Chapter 53: Guidance

Dusk.

The setting sun painted the sky blood-red, casting a somber glow over the land.

At the training grounds of Jujutsu High, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara lay sprawled on the grass, gasping for air after an entire day of grueling combat training.

"Zen'in-senpai is really strong!" Nobara wheezed, her voice tinged with admiration.

"Yeah. Among the students, Maki-senpai is the best at close combat," Megumi responded, exhaling deeply. "Except for Okkotsu-senpai."

Nobara's orange hair, damp with sweat, clung to her forehead, partly concealing the complicated emotions in her eyes.

"Hey, Megumi… about White…"

Before she could finish, a voice interrupted:

"Hey, you two!"

Maki Zen'in strolled over, now dressed in a purple tracksuit, casually swinging a wooden training staff. "What's the matter? Can't handle a little workout?"

"Come on, Maki. They've been training all day."

Panda's gentle voice chimed in as he approached with Inumaki Toge. "Let them rest. Toge and I can stay for extra practice with you."

Inumaki, dressed in white, nodded and offered his usual, "Bonito flakes."

---

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from the edge of the field:

"Maki's niece! Thirteen!"

White dashed toward them, waving excitedly. "Toge, too!"

He leapt onto Panda's back, burying his face in the soft fur. "Ahhh, Panda, it's been too long!"

"Tch!" Maki scowled, glaring at him with murderous intent. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

She pointed her staff at White, her tone sharp. "You finally decided to show up? You realize the Kyoto students are coming for the exchange event, right? If you slack off, you'll get crushed out there."

White yawned lazily, still clinging to Panda. "Come on, they're just a bunch of Kyoto students."

He gave an indifferent shrug. "If it weren't for Mai, I'd have wiped the floor with them already."

The others, accustomed to White's arrogant remarks, barely reacted.

Maki tightened her grip on her staff. "Get down here! I'm personally training you."

As she stormed over, she gave him a closer look. "What's with that ridiculous thing on your face?"

White smugly ran a finger along the purple diamond mark beneath his eye. "This? It's a miracle."

"Miracle, huh?"

With a snort, Maki swung her staff, sending it whistling through the air toward White.

"How's this for a miracle?"

White's expression changed as he scrambled to dodge. "Wait, wait! No fair!"

He twisted Panda's body to shield himself, moving in a clumsy dance around the furious Maki.

"You tricked me!" White shouted dramatically. "You said you wouldn't hit me!"

"Every time you call me 'niece,' you get nine smacks!" Maki growled, teeth clenched. "I'll beat that bad habit out of you today!"

White let out a yelp. "Panda, Toge! Help me out!"

"Black Hedgehog! Thirteen! Are you just going to stand there and watch me get bullied?"

Megumi, Nobara, and the others pretended not to hear, tilting their heads to admire the evening sky.

Meanwhile, Panda, caught between White and Maki, could only sweat nervously as he swayed along with White's desperate movements.

---

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In a remote mountain hot spring, the false Suguru Geto sat on the shore, fiddling with a cursed nail wrapped in talismans.

"So, this is the cursed barrier nail?"

Sitting atop a boulder, Jogo puffed on a brain-shaped pipe. "That little thing will work?"

Kenjaku squinted, his expression calm. "It's already embedded with the necessary barrier techniques. Just place it at the right spot, and it'll activate."

Jogo exhaled a cloud of smoke, his tone skeptical. "Will it really hold them off?"

Kenjaku smiled faintly. "It only needs to delay them for half a minute."

Standing silently behind them, Hanami murmured in an otherworldly language, its meaning appearing directly in the minds of the others:

"Are we sure this sudden change of plan will work?"

"Weren't we supposed to avoid turning him into an enemy for now?"

Kenjaku's voice remained steady. "Stick to the new plan. Whether it's Zen'in Maki or Gojo Satoru, it doesn't matter who falls first. Either way, it'll benefit us."

Hanami gave a slight nod, saying no more.

Jogo's single eye gleamed with a rare flicker of concern. "Be careful, Hanami."

Hanami's unique cursed energy made it the most adept at stealth and infiltration among the curses—critical for Kenjaku's scheme.

"And where's Mahito?" Jogo grumbled, noticing the absence of the mischievous curse. "That brat's gone off again."

Kenjaku gave a helpless shrug. "He said he needed inspiration before the operation starts."

"Tch."

---

Tokyo – A Screening Room.

Wearing a neatly pressed gray suit and a spotted beige tie, Nanami Kento guided Yuji Itadori through the crime scene.

"Itadori." Nanami pointed at the blood-stained seats. "Can you see it?"

Thanks to his intensive training over the past two weeks, Yuji had gained decent control over his cursed energy.

Channeling cursed energy to his eyes, Yuji scanned the room. Beyond the blood, he spotted several black handprints on the seats and cursed footprints leading toward the entrance.

"These are remnants of cursed energy," Nanami explained as he followed the trail. "Both sorcerers and curses leave behind traces after using techniques."

They stepped carefully over the police tape, tracking the black prints deeper into the theater.

"Our job is simple—identify the curse and exorcise it. Then the mission is complete."

---

Back at the Training Grounds.

"White-senpai."

Megumi called out to the half-asleep curse lounging nearby. "I've made some progress with my Ten Shadows Technique. Can you take a look?"

White yawned, but his expression shifted to one of interest. "Show me what you've got, kid."

He crossed his arms, striking a smug pose. "You're asking the right person. Back in the day, even Zen'in Toji hit a wall and needed my advice to get through it."

The others rolled their eyes but didn't bother correcting him.

Megumi nodded and began to summon, shadows rippling beneath his feet.

White sauntered forward, hands clasped behind his back, clearly enjoying his moment of self-importance—until he stepped into one of Megumi's shadows and disappeared with a loud "thud!"

"Damn it!"

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Support the Translation! 🌐✨

20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.

patreon.com/Immortal_author

https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor

https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT