CHAPTER 10: CONFRONTATION

A cold wind rustled through the trees of Jujutsu High.

Inside the principal's office, the walls were lined with old cursed objects and wooden shelves stacked with scrolls too ancient to touch. The head of the school, Masamichi Yaga, stood with his arms folded, expression grave as he stared out the window.

Behind him, Satoru Gojo leaned casually against a bookshelf, blindfold lifted slightly above his eyes. But there was no trace of his usual grin.

"They're getting bolder," Yaga said, his voice low. "Three towns hit. Twelve civilians dead. Two sorcerers missing. All signs point to Geto."

Gojo didn't flinch. "Suguru's always been a man of vision. The problem is that his vision ends with genocide."

Yaga's fingers tightened around his crossed arms. "You once believed in him."

"I did," Gojo said softly. "But that Suguru died a long time ago."

The room fell into silence. The kind of silence that only came before a storm.

Yaga turned to him. "I assume you've already figured it out. The real reason he's moving now."

Gojo nodded. "Yuta."

"Then we need to act—"

"Not yet," Gojo interrupted. "If we make a move too early, he'll scatter. He wants something. Let him come to us."

Yaga gave him a hard look. "Don't play chess with that man, Gojo. He's not just a curse user—he's a fanatic."

Gojo smirked faintly. "Then let's give the fanatic something to believe in."

—

Meanwhile, in the school courtyard—

The trees swayed gently, and the sound of distant sparring echoed from the training field.

Yuta Okkotsu sat on the stone steps with a warm cup of tea. Maki leaned against a tree with her arms crossed. Inumaki sat nearby, munching on rice crackers, and Panda was lying on his back, arms behind his head.

"So," Panda said lazily, "you beat another special grade with Rika-chan?"

"It wasn't like that…" Yuta said modestly. "Rika just… she reacts when I'm in danger."

Maki rolled her eyes. "You really don't get how powerful you are, do you?"

"Shake," Inumaki added approvingly.

Yuta chuckled, still not used to their easy camaraderie. Despite everything, this place was starting to feel like… something close to home.

But then—

A pulse.

Faint at first, like a ripple through still water. Then—another.

The cursed energy across the courtyard began to shift—dense, suffocating, and unmistakably human.

Maki stood upright. "You guys feel that?"

Inumaki's eyes sharpened.

Yuta's heart sank.

BOOM.

A sudden shockwave tore through the air. Leaves scattered. Stone cracked. The sky darkened for a second.

A figure now stood at the edge of the courtyard's entrance—cloaked in black, hair swept back, and an air of utter calm.

Suguru Geto.

His eyes scanned the four students with quiet amusement.

"Ah… the next generation," he said softly, voice like silk soaked in poison. "How delightful."

Yuta stepped forward instinctively, the ring on his finger growing cold.

"You're…"

Geto smiled.

"Yes. I've come for you, Yuta Okkotsu."

And in the air behind him, cursed spirits began to gather—laughing, screeching, celebrating the beginning of chaos.