Curse of Ignorance Ch 14

The atmosphere at the dining table was strangely tense. At first, I thought that the friend group that usually shares a table with me had some sort of falling out, but the details didn't fit. Everyone was still talking with one another. It was just that the talking took the form of furtive whispers rather than the usual boisterous banter.

Although the situation did not directly involve me, I was still affected by the mood in the air. The nervousness of everyone else made me nervous too. It wasn't really the best environment to eat food in.

I'm the type of person who tries to avoid directly confronting uncomfortable situations. So naturally, I craned my neck and scanned the dining hall to see if there were any empty spots that I could move to. I and everyone else usually sit in the same place, but that doesn't have to be the case. There's no assigned seating, after all. It's just the force of habit keeping us together.

Spotting what looked to be an unattended seat in the sea of tables and chairs, I gathered what remained of my food and stood up.

"Wait!" A shout came from nearby. It wasn't loud enough to completely cut through the chatter permeating the dining hall, but it was at least enough to grab both my attention and the attention of some people sitting at the adjacent tables.

The source of this shout was Mio, one of the people sitting at my table. It seemed like she didn't want me to go. Why? It wasn't like I was friendly with any of them. I barely remembered their names, and I'm pretty sure that they didn't know mine.

The rest of the friend group was looking at the one who spoke with expressions of alarm. So this was an unexpected situation for pretty much all of us.

I had visibly stopped my actions, so it was clear that I had heard her. Now that she had grabbed my attention, what was she going to do with it?

"My friends and I were curious about you," she said.

That wasn't a satisfying answer as to why Mio had called out to me. If Mio and the others were the naturally curious sort, then they would have gotten to know me way before this point. We have been sharing the same dining table for months, after all. So there must be some specific thing about me that they are curious about, an inciting factor.

I decided to prompt them to tell me what this factor was. Maybe if I just gave them what they wanted, this stifling atmosphere would disappear and I would be able to eat in peace. "And? What did you want to know about me?"

"Before I get into that, let's do introductions first! I'm Mio, and these guys are Hayato, Kouki, and Touya, and the other girl is Sayaka." As she listed out each name, she gestured at the person that name belonged to. Hayato gave me a bright smile, Kouki and Touya seemed to be acting like they were too cool to acknowledge my existence, and Sayaka waved shyly.

"Gosho Kei. Are you going to answer now? What about me do you want to know so badly?" A little bit of annoyance leaked into my tone. I wanted this situation to end as soon as possible, but it seemed like Mio was determined to dance around the topic and drag it out with pointless tangents.

Maybe it was because he was tired of Mio's roundabout words too. Or maybe it was because he felt the need to respond to this perceived hostility with aggressiveness of his own. Either way, the result was that Touya was the one to answer me, and not Mio, who I considered to be the unofficial spokesperson of this group so far. Touya quickly stood up from his chair and slammed his hands against the table. The rattling caused some food to spill from plates, resulting in cries of dismay. Touya paid those cries no heed.

"What sort of secret conversations are you having with Gojo?!"

Despite the attempted intimidation, I actually felt favorable towards Touya, because he finally brought us to the meat of this conversation. Hearing that they wanted to hear about my "secret conversations" with Gojo, it wasn't so hard to conclude that this sudden bout of curiosity was triggered by my visit to gather information about what it's like to be an auxiliary manager. I guess I should have expected that meeting with Gojo out in the open, even if the sound of our conversation was blocked by his barrier, would attract attention from his classmates.

Now I had to decide how to respond. I considered just telling them that I went to Gojo for advice on whether to become an auxiliary manager. The information was barely worth anything, since people have very little reason to be interested in my life.

However, my interactions with Gojo had instilled a sort of mercenary mindset in me. He doesn't tell me anything without having me give something up in return. It was this attitude that allowed him to learn that I was not a normal child. And in response to this, I've learned to try to squeeze as many benefits as I can out of a situation. My recent negotiation with Gojo in which I secured clan-exclusive resources was evidence of this new approach.

Now, am I actually expecting information on the level of learning that one of them is a reincarnator? No. But does that mean I will give out my information for free? Of course not. If I don't gamble a bit, how am I ever going to strike the jackpot?

And so, I told them my terms. "Gojo and I have a relationship where we trade for information with information. If I want to know something, I have to pay with information of equal value. I'm taking a page out of his book. You want something, you pay for it. The topic of our last conversation isn't all that valuable, so I would gladly tell you all what we talked about if each of you tells me something about jujutsu that I don't know."

At my words, most of the group put on thoughtful expressions. Hopefully, they were considering what they wanted to pay me with. Touya was not one of those people, however.

"Why do we have to do something like that!? You said that it's not very important, right? If it's not important, then just tell us!"

My response to this was simple. "I have something that you want. Do you think that it is fair to demand something of me without giving anything in return?"

Touya was at a loss for words with this one. He couldn't say "yes", because the way I phrased the situation made it clear that such a thing is not fair. However, he could not say "no" either, since that would be denouncing his previous actions. He did not want to admit fault.

It was at this point that Hayato stepped in. "Now, now. Touya may be a little enthusiastic, but he has the right idea. You talk about fairness, but isn't it unfair of you to ask each of us for a payment? To me, it looks like you're trying to get more value than your information is actually worth."

I turned slightly to face my new conversation partner. With this, the majority of the group had taken a turn speaking. Should I expect the remaining two to chime in too? Complete the set and all that?

Cutting off my silly train of thought, I responded. "If five different people at different times and different locations asked to know this information, I would have gotten five small facts, or other information of equivalent value. I don't see how it should be any different just because you are five people asking as a group."

It was then that Kouki spoke up. "Wait a minute, how do we know you'll tell the truth on whether or not you already know the facts we tell you? For all we know, you could just lie and say you already know what we tell you, scamming us for additional information."

The answer to that was quite simple, in my opinion. "We'll just take a binding vow. There's nothing more impartial than the heavens, after all."

Sayaka gasped. "B-but, isn't that super dangerous? The consequences of breaking the vow…"

"If you're not planning on breaking the vow, then it's no big deal, right? And if you're worried about accidentally running afoul of the vow, don't be. As long as you pay me first, all of the risk is on me, since you would have already completely fulfilled your end of the deal. You won't trip the vow in the future, either, since I'll be sure to add in a timed expiration clause."

"You sure seem experienced." Mio commented.

"No? Just a normal amount?" It seemed like sorcerers used binding vows pretty frequently, after all. In almost every single encounter I've had with them, it resulted in me getting bound.

At that, Mio made a noise in the back of her throat, like she wasn't sure that she agreed with me, but didn't take it any further. "Give us a moment."

The group of friends then huddled up, speaking to each other in whispers at a volume that I could not overhear. Surprisingly, it did not take long before they seemed to reach a consensus.

The huddle broke, with Hayato stepping forward to relay their decision. "We've decided to accept your offer of a trade."

With that confirmation, I rehashed the terms of the binding vow. The group of five tells me facts about jujutsu I don't know, and in exchange I tell them the contents of my latest conversation with Gojo. I am obligated to tell the truth as to whether the facts the group gives me are something I know or not. The effects of the vow end in an hour. Simple stuff.

One by one, the members of the group formally accepted the vow. Upon the final one doing so, the feeling of the binding vow actualizing appeared. I thought the effect was quite mild this time. Maybe the heavens agreed with me that this was a simple vow? Well, everyone else did not agree with me. They were gasping, sweating, and sporting looks of great discomfort as the vow took hold.

Kouki squinted at me from behind the lenses of his glasses. He questioned me in between heaving breaths. "How—how are you not affected? Did the binding vow… not bind you?"

"Oh, I was affected alright," I reassured the group. "But if you're feeling skeptical, we can redo the vow if you want?"

They collectively summoned enough strength to protest vehemently. ""NO!""

I gave them time to recover. After a while, we proceeded. They told me their facts, one by one. I didn't even have to reject a single one on the basis that I already knew it, so that whole song and dance ended up being pointless. Interestingly enough, they all gave facts on the same subject, the Buddhist practice of sokushinbutsu, in which monks mummify themselves using a strict diet, and this practice's relation to jujutsu. It was a weirdly specific and obscure topic to focus on. This made me think that they had all conspired in their earlier huddle to give me the contents of their history lesson today or something along those lines.

I wasn't mad about this. They needed to match the value of my information. I judged that they have. The phantom sensation of the binding vow had come back. It was a reminder that since the group of friends had given me their facts, I had to fulfill my end of the deal, or face the consequences. And so I told them what they wanted to hear.

"My turn, then. In my most recent conversation with Gojo, the main topic was the disadvantages of being an auxiliary manager. I was recently given the opportunity to become one in the future instead of a jujutsu sorcerer, if I wished, so I wanted to ask if there were any hidden downsides that I wasn't seeing. It turned out that I was worrying over nothing. Since the information on the downsides isn't all that valuable, Gojo ended up considering it paid for already by my payment on a previous deal."

With the deal over and information exchanged, the friend group seemed more comfortable. None of that tension that made me want to leave in order to escape the awkward situation remained. Perhaps it was this sudden release of tension that let them debate about my circumstances right in front of my face.

"No matter how you think of it, there's no way that's normal, right? I'm not going crazy?" Touya asked.

Kouki pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Indeed, this is an unusual situation. All of our past experiences have taught us that Gojo is arrogant, going out of his way to interact with us as little as possible. What could possibly cause him to talk so much with this seemingly normal kid, and with such kindness? If it were any of us, I don't think Gojo would decide to give us anything for free, no matter if it 'isn't all that valuable' or not."

Sayaka spoke up. "M-maybe he's had a change of heart?"

Everyone else's doubtful gazes turned towards Sayaka, causing her to shrink into herself.

Kouki sighed. "We saw him just this morning. Did it look like he's had a change of heart to you?"

I watched on in fascination. They really are just in their own little world. I found it impressive that they managed to forget me in unison once they had what they wanted. I didn't get to keep listening to them talk about me, however.

From out of nowhere, Gojo appeared, grabbing my arm and dragging me towards some unknown destination. I heard what sounded like Touya cry out "This is exactly what I'm talking about!"

My initial reaction was to resist, but my captor was strong enough that digging my heels in didn't matter, my feet were just forced to slide across the tiled floor of the dining hall, across the threshold of the doorway, and onto the cobblestone paths of the jujutsu school, before I just gave up and started walking in the same direction that Gojo was pulling me.

Of course, I questioned him. "Where did you come from? Where are you dragging me?"

Gojo was grinning. "I told you I would come get you when I got permission to take you home, remember? You know, for our deal? I get you resources, you tell me your juicy secret? That deal?"

I could not believe it. "What, right now!? I'm not prepared!"

My protestations were waved off. "There's nothing you need to prepare for. All you need to do is learn what you want to learn and tell me your secret. You don't even have to be good at the 'learning' part, either. I got permission for you to visit as many times as is needed for you to fully comprehend the resources I prepared for you."

"Couldn't you have given me a bit of warning before this? I was kind of in the middle of something?"

He was completely unsympathetic to my concerns. "Just reschedule for later. This is more important."

In the face of this brazen attitude, I was shocked. I saw that trying to argue this point any further would just exhaust me without gaining me anything. So, I shifted the conversation.

"So, am I going to meet your family? What sort of etiquette do I have to follow?"

Gojo replied with a laid back tone. "Nah, you're not important enough for that. You'll only meet servants, who you can treat like normal."

My feelings about that were mixed. I was partly relieved that there was one less thing that I had to worry about, but to be dismissed so quickly as "not important" was annoying, even if I knew it was objectively true. The big shot members of the Gojo clan had no need to go out of their way to meet some random kid.

My chance to ask any further questions had ended, since we reached a place that seemed to be our destination. We had followed the paths of the school into an area that I had not seen before. It was a large, flat expanse of land, paved over with long stretches of asphalt in some areas. Off to the side, I saw a big, barn-like building with a front garage-style door that nearly took up the entirety of the wall. The door was open, folded up in half to reveal the small airplane sitting inside. Seeing that airplane made everything click. This place was an airfield.

We were not going to be taking the plane, however. Instead of walking in the direction of the aircraft hangar, Gojo pulled me straight towards the middle of the airfield. There, a figure stood. My gaze didn't linger on them for long. Instead, my attention was drawn to the creature towering over them. It was a massive bird-like creature with white feathers.

The creature differed from a typical bird in form in two major ways.

The first was the eyes. It had three eyes, two in the typical spots and one on the back of the head. These eyes were disproportionately large, making the bird look like it was perpetually in a state of shock. This wide-eyed look emphasized the creature's triangular pupils, a shape that can't normally be found in nature.

The second was the wings, if they can be called that. In the place where wings would normally be, the bird had hands. Actual, unfeathered, human hands. The bird stretched in place, allowing me to see that the normal webbing between one's fingers had been extended up until just before the fingertips.

All in all, it was a creature of nightmares. A creature of nightmares we were rapidly approaching. Despite giving it this designation within the confines of my own mind, though, I was not panicking. Well, maybe a little bit. But I was mostly not panicking. Why? In any other situation, I would label that thing as a curse and run away without any hesitation. However, the bird was not attacking the guy standing next to it. That either means that it is not a curse, or it is a curse that has been brought under control somehow.

I had a sneaking suspicion. "We're going to be riding on that thing, aren't we?"

"Yep!"

"I don't see any harnesses or saddles."

"We don't need those! Shuugo will take care of it."

We got close enough that the bird could probably peck down with its long neck and eat me in one bite. The person dressed in a black kimono without any embellishments bowed deeply.

"Young Master Gojo. Mister Gosho."

He greeted us without raising his head. He was treating me with an excess of respect. I know I was mentally complaining about how I was just some kid and the oh-so-important Gojo clan members wouldn't even deign to see my face before, but this was too far in the other direction. It felt weird being called "Mister" by a man that looked to be multiple times my age.

"Raise your head, Shuugo."

The tone that Gojo spoke with was dignified. You could even call it regal. It was a far cry from the attitude that I had grown used to. Seeing the posture with which he held himself and his expression, Gojo embodied the title of Young Master.

As Gojo turned to face me, his bearing flipped like a switch, instantly turning playful.

"Hop on! There's no time to waste!"

Perhaps he sensed my hesitation, because he pushed me in the direction of the creature. The bird laid down, making it easier to mount. I sat down on a random spot on the thing's back, grabbing two handfuls of feathers and holding tight. I didn't really trust my grip to keep me from falling if the need arose, but doing this was psychologically comforting.

The others sat on the bird too, with Gojo behind me and Shuugo in front of me. The moment that Shuugo sat down, I felt the tingling sensation of cursed energy running down my legs. It wasn't my cursed energy, so it was either Gojo's or Shuugo's. Judging from Gojo's earlier words, though, it was most likely Shuugo. He was the one responsible for making sure that none of us fall despite the lack of harnesses or saddles, after all.

With all of us on the creature, it sat upright, then stood up. Despite the spot I was sitting on tilting under me, my legs did not slip down the feathers on the bird's back. They remained stone still, as if they were fused in place. It was quite an interesting effect. Was this Shuugo's innate curse technique, or is it something that I would be able to replicate?

I had no chance to ask, however. The bird flapped its hands, flattening the grass around us, before it leaped upwards and took flight. Initially, the wind was strong, making it hard to open my eyes and rendering any attempt at speech untenable. As we reached a good altitude and the bird started to glide more than anything, however, it turned into more of a pleasant breeze.

The view was like something out of a documentary. A thickly forested mountain, sparsely inhabited. Buildings constructed in the traditional Japanese style. A long, winding stone staircase, leading from the base of the mountain to what looked like a shrine at the top.

The airfield that we had just come from was somehow obscured from our aerial view. I chalked it up to some jujutsu magic. It would make sense, since having an airfield on a mountain that supposedly only houses a school and a shrine would raise some unwanted questions.

Flying like this was a great experience, totally unlike being in an airplane. The only thing holding it back was the slight worry that I would slip and plummet to my death.

Trying to take my mind off of my grim thoughts, I decided to strike up a conversation. I decided against talking with Shuugo, though. He was focused on steering us through the air and keeping us on top of this bird. I didn't want to distract him. That left me with only one option.

I leaned back and twisted my head to talk to Gojo.

"What's this creature that we're sitting on? Is it a shikigami?"

Despite going out of my way to talk in the direction of Gojo, Shuugo answered anyway. "Yes, Mister Gosho, this is a shikigami."

I was a bit concerned, so I asked, "Is it okay for you to answer questions, Shuugo? Don't you need to focus on flying?"

Shuugo reassured me. "Flying does not require much concentration on my part. The benefit of shikigami is that they can act on their own, after all."

I was relieved at this answer. I could continue the conversation without worry. "Speaking of shikigami, I was dabbling with shikigami myself, over the summer. They didn't turn out nearly as well as this one that we're sitting on. I think I'm doing something wrong with the taming process, since my shikigami keep rebelling after a while. Do you have any tips in order to improve?"

"In order to give good advice, it would be best for me to see your process with my own eyes. However, I can give you some general tips."

Shuugo then launched into a lecture about the creation, summoning, and taming of shikigami. There were a lot of terms and concepts that I didn't know, but I tried my best to absorb everything I could and memorize anything I didn't understand.

Although I was in a studious mood, Gojo wasn't. He poked me in the back with his finger. I tried to ignore him, but that just made him poke me more.

"What?" I hissed at him. I tried to be quiet, since I didn't want Shuugo to notice my distraction. He was going out of his way to help me. If it appeared like I was taking it for granted, then he would think that I was a rude person.

Gojo did not bother with being quiet. "Gosho, summon a shikigami. I want to see it."

Shuugo obviously heard this request, seeing as he paused his lesson. It wasn't all bad, though, since the interruption was clearly Gojo's fault and not due to any ungratefulness on my part.

This pause would amount to nothing, though. "I can't, Gojo. I don't have the materials necessary for the ritual. That's kind of what happens when you just grab people without giving them time to prepare."

"Well, what materials do you need, then?"

"Incense. Candles. Salt. Water. A lighter. Paper."

"Shuugo, do you have those?"

"Yes, they are pretty standard materials."

Shuugo reached into his sleeve and produced everything I listed. Sticks of incense and candles. A salt shaker. A bottle of water. A lighter. Slips of paper, already cut into the silhouette of a person. I was impressed. Being this prepared was yet another sign that Shuugo knew his stuff. It caused me to raise my estimate of the value of the content of the impromptu lesson higher.

Gojo poked me in the back again. "Well? Can you do it now?"

"Yes, with this, it should be fine."

I uncapped the salt shaker and the bottle of water. Using the lighter, I lit a candle and a stick of incense, using my hand to shield the flames against the breeze. I then set them on the bird's back, arranged around the slip of paper.

They represented the four elements. Salt for earth. Water for water. The candle for fire. The incense for air.

Over this arrangement of items, I started to chant and form hand signs.

"Rin." Hands together, fingers interlocked except for the index fingers and the thumbs. Index fingers pointing up and pressed together.

"Pyou." This was a complicated looking one, with the index fingers and the thumbs pressed together, the middle fingers crossing over the index fingers with their tips touching the tips of the thumbs, and ring and pinky fingers interlocked.

"Tou." Index fingers cross over each other to touch the opposite ring fingers. The middle fingers are crossed over those. The ring and pinky fingers have their tips pressed together, but are separated to form a V shape.

"Sha." Ring fingers cross each other to touch the opposite index fingers, middle fingers crossed over them. Index fingers, pinkies, and thumbs straight.

"Kai." This one was simple. Hands together, fingers interlocked.

"Jin." This one was similar to the last. Hands together, fingers interlocked, but the fingertips are on the inside this time.

"Retsu." Left hand mostly in a fist, with the index finger raised. The right hand grabs the extended index finger.

"Zai." Hands spread out in front, with thumbs and index fingers touching.

"Zen." The right hand covers the left fist, covering up to the knuckles. It's supposed to look like a circle, with the thumbs on top and the rest of the fingers on the bottom.

I then moved on to another chant, this one did not have hand signs associated with it. "In accordance with the statutes and ordinances, I command you: Soldiers, enter formation in front of me and fight!"

All this time, I had felt my cursed energy moving within me without my conscious direction. It twisted and turned, pulling itself into threads, tying itself into knots, and moving to saturate the ritual materials before me. With the last syllable of my chant uttered, I rested my hands on top of the paper slip before me and carefully pushed my cursed energy into it. The complex knot of cursed energy entered the paper through my fingertips. Around the paper slip, the other materials moved in mysterious ways. My cursed energy grabbed a bit of salt from the salt shaker, a sip of water from the water bottle, a mote of flame from the wick of the candle, and a wisp of smoke from the incense. These components floated over the paper, mixing together and forming ink that was used to write on the shikigami-to-be. Now, the two characters for "SOLDIER" featured prominently on the chest of the shikigami, written in bold brushstrokes.

The slip of paper fluttered, seemingly from the wind created due to us flying through the open air. I grabbed it before it could catch the breeze and escape, never to be seen again. Having it trapped in between my fingertips, I could clearly feel that the paper was moving unnaturally, opposing the force of the wind at times. The shikigami creation was successful.

Gojo clapped. "Bravo! Bravo! Encore!"

Unlike Gojo, who seemed to treat the ritual as entertainment, Shuugo watched with the eye of an expert. He rubbed his chin. "I see. You're using a hybrid method. The four western elements, the Japanese kuji-in, and a chant with Chinese roots for taming. Some loss of power is to be expected due to the imperfect interface between the techniques of different origins, but I don't see anything that would suggest that the shikigami would rebel. Mister Gosho, if you don't mind me asking, what did you have the shikigami do before they rebelled?"

"Nothing. I learned that if taming is not perfect, then after a while, the shikigami rebel. So, I just had them sit still to see if the taming wore off. Sure enough, it did."

Shuugo made a noise of realization. "Ah! I see the problem now. The secret is contained within the chant of your taming method. Mister Gosho, you borrow the authority of the 'statutes and ordinances' in order to command your shikigami as soldiers to fight. The issue is, there's nothing to fight. The train of thought is like this: 'If this person commanding me lied about there being something to fight, what else did he lie about? Could it be that he lied about having power invested in him by the statutes and ordinances?'. The basis of your authority gets undermined, so your shikigami rebel."

That was a somewhat troubling diagnosis. "So, what is the solution? It doesn't mean that I have to summon my shikigami in the middle of battle, does it?"

"No, of course not. All this means is that you need to quickly seal your shikigami after summoning them and unseal them when you are in the middle of a fight."

This wasn't something covered in Juba-sensei's class. "What's that?"

"It was originally a technique that was used to render cursed spirits dormant. It started to fall out of use in the Heian era, due to the large number of powerful sorcerers at the time. The trend shifted from sealing the cursed spirits to just killing them directly and remained there, despite the declining quality of sorcerers in the current era. However, the roots of the technique remained, incarnating into a new form among shikigami users. These shikigami users of the past adapted the technique into a method for use on shikigami, allowing them to carry them around in a more portable form." Shuugo produced a rectangular slip of paper from his sleeves to show me. It was covered in dense writing, to the point where I wasn't sure if the paper was more white or more black. "When your shikigami get sealed into one of these, they enter a sort of stasis, owing to the technique's origin as a method of subduing cursed spirits. We can take advantage of this property. If you seal the shikigami, from their perspective, it is only a matter of moments before they enter battle when you unseal them with a quick application of cursed energy. This means that your authority doesn't get undermined and your shikigami won't rebel."

I was always interested in learning sorcerer history. It was like filling in gaps that I didn't know were there, which was very satisfying. Combine this with the fact that it was a lesson on the solution to the issue that's been plaguing me for a while, and it's needless to say that I was thoroughly engaged by Shuugo's words. "Wow, that's amazing! So how do I perform the technique on this guy here?" I waved the paper shikigami still pinched between my fingertips for emphasis.

"Your shikigami is already small and thin, so there's no need for the part of the technique that seals your shikigami into a prepared object. We can pare down the sealing to just the part that renders it dormant. This is nice for you, Mister Gosho, since it means that sealing doesn't require any ritual materials in this case. Considering the Chinese taming incantation you used, a Chinese variation of the sealing would have the best effect…." He thought for a moment before addressing me again. "Okay, Mister Gosho, I have figured it out. I need you to do as I say…"

Shuugo then relayed the instructions for the sealing method to me. It was simple enough, so after spending a minute to make sure I was remembering the words correctly, I chanted once more.

"Soldiers, you have fulfilled your duty in accordance with the statutes and ordinances! Return back to your homes and rest, before you are called upon again!"

This chant was simpler than before, and the way that my cursed energy moved itself in response was similarly simple. So, I did not need to be as careful as before when I sandwiched the shikigami between the palms of my hands and pushed my cursed energy into it.

Separating my hands to look at the shikigami, I could immediately tell that the sealing was successful. This was because on the chest of the shikigami, the kanji for "SOLDIER" had transformed into the kanji for "FARMER". I didn't know specifically why this word was chosen as opposed to anything else, but as long as it transformed into something relatively peaceful, I think it's safe to say that it was successful.

Shuugo and Gojo clearly thought so too. Gojo clapped yet again, shouting "Encore! Encore!"

Shuugo was more reserved, but still praised me. "Well done."

He then looked out into the distance. "And just in time. We are almost to our destination."

I looked in the direction where Shuugo was looking. Sure enough, there was a complex of buildings done in the traditional Japanese style, but it was much more opulent than the jujutsu school. Whereas the jujutsu school looked like a village from the past, the buildings before us looked more like an old-school noble's estate. Which I supposed that the Gojo clan actually was.

But just as we saw the Gojo estate, someone else saw us.

A loud voice shouted out from underneath us. "GOJO SATORU! YOU KILLED MY SISTER! PREPARE TO DIE!"

Before I even had a moment to process those words, I heard a whistling sound. That sound quickly got louder before it stopped, coinciding exactly with the moment when shikigami we were all sitting on violently jerked in the air.

Then I had no time to think as we were all falling, falling, falling.