.
It occurs to Shiki that she's never actually been on a mission with Ken-jichan before.
Satoru-niichan has supervised a few of her missions in the past, and there had also once been a period of time where Kiyohira-sensei used to oversee all of her missions along with Jihei-san when Shiki had been younger. Somehow, though, she's never completed an assignment with Ken-jichan next to her before.
… The incident with that land spirit aside, but that had been more of an accidental coincidence more than something intentional.
Technically, tracking down Geto-san by searching out curse users related to him isn't a mission. But it's the new task that Shiki has set out for herself, and she intends to treat it with the same diligence as she does her usual assignments. Which doesn't make it too different from a mission, in that sense.
Choki, as always, is thoroughly meticulous in his work when it comes to collecting information for her. The reports from the Yagyu Clan make their way into Shiki's hands soon enough, and she has her first target: A duo of curse users who had been responsible for the transport of the cursed spirit that the Yagyu Clan had purchased from Geto-san.
According to the report, the Yagyus were uncertain if these curse users were merely collaborators for Geto-san or actually part of the Special Grade's inner circle. It would be more convenient for Shiki if it were the latter case, but even the former case could potentially prove to be a useful connection.
"Selling cursed spirits…" Ken-jichan frowns, reading through his own copy of the same report that Choki had thoughtfully provided for him. "I can see how Geto's cursed technique would be suitable for this, but if this is really his handiwork… what on earth is he planning?"
Shiki would not know what's going on in Geto Suguru's mind. Such questions would be better off reserved for Satoru-niichan, who has far better insight into the man than Shiki does. However, in regards to Ken-jichan's confusion on the revelation of Geto-san's business pursuits, there are two possible explanations that occur to her.
"It may be that Geto-san is attempting to build connections with the clans," she offers. Because if he successfully becomes an important provider of certain goods for sorcery clans, then perhaps more of them will feel inclined to overlook his activities. Which is probably helped by the fact that Geto-san has not actually engaged in any mass-murdering sprees since becoming a curse user, even despite his self-stated manifesto.
And… if there were enough clans willing to turn a blind eye or even actively help Geto-san cover his tracks, it would also help to explain the various difficulties that Satoru-niichan had in tracking his friend down over the years.
As for the second reason that Shiki can think of, regarding what would motivate Geto-san to sell his cursed spirits instead of keeping them in his arsenal…
"Or, maybe Geto-san needs money."
"Money?" Ken-jichan mutters, before the light of realization enters his eyes.
Sorcerers, even low-ranked ones, are usually well-compensated for their work, so it's not often that one sees a sorcerer struggling financially. Not unless there are exceptional circumstances involved, at the very least. But considering that it's the Jujutsu Headquarters that compensates the sorcerers working for them, it only makes sense that curse users are not included among their number.
Shiki doesn't exactly know how lucrative being a curse user can be, but she's pretty sure that no one becomes a curse user simply just to earn more money. Because if it were true that curse users earned more than sorcerers on average, then Mei-san would've become a curse user a long time ago, and yet the woman seems perfectly content in her role as an independent contractor affiliated with Jujutsu Headquarters.
… Come to think of it, this might be one of the reasons why the administration tends to be generous when it comes to handing out financial benefits for their sorcerers. Shiki is in the unique position to not have any financial concerns, thanks to the Gojo Clan, but she's aware that it is an important point of consideration for most people. Something that Kinji has stressed to her multiple times before, for emphasis.
So, sorcerers being paid well is a form of incentive that encourages them to continue working for the Jujutsu Headquarters, instead of quitting entirely or running off to become curse users themselves. There are cases of sorcerer-hopefuls discovering that they don't wish to risk their lives fighting cursed spirits –understandable, as not everyone possesses the disposition for it– and then deciding to turn towards the life of a curse user afterwards. Which Shiki finds rather less understandable; at that point, would it not be easier to find and work a normal job in regular society to make a living?
While it's true that most sorcerers struggle to fit in with regular non-sorcerers simply due to the higher levels of cursed energy that all sorcerers inherently carry with them… it's not impossible. There are a few examples that Shiki knows of in the Gojo Clan, so she knows that it's a plausible course of action to take.
… Albeit, this particular decision is also one that tends to be scorned if the individual in question is from one of the sorcery clans that care about such things. Because for families that pride themselves on producing powerful sorcerers, if a promising child fails to live up to the hopes and expectations for them… it's not uncommon for attitudes towards them to range from cold to scornful in the aftermath.
A curse user coming from a sorcery clan is regarded as a blemish and a shame, and it's not something that happens very often. But there have been multiple cases of this occurring before in the past as well.
At any rate–
Shiki's wandering musings on the topic of curse users may have gotten slightly sidetracked here. But in short, there are numerous reasons for why a sorcerer might become a curse user, and a strong desire for job security and employee benefits most certainly isn't one of them.
Thus, the problem of money that potentially exists for curse users.
Shiki does not know how much money it takes to run a cult. But the expenses involved may be a considerable amount, if Geto-san is capitalizing on the unique advantage that his cursed technique offers and selling cursed spirits. He's also being smart in how he goes about it –selling exclusively to sorcery clans and families in-the-know, instead of tricking non-sorcerers into making unwise purchases.
If he had done the latter, then the higher ups may have decided that he is no longer a threat that they can ignore.
But he hadn't. Instead he'd provided a needed service to various sorcery clans, and in doing so, lowered their wariness of him. Made them more amiable towards looking the other way, because if Geto Suguru was someone who could be reasoned and negotiated with, then it meant that he was someone they could strike a deal with. And a Special Grade who they could bargain with?
Shiki is sure that there are a number of clan sorcerers who look down on Geto Suguru for having thrown everything away to chase after a foolish, unrealistic ideology. And yet there would also be part of them that looks at him and covets all the same, because of his power.
In the jujutsu world, power is something to be used. To take advantage of, and to be taken advantage of.
But between Geto Suguru and the sorcery clans that he was dealing with, just who was taking advantage of whom?
"… Is that what you think has been going on here?" Ken-jichan's mouth has curved down into a frown again. "Geto… if that's truly what he has turned to…"
For someone who professed to have problems with the way that things worked in the jujutsu world, it certainly didn't seem that Geto-san had any compunctions about utilizing it for his own ends. Assuming that Shiki's suppositions were correct, and this was indeed intentional on Geto-san's behalf.
Shiki hums lightly, and turns towards her uncle. "Do you think he did this intentionally?"
"Intentionally? That's…" A pensive look crosses the young man's face. "… I couldn't say for certain. The Geto Suguru that I knew would not have been someone to engage in power plays with sorcery clans like this, but I don't think I ever really knew him as well as I thought I did. And it's been years since our school days; I would be more surprised if he hasn't changed at all over the years."
That's true enough. People change. But surely there must be something of the core that remains the same. Shiki doesn't know what Satoru-niichan would see in Geto-san otherwise.
"… Would you say that you were friends with Geto-san?" In Shiki's memories, Geto-san could always be seen with Satoru-niichan. Classmates, and best friends; partners who trusted each other. But Ken-jichan had known Geto-san, too, even if he'd only been Geto-san's underclassman. And Shiki also recalls that Ken-jichan had been rather quiet for several days following the announcement that Geto Suguru was a curse user, for the crime of murdering the entire village that he'd been sent on a mission to assist.
"I suppose we were," Ken-jichan responds slowly. "I'm sure that you've already experienced yourself by now, but… students in the jujutsu school tend to spend the most time with classmates in the same year level as them. Haibara-kun and I didn't always see our upperclassmen around, but Geto would… try to make time for us. Said that we could always go to him if we had any questions, since both of us were from non-sorcerer backgrounds."
So Geto-san had been a reliable upperclassman, then?
It's… not impossible to imagine. Shiki had seen Geto-san working with Satoru-niichan as fellow students before in the past, and her impression of him at the time had been nice. Geto-san had been a nice person. Perhaps he still was, even now… assuming that one was not one of the non-sorcerers that he wanted to kill.
"Would you be upset if Geto-san died?" she asks.
… Shiki belatedly realizes half a second after the words leave her mouth that this is, perhaps, not the best sort of question to ask her uncle when he is already worried about her casually murdering people.
Ken-jichan gives her a long look. "I thought you said you intended to search for Geto Suguru, not kill him."
"… I realize that may have sounded slightly misleading," Shiki coughs slightly, valiantly attempting to recover her tactless blunder. "It's not my intention to kill Geto-san. I don't know if I would be able to succeed, and Satoru-niichan would be very cross with me for doing so besides."
"Then why the question?"
"Just a thought." Shiki has always been aware that Satoru-niichan was emotionally attached to Geto-san, but it hadn't occurred to her that the same might be true in some sense for Ken-jichan as well. Obviously to a lesser extent in comparison, given that Geto Suguru isn't Ken-jichan's best friend, but…
But they'd still been classmates in the same school, even if they hadn't been in the same year as each other. And, evidently, they'd also been on fairly friendly terms with each other throughout the time they'd known each other in high school. Far friendlier terms than Shiki had with Ichinose-san and Aikawa-san, certainly. At the very least, Ken-jichan had trusted his upperclassmen enough to ask them for help when Shiki had gone mysteriously 'missing' from the hospital after waking up from her coma all those years ago. At the time, Geto-san had helped Ken-jichan search for her, even if it was Satoru-niichan who'd been the one to find her in the end.
Would Ken-jichan be sad, if Geto-san died?
… Probably. Ken-jichan seems like he would be the type of person to care about such things.
"Daisaku-sama brought it up in conversation the other day, too," she tells him. "He asked how Satoru-niichan planned to deal with Geto-san, if we managed to find him."
"Did Daisaku-sama suggest killing him?" Ken-jichan's voice is a touch dry.
"… I don't think so?" The elder hadn't explicitly stated it, at least. But it had definitely been heavily implied that he hoped Satoru-niichan would be able to find it in himself to kill Geto Suguru, if there ever came a day when the man was truly beyond the point of no return. "Not yet, at least. But he said that he couldn't see any chance of reconciliation between Satoru-niichan and Geto-san, because Geto-san has shown no signs of remorse for becoming a curse user."
And as long as Geto-san maintains this outlook, there's no possibility of him being accepted back into the fold by Satoru-niichan's side. Two parallel lines, Daisaku-sama had called them, and it's not like Shiki can't see where the elder is coming from.
Ken-jichan sighs. "… He and Satoru have both always been… quite stubborn, when it comes to matters that they feel strongly about. I'm less surprised by it than I should be."
Shiki tilts her head questioningly.
"If Geto realized that he was wrong," her uncle says, "He's not the sort of person who would dig in his heels about it. Daisaku-sama's observation is astute, in that respect. The fact that Geto is actively avoiding a confrontation with Satoru is also a sign indicating that he doesn't intend to let himself be swayed. I won't pretend to understand why he seems to think that killing non-sorcerers is any sort of solution to anything, but…"
Another sigh.
"If even Satoru couldn't change his mind," Ken-jichan states quietly, "Then I doubt there's anyone else who would be able to make him consider their words."
"And if Satoru-niichan could change his mind?"
Her uncle blinks, and looks towards her.
"To be honest, I don't know if Satoru-niichan would be able to convince him either, even if they really did sit down and have a proper talk with each other," Shiki clarifies herself with a slight shrug. "But… it's still worth attempting, isn't it? Especially since Satoru-niichan doesn't want him to die."
And if nothing changes… then, sooner or later, there will come a day when Geto-san puts his plans into action. And when that happens, even though it's unlikely that he'll actually succeed in eradicating all non-sorcerers, Shiki does not doubt that the rampage of a Special Grade sorcerer would cause massive damage and casualties all the same.
Especially considering Geto-san's cursed technique.
Sorcerers may be able to fight cursed spirits, but non-sorcerers are unable to defend themselves in the same manner when faced with cursed spirits. Even a Grade Four cursed spirit is still capable of killing a human…
And if it's true that Geto-san has been hoarding cursed spirits all these years, then that's something to be wary of.
Deliberately provoking a sorcerer who's capable of releasing untold numbers of cursed spirits like a locust plague into their surroundings is a foolish act. Which is likely one of the several reasons why the Jujutsu Headquarters has not made any overt moves against Geto Suguru aside from just putting out a kill order on him, and just leaving things at that.
… There aren't very many people capable of killing Special Grade sorcerers to begin with. As far as Shiki knows, no one else had been able to fill in the empty position that the Sorcerer Killer left behind when he died. And even the Sorcerer Killer, despite being known for murdering sorcerers, and even having defeated Satoru-niichan and Geto-san in their first altercation against each other… ultimately, had been unable to kill them in the end.
Shiki wouldn't say that she's provoking Geto-san. The only way she'd really provoke him would be if she tried to kill him, and that's not something that Shiki would do… yet.
But avoidance has never solved anything, and even if Shiki doesn't know whether or not Geto-san might be willing to change–
He's Satoru-niichan's best friend for a reason, right? … There has to be something that Satoru-niichan still sees in him, even if Geto-san appears to be focused on plotting the destruction and collapse of society through genocide.
And maybe Ken-jichan still sees something in Geto-san, too. Because even though it does not appear that her uncle has any confidence in his ability to get Geto-san to listen to him, it seems to Shiki that Ken-jichan still cares whether or not Geto-san dies.
… Then, that's another reason to work hard and try to find Geto-san.
Shiki decides to start with the curse users working beneath him.
.
.
According to the information that Choki provided, the duo of curse users that Shiki is looking for –the ones who'd transported Geto's cursed spirit into the Yagyu Clan's possession– are a pair of brothers from non-sorcerer backgrounds. Kobayashi Tamotsu, and Kobayashi Aoma. Tamotsu, the elder of the two, had once attended Kyoto Jujutsu High as a student training to become a sorcerer, but eventually dropped out in his third year for unstated reasons.
Headquarters had initially assumed that the boy had simply realized he was not cut out to be a sorcerer. That was, until they discovered the boy using what he'd learned as a student to commit petty crimes on the street with his younger brother. After which both of them had summarily been branded as curse users. Low-priority ones, since they never targeted high-profile individuals or threatened to reveal sorcery to the public with their actions.
There was no information on how they came into contact with Geto-san, however, which was what Shiki was rather more concerned about. She supposes that she'll have to ask the brothers about that herself.
"Do you have a plan for finding them?" Ken-jichan asks, once they've reached the quaint little town where the brothers had reportedly last been seen.
"The town's not that large." Shiki would've expected curse users to hide themselves in urban areas where it's easier to blend in with the crowd, but she supposes that not all of their jobs take place in the cities. That makes things easier for her, though. "It shouldn't be too hard to find them just by looking around."
And it seems that they aren't shy about using jujutsu here, either. Shiki has only just stepped foot into this town, and she can already spot cursed energy residuals lingering on the streets.
There's a chance that the cursed energy she's seeing doesn't belong to the brothers that she's searching for, but it's unlikely. Small towns don't tend to have very many people, so the chance of coincidentally running into other sorcerers in the area is slim… unless, of course, it's no coincidence at all. Which is what could be said for Shiki herself and her uncle here.
It's a bit bizarre, but Shiki ends up tracking down the cursed energy residuals all the way to what seems like a residential house. Which is just beyond sloppy, to the point where she's starting to suspect that they're being led into a trap instead.
Ken-jichan clearly thinks the same, because he asks Shiki to remain a small distance away while he goes to knock on the door by himself.
Shiki doesn't really see why Ken-jichan should be the one springing the trap while she's the one with the stronger defensive technique, but her uncle is very insistent about it. And… Shiki doesn't want to argue with him, especially not when it seems like he's finally starting to move past being upset with her for killing the Yagyu elders.
She's close enough to intervene if something dangerous does end up happening, anyways.
So–
Ken-jichan knocks sharply on the door, waiting silently for a few moments, before raising his hand and knocking again.
The door bursts open.
"Goddamnit, I've already told you that was the last time I'd be running any jobs for you and your crazy curse… user…" Brown hair, dark gray eyes. The young man standing in the doorway blinks, and then scowls fiercely at Ken-jichan. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?"
"Hello to you too," Ken-jichan says dryly. "There are some questions that I would like to clarify with you about your… recent transaction with the Yagyu Clan."
"Oh, you're a Yagyu?" The nameless young man arches an eyebrow skeptically. "Don't remember seeing you around… or I guess you're from one of the other clans, huh. Fuck. I've already told you lot before that I'm just the middleman for delivery. If you want in on the goods, you gotta take it up with the cult guys."
The automatic assumption that the strange sorcerer on his doorstep belongs to a sorcery clan is… interesting. It indicates that he's dealt with many sorcery clans before, enough to automatically assume that any sorcerer showing up unannounced is one that's looking to do business.
The mention of 'cult guys' is also something that Shiki makes a mental note of. Because that… is most likely referring to Geto-san's cult.
"I'm not looking to purchase cursed spirits from you," Ken-jichan states firmly. "I want to know about your contact with the cult."
"… You're not a clan sorcerer." The young man's eyes narrow. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Someone investigating the cult," Ken-jichan responds, voice level. "It's a personal investigation, and I can pay you for your information."
At the mention of receiving payment, the young man's entire demeanor immediately brightens. "Oh! You could've just led with that, dear customer–"
His voice cuts off with a pained cry as a fist suddenly comes down on his head out of nowhere. A reprimanding strike, rather than something aimed to kill.
"We don't sell out our collaborators," a new voice says flatly. The man who emerges onto the doorstep beside the one clutching his head is considerably colder than his companion as he regards Ken-jichan with flinty eyes. "And I'm not doing business with someone who shows up out of nowhere on our doorstep uninvited. Kon Shiu should've told you our rules already."
Kon Shiu?
Another name to investigate, perhaps.
"But Bro," the other man grumbles, "You just cut off our largest source of income! If we can't get the money together, then how are you going to–"
"Shut up," the older man hisses. "I told you before, they messed up and got the attention of the Gojo Clan on them! Small fry like us don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of surviving unscathed if we keep digging ourselves deeper into this mess. And not selling out the people we've worked with is a matter of principle. You think we're ever going to get any other work if word gets out that we're not trustworthy?"
"Ordinarily I would agree that your principles are admirable," Ken-jichan murmurs, "But in this case I would ask that you consider making an exception."
"And if we make an exception for you, then where do we draw the line?" the man fires back immediately. "Kobayashi Tamotsu doesn't sell out his clients. Ever. Now get away from my house and don't come back, sorcerer."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ken-jichan responds calmly.
"… You sure you want to turn this into a fight?" A faint shadow falls over Kobayashi Tamotsu's eyes. "I don't care even if you're a Grade Two sorcerer, Aoma and I have held our own against Grade Ones before."
Briefly, Ken-jichan remains silent. Then, with a small sigh, reaches into his pocket –a movement which has both curse users tensing across from him– and pulls out a small card. The license that was provided to him by the Jujutsu Headquarters, proclaiming his name and rank clearly in black and white print.
Name: Nanami Kento. Rank: Grade One
The younger curse user's threatening smile turns slightly fixed. "Uh, Bro, can you pinch me real quick so I can make sure I'm not hallucinating?"
"… You're not hallucinating," the older Kobayashi says, sounding both angry and resigned at his brother's antics. His gaze cuts back towards Ken-jichan, "What's a Grade One sorcerer from a non-sorcerer background doing at the beck and call of one of the sorcery clans? Finally decided to take a page out of Kusakabe Atsuya's books? The Yagyu Clan doesn't seem to be doing too well recently, though."
"I'm not here on behalf of the Yagyu Clan," Ken-jichan informs him.
"It doesn't matter who you're here on behalf of," Kobayashi Tamotsu shakes his head, "If you think that sorcery clans give a damn about outsiders, then think again. And if you think you've finally found a shield for yourself, then you should know that's complete and utter bullshit. Doesn't matter if they're better than the Yagyus or not. Even one of the Three Great Families can fall –everyone knows what the Gojos did to the Kamos."
"…" Ken-jichan, a Grade One sorcerer affiliated with the Gojo Clan by his relation through Shiki, is quiet for a long moment.
"I'm not gonna tell you what you're after," the other man continues. "If you're a Grade One sorcerer chasing after the cult, then you have to know that the one in charge is a Special Grade. Someone like that could crush us in his sleep. Whoever assigned this mission to you essentially sent you on a suicide run!"
Shiki raises an eyebrow. How rude.
"They don't know what they're talking about, ojou-sama," Choki whispers quietly beside her.
She supposes that's true.
"Look," Ken-jichan tries, "That's not–"
"No, that's most definitely the case," the curse user cuts him off determinedly. "It doesn't matter how much money you try to offer us, it's not worth our lives, and there's no way the cult is going to let us live if they think we've sold them out. I–"
"I could also kill you right now, if you're not going to speak," Shiki states blandly as she steps forward. She appreciates Ken-jichan's attempt, but this conversation is clearly going nowhere at the moment.
Both curse users gape at her unexpected entrance. Ken-jichan, on the other hand, raises a hand to pinch his brow.
"That was a threat," she clarifies helpfully, so Ken-jichan doesn't actually think that she's a hair's breadth away from killing two curse users when they still need to extract information from them. There's a difference between threatening to kill, and intending to kill.
If Shiki had really intended to kill them, then she would've unsheathed her sword already.
"I…" Kobayashi Tamotsu swallows roughly, taking an unsteady step backwards, then pausing as the motion causes him to bump into his brother. Somehow, this seems to steady him, and his hands curl into fists as he takes in a deep breath.
Shiki waits patiently. If he continues to stubbornly maintain his silence, then that just means she'll–
"I surrender!" the man shouts, falling to his knees with a distinct thud.
…
Shiki blinks owlishly at the unexpected turn of events. Well, at least that simplifies things…?
"… Bro, what the fuck?" The other Kobayashi curse user splutters, stupefied by his brother's actions.
Kobayashi Tamotsu's only response to this is to strike his brother in the back of the knees so that the other man is also kneeling down in short order.
"Ow, my kneecaps!"
"That's the Gojo Clan's Blessed Child," Kobayashi Tamotsu hisses, "Your kneecaps should be the last of your worries right now!"
Ken-jichan turns towards Shiki tiredly, "Did you know they would react like this?"
Shiki shakes her head. If she'd known that the curse users would promptly surrender at the very sight of her, then she would've just insisted on being the one to knock on their door in the first place.
"I still appreciate your efforts though, Ken-jichan," she makes sure to tell her uncle.
"… Wait a sec. 'Ji-chan?'" The younger Kobayashi slowly looks between the two of them. "… My dude, you couldn't have just introduced yourself as the Blessed Child's uncle?"
"My mistake," Ken-jichan says, voice as dry as the desert sand. "In any case, would the two of you perhaps be more open to cooperating with us now?"
"… Yeah, like we've fucking even got a choice in this." Kobayashi Tamotsu sighs heavily. "But if it's between dying right this instant at the hands of the Gojo Clan, or dying in the future at the hands of a Special Grade sorcerer's furious cult… we'll take the option that lets us live a little longer. What do you want to know?"
.
.
…
.