chsdbacks Chapter 51 Theoretical Discussion
Chapter 51 Theoretical Discussion
There are no windows in the basement.
Several layers of heavy curtains divided the space into blocks of light and shadow, and candlelight lingered in the corners, casting the figure behind the screen as thin and distorted.
The air was filled with the musty smell of old wood that had become damp, mixed with some indescribable stench of decay.
Satoru Gojo stood in the center of the curtain, his hands in his pockets, as casually as if he were standing in his own living room.
His face was half-shadowed by the dim light, and his lips still held that usual nonchalant expression that infuriated anyone who saw it.
A rustling sound came from behind the curtain, and several hunched shadows swayed on the fabric of the screen.
"On the evening of September 1, 2018, the master curse master Xia Youjie attacked the barrier of Kyoto Prefectural College, resulting in the theft of the Six Roots of Sukuna Finger, the sealed master curse spirit, and the first to third diagrams of the Nine Phases of the Fetal Curse."
The voice was hoarse and aged.
"Do you have anything to explain about this, Gojo Satoru?"
Gojo Satoru tilted his head, as if he had heard something funny.
He chuckled softly, his voice echoing in the empty basement: "Do I need to explain anything?"
"Don't forget, you killed Xia Youjie with your own hands!" Another shadow suddenly leaned forward. "Because he's dead, we withdrew our investigation and terminated the death sentence!"
He came back unharmed—so wouldn't it be fair to convict you of being Xia Youjie's accomplice?
Gojo Satoru raised his hand, scratched the back of his head, and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you this kind of question?"
"What nonsense are you spouting now?"
"You all should have confirmed Xia Youjie's death at the time, right?" Gojo Satoru lowered his hand, the laughter in his voice disappearing, replaced by an almost icy calm. "Although I didn't hand his body over to Shoko for disposal, someone dug it up right under your noses and even resurrected it..."
I really want justice for my deceased friend.
"Don't try to argue your way out of this! You didn't show up in time when the barrier at the Kyoto campus was breached! At that time, Su Nuo hadn't lost control yet, and you were perfectly capable of immediately escaping to provide support against those curse masters—it's hard to doubt that this wasn't a play you and Xia Youjie staged to cover for each other!"
"Besides, don't you think this plot looks familiar? Last year, when Xia Youjie launched the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, you were also absent from the battlefield at the Kyoto campus. The report said you were stopped by an African sorcerer. Are we going to have the same drama play out twice?"
Gojo Satoru's expression finally turned completely cold.
"I said it! Xia Youjie is dead. I don't want to explain this to anyone, nor do I need to explain it to anyone! If someone dares to impersonate him, I will risk my life to ensure that guy rests in peace, without you having to say a word."
Besides, Su Nuo and a petty thief—you guys can't be so senile as to not be able to tell what's important, can you?
"What did you say?!"
"Besides!" Gojo Satoru interrupted, spreading one hand and reverting to his usual nonchalant tone. "It was you who insisted on sending the sorcerer away, wasn't it? As a result, you fell for someone else's trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain, which led to the theft of the cursed artifact."
"Regardless," the hoarse voice spoke again, its tone somber, "the whole Sukuna affair was caused by you. You were the one who tried your best to stop Itadori Hisahito's execution, yet you failed in your responsibility to keep an eye on Sukuna, allowing him to lose control and take over the body of Zenin's Fushiguro Megumi—you cannot escape the blame for these crimes!"
"Hmph! And now you've openly obstructed Genichi Nishio's execution once again." Another person chimed in, their voice accusatory. "As a sorcerer, is all you do to protect your own student?"
"Alright, alright." Gojo Satoru shrugged, his tone as casual as ever. "I, Gojo Satoru, will compensate for the damages caused by Sukuna."
"This should have been your responsibility in the first place."
"It doesn't matter." Gojo Satoru took a step forward, his figure casting a huge shadow on the curtain. "But I advise you not to interfere in Genichi's matter."
"The songstress's report is quite clear, isn't it? Xuan Yi's domain deployment did not harm anyone and saved the lives of 372 non-magicians."
Sorcerers are obligated to protect non-sorcerers.
His behavior... is very much in line with your "correct argument," isn't it?
He tilted his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
"Even so, instead of rewarding him, you even want to execute him?"
A cold glint flashed in Gojo Satoru's azure eyes.
"Are you... already eager for reform, old men?"
The temperature in the basement seemed to drop several degrees suddenly.
The candlelight flickered, nearly extinguishing. The shadows behind the curtain froze in place, no one daring to utter a sound. The figure standing at the boundary between light and shadow was like a drawn sword; simply standing there, it gave one a suffocating feeling, as if their throat was being pressed against it.
for a long time.
Another voice slowly emerged, sounding older and more cautious than before.
"...Regarding the execution of Genichi Nishio, this matter is pending discussion."
The man paused, as if carefully choosing his words.
"I want to confirm one last thing: whether Sukuna's new vessel—Fushiguro Megumi... is still alive."
Gojo Satoru turned his head to the side, his face behind his eyepatch facing the direction from which the voice came, his tone icy.
"Of course, he's still alive!" He turned and walked towards the basement exit, waving his hand behind the curtains. "Don't you all forget whose student he was!"
The heavy iron door slammed shut behind him with a dull thud.
The sunlight outside was a bit too bright.
Gojo Satoru put his blindfold back on, and before he could even stretch, he saw an unexpected person walking towards him.
"Yo, songstress."
"I told you to use honorifics, you idiot!"
Ankagi stood at the bottom of the steps, glaring at him angrily, before shoving a document in front of Gojo Satoru.
"What's this?" Gojo Satoru took the document and flipped through it casually.
"Data from the Mechanical Maru's investigation." The songstress frowned. "It records the locations of anomalous barrier signals that have existed throughout the country."
Gojo Satoru held the document, rested his chin on his hand, and pondered for a while. His fingers tapped lightly on the paper, then he suddenly stopped.
"The location of these barriers..." he tilted his head, "...is it some kind of mysterious pattern?"
"I don't know." The songstress shook her head. "But if we investigate, we might be able to predict the enemy's next move."
"Huh? Traveling all over the country is such a hassle!"
Gojo Satoru stared at the report for a few seconds, then let out an exaggerated sigh.
But then, a smile appeared on his lips.
"Alright, since it was the songstress who asked me, I'll reluctantly go and investigate. She'll treat me to dinner when I get back, bye-bye!"