Chapter 15. Cultivation

The car's interior was quiet except for the engine hum and the soft rustling of leaves as they sped along a tree-lined road. Gojo and Jamal sat comfortably in the back seat of the car, a Jujutsu High vehicle, being driven by Kiyotaka Ijichi.

"Why didn't you just take a plane as the Higher Ups had intended, Satoru?" Kiyotaka had asked earlier, when picking them up from Tokyo Airport.

Gojo had flashed a smile and replied, "You're way too formal, Kiyotaka. Are you going to tell on me?"

"Like you care," Kiyotaka had thought to himself, but gave a different answer. "No," Kiyotaka had said genuinely. "But you know why that was important. It's bad enough that there are sorcerers and other secret organizations in the world. The Higher Ups don't want the rest of the public knowing about curses too."

"It might look insignificant, but it'll be a headache just dealing with the paperwork. And who is that kid you're with?" Kiyotaka had asked after a moment of silence and stare.

"No one important," Gojo had replied before getting in the car.

Back in the present, Jamal, still recovering from his ordeal, leaned back against the seat, looking out the window. The scenery was a comforting blur of green and blue.

"It's beautiful," Jamal thought while taking in the scenery. "It's a million times better than reality. Reality is boring."

"So, how are you feeling now, Jamal?" Gojo asked, his tone casual.

"Better, thanks to you," Jamal replied, still a bit weak but managing a small smile. "I can't believe all that actually happened."

Gojo sighed, then smiled reassuringly. "At the airport, you said you wanted to become a better sorcerer. Everything you saw was just part of the job. You'll get used to it."

Jamal nodded slowly. "You saved me, though. Improved my health. How did you do it?"

Gojo leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "I used my Reverse Cursed Technique. It's basically positive energy that can heal injuries. Not everyone can use it, but it's pretty handy in situations like yours."

"Can I learn that in a minute? Seconds even?" Jamal joked, remembering how Gojo had told him he could learn how to throw the perfect punch in a minute.

Gojo chuckled. "You did a great job throwing that punch. You must have figured out the third step. What was it?"

"Applying a catalyst," Jamal replied. "It's part of my technique. A fundamental part."

"Oh, right!" Gojo said with enthusiasm. "Your technique. I remember something about you fearing domains. Tell me all about it!"

"My technique," Jamal breathed. "Is called Cultivation."

"Before you reveal anything else," Gojo interjected, "you should know that revealing a cursed technique amplifies your cursed energy. It's useful in a fight, but I'll explain more about that later."

"Okay," Jamal composed himself.

"So, my Cultivation Cursed Technique allows me to master various Cursed Techniques with no real limits, except it's sequential and depends on how many curses I kill," Jamal explained as much as he understood. It no longer felt like reading something straight out of an interface but something natural that he understood straight from his core. "It's like a copy ability, but one that I have to earn."

"Mh," Gojo nodded, pondering. "With Divine Energy, I see how and why that's possible, but that can't be all there is to your technique, especially with the amount of power you possess."

Jamal wanted to inquire what Gojo was implying, but Gojo immediately added, "But as you explained, discovering what your technique truly is might depend on you earning that kind of perk. So, while you kill more curses to grow, keep in mind that there's more to it than you know."

"Okay," Jamal agreed, realizing the natural information he was feeling wasn't complete.

"I've been meaning to ask, Gojo-sensei," Jamal said after a brief silence, "What made you believe in me? What made you push me to throw the perfect punch?"

"When I first saw you, your aura was weaker than the curse behind you, but I could tell you were aware of curses. If I had known you had Divine Energy at that time, I wouldn't have moved to save you," Gojo revealed.

"But after rescuing you, I saw something different in your aura as your emotions calmed to survey the damage World Hunger had caused. It became intense and magnified, and the flow of your cursed energy was visible to the keen eye, coming from three different parts: your core, your brain, and your stomach for some reason."

"The aura you gave off at that moment was extremely similar to World Hunger's, and I was sure it was not a coincidence," Gojo continued. "Instinct told me to keep you close as my own story came to mind."

"When I was born, curses were forced to evolve so that balance could be maintained," Gojo narrated. "Initially, I thought I could exorcise World Hunger myself, but after discovering what kind of energy I was up against, I understood that you were the counterbalance."

"But for the record, if I had a little more time, I would definitely have exorcised that dungeon," Gojo said confidently.

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Jamal understood Gojo's ego but decided to push to see how assertive Gojo was. "Don't you need Divine Energy to do that?"

"Well, it takes three steps to use, and I've already mastered the second step," Gojo said. "Sooner or later, we'll be Divine buddies, and your potential at being the strongest will be diminished. I will retain the title."

"I don't doubt that," Jamal thought quietly, wondering why it was even up for discussion.

"What exactly happened after I threw the perfect punch?" Jamal asked. "I don't remember everything clearly. Did all the remaining curses get exorcised? Even Hanami?"

"Hanami?" Gojo wondered.

"The curse that kept turning people into cursed buds," Jamal explained. "It told me its name."

"The good thing is that the dungeon got exorcised, and we might not have something that daring for a long time," Gojo said. "But as to whether they all got exorcised or not, we can only truly know by searching. That's why I'm taking you to meet the group that will help me answer that question."

"Mh?" Jamal wondered aloud, recalling what Gojo had told him back at the airport. "I thought you said you were taking me to Jujutsu High so I could rest."

While it was potentially exciting, Jamal didn't feel like he was in the mood for hunting and killing curses, especially after discovering that his hair had permanently turned white. There was a lot he needed to process before going out for another life-and-death situation.

"Eventually," Gojo replied with a mischievous grin. "That was always the plan. But for now, we stop here. I want to introduce you to the other first years who will be your classmates."

"You mean..." Jamal's heart skipped a beat with excitement. After surviving the dungeon, he knew he would get to meet Yuuji, Nobara, and Megumi, but he didn't know it would be this soon.

"We'll walk the rest of the way." Gojo tapped Kiyotaka's shoulder, and the car veered to a stop. Jamal and Gojo stepped out, and Kiyotaka drove off, staring at Jamal in shock for a second.

'What kind of 'no-one-important' has that kind of aura?' Kiyotaka's mind had been racing with that question the entire ride, wondering who Jamal was and recalling how Gojo had dismissively labeled him not important.

"Say, Jamal," Gojo started as they walked down the bustling street. Gojo strode confidently with his usual walking style, while Jamal lagged behind, trying to fit in. "Do you know why I'm always smiling?"

"Because you're charismatic?" Jamal guessed. "Or because it's your signature look?"

"Yes and yes, but there's a deeper reason too," Gojo replied. "I do it to express emotion."

"I don't see a deeper reason in that," Jamal said, double-checking his understanding. "Smiling is just one emotion among many."

"Very true," Gojo agreed. "When I was younger, I had the chance to choose any emotion to express daily. I could have chosen rage or sadness, but I chose smiling. Do you know why?"

"No, why?" Jamal asked, curious to hear more about Gojo's untold history.

"Because people who smile are perceived as warm and welcoming, and I think it befits a teacher like me," Gojo explained. Jamal was still trying to see where he was going with this.

"But that's not the main point," Gojo continued. "The reason I smile is to express emotion, and I think you should too."

"You think I should smile all the time, just like you?" Jamal asked, secretly practicing a smile.

"No," Gojo gestured with a finger. "You're not getting it."

"I think you should learn how to constantly express a simple emotion," Gojo emphasized. "If you choose smiling, that's fine, as long as you're consistent with it."

"Okay..." Jamal agreed, still not fully understanding Gojo's point.

"Ah, see, you still don't get it," Gojo said, his smile widening. "You don't understand anything I'm saying, do you?"

"Absolutely not," Jamal admitted frankly.

"Well, it's like this," Gojo rested his right hand on Jamal's shoulder, pulling him closer with his tremendous strength.

"Sorcerers like us, the powerful kind," Gojo started, "have a tendency to become intimidating if they don't express their emotions."

"The powerful kind?" Jamal's voice was skeptical.

"Yes," Gojo continued. "If you don't express emotions, you stay calm. What does that mean for your cursed energy?"

"It flows or manifests smoothly," Jamal answered, a realization starting to sink in.

"And what does that mean for your aura?" Gojo asked.

"It will be intense," Jamal realized.

"Really intense," Gojo emphasized.

Thinking deeper, Jamal asked, "So, are you telling me that you're constantly smiling so you won't intimidate the people around you? That you smile to diminish your aura?"

"Oh look, it's them," Gojo said, skipping over Jamal's question and fixating on three figures across the street. "Your classmates."

But Jamal was only wondering what kind of aura Gojo would show if he was a hundred percent calm. What would it feel like?

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