Chapter 57: A Chilling Joke

Twilight, Mirai's Cottage.

A servant from the Zen'in clan carefully set the prepared meal on the table before promptly leaving.

Since they weren't affiliated with Jujutsu High, they had to return immediately after making the delivery.

At the table sat Mirai, White, Maki, and Mai. For the first time in two years, the four of them—three humans and one curse—were reunited.

White, like a picky eater, poked at the dishes with his chopsticks, grumbling as he sorted through the food.

"You sisters are so complicated." He picked out a juicy piece of beef, chewing loudly as he continued.

"Maki… she's too headstrong, yet a bit slow-witted."

"She cares so much about the opinions of those idiots in the Zen'in clan but completely overlooks how much Mai depends on her."

He fished out some chili peppers and tossed them into the mouth of a caterpillar peeking from his collar. With a shake of his head, White sighed.

"And Mai… she's way too sensitive. Just because Maki left without her, she thinks she was abandoned and ran off to Kyoto in a fit of anger."

"You two care about each other, but you act like mortal enemies."

"White!" Mai's face flushed bright red—whether from embarrassment or anger wasn't clear—and she glared at him fiercely.

If not for Mirai sitting nearby, she might have already drawn her gun.

Maki frowned. "Just eat your food and stop running your mouth."

White shrugged and dumped his chopsticks into the caterpillar's mouth.

"I'm a curse. Why would I eat food?"

Mai shot a cautious glance at Mirai's calm expression before turning back to White with clenched teeth. "If you know you're a curse, then how dare you comment on human emotions!"

White chuckled, unbothered. "I don't understand human emotions at all."

Mai narrowed her eyes. "Then—"

White cut her off smoothly. "But it wasn't me who said that. It was Mirai."

Both sisters fell silent.

They glanced briefly at Mirai, then lowered their heads, too stunned to respond.

If White had said those things, they could argue back. But if Mirai had said them… they lacked both the courage and the words to protest.

---

"Eat."

Mirai's voice was calm but carried no warmth. His gentle facade from earlier was gone, replaced by his usual detached demeanor.

The two sisters obediently lowered their heads, eating quietly. Occasionally, their gazes would meet for a fleeting moment before quickly shifting away.

---

After Dinner.

"I'm going to train with Panda and the others," Maki said. With a brief glance at Mai, she headed out of the house.

"I need to leave too." Mai's voice was soft. "There's a meeting at school to discuss the Exchange Event."

As Mai turned to leave, White's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Why not quit and return to the Zen'in clan?"

Maki froze, her expression one of shock as she looked from White to Mirai, who sat calmly reading a book on the sofa.

Mai cautiously asked, "Is that what you think, too?"

White pointed to himself with a grin. "Nah. Just kidding."

Mai scoffed. "If you miss me, just call. If that's not enough, I'll come visit you."

Once she stepped outside, Mai let out a deep breath, patting her chest to calm herself.

"Thank goodness that wasn't Mirai's idea…"

Though she had joined Kyoto out of spite, she had grown attached to her new companions over the past two years and didn't want to abandon them so easily.

---

Back inside, Mirai glanced at White from the corner of his eye. "You seem more concerned about her than I am."

White plopped down on the sofa beside him, crossing his legs. "What, a curse can't care about people?"

Mirai flipped a page of his book. "If anything, it's the other way around—they watched you grow up."

White smirked. "Same difference."

After a brief silence, White changed the subject. "Why didn't you show up earlier? That muscle-brained ape nearly killed me today."

Mirai glanced at the six purple marks under White's eyes. "You won't die so easily. Don't forget your technique."

He added, "Besides, I had just returned to Jujutsu High."

White blinked. "You actually left your house? I'm impressed."

Without answering, Mirai retrieved a small cube from his Kamui space and tossed it to White.

"During the chaos at the Exchange Event, plant this."

White opened the box and took out a long nail wrapped in cursed seals. "A curtain imbued with a directive?"

Recognizing the craftsmanship, White grinned. "Did Noritoshi Kamo make this?"

Mirai nodded. "It contains a pre-set barrier technique. Your cursed energy should be enough to activate it."

He explained, "This morning, I met with Kenjaku and retrieved it."

White tucked the nail into his jacket, looking excited. "We're making our move during the event, huh?"

Mirai shook his head. "Just plant the nail and leave. Don't linger."

In the original timeline, this task was assigned to Juzo Kumiya. But with Kumiya busy forging cursed tools at the Zen'in estate, Mirai had taken over.

"What about surveillance? If Kyoto's sorcerers catch wind of this, won't the higher-ups suspect us?" White's voice turned serious. "And if they don't find any infiltrators, they'll blame the students. They might even come after me or Yuji."

Mirai's tone remained calm. "Kenjaku will unleash a special-grade cursed spirit. Use the ensuing chaos to plant the nail. I'll take care of any residual traces before Gojo arrives."

The curtain was specifically designed to contain Gojo Satoru. Mirai's job was to erase any evidence linking White to the incident.

With a slight smile, Mirai added, "There's already a traitor among the students."

White burst into laughter. "You've thought of everything, huh? Alright, leave the rest to me."

---

Morning of the Exchange Event.

Golden sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the room.

Nanami Kento sat with a newspaper in hand, his expression calm and composed. Across from him, Gojo Satoru lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, muttering to himself.

"Hey, Nanami…" Gojo tilted his head lazily. "What if I just kill that fake-smile bastard?"

Nanami paused, glancing over the top of his newspaper. "You mean Mirai Zen'in?"

Gojo hummed in confirmation. "Mhm."

Nanami's brow furrowed slightly. "Please don't joke about things like that. I just got back to Jujutsu High and would prefer not to be unemployed again."

Gojo's carefree expression faded, his tone turning serious. "I'm not joking."

He leaned forward slightly. "What if I kill him during the event?"

Nanami's face darkened as he realized Gojo wasn't bluffing.

After a moment of silence, he replied gravely. "If you do that... the entire jujutsu world will be thrown into chaos."

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