Chapter 143 - 143: 68 Years Later (1)
"So, on top of our workload dealing with curses, now we also have to deal with a possible alien invasion..." Kou Usami, a handsome, tall man with brown hair, said with a resigned sigh. "I'm barely 32 years old and I already have gray hair. Can't I just take a break?"
Kazuya Mino, standing beside him, shook his head with a small smile. "Unfortunately, no. You took your vacation two months ago..."
"But I had to come back in less than fifteen days. That shouldn't count as a full vacation."
"But it did..."
Usami rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Anyway, how's the situation with the Simurians?"
Mino pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen. "Diplomatic relations have already been taken over by Asuka Itadori."
He then showed Asami a picture.
It was a selfie of a beautiful girl with pink hair, black sclera, and vibrant pink irises standing beside what appeared to be a smiling Simurian with light green hair and what looked like a third, closed eye on his forehead.
Asami sighed.
"Rin Itadori's daughter?" He studied the picture for a few more seconds before looking away. "She's as impulsive as her mother... Impossible to get her to follow orders."
Mino nodded.
"She seems to be doing well diplomatically. She appears to have gotten along well with the Simurians, and she's been learning about their culture while sharing ours with them."
"She's sharing information with a potential enemy that easily?"
Mino shook his head.
"Orders from Jujutsu Headquarters. We have no intention of antagonizing them. They believe that being honest and learning from one another from the beginning is the best course of action, even if there is distrust on both sides."
Asami scratched his chin.
"How many sorcerers are in charge of this matter?"
Mino looked at his phone again.
"Twelve in total. Five higher-ups from Jujutsu Headquarters and seven Grade 1 or Special Grade sorcerers." He paused, his eyes moving over the names.
"The higher-ups are Chiharu Itadori, Iori Okkotsu, Ruri Itadori, Manami Fushiguro, and Ayano Gojo, representatives of the Itadori and Gojo clans." Mino listed the main names. "As for the sorcerers, they're the same names we already know."
Asami let out a heavy sigh. "And they still need me despite having all those people?"
Mino gave him a nervous smile. "You're great with paperwork..."
"...Damn it."
.
On the busy streets of Tokyo, a smiling Asuka Itadori floated above the crowds as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
"Come on, Maru, you're way too slow!"
Maru, walking quickly through the crowd, was having trouble keeping up with her.
"Hey, I can't fly like you!"
Asuka laughed, completely ignoring his complaint. "What? I can't hear you from all the way up here!"
Maru grumbled, but there was no real irritation on his face as he followed her with a smile.
A few minutes later, the two stopped at a park. Maru sat down on a bench with a popsicle in his hands while Asuka floated above him, enjoying her own popsicle.
"So... What do you think of Earth so far?"
Maru looked at her, his mouth completely full of popsicle.
"Hey! That's not how you eat a popsicle!"
A few seconds later, Maru wiped his lips with a thoughtful expression.
"I... I think it's a very prosperous place." He smiled. "It seems like an amazing place to live."
Asuka proudly nodded. "Of course, of course! And it's all thanks to my grandpa!"
Maru blinked. "Your grandpa?"
Asuka nodded with a smug expression.
"That's right! It was thanks to my grandpa that Earth entered an era of clean and sustainable energy! After expanding the barriers to the entire world, he merged Jujutsu society with ordinary society, and ever since then, Earth has been going through a period of great prosperity!" She gave him a thumbs-up, sticking out the tip of her tongue. "Of course, there are still some problems, but nothing us sorcerers can't handle!"
Maru paused, looking at her curiously.
"Your grandfather sounds like an incredible person."
"He is! Even though he's a complete womanizer, he's still my amazing grandpa! Maybe you can even meet him this week!"
Maru's eyes lit up. "Really?! I'd love to!"
Asuka laughed softly.
"Great! I'll try talking to my grandma about it!"
.
After leaving the meeting with the Simurians, the five higher-ups responsible for the negotiations remained silent for several seconds as they walked through the corridors.
Among them, Iori Okkotsu had the most complicated expression.
"Their representative... Was he serious?"
The question made all five of them stop, their eyes meeting.
"...From the looks of it, yes." Manami Fushiguro, a man with blond hair and green eyes who appeared to be around 35 years old, let out a heavy sigh.
Ayano Gojo, a beautiful woman with blackish-purple hair and ocean-blue eyes, crossed her arms as she looked at the other four with an irritated expression.
"Why is everyone so gloomy? We have five Special Grade sorcerers from this generation alone. In terms of raw power, we have nothing to fear if this escalates into a conflict."
Ruri Itadori, an equally attractive woman with blackish-green hair and golden eyes, nodded beside her.
"I agree. Their representative was clearly powerful, but we have plenty of powerhouses on our side as well..."
He scratched his cheek, looking away. "I believe my son wouldn't lose to that representative either."
A vein popped on Ayano's forehead.
"You only say that because you praise that boy way too much."
Ruri turned her head almost instantly.
"What did you say? It's not my fault I have an incredible son, Miss 'I'm 37 years old and still haven't gotten married!'"
"Huh? You wanna get your ass kicked, Itadori?!"
"And you? Want me to make you choke on your own blood, Gojo?!"
"..."
Manami and Iori rubbed their foreheads, exhausted by the constant arguments between the two women.
"Stop."
But then, another voice put an end to their argument, making the four of them turn toward Chiharu.
"I believe that, in this situation, the best thing we can do is contact my father and the other advisers for guidance. I don't see another alternative, considering the level of threat we could be facing."
"..."
The four remained silent. Although Ayano and Ruri seemed reluctant, neither of them tried to argue against the idea.
"If no one has a better option, then that's what we'll do." Chiharu nodded, looking at the four of them. "Prepare yourselves for the meeting...
We're going to contact Yuji Itadori."
.
.
.
Inside a beautiful, large two-story modern house, the five advisers stood in front of the front door.
Although one might expect them to be wearing formal clothes, all five of them were dressed rather comfortably in casual clothes.
Chiharu, at the front of the group, raised her hand toward the doorbell, her finger hesitating for a moment.
Ding-Dong!
But then, gathering her courage, she pressed the small button...
A heavy silence hung between them as they waited, the sound of footsteps from inside making Ruri tense up.
Then, after a few seconds that felt like minutes, the door opened...
Revealing a Yuji Itadori who had barely changed since his twenties. The same pink hair, the same firm golden eyes, and...
The same radiant smile upon seeing his two beloved daughters.
"My little daddy's girls!!"
He stepped forward, pulling Chiharu and Ruri into an affectionate hug and lifting them off the ground as if they were still his ten-year-old daughters.
"Dad, stop! We're working!" Ruri grumbled. This was exactly why she had wanted to avoid asking him for advice.
Chiharu sighed and simply accepted the hug. No matter how much time passed, Itadori seemed determined to never stop treating his children like little kids.
"Dad, we came here for work. Can we talk?" Chiharu asked.
Itadori blinked, setting them down.
"For work, huh? Then I guess something big happened this time." His expression suddenly became serious. "Come on, come in."
He stepped aside.
As they entered, the four of them found themselves in a large living room filled with various decorations, from paintings to several cursed objects scattered across the walls.
Ruri paused, feeling nostalgic.
"Where's Mom?"
Itadori moved toward the kitchen.
"Your mother went shopping with Maki and Tsumiki, while Nobara and Uro went to check out a new clothing store."
Chiharu smiled at that.
"Nothing seems to have changed."
He chuckled softly. "What did you expect? We may have new bodies, but our minds are old."
Then he looked at Manami.
"Your father and mother are in the house next door. You can go see them if you want."
Manami paused, then nodded and bowed.
"Thank you, Uncle Yuji. I'll go see them as soon as we finish this meeting."
"Good." He nodded, his gaze settling on Iori and Gojo. "And your parents?"
Ayano snorted.
"After you rejuvenated them by twenty years, Dad became a complete pain in the ass. Mom can barely put up with him."
Itadori laughed at that before looking at Iori.
"Dad and Mom are doing fine... I'm still frustrated that they refused to be rejuvenated, but... I have to accept it."
Itadori's mood dropped slightly.
"Well, in the end, it's their choice. I'll always offer it until the very last moment, but I won't force them to do it."
Then he looked directly at the five of them.
"So... How about we start this meeting?"
Chiharu nodded, seriousness filling her expression.
"Yes, let's."