After several rounds of tea and a full spread of dishes, the mood was light and cheerful. It was nice to have this kind of break every now and then, even in the Jujutsu world.
Sōjun Minamoto felt completely relaxed.
Bang~~
There was a sudden commotion from the drinking table, growing louder and drawing everyone's attention.
It was Shiko Mishima—finally starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
No one else had ever dealt with this kind of situation before, so they all instinctively looked toward Sōjun Minamoto.
He was reminded, faintly, of the dread of being at the mercy of a drunk. Still, he kept a straight face and walked over. After all, he'd been through worse.
It was a bit surprising that she only started getting drunk now. Shiko Mishima had been holding back, but in the end, she'd still overestimated her tolerance.
Sōjun Minamoto took her right hand, letting her lean on him for support so she wouldn't stumble all over the place. She kept mumbling nonsense, her warm, boozy breath hitting the back of his neck—kind of gross, honestly.
Her head bobbed unsteadily, and through her bleary, drunken eyes, she kept staring at him. When she saw him take out his phone and switch to selfie mode, both of them appearing on the screen—
She immediately rested her head on his shoulder,
"Hehehe~"
Then raised her left hand to her cheek and threw up a peace sign.
Click!
Sōjun Minamoto hit the shutter.
Among any group of friends, there's always that one person who's quick to notice embarrassing moments—and makes sure to document them.
After all, why suffer alone?
She'd probably thank him for it once she sobered up.
At this point, Sōjun Minamoto had become that kind of person.
Shiko Mishima gradually quieted down. Her head drooped more and more until she finally gave in and fell asleep on his shoulder.
...
On the way back, Sōjun Minamoto carried her on his back. The smell of alcohol clung to his nose, and he was constantly on edge, worried she'd throw up on him...
Do you seriously think I'm your personal ride?!
It always ended like this—she'd promise to treat, and somehow, he'd end up footing the bill. He adjusted her legs on his back with a grunt.
Back at Jujutsu High, everyone split up.
Riko Amanai gave the two of them a once-over, then pointed at him and said:
"Shiko-senpai is your responsibility now. Make sure she gets home safe, and send a message in the group after!"
You're giving me orders now? Sōjun Minamoto looked visibly annoyed.
...
Time flew by. The cicadas' buzzing grew louder and more constant, dragging on endlessly, dulling everything into monotony—until, without warning, summer was torn wide open.
This summer was absolute chaos.
Summer was always cursed spirit season, but this year was something else. Probably due to last year's wave of natural disasters, curses were swarming out like maggots—endless, relentless.
Sorcerers across the Jujutsu world were scrambling to exorcise them.
The nonstop missions, suffocating heat, and constant danger had everyone stuck in a gloomy, stressed-out state.
Everyone except Satoru Gojo. But honestly, he didn't really count as "everyone" to begin with. Ever since he mastered Reversed Cursed Technique, he'd been completely unhinged—living his best life, full throttle.
Sōjun Minamoto, though, was doing fine. He actually enjoyed the process of exorcising curses, watching his cursed energy grow stronger each day, his power rising steadily with it.
He had a clone stationed in the Medical Department, and another watching over the White Bone Tree.
Since the "contact" restriction was lifted, he'd been balancing quality and quantity, with more freedom in both manpower and time. The Jujutsu world wasn't that large anyway, and his clones could easily cover most areas at once.
He'd been letting loose a little himself lately.
...
At the Jujutsu High cafeteria, Sōjun Minamoto spotted Suguru Geto sitting alone in the corner, eating.
School, cafeteria, mealtime, alone, corner... Classic.
"Suguru, have you lost weight?" Sōjun circled around, eyeing him up. He noticed how thin Geto had gotten and asked with concern, "You okay?"
"It's just the missions piling up. I'm fine," Geto said with a strained smile.
"You're gonna burn out if you keep approaching things with that mindset. Come on—let's go collect some curses. If you just focus on getting stronger, it's way less exhausting. Besides, I want another taste of cursed spirits."
Before Geto could protest, Sōjun pulled him to his feet.
Last time, his research into Cursed Spirit Manipulation had felt incomplete. Now there was finally time to do it right. Plus, Geto had been cooped up by himself for too long. He was starting to turn into some gloomy, damp cave creature.
Might as well drag him out for a bit.
"Hey—slow down," Geto stumbled a few steps trying to catch up.
...
Just as the two of them stepped out of the cafeteria, they bumped into the first-year trio.
Yu Haibara immediately stood at attention. "Ah! Suguru-senpai! Thank you for your hard work!"
"Oh, it's you guys. Off to eat?"
"Yep! We just got out of class!"
Sōjun rolled his eyes internally. What a pointless exchange.
"The day after tomorrow, we've got a Grade 2 curse exorcism mission," Haibara said, a bit giddy. Maybe it was the thought of traveling far, maybe it was just running into Suguru Geto.
"Yeah? Then bring me back a souvenir," Geto joked. Seeing Haibara's beaming face, he couldn't help smiling a little himself.
"Got it! Senpai, do you prefer sweet or salty?"
"Satoru's probably gonna eat it too, so… sweet."
"…"
Haibara's sunny, upbeat personality added a touch of warmth to Geto's otherwise overcast days.
...
Riko Amanai slid up beside Sōjun, her excitement written all over her face.
She whispered, "Just two more days until our mission!"
"I'm so hyped!"
"You got any cool cursed tools I can mess around with?"
"I heard from Shiko-senpai that you made her a special-grade cursed tool? Can I get one too?"
She spoke super fast, rattling on non-stop.
"If not, at least give me something for protection!"
Sōjun raised a brow, thought for a moment, then took off the Fly Head and handed it to her.
"Here. Take this with you."
"So cool!" Riko gasped as she took it, pinching its tiny, perfectly proportioned arms and legs.
The Fly Head struck a dramatic pose, standing obediently in her palm. Lately, it had gotten smarter and knew Sōjun wasn't a fan of its hyperactive antics. So whenever he was around, it made sure to dial it back.
Riko looked at the creature with its mirror-like body and two pairs of pristine white wings—it looked almost holy, despite being such a weird little mutt.
"What is this?"
"A Fly Head."
...?
This is a Fly Head?
Her face was full of question marks, but she still went along with it.
"What does it eat? Is there anything I need to watch out for?"
"Fly heads."
...??
"If there's danger, just toss it out to take the hit. Don't worry about the rest," Sōjun explained. Normally, he let the Fly Head roam free—he only stepped in when it really mattered.
"What if it can't handle it?" Riko asked, skeptical. It looked impressive, but it was only about as tall as her forearm. At the end of the day, it was still a bottom-tier curse.
Did it really have the strength?
"It can handle it," Sōjun replied.
Satisfied, Riko happily accepted the Fly Head.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake