I Was Kidnapped by a Book and Ended Up Saving the World - Chapter 19

For once, Yuki pulled his hand back in embarrassment. He said in a low voice,
“I’m still not familiar enough with controlling my technique.”

Zen’in Maki glanced at his timid, pitiful look and said,
“You’re too skinny. Once you’re at Jujutsu High, you’ll need to work harder on physical training.”

Yuki nodded. Of course he knew his biggest weakness was his frail body. He just hadn’t yet started training since he’d only just arrived.

“We’re still one short.”

From the distant path, Geto Suguru strolled over slowly. At this moment, he seemed to be in rather good spirits—even raising a hand to wave when he noticed Yuki looking at him.

Yuki heard his words clearly. If someone like this was paying attention, they couldn’t be ordinary. So he followed up,
“Are there really only three second-years? I thought there would be more.”

“Of course not,” Panda chuckled. “You’ve also got another senpai named Okkotsu Yuta. But he’s on an overseas mission right now, so he won’t be back anytime soon.”

Yuki nodded. At his side, Geto whispered strategy into his ear:
“Okkotsu Yuta is a good person to befriend. But when you meet him, don’t get too close—otherwise, the Queen of Curses will attack you.”

At that last line, a glimmer lit Geto’s eyes, as though he still held an extraordinary fascination for this “Queen of Curses.”

The second-years were all very warm. A round-faced senpai with tattoo-like marks at the edge of his cheeks blinked at Yuki and said:
“Kelp.”

“Senpai… are you hungry?” Yuki asked cautiously, not understanding what Inumaki Toge meant, trying his best to interpret.

Panda laughed heartily.
“Toge’s greeting you. His technique is Cursed Speech, so he can’t speak normally like the rest of us.”

Then he began introducing everyone one by one. First, Panda pointed his fluffy paw at Maki:
“This is your senpai, Zen’in Maki. She’s a master of martial arts. If you’ve got time, you can learn from her.”

Maki looked him over.
“I’m familiar with using all kinds of weapons. If you ever can’t figure something out, you can ask me directly. Just call me Maki.”

“Hello, Senpai Maki.”

Yuki called out obediently. Maki gave a small nod in response. Her dark green ponytail swayed in a neat arc—an aura both heroic and valiant.

“This is Inumaki Toge.”

Panda pointed to the boy whose uniform collar covered half his face. At once, Toge’s expression softened into a smile. He nodded while saying,
“Salmon.”

Yuki guessed that was probably a sign of affirmation.

“And then there’s me—the one and only Panda at Jujutsu High!”

Panda raised his paw dramatically. For a moment, it was as if a spotlight fell upon him, haloing his figure.

Yuki clapped enthusiastically, giving full emotional support.

“Are you staying on campus until the next school year starts?” Maki asked.

Yuki nodded. He had nowhere else to live anyway. At least at school, he didn’t have to worry about food or shelter.

“Got it,” Maki said. “We’re usually around unless we’re on missions. If you want to train, just come find us.”

“Ah~ looks like everyone’s getting along well with our new junior.”

Gojo Satoru suddenly appeared behind them, ruffling Yuki’s already messy white hair with a broad grin.

“This kid—I dug him up like a potato from somewhere else. Took quite a bit of effort,” Gojo said, lips curling upward in amusement.

Standing right next to Yuki, Geto muttered so only Yuki could hear, but as if responding to Gojo:
“And you’ve got the nerve to say you’re digging up other people’s students.”

Being passed around like a potato, Yuki weakly raised his hand.
“Sensei… can I ask where the cafeteria is? I think I might starve to death.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Hunger gnawed at him until he felt weak. His empty stomach spasmed painfully, burning from within.

Gojo cut short his chatter, grabbed the back of Yuki’s collar, and instantly teleported them to the cafeteria entrance. The staff worked quickly—within minutes, steaming bowls of noodles were placed before him.

Yuki ate five bowls in a row. At first, he worried it was just hunger confusing his sense of fullness. But when his stomach didn’t feel bloated, he kept eating until he was truly satisfied.

By the third bowl, Gojo was already shifting uneasily. When Yuki finally set down his chopsticks, Gojo even stepped forward and patted his stomach through his clothes to check.

Finding no issues—just an abnormally large appetite—Gojo burst into laughter and slapped Yuki’s shoulder.
“Good kid! One man, five stomachs!”

After laughing for a while, he suddenly tilted his head and asked,
“By the way, why were you beating up tree trunks?”

He’d seen the fallen tree earlier, its cross-section glowing faintly with Yuki’s residual cursed energy.

Yuki muttered,
“I’m not good at controlling my technique yet. I didn’t expect it to cause that much damage.”

A stubborn strand of hair stuck up from the back of his head, making him oddly cute.

“I’ll pay for it,” he added quietly.

Head bowed, he looked drained. On the surface, his two “identities” looked dazzling—each with their flashy powers. But in reality, both were dirt poor.

Even Oda Sakunosuke’s adopted son, Suzuki Yuto, lived better than him—at least he got a little pocket money for candy.

Gojo crossed his long legs, smiling faintly as he sat on the round stool.
“No worries. Any expenses before your first mission go on my tab. You can pay me back once you’ve started working.”

He tapped the plastic table with a finger, his voice drawing out as if lost in some distant but beautiful memory.
“The one who promised to look after you was a very good friend of mine. So don’t hold back. Just tell me what you need.”

Gojo didn’t know the exact details between Yuki and Geto, but he knew Suguru’s soft spots all too well. A frail, bullied little sorcerer—of course that would stir Suguru’s compassion. If Yuki had met him, he might already have been adopted, sharing the Geto surname alongside those two sisters, a happy family.

But things never worked out so simply.

Gojo pointed at himself with slender fingers.
“Don’t be fooled by appearances—I’m actually super experienced at raising kids. You could call me a top-ten foster dad.”

“Thank you, Sensei,” Yuki said earnestly.

They sat at a four-person table—Gojo across from Yuki, while Geto sat at his side. Though intangible, Geto deliberately positioned himself as though he, too, belonged there.

“I still have plenty of assets in Tokyo. You can use mine as well.”

Geto leaned his face on one hand, long hair spilling down as his narrow violet eyes softened with warmth.

Ever since Gojo had exposed Yuki’s identity, Geto hadn’t once given him a cold look. Being a sorcerer seemed to be a kind of passport in Geto’s eyes—a ticket to inclusion, to closeness.

“Yuki.”

Gojo suddenly called his name.

Yuki’s gaze returned to the tall man across from him. Behind the black blindfold, silver-white hair tied in its odd style, Gojo still radiated effortless charm.

Even without sight, Gojo’s words felt piercing. He leaned forward, his tone serious:
“Do you realize you sometimes zone out?”

He continued,
“When it happens, your eyes drift to empty spaces. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing.”

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.

“Does it hurt? Do you feel disappointed with this world?”

The questions were so sharp Yuki instantly understood—someone else must once have shown Gojo similar pain and confusion. Maybe back then, Gojo hadn’t noticed. So now, faced with Yuki, he was all the more sensitive.

Geto chuckled softly. He said nothing, only folded his hands together. Wrapped in heavy robes, he looked almost nostalgic.

“If you ever feel that way, don’t keep it bottled up,” Gojo said. “Tell me. My friend is busy with something important—he might not see you for a long time. But don’t worry. I’ll take care of you in his place.”

He pulled off his blindfold. Silver hair shone faintly, bathed in pale light. His blue eyes, as vast as the sky itself, looked at Yuki with piercing clarity. His beauty struck like a blow, the kind of handsomeness that, like Geto’s, simply couldn’t be ignored.

“After all, handsome guys never lie,” Gojo said, winking—far more naturally than Yuki’s awkward attempts in front of a mirror.

Geto rested his cheek on one hand and just looked at Yuki without speaking.

Yuki’s mind spun rapidly. Those eyes—Gojo’s eyes—were practically cheating. No matter how skilled someone was at hiding microexpressions, they’d crumble under that gaze.

He’d be with Geto for a long time yet. Keeping up the lie wasn’t worth it anymore—not now that Gojo had already noticed something off.

What he needed now was simple: make his odd behavior seem reasonable.

Yuki clasped his hands together, as if to draw strength from his own warmth. His voice was low and hesitant, like someone baring his heart for the first time.
“I… had another foster father once.”

It was just the beginning, but the words began to pour out. Yuki lowered his head.
“He was a really good person. But he’s dead now. After he died, I ended up with another foster father, who gave me clothes to survive.”

He adjusted his story to match what he’d told Geto before.
“The new foster father had a lot of kids. He didn’t like me much, so I was always sad.”

His voice was soft, but enough to hear clearly.
“I don’t know if that’s really a problem,” Yuki said with a small, uneasy smile. Picking at his nails, he added quietly,
“Sometimes… I can still see my first foster father.”

Geto silently patted his head, as though to comfort him.

“I see,” Gojo exhaled softly, then quickly brightened. “That’s fine. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can build him a grave behind the school, visit him every day.”

Gojo acted fast. He dragged Yuki to the back mountain and soon set up a makeshift grave, even erecting a nameless stone marker.

Yuki still held a banana from the cafeteria lady. Under Gojo’s expectant gaze, he offered it solemnly to his kind foster father, bowing devoutly.

Then something bizarre happened.

From the sky, a banana fell straight into Geto’s arms—identical in size and shape to the one Yuki had just offered.

Geto’s eyes widened faintly in surprise. Peeling it open, he took a bite. Even stranger—the taste he’d lost long ago returned. For the first time since death, his mouth filled with the rich sweetness of banana.

He stared down at the fruit in disbelief. Yuki stared at him staring at it.

Only Gojo, cheerful as ever, said lightly:
“Oh my~ looks like your phantom foster father got his banana.”

…None of this was right. Why did the banana actually get delivered?