Ann.: Aurelian, if you read this, you're absolutely right! I was thinking about exactly that, but unfortunately Todo isn't in Jujutsu High atm. Maybe later.
Ann. 2: Some cussing this chapter. Heard that fan-translation Denji did it a lot, but official release toned it down.
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One day, Gojo Satoru would stop having to appear before the elders and justify someone's reason for being allowed to live on. That day would come when the elders stopped sentencing underaged teenagers to death or, what was more likely, when curses had overrun the world and found their way even to the sheltered abodes of these blood-sucking idiots.
Gojo doubted that the elders would show any reason even when they'd stand face to face with real curses though.
"By now, there's plenty of reason to trust in the guidance of Jujutsu High," he was saying and resisting the urge to tap his palms against his thighs with growing impatience. What a ridiculous dance this was, to bargain for a child's right to live. "Okkotsu and Itadori are extremely valuable on the field. I have high expectations for Denji as well."
"One disaster waiting to happen is enough, Gojo," one of the elders drawled, earning appreciative murmurs from all around. "You're the only special grade sorcerer who can fully ensure the other students' safety, but even you only have two eyes. Sukuna's vessel carries absolute priority."
"Execute the other risk factor. We don't have time to waste on him," another of the higher-ups said. Gojo inhaled sharply through his nose, careful not to let his irritation be shown on his face or in his posture.
"At what point will you stop trying to execute underage children?" he asked, his voice even but lowered to a degree that showed everyone present how serious he was about this topic.
The realm they were in fell completely silent, everyone's attention on Gojo's lips like lasers from guns pointed at him. One wrong word, and Denji's life would be sniffed out like a candle between two fingers. Gojo had a considerable weight around the hand's wrist that held this power because he was the only experienced special grade sorcerer affiliated with Jujutsu High, thus influential to some degree - that and because he was brave (and insolent) enough to stand up against this bunch of old farts.
Who if not Gojo Satoru?
"First Okkotsu, then Itadori, and now this boy?" Gojo asked. "Your argument is based on a comparison between Denji and Itadori, which leads you to calling him a risk factor. But if you had taken a single moment to observe him, you'd know that the cursed energy Denji is emitting is much closer to Okkotsu's than Itadori's."
This wasn't the entire truth, not exactly. In fact, Denji didn't fit either category.
Gojo knew it from one look at the state of the warehouse where the Zombie cursed spirit had had its dominion, provided to him as a series of photos by Nanami. The first-years' brief retelling of what had happened had provided the rest of information to fill the gaps as well as possible.
Like Yuuta, Denji could call his cursed spirit at will. But unlike him, Denji was host to the cursed spirit that could take over his body any moment, similar to how Yuuji was Sukuna's vessel. As far as Gojo had been able to tell from one look at the boy upon their arrival at the school, the cursed spirit inside Denji didn't seem to have a will on its own though, not like Sukuna did. Still, Gojo felt like it was still alive somewhere inside of him, making it hard to discard all suspicions.
And then, there was the amount of cursed energy resting on Denji's shoulders, a suffocating presence that swept over its surroundings in tidal waves of cold pressure. The boy himself didn't seem aware of it and neither did the first-years in the other car - a tactical precaution by Nanami to protect the trio for now, as Gojo affirmed with a brief exchange of looks when Nanami had been exiting the vehicle.
Not that any of this mattered to the higher-ups in their sheltered realm, hidden in shadows unless they were speaking. They weren't interested in truths, the boy, or the safety of the general jujutsu society at all, so if Gojo bent the facts in his favour to save a life and protect a boy, nobody could fault him for that.
"He poses a threat to our peace," someone else said from behind a paper wall, and Gojo felt a stab of irritation go through his guts.
"What peace?" he wanted to ask sharply, the hand against his thigh tightened into a fist now. Stubborn old fools.
"We're lacking in manpower," Gojo said instead. Continuing on, he made sure to lace his words with hints of dark promises, to remind the higher-ups that the darkness was growing with every day, both within Jujutsu High and outside; and while Gojo Satoru wouldn't betray the higher-ups and turn curse user like his former best friend, their time was precious and talent badly wasted.
Silence fell once Gojo was finished.
It dragged on.
"We will agree to suspend the risk factor's execution," the elders agreed after a long time that had made Gojo wonder whether they had all fallen asleep or just died from being challenged by Gojo again.
"However, our decision comes with one condition."
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Denji kept kicking little stones on his way, thumbs hooked into his pants, eyes darting up from the ground to the incessantly whistling guy walking in front and down to the ground again. Whatever this place was that Denji was at right now, it was crammed with strangeness and not your regular day-to-day one. Denji usually wouldn't care as long as the profit was right, but ever since he'd stepped out of the car, he was cheated out of the good stuff.
First, Denji had to return Nanami's blazer back to its owner with the comparatively weak promise that he'd be given a school uniform soon. Denji had immediately missed the heavy, high-quality feeling of the blazer on his shoulders, but he had stopped caring for his downgrade in style when Kugisaki and her classmates walked away in direction of the dorms.
Which brought Denji to the second loss - Kugisaki leaving. Only Itadori had been waving to Denji with the promise of re-joining him soon, up until Fushiguro grabbed and pulled him around to walk properly again and not backwards. But Nobara hadn't even glanced back at Denji or said bye, which was worse than a fist to the stomach or nuts. Denji didn't know how to deal with that.
And the third loss … well, it had happened when this white-haired guy called Gojo burst into Ijichi's office with a bright grin that spelled upcoming disaster. To shorten the waiting time, Ijichi had prepared tea and sweets and had been about to serve them to Denji, plate in hands, sweet heaven on earth! - but when the door flew open, they both froze on spot, heads turned towards a blindfolded man at the threshold.
"Hello, Denji! It's time to get excited, I will now show you to your new room in the dorms! Let's gooooo!" the teacher had shouted with deafening enthusiasm and snatched the pastries from the plate Ijichi was holding for himself, leaving none for Denji.
If not for the promise of being shown to the dormitories where Nobara was staying in, Denji would've committed a hate crime against the guy right then and there, he was sure of it. Free food was cool and all. But nobody could come between him and his pastries - unless they were able to offer something better, of course.
And so, pastry-less and in the company of a blindfolded guy eating said pastries, Denji kept kicking stones, judging his surroundings, and following behind.
"Yo, Gojo," Denji spoke up when they reached a winding path that was framed with torii gates and began their descent. He didn't wait for an affirmative noise but went on with his question immediately: "You're a teacher at Jujutsu High, right? So you know your students and shit. What can you tell me about Kugisaki Nobara?"
"Well," Gojo said and interrupted himself in favour of licking some leftover cream off his fingers, sorting his answer around this action. Cringing, Denji averted his eyes and looked down the mountain to see a broad wooden house with a huge window front at the base of it. "Everybody's a bit crazy here, but she's the amount of crazy that won't get her killed immediately out there."
"Does she have a boyfriend?" Denji asked the question that mattered, and Gojo cackled.
"I don't know, maybe something long-distance. Only one word of warning from me, Denji: don't underestimate Nobara. She clobs perverts with her hammer as a hobby."
Denji jumped startled, his hands flying to his head as if in an attempt to cover it. Could this guy maybe read thoughts? Did he somehow know about Denji's fantasies and old dreams? Why else would he mention perverts other than because Gojo already knew that Denji wanted two things in life more than anything else: a girlfriend and touching her boobs?
"Okay, we're almost here," Gojo said, unaware of Denji's alarmed state. He pointed forward to where the line of torii gates stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder. For a moment, Denji had the irrational feeling that Gojo looked directly at him, despite his blindfold. Which was impossible, of course. "I'm sure you're going to love it! It's a bit bare right now because we don't take in many students, just three second-years and three first-years …"
They stepped out into a sandy courtyard and to the entrance doors of the neat wooden building Denji had spotted from above. The corridor leading deeper inside was pleasantly cool, but the contrast in temperature sent goosebumps over Denji's naked skin. The loss of Nanami's blazer weighed heavily on him again.
However, Denji forgot all about feeling bad when Gojo ripped open the door to a room to their left close to the entrance door and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Your own, personal room in Jujutsu High! Welcome, Denji!"
"Fuck me senseless," Denji breathed, looking around the room with wide eyes and open mouth. Taking in everything, Denji slowly entered and began turning around his own axis to see the bed, the wardrobe, the nightstand, the lamp on it, another door leading somewhere. When he pushed open that door to take a look inside, his knees almost gave in at the sight of a bathtub and sink, all clean and well-lit.
"It's all mine?" Denji asked and wiped his dirty forearm pointlessly over his lips with a look back at Gojo who stood leaned against the other door with a content grin. No way that was real. "And the others are sleeping over here too?"
"Obviously separated by gender, but yes."
If Gojo caught how Denji's eyes hardened, he probably thought it was because of some perverted hopes the boy had; but in fact, Denji had learned one thing from life: nothing good came for free. And seeing as, despite all the losses of today, he was about to be gifted his own room with real chances at achieving his life's dreams …?
Too good to be true.
"So, what -" Denji began asking about the catch of it all, but he was cut short by the sound of heavy footsteps along the corridor, which drew Gojo's attention away from Denji and to the newcomers with an appreciative sound. Because Gojo stood right at the door, he just had to lean out to verify who it was.
Meanwhile, Denji interrupted himself, suddenly weary of his surroundings because of how menacing the voice accompanying those footsteps sounded. The floor beneath his own feet was trembling with each step that approaching person took. What the fu-?
And then, the owner of the voice came into view past the doorframe, its shadow looming into the room: a big black-and-white panda on its hindfeet, paws raised at Gojo, mouth with sharp teeth opened -
- and then everything happened very fast.
"Hello, Panda, cool that-" Gojo started saying with a lifted hand in greeting, at the same time as Denji shouted newly alarmed, all hairs standing on end: "IT'S A DEVIL! POCHITA, COME -!"
"A CURSE?!" the panda screeched at Denji's shout and shot around, and before Denji had time to remember, think, and reach for Pochita's tail in his chest to turn into the chainsaw man and fight, he found himself with the sharp end of a spear under his chin on one side, an angry panda towering over him at his other, its hot breath stroking down Denji's cheek.
"KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" a girl with glasses shouted at Denji and pressed the spear's blade harder against his throat, threatening to cut him.
Denji lifted his hands and glared at the girl. Why would she be in cahoots with a devil? What was going on here? Was this the catch Denji had feared?
"Guys! Guys, please." Gojo coughed, waving a hand around at the sudden dust in the air, which came from the broken bed that had suffered the weight of Panda's attack and not survived. "Calm down again. This is Denji, by the way. The new first-year."
"THIS is Denji?" The armed girl took a fierce step back and swiftly swung her spear around so that the blade now pointed to the ground, her eyes never leaving Denji. Denji was certainly used to being looked at with contempt, but it still shot pain through his guts when he took notice of how good-looking the girl was. Being hated by women was hard, but being hated by hot women was much harder.
"What's the big idea anyway?" Denji asked sharply in Gojo's direction and lowered his hands. "Is that allowed?" He jerked a thumb at Panda, whose turn it was to look hurt now. Did that thing have feelings?
"Well."
From the door, a new breathless sound drew everybody's attention - somebody started laughing. The person, a boy with platinum blond hair in what seemed to be the school uniform, was doubled over with his arms slung around his middle, his laughter a hicc-up that sent shivers through his entire body. He was laughing so hard that he lacked the air to breathe or talk. Judging from glasses-girl and the panda's reaction, now both looking hurt for some reason, they knew this guy.
"Okay cool, seems we're all together now," Gojo said with a clap into his hands. And as if the panda hadn't just demolished half of Denji's precious new room, the teacher started talking way too loudly now: "It's time to introduce you all! Yay! I know from previous occasions that you're not the people that loooove to get excited, but trust me, we have all reason to! I want to officially announce-"
"I wanna know what's so funny, Toge," glasses-girl interrupted the teacher, and Gojo's mouth snapped shut into a thin line. He went as far as to sink his head and shoulders in obvious disappointment.
"Tuna," the newcomer said with waving hands, and to Denji's growing confusion, this Toge guy started gesturing with occasional words that made no sense, showing stuff like an "ok" hand and ending with "salmon"?
"I believe Inumaki finds it funny that we had a similar situation with Yuuta," the panda said, and glasses-girl tsk-ed.
"Well, it's this guy's fault that he went screaming about Panda. Rude." And Denji earned another glare that glasses-girl seemed to wear as naturally as the glasses on her nose. Damn.
"It's not my fault!" he retorted.
"Yes, it is," glasses-girl insisted.
"Iffff you'll allow me to explain?" Gojo said again. This time, four pairs of eyes turned to watch him, and Gojo was finally able to introduce them to each other properly, without interruptions. It turned out that the trio present were three out of four second-years of Jujutsu High, and that they would be accompanying Denji to a mission out of town today.
"I want Maki and Panda on one team," Gojo said, two pointing fingers directly at glasses-girl and Panda, "and Toge and Denji on the other. No further questions? Great." And with that, he turned to leave, ignoring Maki's immediate protests. Instead, Gojo slung an arm around surprised Inumaki's shoulders, who was still standing in the door, and pulled him along with himself, away from the group, where Maki tried to follow them outside but was held back by Panda's "so Gojo didn't warn you about anything either, Denji?"
"Of course he didn't!" Maki complained and turned back exasperatedly.
"What does she mean, 'of course'?" Gojo murmured to no one in particular, and Inumaki darkly said with a glance up to his teacher: "Bonito flakes."
"No, don't give me that. I always take good care of my students."
Gojo pulled Inumaki back outside the dormitories into fresh air before he let go but didn't step away. Here, the birds were chirping loudly, and the day promised to be a good one. Hopefully it would stay that way.
No promises.
"Inumaki, you've felt Denji's cursed energy, right?" Gojo asked with changed tone and a look back to where quarrelling voices were heard even through a closed door.
"Salmon." Inumaki rubbed the sides of his arms. Despite the weather, he felt cold.
"Well, then you know that the higher-ups aren't exactly happy with keeping Denji alive." Now, Gojo lowered his voice to a whisper even though he knew that nobody was eavesdropping on them. "I have a favour to ask of you," he said.
He's going to murder someone innocent at the first opportunity given. And that will prove us right, the higher-up's words rang in Gojo's ear.