Chapter 47: Fushiguro Toji
Shoko subconsciously twirled a strand of hair that fell over her shoulder, letting out a soft hum, as if dazzled by the sunlight, or perhaps gently struck in the heart by some emotion.
A silent, warm, and subtle stillness once again enveloped the two of them.
Until Rika's excited shout came from downstairs: "Brother! Sister Shoko! Look!"
The two children held their hands high, and the small Platinum Ring on Rika's finger was emitting a dazzling golden light.
That brilliance stung Shoko's eyes.
Shoko's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her expression subtle and complex.
Toho Hiroshi withdrew his gaze, saying nothing, but the smile at the corner of his lips deepened slightly... At night, Rika was already asleep in her hospital bed.
Outside the ward, the hallway lights were dim and quiet.
Ieiri Shoko leaned against the cold wall, an unlit cigarette between her fingers, her brows slightly furrowed. She was uncharacteristically devoid of her usual languor, with a hint of an unshakeable worry between her eyebrows.
"Toho."
She called out to Toho Hiroshi, who was about to leave.
Toho Hiroshi stopped, turning to look at her.
Shoko rarely called him with such a serious tone.
"What's wrong, Shoko?"
Shoko took a deep breath, seemingly thinking about how to phrase her words: "It's about Geto. Have you felt that he's been acting strange lately?"
Toho Hiroshi's gaze slightly condensed: "He has indeed been much more silent recently."
"It's not just silence."
Shoko shook her head, her voice even lower, "The residual Cursed Energy on him sometimes carries a very oppressive feeling."
"Moreover, he's been taking on missions too frequently lately, almost without rest, as if he's escaping something, or searching for something."
She paused, then looked up, directly into Toho Hiroshi's eyes, and stated the most crucial information: "Just this afternoon, he took on a Special Grade mission alone to Kyoto. The target to be exorcised: Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Spirit—Tamamo-no-Mae Incarnation."
"I'm a little worried about him."
Shoko's tone carried an almost imperceptible weariness, "Gojo Satoru is too carefree, he might not have noticed, or even if he did, he wouldn't take it seriously. But I think Geto's state is very dangerous. The mission location is very remote, and the intelligence is a bit vague..."
Toho Hiroshi was silent for a moment.
He knew that Geto Suguru was currently at a crossroads of destiny, and any slight stimulus could push him into the abyss. Allowing him to go alone carried immense risk.
"I understand."
Toho Hiroshi nodded, his tone calm but with an unshakeable resolve, "I'll make a trip to Kyoto."
Shoko seemed to let out a sigh of relief, her taut shoulders relaxing slightly: "I hope I'm just overthinking things."
"You're not overthinking it."
Toho Hiroshi interrupted her, his eyes deep, "Geto's 'path' has indeed reached a critical point. Someone needs to be there to watch over him."
He didn't say more, but Shoko already understood.
She looked at Toho Hiroshi, her eyes filled with complex emotions, finally just humming softly and returning the unlit cigarette to her pocket: "Be careful."
"Don't worry."
Toho Hiroshi turned to leave, but before exiting the hospital, his figure slightly distorted at an empty corner, instantly disappearing... Kamui Space.
This was still a desolate and silent world composed of countless cubes.
On a relatively flat, massive cube, Fushiguro Toji lay shirtless, his grotesque wounds mostly healed, leaving only pink new flesh, demonstrating the terrifying regenerative power of a Heavenly Restriction body.
He did not attempt to fruitlessly attack the spatial barrier but lay on the ground in an extremely relaxed posture, his hands clasped behind his head, his eyes hollowly gazing at the distorted, chaotic spatial boundary above, which had no concept of a sky, wondering what he was thinking.
Spatial ripples spread, and Toho Hiroshi's figure appeared silently before him.
Fushiguro Toji didn't even lift an eyelid, scoffing, "What? Finally decided how to deal with me, this dangerous blade? Kill me or flay me, just give me a straight answer. This damned place is utterly boring."
Toho Hiroshi ignored his sarcasm, simply stating calmly: "I'll be leaving Tokyo for a few days. Before I go, there are some things I need to settle with you."
"Oh?"
Fushiguro Toji finally sat up lazily, stretching his neck with a cracking sound, his beast-like eyes looking at Toho Hiroshi with amusement, "Finally impatient?"
"Regarding Fushiguro Megumi and Tsumiki Fushiguro."
Toho Hiroshi directly spoke those two names.
The playful indifference on Fushiguro Toji's face instantly froze, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp and dangerous. Although it was fleeting, and he quickly reverted to his unconcerned demeanor, his tense muscles betrayed his inner turmoil.
"What about those two brats?"
His voice still sounded nonchalant.
"They are now under my care and are doing very well, much better than they would be in the Zenin Family, or with you."
Toho Hiroshi's tone was devoid of any emotion, as if stating a simple fact, "Megumi is very talented and hardworking. Tsumiki is very gentle and manages the household well."
Fushiguro Toji was silent, unconsciously picking at the cold surface of the cube beneath him with his fingers.
"But you are, after all, their father."
Toho Hiroshi continued, "You abandoned them, and used Megumi to get money from the Zenin Family. This is a fact."
Fushiguro Toji scoffed, about to say something, but Toho Hiroshi's next sentence cut him off.
"But you now have an opportunity. A chance to start over."
Fushiguro Toji suddenly looked up, genuine astonishment and disbelief appearing in his eyes for the first time: "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm not killing you, not out of mercy, but because of your value. And..."
Toho Hiroshi's gaze seemed to penetrate something deep within his soul, "that spark, which even you might not want to admit, has never been completely extinguished deep inside you."
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
Fushiguro Toji shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face showing the anger of having his disguise pierced, "I, Fushiguro Toji, only care about money and fighting! What kind of damned father? I already..."
"Is that so?"
Toho Hiroshi interrupted him, his voice still calm, "Then what was your reaction when you heard their names?"
Fushiguro Toji was speechless, the muscles in his face twitched a few times, finally turning into extreme irritation and belligerence: "What exactly do you want? Just give me a quick end!"
"The choice is yours."
Toho Hiroshi looked at him, "I can let you leave. Give you a new identity, some starting capital, and even return your Cursed Tools."
"Conditions?"
Fushiguro Toji didn't believe such a good thing could exist, narrowing his eyes.
Toho Hiroshi spoke clearly, word by word: "Leave the dark side of the Jujutsu World, and no longer kill for money. Use your power as the 'tyrant of heaven' and your combat instincts to do the only thing you still have some qualification to do."
"As a father, protect the growth of Fushiguro Megumi and Tsumiki Fushiguro. When they truly encounter insurmountable danger, become their final barrier. Until they possess enough strength."