Chapter 1 : Let's Start by Setting Up Gojo Lai!
T/N: I have never watched and read both JJK and Conan, so some terms or names might be wrong.
The airport is bustling all year round, with people coming and going in the main hall.
Jiang Lai pulls his silver suitcase with one hand, walking through the crowd. He's wearing an autumn-winter black trench coat over a versatile white shirt, currently holding his phone and looking down to send a message.
[#Jiang Lai#: I got off the plane, ready to head out ^v^]
[#Matsuda Jinpei#: Good, I'm here too, meet at the usual place.]
Jiang Lai replied with an [OKK], then put away his phone.
No need to specify the location, they already know where to meet, because this isn't the first time meeting at an airport in the Detective Conan world. That's right, Jiang Lai regularly breaks dimensional barriers.
Actually, he's been to more than one Detective Conan world.
After finishing high school and traveling to Japan for tourism, and after graduating from work and coming to Japan for business inspection, both times he visited Japan, he accidentally crossed into the Detective Conan world, and they were two different parallel Detective Conan worlds.
Because of their shared experiences overthrowing the Black Organization and living together, he has very good relationships with his Detective Conan friends. Today he came to play with his 2.0 Detective Conan friends.
Jiang Lai walks toward the agreed-upon meeting place, his eyes full of laughter, already starting to think about what to say when they meet, his mind sketching out many questions.
How is Matsuda's work lately? And Hagiwara's side too. Are Furuya and Hiromitsu working together again now? Akira's laboratory was tackling some research last time, it should be completed by now, right?
This time he brought some local specialties, he can visit the Miyano sisters. Ahem, and also, gossip a bit about Detective Kudo and Ran...
Silhouette-like thoughts pass by, Jiang Lai steps forward, but the crowd ahead is dense, and his pace is forced to slow down.
Looks like there are many people today, seems it will take some time to get out. Thinking this, Jiang Lai takes out his phone and calls Matsuda Jinpei.
"Hmm? Jiang Lai?" The phone is answered quickly, a familiar voice comes through, "What's wrong?"
"Sorry Matsuda, you might have to wait a bit longer, there are quite a few people here..." Jiang Lai talks on the phone with one hand, dragging his suitcase with the other, weaving through the crowd.
"Oh, it's nothing, no rush." Matsuda Jinpei says, "Just right, I found a manga online to read."
"What manga?" Jiang Lai asks casually.
"It's that popular one recently, a new series of Jujutsu Kaisen. They've released full-color manga promotions and a pilot handbook."
"Jujutsu Kaisen? I really didn't expect them to release a new series," Jiang Lai recalls the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen in his mind, joking, "Is it because the original was too dark, so they decided to create a parallel new series, creating a harmonious and beautiful world of jujutsu sorcery?"
"Wrong guess, Jiang Lai." A slightly raised voice comes through the phone, "Actually, this background doesn't look harmonious and beautiful at all."
On the other end of the phone, Matsuda Jinpei wears wireless earphones for the call, his other hand flipping through the manga on his phone screen, his gaze scanning the text and pictures above, explaining to Jiang Lai on the other end:
"This new series has a different background from the original work, where the number and strength of cursed spirits far exceed normal, and many have intelligence."
Jiang Lai recalls: "I remember in the original work, cursed spirits also had some intelligence, right?"
"Yes, but here it's not that simple elementary intelligence. Many cursed spirits, even if their strength isn't special grade, have the same divine wisdom as special grade ones. So they're much harder to deal with." Matsuda Jinpei says leisurely, "Brains are good things, too bad the enemies have them now."
"If that's the case, to balance things out, the number of jujutsu sorcerers should have increased too."
"No, it says inside that the current scarcity of jujutsu sorcerers hasn't changed."
"?" Jiang Lai pauses slightly, "No way, the number of jujutsu sorcerers hasn't changed, so could it be that Gojo-sensei multiplied by two? Double the Gojo cats?" he half-jokes.
"Neither, that's where the problem lies." Matsuda Jinpei flips to the next page, his unconscious professional analysis making his voice sound much more serious, "The new series seems to lack any kind of balance: only cursed spirits are enhanced, while the situation on the jujutsu sorcerer side is the same as the original work."
"Uh, the same?"
"Oh wait, it's not quite the same as the original work either." Matsuda Jinpei raises an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling on small text marked in the picture.
"Among the Three Great Families, some are suspected of being bought by cursed spirit forces, so suspicious emotions continue to spread among them. For safety reasons, they've mostly implemented strict self-examination and external closure systems, rarely cooperating with other jujutsu sorcerers."
"..." After listening, Jiang Lai quietly complains and sighs, "This background, isn't it a bit too difficult for humans."
"Who knows, don't know how they'll arrange things later."
Jiang Lai thinks for a few seconds, mimicking a famous detective's tone and saying firmly: "Case solved, so there's only one truth: the plot planner for this new series is an undercover agent sent by cursed spirits from across worlds!"
Matsuda Jinpei's laughter comes through the phone, then he says leisurely, "Flying for so long, you must be hungry. There are strawberry cream puffs in the car that Morofushi and Akira asked me to bring, they taste really good."
"I'll eat them even if I'm not hungry!" Jiang Lai laughs back, walking toward the agreed meeting place with the crowd.
With his good eyesight, he looks ahead from afar.
Usually, he would see the figure of a black curly-haired police officer standing there, but this time, he doesn't see a familiar face.
"?" Jiang Lai's steps pause, he scans ahead and carefully searches again.
Passing figures of various colors hurry by, faces that are calm, tired, or surprised flash past. Countless reunions after long separations are playing out around him, but not theirs.
Jiang Lai's face shows confusion.
At this time, Matsuda Jinpei on the other end of the phone is still cheerfully saying: "I'm on vacation today and tomorrow. Since it's getting late today, let's go home for dinner tonight, and tomorrow I'll take you to find Kudo-kun, how about that?"
"Wait, Matsuda," Jiang Lai asks, "where are you?"
"I'm still at the usual place, are you almost here?" Matsuda Jinpei says, flipping another page of the manga in his hand.
"I'm already here, but I don't see you." Jiang Lai looks around.
"I'm by the exit, next to the pillar on the left side of the main door, very conspicuous position... Wait! I think I see you!!"
Jiang Lai is somewhat surprised by Matsuda Jinpei's suddenly raised voice, but he continues as normal: "Then wave your hand to signal me."
The other side is quiet for a few seconds, then slowly responds: "...You're in this new series manga I'm holding."
Jiang Lai: "??!"
Matsuda Jinpei on the other end of the phone hesitates for a moment before continuing: "I just turned to the last page of the new series pilot handbook, the final panel of the color manga is the inside of the airport exit, and it shows... you."
"Are you sure you didn't mistake me for someone else? This can't be possible." Jiang Lai is stunned for a few seconds, then shows a helpless expression, "Matsuda, you're not deliberately hiding and teasing me, are you?"
"No, I'm not joking right now." On the other end of the phone, Matsuda Jinpei's voice becomes truly serious and earnest, "Jiang Lai, I'll describe your appearance in the picture, listen."
Jiang Lai with his suitcase slows his pace, also sensing something is wrong in his heart. Although Matsuda Jinpei would joke around with him daily, he would always know when to stop. This time it really doesn't seem like a joke.
He lowers his eyes, his expression also becoming focused: "Go ahead, I'm listening."
"Black hair, brown eyes, white shirt."
"Wearing an autumn-winter mid-length black high-collar trench coat."
"Pulling a silver square suitcase on the right side, holding a phone and making a call with the left hand..."
The completely matching features emerge, making Jiang Lai instantly stunned!
...That's right, this description is indeed himself.
Jiang Lai, with his rich 'transmigration experience,' pauses in expression and vaguely guesses something.
Could I have transmigrated again? This time the third time's the charm, actually transmigrating into a new Jujutsu world and becoming a new manga character? Dame yo!!
Jiang Lai twitches the corner of his mouth, recalling that when he previously transmigrated twice to the Detective Conan world, he also saw his own image in manga.
Only when the dust settles can the dimensional barrier gate home be opened, so at that time he evolved from a little white rabbit to a dark boss, all the way with sparks and lightning, overthrowing the Black Organization to complete the manga.
As they say, once bitten, twice shy, the current Jiang Lai has skillfully mastered transmigration guides and evolution tricks, but...
Jiang Lai's thinking ascends: Compared to the still somewhat scientific and law-abiding Detective Conan world, the Jujutsu side is a truly dangerous non-scientific high martial arts world!
The difficulty has increased by more than one level.
And death doesn't discriminate between main and supporting characters, everyone dies equally and freely.
It's like a knife wholesale merchant, a lunch box delivery service.
Holding onto some hope, Jiang Lai continues trying to connect with Matsuda Jinpei. After a series of emotional ups and downs from shock to calm, and searching here and there, the two finally confirm they are in different worlds.
...Just didn't expect they could still smoothly communicate by phone.
Jiang Lai: Good, truly worthy of the real protagonist phone-kun (?)
Because he had heard Jiang Lai talk about manga and forum experiences before, although Matsuda Jinpei is shocked, he's somewhat mentally prepared.
He stares at the black-haired person on the last page of the booklet in his hand, thinking: "The last frame has no information or name, this means waiting for settings, right?"
Waiting for settings...
Hearing Matsuda Jinpei's words, in a flash of inspiration, many turbulent thoughts flash through Jiang Lai's mind, finally settling on one point.
At this moment he has reached the exit, passing people brush shoulders with him, laughter and words are cast behind him.
At dusk, lamps light up one by one, standing in a mass of heavy cold air. The light casts swaying shadows of the trench coat, winter's cold wind fiercely brushes across his cheek, lifting his black hair.
Jiang Lai looks ahead.
His eyebrows and eyes lift lightly, the corners of his lips under the half-concealing high collar slightly curve up, breathing out white air, speaking slowly in a low voice:
"...Welcome the arrival of Gojo Lai, Tokyo."
The meaning is unclear.
The distant flickering scenery reflects in his eyes, all things converging in this brown color.
Noise and silence interweave here.
A storm lies dormant in this seemingly ordinary winter night.
...
The air is quiet for three seconds.
Matsuda Jinpei on the other end of the phone: "???"
Jiang Lai (cheerfully): "How was that, Matsuda, was the atmosphere right!"