Chapter 5 - Pikachu I Choose You

Shinso almost flinched and turned around to stare at his teacher. "Please don't say you've been stalking me while I trained. That's creepy."

"Who do you take me for? I have better things to do," Gojo waved off his worries.

However, that still wasn't a definitive 'No'.

Gojo also seemed like the kind of guy who might do some silly shit even if he had more important matters to attend to.

"Also, what's with that reaction? The strongest jujutsu sorcerer told you that you have a talent for jujutsu," Gojo said with a smile. "How does that make you feel?"

"Indifferent," Shinso replied truthfully. "I've only learned the basics, there's nothing particularly special about that."

Talent? He wouldn't consider himself talented. Maybe above average, at best. For all he knew, this could be just a one-time thing, a fluke. He might be learning this easier because he never had cursed energy in his previous life and could sense it more naturally.

When compared to individuals like Yuta Okkotsu, who could use reverse cursed technique on others shortly after learning about Jujutsu, or the lawyer from the Culling Games, who quickly figured out how to use domain expansion without a teacher or books.

Compared to them, Shinso was far from extraordinary.

He wasn't about to let this make him overly confident. That kind of attitude was what second-rate villains exhibited.

"Ahahahahaha," Gojo Satoru suddenly burst into laughter, startling Shinso, and he took a step back.

What was the deal with this guy?

But, upon reflection, did he even want to know what was really going on inside Gojo's head? Honestly, yes. But it wasn't as if the white-haired teacher was going to reveal anything.

Instead, Shinso checked his stats.

Name: Shinso Masou
Age: 15

Cursed Energy Reserves: 133/157 → 203 (Grade 4 Sorcerer)

Strength 7 → 10/100
Agility 9 → 10/100
Endurance 5 → 9/100
Perception 13 → 15/100
Cursed Energy Output 8 → 17/100

Skills:
Sorcery (F → E)
Cursed Energy Manipulation (F → D-)

Innate Cursed Technique:
Cursed Game

His stats had increased, and Shinso couldn't help but smile. But then, a sense of wonder washed over him, as if he were floating in a refreshing spring.

Yes, this was it. As long as he worked hard and did everything he could to become stronger, whether this was a fluke or not didn't matter!

Gojo finally stopped laughing. "Do you know that people don't usually increase their cursed energy just from training alone? There have been cases of cursed energy output increasing during phases of heightened emotions or by using binding vows, but nothing like this."

The strongest modern sorcerer rubbed his chin, and the smile on his face only grew wider as the gears inside his head turned. A silence developed between them, with only Gojo's creepy smile breaking the monotony.

"Thanks for the compliment?" Shinso answered, sounding more like a question itself.

How was he supposed to react to something like that?

"This feels like getting rewards after completing certain achievements in a game," Gojo muttered. "The further you develop in sorcery, the higher your cursed energy will grow. That's good, very good."

Achievements? He didn't see anything like that. But he understood why Gojo could be seeing it like that because when he learned to use cursed energy yesterday, his cursed energy increased. Not by a lot, but it still increased, and today was the same too.

"Anyway, does your weakening debuff work when you use cursed energy on your weapon?"

"I don't know."

"Interesting. Let's test it out right now," Gojo put his palm forward and said. "C'mon, let's try it right now. Don't worry, even if your technique works, it would be useless against someone of my level."

Without hesitation, Shinso swung his sword at Gojo's hand. Though he instinctively didn't go all out, it didn't seem like the power behind his attack mattered much.

The sword halted in place as soon as it touched Gojo's hand. Yes, touched it, as Gojo had turned off infinity.

That was when Shinso realized that someone like Gojo would be his direct counter. Due to Gojo's infinity, he wouldn't even be able to touch him, which in turn meant the debuff wouldn't be applied.

"Hm, it seems like it doesn't work through a weapon," Gojo sighed. "So it must be connected to your cursed technique, at least in part. Well, let's check if it works if you use a cursed weapon. Maybe it didn't work just because it was a normal sword."

Gojo vanished, and a couple of seconds later, he reappeared. Now he held a red katana and handed it over. "Here, try this."

Shinso froze in place the moment the katana touched his hands. He wasn't skilled at sensing cursed energy, but he could sense the malevolence emanating from the sword. A chill ran down his spine as if he could detect something dangerous within the blade.

Gojo probably wouldn't give him something that would harm him, but an uncomfortable feeling lingered in his stomach. "Where did you obtain a weapon like this?"

"From the Gojo Clan's stash. It's called Blood Tear."

"What's its grade?"

"I don't know. I just picked it at random," Gojo shrugged.

"You know its name but not its grade?" Shinso asked, sounding suspicious.

Gojo shrugged, offering no answer to that. But Shinso persisted, "Moreover, with the Six Eyes, can't you discern the cursed energy within the weapon and determine its grade that way?"

Despite all this, Gojo had been gone for only a second. How could he choose so quickly? Shinso didn't trust Gojo's words for even a moment. Something seemed fishy, and it all felt premeditated.

Gojo remained silent for a moment and then said, "Regardless, let's try out that weapon."

Shinso thought, 'He didn't even bother making an excuse this time.' He still charged his weapon with cursed energy and swung at Gojo. This time, instead of letting the weapon hit his skin, Gojo grabbed the blade, and there was still an impact at the point of contact.

"See, even cursed weapons don't work," Gojo said, shrugging.

Shinso sheathed the sword, and the eerie, uncomfortable feeling from the blade lessened somewhat. He then extended the sword to Gojo. The teacher tilted his head in confusion and said, "Oh, that's yours now."

"Thanks," Shinso said, aware that this weapon was likely a valuable cursed tool, and those were all very expensive.

"Do you know if you gain experience from killing curses, like in games when you kill mobs?" Gojo inquired.

"I don't know, probably not," Shinso replied. His status page showed no experience bar, so he drew a logical conclusion.

"Really? Why don't we test that out, then?" Gojo placed a hand on Shinso's shoulder, and in a flash, they appeared in front of a cinema building.

When they arrived, Gojo seized Shinso by the back of his shirt, lifting him as if he were a cat. It was then that Shinso realized his feet were no longer touching the ground, and his body felt weightless—he was floating.

Despite this being a cinema, a place that should be crowded, there were no people around. It appeared as though everyone had evacuated.

"Yo, Ijichi," Gojo greeted his auxiliary manager with a wave. "What a coincidence that you're here, and we've stumbled upon a cursed site. Cast a curtain as we enter."

"Come on, you don't have to continue your horrible acting anymore," Shinso grumbled.

How had Ijichi arrived so quickly? Well, Gojo clearly knew about it in advance. So, this had been planned even before Gojo approached him.

A dark sludge materialized in the sky, forming a curtain around the cinema. Even though it was daytime, it blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow that made it feel like night.

As they entered the cinema, the place was pitch dark, and Gojo whistled while still holding onto the floating Shinso.

"Can you let me down?"

"Sure," Gojo deactivated his cursed technique, and Shinso landed on his feet. "It's about time anyway."

"Are you about to throw me into something dangerous?" Shinso asked.

At least it would make sense why Gojo had given him his cursed weapon.

"I'm hurt that you even think that I, as your dear teacher, would do something like that," Gojo wiped away his nonexistent tears. "It breaks my heart into a thousand pieces."

But it still wasn't a 'no'... again.

Just as Shinso was about to say something, a gurgling sound emanated from the end of the hallway, sending a chill down his spine. Whatever words he had been about to utter remained stuck in his throat. A fleshy creature came into view, its grotesque crimson lips and two blank masks stitched onto its flesh.

This was Shinso's first direct encounter with a curse. "Gross."

"That's a Grade 2 Curse. Go on, handle it," Gojo nudged him forward and added, "Believe in the power of friendship and nakama!"

'Why did I even have to come here!' Shinso sighed. Nevertheless, he prepared for a fight. Despite his annoyance, his mind was already working on how to defeat the monster crawling toward him with concealed flesh appendages.

He assessed his options: he could use his fists and the cursed weapon Gojo had given him. How should he approach this?

"This is only my second day at Jujutsu High, and I have to deal with this nonsense," Shinso sighed, eliciting a small chuckle from Gojo.

As Shinso gazed at the cursed spirit in all its grotesque glory, he couldn't help but feel scared. The creature was repulsive and inhuman, but Shinso couldn't afford to show fear.

His plan was clear: keep an eye out for any hidden appendages as he approached, ready to strike.

With that plan in mind, he advanced cautiously. Each step was lighter than the last and by the time he closed in on the grotesque creature, Shinso felt like he was flying.

However, as he neared a certain distance, the fleshy creature's red lips parted, and thorny tendrils emerged.

'Don't think about fear or what could happen when I fail, I just need to act. Keep moving!' Shinso urged himself, no longer having time for other thoughts.

He considered striking the appendages that extended from the cursed spirit's mouth but decided against it due to the thorns. Instead, he unsheathed his sword and sliced at the tendrils.

Shinso had expected some resistance, given that he was cutting through the fleshy bits of a monstrous creature. Surprisingly, it felt like cutting through air, leaving him in awe as he stared at his crimson katana.

The creature writhed in pain and withdrew its remaining appendages with a hollow scream.

Could cursed spirits even feel pain? Shinso pondered this question while his body had already begun to move. He landed three punches on the cursed spirit in an instant.

How could he punch so fast? Oh, right, cursed energy. He had almost forgotten he possessed superhuman abilities.

The cursed spirit slumped to the ground, and Shinso swung his katana like a fireman's axe chopping wood, not stopping until all that remained was a disgusting mass of flesh. Even after seemingly killing the curse, Shinso took two steps back and swung his katana through the air, watching as the cursed spirit's blood stuck to the blade before splattering on the ground.

'This was too easy; there's no way the cursed spirit just died like that. Gojo said it was a Grade 2 Curse, so there's likely some trick to it,' Shinso contemplated, his senses on high alert, scrutinizing every detail.

"Relax, you've already taken care of it," Gojo reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pointing at the disintegrating cursed spirit parts. "You handled it far better than I expected. No stumbling or panicking. Keep this up, and I might start thinking you're some fighting genius."

Whether those last words Gojo spoke were true or not, Shinso didn't consider himself anything like that. After all, he only fought so well because he could force his body to keep moving. He then stared at the katana that had cut through the cursed spirit easier than a hot knife through butter.

"Hey, did you earn any experience points?" Gojo asked, wearing a smile like a kid who just got a new video game. "Because if you did, we're going to power-level the shit out of you!"

Gojo's vulgar words didn't bother him, even though the man was his teacher. It was the sanest thing the blindfolded man had done today.

"Sure," Shinso checked his stats.

Name: Shinso Masou
Age: 15

Cursed Energy Reserves: 133/203 (Grade 4 Sorcerer)

Strength: 10/100
Agility: 10/100
Endurance: 9/100
Perception: 15/100
Cursed Energy Output: 17/100

Skills:
Sorcery (E)
Cursed Energy Manipulation (D-)

Innate Cursed Technique:
Cursed Game

There was a sense of disappointment when he saw that nothing had changed even after killing a Grade 2 Curse. But he had expected something like this; after all, if he could just go around killing spirits and leveling up, it would disrupt the world's balance, much like when Gojo was born.

"Nope, my stats haven't changed," Shinso sighed.

Despite the disappointment, he decided to look on the positive side of things. At least the world's balance hadn't shifted like it did when Gojo was born, so cursed spirits hadn't grown stronger in response.

"Well, that's a shame," Gojo shrugged and didn't appear surprised, despite his initial excitement. He had likely seen it with his Six Eyes if experience points had transferred from the cursed spirit to Shinso. "But you still did quite well, and I still don't know your limits. I mean, you defeated a Grade 2 cursed spirit. Maybe you could even take on a Grade 1?"

Just from Gojo's words alone, Shinso could tell that his teacher had something in mind that could be very dangerous for him. "I think I should take a break before fighting a Grade 1 cursed spirit."

Physically and mentally, Shinso felt in top shape. But he didn't know if his body and mind were suppressing any pain to protect his sanity or something like that. He usually wasn't the kind of guy who liked taking risks. What kind of normal guy would take risks? Also, he was the kind of guy who wasn't even that good with horror movies less than a week ago.

"You're right," Gojo nodded. "You need to rest before exorcising a Grade 1."

Gojo being reasonable? Shinso breathed out a sigh of relief. Despite everything, it seemed like Gojo still remembered that he was dealing with a young student.

The strongest modern sorcerer walked past Shinso, who had no choice but to follow his teacher. They navigated the dark hallways, and the further they went into the cinema, the less light there was until they reached the cinema hall.

There was a flickering projection of fuzzy white strips, like something straight out of a horror movie.

Shinso froze in place as even his novice senses picked up on something dangerous from the projection on the wall. "What the hell is that?"

"You were right, you should rest before taking on a Grade 1 cursed spirit. Since there are none of those in this building," Gojo smiled, and the sense of dread in Shinso's heart grew. "That's why we should skip straight to the special grade cursed spirit. Honestly, we should have started with that. I don't even know what I was thinking."