[Check Out My P4treon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][p4treon.com/echotales]
===
Although flying directly back would have been a simpler and more convenient mode of transportation, Hanakain Reiji didn't mind occasionally enjoying the specialized chauffeured service provided by the Jujutsu Association.
Two minutes later, on the steps of the Juvenile Detention Center's main entrance, three people sat side-by-side, and one lay flat.
Hanakain Reiji and Saeko Busujima sat together. Yuji Itadori, who had been in a coma due to extreme exhaustion after handing body control over to Ryomen Sukuna, was now being looked after by Megumi Fushiguro.
The sun was sinking below the horizon, and the sky was gradually dimming.
In the pleasant evening breeze, Hanakain Reiji turned his head to glance at Yuji Itadori, who was still unconscious beside him.
"I originally wanted to keep him locked in the Black Coffin for a bit longer, but since the markings on his face have disappeared, I assume that means the possession state has been lifted, right?"
"Ah, that's correct."
Megumi Fushiguro responded plainly.
He had originally intended to immediately signal Yuji Itadori and rush back to the battlefield to help after handing the severely wounded Nobara Kugisaki over to Mr. Ijichi. However, right after flashing the signal and rushing back into the detention center, he found that the Innate Domain inside had already dissipated. Then, Busujima-senpai and this guy next to her emerged, carrying a large black coffin.
They also brought out the unconscious Yuji Itadori and Sukuna's finger.
Although he still didn't know the background of this guy, that large black coffin was clearly his Cursed Technique.
And since he could easily suppress a two-fingered Sukuna, his strength, no matter how he looked at it, had to be at least Special Grade... or even beyond.
"But you don't have to worry too much. Itadori-kun currently has the ability to completely suppress Sukuna," Saeko Busujima offered to explain, having noticed the boy's concern.
However, she abruptly lowered her voice for the latter half of her sentence.
"So, the plan of the Jujutsu Association's higher-ups right now is to utilize Itadori-kun's unique constitution as a vessel to collect all of Sukuna's fingers. Once all twenty are gathered, they will execute Itadori-kun, thereby killing the Sukuna inside him as well."
"Huh? Why?"
Hanakain Reiji twitched his lips.
"I'm very curious as to what evidence supported them reaching that conclusion. Did they just pull it out of a hat? Or slap their thigh?"
"...What do you mean?"
The Kendo girl asked, hesitant.
"It's simple."
Hanakain Reiji pointed his thumb toward the Juvenile Detention Center behind him.
"The bald Special Grade Cursed Spirit we just eliminated inside—it had a Sukuna finger in its body. Furthermore, it could not only suppress Sukuna's consciousness but also utilize the power of the Sukuna finger in return. And now it's dead, yet the finger remains intact, doesn't it?"
"..."
"..."
It was an extremely shrewd perspective, yet so straightforward that it was completely unanswerable.
Yuji Itadori could suppress Sukuna's consciousness, but the Special Grade Cursed Spirit could too. Moreover, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit could actively call upon the power of the Sukuna finger, which was enough to indicate that it was a better-suited vessel for Sukuna's finger than Yuji Itadori.
Plainly put, the only reason the Jujutsu Association chose Yuji Itadori as a vessel was because he was completely unable to utilize the power of Sukuna's finger. Never mind eating one or two—even if he ate all twenty, he would still only be a physically strong athlete, making him easy to execute without much resistance when the time came.
But who could guarantee that Ryomen Sukuna inside him would die along with Yuji Itadori upon execution? That was another matter entirely.
Especially since this decision was passed by a vote among the Association's higher-ups. In the words of the legendary British Prime Minister Jim Hacker—When everyone is equally responsible, no one is responsible. That is democracy.
Saeko Busujima and Megumi Fushiguro clearly realized this too, and both fell silent simultaneously.
Hanakain Reiji cleared his throat and changed the subject: "Speaking of which, when that Ijichi guy called you, Busujima-senpai, I remember he specifically mentioned that the target was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. If they knew it was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, why didn't they send a Special Grade Sorcerer? Where was that 'Strongest' guy from the Gojō family?"
"Gojō-sensei was on a business trip."
Megumi Fushiguro's voice came from the other side of the young man.
"Although the norm is to assign Sorcerers of the same grade as the target Cursed Spirit to accompany the mission, Gojō-sensei suddenly received an urgent mission this afternoon, saying a Grade 1 Sorcerer had gone missing during a mission. The Association assigned Gojō-sensei to help with the search."
A Grade 1 Sorcerer went missing? So they sent a Special Grade Sorcerer to help? And left a group of students to face a Special Grade Cursed Spirit alone?
Hanakain Reiji's head suddenly buzzed, and he felt he was beginning to understand everything.
"This really is... one huge, shit-show of a half-assed operation."
The logic was simple. There were only a few Special Grade Sorcerers in total, and combat-specialized Special Grade Sorcerers like Satoru Gojō were even rarer.
While searching for the missing Grade 1 Sorcerer was important, what about the students dispatched to execute the mission here? Were they not important?
To put it even more bluntly, if he hadn't been here today, the Special Grade Gojō, after searching for the missing Grade 1 Sorcerer, would likely have had to come to the Juvenile Detention Center to search for three missing students.
Failing to staff corresponding missions with appropriate personnel, but instead using the main force designated for those missions to patch up previous holes, which in turn leads to new holes that need to be patched—this is a textbook example of a vicious cycle.
What's even more idiotic is that they can accept such an arrangement without question. Then why is Satoru Gojō still acting as a Special Grade Sorcerer? He might as well report directly to a funeral home. He'd be guaranteed a promotion to Special Grade Corpse Transporter within a year.
The only difference is that the latter is transporting the corpses of strangers, while the former is transporting the corpses of his own students and juniors.
Allowing a bunch of incompetent higher-ups to command ordinary people, whose destinies were disrupted by an unexpected awakening of power, to execute deadly missions—how is that any different from sending child soldiers into battle, strapped with explosives, to charge against the enemy's steel armored division?
It's simply...
"That's why I can't stand Sorcerers..."
Hanakain Reiji lowered his voice, clicking his tongue softly, only audible to himself.
Just then, another evening breeze blew past. Car headlights shone in from outside the large iron gate of the Juvenile Detention Center's perimeter wall, and a black sedan pulled up at the entrance.
Peering through the car window, the driver's seat was occupied by a slightly withered, skinny man in a Jujutsu Association uniform, looking completely like an overworked corporate drone.
"Looks like the car has arrived. Let's go."
Hanakain Reiji stood up, patting his backside.
"Oh, and as a piece of advice, after you hand in your report, you should quickly grab your bags and run. If you keep this up... you're all going to be killed by this mess eventually."
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 30 on my p4treon, go check it out
Gain access to exclusive early chapters, and so much more. This is your chance to get a ton of exclusive content while supporting my work.
p4treon.com/echotales
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Power Stones == Bonus Chapter
every three 5-star reviews == Bonus Chapter