Chapter Text
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the bustling streets, and people getting off work gradually filled every alley and corner. Megumi Fushiguro stood at the intersection of Ginza 4-chome (*) and let out a silent sigh. The crowd surged past him, flowing into the wide pedestrian street.
Although he got off work late, at least the mission went smoothly. Megumi reminded himself, trying to lift his weary spirits.
Suddenly, a strong aroma, like freshly baked fluffy bread mixed with the rich scent of cream, shamelessly comforting, drifted into his nose. His stomach growled in response. Almost instinctively, he turned toward the source: at the corner, a shop named Happy Pancakes was steaming with heat, and a dense crowd was lined up at the entrance.
Megumi gave up without much thought.
Wait a second, the person walking out of the shop just now–
“Gojo-sensei?” Megumi called out in surprise.
The person had obviously noticed him. His overly tall figure stood out conspicuously in the packed crowd. The man tilted his head lazily and raised his hand in a casual wave.
Only when he got closer did Megumi notice that his teacher, for once, wasn’t in his usual uniform. Instead, he wore a form-fitting light sweater, with a loosely tied necklace of an unrecognizable brand around his neck; clearly, he’d taken the time to dress up. Megumi rarely wore a suspicious expression, but he did now.
“What’s with that look?” the man asked, taking a big bite out of a pancake he held in one hand. The hot steam quickly melted into the air.
“Nothing,” Megumi replied flatly. “But Gojo-sensei, why are you here?”
“Teacher’s here on official business,” Gojo replied.
Said in such an unconvincing tone.
Megumi opened his mouth, just about to make a snarky comment, when he heard a rustle: Gojo lifted a plastic bag, and the delicious aroma hit him in the face. After working overtime all day, Megumi hadn’t had a proper meal.
“I bought too many boxes at once. Take them back and share them with your classmates, Megumi.” Hearing that, Megumi silently accepted the bag. Smelling the enticing fragrance, he swallowed his words back down. “By the way, aren’t you heading back with us, Gojo-sensei?”
The tall man in front of him suddenly turned around.
Following Gojo’s gaze, Megumi could only see the far end of the street and a few dim neon signs.
–No, wait. There was a cursed spirit's presence, but it was so weak it could be overlooked. And now it’s gone? Megumi frowned. “Gojo-sensei?”
“Ah,” Gojo had removed his blindfold at some point, “how interesting.”
“What is–?”
The man suddenly turned back. His striking blue eyes, under the dusky sky, glowed so brightly that Megumi instinctively took a half-step back.
“No trace of a jujutsu sorcerer, but the cursed spirit disappeared on its own. Isn’t that strange?”
Megumi hesitated, trying to offer a possible explanation. “Maybe it was just a really weak cursed spirit? The kind that vanishes if someone just waves a hand.”
“If that were the case, why would they send the famous Gojo-sensei to investigate?” Gojo drawled lazily, returning to his usual nonchalant tone. The oppressive feeling from his brief use of the Six Eyes vanished completely, almost making one doubt if it was real in the first place. He finished the rest of his snack in a few bites, then looked again into the distance. “Very unfortunate, someone is doing this on purpose.”
“What’s the goal?”
Honestly, Megumi didn’t care much about mysterious people silently exorcising cursed spirits. He just wanted to go eat. Or maybe start eating right now. He looked down at the bag in his hands and sighed inwardly.
“Megumi, do you believe this? That somewhere in the jujutsu world, there’s such a good samaritan that every area they pass through is so clean, not even the weakest cursed spirit remains.”
“Is that what you’re investigating? Sounds like someone quietly doing good deeds…”
“It’s too clean.”
“Huh?”
“Not even a trace of cursed energy left,” Gojo murmured, squinting his eyes.