My Youth As A Sorcerer Sucks, Chapter 42.

Chapter 42: Afterward.

—OoOoO—

“Breaking News: Serial Murder Case in Okinawa Still Hasn't Come to Light.”

That's a headline written clearly on TV with the announcer reading the contents of the news.

“So far, the police have identified twenty victims. All of them were confirmed to have been killed in the same way, namely by cruelly slitting their throats. It is suspected that the weapon used was a katana. The investigation is still—.”

The TV was turned off before the reporter finished her work. And the figure who did it, sitting on the long sofa, turned his gaze to the only creature with him.

“Didn't I tell you not to make any scene, Hijikata?”

At first glance, the two people look like humans. However, in reality, only one of them had at least the physique of a human. Meanwhile, the man called Hijikata was the embodiment of the bitter revenge held by the vice commander of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata Toshizo, who died in battle because his opponents used weapons and ammunition that were imbued with cursed energy. Usually, a normal human like him wouldn't turn into a cursed spirit. But the hatred of all Tokugawa Shogunate's vessels that believe someone would avenge them on the new government had turned him into one.

“You won't answer me, huh, Hijikata? I came all the way to Okinawa just to see you, you know?”

The cursed spirit named Hijikata looked at Geto cynically.

“Instead of worrying about me, wouldn't you rather pay attention to those stupid monsters? What has high intelligence? They’re just a bunch of idiots who happen to be able to talk.”

Not yet satisfied with spitting out his thoughts, Hijikata continued.

“That volcano head stupidly challenged Gojo Satoru. But never mind that guy, that idiot was defeated so badly by his student instead. And the latest is Mahito who ran away because he was beaten by a kid and a first-grade sorcerer, right? They continue to leave unnecessary traces. At this point, I believe the sorcerers have realised there’re traitors in their base.”

What Hijikata said was very valid. When he was still alive as a human and reincarnated as a vengeful spirit, Hijikata was the embodiment of a flawless warrior. It was difficult for him to tolerate blunders that wouldn’t have happened if his damned colleagues could control their egos.

"That's why I’m here to meet you. Even though you guys are special-grade cursed spirits, your intelligence is very different," Geto replied as he leaned back in his chair, "And sometimes, I really miss talking privately with intellectuals."

“Stop your nonsense. Tell me what’s your purpose here?” insisted Hijikata, who was reluctant to make small talk.

Geto shrugged his shoulders while sticking out his tongue slightly.

“You're really not a fun person to talk to, Hijikata.”

“If you’ve nothing to say, just go.”

The cold reply wasn't enough to make Geto feel the pressure. However, Hijikata didn’t play around with his words. Even though the other person didn't take it seriously, the cursed spirit prepared to stand up and leave their secret meeting place. But Geto immediately stopped him.

“Fine, fine. You don't need to be so serious like that, bro.”

Geto took a deep breath before continuing.

“There has been a slight change in plans. I want you to prepare yourself well and practice your cursed techniques more.”

"Why?" Hijikata asked.

“I told you it was a change of plans. You’ll fight Hiratsuka when we execute the plan at Sobu High's Cultural Festival.”

“Didn't you say you captured a cursed spirit from America to restrain Hiratsuka?”

Geto smiled ironically when he heard the question.

“Even though the cursed spirit I captured is the strongest that has ever appeared in American history, it will only be enough to restrain Hiratsuka.”

"So what? Isn't that the plan? Or is this the change of plans you were referring to?”

"Correct. The bare minimum is to keep her in check on the D-day, but I hope that with you around, you can kill her," said Geto.

Hijikata was silent for a moment. He was pretty surprised by the man because it was unusual for someone as regular as Geto to suddenly change the plan's details.

“Is Hiratsuka really that strong? How does it compare to number two, Okkotsu Yuta?”

“Well, this and that are slightly different. In terms of explosive and firepower, Okkotsu is superior to Hiratsuka. However, Hiratsuka excels in terms of defence. Moreover, her control of cursed energy is the second best after Gojo Satoru and that's not too far off."

Geto paused his words for a moment. He thought of the right words or analogies to describe it.

“If it was a running, Okkotsu Yuta would win in the hundred metre sprint. However, if it’s a marathon, Hiratsuka will beat him.”

Geto was trying to convey that Okkotsu Yuta had what it took to kill the game as quickly as possible. However, if the fight continued to drag out, it wouldn’t be detrimental to him. But that didn’t mean going the distance against a fighter of Yuta's calibre was easy. On the other hand, with its high defence attributes and excellent energy control, Hiratsuka could fight for hours at high intensity.

"Okay, I understand. But why me? Why you insist to kill Hiratsuka out of the blue?” Hijikata asked.

"Well, about that… Something feels off and makes me uneasy. Hiratsuka's reaction wasn't what I expected. Even after everything that happened, she still appeared very calm.”

“Isn't she just that kind of person?”

Geto shook his head slowly.

“She is, but Hiratsuka is also the type of person who’ll take firm action against anyone who bothers her. When Zen'in Naoya suddenly appeared in Chiba right after Komachi's assassination attempt, I expected that she’d at least go to Zen'in's residence directly like she had done with Satoru after Hyakki Yakou incident to take care of Toji's weapons which were taken by the original owner of this body, Geto.”

Geto, or at least something possessing him, bit the tip of his thumb while processing his brain at full power.

“Maybe it's just me overthinking. But if I don't go in with the mindset of killing her, I might regret it.”

Hijikata was pensive when he heard the answer. If a creature that he estimated had lived for thousands of years could feel uneasy, that only meant it was something that couldn't be taken lightly, even though Hiratsuka wasn't as strong as Satoru.

“Fine, I'll do that. But what about the plan? You always talk about your grand scheme, but you never discuss the details," said the cursed spirit.

Geto looked at Hijikata deeply. He stood up from the sofa and walked closer to the window. His gaze wandered far to the vast coast of Okinawa. For a while, nothing came out of his mouth. However, he turned his body, and the sunlight filtering through the window became the background/

“I don't really like going into all the details of the plan. It could be kind of a jinx, you know? That's why I prefer to ensure that each process is carried out well so that the execution runs smoothly. But since it's you, I guess I don't mind sharing because I'm sure you won't mess up.”

Geto strolled back to his seat. Even after he put his butt in, the man didn't give Hijikata what he wanted to hear. Instead, he smiled as mysteriously as usual.

“Miura Yumiko is the girl I chose and managed to turn into a sorcerer to distract Hiratsuka and make the association suspect her. But that's just the beginning. Next, the plot we create is chaos during a cultural festival. Because of that, I still need at least two more people to enliven it."

“Two more people? Isn't that a lot? How are you going to get them? In fact, to change Miura Yumiko alone, you need the old lady's help."

“Even if it's two people, it doesn't mean I'm going to turn them into sorcerers. All we need is chaos, and that can come in any form. But indeed, I hope Mahito can at least change one more person.”

Geto leaned back against the sofa and let out a long groan as if he were enjoying the softness of the sofa.

"But more than that, I think I’ve to find someone who I to be my spy at Sobu High," continued Geto.

Hijikata subconsciously snorted softly. If he had to testify, he knew how difficult it was to place spies in enemy areas. And finding someone from the area to put together would be even harder. After all, Hijikata was a war veteran with years of field experience.

"Do you have a name yet?"

Geto shook his head and replied, “I haven't thought about it. So far, the details I’ve created have always been based on the situation and will always adapt. But at least I’ve the criteria.”

Hijikata glared at the man, demanding him to continue.

“If we're talking about looking for someone willing to betray, it's clear that the person must have deep-seated jealousy or hatred and they must be or at least close enough to key figures to provide accurate information. But it's quite difficult to choose anyone suitable among the people close to Hiratsuka Shizuka, Hikigaya Hachiman, or Yukinoshita Haruno. Moreover, what we're going to enter is a normal high school area, so I can't use the same approach I used to Mechamaru.”

"Social jealousy, romance, academics, and the like are the most common things you can use to approach the cluster," blurted Hijikata.

Geto raised an eyebrow and looked at the cursed spirit.

“Wow, I didn't think the person who was once called the Shinsengumi's Devil would talking about youthful romance?”

“Love is something simple, but it can create disaster. Major wars in various places generally occur because of someone's deep love for something. If you want to take advantage of someone, you need to exploit those feelings of love and turn them into hatred for a particular group.”

Geto immediately leaned forward while covering his mouth to stifle the laughter that was trying to burst out of his mouth. In fact, despite these efforts, the small sounds of giggling were still faintly audible. It continued for a few seconds before that long-haired man regained his composure.

“Sorry, sorry. Hearing such things from a vengeful spirit who wanders because manipulated by its love for the Tokugawa Shogunate is truly the funniest irony I’ve ever heard. This is why I really like chatting with you, Hijikata.”

The man's response earned a death stare from Hijikata. However, Geto paid him no mind and switched to serious mode just like that.

“Hiratsuka has no special relationships and interests from her colleagues and students, so I don't think there’s anyone around her that can be taken advantage of. Hikigaya-kun just enrolled at Sobu High this year. Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Haruno is an alumnus, but she’s very popular and many people admire and love her among third year students."

"But the problem is, you can't do a direct investigation to find suitable candidates, " Hijikata said.

Geto responded with a slow nod.

“Speaking of Yukinoshita Haruno, she's close to Hikigaya-kun now, isn't she? There must be people who realise their relationship and feel jealous. If I could find out who that person was—.”

Geto suddenly stopped speaking. His eyes opened wide as if he had had a revelation. However, in the next second, a loud laugh burst out from the man.

"Hahahaha! There it’s. This way, I can confirm it just by checking Yukinoshita's background without needing to investigate directly with the people at Sobu High.”

"Did you find anything?" Hijikata asked curiously.

Geto turned to the cursed spirit. However, before answering, he flashed a sly smile.

"Of course. Someone who might feel jealous of Yukinoshita Haruno and Hikigaya Hachiman relationship. To be sure, I just need to dig a little into Yukinoshita's past.”

Geto lay down on the sofa, using his hand as a pillow. His expression relaxed after he solved one problem that was considered the most fundamental in his plan to get rid of Hiratsuka Shizuka.

“Yukinoshita Haruno, huh? I guess I'll have to thank her later. She has a special closeness to Hiratsuka and has been close to Hikigaya since she was awakened as a sorcerer. Her interest in the jujutsu world and her joy in crossing over to this side made the two strongest people in Chiba pay extra attention to her. And even after coming this far, just her involvement in this world continues to pave the way for me to undermine Hiratsuka.”

Geto let out a long breath of relief.

“The kanji in her name can be interpreted as positive energy or light that guides people in darkness. But who’d have thought, her role in this world would actually be a stepping stone to destroying the two most troublesome sorcerers, Gojo Satoru and Hiratsuka Shizuka."

—To Be Continued—

Author Note: Well, this is just the ending to the arc, as usual. There's nothing I want to discuss further. Next, we'll enter a new saga. Starting from the next chapter, the focus will be more Sobu High-oriented compared to the previous arcs, which were more Tokyo Jujutsu High-oriented.

I actually planned to upload this chapter yesterday (Sunday, GMT+7). But because I've to watch the Champions League final in the early morning hours (02:00 am GMT+7), continue watching UFC #302, and watch my national team play against Tanzania at the stadium in the afternoon. So, when I wanted to edit and upload it, my eyes couldn't keep up anymore. That's why I just uploaded it after work.

That's all from me. What do you think of this chapter? Until next time, please stay healthy, brothers.