A Bizarre Adventure That Begins in Jujutsu Kaisen

Chapter 88: Similar Beginnings - Part 1 (3/10)

For the next two hours, the two of them worked diligently on making rings under the shop owner's guidance.

From melting silver, forging, and shaping, to filing, carving, and polishing, every step is infused with patience and meticulousness.

Ankagi thought that Gojo Satoru, being an impatient person, would be impatient, since a speedster like him would usually complain even if he waited for an elevator for more than thirty seconds.

Unexpectedly, he was completely focused from beginning to end, and even more attentive than she was in some of the more delicate steps.

"You actually didn't ruin the ring's engraving." The songstress pouted as she watched him carefully engrave something on the inside of the ring.

"With these eyes, isn't it only natural? I'm never careless when it comes to songstresses." Gojo Satoru said without looking up, his tongue sticking out slightly, his focused expression somewhat adorable.

The songstress was taken aback by his words, blushed, and lowered her head to adjust the ring on her hand.

When all the work of creation was finished, the shopkeeper put the two rings into an ultrasonic cleaner, took them out after a while, dried them with a soft cloth, and then placed them side by side on a black velvet cloth.

Because they were handmade by beginners, they are not perfect. The rings are not uniform, and you can still see the fine textures left by forging on the surface. The patterns are kind of ugly-cute.

But it is precisely this imperfection that makes them seem real and warm.

Gojo Satoru picked up the smaller one and gestured for the songstress to extend her hand.

She obediently extended her right hand.

Wu took her hand very gently, as if afraid of breaking something precious.

The touch was lighter than the fluttering wings of a butterfly, softer than picking up a dewy flower petal in the morning.

He slowly slipped the ring onto her ring finger; the size was just right, neither too big nor too small.

"How do you know the size?" The songstress looked at the silver ring on her hand and asked a very stupid question in a low voice.

"I've measured the size of the songstress's hands countless times." Wu winked smugly, his tone returning to its usual cheeky smirk. "Every time we held hands, I kept it in mind~"

"You've got a good thought in you—" The songstress turned her face away, picked up the larger ring, pulled Wu's left hand, and slid the ring into his ring finger.

The ring fits snugly at the base of the finger.

The simple plain band, without any gemstone inlay, shines with a tacit, paired light under the lamp.

Gojo Satoru, learning from Dio's advanced experience, grasped the hand of the geisha in return, interlocked their fingers, and gently pulled her into his arms.

The two rings touched gently together, producing a soft, metallic clanging sound.

"You've agreed to the marriage, right?"

The songstress remained silent in his arms for a while, listening to his pounding heartbeat and smelling the faint scent of dessert cream on him.

Then she said sullenly, "You're asking this kind of question when you've already put the ring on? Are you an idiot?"

Wu laughed out loud, hugged her even tighter, and gently rested his chin on the top of her head.

Once upon a time, the weight of the entire sorcery world—1 metropolis (Tokyo), 1 prefecture (Hokkaido), 2 counties (Osaka and Kyoto), and 43 prefectures—fell on his shoulders, earning him the title of "Japan's Weightlifting King."

Under such immense pressure, even Wu himself couldn't imagine how he could spare the time and energy to remain devoted to a particular woman for an extended period.

His world was once filled with responsibility, power, and loneliness, grand and cold, leaving no room for personal feelings.

But now, everything is different.

In the distance, the sky over Tokyo was a clear, deep blue.

And their ordinary yet special day has just begun.

Meanwhile, in a rural area of ​​Iwate Prefecture, a four-hour drive from Morioka.

In a dimly lit Japanese-style room, the air was filled with the slightly damp scent of tatami mats.

The steam rising from the two ceramic cups on the low table appeared thin and languid in the dim light.

The two women sat facing each other across the low wooden table.

Sitting to one side was an old woman named Kugisaki Azami, whose face was covered with deep wrinkles, whose only remaining eye was wide open, and whose expression was as fierce as a temple guardian.

Her appearance was strangely a blend of the ravages of time and a kind of inhuman ferocity, as if she were the present-day embodiment of Hercules, the berserker hero spirit from the Fate series.

The woman sitting opposite him had a gentle temperament and her demeanor revealed the upbringing of a well-bred lady. However, the horizontal suture line on her forehead was like a crack that cut into her otherwise harmonious face—it was Kaori Itsuji.

"Ms. Kugizaki Azami, the deposit has been transferred in full to your designated account as agreed. Please check." Kaori spoke first.

As she spoke, she carefully placed a long, narrow object, no bigger than a palm, tightly wrapped in special talisman paper, on the table between the two of them.

Even though the object was sealed by layers of talismans, it still exuded a chilling, cold, and evil aura of curse.

Kugizaki Azami's single eye sharply swept over the package, and her calloused fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"The top-grade cursed artifact, 'Su Nuo's Finger.'" Her hoarse voice was like sandpaper scraping. "I've heard about the properties of this thing."

By establishing a binding principle that "stopping activities will prevent harm," the protective effect is enhanced, making it virtually resistant to all physical and magical acts of destruction.

Are you really sure there's a way to make my technique's effects penetrate its own absolute protective restraints?

"Direct destruction may be impossible."

Kaori Itadori leaned forward slightly, looking calmly at the other person.

"But if we use the power of binding to specialize in making the spell work, rather than destroying the cursed object, it might be possible."

"Hmph—the harmless disposal of 'Sukuna's Fingers'—" Kugisaki Azami sneered, a complex look flashing in his single eye. "I don't know what you intend to achieve with it, nor am I interested in knowing."

I only accepted this commission because you were so generous with the extra money, and also because of—that good-for-nothing junior.

Without saying another word, she grabbed the talisman package from the table and swiftly disassembled it.

A withered finger with bizarre spiral patterns and a human face in pain is exposed to the air.

Just by making eye contact with it, one can almost hear the wailing of countless vengeful spirits overlapping in one's ears.

Azami Kugizaki, a seasoned veteran, had seen it all and was indifferent to it.

She took out a small iron hammer with a bright head and a dark, oily handle from the tool bag beside her, along with several long nails engraved with fine runes.

Next, she took out a small doll with indistinct features, roughly made of straw, and carefully affixed a talisman with the name "Two-Faced Su Nuo" and her birth date written on it to the doll's chest.

Preparations are complete.

"Then, I'll begin," Azami Kugizaki announced in a deep voice.

"Please—" Itadori Kaori nodded, her body slightly stiffening, her gaze fixed on the finger and the doll.

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