April 10th, Monday. The new students had begun to adapt to life at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Within the tiny confines of Tokyo Jujutsu High, two young masters of the Three Great Sorcerer Clans had gathered. The place might have been small, but it attracted all kinds of trouble. Zen'in Naoya's misogynistic nature had already been laid bare. Any female assistant supervisor who saw him would immediately take a detour, and within a ten-meter radius around him, it was nearly impossible to find a single woman.
To quote Zen'in Naoya himself:
"Women are born to serve men. They should keep their heads lowered and walk three steps behind them. A woman who doesn't know her place isn't worthy of being called a woman. Tokyo Jujutsu High shouldn't even have female sorcerers."
Although Zen'in Naoya looked down on women to an extreme degree, he restrained himself considerably when dealing with male jujutsu sorcerers who possessed Cursed Techniques.
As a result, opinions of him became sharply divided.
Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu believed he was simply foul-mouthed and socially inept, more or less the same type as upperclassman Gojo.
The female assistant supervisors, meanwhile, would rather give up their stipends than enter the first-year classroom to teach.
Everyone within the assistant supervisor community avoided him like the plague.
This was because assistant supervisors fulfilled every condition that Zen'in Naoya despised: they possessed no innate Cursed Techniques, had low levels of cursed energy, lacked combat ability, and came from ordinary backgrounds. If they happened to be women as well, then they perfectly embodied everything he looked down upon. No matter how many complaints they filed, none of them could shake Zen'in Naoya's status or position. As a result, his treatment of assistant supervisors fully revealed the arrogance of a feudal clan's pampered young master.
That morning, the second-years unexpectedly had no academic classes.
Yaga Masamichi had suspended all lessons for the second-year students and allowed them to study on their own. He himself had been summoned by the higher-ups.
Ieiri Shoko looked at the expressions on their faces and said, "Judging by your reactions, it seems like you know the reason."
Gojo Satoru deliberately put on an air of mystery.
Getou Suguru merely smiled without saying a word.
Only Asou Akiya kindly provided the explanation.
"Today is April 10th. Two days from now is the date on which Master Tengen is supposedly scheduled to undergo Assimilation. The higher-ups are probably making their final decision."
Faced with a history exam question from the previous semester suddenly becoming reality, Shoko immediately understood and willingly joined the discussion.
"This time, will Master Tengen once again encounter a 'boy' and a 'girl'?"
"Could the 'girl' be me?"
Ieiri Shoko interpreted the question exactly according to the wording on the exam paper.
"Of course not!"
Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru answered in perfect unison, as though Shoko had just said something utterly ridiculous.
"It won't be, and it can't be. Shoko, what you just said sounds like the beginning of a horror story." Resting his chin on one hand, Asou Akiya's eyes flashed with a cold gleam. "Otherwise, all of us would have to go have a talk with Master Tengen."
Getou Suguru and Gojo Satoru immediately began competing with each other.
"This year's 'boy' is definitely referring to me."
"Don't make me laugh, Suguru. The Cursed Spirit Manipulation technique didn't even exist hundreds of years ago. It's obviously me!"
"As confident as ever, Gojo?" Asou Akiya asked.
Gojo Satoru wrapped his arms around the back of his chair. His fingers never stopped fidgeting; he was especially expressive with body language.
"I reviewed the history books! The Six Eyes has a karmic connection with Master Tengen. It's destined to meet the Star Plasma Vessel. I'm really curious what kind of person the Star Plasma Vessel born alongside the Six Eyes would be."
Smiling, Asou Akiya watched those little unconscious movements, committing every gesture and piece of body language to memory.
Among the Star Plasma Vessels throughout history, there had been both men and women. It was only natural for Gojo to think that way.
The connection between Amanai Riko and Gojo Satoru was a tribulation that had been written into their fate from the very beginning.
In any case, it was not a romantic one.
"As it happens, let me test you with a question," Asou Akiya said.
"Go ahead," Gojo Satoru replied.
Asou Akiya immediately began the quiz.
"Why does Master Tengen remain in the Tombs of the Star Corridor all year round?"
Getou Suguru beat everyone else to the answer.
"To maintain the foundation of the barrier system!"
Gojo Satoru was instantly dissatisfied.
"Suguru, if you love exams that much, then next time you can be the one answering all the questions!"
Getou Suguru was actually quite covetous of the Gojo Clan's ancient archives, but he refused to show it openly.
"Next time, I'll make sure all of you score perfect marks."
The moment Gojo Satoru and Ieiri Shoko heard that, they both responded with the same reaction.
"Tch!"
Asou Akiya sought additional answers.
"Gojo, do you have anything else to add?"
Seeing that Asou Akiya was still asking for his opinion, Gojo Satoru put his imagination to work and answered with characteristic wild speculation.
"Master Tengen is a woman. I've heard she has no descendants, stays in the same place all year without ever coming out, and spends all her time researching even more powerful jujutsu, right?"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
"Once I become a Special Grade sorcerer, I'm definitely going to challenge her to a fight!"
Deep within the Tombs of the Star Corridor, every fiber of Tengen's being violently rejected the idea.
[No. Please don't come over here!]
Living a long time did not necessarily mean being powerful in combat. Tengen had never considered herself a battle enthusiast like Gojo Satoru.
Tengen was willing to meet Getou Suguru, yet she was troubled by the question of how to avoid Gojo Satoru. The white-haired boy's words had a habit of striking where it hurt. Once the Six Eyes laid eyes on her, there was a good chance he would blurt out observations she had absolutely no desire to hear.
Hearing such a quintessentially "the strong only grow stronger" answer, Asou Akiya could only sigh helplessly.
Tengen's greatest expertise lay in barrier techniques. She was the foremost barrier master in the entire world of jujutsu. Yet when she faced Kenjaku, she was ultimately defeated and captured. On one hand, Kenjaku himself was exceptionally powerful. On the other hand, Tengen had actively held her allies back. Her combat instincts were weak, her command decisions were poor, and her misguided directions ultimately led to Tsukumo Yuki's death. As a result, a Special Grade sorcerer had died without ever getting the chance to deploy her Domain Expansion.
Gojo Satoru spoke in his usual carefree manner.
"If I lived for a thousand years, there's no way I'd be willing to stay in the same place for a thousand years."
"Honestly, in a certain sense, I kind of admire her..."
He paused before delivering his conclusion.
"She must be the ultimate hikikomori*."
*{Note: a shut-in, basically. Am I being obnoxious for using the japanese term?}
After being confined within the Gojo Clan for fifteen years, he had already found it unbearable. Tengen had remained secluded for a thousand years. What kind of spirit did that require?
Asou Akiya was chatting with his classmates in the classroom when something happened that was both entirely within his expectations and completely beyond them.
Gojo Satoru suddenly perked up.
"A fight's broken out!"
The Six Eyes had detected two surges of cursed energy.
Both belonged to familiar people.
Getou Suguru looked surprised.
"Who started fighting whom? Are there actually students in this school bold enough to pick a fight?"
In the past, it had always been Gojo Satoru causing trouble. Getou Suguru would eventually get provoked into fighting him, and the two of them would end up being reprimanded together afterward. This was the first time he had heard of someone else causing a disturbance while he and Gojo became mere spectators.
Asou Akiya immediately got to his feet and headed outside.
"Let's hope this doesn't turn into something serious."
Ieiri Shoko rose from her seat and called out to the other two.
"Gojo, Getou, let's go take a look."
In case Asou Akiya failed to stop the fight, there were always two people in the class capable of helping him.
Outside, Iori Utahime, who had remained on campus, happened to run into Zen'in Naoya. The moment they crossed paths, it was like lightning striking dry tinder, and a battle immediately erupted.
Both of their student IDs at Tokyo Jujutsu High listed them as Grade 2 sorcerers. There was a four-year age gap between them, and Iori Utahime still treated him with the same methods she used on ordinary underclassmen. At last, however, she suffered a major setback at the hands of the utterly disrespectful Zen'in Naoya.
"Old woman, you want me to address you with honorifics? Are you a Grade 1 sorcerer? A Special Grade sorcerer? Someone like you is probably going to end up unmarried after eighteen. Why are you still hanging around the school?"
A single sentence from Zen'in Naoya was enough to completely shatter Utahime's composure.
Iori Utahime, a fourth-year student, was nineteen years old and had not even reached graduation age yet.
Veins bulged across the forehead of the shrine maiden-clad Utahime.
"Zen'in, I've heard people say you're human trash before, and I thought they were exaggerating. But that mouth of yours—"
"Is even worse than Gojo Satoru's!"
Utahime was on the verge of losing her mind.
"Do people from the Three Great Sorcerer Clans not understand the concept of respecting their seniors?!"
She could no longer endure it.
As she stared at the infuriating Zen'in Naoya, all the frustration and anger she had accumulated from dealing with Gojo Satoru over the years erupted at once.
She might not be able to beat up Gojo Satoru, but could she really not beat up Zen'in Naoya?
After all, they were both Grade 2 sorcerers!
Two waves of cursed energy burst forth simultaneously.
For a brief moment, the battle was evenly matched.
Then one side collapsed like a crumbling mountain.
Zen'in Naoya spent a little time probing the nature of Utahime's Cursed Technique. Once he discovered that it was a support-type technique, he immediately interrupted her lengthy casting process without the slightest hesitation. Exploiting his superior speed, he proceeded to beat his upperclassman, Iori Utahime, until her head was covered in painful lumps and bruises.
The type of woman Zen'in Naoya found least interesting was the mature older-sister type.
He had seen too many of them at home. There was nothing novel about them.
When it came to attraction, Zen'in Naoya was neither drawn to older women nor younger girls. In his eyes, true appeal belonged to strength. As for women, they were the sort of existence he could summon with a wave of his hand and dismiss just as easily. They were not worth spending effort on.
His attacks were merciless.
Once his temper flared up, he fought with the clear intention of rendering Utahime completely incapable of continuing.
"And you think you're qualified to compete with men?"
Wearing a modified version of the school uniform, Zen'in Naoya looked simultaneously modern and old-fashioned. His black hair and green eyes gave him a sharp appearance, while his cold gaze and clean, efficient fighting style made it obvious that he had undergone years of rigorous training.
Yet the words coming out of his mouth were as feudal and archaic as they could possibly be.
"There are still people this feudal in modern Japan?"
Nanami Kento was so shocked that his face had gone completely blank.
"People from the Three Great Sorcerer Clans really are different, huh? Gojo-senpai has never said anything like that."
Haibara Yu wore a troubled expression.
The two of them had tried to stop the fight.
Unfortunately, in less than a second, they had both been sent flying.
They had lost so quickly that they barely understood what had happened.
There was already a significant gap between a Grade 3 sorcerer and a Grade 2 sorcerer. The gap between them and a carefully groomed heir of the Three Great Sorcerer Clans was even greater. No matter how much of a scumbag Zen'in Naoya was for bullying women, he was still a genius whom they could not defeat.
"Asou-senpai is here?"
The moment Haibara Yu spotted their savior, he immediately shouted,
"Zen'in! Stop! The upperclassmen are here!"
Zen'in Naoya withdrew his hand.
Nanami Kento hurried over and helped the battered and disheveled Utahime Iori to her feet.
Turning around calmly, Zen'in Naoya said,
"Gojo-kun, she was the one who spoke disrespectfully first. This has nothing to do with me."
Iori Utahime trembled with rage.
"You piece of trash!"
Asou Akiya pressed his lips together. His expression had become slightly stern, yet instead of targeting Zen'in Naoya, he cut off Gojo Satoru before the latter could speak.
"Senpai, Nanami and I will take you somewhere to rest. Leave this to us."
Escorted by Asou Akiya and Nanami Kento, Iori Utahime was led away from the conflict. Ieiri Shoko followed shortly afterward.
Left at the scene were Zen'in Naoya, Haibara Yu, Gojo Satoru, and Getou Suguru.
Gojo Satoru looked at Zen'in Naoya coldly.
"Haven't you had enough of bullying women in the Zen'in Clan already?"
Zen'in Naoya answered directly.
"The women at home wouldn't dare talk back to me."
He flicked at his sleeve, which remained spotless and free of dust, and revealed a cruel smile.
"She should be grateful she's a student of Tokyo Jujutsu High. If she were some other female sorcerer, she'd be kneeling outside my door begging for forgiveness by tomorrow."
Lowering his head slightly, he continued,
"For your sake, Gojo-kun, I won't pursue the matter any further. I hope you'll forgive me for taking action on your turf."
Gojo Satoru's disgust was obvious.
He did not waste any extra words.
"Get lost. If something like this happens again, I'll beat you up personally."
Zen'in Naoya withdrew safely.
There was none of the explosive tension one might have expected.
Haibara Yu looked completely bewildered. "That's it? Nothing's going to happen?"
Since his underclassman was asking him directly, Gojo Satoru answered, "What he said was true. He really did back off because of me."
Not particularly taking either side, Haibara Yu scratched his head in confusion. "I don't get it. Getou-senpai, do you?"
Placing all his hopes on the silent Getou Suguru, he waited for an explanation.
Getou Suguru opened his mouth, only to close it again. After letting out a bitter laugh, he felt as though he had once again caught a glimpse of a side of Gojo Satoru he had never fully understood before.
"Gojo, no wonder Akiya took Utahime-senpai away. He was worried she'd be hurt if she heard this."
"Utahime would be hurt?" Gojo Satoru looked puzzled. "Why would she be hurt? Oh, because she lost?"
When it came to this matter, Gojo Satoru's equal treatment of men and women was so absolute that it was almost frightening.
"I'm definitely going to laugh at her about it later~"
A cold sweat instantly ran down Getou Suguru's back.
"Please don't."
"Suguru, Utahime attacked first, and Zen'in only fought back afterward." Gojo Satoru recounted the sequence of events exactly as he had observed it. "She lost the fight, but she isn't being punished for it. She doesn't even have to write a reflection. And with Shoko around, her injuries will be healed in minutes."
He spread his hands helplessly.
"I honestly can't see where I was supposed to help."
After a brief pause, he added, "That said, I just don't like Zen'in. If this happens again, I'll make him cry."
With that, Gojo Satoru started walking in the direction Asou Akiya had gone. "Come on, Suguru! Let's go find Akiya!"
Getou Suguru followed after him, but for a moment, his worldview felt slightly shaken.
A thought surfaced involuntarily in his mind.
[In Gojo's eyes, trash talk doesn't even count as a real problem. The seriousness of a fight is judged by the punishment afterward? As long as nobody suffers any lasting consequences, then everything is fine? Between the two of us, whose values are actually the strange ones here?]
Unable to stop himself, Getou Suguru spent a moment seriously reflecting on the matter. Then he let out a long breath and arrived at a firm conclusion.
[It's definitely not me.]
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Ieiri Shoko was busy comforting her thoroughly demoralized upperclassman, Iori Utahime.
Getou Suguru relayed the entire matter to Asou Akiya. After hearing what happened, Asou Akiya glanced over at Gojo Satoru, who was currently taking photos of Iori Utahime without the slightest bit of guilt.
"Akiya?" Getou Suguru prompted.
Asou Akiya sighed. "Suguru, you need to understand that there's a reason we're popular."
The unspoken implication was clear:
[And there's also a reason Gojo Satoru isn't.]
"Utahime-senpai was wronged, and we know that," Asou Akiya continued. "To keep the situation from escalating today, we didn't openly help her deal with Zen'in Naoya. That's also partly our underclassman's fault. But Utahime-senpai is a strong and independent woman. After suffering a setback once and learning from the experience, sooner or later she'll realize that this world is full of people she should stay far away from."
The unspoken implication behind those words was equally obvious:
[Sooner or later, Iori Utahime will have to deal with the Kyoto conservatives.]
Asou Akiya was not merely expressing his stance regarding their upperclassman. He was also trying to comfort Getou Suguru.
"Don't act impulsively. One day, we'll help her get even."
At that moment, Gojo Satoru abruptly squeezed himself between the two of them, physically separating them. Ever since Getou Suguru had advanced to Special Grade, he had been plagued by an inexplicable sense of crisis.
"Akiya, you could've told me too. I'd help."
"…That wouldn't be because you genuinely wanted to."
"Helping friends is only natural!"
"Lower your voice. Don't disturb Utahime-senpai. Let's talk outside. Yaga-sensei will be back soon."
Asou Akiya quickly defused the brewing argument and led Gojo Satoru out of the infirmary. Then he noticed that Getou Suguru had remained rooted to the spot, having apparently transformed into a philosopher lost in thought.
Turning back, Asou Akiya grabbed him as well and dragged him outside. The infirmary was finally left to the two girls.
Standing quietly in a corner, Nanami Kento listened as the noisy voices of his upperclassmen gradually faded into the distance.
"Was I forgotten?"
Nanami Kento reflected on the conversation he had accidentally overheard and began sorting out the attitudes of his upperclassmen.
Asou-senpai had rationally weighed the conflict, yet emotionally sided with Utahime-senpai. His goal had been to prevent the situation from escalating further. He was, without question, a reliable upperclassman.
Getou-senpai disliked the archaic, feudal views expressed by Zen'in Naoya and had every reason to intervene. Even so, he cared more about the opinions of his classmates and chose restraint.
Gojo-senpai, despite being born into one of the Three Great Sorcerer Clans, believed that male and female sorcerers deserved to stand on the same track and compete under the same standards. Compared to Zen'in Naoya, there was very little feudal thinking in him. Yet when speaking to Zen'in Naoya, he had been unusually cold and indifferent.
Realizing that there was nothing left for him to do here, Nanami Kento turned to leave.
To his surprise, he found Haibara Yu waiting for him outside.
A faint warmth rose in his heart.
Nanami Kento did not share his analysis with anyone.
Instead, he asked a different question.
"Haibara, which of the upperclassmen do you think is the kindest?"
"Huh?" Haibara Yu blinked in surprise. "You're asking me something like that? I think all of the upperclassmen are kind!"
Nanami Kento's eye twitched.
After a moment of silence, he forced out another question through clenched teeth.
"Then what kind of person do you think Zen'in Naoya is?"
Haibara Yu actually spent three whole seconds thinking about it, which, given his personality, was already an unusually long time.
"A chauvinistic young master who somehow wandered here from ancient times?"
Not one for overthinking things, Haibara Yu immediately moved on and declared in a passionate, hot-blooded voice, "But Zen'in is really strong! His fighting ability is incredible. We can't afford to lose to him in the future either, or we won't be able to become friends with him!"
Nanami Kento felt a chill run down his spine.
Friends?
With someone like Zen'in Naoya?
Staying as far away as possible was clearly the correct answer.
"Haibara, never mind. Let's go back to class."
"Okay!"
The two first-years left together.
Meanwhile, at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Yaga Masamichi returned from the Higher-Ups after receiving a new assignment. His expression was troubled, and the weight of his concerns was evident on his face.
He had assumed the classroom would be empty.
Instead, he found three students waiting inside.
"Where's Shoko?"
"Sensei, she's taking care of something in the infirmary," Asou Akiya answered.
Not wanting to add to Yaga Masamichi's burdens, Asou Akiya deliberately chose not to mention the fight that had broken out earlier.
"Alright. Let her know for me when she comes back."
Yaga Masamichi walked behind the podium and planted both hands firmly on its surface.
The three students seated below immediately straightened their backs.
In that instant, all three of them sensed that a historic moment was about to arrive.
"There is a troublesome assignment I need to entrust to you. Prepare yourselves."
This time, thanks to Asou Akiya's earlier intervention, no one complained that Yaga Masamichi had gone mad.
Yaga Masamichi slowly clenched his hand into a fist.
"The Star Plasma Vessel mission. By Master Tengen's designation, Special Grade sorcerer Getou Suguru and Semi-Special Grade sorcerer Gojo Satoru will serve as the primary operatives. Everyone else at Tokyo Jujutsu High will provide support and must be ready to respond at a moment's notice."
He began explaining the details of the mission.
"Your task is to protect the Star Plasma Vessel."
Even Yaga Masamichi found the next words difficult to say.
"At the same time, you must escort the Star Plasma Vessel to the Tombs of the Star Corridor, where she will undergo Assimilation with Master Tengen..."
He paused briefly before forcing himself to continue.
"And ultimately, she will be erased."
Yaga Masamichi's voice grew heavier.
"The Star Plasma Vessel's information has already been sent to your phones. Depart as soon as possible."
"The deadline for the mission is the night of the full moon, after sunset."
The Star Plasma Vessel mission had officially begun.
Asou Akiya did not know what the others were feeling at that moment.
He only knew that his own breathing had become uneven.
Seated nearby, Gojo Satoru picked up the change in his heartbeat. Following the observations of the Six Eyes, he turned his gaze toward him.
[Is Little Tangerine afraid? Or is he excited?]
Yaga Masamichi's eyes shifted toward Asou Akiya—the person who had made a private agreement with Master Tengen, yet whose name had not been officially included in the mission assignment.
"Akiya, will you be leaving with them, or staying behind at Tokyo Jujutsu High?"
The moment the question left his mouth, the two boys immediately became restless.
"Come with us! I'll take you on a mission!" Getou Suguru said without hesitation, his confidence rooted in absolute faith in both his own strength and Gojo Satoru's.
"Akiya, come on~" Gojo Satoru chimed in eagerly, already looking forward to the three of them traveling together.
"I'm sorry. I'm staying behind."
Asou Akiya's answer came calmly.
"I'll serve as logistical support. We'll stay in contact by phone."
He turned his head away, refusing to look at the disappointment that immediately appeared on their faces.
The instant they invited him, the heart beating in his chest had softened painfully.
Then he forced himself to harden it once more.
—With everything on the line, let it begin.