Chapter 109: Goodbye
"Are you planning on having me tell everyone all of this?"
There was a hint of imperceptible accusation in Rin's voice; it was as if he were questioning, yet also confirming.
He tightened his grip on the cursed spirit orb. Geto Suguru had arranged a way out for everyone, yet he had never asked them if they even wanted such an "arrangement."
Hearing this, Geto Suguru could only offer a bitter smile; his pale face lacked the strength for any defense:
"It has to be you, Rin."
His voice grew lower and lower, and his breathing began to become labored:
"After I'm gone, you will inherit all the Cursed Tools and Cursed Objects I've collected over the years... These things are too dangerous; only by leaving them to you can I rest easy."
Rin had nothing more to say.
He understood what Geto Suguru meant.
Those Cursed Tools hid too much darkness, too many secrets of Curse Users. If handed over to others, it would either lead to disaster or they would be destroyed by Jujutsu High.
Only by giving them to him did Geto Suguru believe these things would not be misused, nor would they go to waste.
He leaned silently against the wall, keeping Geto Suguru company as they sat in the deepening night.
Geto Suguru's words, however, became more frequent—from Nanako being afraid of the dark as a child, to the funny mishaps when Larue first used his cursed technique—his voice growing increasingly blurred.
His consciousness was also intermittently sinking, as if he were using his last bit of strength to finish saying everything he hadn't yet said.
Rin did not interrupt, only occasionally offering an "Mm," acting as the quietest of listeners, his fingertips gently wiping away the blood still flowing down his cheek.
"Being able to see you in my final moments, it's really good..."
Geto Suguru's voice suddenly softened, his gaze beginning to grow unfocused:
"However, there is still one person missing."
Rin's heart sank; he knew Geto Suguru was talking about Gojo Satoru.
The person who grew up with him, who became the strongest alongside him, but eventually ended up on the opposite side—he was the person Geto Suguru cared about most, and his greatest regret in this life.
"Don't worry, he will come."
Rin looked at Geto Suguru, his voice softening to an extreme, as if coaxing a child about to fall asleep.
Geto Suguru, however, suddenly smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint arc:
"By the way, what exactly did you do to him? He still hasn't arrived."
At the mention of Gojo Satoru, Rin's tone finally had a hint of fluctuation—it was faint, yet carried a trace of imperceptible pride:
"Nothing much. After he opened his Domain, I ambushed him and punched him in the face. Afterward, he should still be in a 'burnout' state, so he won't be able to make it for a while."
"Well done!"
Geto Suguru's eyes brightened, and his voice sounded a bit more spirited, as if he had forgotten the excruciating pain in his body:
"Being able to make that guy eat humble pie is just too satisfying... Back at Jujutsu High, he was always using his Six Eyes to show off; someone should have put him in his place a long time ago."
Watching Geto Suguru, who was rarely this happy, the sadness in Rin's eyes finally eased slightly.
He recalled how Geto Suguru looked when he occasionally mentioned his time at Jujutsu High, and the undisguisable familiarity in his tone when he spoke of Gojo Satoru; it turned out that behind those opposing stances, there was so much unspoken concern.
"However, this little thing shouldn't be much for him."
Geto Suguru's voice lowered again, his gaze becoming unfocused once more.
As soon as his voice fell, a slight spatial fluctuation suddenly erupted at the alley entrance! Pale blue Cursed Energy spread out like ripples, carrying the familiar oppressive sensation belonging to "the strongest."
Rin looked up abruptly and saw, in the night at the alley entrance, a figure with short white hair suddenly appear. The bright blue Six Eyes glowed in the dim light, his gaze falling directly on the two people at the base of the wall.
Gojo Satoru had come after all.
Gojo Satoru stood at the alley entrance, his short white hair ruffled by the night wind, but he did not step forward immediately.
He just stood there, looking at the heavily injured Geto Suguru.
Complex emotions surged in his eyes.
But in the end, he maintained his composure with all his might.
Hearing the commotion, Geto Suguru slowly raised his eyes, his gaze landing on Gojo Satoru, and a faint smile actually tugged at the corners of his mouth:
"You finally came, Satoru."
"Are you so eager to die?" Gojo Satoru's voice was cold, carrying suppressed anger:
"Intentionally losing to Okkotsu, Geto Suguru, what exactly are you planning?"
Geto Suguru did not answer, only coughed a few times, black-red blood spilling from the corners of his mouth:
"What if I won? What if I lost? All of this was supposed to end anyway."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Gojo Satoru:
"It's you, on the other hand—getting ambushed by a brat and delayed for so long; you really are becoming more and more useless."
The familiar mocking tone was just like their bickering back at Jujutsu High.
Gojo Satoru's body stiffened for a moment; his anger suddenly drained away for the most part, leaving only an indescribable bitterness:
"You clearly had a chance to escape, why did you stay here?"
"Escape? Escape where?" Geto Suguru laughed, his smile full of relief:
"I've had nowhere to escape to for a long time. Satoru, do you remember? Back then, we said we would protect Non-Sorcerers together, and make this world a better place."
Gojo Satoru's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak. Those vows from their youth, like faded photographs, suddenly became clear in his mind.
Two high-spirited youths, standing on the rooftop of Jujutsu High, talking about becoming "the strongest" and changing the world.
But in the end, they walked down completely different paths.
"I was the one who went astray." Geto Suguru's voice was as light as the wind:
"I thought that as long as I eliminated all Non-Sorcerers, I could eliminate Cursed Spirits and stop everyone from suffering. But in the end, I realized I was just making excuses for myself, just escaping... escaping those I couldn't protect, escaping the mistakes I had made."
Rin sat to the side, watching the two of them in silence.
He could feel the Cursed Energy around Gojo Satoru gradually softening, and he could also see the light in Geto Suguru's eyes dimming bit by bit.
He knew this was time that belonged to the two of them; he was just a bystander, a recorder.
"Nanako and Mimiko, I entrusted someone to send them abroad."
Geto Suguru suddenly spoke, looking at Gojo Satoru, his eyes filled with pleading:
"Satoru, let Jujutsu High let them go. I will ensure they don't get involved in Jujutsu matters, and let them grow up like normal girls, okay?"
Gojo Satoru's body shuddered violently, and a glimmer of moisture appeared in his bright blue Six Eyes.
He looked at Geto Suguru's pale face, at his broken body, and finally nodded, his voice hoarse:
"Okay. As long as they don't return to Japan, there won't be any danger."
"And Rin."
Geto Suguru turned his head to look at the youth beside him:
"He is a good kid; don't let him follow my path."
Gojo Satoru's gaze fell on Rin, seeing his blood-stained face, seeing his hand clutching the cursed spirit orb, and he finally nodded as well:
"I know."
Geto Suguru smiled. This time, the smile held no relief, no regret, only pure peace. He leaned against the wall, slowly closing his eyes, his breathing growing weaker and weaker:
"Satoru, about what happened back then... I'm sorry."
Gojo Satoru stood at the alley entrance, watching Geto Suguru's face as it gradually lost its vitality, and suddenly remembered an afternoon many years ago.
Back then, Geto Suguru was just a boy who loved to smile.
The night wind swept up the fallen leaves on the ground, swirling in the alley.
Gojo Satoru's body trembled slightly, but he didn't cry, only saying softly: "Idiot... It was clearly me who should have said sorry."
Rin slowly stood up, tightening his grip on the cursed spirit orb in his palm.
Leaving the final moment to the two of them.
Gojo Satoru came to Geto Suguru's side, leaning in close to his ear, not knowing what he was saying.
And Geto Suguru, upon hearing those words, only offered a bitter smile:
"We're at this point already, the least you could do is say some curse words."
But Gojo Satoru did not; he just looked at his dearest friend warmly.
And the last thing Rin heard was only Geto Suguru's words:
"Goodbye, Rin. Don't forget your goal. Promise me, don't fail like I did."
After saying this last sentence, Rin only heard a crisp sound.
Afterward, only dead silence remained.
And Rin knew that Geto Suguru was gone, taking with him his regrets, his guilt, and his final tenderness toward this world.
And he himself still had many things to do.
He had to tell everyone about Geto Suguru's arrangements, take good care of Nanako and Mimiko, and continue walking forward, carrying Geto Suguru's beliefs.
He glanced at Gojo Satoru, then at Geto Suguru leaning against the wall, and finally turned around and slowly walked toward the outside.
And at this moment, there was no more sadness in his eyes; there was only a desperate determination.
He swore he would forever remember the helplessness of today; from this moment on, he would do whatever it takes to become the strongest.
Whatever it takes.
The night grew darker, and the lights of Jujutsu High flickered in the distance, like stars, illuminating the path ahead for him.