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Chapter 006: Testing the Waters, The Trade

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Thinking of this made Ieiri Shoko feel a bit salty. She looked at the gentle and harmless-looking Fuwa Yozora, and her tone softened up a lot.

"He must ghost you all the time, which is why you came looking for him, right?"

"...Pretty much."

Ieiri Shoko let out a sigh, feeling legit bad for her.

After walking for about ten minutes, they finally saw some modern-looking buildings that were clearly classroom blocks.

Stepping onto the second floor, the sound of teenage boys messing around could be heard coming from the hallway.

Ieiri Shoko was straight-up fuming.

"Suguru is actually the worst, how could he not pick up his phone!"

Sorry not sorry—while the Sanye Group had managed to snag Geto Suguru’s digits, Fuwa Yozora hadn't actually called him.

She felt a tiny bit of guilt toward this sweet, innocent girl, but like, not much.

Ieiri Shoko had already swung the classroom door open, spotting her two classmates holding alcohol lamps and various jars, doing god-knows-what kind of science experiment.

"Suguru, someone's here for you!"

"Huh?"

Geto Suguru looked totally confused. He turned around and saw Fuwa Yozora standing behind Ieiri Shoko.

Those pale violet eyes were originally cold and calm, but the moment they met Geto Suguru’s gaze, they instantly turned tearful and pathetic.

Before Geto Suguru could even say a word, he saw the girl step into the classroom, her voice sounding super hurt.

"Suguru, we’ve known each other long enough. Is it really too much to just talk for a bit?"

Ieiri Shoko gave a "tsck" sound.

Her classmate was a total scumbag, confirmed.

Now Geto Suguru was completely lost.

"Miss, what kind of stunt are you pulling now? How did you even find our school?"

Gojo Satoru tilted his head and took a peek, seemingly remembering something.

"Oh, isn't this the girl we ran into at school the day before yesterday? So you guys do know each other. Suguru, you're capping again."

"I told you it was a mission, I don't know her..."

Fuwa Yozora took a deep breath, her voice literally shaking.

"I’ll leave once I’m done talking, I won't take up much of your time."

"..."

Geto Suguru’s fox-like eyes stared at the girl locking eyes with him. She didn't back down one bit, keeping a total straight face.

Please. Where was that aura from the abandoned warehouse when she was swinging a steel pipe at people? Why was she acting like a little lost lamb now?

Not far away, Ieiri Shoko’s face was already full of pure disgust.

Geto Suguru admitted he was actually pretty curious about what kind of game this girl was playing.

"Fine. Let's go to the classroom next door."

After saying that, Geto got up from his seat, passed by Fuwa Yozora, and walked out of the room.

Fuwa Yozora even very gently thanked Ieiri Shoko.

"Thank you so much, Ieiri-san."

Ieiri Shoko gave a casual wave.

"Don't waste your tears on a trash man, it's totally not worth it."

Fuwa Yozora nodded and followed after Geto Suguru's retreating figure.

Gojo Satoru, still holding the alcohol lamp, turned to Ieiri Shoko and asked:

"So, who is she?"

Ieiri Shoko looked like she was mourning a lost cause.

"Suguru’s childhood friend."

"Hah???"

Now it was Gojo Satoru’s turn to find this wild. His bestie actually had secret tea he wasn't spilling? That was so extra.

The cicadas outside were buzzing loudly, and the morning air was feeling a bit heated.

Geto Suguru casually turned on the fan in the study room. With student counts for each grade being in the single digits, empty classrooms were the most abundant resource they had.

As the whirring fan brought a bit of chill, Geto Suguru sat casually on a desk. The single, stylish strand of bangs on his forehead was ruffled by the wind, giving him a sort of sickly, artistic aesthetic.

He propped himself up with his hands behind him, smirking at Fuwa Yozora, who was keeping her distance.

"Done acting?"

The girl’s face was calm now, her pale violet eyes looking somewhat indifferent against her porcelain skin.

「3797」

The white numbers above the boy's head were exactly the same as the ones she had seen on her father's head this morning.

Was it a coincidence?

Probably not. It was only after she met this boy for the second time that her dad’s numbers had changed.

"Sorry for the interruption, but there are some things we need to talk about."

Geto Suguru nodded. He wasn't surprised; "monkeys" having a million questions was pretty standard.

Though, he didn't really know why he was even in the mood to chat with a monkey.

Maybe because this monkey was... interesting.

"Honestly, it looks like you aren't going to live very long."

"?"

Geto Suguru blanked for a second, then he started wheezing with laughter, dramatically wiping away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Miss, are you actually for real? Are you sick?"

"I’m not joking."

Fuwa Yozora pointed to the top of her own head.

"You might not believe me, but I can see the number of days everyone has left to live. I remember you saying there are monsters called Curses that want to eat me. Maybe they’re connected?"

Geto Suguru stopped his dramatic laughing. He pinched his chin, scanning the girl in front of him.

Her Cursed Energy was weak—just an ordinary person. Aside from being pretty, there didn't seem to be anything special about her.

But he had to admit, she really was a Curse magnet.

Geto Suguru hadn't told anyone, but the moment his contracted Curse—which was 100% obedient to him—saw this girl, it felt an uncontrollable hunger.

Since he controlled the Curse, he could share its vision and tap into its senses.

The Curse, which usually acted like a puppet on strings, had surged with greedy gluttony in that instant. That sensation had slammed into Geto Suguru’s brain, though he quickly crushed his Curse’s desire.

The stronger a Curse was, the more blatant and twisted its desires became.

So, he felt like the girl wasn't capping.

"Oh. And?"

Geto Suguru’s "whatever" attitude caught Fuwa Yozora off guard, but he just kept talking.

"Look, Miss. We Jujutsu sorcerers could literally die any second. For example, not too long ago, an underclassman a year below me was killed by a Curse during a mission."

He was smiling, but the smile was so cynical and dark.

"Thanks for the heads-up, but it's kind of mid."

Fuwa Yozora really wanted to say, who cares if you live or die? She only cared about why her dad’s death timer was synced with his.

But she couldn't just say that; it might trigger some murderous intent.

So she had to switch up the reasoning to get closer to this guy who seemed impossible to deal with.

"I just want to know why Curses want to eat me."

"Not interested. And I’m not planning on playing the 'Knight and Princess' game with you, Miss."

Fuwa Yozora knew that a trade had to be equal, and to lure someone in, you needed bait.

"Your Cursed Technique is 'Cursed Spirit Manipulation,' you can control Curses to use them for yourself, right?"

"Wow, you actually went out of your way to do a deep dive on me? I’m touched."

Fuwa Yozora looked at Geto Suguru very seriously, finally working up the courage to speak.

"A lot of Curses show up around me. I can act as bait to pull them in for you. It’ll boost your combat power. Let's make a deal."

Geto Suguru’s casual smile froze. He stared down the girl in front of him.

She was actually delulu. She really dared to try and cut a deal with him?

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· Genuine translation/MTL can be found only in OchatimesBlogspotCom, Ochatimes' FanFictionNet, or Ochatimes' Wattpad
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