"We want to invite you to join the Jujutsu High Medical Team." Shoko Ieiri stepped forward, her tone serious.
"You know how rare it is to find someone who's mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique. Right now, it's just me in the entire school..."
She paused, glancing sideways at Satoru Gojo with a meaningful expression.
Yeah—that was the classic "looking at trash" kind of look.
"Idiots like Gojo, always wearing that blindfold, barely know what they're doing. He can only heal himself—completely useless. But now we've finally got someone like you."
Shoko turned back to Sōjun Minamoto with a hopeful look.
"So, what do you think? Interested in joining us?"
Sorcerers who can heal with the Reverse Cursed Technique are extremely rare. Most injured sorcerers still rely on conventional medical treatment, which is slow, inefficient, and often leaves lasting damage. It can't compare to the effectiveness of reverse techniques.
Even so, Shoko's workload was already intense—and recently, it'd only gotten worse. Endless overtime had left her exhausted. So now, with a rare talent like Sōjun Minamoto in front of her, she was determined to recruit him.
Looking him in the eye, she asked again.
"Will you join us?"
"Who exactly is this 'us'?" Sōjun countered instead of answering.
If it was just these people here, he'd gladly join. He'd been thinking about it for a while now. But if the invitation came with strings from the higher-ups, there was no way he'd let them get something for nothing.
It wasn't about demanding compensation—just principle. The easier something is to get, the less people value it. He'd keep them waiting. Only when they showed real sincerity would he step into the medical department.
He wasn't giving up control over his own decisions.
"Let's walk and talk."
Unhurried, Sōjun led the way toward the dorms.
The other three exchanged glances, then followed.
Suguru Geto quickly walked up to Sōjun's left, Shoko Ieiri took the right, and Satoru Gojo shrugged and joined them, falling in beside Suguru.
The four walked side by side.
"Haha, back during the Star Plasma Vessel mission, you were super eager to treat injuries," Suguru said with a chuckle. "When Riko Amanai grew those tentacles on her face, we were all freaked out. But you snapped her back real fast."
"Even back then, I thought—Sōjun, your medical skills are seriously impressive," he added with admiration.
"Hahaha, not joining the medical department would be a waste!"
That was him laying his cards on the table.
Shoko and Gojo both chimed in in agreement.
But Sōjun Minamoto just let them talk. He didn't react at all.
When they returned to his place, he brewed tea for everyone. They kept trying to convince him, but after a while, seeing no change in his attitude, they gave up and left.
Sōjun's stance was clear: You're welcome to come—but I'm not fond of the people backing you.
"Why did you turn them down? Weren't you kind of interested?" Shiko Mishima leaned in and asked quietly after they left.
"I am interested. I'm not against joining the medical department. But the higher-ups? They're nothing but trouble."
Shiko nodded in understanding.
Yeah... you hate dealing with that kind of hassle.
Over the next few days, the trio kept showing up, trying to persuade Sōjun.
Well, "persuade" was mostly a pretense. Aside from Shoko, who was genuinely eager, the other two didn't care much. Most of the time, they just used it as an excuse to spar with him.
Sōjun was more than happy with that.
Only Shoko was getting increasingly frustrated.
She punched Gojo and Suguru each once, then shot a sharp look at the stubborn one—
Seriously, you don't respond to sweet talk or pressure?
She was clearly venting her frustration, though not directly naming names.
But it wasn't really Sōjun Minamoto being stubborn. The problem was the higher-ups and their narrow mindset. In a world like the Jujutsu community, where everything hinges on balance, you can't get something without giving something up.
It's called equivalent exchange. Why is that so hard to grasp?
He'd pretty much figured it out—this whole matter had been initiated by Tengen. The higher-ups were just following that lead.
Reverse Cursed Techniques were already rare, but one that could heal the soul? That was practically unheard of.
The trio who approached him were just messengers.
After several days of fruitless talks...
Masamichi Yaga eventually came to see him in person, wearing a resigned expression as he handed over a file.
"These are the terms from above. Take a look. If you're okay with them, join. If not, just say no—you don't need to worry about me."
Sōjun Minamoto raised an eyebrow, opened the file, and the very first line caught his eye:
Jujutsu High will no longer pursue the reclamation of cursed tools left behind by Toji Fushiguro...
He didn't bother reading the rest. He closed the file immediately.
If they weren't going to negotiate in good faith, there was nothing to discuss.
Yaga stuck to business, said nothing more, and turned to leave with the file in hand.
The people at the top had this infuriating brand of arrogant ignorance.
Sōjun Minamoto decided to drop the matter entirely. He had plenty of other things to handle and no interest in getting tangled up in bureaucratic nonsense.
He went to see Yuki Tsukumo, asking her to help reinforce the mass of his enhanced eye for the fourth time.
Yuki activated her technique, draining her Cursed Energy again. She tapped the eyeball with a neutral expression and said, somewhat pointedly, "Feels like you're reaching the limit, doesn't it?"
Sōjun Minamoto pressed the eye back into its socket, adjusting to the crushing weight—like bearing the force of six nations. He gave a small nod.
"Yeah. It does."
After frowning in thought, he asked, "When are you planning to leave Jujutsu High?"
"I'll be here a few more days. There are things I need to wrap up. Why?"
"Then never mind." On the other side, his clones had already begun high-intensity exorcism work.
Soon, he'd break past that limit.
With a few days left, it should be enough.
...
The next day, Sōjun Minamoto returned to Yuki Tsukumo, holding the eyeball in his palm and handing it over.
At this point, very few people could even lift it.
"Ready again?" Yuki tapped the eye, and sure enough, the overfilled sensation from the day before was gone.
She poured in her Cursed Energy until she was drained dry. That full, heavy feeling returned.
Yuki frowned, then smoothed her expression and looked at Sōjun.
"You're not seriously gonna make me do this two hundred times, right?!"
"Of course not. Just a few more times should do it." Seeing her start to regret agreeing, he quickly reassured her.
"It's not that I can't—it's just... doing it over and over gets a little boring." Yuki waved it off, trying to sound casual.
Mm, I get it, Sōjun nodded.
...
For the next several days, Sōjun rarely stayed in his dorm.
Each day, he returned to Jujutsu High once to ask Yuki for another round of reinforcement. The rest of the time, he spent exorcising curses and assimilating their energy.
The school sent people looking for him several times, but none of them even managed to catch sight of him.
The first to get fed up was Yuki Tsukumo.
After seven enhancement sessions, she began actively avoiding Sōjun—it took extra effort just to find her. By the ninth session, she had already left Jujutsu High.
Sōjun was still out exorcising when he got the message on his phone.
Yuki had sent a text saying she had to leave early for other matters. She'd remember the favor and help again if the opportunity came up. And just to be clear—it's not that doing 200 sessions was a problem for her, it's just that she was genuinely busy and had to go...
The more people emphasize something, the less you should believe it.
In any case, she was gone—and Sōjun didn't feel bad about it. He hadn't lied to her either. At this stage, the eye had reached its limit. Pushing further would only do more harm than good.
...
Deep within Jujutsu High.
"He's not here," the suited clerk said respectfully, bowing low.
Several traditional wooden doors stood before him. Behind some of them, vague silhouettes flickered through shifting light and shadow.
Bang—
A hand slammed against a table.
"Since when can just anyone lead us around by the nose?" The voice was old, brimming with irritation.
"There aren't many Reverse Cursed Techniques that can heal the soul," came a different voice—slightly younger, but still clearly aged. The tone was casual, even careless.
"People like him may seem small now, but sooner or later, we'll need him."
"He's no small fry. Tengen-sama holds him in very high regard." A third voice spoke, placing heavy emphasis on the word "-sama."
"Hah, in our eyes, if he's not a small fry, what is he?" the lazy voice chuckled.