"They went to Okinawa?"
After receiving a call from Kong Shiu, Fushiguro Toji nearly burst out laughing.
The two brats were escorting the Star Plasma Vessel, yet along the way they had stopped to rescue a maid. As a result, they were getting farther and farther away from Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Seriously, how did they even manage that?" Fushiguro Toji said in disbelief. "Doesn't that make all the fake destinations I set up in advance completely useless?"
Earlier that day, Toji had lost money betting on boat races. After rudely hanging up on Kong Shiu once, he had now decided to treat him with a much friendlier attitude.
"Forget about that," Kong Shiu replied. "Are you heading to Okinawa now? I've already booked a plane ticket for you."
"Sure."
At that moment, Toji was moving at high speed through the streets and alleys of Tokyo, hunting down large numbers of low-grade cursed spirits and stuffing them all into Ugly Treasure's stomach.
When he was a child, his inability to see cursed spirits had caused him endless suffering. The scar at the corner of his mouth was proof of that past. He had been trampled upon and mocked by the sorcerers of the Zen'in Clan.
After growing up, however, his body had become stronger thanks to the reverse effect of the Heavenly Restriction. Though he possessed absolutely no cursed energy, his five senses had sharpened to an extraordinary degree, allowing him to perceive things in the air that should not have existed in the first place.
He was far too stingy to spend money buying low-grade cursed spirits on the darknet.
Guided by the virtue of frugality—or so he claimed—he simply went out and caught them himself.
Kong Shiu sounded puzzled.
"There's a constant whooshing noise. What are you doing?"
Toji answered in a low voice,
"Classified."
Anything related to his battle plan against Gojo Satoru was something he would never explain in detail to Kong Shiu.
Toji's personal mobile armory, Ugly Treasure*, was a spatial-type cursed spirit with the face of a human and the elongated body of a worm. Under normal circumstances, it coiled around Toji's shoulders and waist. Occasionally, during missions, it would remain inside his stomach.
*{Note: Ok so, in the anime, the cursed spirit was named "Megumi", but to differentiate Megumi with the cursed spirit, I'm going to keep it as Ugly Treasure. I completely forget about the name, until I was rewatching the series.}
To deal with the Six Eyes, Toji had prepared an extremely detailed strategy. From weapons, to timing, to external interference, every single element was indispensable.
His hand-to-hand combat skills stood at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world, but he was not a sorcerer. His combat style relied heavily on weapons, which made the stockpile stored within Ugly Treasure's stomach absolutely essential.
And Ugly Treasure obeyed him with the unquestioning loyalty of a dog.
After picking up more than a thousand pieces of "trash," Fushiguro Toji headed for the airport, keeping a constant watch on Gojo Satoru's movements the entire time.
In the eyes of the "Sorcerer Killer," Gojo Satoru's footprints were as clear as day.
There were three people in total.
The Six Eyes. The Cursed Spirit Manipulator. The Star Plasma Vessel.
In the dead of night, Fushiguro Toji quietly arrived in Okinawa and concealed himself around the hotel.
Thanks to his complete lack of cursed energy, he appeared like an inanimate object within Gojo Satoru's long-range field of vision, utterly devoid of presence. Meanwhile, Gojo's attention was usually focused on things carrying cursed energy, tracking the traces left behind by curse users and assassins.
As dawn approached, the magnificent scenery of sea and sky blending into one illuminated the balcony of the hotel suite.
Behind the balcony's glass doors, the white-haired teenager sat with one leg crossed over the other. Dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, he somehow managed to make spring feel like midsummer.
"There are so few sorcerers in Okinawa."
Gojo Satoru was still holding his overheated phone. The charging cable had kept it alive throughout the entire night.
"And the cursed spirits here?" Asou Akiya asked. "I guess there aren't many of those either."
Asou Akiya was an excellent conversation partner. Even now, he still had not hung up.
"Yep."
Gojo Satoru stood up and looked toward the shoreline near the hotel.
"Not many cursed spirits, and not many people messing around with curses either. The world always seems to maintain some kind of balance. Maybe my arrival is what will bring chaos to this place instead."
Those casual words immediately roused Asou Akiya from his drowsiness.
"Who put that idea into your head?"
Gojo Satoru looked surprised.
"My birth disrupted the balance of the jujutsu world. Isn't that common knowledge?"
Asou Akiya patiently untangled the logic for him.
"No one can choose the circumstances of their birth. Being born into the Gojo Clan and inheriting the Limitless technique was a matter of fortune. Possessing the Six Eyes was the result of the causality created by Tengen's barriers. Your birth injected new strength into a jujutsu world that had been gradually declining, but a price was paid as well—"
"From the moment you were a child, people tried to assassinate you."
Gojo Satoru answered rationally,
"That price is hardly worth mentioning."
He saw the harm caused by cursed spirits with perfect clarity.
"More people have died because of me."
"Yes," Asou Akiya replied. "Those are all facts."
Lies would never earn Gojo Satoru's agreement, so Asou Akiya spoke the truth from the bottom of his heart.
"But you are not a natural disaster, nor are you a man-made calamity. You are simply Gojo Satoru—an extraordinary individual among the countless masses, a sorcerer prodigy whose birth shattered the balance of the jujutsu world, and a person who, in the future, will be capable of suppressing every Special Grade cursed spirit."
"You can choose to save people, or you can choose not to save people. Either way, there is nothing wrong with that."
"After all, whenever you encounter a cursed spirit, there's a high chance you'll exorcise it anyway."
"You do good. You have never committed evil. Despite standing in a position of immense privilege and power, you have remained upright and self-disciplined. In that regard, you surpass countless others."
While Getou Suguru constantly instilled in him ideals about saving people and protecting the weak, Asou Akiya took the opposite approach. What he sought to strengthen was Gojo Satoru's will itself, reinforcing the fundamental reason why Gojo would spend his life helping and saving others:
[Because I want to.]
Asou Akiya knew that Getou Suguru had probably voiced certain concerns. For example, after they saved people, the Time Vessel Association had occupied the airport and blocked their route home. Incidents like that had left a small seed of displeasure in Gojo Satoru's heart.
"Let me make a bet with you."
"Your arrival will not bring chaos to Okinawa."
"Akiya," Gojo Satoru said with growing interest, "is this another 'prophecy'?"
As always, his attempt to fish for information was painfully obvious.
"Yes," Asou Akiya answered without the slightest fear of being questioned. "It's a prophecy."
"As long as Kuroi Misato doesn't die, you'll have a wonderful time in Okinawa. You'll be surrounded by sunshine, sea breezes, and laughter carried on the waves. Your enemies will be trembling in fear, intimidated by your overwhelming presence. All they'll be able to do is pray for a typhoon to arrive and wipe all of you out together."
Gojo Satoru immediately asked,
"And what if a typhoon actually does show up?"
With a hint of humor in his voice, Asou Akiya replied,
"Then you can blame it on my loose tongue. After all, prophecies are like superstitions—those who believe will find them true, and those who don't will find nothing there at all."
After staying awake all night, Gojo Satoru's brain gave up on complicated thinking and chose the simplest possible line of reasoning.
"Then all I have to do is not believe it!"
"Exactly~."
Asou Akiya humored him.
"There's still plenty of time. Why don't you try making breakfast? The hotel suite should have a Western-style kitchen, right?"
Gojo Satoru walked toward the open kitchen area.
"It does. Suguru made coffee there last night."
Asou Akiya immediately became alert.
"He didn't drink it himself, did he?"
Gojo Satoru rummaged through the drawer filled with complimentary supplies.
"No. I drank it. It really does help keep you awake."
Relieved, Asou Akiya lowered his voice.
"How many sugar cubes did he put in it for you? Was it enough? If it was too bitter, make sure to tell Suguru. He doesn't know your eating habits very well. Have you ever even drunk coffee before?"
Gojo Satoru tossed a cube of cane sugar into his mouth and crunched down on it.
"I've never tasted bitterness in my entire life."
He would never drink coffee outside.
But coffee given by a friend was an exception.
Because even coffee could be sweet.
Before Getou Suguru woke up, Gojo Satoru and Asou Akiya discussed the hostage exchange.
"Are you going to follow us around this morning?"
Asou Akiya replied weakly,
"No. I'm going back to sleep. I'll wait for your update."
"What about the underclassmen?"
"I'll have them stay away from your activity area and keep an eye on the situation at the airport."
Gojo Satoru let out an acknowledging "Oh."
A packet of instant noodles had finished cooking in the pot.
He leaned closer and took a sniff.
"Not bad~."
11:00 a.m.
Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru stormed the location where the hostage was being held and successfully rescued Kuroi Misato.
The fact that Kuroi Misato was alive became the greatest piece of good news that day.
12:00 p.m.
The two of them interrogated members of the Time Vessel Association and confirmed that the group consisted of nothing more than a bunch of fanatics.
Kuroi Misato stated that she had been suddenly knocked unconscious and had never seen the kidnapper's true face. She also felt embarrassed for having brought shame upon the jujutsu sorcerers.
12:10 p.m.
Asou Akiya finished reading the messages on his phone. Seated across the table from him were the three underclassmen assigned to support the Star Plasma Vessel mission.
The four of them were having a meal together at an upscale sushi restaurant.
While eating, Haibara Yu exclaimed,
"This is so good! If Asou-senpai doesn't start eating soon, I'm going to finish everything!"
Nanami Kento ate with refined manners, but his pace was steadily increasing. He was worried that some unexpected situation might arise later and leave him without enough food in his stomach.
After tasting a piece of sushi, Zen'in Naoya set it down with little interest.
"Terrible. They completely missed the essence of sushi."
The Zen'in Clan possessed some of the most authentic Kyoto cuisine.
His palate had long since been spoiled by the clan's master chefs, making it difficult for him to appreciate traditional foods that had been commercialized for mass consumption.
In truth, Asou Akiya was rather curious about how Gojo Satoru could stomach instant noodles and brightly colored popsicles loaded with artificial coloring. The only explanation he could think of was Gojo's overwhelming rebellious streak. Somehow, he had managed to ignore habits cultivated over more than a decade and drastically lower his standards regarding material comforts.
"Have Gojo-san and Getou-san finished dealing with everything?"
With Gojo Satoru absent, Zen'in Naoya reverted to his usual form of address. There was an unmistakable note of impatience in his voice as he waited for news.
When it came to confidence in Gojo Satoru's strength, Zen'in Naoya surpassed the other two underclassmen. That alone made Asou Akiya view him a little more favorably.
Patiently, Asou Akiya explained,
"Zen'in-kun, they've already rescued the hostage and completed the interrogation of the kidnappers. However, we're the support team. As long as we ensure the safety of Okinawa Airport, our job is done."
Nanami Kento asked with concern, "How many days are we expected to stay here?"
Asou Akiya replied, "Approximately two days."
Zen'in Naoya, who had been casually glancing around the restaurant, immediately turned his gaze toward him. "That long?"
Haibara Yu's eyes widened into little dots of shock. "The enemy is that strong? The upperclassmen need two whole days to deal with them?"
Asou Akiya seemed to reveal the information by accident. "The Time Vessel Association may have hired someone quite formidable."
Haibara Yu clenched his fist. "Then the upperclassmen have to do their best!"
Nanami Kento remained silent.
Why were first-year students skipping school to carry out a mission like this?
Zen'in Naoya let out a dismissive laugh. "How powerful can some curse users from outside really be? I heard that Gojo-san wiped out the curse user organization Group Q yesterday."
His evaluation of Gojo-san's classmate dropped another level. Looking at him up close, the man was admittedly good-looking, but in terms of strength and insight, he was nowhere near Getou-san's level. Most likely, he had managed to remain in the class because he knew how to please Gojo-san, spending his days helping him deal with various trivial matters of daily life.
Asou Akiya showed no anger despite the mockery. He simply smiled while looking at his phone. Across the table, the expressions on the other two boys' faces suggested that dining together with Zen'in Naoya was giving them stomachaches. As a considerate upperclassman, Asou Akiya naturally did not overlook this.
"Nanami-kun, Haibara-kun, are you two full yet?" he asked.
The two looked up.
"I'd like to ask a favor. There's a possibility that enemies may attack the airport today. Could you go there ahead of time and stand guard for me?"
Haibara Yu and Nanami Kento immediately agreed. Then their gazes drifted toward Zen'in Naoya, whose name had not been mentioned at all.
Asou Akiya selected another piece of sushi and said leisurely, "I'll stay here with Zen'in-kun for a while."
Reassured, the two first-years left.
Once the group's most sociable member was gone, the atmosphere inside the private room instantly cooled.
Zen'in Naoya's expression remained as lofty and arrogant as ever, yet the corner of his lips slowly lifted into a smile with an unreadable meaning.
"You need something?"
Asou Akiya chewed his food slowly and carefully. Only after settling his stomach did he finally say, "A partnership."
Zen'in Naoya looked as though a leaf that had been blocking his vision had suddenly been swept aside. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face as he carefully examined the person before him.
Black hair. Black eyes.
A Kamo?
"I thought you were, at most, just a messenger."
"To use a semi-Grade 2 sorcerer as a messenger? Only the heir of one of the Three Great Clans could afford to be that extravagant."
"...Heh. I forgot—you were driven out."
Zen'in Naoya's smile turned malicious. Then his expression grew cold as he pointed out what he believed to be the flaw in the other man's story.
"Gojo-san denied knowing anyone from the Kamo Clan."
Asou Akiya nodded calmly. "That's right. I don't possess an innate technique, so he has no way of identifying my origins through a cursed technique."
After a brief pause, he added, "He considers me his best friend."
A trace of guilt surfaced on Asou Akiya's face as he spoke those words.
It was a lie.
Gojo Satoru's best friend was Getou Suguru.
Then Asou Akiya reached into his pocket and placed a card on the table.
"A black card from the Gojo Clan. No spending limit."
Zen'in Naoya stared at it.
"?"
Asou Akiya calmly produced another piece of evidence.
"A key to Gojo's dormitory."
Then he let out a soft sigh.
"He trusts me far too much."
Not knowing the details of his background, Zen'in Naoya frowned in confusion.
"Then why did you use Gojo-san to get in contact with me?"
Asou Akiya folded his hands together on the table. His expression was gentle, and his scholarly, refined demeanor allowed him to stand toe-to-toe with Zen'in Naoya without losing an inch of ground.
"Because I hope the heirs of the Three Great Clans are the same kind of people."
"The same kind...?" Zen'in Naoya repeated.
"The legitimate sons of the principal wives," Asou Akiya said evenly, "not bastards born outside the family."
His fingers remained interlocked as he met Zen'in Naoya's gaze.
"I would rather lose to a fate that denied me a cursed technique than lose to an illegitimate younger brother born of a concubine."
Zen'in Naoya was deceived by his attitude. If an ordinary sorcerer had said such things, he would have laughed himself to death.
After all, it had been several hundred years since a wielder of the Ten Shadows Technique had appeared. Records concerning it existed only in the ancient archives of the jujutsu world. Most members of the Three Great Clans had never seen it for themselves, let alone outsiders. How could anyone from outside accurately judge the true capabilities of the Ten Shadows Technique?
Only the legitimate heirs of the Three Great Clans—only those who had once stood closest to the position of clan successor—had any hope of gaining access to those priceless historical records.
Zen'in Naoya casually steered the conversation toward the Ten Shadows Technique.
Asou Akiya answered every question fluently, as though he had personally witnessed a Ten Shadows user summoning and commanding shikigami.
Hatred surged through Zen'in Naoya's heart.
That damned Ten Shadows Technique.
Why hadn't that technique been bestowed upon him?
"Kamo, what's the weakness of the ultimate move of your clan's Blood Manipulation Technique?"
"The charge-up time is too long, and it consumes too much blood. Surely you already know that."
"Any other trump cards?"
"You seriously expect me to answer a question like that?" Asou Akiya said with a faint smile. "Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you."
His answer earned Zen'in Naoya's approval.
Members of the main families of the Three Great Clans were people who would rather die than reveal their clan's secrets to outsiders.
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell Gojo-san?" Zen'in Naoya suddenly turned hostile, attempting to seize upon what he believed to be Asou Akiya's weakness. "If I do, you'll lose Gojo-san's favor."
"Then you'll have nothing left."
Asou Akiya remained completely unfazed.
"The Kamo Clan is not as weak as you imagine."
Zen'in Naoya immediately understood the implication.
At worst, both sides would drag each other down and perish together.
He couldn't afford to gamble with the significance that the Ten Shadows Technique held for the Zen'in Clan. For a moment, he found it difficult to shake off his preconceived image of the Kamo Clan.
Among the Three Great Clans, the Gojo Clan was the most arrogant. The Zen'in Clan was the most obsessed with strength. The Kamo Clan, meanwhile, was the least likely to produce top-tier powerhouses, and was often looked down upon by the other two clans because of it.
Zen'in Naoya was willing to continue the negotiation for a very simple reason.
The other party was not trash.
Despite lacking an innate technique, he had still reached the level of a semi-Grade 2 sorcerer. Even within the Zen'in Clan, such individuals were relatively uncommon. Speaking with him would not lower Zen'in Naoya's status.
Ever since he was young, the thing Zen'in Naoya hated most was being looked down upon. The person sitting across from him had carefully avoided stepping on that particular landmine.
The two of them shared a similar status and comparable experiences. Because of that, Zen'in Naoya believed in the Kamo heir's desire for revenge against a bastard-born sibling.
"Enough beating around the bush," Zen'in Naoya said. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Follow my arrangements. At the critical moment, save the Star Plasma Vessel's life and send her overseas."
Asou Akiya said it with the ease of someone making a joke.
"Pretty simple, isn't it?"
Zen'in Naoya abruptly knocked his chair askew as he shot to his feet.
"Have you lost your mind?" he demanded in disbelief. "You're asking me to go to war against Master Tengen?!"
Asou Akiya remained seated, not moving in the slightest.
"I haven't lost my mind."
Then he added another condition.
"One more thing. You, me, Gojo Satoru, and Getou Suguru—we save her together."
"If you agree, we'll establish a Binding Vow. In return, I'll tell you the whereabouts of a Ten Shadows Technique user."
His tone remained calm and steady.
"If either party violates the agreement, may they meet a miserable death."
...
Faced with a Binding Vow that directly involved their lives, Zen'in Naoya broke out in a cold sweat and fell into deep thought.
The four of them working together to save someone?
Joining forces to sabotage the Star Plasma Vessel mission?
When he looked at it that way, the risks did not seem quite as great as he had initially imagined.
Tempted by the prospect of obtaining the "Ten Shadows Technique," Zen'in Naoya steeled his resolve and thought bitterly to himself: [Tengen is nothing more than an old immortal who refuses to die.]
After that, Zen'in Naoya and Asou Akiya entered into a Binding Vow. Their hands clasped together, and an invisible set of shackles settled over them, binding both parties to their agreement.
Zen'in Naoya finally relaxed.
"I'll arrange an overseas identity for her immediately."
Asou Akiya picked up the cup of tea that had been sitting untouched on the table the entire time. He took a sip, moistening his throat before speaking.
"There's no rush."
Zen'in Naoya frowned.
"You don't want to watch the battle between the 'Strongest'?"
"What?!"
"Our enemy isn't just Master Tengen . There's also your cousin, Toji. He's accepted the mission to assassinate the Star Plasma Vessel, and right now there's a very high chance he's lurking somewhere around Gojo Satoru. If either of us runs into him, we'll be throwing our lives away. Do you still remember the gossip surrounding the Three Great Clans? Your cousin Toji has never been able to let go of his obsession with Gojo Satoru. The two of them are destined to clash."
"..."
Zen'in Naoya's expression changed dramatically.
That was Zen'in Toji—the strongest man in his heart.
His enemy was Toji?
Toji was coming?
Not mentioning something this important before finalizing the deal was going way too far!
Feeling thoroughly cheated and tricked, Zen'in Naoya pointed an accusing finger at Asou Akiya and exploded in rage.
"Kamo! You shameless bastard with no sincerity whatsoever! I won't let you get away with this!"
Asou Akiya wore an innocent expression as he casually dropped another bombshell.
"The owner of the Ten Shadows Technique is his son."
The hand Zen'in Naoya had been using to point at Asou Akiya's nose froze in midair.
Th-That bastard child is Cousin Toji's son?!
Asou Akiya blew lightly across the surface of the tea, which had long since gone cold.
"You were going to end up opposing each other sooner or later anyway. So why not take advantage of the best possible opportunity and eliminate the greatest hidden danger while you can?"
His gaze lowered to the tea in his cup, where a delicate and handsome face was reflected on the water's surface. His eyes darkened with gloom, exuding a poisonous allure that was as deadly as it was captivating.
"Naoya, don't make me look down on your resolve."
—After all, you're such a devoted son, aren't you?
...
Zen'in Naoya was the very embodiment of ambition and desire, the sort of person who would ignore own father's imminent death if doing so served his interests.