Jujutsu Kaisen: I Can Travel Back in Time-Chapter 17 - 11: There is no Kumamoto stop on the bus!

As a 17-year-old high school detective, Conan really didn't want to spend his time investigating a so-called haunted house—especially without Mao Lilan or the rest of the Junior Detective Team knowing.

That kind of thing was fun when he was five. Now? Not so much.

Yet here he was, standing with the Junior Detective Team in front of what was supposed to be a haunted house.

Except... there was no haunted house.

What stood before them was an empty lot, barren with patches of dirt and scattered construction debris. In the middle of the lot, a huge pit yawned open for no apparent reason.

At the front of the lot, a worn-out bus stop sign swayed dangerously in the wind. The faded lettering barely read: [Bus No. 1 – Kumamoto Station].

"The original owner of the haunted house was also named Kumamoto, but where did the house go?" Ayumi Yoshida asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, rubbing his chin, studied the bus route map in his hands. "That's weird... This stop isn't even on the map. Bus No. 1 isn't supposed to be here."

"So it's abandoned?" Kojima Genta guessed, scratching his head.

Then—

"Conan? What are you doing here?"

A familiar voice called from across the street.

Geto Suguru stood with his hands in his pockets, wearing loose-fitting trousers and a relaxed expression.

"Huh? Geto Suguru?" Conan blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Another voice chimed in.

Gojo Satoru strolled up behind Geto, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "What are a bunch of kids doing out here in the middle of nowhere at night?"

"We're not kids! We're the Junior Detective Team!" Genta protested, crossing his arms.

"Same thing," Gojo shot back, sticking out his tongue teasingly.

Conan sighed, glancing up at him. "Aren't high schoolers supposed to have better things to do than wander around deserted places at night?"

Gojo shrugged dramatically. "Hey, I was supposed to be on vacation with Suguru, but some old geezers ruined our plans. Apparently, Sendai is short on sorcerers."

Conan's ears perked up at the word "sorcerer."

Was that what Gojo and Geto called themselves? Were sorcerers the ones who handled those strange monsters—like the one in Kawasaki's house?

Before he could ask, Ayumi nervously tugged on Conan's sleeve.

"Since the haunted house isn't here, should we go back?" she asked, glancing uneasily at the dark, empty lot.

"Haunted house?" Geto's expression darkened slightly. "You mean... here?"

Ayumi gestured with both hands to the vacant space. "Yeah! I saw a picture of it in the newspaper, but now it's just... gone."

"Could be a mistake," Mitsuhiko suggested logically.

"Ayumi's right!" Genta argued, standing his ground.

Geto, however, turned to Gojo and spoke in a low voice. "The cursed energy here is strong, but there's nothing in sight. Why?"

Gojo pushed his sunglasses back up and observed the area with Six Eyes. "'Window' sent a report saying two first-grade sorcerers disappeared nearby. Surveillance footage showed an old house standing right next to this road... but now it's gone."

After a moment, he smirked. "Pretty obvious. We're in a natural domain."

"A what?" Geto frowned.

Gojo grinned, throwing an arm over Geto's shoulder. "Oh? Does Geto not know? Right, right, I forgot—you grew up around normal people! Well then, allow your future 'Great Teacher Gojo' to explain!"

Geto rolled his eyes. "Just get to the point."

Gojo snickered but complied. "A natural domain is basically a spirit's world—an extension of their soul. Think of it as a subconscious reality that warps its surroundings. This entire area? We're seeing what the cursed spirits want us to see."

Geto's eyes narrowed slightly. "So... we're inside a cursed spirit's domain right now?"

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"Bingo. The haunted house isn't gone—it's just hidden."

Right then—

"Huh? What are you guys doing here?"

A voice called from down the road.

A tall figure with bright orange hair strode toward them, dressed in a traditional samurai outfit.

"Ichigo Kurosaki?" Geto blinked. "What are you doing here?"

Gojo, mildly irritated now, tightened his arm around Geto's shoulder slightly. "Wow. Popular spot tonight. Shouldn't you be off doing... Shinigami things?"

Ichigo sighed. "I was hunting a Hollow nearby and got lost. I swear I passed this station earlier."

Ayumi visibly tensed, realizing what he meant.

Ichigo, now noticing the four young kids, frowned. "Wait. Where did these kids come from?"

"Same as you," Geto replied. "They got caught up in this place."

Ichigo rubbed his temples. "Great. So what now?"

Everyone turned to Gojo.

"Satoru, think you can figure this out?" Geto asked.

If Gojo were truly just seventeen, even with Six Eyes, this might have been too much.

But with twelve extra years of experience in his mind, this was easy.

He turned to Mitsuhiko. "Hey, didn't you say Bus No. 1 isn't on the Sendai map?"

Mitsuhiko nodded. "Yeah. There's no Kumamoto stop for it either."

Right on cue—

BEEP BEEP—

A rusty old bus rolled up from the end of the road, spewing thick black smoke from its exhaust.

A large "1" hung above the windshield.

CREEEAK—

The doors slowly opened.

The bus was empty.

No driver. No passengers. Just an eerie silence.

Gojo smirked. "Well, that solves it. The key to breaking this illusion... is on that bus."

"Ah?!" Ayumi yelped, stumbling back. "That thing looks creepy! I don't want to get on!"

"Then you'll probably get eaten by a cursed spirit instead," Gojo said casually, wiggling his fingers like claws.

Ayumi screamed and grabbed Geto's arm, hiding behind him.

Geto shot Gojo a look of disapproval. "Seriously? She's a kid."

Gojo shrugged unapologetically. "It's effective."

Geto sighed, crouching slightly to reassure Ayumi. "It's okay. Just stay close to me, and nothing will happen."

Conan, watching the exchange, frowned thoughtfully.

Gojo and Geto weren't normal high schoolers.

He was sure of it now.

And whatever was on that bus, they were the only ones who could handle it.