JJK: Chapter 41/42

Chapter 41: Daily Life

"There are quite a few new games out recently," Suguru said, holding an exquisitely packaged box in a large shopping mall.

"Let me see."

Hearing about new games, Eichi leaned in.

"Mario has a new game again?"

Looking at the familiar red cap, big nose, and overalls on the packaging, Eichi immediately became interested.

He had loved Mario in his previous life, but unfortunately, he could only play it secretly back then.

Now it was great. He could openly play with Suguru.

Suguru's grades were excellent, so his parents were not strict with him. The two often played at Eichi's house.

"Want to come to my place and try it out?"

"Of course."

Suguru also loved games.

No boy in his childhood could refuse the joy of battling until dusk with a good friend, each holding a controller.

Playing games actually had another use for Suguru.

The strange abilities and levels in games often gave him inspiration.

He had thousands of Cursed Spirits under Cursed Spirit Manipulation.

It was impossible to remember every single one and use them flexibly.

It would be time-consuming and exhausting, and many would be useless even if remembered.

Therefore, Suguru always did a simple categorization of his Cursed Spirits.

For example, which were suitable for reconnaissance, which could serve as tanks, and which had high output. After a basic classification, he would assemble Cursed Spirits that could cooperate.

There were conventional squads, each with a front-liner, support, and damage dealer.

There were also specialized squads for specific purposes.

For instance, if the goal was to restrict enemy movement, Cursed Spirits that controlled water flow would be teamed with a Yuki-onna.

That way, when he used Cursed Spirit Manipulation, he could summon prepared lineups according to the situation.

Part of the inspiration for these collaborations came from actual combat, and another part came from games.

The bizarre abilities of monsters in games overlapped with equally bizarre Cursed Spirits.

So when Suguru played, besides the protagonist's team, he specifically studied interesting monsters and traps.

This was also why he could always summon Cursed Spirits suited to the current battle.

The pleasant shopping continued.

After checking out, they went to the restroom, and Eichi skillfully put both their shopping bags into his shadow.

"That is really convenient."

Watching the bags disappear into Eichi's shadow, Suguru felt a bit envious.

The convenience of a personal space was obvious to anyone.

"Can't your Cursed Spirit Manipulation store things?"

"No, it can only hold Cursed Spirits."

Suguru shook his head.

"Then try to find Cursed Spirits that can store things."

"Cursed Spirits that can store things, huh?"

Suguru pinched his chin, thinking.

"That is right. Some Cursed Spirits have space or time-related abilities. Their use is limited and not very helpful in combat, but for storage they would be fine."

For example, Toji's Inventory Cursed Spirit, and the Cursed Spirit that trapped Mei Mei and Utahime for a while.

"That is a good suggestion."

Suguru decided to pay attention to commissions that might involve such Cursed Spirits.

"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting."

Satoru, wearing sunglasses, appeared before them.

"You are so slow."

Eichi was merciless.

"It is those people in the Family dragging their feet. Otherwise I would have been here much earlier."

"Speaking of which, no bodyguards this time?"

Eichi looked around, not seeing the yukata-clad uncles who often followed Satoru.

"If they came along, we would not be able to have fun. I sent them back," Satoru waved.

"Oh, right, where to next?"

"The anime convention."

Eichi pulled out a flyer, advertising the event currently being held at the mall.

"Let's go."

They quickly arrived at the venue.

As soon as they passed the main door, the three felt a visual impact rare in daily life.

Novel scene arrangements, numerous exquisite hand-drawn original artworks, and various handicrafts captivated their eyes.

"Look, over there."

Satoru pointed to a booth not far from the entrance, where Naruto and Sasuke were selling artbooks together.

"It is the living Naruto and Sasuke. I am going first."

"Satoru, do not run inside the venue. You will bump into people."

Suguru hurried after him.

Eichi followed close behind.

It was a strange feeling.

They knew the people in front of them were just cosplaying, not the actual characters appearing before them.

But every time they saw cosplayers at a convention, their eyes lit up, and they subconsciously treated them as real.

"Yo, Naruto, want to eat ramen together?"

"Huh?"

Satoru suddenly invited Naruto.

"Yeah, Ichiraku Ramen is the best."

Realizing what was happening, Naruto gave a thumbs-up and a bright smile.

"Alright, let's go now."

Satoru grabbed his arm, ready to leave.

"Hey, hey, wait, I have not finished exploring the convention yet."

The boy cosplaying Naruto could not keep up the act. "I thought you were being chuunibyou, but you are serious."

"Ah, it is Hanamichi Sakuragi."

Fortunately, a new figure caught Satoru's attention.

Standing nearby, Eichi picked up an artbook and opened it.

Slap.

He immediately closed it with both hands.

His face reddened.

"What is wrong?"

Suguru, who had just pulled Satoru back, noticed Eichi's unusual reaction.

"Nothing. Satoru, were you going to see Hanamichi Sakuragi? Let's go together."

They quickly arrived at the Slam Dunk booth.

"This one, this one, and this one, wrap them all up."

Satoru bought all the main characters' figurines.

Eichi also picked a few he liked.

These were childhood memories.

Soon, several familiar figures came into Eichi's view.

Artoria, Medusa, Gilgamesh, Archer.

The cosplayers had a very high degree of accuracy.

"This one is good."

Eichi picked up an Artoria-in-dress figurine and examined it carefully.

"We also have artbooks. Would the customer like to take a look?" the booth owner promoted enthusiastically.

Eichi flipped through one. Some pages featured a single character, others had Kuzuki-sensei and Caster together.

"This drawing is well done."

"You like Medusa too? Let me tell you, Medusa is super cool. The long-haired, eye-patched older sister is amazing. Just looking at Medusa makes me want to eat three bowls of rice…"

Soon, more people gathered to discuss. Some liked Artoria, some liked Tohsaka Rin. Eichi, who had been calm at first, was quickly swept up by the atmosphere and joined the discussions and photos.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 42: Power and Responsibility

Everyone had a great time at the anime convention.

At the convention, people did not have to pretend to be good kids, nor worry about not being understood.

Here, everyone could meet friends with similar hobbies and go wild together for their favorite characters.

After the convention, the group chose a cafe near the mall to rest.

Maid Latte.

"Welcome back, Master."

As soon as they entered, a maid greeted them with a smile.

She looked high school age, wearing a classic black and white maid outfit, even adorned with cat ears and a tail.

She was probably a student working part-time.

"Oh, those ears move. How do you do that?"

"Cat ears move naturally, Master. But never mind that, what would you like to eat? Today's special recommendation is omurice."

"Then I will have three portions. Let's see, one of this cake, and this one, and this one…"

"All sweets, huh, Satoru? Not afraid of cavities?"

Suguru looked at Satoru's long list of cakes and desserts and began to wonder why he never got cavities.

"He did."

Eichi answered Suguru's question.

"Wait, how do you know?"

With his dark history exposed, Satoru could not sit still.

"The divine child of the Satoru Family rolling on the floor in pain from cavities, secretly crying in his room because he could not eat snacks, boo hoo, so pitiful."

"Huh? Who is spreading rumors about me?"

"Everyone is. That news spread throughout the Big Three Families a while ago."

The news was brought back by Toji. At the time, it also reached the Zen'in Family.

Toji happened to hear it when he went to choose a cursed tool.

"Damn it, those guys…"

Watching Satoru grit his teeth, Eichi felt that if the person who spread it showed up, Satoru would definitely give them a lesson.

"That is very much like something Satoru would do."

Suguru chuckled.

"Geto. How could even you be like this?"

Satoru felt betrayed by his best friend.

"Master, this is the Moe Omurice, and this is the Sakura Cream Mousse…"

"Misaki-chan, we would like to order over here."

"Coming right up."

The maid named Misaki turned to respond to the table in the distance.

"Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please call me."

Misaki bowed slightly, then turned to take another order.

"Quite energetic, huh? What, are you interested in her?"

Satoru leaned in front of Eichi, nudging his waist with an elbow.

"No, I just feel like she looks a bit familiar."

Eichi rolled his eyes at him.

"When you are interested in a girl, that is the prelude to falling for her."

Suguru held his coffee in one hand and propped his cheek with the other, looking like he was ready to enjoy the show.

"Go cool off somewhere."

"Do not be shy."

"Go eat your cake."

Eichi picked up a cream puff and stuffed it into Satoru's mouth.

"Oh, this tastes good. It is just not sweet enough."

"Your kind of sweetness would be lethal for ordinary people."

Eichi picked up a piece of tamagoyaki and put it into his mouth.

It was fluffy and tender, with rich egg and milk flavor filling his mouth.

The taste was indeed good.

The omurice was also great. The egg was smooth and tender, and with the cream mushroom sauce and ketchup, the flavor was even richer. The rice must have been seasoned, it was very fragrant.

"Geto, what did you order?"

Satoru looked at the food in front of Suguru.

"Let's see, coffee, matcha cake, chocolate mousse. It does not seem sweet enough at all."

"I remember matcha and coffee both have a slight bitterness, right? You should eat more sweets occasionally."

"I like it."

Suguru reached out and pushed Satoru's large face back.

"Oh, right."

Satoru seemed to remember something.

"Tokyo Jujutsu High starts in a few months. Are you guys going?"

"Yes, I will go. Tokyo Jujutsu High is specifically for teaching jujutsu sorcerers. By entering, I can better understand jujutsu and Cursed Spirits, and also use this power to protect more ordinary people."

Suguru withdrew his hand.

"I know, I know. I know you are a good boy, Suguru Geto."

Satoru leaned lazily back in his chair, waving dismissively.

"No."

Satoru's perfunctory attitude made Suguru serious.

"Listen up, Satoru. Jujutsu exists to protect non-sorcerers. The survival of the weak is how this society should be."

"More grand principles? I hate grand principles."

Satoru's lips curled into a smile.

"Hm?"

"Power is just power. Adding reasons and responsibilities to power is something only the weak do."

Satoru exerted a little force, shifting from leaning back to resting his arms on the table, chin propped on the backs of his hands.

His sunglasses slid down, revealing cyan-blue Six Eyes that seemed to see through everything.

"Do not get carried away by those grand principles, Geto."

Having his beliefs denied so bluntly, even Suguru, Satoru's best friend, was annoyed.

His eyes narrowed, and a look of anger appeared on his face.

This expression made his already small eyes disappear completely.

"Alright, alright, this is a cafe. You are not trying to fight here, are you?"

Shoving the last two cream puffs into their mouths, Eichi acted as a peacemaker.

Suguru took a cream puff and ate it, clearly displeased.

Satoru, on the other hand, just opened his mouth and accepted Eichi's feeding like nothing had happened.

"Eichi, do you think I am right?"

"Swallow before you speak."

Hearing this, Satoru immediately swallowed.

"Eichi, do you think I am right?"

"I agree with half."

"Ah, which half?"

"Power is power. How it is used is up to you."

"Eichi, how could even you…"

Suguru frowned, his barely visible eyes widening a bit.

Opposition from his two best friends caused a shift in the mindset of this half-grown boy.

"Suguru."

Eichi interrupted him.

"The strong protecting the weak, I agree with that."

"Huh?"

First denial, then agreement, it made Suguru's brain lag for a moment.

"But you must distinguish the objects you want to protect. Not all weak people are worth protecting. Some people, once they disappear, will make the world a better place."

"Moreover, the definition of 'weak' is too broad, so broad that it will make you question whether protecting 'the weak' means anything at all. Sooner or later, you will realize that a person's heart is vast enough to contain the entire world, but also small enough to protect only those they truly want to protect."

Eichi secretly decided to keep a close eye on Suguru, to prevent him from straying again.

Some things are unavoidable, but with proper guidance, the story can lead to a different ending.

There were still three years. It was not too late.

"See, Suguru."

Satoru looked smug.

"You too, Satoru. Power without purpose only brings chaos and destruction. A person only becomes truly strong when they bear something."

"There he is, Eichi, full of grand principles."

Satoru spread his hands.

Satoru truly acted on impulse, disregarding worldly opinions, until the moment Suguru defected, only then did he realize his power had limits and began to bear responsibility.

"Oh, right. Before enrollment, remember to get your Jujutsu Sorcerer rank assessment."

(To be continued.)