.
For all the Kobayashi brothers' newfound willingness to cooperate with Shiki and her uncle, one fact soon becomes abundantly clear: As it turns out, neither of the Kobayashi brothers have actually seen Geto Suguru in person before.
"I mean, he's a Special Grade. Makes sense that a Special Grade wouldn't bother dealing with riffraff like us himself, right?" Kobayashi Tamotsu chuckles mirthlessly. "Usually it was always one of his underlings –s'cuse me, his family– who would bring the cursed spirits to guys like us. And then we'd take care of completing the rest of the business transaction from there."
"There are more people like you, then?" Ken-jichan asks, brows furrowing slightly.
"Curse users out there cooperating with them? Yeah, of course there are," the older Kobayashi responds easily. "Not all clans live in Kyoto, after all, and the cult doesn't have enough people to cover enough ground on their own. So it's better for them to keep middle-men like us around and delegate, so they can reach a larger client base. Spread the word too and all, yadda yadda ya."
Hm. If Geto-san is being selective about the members that he accepts into his cult, then it makes sense that he would hire curse users like the Kobayashi brothers to use instead of outright recruiting them into his 'family.'
And… perhaps this is also Geto-san's way of protecting his curse users, too. Having more middle-men working for him would make it harder for the sorcery clans that he's dealing with to identify and target people who were actually in his inner circle, if none of them were the ones directly performing transactions themselves. Geto-san might be strong enough to walk in and out of a sorcery clan unharmed, but the same would not necessarily hold true for his close allies.
If Geto-san wanted to ensure his allies' safety, whilst also refraining from conducting all of the transactions himself in order to focus his attention elsewhere… then, people like the Kobayashi brothers became necessary in this picture.
"How do you maintain contact with the cult?"
Kobayashi Tamotsu winces slightly.
"… So, uh," the younger Kobayashi speaks up hesitantly in his brother's place. "The thing is, we… don't really have a way to directly contact them anymore? Like, uh. The job with the Yagyus was the last one we took for them, so we… erm…"
"Try again," Shiki tells the man, unimpressed.
"W-What my younger brother means is," the older brother hastily draws attention back to himself, "We already told them last time that we… that we wouldn't be working with them anymore. Not after what went down with the Yagyus. So we're not… directly in contact with one of the guys in charge of this whole thing anymore…"
It's quite obvious that the brothers are reluctant to reveal information, still. Perhaps it's fear that stays their tongues. Fear of reprisal, of the consequences that might be visited upon them were they to lead Shiki to Geto-san's cult.
But unfortunately for them, vague answers are not something that Shiki is going to be satisfied with listening to. She didn't make up her mind to search for Geto-san only to be stalled by two curse users who feared Geto-san more than they did her–
"B-but!" Kobayashi Tamotsu exclaims. "The guy who put us in touch with them in the first place, we can give you his number and tell you how to contact him!"
Shiki supposes that, from Kobayashi's perspective, this would be the best possible outcome for him. Redirect the Blessed Child's attention onto someone else, and have the other person bear the brunt of the cult's ire. Caught between Geto Suguru, a Special Grade curse user leading his own cult, and Gojo Shiki, a Grade One sorcerer who was a beloved child of the Gojo Clan… how could small-time curse users come out unscathed?
The young girl looks at the curse user consideringly. Kobayashi Tamotsu's smile gains a slightly fixed edge, but remains unwavering as he looks directly towards her.
… Which is something that not everyone in the Gojo Clan can do, even.
Shiki supposes that she can understand the reason behind his deflections, but in the end… the Kobayashi brothers' comfort is not something that she needs to be overly concerned about. As long as they're not lying to her, and she is able to find Geto-san by following the trail that they're helping her uncover, then that's all Shiki cares about.
So then, in this case…
"Who is the individual that you have in mind?" she asks.
Kobayashi Tamotsu breathes out a small sigh of relief.
"Kon Shiu," he answers swiftly and confidently. "He's a handler –one of the actually trustworthy ones in this business. Not a sorcerer himself, but Kon-san is a sighted person who works almost exclusively with curse users. He was the one who originally put us in touch with Geto Suguru's cult; he'll definitely know how to reach out and find them."
"I know of Kon Shiu's name, ojou-sama," Choki murmurs quietly from behind Shiki. "It is true that Kon Shiu is a known individual who works as a mediator between curse users and those who… seek such services."
"And?" Shiki knows that Choki would not have interjected like this if there was not something important that he wished to inform her of.
Choki exhales softly. "… And this is the same individual who once liaised on behalf of the Time Vessel Association, who sought to hire a mercenary to assassinate the Star Plasma Vessel to prevent a merger with Tengen-sama. The one who was hired through Kon Shiu's introduction was the Sorcerer Killer."
"Ah. I see."
… So Kon Shiu was truly a notable individual, then, if he was the one responsible for bringing the Sorcerer Killer into that mission. Kobayashi Tamotsu was most likely not lying to her.
Ken-jichan draws in a sharp breath from beside her, "You're certain of this?"
"Yes," Choki responds. "The records on sighted individuals are far less well-kept than those on sorcerers and curse users, but for certain people… there are exceptions. Kon Shiu came to the administration's notice for his part in arranging the successful assassination of Amanai Riko, and then for helping Geto Suguru fully dismantle and restructure the Time Vessel Association for his own use within his first year as a curse user."
"Wow," the younger Kobayashi brother blinks. "Kon-san sure is impressive, huh?"
Kobayashi Tamotsu reaches over a hand tiredly and slaps his palm over his brother's mouth. "That's not what you're supposed to be taking away from this, Aoma."
"Mmrph?"
Ignoring his brother's indignant confusion, Kobayashi Tamotsu sighs and turns back towards them. "I… is this going to be a problem? I understand if you don't wish to work with Kon-san because of his… work history… but as far as I know he's honestly going to be your best bet at getting to Geto Suguru."
"His work history isn't a problem."
A warm hand lands on her shoulder; Shiki turns, and finds herself looking into her uncle's worried gaze.
"… Don't force yourself," Ken-jichan says after a slight pause.
"I'm not," Shiki shakes her head. "There's no need to be concerned, Ken-jichan."
If her uncle is worried about her reaction towards this… it's a needless concern. True, the Star Plasma Vessel mission isn't something that Shiki thinks fondly of, but it would be a lie to say that it's something that haunts her as Ken-jichan apparently thinks it might be.
Truthfully… her encounter with the Sorcerer Killer had been quite brief, all said and told. The first time she'd seen him, it had only been a short altercation where she'd been outclassed and outmatched by the man. Then, the second and last time she'd seen him, it had only been for a scant few seconds before she'd been skewered by a sword through the chest alongside Satoru-niichan.
There's still a lingering scar directly on her chest from that injury, even now. It's quite faint, and the same goes for the equally faint matching scar on her back.
But Zenin Toji, the Sorcerer Killer himself, had left a deep impression on her. Not one of fear, but rather… the entire incident had impressed upon Shiki a powerful desire to become stronger, because otherwise she would be a burden to those around her. A liability.
Is this a form of trauma? Perhaps. Shiki couldn't say for certain.
… But even if it is, it's not something that will affect her judgment in this moment. The mission to protect the Star Plasma Vessel had ended long ago, and the Sorcerer Killer was already dead. Kon Shiu might've been responsible for bringing in the Sorcerer Killer, but it was the Time Vessel Association that had wanted Amanai Riko dead in the first place. The Sorcerer Killer was merely the means through which they'd accomplished this fervent desire of theirs, and not the root cause.
Kon Shiu was only another tool that the Time Vessel Association had used to achieve their goals, too.
… If the Time Vessel Association could use the man, then so could Shiki.
"You're not…" Kobayashi Tamotsu regards her carefully. His voice wavers slightly, and falters. "… You're not going to kill Kon-san, are you?"
"That depends on Kon-san, I think." Knowing the role that he'd played in the disastrous Star Plasma Vessel mission doesn't endear him to Shiki, true, but it's not enough reason for her to kill him just because of that. Especially not when she still needs the man to point her towards Geto-san first.
The expression that Kobayashi Tamotsu makes upon hearing her answer is a strange one, halfway torn between being relieved and being worried all at the same time. It's almost impressive.
"Kon-san is… look, I know he's done a lot of shady, questionable stuff over the years, but he's… he's not a bad person," Kobayashi Tamotsu finally says, running a frazzled hand through his hair. "Really, he isn't. And I know you probably don't believe me, but… Kon-san is important to a lot of curse users. That means if you kill him, then… a lot of people are going to be upset about it."
"Upset enough to try to kill me?" Shiki tilts her head.
At this, the curse user pauses.
"… Probably not, actually, now that I'm thinking about it," he mutters under his breath. "They'd have to be insane to try something like that and risk Gojo Satoru's wrath, as well as the ire of the entire Gojo Clan. But… even if most people will bury their heads in the sand, there are probably some who are crazy enough to try and retaliate."
Then that would just have to be a risk that Shiki will take. It wouldn't be her first time being targeted by people who wish to see her dead.
Kobayashi Tamotsu sighs, and pulls out his phone.
"Kon Shiu's number is this," he pulls up something on his handheld phone screen, and turns it around towards her. Without a word, Choki steps forward to scrutinize the string of numbers displayed across it. "When you call him, just… just tell him that you're a client looking for someone to take a job for them, and you heard that he's the best guy to ask about this sort of thing through the grapevine. It shouldn't be too hard to get things done after that."
Is that really what he thinks?
Shiki is unfamiliar with Kon Shiu, and today is the first time that she's heard the man's name. But given what Choki has told her of the man's history, it sounds like the man is a smart person. To accomplish what he did, and then successfully evade the administration's grasp in the following years while simultaneously continuing his original line of work… that's not something that someone without a good head on their shoulders and a keen sense of danger would've been able to do.
So, someone like that would probably be careful with their clientele. Especially after their near-miss with the Time Vessel Association that had exposed them to the attention of the Jujutsu Headquarters. Pretending to be one of Kon Shiu's clients wasn't necessarily something that could successfully draw the man out. If they didn't play their cards right, then they might in fact alert the man to something wrong instead, before they ever got to ask for information on Geto-san from him.
… Was this something that Kobayashi Tamotsu was banking on, perhaps? Even though he seems to be only all too willing to throw someone else under the bus in place of himself and his brother, so to speak, it also seems that he thinks quite well of Kon Shiu. Is concerned for the man, even though he's setting Shiki on his trail at the same time.
His words and actions are rather contradictory to each other, but Shiki wouldn't understand what goes through the mind of curse users.
Nonetheless, if Shiki tries and fails to get hold of Kon Shiu… then, there will be two options for her to take in that situation. Either she could choose to double down on chasing Kon Shiu, or she could turn around and find the Kobayashi brothers again. In the case of the former, Shiki would be Kon Shiu's problem and the Kobayashi brothers would be spared from her attention. And in the case of the latter…
If the Kobayashi brothers decided to start running from the very moment that Shiki left their doorstep to seek Kon Shiu, then perhaps they believed that they would be able to escape from her.
They wouldn't be able to make it very far, though. Not that it would stop them from trying, in all likelihood. And that would be a waste of time on Shiki's end, if she had to go on a convoluted merry chase…
In that case, then–
"I want," she decides, "An introduction."
"… Eh?"
The Kobayashi brothers look at her in confusion.
"I want an introduction to Kon Shiu," Shiki repeats herself evenly. "Not just a method to contact him. Introduce me to Kon Shiu as a prospective client."
The Kobayashi brothers are familiar with Kon Shiu. In that case, then the two of them reaching out to contact the man wouldn't be something that's immediately looked at with suspicion. It also means that they won't have a chance to run while Shiki is otherwise preoccupied. And if it turns out that they're lying to her… well, then it's even more convenient to keep them close at hand, isn't it?
"Eh? T-that's…" Kobayashi Tamotsu hesitates.
Ken-jichan looks between them, clearly catching on to the nuances behind their exchange. Kobayashi Tamotsu clearly wishes to extricate himself from this situation, instead of getting involved any further. But since he's the only sure lead that Shiki has from the Yagyu Clan, she's not about to let go of him so easily. Not before she's received any satisfying answers, at the very least.
"Kobayashi-san," Ken-jichan finally says, "Please cooperate with us. I understand that you do not wish to risk yourselves unnecessarily, whether it's offending the Gojo Clan or offending Geto Suguru's cult. But it's a known fact within the Gojo Clan right now that my niece intends to track down Geto Suguru. Anyone in possession of the facts who learns of our visit here to you today will suspect you of selling information on Geto Suguru's whereabouts to the Gojo Clan. Especially once we leave the both of you unscathed."
So whether or not Kobayashi Tamotsu fully cooperates with them or not, there will be doubt and suspicion cast upon him.
Kobayashi Tamotsu desperately wants a method that neatly removes himself and his brother from the current situation entirely, without unduly offending Geto Suguru or the Gojo Clan that Shiki represents. But unfortunately for him, there's no perfect solution to his problem.
From that perspective, is it not better for them to attempt to earn goodwill with the Gojo Clan, if drawing suspicion from Geto-san's cult is unavoidable for the brothers at this point?
"I…" There's a look of visible reluctance on Kobayashi Tamotsu's face. But Ken-jichan's words are sensible, and the reminder that it's not just what they do or choose not to do but also the perception of others that matters in this situation… it appears to make him waver.
Shiki decides to give the man an extra push.
"I can compensate you for your assistance," she tells him.
"… So, uh, how much are we talking about?" His younger brother asks cautiously, perking up at the mention of 'compensation.' "If we're getting paid, then this might not be such a bad deal, Bro!"
Kobayashi Tamotsu stares at Shiki for a long moment. Then, grits his teeth slightly.
"If… if my brother and I do our best to help you. Can you promise that we won't face any retaliation from… no. Can you help us get out of the country?"
His voice is wavering. It's clear that he has no confidence in himself at all as he makes this request of her, and yet something spurs him to ask it all the same. Concern for his own wellbeing, perhaps? Or maybe that of his brother's?
Shiki can recognize that the curse user is doing his best to make the most out of a bad situation, even though he's pushing his luck a little at the moment.
"It depends on how well you and your brother do your job," she responds.
Kobayashi Tamotsu huffs slightly, shoulders sagging. "… I suppose that's the best I'm going to get. I… fine, what the hell. I'll… introduce you to Kon Shiu. Aoma doesn't need to come along with us."
Very well. "Choki, make arrangements to have Kobayashi Aoma seen to for however long it takes for us to find Kon Shiu."
"As you command, ojou-sama," her assistant bows calmly.
Kobayashi Tamotsu, on the other hand, is not nearly as calm. "Wait, what do you mean, 'seen to?'"
The Kobayashi brothers may have been cooperative so far, but Shiki trusts them just about as much as they trust her. Which is to say, not very much at all. Since that's the case…
"I will have people keeping an extra eye on your brother," Shiki says. "Do you object to this?"
"Who in their right mind would agree to being watched?" Kobayashi Tamotsu fires back instantly, and narrows his eyes. "… You don't trust us, so you're taking my brother hostage?"
"So far you've only given me the impression that you desire to avoid conflict, not that you're a trustworthy individual," Shiki informs him candidly. "But the lack of trust between us is mutual and normal, given the circumstances. I should also remind you –if anyone from Geto-san's cult comes looking for your brother while you're separated from each other, then it's for the best that he's not on his own."
Shiki only has Kobayashi Tamotsu's word that the two brothers had cut off their business relations to Geto Suguru's cult, after all. The people watching Kobayashi Aoma would either be able to uncover another lead to Geto-san if this was a lie, or be able to act as an extra layer of security for Kobayashi Aoma if it turned out that there were angry cultists who wanted to mete out punishment on the Kobayashi brothers.
"Or," Ken-jichan interjects, "Kobayashi Aoma could just come with us to find Kon Shiu."
That could also work. Kobayashi Tamotsu is the one who wishes to leave his brother behind, though.
"It's fine, Bro," the younger man pats his older brother on the shoulder. "Look, I get that you don't want to get involved with the clans any more than necessary, but I think we're pretty well past caring about that by this point."
Kobayashi Tamotsu sucks in a deep breath. "… Yeah, I know. I know."
"Plus, if you think about it," Kobayashi Aoma adds, "Technically it was the cult that decided to get involved with sorcery clans first, and we all knew about the risks going into this. Just so happens that we're the unlucky ones, I guess."
"When have we ever been lucky?" The older Kobayashi's lips curl upwards sardonically. "… Fine. I guess we're all going to take a trip to Kon-san's office together, then."
.
.
Kon-san's office, as it turns out, is located somewhere in Gifu.
… They end up having to push it back a bit, though. Shiki is briefly waylaid by a detour in Nagano where a Grade One cursed spirit had overpowered and incapacitated the Grade Two sorcerer who'd been the best option available at the time of the incident report.
The Grade One cursed spirit isn't strong, but it's certainly rather… annoying. Its appearance resembles that of some strange gelatinous fish, except it also possesses the ability to split itself into smaller pieces. And while it had been more than happy to suffocate the unlucky Grade Two sorcerer who'd been sent to exorcise it, the cursed spirit takes one look at Shiki and then explodes into hundreds of pieces –and promptly starts fleeing.
Fortunately, Choki had already locked down the area by drawing a Curtain beforehand.
"… The fuck is this?!" The younger of the two Kobayashi brothers yelps, pressing himself back against a nearby wall while a too-large fish oozes towards him.
Kobayashi Tamotsu is far more composed, swinging down a heavy steel wrench atop the splintered cursed spirit's head to crush it. The cursed energy reinforcement is clumsy, but it gets the job done with a loud wet splatter.
"A cursed spirit," he says. "Get a grip on yourself, Aoma, you've seen them before!"
"Yeah, but not like–"
The man's words are suddenly cut off with a muffled wet sound.
"Aoma!"
Shiki looks over at the panicked scream. One slimy piece of the cursed spirit had dropped down directly over the younger Kobayashi brother from above, and now covered the man's entire head. At a glance it was almost as if Kobayashi Aoma's head had been replaced by that of some sharp-toothed fish-creature instead.
Kobayashi Tamotsu's reaction appears to be entirely instinctive; he leaps towards his brother and starts clawing at the viscous slime choking his brother. But the slime is sticky as well, and begins crawling over the older Kobayashi, too–
Ken-jichan appears over the two of them with his cloth-wrapped cleaver raised high; cursed energy sparks, and then destroyed pieces of the slime-like cursed spirit go flying.
Kobayashi Aoma collapses to his knees, coughing roughly, and his brother follows him to the ground in concern.
"Aoma, are you alright?!"
"Just… peachy," the younger man manages with a weak grin. "That was both terrifying and absolutely disgusting, zero out of ten would not recommend it. Blegh."
"… Yeah, you're alright." Kobayashi Tamotsu huffs and rolls his eyes, tension seeping out of his frame now that he has ascertained for himself that his brother is well.
Which is an elementary mistake to make. As long as a cursed spirit has not been exorcised –and sometimes, even after a cursed spirit has been exorcised– it's important to remain vigilant.
Ken-jichan smacks away another slime-fish attempting to get the drop on the Kobayashi brothers, and whirls around to strike the other two leaping towards his legs. "Shiki, the core… there has to be a main body hidden away somewhere–"
"That's not necessary."
Shiki lifts the blade in her hand, and idly slashes down at the single gelatinous fish pinned under her foot. The glowing line vanishes as it's cut, and instantly all the slime-fish around them lose their shape and splatter thickly to the ground.
In the center of the alleyway, the largest slime-puddle wobbles, as if attempting to rise upwards–
But it never gets a chance to do so; Ken-jichan stands above it in the blink of an eye, and in another sharp crackle of cursed energy, the cursed spirit is finally exorcised for good.
"… It's finally dead?" Kobayashi Tamotsu swallows roughly.
The cursed spirit just now hadn't been particularly strong, but given the abilities that he and his brother displayed… it was something beyond their skill level to take care of. To be honest, Shiki hadn't planned on bringing anyone with her into this last-minute mission assigned to her. But Ken-jichan had been insistent on accompanying her, and Shiki refused to leave two curse users with Choki, so they ended up all heading into the Curtain together.
It had been clear from the start that the Kobayashi brothers weren't very used to dealing with cursed spirits, for all that they themselves were curse users. But the slime that comprised the cursed spirit's body wasn't immediately lethal; the Grade Two sorcerer had been unconscious and paralyzed but alive when they'd found the man ensconced in a thick layer of the gelatinous substance, so Shiki hadn't been too concerned about it. By her estimate, this cursed spirit was around the level of a Grade Two, not a Grade One. The Grade One ranking must've been a hastily-made change that happened once the Grade Two sorcerer went down.
Given that neither of the two Kobayashi brothers seemed to be faring very well, though… it seemed that an overnight stay in Nagano would not be amiss in the meantime.
After all, it would be quite suspicious if two curse users showed up on a mediator's doorstep battered and half-dead, wouldn't it?
.
.
Extra.
.
"Damn."
Kobayashi Aoma sighs, leaning back and thumping his head against the wall behind him with a soft 'thunk.'
… There was a lot that just happened recently, to the point where it all feels like a jumbled-up blur in his mind.
For starters, Aoma had not expected for the Gojo Clan to show up on his and his brother's doorstep out of nowhere. Neither had he expected to encounter someone like the Blessed Child, who was someone so far out of their league that they might as well live in completely different worlds.
After all, Aoma and his brother were just… two-bit curse users, really. Ones who never even exorcised more than a handful of cursed spirits in their lives, which made their lackluster performance today all the more embarrassing to think about.
… But it's not like Aoma and Tamotsu are the only curse users who stay away from cursed spirits. There's no point in fighting cursed spirits, for people like them. It's not as if curse users get paid for exorcising cursed spirits, so why would they risk their lives fighting monsters like that?
And even if they were paid for it–
Aoma doesn't want to fight cursed spirits. Tamotsu feels the same. In fact, Tamotsu had nearly died as a student –and no one had batted an eyelash at it! They all treated it like it was normal, and that sort of behavior, that sort of world–
Aoma was terrified of it.
You can't let them know you're scared.
… Aoma smiles and blusters and acts the part of a fool, but in truth he's just… constantly terrified.
He wonders if the Blessed Child was ever scared of fighting cursed spirits. Probably not. According to the stories, the Honored One had been crushing cursed spirits with his bare hands when he was just a tiny little kid, and Aoma doubts that the female version of him is any different.
Just once, Aoma had seen Gojo Satoru in person. It had been a long time ago, and it wasn't like it had been an official meeting or anything –in fact, Aoma had actually been one of the victims rescued from a cursed spirit's attack. But Aoma still remembers the way that Gojo Satoru had just effortlessly waltzed into the room, and then–
Splat.
Boom. Gone. The cursed spirit that had just devoured three people and been about to bite off Aoma's head turned into a purple smear on the ground in the blink of an eye, and there was a white-haired young man smiling in the doorway, blue eyes shining brightly.
"Oh hey, we've got some survivors here? Nice."
"Why are you like this? Satoru, you can't be so lackadaisical about–"
"Whatever, Suguru, what do you even care about–"
…
When Aoma first laid eyes on Gojo Shiki, he'd instantly recognized her. White hair and eldritch blue eyes –there was no one else she could possibly be.
He hadn't expected his brother to instantly surrender to her on his knees, but honestly… yeah, there was really no other way that could've ended.
Gojo Shiki is…
Surprisingly, she's less bloodthirsty than the rumors make her out to be. She'd threatened to kill them, but it wasn't like she'd actually acted on it. So maybe the rumors were exaggerated?
There was no doubt that she was terrifying, though. A single slash of her blade, and she'd somehow –she'd somehow incapacitated a Grade One cursed spirit, crippling it entirely. Aoma wasn't even sure what she did, only that he definitely did not want to be on the other end of her blade.
Maybe this was why Tamotsu was so wary of her. Why he'd done his best to avoid her, even though the girl hadn't allowed them any chance to escape. Aoma thinks that he gets it, in a way –if there was someone that he and Tamotsu needed to help them out with some task or another, then it was entirely possible that they'd resort to… rougher methods to ensure cooperation.
It doesn't feel so good from the other end of things, though. That, Aoma can say for certain.
But… Gojo Shiki could've been a lot rougher with the methods that she employed, and she didn't. So. That probably also counted for something?
… Aoma feels almost bad about selling out Kon Shiu, but… it's a cruel world out here, and everyone's gotta do what they gotta do. Tamotsu seems to feel worse about it, and Aoma gets it, but at the same time his brother is definitely more important to him than Kon Shiu.
Sorry, Kon-san. Hopefully you survive this experience. Gojo Shiki seems like a reasonable person, so there's a chance that you can talk your way out of this, unless you do whatever it was that Yagyu Toshiatsu and Yagyu Noriyasu did.
Fingers crossed.
And hopefully… hopefully, he and Tamotsu will be able to make it out alive and well.
.
.
…
.