Chapter 134: Destiny and Killing Intent at the Okinawa Aquarium
The sunlight in Okinawa was far brighter than in Tokyo.
Before the group even reached the island, several Curse Users who had accepted the bounty from the underground network had already tried to ambush them at the airport, in alleys, and near abandoned warehouses.
None of them ever got to see Satoru Gojo's face.
Yami erased them before they could approach.
By the time the group arrived on Okinawa, the first layer of the trap had already been cleaned away.
Inside an abandoned, unfinished building on the outskirts of Naha, three Curse Users sat in front of a laptop, staring greedily at the bounty page on the dark web.
Misato Kuroi was tied to a chair behind them, unconscious but unharmed.
One of the Curse Users licked his lips.
"As long as we lure that little girl here, the thirty million is ours—"
Bang!
The heavy iron door was blown off its hinges.
It slammed into the wall like a cannonball, filling the unfinished building with dust and broken concrete.
The three Curse Users jumped to their feet in horror.
Through the settling dust, Yami walked in with Shiranui at his waist.
His eyes swept over them like he was looking at corpses that had not realized they were dead yet.
"You… who are you?!"
"Where's the Star Plasma Vessel?!"
Yami did not answer.
His right hand moved to the hilt.
"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form."
His figure blurred.
Afterimages bloomed across the room.
"Illusory Sun Arc."
Shhk.
Shhk.
Shhk.
Three red lines flashed almost at the same time.
The three Curse Users froze before they could activate their Cursed Techniques. A moment later, their heads flew from their shoulders, the cut surfaces already charred black by the heat of the blade.
Not a scream.
Not a struggle.
Only three bodies collapsing onto the concrete floor.
Yami kept his promise.
While Gojo and Geto escorted Riko to the edge of the exchange area, he cleared away every piece of trash that tried to get close.
Misato Kuroi was safely rescued.
Aside from the fright and the lingering effects of being knocked unconscious, she was unharmed.
The tense rescue operation had turned into a one-sided slaughter because Yami's presence had changed the scale of the mission entirely.
"Yahoo! Ocean! Beach! I'm here!"
On the Okinawan coast, Gojo stretched with exaggerated enthusiasm, looking as if he had already forgotten they were in the middle of an escort mission.
"Since we're already here, and Kuroi's been rescued, why don't we take a vacation while we're at it?"
He pushed up his sunglasses, grinning.
"There's still one day left before the assimilation deadline anyway."
Geto sighed, but when he looked at Riko, whose eyes were still slightly red yet clearly relieved, he nodded.
"That might not be a bad idea. Riko-chan could use some time to relax."
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.
In front of the massive glass tank, blue light and rippling water fell over Riko Amanai's young face.
Whale sharks and manta rays drifted slowly overhead, their shadows passing through the aquarium like pieces of a dream.
Riko and Kuroi had both changed into casual summer clothes. Standing beneath the blue glow, Riko reached out and lightly touched the cold glass.
"It's beautiful…"
Her voice was soft.
Behind the glass, schools of fish moved as one, silver bodies flashing through the water.
"Everyone says becoming the Star Plasma Vessel is something amazing."
Her fingers remained against the glass.
"They say it's for the whole Jujutsu World. For the greater good. To protect everyone."
Her voice lowered.
"But…"
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
"I'm scared."
The words were small, but they struck the room harder than any scream.
"I don't want to die. I want to keep living with Kuroi. I want to go to places I've never seen. I want to do normal things."
Gojo and Geto, who had been messing around a short distance away, both fell silent.
They were geniuses.
They were called the strongest.
But in front of the system that demanded a girl's life for the stability of the Jujutsu World, even they felt the weight of something ugly and difficult to break.
Then a warm hand gently rested on Riko's head.
Yami stood behind her.
His red eyes reflected the blue water. There was no pity in them, no distant sympathy, only a quiet gentleness and a firmness that did not waver.
"If you're scared, say it."
His voice was soft, but everyone heard him clearly.
"You're not alone."
Riko slowly turned.
Yami looked at her and continued, "I didn't come here for some so-called greater good. I didn't come for the higher-ups, and I definitely didn't come for Master Tengen."
He paused.
"I came to protect you."
Riko's eyes widened.
"As long as you don't want it," Yami said, "tomorrow will not be your end."
For a moment, Riko simply stared at him.
Then the tears broke free.
She threw herself forward and hugged Yami tightly around the waist, crying like all the fear she had been carrying for years had finally found somewhere to go.
She cried for the life she had been told to give up.
For the future she had pretended not to want.
For the simple, ordinary things she had never dared to ask for.
Gojo scratched his short white hair irritably.
"Tch. Why'd you have to make it so sentimental?"
He turned to Geto.
"Hey, Suguru. If this kid really doesn't want to assimilate tomorrow, what do we do?"
Geto looked at Riko, then at Yami.
The uncertainty in his eyes slowly settled into resolve.
"What else?"
His voice was calm.
"If that is Riko-chan's wish…"
He smiled faintly.
"Then the two of us will just have to help Instructor Yami send those rotten higher-ups flying."
The air had just begun to warm with that quiet, almost reckless determination when Yami suddenly raised his head.
Transparent World opened.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the aquarium walls and stretch far into the distance.
"You guys take Riko to the beach first."
He gently patted Riko's back and guided her toward Kuroi.
"I'm going to buy drinks."
"Huh?" Gojo tilted his head. "Why not let Kuroi buy them?"
Yami ignored him and turned into the crowd.
Okinawa beach.
Sunlight, waves, white sand.
Riko and Kuroi had changed into swimsuits and were playing by the water, their laughter occasionally rising over the sound of the sea. Nearby, Gojo and Geto were playing beach volleyball with the kind of competitiveness that made it look less like a game and more like a declaration of war.
Everything looked peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Several kilometers away, on the roof of an abandoned building, a cluster of highly concealed fly-head shikigami watched the beach.
"Target confirmed," a Curse User hiding in the shadows whispered into a walkie-talkie. "The Star Plasma Vessel and both guards are there."
His gaze sharpened with greed.
"The monster with the black blade isn't around. This is our chance."
He raised his hand.
"Prepare to move. For the thirty million—"
Shhk.
A faint red line passed through the dark.
His head separated from his body.
Not a drop of blood splashed. The cut surface had already been burned shut by extreme heat.
The fly-head shikigami watching the beach turned to ash at the same time.
In the shadow of the rooftop, Yami slowly sheathed Shiranui.
His eyes were cold as he looked down at the corpse of the man who had been trying to pick up an easy bounty.
In the half hour since leaving the aquarium, he had already cleaned out four waves of killers attempting to approach the beach.
Within the range of Transparent World, not a single rat remained bold enough to stick its head out.
Yami turned and headed back.
When he returned to the beach, he was carrying several bottles of iced drinks. He walked to the parasol, sat down, and placed them on the table as if he had really only gone shopping.
"Teacher! Come play with us!"
In the distance, Gojo shouted while shamelessly using Limitless to catch Geto's spike.
"Don't cheat, Satoru!"
"It's not cheating if I'm naturally better!"
"You're using a Cursed Technique!"
"That's part of being naturally better!"
Yami waved them off with a faint smile.
"You guys play."
He pressed an iced soda against his forehead, letting the cold seep into his skin.
But his gaze did not linger on the people playing by the sea.
It crossed the blue coastline and reached into the distance.
Too quiet.
The small fry drawn in by the bounty had already been cleared out.
But the man he was truly wary of had still not appeared.
The Sorcerer Killer.
No presence.
No Cursed Energy.
Not even the faintest leak of killing intent.
He was like a ghost that did not exist in the world.
Yami's fingers tightened slightly around the cold soda can.
Toji Fushiguro.
Where exactly are you hiding?
This game of fate was finally approaching its most dangerous stage.
.....
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