"It was ridiculously risky—then Sawa-senpai just appeared out of nowhere and one-shotted that cursed spirit!" Haibara Yu waved his arms for emphasis as he recounted the Hokkaido mission to Suguru Geto.
"If he hadn't shown up, Nanami and I would've been toast."
"Hey, Suguru-senpai—could you do something like that?" Haibara asked, eyes bright.
Suguru rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Pretty much."
"As expected of Suguru-senpai! Oh, and here are the local snacks you asked for," Haibara added, handing over a bag.
"Thanks. And Haibara—time to file our mission report," Nanami Kento called from across the room, spotting Suguru and offering a respectful nod. "Suguru-senpai."
Suguru waved, smiling faintly as he watched them go. He lingered a moment, lost in thought.
"Almost died, huh?" he murmured to himself. "This time, Lady Luck smiled. Next time—what then?"
He sighed. "This endless marathon of techniques leaves us with nothing but a mountain of fallen comrades. We slay cursed spirits, but they just keep coming. Human greed and fear never end."
A light tap on his shoulder pulled him from his reverie.
Suguru looked up, relief flooding his features when he saw Sawa Gojo.
"Sawa, don't sneak up like that—you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Sawa grinned, unfazed. "You let your guard down. What's got you so spaced out?"
Suguru hesitated, then asked quietly, "Sawa… do you ever wonder if what we're doing is even right?"
"Human greed and fear are endless," Sawa said, folding his arms. "Cursed spirits won't disappear. This sorcerer path just means more bodies piling up."
"Sawa…" Suguru trailed off.
With a dramatic flop, Sawa dropped onto the bench next to him. "Look at it this way: five billion years from now, the sun explodes, and everything turns to dust."
"So if it's all doomed, why bother at all? Why not just give up?" Suguru challenged.
Sawa raised an eyebrow. "That's not what I meant. Come on—why are you a sorcerer?"
Sawa paused, sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to answer. Transmigrated into the Gojo clan with the Six Eyes—it wasn't an option. But over time, this life had grown on him.
"If I had to pick… I like convenience stores, Ginza cinemas, Akihabara conventions, even AKB48 concerts…"
"What? That's your reason? You fight curses for pop idols?" Suguru blinked, perplexed.
"Suguru, you always say sorcerers protect non-sorcerers, that it's our sacred duty—even to the point of dying for it," Sawa continued, leaning back. "But I fight curses for me. I love this world, living in it. I won't let anything ruin it."
"Do you think Haibara fights to protect the weak? No way. He's here because he loves it. He's living for himself."
Suguru's chest tightened—Sawa's words hit too close to home.
In the manga, Nanami Kento had quit sorcery after high school, only to return after realizing corporate life was worse.
Sorcerers could choose whether to bear that duty.
Sawa turned back to Suguru. "So drop the 'protect the weak' act. What do you really want?"
Suguru froze, guilt and confusion swirling inside him. Protecting the weak... that was just what he'd been taught, not what he felt.
His phone beeped.
He glanced at the screen. The task department's voice crackled through the speaker: "Geto-san, we've got a new mission in a remote mountain area…"
Sawa caught the location name. His ears perked up.
"Understood. I'm on it." Suguru sighed, forcing a smile at Sawa. "I have to go."
Sawa watched him stand and gather his things, rubbing the back of his head. "Should I tell Satoru…?" he murmured after Suguru's retreating figure.
Outside Tokyo, a remote mountain village in Hakone.
"Monsters! Two monsters, just like your parents!"
"You should've died as babies!"
"My child almost died because of you! No more evil!"
Suguru ignored the villagers' shouts, his gaze fixed on two trembling girls locked inside a small cage. Their clothes were ragged, their faces hollow, their bodies scarred.
"Geto-sama, these are the monsters!" the village head roared beside him. "They mutter strange things, and then our people start dying—going mad!"
These superstitious farmers saw only the surface. But Suguru, as a sorcerer, saw the truth immediately.
Two girls with innate sorcery talent, stranded in a backwater village. It was obvious.
From the villagers' stories—and the girls' subtle reactions—Suguru pieced it together. The sisters' techniques let them see cursed spirits others couldn't. They'd tried to help, but lacked the power to exorcise what they saw. Their odd behavior only deepened the villagers' fear.
Suguru felt his anger spike. Protect the weak? Who was really weak here? A spirit-free world? Kill every non-sorcerer?
Those thoughts vanished in a flash of rage—and an urge to teach these villagers a lesson.
He turned to the village head, forcing a calm smile. "I think there's more to this story. Let's step outside and talk."