Chapter 11. Where Wormwood Bloomed (Part 2)

At a speed of four hundred kilometers per hour, one could circumnavigate the entire Earth, following the equator, in just a hundred hours. At this speed, the landscape outside the window whizzes by at a rate equivalent to watching a video fast-forwarded fifty-five times. A flock of black crows flies from the roof of one under-construction building to another, rows of apartment buildings, traces of airplanes in the sky—everything appears and disappears almost instantly.

The only thing that remains constant during a ride on the Shinkansen is the faces of the people sitting opposite, across the aisle.

The exchange program between the Tokyo and Kyoto schools was launched at the beginning of this academic year. It might seem like a sign of friendship and tolerance between the two schools, but it was a mere fiction created by the Sorcerer Council to limit Kinji Hakari's influence in Tokyo.

As I mentioned before, everything revolves around Tokyo, right?

Well, you might think that there are too many honors for such a "low-grade" person like Kinji Hakari. This guy is not only not officially a Sorcerer, but he's also clanless. And the Sorcerer Council, like any other government, once again steps on the rake called "inflate a terrorist group from a skirmish," drawing attention to a small problem much more than necessary.

So he organized a fight club, what now—execute him, or give him a pardon?

However, the official reason for such restrictions was a violation of the Magical Code. In other words, the organization created by Kinji Hakari is illegal and poses a danger to the Sorcerer society itself. The unofficial reason is that any group not controlled by the Council is undesirable and subject to elimination, and the founders must be executed either by death or by lifelong isolation.

Tyranny, and nothing else. However, it's worth remembering the fact that the origins of the Three Great Sorcerer Families, which make up the Council, date back to the Golden Age of Jujutsu in the Heian Era, and in those times, such a policy was as commonplace as the atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II. Of course, this doesn't justify them, speaking from my own experience, but there's no surprise in it either…

"And do you have the guts to boldly use Satoru Gojo?" I looked at these two fools with some respect and even praise.

"What's he talking about?" Kirara whispered, leaning slightly towards Kinji.

"If it weren't for this arrogant guy, you would've already played your last hand, but instead, you just got suspended from school," Kinji spoke out, not waiting for Kirara's response.

Although the position of the most powerful Sorcerer and the support of one of the Three Great Sorcerer Families did not help the Strongest to completely avoid accusations of being the Japanese Tyler Durden. Maybe the Sorcerer Council trembles in the mere presence of Satoru Gojo, but a beast cornered remains the most dangerous and ferocious. So sometimes even a teacher has to compromise.

"It's not getting any easier by the hour," Kirara pouted, crossing his arms.

"Whose side are you on, anyway? It looks like you agree with these old fogies," Kinji's grumpy, dissatisfied gaze burned into my skull.

"And whose side are you on?" I answered a question with a question.

"Right now, you should've asked: 'What's he talking about?'" Kinji said, looking at Kirara.

"Conservatism and devotion to a closed society will always be the root of troubles for the ossified elite. Still, creating an organization whose existence reveals Sorcerers to the world is far from the best solution." 

Maki, Kinji, Director Yaga, and even Yuta — all these and many other Sorcerers considered the Council's policy traditionalism, deeply rooted in the old upper echelons. However, over the past couple of years, I've realized one thing — don't confuse mortal sins with stupidity. The Three Great Sorcerer Families don't have a motive to turn the Sorcerer society against them; something else gnaws at them, something to which they've chosen the old approach of complete control.

We stand on the threshold of the second Golden Age of Jujutsu — that's the problem with the Sorcerer Council and the Three Great Sorcerer Families. And old problems require an old solution... It's dumb, I agree, but if it worked once, why not repeat it, especially if it's a way to gain power, strength, and women, or men, it's a matter of taste.

"Don't you think you're trying to sit on two chairs at once?" Kirara's piercing gaze pulled me out of my train of thought.

"I'm just assessing the situation from a Sorcerer's perspective," I continued, watching the landscape blur outside the window. "The population of Tokyo is over thirteen million, and in the entire prefecture, it's over thirty-eight million. As a Sorcerer, I fully understand the risk that revealing the existence of Sorcerers and curses poses to society."

"And as a friend?" Kinji pondered for a while. "How do you evaluate this situation?"

"Maybe you're an eccentric idiot, but you're not an idiot or a criminal."

"Then why the hell did you start all this theater?"

"Because if you just wanted to have fun, putting other people's lives at stake, then I have doubts about whether you're an idiot."

"I agree, I'm a fan of adventurism and an appreciator of the sweet taste of excitement and the pleasant aftertaste of victory," Kinji "repented," placing a hand on his heart. "But neither the Three Great Sorcerer Families nor you have the right to call me a maniac, especially considering who the bigger criminal is between us."

" I'm just a freshman at the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College," I reply, shrugging my shoulders.

"Then I'm just an ordinary sophomore," Kinji paused.

"Former sophomore of the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College," Kirara corrected him.

And that's the problem, that Kinji is just an ordinary sophomore... I mentally shook my head, becoming increasingly disappointed in the Three Great Sorcerer Families. If Kinji were a member of one of the families, there would be no question, but now my friend will have to deal with what he stirred up in Kyoto, plus — run on the edge in the already turbulent Tokyo... Although the latter is probably only a joy to someone like Kinji.

Suddenly, it gets dark outside as the train enters an underground tunnel. An announcement comes over the internal communication about arriving at the Ueno underground platform. A silence hangs between us.

"What will you do when you return to Tokyo?" I asked, changing the subject and watching this gangster devouring chocolate dragees on both cheeks.

"You know," he says, and his voice sounds calm and lazy again, as before, "there's no point in tears and regrets. I'll just live as if I'm alive."

"Maybe stop using quotes from gangster movies?" I sighed tiredly. "Live as if you're alive? What the hell does that mean?"

"Most people live rather aimlessly, don't you think? Of course, they chat and have fun, but there must be something else, I don't know…"

"For example, they must howl at the moon? Something like that?" Kirara said, leaning on the armrest and supporting his cheek with his palm.

Hearing these words, my friend radiates with joy and energetically nods.

"Yes, exactly! Howling at the moon will make you feel alive. And there's also a lot of delicious food." Kinji extends a pack of chocolate dragees in my direction.

"All your things are somehow crude and approximate: your words, your actions, your train of thought... You're just a typical third blood type owner," I remembered one idiot from my past life, called my best friend…

"Don't judge me by my blood type," Kinji snorted immediately. "There's no scientific evidence for such an opinion. Only a fool can talk seriously about such things. If it were true, you'd be organized and punctual just because you have the second blood type."

"I am indeed organized and punctual. And when I do my job, I do it precisely and neatly."

"Well, be proud of your victories... Listen, I'm to blame for all my mistakes, and my blood type has nothing to do with it."

"That's right!" I agree readily. "Your failures are a direct result of your character and complete lack of self-criticism."

Kinji Hakari... One of the few people in this world whom I can call close to me. Perhaps I'm slightly sentimental when I reflect on my relationships with the natives of this world. Thinking about it, it's one of the side effects of being transported to another world, as I wasn't like this before. A computer, the internet, and an interesting book—that's all I needed for a good life.

In any case, fully understanding what kind of person Kinji was, I wasn't worried about his well-being, although... Remembering his relationship with Kirara in the canon, I think I'll have to keep an eye on that.

Looking at the two guys who were in their element, I just shook my head and smiled.