Chapter 110: Anxious Waiting and the Signal of Return
The wings of the flying Cursed Spirit, the Cursed Spirit, flapped, carrying Rin through the night.
The evening breeze brushed Rin's cheek, taking away some of the sticky grime of blood and clearing his chaotic mind slightly.
He lay on the Cursed Spirit's broad back, limbs stretched out. The wounds on his body slowly healed under the effect of the Reverse Cursed Technique, leaving only a faint, fluctuating pain, ebbing and flowing like the tide.
The distant city lights dotted the landscape, like scattered diamonds on black velvet, but Rin's gaze was unfocused, lost in the endless darkness.
He raised a hand and touched his forehead. The blood there had already clotted, and as his fingertip traced the skin, he could feel slight bumps and unevenness.
Those were the shallow marks left after his brain had repeatedly torn and healed.
Regarding the final moments in the alley by Jujutsu High, his memory was veiled in fog.
He vaguely remembered that after Satoru Gojo arrived, the three of them seemed to have spoken, but there was no hostile tension in the air, only a heavy, suffocating silence.
He remembered Satoru Gojo's voice seemed very soft, unlike his usual flamboyant tone.
He remembered performing some action, as the Cursed Energy fluctuations of the White Snake Cursed Spirit lingered on his fingertips.
The Kyoto Jujutsu High Sorcerers who had been imprisoned inside the White Snake were gone. He knew without thinking that he must have released them while his consciousness was blurred.
But exactly how he released them, or what Satoru Gojo said to him, he couldn't recall at all.
The damage to his brain had shattered that memory, leaving only scattered fragments tumbling around in his mind.
Rin sighed softly, flipped over, and faced the night sky.
Geto Suguru was dead. This realization was clearly imprinted in his mind, yet it didn't bring the expected sorrow.
He could even recall Geto Suguru's expression when he finally closed his eyes, a relieved smile lingering on his lips, as if he had shed a massive burden and could finally get some proper sleep.
Yes, perhaps for Geto Suguru, this truly was the best ending.
He no longer had to carry the weight of those so-called "ideals" and "righteous causes," no longer had to be entangled by guilt and exhaustion, and no longer had to trudge alone through the darkness.
He could finally stop.
Rin should have been happy for him, but his heart felt hollow, as if a piece had been dug out, and cold wind kept rushing in.
He didn't understand why he had gone to such lengths for Geto Suguru.
Forcibly enduring the information onslaught of Unlimited Void, staking his life using Delayed Cursed Technique and Reverse Cursed Technique.
To check on the situation at Jujutsu High, he interrupted the Delayed Cursed Technique to summon the crows, nearly fainting on the spot.
Despite his severe injuries, he still tried his best to bring Geto Suguru out of the alley... These actions fundamentally went against his code of conduct.
Rin clearly remembered that in his previous life, he had grown up in an orphanage.
From childhood to adulthood, he never had a single friend; his only companions were the novels and anime piled beside his bed.
The first thing he learned was selfishness—only he mattered, and the life and death of others were irrelevant to him.
After coming to this world, he desperately sought strength, learning Jujutsu and copying Cursed Techniques. His original intention never changed: simply to protect himself and live well in this dangerous world full of Cursed Spirits.
But now? He was fighting desperately for someone else, staking his most cherished life for a person he could have simply "left alone."
"Is Geto Suguru important?" Rin asked himself inwardly.
The answer was yes.
After arriving in this world, Miguel was the first person willing to fight alongside him, and Geto Suguru was the first person willing to entrust his back and his worries to him.
They were friends and partners. Geto Suguru's weight in his heart might be slightly heavier than Miguel's. After all, it was Geto Suguru who brought him into the Star Plasma Cult, who gave him direction when he was lost, and who personally handed him the precious cursed spirit orb.
But no matter how important, it shouldn't cost him his life.
Rin raised his hand to cover his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily.
There was no sorrow, no anger, only an indescribable confusion.
He felt like an observer, watching himself make a choice that contradicted his true nature, yet unable to find any reason for it.
Was it because of Geto Suguru's "entrustment"? Or was it because he didn't want to see the person who always smiled gently die alone in the shadows?
Or perhaps, without realizing it, he was no longer the selfish orphan he once was?
The Cursed Spirit's wings flapped, flying toward the Star Plasma Cult.
The night grew deeper, and stars twinkled overhead, seemingly watching him in silence.
Rin closed his eyes, and Geto Suguru's final smile reappeared in his mind, along with the sunset and shadows in the alley, and Gojo Satoru's silent figure.
He still didn't understand why he had done this.
But he knew that, without realizing it, some things had already changed.
Inside the Star Plasma Cult's conference room, the air was heavy, like solidified concrete.
The clock on the wall ticked, and every second felt like a tap on everyone's heart. A full three hours had passed since the agreed-upon time for Geto Suguru and Rin to return.
Yet no news came through the communicator, not even a signal of Cursed Energy fluctuation.
The Executives sat around the long table. No one spoke; only their heavy breathing echoed in the room.
Everyone bore injuries—some were left from fighting Jujutsu Sorcerers earlier, others were added while covering their comrades' retreat. Bandages and bloodstains were glaringly obvious against their dark Cult Robes.
Miguel sat on the sofa closest to the window. His left arm was tightly wrapped in thick bandages, dark bloodstains had already seeped through, and even his breathing was accompanied by a slight gasp.
Manami sat beside him, handing him the healing Cursed Medicine for the third time:
"Miguel, please treat your wound first. If you delay any longer, it will get infected."
Miguel merely shook his head, his eyes fixed intently on the night outside the window, his voice hoarse:
"We'll talk about it when they return."
His gaze was filled with suppressed worry. Rin's confident appearance before leaving was still vivid in his mind, but three hours of silence was enough for the worst possible assumptions to proliferate.
Nanako and Mimiko leaned against the corner sofa. The two sisters huddled close together, their phones glowing, but they had no desire to open any apps.
Their eyes occasionally drifted toward the door before quickly lowering again, their fingers unconsciously twisting the hems of their clothes, their anxiety impossible to hide.
They didn't ask, "When will Geto-sama return?" but they knew better than anyone that if something happened to Geto Suguru, the Star Plasma Cult would truly fall apart.
"We can't wait any longer!"
Finally, Negi abruptly stood up from his chair, slamming his fist heavily onto the table, making the cups rattle.
The wound on his face was still bleeding, and his eyes were full of impatience:
"It's been three hours! Even if they were fighting Satoru Gojo, there should be some result by now! Something must have happened. We can't just sit here and wait for death; we have to go check the area near Jujutsu High!"
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Larue subconsciously tightened his grip on the Cursed Tool in his hand. Manami also looked up, her eyes showing hesitation. They all knew Negi was right, but no one dared to take the first step.
Just then, Miguel's low voice suddenly rang out, carrying undeniable authority:
"All of you, sit down."
Everyone's movements instantly froze, and they looked at him in unison.
Miguel slowly raised his head. Although his face was pale, his gaze remained sharp:
"If you don't want to die, no one is allowed to step outside the Star Plasma Cult until we receive news of Rin and Geto Suguru."