Jujutsu Kaisen: Nozomi no Sora

"Nishio Genichi."

A strange voice came to my ears, hazy and indistinct.

"Hey, wake up! You can hear me, right?"

Xuan Yi slowly opened his eyes, feeling an intense heaviness in his eyelids. The battle within the barrier of the Kyoto campus was still playing out in his mind like a fragmented slideshow, over and over again.

"Feed".

A cool sensation touched his chin, as if it were being gently supported by a scabbard.

He tried to focus his gaze, and what came into view was a white figure, a young man with long, center-parted hair, gentle features, and a somewhat androgynous air.

There was a strange sense of familiarity, but Xuan Yi was certain that this was the first time he had seen the person in front of him.

But what bothered him even more was—where was he now?

The room was covered with yellow talismans, and he was tied to a chair with his hands behind his back. The room was completely sealed off, much like the room where Hisahito Itadori was first taken to be secretly executed.

He couldn't think too much; he just felt a terrible headache.

"Headache? Of course." The boy before him seemed to notice his pain, removing the scabbard from his chin and moving closer to examine him closely. "Activating your domain twice in one day, and even using that kind of extraordinary technique... You've really not even been in the college for a month?"

The domain... an extraordinary technique...

Xuan Yi remembered.

Before completely losing consciousness, he and Lu Suo simultaneously engaged in a domain clash. Before the "Land of Nothingness" shattered, he used the virtual "Zi" to destroy Lu Suo's domain, thus escaping.

After that, he fainted due to excessive depletion of his magical power.

"What happened after that?" Xuan Yi's voice was a little hoarse. "How is everyone? What about Lu Suo? Is that guy still alive?"

"Lu Suo?" A hint of doubt appeared between the boy's brows. "Who is that?"

Xuan Yi then realized that they still did not know the true identity of the "brain flower" who was disguised as Xia Youjie.

"Xia Youjie." He changed his name. "Is he dead?"

"Oh, he got away."

"How is this possible?" Xuan Yi was somewhat incredulous.

At that distance and under those circumstances, even if Lu Suo had a higher-level cursed spirit and Li Mei to cover him, how could he possibly withstand the void-style "Zi" that could even blast the Demon Void Luo into dust?

"Did I miss...?" Xuan Yi muttered to himself.

Yes, he can't cast spells instantly like Gojo Satoru yet. All spells, including "Azure" and "Hell," have a trajectory.

Perhaps it was interfered with by the anti-gravity spell. Before merging into the virtual form, any deviation in the trajectory of any spell would cause the landing point of "Zi" to deviate.

In the original work, Rōzō was able to escape from Tsukumo Yuki's black hole using an anti-gravity technique, so he should be able to do this easily as well.

Xuan Yi suddenly remembered something and looked up abruptly: "What about those ordinary people who were being controlled? And what about the students from the vocational college? How are they?"

The boy's expression suddenly darkened.

"I finally remembered them, Genichi Nishio."

"What?"

"Drag ordinary people, comrades, and enemies into the domain and engage in a domain battle," the boy glared, his voice filled with cold anger, "Did you really care about their lives back then?"

Haven't you considered that if your territory is no match for the enemy's, those people will all perish with you?

Xuan Yi was stunned.

"Of course I thought about that. But given the circumstances at the time, if we didn't take immediate action, hundreds of innocent people on the street would have swallowed their fingers in front of us, becoming cursed beings in the flesh as disqualified ancient sorcerers."

"At that point, it won't just be the lives of a mere hundred or so people that will be lost."

The boy's eyes remained cold.

"So, in your eyes, these lives have already been weighed on a scale?"

"What?" Xuan Yi frowned.

"If killing them could prevent more people from being hurt, you would also do it without hesitation, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Xuan Yi's breathing was a little rapid. "I never intended to hurt them."

He didn't know what happened next, and he couldn't believe it—was it really because of his recklessness that those ordinary people, and his companions, all...

Yes, they're all just excuses.

No matter how good the insurance was during the process, or how much compensation was made afterward, he didn't consult anyone's wishes at all when he made that decision.

Just like the changes he'd always wanted to make, the future he'd always wanted to interfere with—he'd never even asked anyone.

He lowered his head, gritting his teeth in resentment.

His arrogance, his disregard for fate, and his foolishness have finally brought him regret.

The boy in front of him straightened his back, his tone becoming serious and cold.

"According to the final announcement from the Cursed Arts Directorate General, Genichi Nishio is suspected of colluding with the curse master Natsuyuki Suke on September 1, 2018, to launch indiscriminate attacks in Kyoto, causing casualties among the public and high school personnel. You are hereby sentenced to death in secret."

The executor will be me, Yigu Youtai.

Is it a sign of ulterior motives? A death sentence? Me?

Xuan Yi raised his head in a daze. The white-clad youth in front of him had already slowly drawn his long sword, circled around behind him, and stood with the sword in the position of a second.

"Wait! Please tell me what happened next, Senior Otsuku!"

However, Yuta Otsukoshi ignored him, raised the long blade in his hand high, and then brought it down suddenly.

Xuan Yi closed his eyes.

Does everyone really...?

A chill ran down his spine, but after a few breaths, no pain came. Then, with a snap, the rope binding his wrists broke.

A hand gently rested on his shoulder.

"Nothing happened! Hyun-il! Everyone's still alive and kicking because of you!"

Xuan Yi turned around in a daze and was met with a familiar face wearing an eye patch.

"Teacher Gojo?"

The sudden appearance of Gojo Satoru caught Genichi off guard. He looked around at the enclosed walls, completely baffled as to where this person had come from.

"All of... those executions and stuff just now..." Xuan Yi swallowed and looked at Yi Gu.

Yuta Otsuko smiled and sheathed his longsword: "Those are all true. It's just that Gojo-sensei just snatched you back from Kyoto."

"Huh?" Xuan Yi's eyes widened, his mind not quite processing what was happening.

"Xuan Yi was tied up like a dumpling back then, so he could be easily carried away!"

"I'm not curious about that..." Xuan Yi rubbed his forehead, looking at his teacher with a hint of exasperation. "Why was I sentenced to death?"

Gojo Satoru stroked his chin, as if he was thinking seriously.

"Well... after all, you're my student, and you don't have any prestigious family background."

"And Kyoto is those old fogies' territory. Such a big commotion happening right under their noses, and they're too embarrassed to admit it's their fault, so the blame just falls on you, Xuan Yi!"

Those high-ranking figures in sorcery...

However, Lu Suo had already infiltrated that area long ago.

Thinking about it this way, it makes perfect sense that those old folks would treat me this way.

"But Genichi, you don't need to worry." Gojo Satoru put away his joking tone. "Thanks to your efforts, there were no large-scale casualties this time."

Xuan Yi's domain seems to have the effect of dispelling spells within its area of ​​effect, so the ordinary people who were controlled were all restored to normal afterward!

Xuan Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

That's wonderful.

"However, after those people came out of Xuan Yi's domain, that part of their memory disappeared."

The songstress and the students from the Kyoto campus seemed to have no recollection of what had happened in the area.

To them, what happened in the field was as if it had never happened at all.

"That should also be part of the Xuan Yi Domain's effect!"

Xuan nodded.

"Yes, that's basically consistent with my understanding."

Gojo Satoru smiled with satisfaction, secretly admiring himself.

"To be able to manipulate the effects of a domain to this extent is something even I, back in my day, couldn't match. If it were this child, perhaps he truly could completely change this corrupt and decadent world of sorcery."

He then waved to Otsuku Yuta.

"Okay, there's still a lot of cleanup work to be done. It's rare that the Kamo family is willing to work with me to protect you this time, which avoids resorting to extreme measures. So, I'll leave the rest to you, Otsuko."

Yi Gu nodded.

After saying that, Gojo Satoru walked to a wall and actually reached out and tore the entire "wall" down.

That was actually just a curtain.

The so-called "house" is nothing more than a shipping container on the back of a huge truck.

Gojo Satoru jumped off the car, waved to Ijichi Takayoshi who was standing to the side, and then disappeared.

Ijichi walked over with a worried look on her face, adjusted her glasses, and said somewhat uneasily, "Because Nishio-kun's identity is too special, it would be better if the two of you didn't show yourselves in public for the time being."

As he spoke, he turned around and hurriedly closed the rear door of the carriage.

Yuta Etotsu gave a gentle smile.

"So, we've officially met now, Nishio-kun. When Gojo-sensei came to visit me abroad, he mentioned you, this genius sorcerer, to me more than once. I've been eager to meet you, but I never expected to meet you in this way. I apologize for any offense I may have caused earlier."

Xuan Yi scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's nothing, anyway, Senior Otsuko was only acting in this play because of Gojo-sensei, right?"

That's very much like that person's style.

However, Yuta's answer surprised him somewhat.

"No." Yi Gu looked directly at Xuan Yi with his dark-circled eyes. "It was something I did myself."

That gloomy feeling made Xuan Yi somewhat apprehensive.

"I would do that for only one reason—I need to be sure that you don't really want to hurt the people I love. Would you choose to sacrifice those people to save more people?"

"Of course not."

The bone of the saccharine bone was tilted too far to the side.

"Is that really the case? Your conclusion seems to contradict your choice at the time."

Xuan Yi didn't refute this time. In that instant, he really hadn't considered so many things. The thought of so many people dying in front of him made his scales tip unconsciously.

"But... I also heard about that boy named Yoshino Junpei, and his affair with Shinji, from the teacher." Yuta Otsukoshi's face showed that gentle smile again. "You, who were willing to do everything in your power to save those two complete strangers, can't be a vicious person, can you?"

Xuan Yi remained silent.

"Is Nishio-kun the kind of person who would do anything to prevent tragedy from happening?"

They don't want to ignore anyone suffering, and even when faced with a trolley problem where they have to choose between two options, they will do everything in their power to save everyone.

That's why I was so desperate to save everyone back then!

Xuan Yi shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "I'm not as great as you say, senior, nor do I have that kind of strength. Or rather... I'm just foolish, that kind of overestimating myself."

"But Nishio-kun, you have indeed saved many people." Otsuko smiled. "If that's why you keep proving your worth in life, then you don't need to take other people's words to heart."

Do what you want to do, save whoever you want to save, even if those people have no weight in other people's hearts, these will become burdens you willingly bear.

"What you need to do, Nishio-kun, is to become stronger together with us!"

"Stronger...?" Xuan Yi murmured to himself, looking down at his palm.

"Yes! Actually, that's the most important reason why Mr. Gojo called me back."

The teacher asked me to take extra care of the first and second grade students, especially you first graders.

Looking back now, if I had come back sooner, perhaps Megumi Fushiguro wouldn't be the way she is now.

Xuan Yi was somewhat puzzled.

"What happened to Fukuro?"

"His magical power has been sealed."

Later in the journey, with Yi Gu's explanation, Xuan Yi learned about the things that happened that day in a place he didn't know about.

"Although most of the hundreds of cursed spirits that were released in Shibuya have been exorcised, many have escaped capture and gone into hiding, which will surely have extremely serious consequences for the safety of ordinary people in the future."

Because of this premeditated disaster, all the high-level sorcerers (level 2 and above) have been reassigned to the task of hunting down curses, so naturally no one cares about us now.

The car stopped in front of a secluded mountain road.

"arrive."

Yi Gu led Xuan Yi to a hidden entrance.

"This is the ancestral hall of the Gojo family, the safest place that Gojo-sensei specially left for us."

Walking along a stone-paved path, in front of a stone wall, Yi Gu pressed the mechanism in the corner of the wall.

As the stone wall moved with a loud crash, Xuan Yi saw Fu Hei Hui, whose entire body was bound to the stone chair by talismans.

Not only those talismans, but even the skin below Fukuro's neck was covered with large patches of black curse marks.

Hearing footsteps, Fu Hei Hui slowly raised her eyes and coldly glanced at Xuan Yi.

What are you doing here?