Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Mahito's Plan
A vast black curtain, invisible to the naked eye, stretched over the entire Kanagawa Prefecture like an upside-down bowl beneath the clear sky.
"An impressive barrier technique. Is it someone from Jujutsu High? When did they get someone capable of such advanced barrier work?"
A man with long black hair tied into a bun and wearing a traditional Gojo-style robe gently pressed his hand against the dark curtain. It was like touching an invisible wall—he couldn't go further.
A noticeable stitched scar ran across his forehead, with a strand of hair hanging over his left eye.
"Is it a barrier that only lets people in but not out?"
He smirked slightly. "Looks like Mahito's in for some trouble."
Still, Mahito's cursed technique was unique. Even if he lost a fight, he could escape easily, so there wasn't much to worry about.
The man turned and walked away without attempting to break the curtain. After all, he couldn't let the people from Jujutsu High see him just yet. He only needed to ensure that Mahito's plan proceeded smoothly.
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"Yo."
"Oh, it's Geto."
On the rooftop of a tall building, Mahito turned his head and casually greeted the man with the bun and Gojo-style robe.
"How's your plan going?" Geto Suguru asked.
"Well, so far, so good."
Mahito smirked and looked down at the street below. His gaze settled on Itadori Yuji and his two companions walking together.
"From the moment Junpei chose the vessel of Ryoumen Sukuna, the next steps were set. By making Junpei clash with the Sukuna vessel, Sukuna will gain control of the body. If we can replace the vessel with Sukuna entirely, that would be ideal. If not, we can still try to win him over."
"If only Jogo were as level-headed as you."
Geto Suguru sighed, spreading his hands.
Last time, that fool had gone straight after Gojo Satoru and got his head taken off. If Hanami hadn't stepped in, Jogo would have been dead already.
"His straightforwardness is kind of charming, don't you think?"
Mahito chuckled.
Geto Suguru simply smiled faintly and didn't continue the topic. "The girl hanging around the Sukuna vessel—she's not wearing a Jujutsu High uniform, but she's probably one of their students, right?"
"I don't care about people outside the plan. If she gets in the way, I'll kill her."
Mahito sat on the edge of the rooftop, his long legs swinging casually in the air.
"Jujutsu High wouldn't send students ranked below Grade 2 for a mission like this. There's probably a team leader. How do you plan to deal with that?" Geto Suguru asked.
"I've already sent the invitation. All that's left is to wait."
A flicker of anticipation flashed in Mahito's mismatched eyes. "I hope they send someone strong. Otherwise, I can't continue my experiments."
"Looks like you're confident. Let me give your plan a little boost."
Geto Suguru pulled a withered, deathly finger from his wide sleeve and handed it to Mahito.
After a brief moment of surprise, Mahito quickly understood his intention. "You're really willing to part with this, huh?"
"It's just part of the plan."
Geto Suguru smirked meaningfully.
##
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After Itadori Yuji went to Yoshino Junpei's house for dinner, only Ijichi Kiyotaka and Yukinoshita Yukino remained in the car.
"Yukinoshita-san, is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Ijichi Kiyotaka asked.
"Please wait a moment. I'll message Hayashizaki to ask where he is."
Yukinoshita Yukino took out her phone and sent Hayashizaki a message, asking for his current location.
Almost instantly, a location pin was sent over: Seino Bar.
Looking at the location Hayashizaki sent, the girl frowned immediately.
The next moment, the message was recalled.
Two minutes later, a new location came through — the family restaurant they had visited earlier.
Yukinoshita Yukino: ?
Hayashizaki: Come over for dinner.
With a slight headache, Yukinoshita Yukino pinched the bridge of her nose and informed Ijichi Kiyotaka of the address, asking him to drive her there.
Before long, the car stopped in front of the family restaurant where Hayashizaki was waiting. Before getting out, Yukinoshita Yukino asked, "Ijichi-san, would you like to join us for dinner?"
"No, no, no, that won't be necessary. Thank you for your kind offer, Yukinoshita-san."
Ijichi Kiyotaka quickly shook his head in refusal, almost knocking his glasses off his nose.
"Well then, I'll be off. Thank you for your hard work today."
"I didn't do much, just driving around. You're the one who worked hard, Yukinoshita-san."
After Yukinoshita Yukino got out of the car, he stepped on the gas, driving off quickly down the road.
Yukinoshita Yukino watched him leave before turning around to enter the family restaurant she had visited earlier that afternoon.
The moment she turned around, she saw a handsome young man with black hair sitting by the window, waving at her from inside.
The girl stood on the street, expressionless, meeting his gaze.
Hayashizaki's expression immediately turned awkward.
Why was I so quick to text back?
Yukinoshita Yukino walked into the restaurant and noticed a group of high school girls sitting at a table not far from Hayashizaki. They were secretly taking pictures of him with their phones.
After giving the four girls a glance as she passed by, she walked straight to Hayashizaki's booth and sat down across from him.
The girls who were sneaking pictures suddenly looked embarrassed.
"So, Hayashizaki, care to explain why you were at a bar?"
Yukinoshita Yukino wrinkled her delicate nose and asked in a displeased tone, "Or did you find any leads at the bar?"
"Leads? Of course, I did."
Hayashizaki crossed his hands and rested them on the table, pretending to be deep in thought. "If everything goes as expected, that special-grade curse spirit should still be somewhere in Kanagawa Prefecture."
"And then?"
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino's face showed a "that's it?" expression.
"Well, I put up a barrier around the entire Kanagawa Prefecture. This way, we don't have to worry about the enemy escaping."
He pointed toward the sky outside the window.
Following his finger, Yukinoshita Yukino finally noticed the barrier hidden among the clouds. The boundary was so vast that it was hard to spot without paying close attention.
"So, aside from setting up a security measure, you've done nothing else, right, Hayashizaki?"
Yukinoshita Yukino shifted her skeptical gaze back to him.
"Oh, let's order first!"
Hayashizaki pretended not to hear, eagerly handing the menu to the girl across from him.
…
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