgotten in the corner.
Surrounded by flattery and sycophants, Gojo had looked utterly bored. Yet in that moment, his eyes had landed on Ryuuichi… and something strange had stirred within him.
He saw it.
A swamp… deep, dark, suffocating.
A dragon among men and a silent mire. Two boys, worlds apart, somehow became friends.
But after Ryuuichi's expulsion, all contact had been severed.
Until today.
And now, Gojo was reunited with the one friend he hadn't seen in years.
"It's been a while," Satoru said with a grin, crouching on the ground and looking up at the sky. "But this isn't really the time to catch up."
Woooooo… Wooooo…
Black and purple cursed energy churned in the air, intertwining into a massive spiderweb.
"When a Grade 2 sorcerer dies with strong resentment in a place like this, a new curse is born." Gojo rested his chin on his palm, watching with interest.
"I know," Ryuuichi said flatly, standing like a spear, his eyes locked on the cursed energy gathering above. "So what?"
"No matter what it becomes, a murderer remains a murderer. Even if he comes back as a cursed spirit—"
"I'll just kill him again."
His voice was cold, utterly devoid of emotion.
Gojo blinked, then smirked.
"You really are…"
ROOOOAR!!!
A monstrous cry shook the ground.
From the corpse of the Grade 2 sorcerer, a new cursed spirit manifested in midair.
It was a grotesque thing—countless arms writhing and fusing together, forming a twisted mass. No head, no body. Just arms upon arms, wriggling like some nightmarish swarm.
A quasi–Grade 1 cursed spirit was born.
"It's mine! All mine!!"
The creature babbled madly, its countless arms twisting and lashing. With a deafening boom, it shot downward like a cannonball, crashing toward the two below.
The force whipped up a hurricane, sending their clothes billowing.
But Gojo only adjusted his sunglasses, ignoring the terrifying cursed spirit. He looked at Ryuuichi instead, grinning wide.
"This is getting fun."
He raised his hands and formed a strange hand sign.
Boom! Crack!
In an instant, the cursed spirit froze in midair, imprisoned by Satoru's overwhelming power.
"Uhhhhh… uhhhhh…"
Satoru bumped Ryuuichi with his shoulder, his tone mocking.
"See? This is what it means to be a friend. I'll take care of your little mess."