Chapter 46: Night Parade of a Hundred Demons — A Bountiful Harvest?
At the gates of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Suguru Geto, flanked by his followers, crossed paths with the returning first-year squad of four.
"You must be Okkotsu Yuta. As expected, you look quite promising."
Geto grasped Yuta's hands with a little too much enthusiasm, leaving the boy stiff with nerves.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm your senior, Geto Suguru. I came here specifically to see you."
"M-me? Why… why are you looking for me?" Yuta asked, bewildered.
Panda and Maki immediately shifted into fighting stances.
"Careful, Yuta! He's a curse user now—an enemy of Jujutsu High!" Panda warned.
Geto waved a hand disarmingly. "No need to be so tense. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to ask for help."
He looked at Yuta with a solemn, almost passionate expression.
"Yuta-kun, I have a dream. A grand plan. I want to eradicate all non-sorcerers… and create a world free of curses.
But to make that happen, I need powerful cursed spirits. On my own, I have about a 20% chance of success. With Rika's power, though? That success rate jumps to 99%."
Placing a hand on Yuta's shoulder, Geto's voice swelled with emotion. "For the sake of this noble cause, lend me your strength."
"…I refuse."
Yuta didn't even hesitate. That kind of "grand cause," that kind of rhetoric—it was clearly rotten.
"Think about it carefully. This isn't just for me, it's for the future of the world."
Geto's persistence was cut short by a new voice.
"Give it up, Geto. He's not coming with you."
Gojo Satoru appeared at Yuta's side, calm but firm.
At the same time, Principal Yaga, Amanai Riko, and several other faculty members who had sensed the cursed energy arrived at the gate.
Panda, Maki, and Toge let out a quiet sigh of relief. Facing a special-grade sorcerer was not something they could handle alone.
"Geto, it's not too late to turn back," Yaga urged. He couldn't help but feel responsible—after all, Geto had once been his student.
"Don't keep making the same mistake, Suguru!" Riko added desperately, unwilling to see her old friend fall further.
But Geto only scanned the crowd, his smile thin. "Everyone's here, huh? Where's that annoying guy? I prepared a little gift for him."
"Yo, Geto-kun. Doing MLM pitches right at Jujutsu High? Business is booming, I see."
Zen'in Shinsuke strolled up at his own pace, looking almost cheerful. Finally—the big harvest season's here. Even Geto's face as a "villain" felt oddly endearing in this moment.
"Good. The annoying one's here too. Now this is just about perfect."
Geto's tone darkened, his smile turning cold.
"Rika will be mine. Jujutsu High won't be able to stop me. Listen carefully: on December 24th, I will unleash the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
Two locations: Shinjuku (Tokyo), and Kyoto—the holy land of jujutsu.
I'll release over a thousand curses in both cities. This is my declaration of war against the entire jujutsu world. Be ready."
He turned specifically to Shinsuke. "Didn't you always love killing curses? This time, you can indulge yourself. Just try not to get torn apart while you're at it."
With that, Geto released dozens of weak curses to harass the students, then soared off on a flying spirit with his followers in tow—leaving in a deliberately dramatic fashion.
Gojo only watched him leave, making no move to strike.
"Tsk. Kid's too impatient," Shinsuke muttered. "A few thousand curses and he thinks he can challenge the whole jujutsu world? If it were me, I'd at least stockpile ten special-grades, hundreds of first-grades, and tens of thousands of lesser curses before making a real scene."
Still, impatience worked in his favor. Shinsuke had been eyeing Geto's curse collection for a long time. Now he'd finally get his chance to shear that sheep properly—and harvest big.
"Master! You came too?"
Maki sliced down the surrounding weak curses and hurried over.
"Of course. I'm a teacher at Jujutsu High—it's only natural.
And speaking of that… from now on, I'll be staying at the school more often. I'll be personally overseeing all of your taijutsu training.
You'd better work hard, Maki. Mai's furious that you didn't tell her anything—she's already run off to Kyoto Jujutsu High. She swore she'd surpass you."
"Mai…?" Maki blinked, momentarily stunned. She's serious about that?
No one knew Mai better than her.
"That's the situation," Shinsuke said simply.
Shinsuke clapped Maki on the shoulder, then turned to Yuta and the others.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting for you all on the training field. Classes start then and won't stop until you're officially promoted to second-years."
With his salary tripled, he couldn't exactly keep slacking off—not when everyone's eyes were on him.
"Yes, sir!" the students answered in unison.
Gojo shot him a sideways glance. "What's with you suddenly acting all responsible?"
"Because that brat Geto's about to unleash the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. I'm thrilled."
The words slipped out before Shinsuke could stop himself.
A pay raise and a banquet of curses? Who wouldn't be happy?
"You…!" Gojo clenched his fists. He had only just begun to settle his feelings after his best friend's betrayal, and here was this bastard… smiling about it.
I really can't hold back anymore.
"Zen'in-sensei still loves curses as much as ever," Kusakabe muttered with a sigh.
To Shinsuke, the Night Parade really was something to look forward to.
"This man hasn't changed a bit," Mei Mei added with her twin braids swaying as she shook her head.
She used to think he only hunted strong curses because he needed the money. But after watching him long enough, she came to the same conclusion as Kusakabe:
No, this man just enjoyed slaughtering powerful curses. It was his twisted little hobby.
"Enough, enough," Principal Yaga cut in, glancing between Shinsuke and Gojo, who were about ready to brawl. "You're both teachers. Don't tell me you're going to fight each other in front of the students?"
"I'd never," Shinsuke replied smoothly. "Gojo, you're getting old. Don't be so hot-headed all the time."
"Yeah, yeah. Fine. You're not hot-headed, happy?" Gojo muttered, clicking his tongue.
He regretted even starting the conversation. Every time he talked to this guy, it ended in frustration. I swear, I'll just keep my distance next time.
Seeing the two men back down without a fight, the other teachers dispersed, preparing for the looming crisis of December 24th—the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
"What a shame," Panda sighed. "I thought we were finally going to witness the two strongest troublemakers throw down."
Both Zen'in Shinsuke and Gojo Satoru were notorious at Jujutsu High—untouchable, uncontrollable, and unstoppable. Even the higher-ups couldn't do anything about them.
Once the meeting broke apart, everyone returned to their own tasks.
As for Shinsuke, he settled into one of the faculty dormitories at Jujutsu High. For now, this would be home.