Chapter 137: The Outcome

The two sat for a while, quietly watching the children before getting pulled into playing with them for a bit.

When it was time to leave, the children were reluctant but didn't throw a fuss. They lined up, waving their little hands and calling out brightly,

"Bye, uncle!"

"Bye, big brother!"

Something like that.

The two of them exited the tree hollow, closed the small door, and carefully concealed the thicket at the base of the tree.

"Your ability's really convenient," Masamichi Yaga said with a sigh as he rose from all fours.

He glanced at Sōjun Minamoto, who barely reached his calves in height.

He'd seen other practitioners of flesh manipulation before, but their transformations couldn't alter body volume. Getting shorter meant becoming bloated, while getting taller made them unnaturally thin. A body of over a hundred kilos couldn't just shrink or expand at will.

But this guy was different—perfectly scaled down, completely defying the laws of volume conservation...

He had no idea how that was even possible.

Masamichi Yaga brushed dried leaves off his sleeves and pant legs.

"I could make you smaller too," Sōjun Minamoto said, watching him crawl around with amused interest.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Yaga snapped.

Sōjun Minamoto chuckled, then returned to his normal size. He stretched out his limbs, tapped his feet lightly on the ground, and leapt into the air, landing gracefully atop the tree canopy.

It was the tallest and sturdiest tree in the area.

He stood at what was essentially the forest's highest point, letting his gaze sweep from that center outward toward the boundary.

Sōjun Minamoto didn't ask about how Masamichi Yaga had been caring for the children or what plans he had for them next...

He simply had to fulfill his own promise—nothing more.

With his gaze, he mapped out an area. Several fingers detached and shot into the distant forest, embedding precisely along the border.

He brought the forest within a Barrier, placing it directly under the jurisdiction of the Bone Tree, on par with the Jujutsu High Barrier.

Once done, Sōjun Minamoto clapped the dust from his hands, dropped back to the ground, and stood beside Masamichi Yaga.

They watched as a faint barrier spread downward, then vanished from sight.

Masamichi Yaga let out a quiet breath.

He trusted Sōjun Minamoto completely—otherwise, he would've never brought him here.

He also trusted his Barrier.

Not long ago, it had withstood three full-force attacks before finally breaking. That level of resilience brought peace of mind.

He suspected the Cursed Spirit had been tamed by Sōjun Minamoto. There was no proof, but the Spirit's face and chest—and even Sōjun Minamoto's eyes—all bore similar starry patterns.

There were other similarities too.

But he didn't press the matter.

It didn't really matter anymore.

He never used to agree with that kind of thinking. If everyone acted without restraint just because they were powerful, society would crumble. True freedom was built on boundaries.

But in that moment... he'd felt a sense of ease.

In truth, Panda had been born several months ago.

He hadn't told a soul, but the Jujutsu Headquarters still found out. He didn't need to guess what that meant.

The Higher-Ups made their intentions clear—overtly and subtly. They wanted the creation method.

Their tactics shattered any lingering trust he had in them, leaving him drained.

Still, he stuck to the story that it was a fluke. He wasn't naive anymore—he knew they wouldn't give up that easily.

Maybe they wanted to save face. Maybe it was because he had the backing of two Special Grades. Or maybe they couldn't tell if the creation was genuine. Either way, after weighing their options, they chose to hold off—for now.

But he couldn't afford to relax.

He believed he understood Sōjun Minamoto well enough. If the man gave his word, he'd keep it.

As long as he was here, under his protection, there was no risk of exposure.

As for the Cursed Spirit issue—he'd have to give him a proper scolding later.

He made a mental note, then looked up at the figure ahead.

He'd grown taller again.

Even though he didn't want to burden the younger generation, he had to admit—he was benefiting from their strength.

There was a quiet pride in his heart, along with a reluctant sense of resignation. Like when your kid grows up, stops needing your support, and even starts sending you a retirement allowance.

Was he really getting old?

He didn't want to admit it.

"What's wrong?"

Sōjun Minamoto suddenly turned his head.

"Nothing," Masamichi Yaga replied with a bright smile.

Wasn't this the result of his life's work in education?

Sure, most of his students were troublemakers, and one had even strayed from the right path. But when it really mattered, they could be counted on. He had even looked into the one who went astray—turns out, he hadn't done anything bad.

Calling them the fruits of his efforts didn't feel wrong at all.

The two walked slowly through the forest, heading back to Jujutsu High.

To Sōjun Minamoto, there was nothing new under the Barrier. If he wanted, everything would lay itself bare before his eyes.

But most things didn't interest him—they simply weren't worth his attention.

The Barrier was maintained by the Bone Tree's clone, which had split off a portion of its awareness. If anything happened, he'd know immediately.

He glanced at Masamichi Yaga's face, which shifted between shadows and light.

It looked like the higher-ups coveting the self-reliant Cursed Corpse technology had touched a nerve—his reverse scale.

With Yaga's personality, the fact that he hadn't lashed out over the matter said a lot.

That was fine.

Sōjun Minamoto felt a little more at ease.

...

Back at Jujutsu High, the two went their separate ways.

A few days later, the higher-ups convened another small meeting.

Everyone gathered in the tower temple—it was the same group as last time. Naturally, the old principal couldn't attend anymore.

"You all know the situation, so I'll keep it brief," an aged voice echoed through the room.

Everyone fell silent.

"First, the principal's death has been reported to the Jujutsu Headquarters. An inspection team will arrive shortly. Please do not leave Jujutsu High."

He looked toward Masamichi Yaga.

"Also, the election for a new principal will be held soon. I'll offer my congratulations in advance, Yaga."

As a representative from the Jujutsu Headquarters, he had already received inside information and knew Masamichi Yaga was next in line.

A few congratulatory remarks echoed through the room.

"Next, the issue with the Cursed Spirit attack..."

The mood immediately turned serious. The room fell into silence.

The old man looked at Sōjun Minamoto, saying nothing for a while. Only when Sōjun raised an eyebrow did he finally speak.

"Sōjun, we'll need you to reinforce the Barrier and raise its daily defense level."

"Increasing the output requires more resources," Sōjun replied casually.

"To what extent can it be raised?" the old man asked.

"Depends on the investment. If there's enough, even a few more Special Grade Cursed Spirits like the last one wouldn't be a problem."

Sōjun noticed the old man exchanging glances with the three major clan representatives. They seemed to come to an agreement quickly.

Clearly, they'd already discussed this behind the scenes.

"Jujutsu High's dignity cannot be compromised. This must not happen again. We'll increase the resource allocation. Make your arrangements to the highest standard."

"Sure," Sōjun nodded without objection.

"Has it been confirmed that the Cursed Spirit was Special Grade?" he asked.

"Of course. It might be newly born, but it's already powerful," Sōjun replied.

After a short pause, the old man turned his gaze to Satoru Gojo.

"If it's a Special Grade, then Clan Head Gojo will handle it?"

"...Fine," Satoru Gojo scratched his head but didn't refuse.

"Please compile a file, conduct a threat assessment, gather relevant intel, and if possible... exorcise it."

...

In meetings like this, there was no need to dance around things. Everyone knew the score. The goal was efficiency.

No one raised any objections.

Once the matter was settled, the old man looked visibly relieved. He rarely opened his eyes, but now he did, revealing clouded pupils. He turned to Masamichi Yaga.

"I'll be retiring soon. From now on, you'll be organizing these meetings. I hope you'll lead Jujutsu High and continue preserving social order."

Masamichi Yaga nodded solemnly, a strange sense of responsibility stirring in him.

...

After the meeting, Sōjun Minamoto, Gojo, and another member walked together.

Gojo leaned in, voice low and sneaky.

"So... where are we supposed to find that Cursed Spirit? Got any leads, Sōjun?"

"I've got a rough idea. What if I morph into something similar and you just take me there to complete the mission?"

Sōjun glanced at him.

"Can you not keep testing me? It puts me in a tough spot."

"But didn't you say you couldn't transform?"

"One's made of flesh, the other of Cursed Energy. They only look alike," Sōjun replied, though the idea clearly piqued his interest. "If I wrapped myself in a Cursed Energy shell, maybe I really could pass for one."

Gojo rubbed his chin, looking tempted.

"...It's not impossible."

"There's definitely potential. But my clone would take the hit, which means I take the hit. So I want eighty percent of the credit."

"Eighty? That's steep."

"You don't have to do anything—just bring me in to finish the mission. I'm still losing a clone. Asking for twenty percent is already generous. Don't get greedy."

"I'd still be taking a risk, okay? I'm the head of the Gojo Clan..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you two plotting to steal a mission reward right in front of me?!" Masamichi Yaga finally snapped.

"Look at that, hasn't even taken office yet and he's already throwing his weight around."

"..."

As they were about to part ways, Masamichi Yaga called out to Sōjun Minamoto.

Sōjun turned to look back.

"Help me take care of Panda for a few days," he said.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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