Chapter 108 (Patreon)

After Mahito and Kenjaku obtained the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, Sukuna’s finger, and four other special-grade cursed objects, things fell quiet for a while.

Even so, the number of ordinary people disappearing throughout Tokyo had clearly risen above normal.

Satoru Gojo let out a lazy yawn and said, “Ever since that last attack, they haven’t made another move.”

Ragnar Kagenou replied, “Their side took heavy damage. Especially that volcano-headed cursed spirit. It won’t be recovering anytime soon.”

Just as Ragnar said, Jogo was currently lying inside Dagon’s Domain, quietly focusing on healing his wounds.

“Bwo… bwoh…”

Because the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event had been interrupted by cursed spirits, the method of deciding the winner was changed to a baseball game.

Unfortunately for the Kyoto Campus, they had miscalculated.

The game ended two to zero, with the Tokyo Team taking a clean victory.

At that moment, Yoshinobu Gakuganji and Masamichi Yaga were speaking together.

Masamichi Yaga asked, “Do you still hate Yuji Itadori?”

Yoshinobu Gakuganji answered, “This is not a matter of personal dislike. According to jujutsu regulations, Yuji Itadori is not permitted to exist in this world.”

Then he gave a self-mocking smile.

“At least, that was how it was supposed to be. But ever since Ragnar Kagenou appeared, the rules we have upheld for a thousand years have become little more than foam on the water.”

“The rules were established by those who came before us. No matter what happens, refusing to break them is a form of respect toward our predecessors.”

Masamichi Yaga said, “But none of that matters to Ragnar Kagenou. He is not like Satoru Gojo. Gojo dislikes the higher-ups as well, but he still tries to change the system from within, step by step.”

“Ragnar Kagenou is different. If someone stands against him without the strength to back it up, the only result waiting for them is death.”

Yoshinobu Gakuganji sighed. “That is the confidence his power gives him. Even if he killed the jujutsu higher-ups, what could anyone do? No one would dare punish him.”

“Among the five Special Grade sorcerers in the entire jujutsu world, two are his students. Satoru Gojo also stands on his side. Even if they managed to win over Yuki Tsukumo, it would not change anything.”

“Recently, he even killed someone from Japan’s upper administration, and you saw what happened afterward.”

“They endured it in silence. No one dares to oppose a man who can destroy a city with a casual strike.”

In truth, when Ragnar Kagenou allowed him to arrange Yuji Itadori’s assassination, Gakuganji had already known that Yuji would not die.

Even without Ragnar’s protection, with Gakuganji’s current power, killing Yuji Itadori would have been impossible.

Masamichi Yaga said, “It would be best if you stopped trying to have him assassinated. Besides, Yuji Itadori being alive is not necessarily a bad thing.”

At this point, Yoshinobu Gakuganji had no choice but to accept the flow of events.

— — — — — —

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was early morning.

Satoru Gojo suddenly pushed the door open in a hurry and dragged Ragnar Kagenou out to attend a concert.

“Wait, wait…” Ragnar said, looking at him with suspicion. “Satoru, since when did you start following idols?”

Satoru Gojo shoved his phone screen right in front of Ragnar Kagenou’s face.

“I cannot see anything when you hold it that close.”

Left with no choice, Gojo moved the phone back a little, allowing Ragnar to look properly at the screen.

“Let me see… Tokyo Dome concert…”

Satoru Gojo said, “Come on, look carefully. Whose concert is it?”

Ragnar Kagenou studied the girl in the gorgeous stage outfit for a moment before his expression shifted.

“Hmm… Amanai… Riko Amanai?”

He paused.

“Wait. Am I still half-asleep? Riko became an idol? And she is holding a concert at the Tokyo Dome?”

Satoru Gojo nodded. “It’s hard to believe, right? If Riko hadn’t called me herself, I probably wouldn’t have believed it either.”

Ragnar Kagenou looked at the ticket Gojo handed him and could not help saying, “Is this real? Someone as theatrical as her becoming an idol is more unbelievable than a light novel plot.”

Not long after, Ragnar Kagenou and Satoru Gojo arrived at the Tokyo Dome.

Even though it was still morning, the area around the venue was already packed with people. The atmosphere was lively, almost festive.

It was obvious that a great number of people had come to see Riko Amanai’s concert today.

Afterward, the two of them were led backstage by Riko Amanai’s manager, Misato Kuroi.

“Ragnar! Satoru! I didn’t think you two would actually come!”

Riko Amanai was still having her makeup fixed, and seeing them again was clearly beyond her expectations.

Ragnar Kagenou said, “Riko, it has been a long time.”

Satoru Gojo said, “I happened to be free today, so I came to watch your concert.”

Riko Amanai smiled brightly. “That makes me happy! This is my first time performing on the Tokyo Dome stage, so I’m still incredibly excited.”

Suddenly, Riko Amanai stared at the two of them for a while.

Satoru Gojo asked, “What is it? Something you want to say?”

Riko Amanai said, “Why do you two still look exactly the same as you did more than ten years ago?”

Ragnar Kagenou asked calmly, “Is that a problem?”

“It is a huge problem!” Riko Amanai said. “You haven’t aged at all. I’m honestly jealous.”

Just then, Riko Amanai asked, “Where is Suguru Geto? Why don’t I see him? I thought he would come too.”

As soon as she said those words, she noticed that the atmosphere had changed slightly.

Ragnar Kagenou said, “Suguru had something to take care of, so he could not come.”

Although that was the answer he gave, Riko Amanai felt that something was not quite right. She immediately changed the subject.

“Well, never mind if he couldn’t make it. Do you want to know what songs I’m performing today?”

Gradually, the three of them began chatting.

There was no distance between them. The conversation flowed naturally, just like it had twelve years ago.

Knock, knock.

Misato Kuroi knocked on the door.

Riko Amanai looked at the clock reflected in the mirror.

“It looks like our time to catch up is over… Sorry, I have to go get ready for work.”

Satoru Gojo said, “Go on. I’m looking forward to your performance.”

Ragnar Kagenou also said, “Little lady, I will be cheering for you.”

Riko Amanai immediately shouted, “I’m not little anymore! Keep your eyes open and watch properly!”

After Ragnar Kagenou and Satoru Gojo left, the floor began to distort.

A moment later, the solid wooden floor split open, and a green plant stem slowly extended from the crack.

Following the stem upward, one could see a vivid red rose blooming beautifully at the top.

A staff member entered the backstage room to tidy up. When she saw the flower growing out of the floor, she did not think too much of it.

While she was cleaning the counter, the rose behind her slowly turned.

Then, from the center of the flower, an eye opened.

Buzz.

The lights in the room began flickering rapidly.

The staff member frowned as she continued tidying up.

“Why is it broken again? How many times has this happened this month? We clearly called someone to fix it, so why is it still like this?”

After she finished cleaning and turned to leave, she suddenly noticed that the rose behind her had disappeared.

Huh?

Wasn’t it just there?

Suddenly, the lights above her went out.

Puchi.

Buzz.

The flickering lights illuminated her body in broken flashes.

Plant roots had pierced straight through her.

Her body began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At that moment, beautiful roses bloomed from her mouth and eyes.

Blood was the finest nourishment for vivid red roses.