13:00 PM — Beach Trip in Progress
April was warmer than March. With temperatures hovering around thirty degrees Celsius, the women present had all changed into swimsuits.
Amanai Riko's screams and laughter rang out without end. With the shadow of her approaching death hanging over her, she had completely cast aside her worries and was wholeheartedly enjoying the seawater, the beach, and the blazing sunshine.
Gojo Satoru had never met anyone even more sheltered and inexperienced than himself. The childishness in both of them ran rampant. One was visiting the beach for only the second time in his life, while the other was experiencing it for the very first time. Somehow, when the two of them got together, the barriers between them naturally melted away.
Kuroi Misato watched the scene with deep satisfaction.
"This is the first time Lady Riko has ever come this close to the ocean."
In the past, the jujutsu world had required her to prioritize Amanai Riko's safety above all else, forbidding her from going anywhere that might be dangerous.
Was the beach dangerous?
For ordinary Japanese people, any natural disaster was enough to become a life-threatening catastrophe.
"Don't worry. Our school's Young Master Satoru is only here for the second time himself. He's not much better than little Riko," Getou Suguru said, his phone never leaving his hand as he mercilessly mocked Gojo Satoru's sheltered upbringing. More and more, he was beginning to understand Asou Akiya's perspective on the matter.
Kuroi Misato looked surprised.
"Isn't he a Gojo? The famous Six Eyes?"
Getou Suguru answered absentmindedly.
"To us, he's just a friend."
What Six Eyes?
It wasn't as though he literally had six eyes.
At most, his eyesight was exceptionally good. What was there to make such a fuss about?
On the beach, Kuroi Misato hesitated for a moment before asking,
"By the way... you've been staring at your phone the entire time. Aren't you going to join them?"
Getou Suguru finally pulled his attention away from the screen and looked toward the two people playing in the distance.
The sight made him feel like a parent supervising children, his heart constantly suspended in anxiety.
"If I want to have fun, I can come back any weekend. There's no need to rush."
He wasn't one of those freeloaders at Jujutsu High, after all.
"Right now we're still in the middle of a mission. I'm more concerned about the movements of the Time Vessel Association and the curse users. Unfortunately, I don't have any connections in those circles. The only person who might know what's going on..." Getou Suguru frowned slightly. "I can't shake the feeling that Akiya is hiding something from me."
He could never fully understand Asou Akiya's actions, and he disliked being stuck in a passive position where he had to wait for things to happen.
"What a headache."
No matter how many questions he asked in their group chat, he couldn't get a clear answer.
Kuroi Misato asked curiously, "Who's this 'Akiya' you're talking about? A student at Jujutsu High?"
Getou Suguru had practically worn out the books Asou Akiya had given him from repeated reading. Without thinking, he blurted out, "He's the kind of guy who genuinely believes that saving 290,000 people is enough to attain Buddhahood. He's incredibly smart. Most of the time he's busy setting traps for the rest of us, but whenever something important involving Satoru happens, he's someone you can trust completely."
Kuroi Misato caught a faint sour note that seemed unique to friendship. "Akiya" (秋也) was clearly a boy's name, the suffix "ya" (也) was commonly used at the end of male names—and the name itself made her think of autumn, with the ground blanketed in golden ginkgo leaves.
Amused, she glanced at Getou Suguru again, mentally setting aside some of the mature image she had unconsciously projected onto him. In the end, no matter how composed he seemed, he was still just a sixteen-year-old high school student.
"A person who believes that saving 290,000 people can lead to Buddhahood must be kind at heart," Kuroi Misato said.
Gods and Buddhas were concepts that essentially did not exist within the world of jujutsu sorcery.
Hearing such a perspective, Getou Suguru found it interesting.
"Not many people describe him as kind. You're one of the few."
Once people spent enough time with Asou Akiya, they came to understand that he firmly believed in self-reliance and earning everything through one's own efforts. The only person capable of overturning Asou Akiya's principles, someone for whom he would willingly go to great lengths and receive little in return while patiently coaxing them along, was Gojo Satoru.
Asou Akiya was cold, intelligent, kind, and calculating.
He was also the unanimously acknowledged class representative among the four classmates of the same year.
The class representative was exceptionally kind only to those he personally recognized.
Nothing more.
That was simply the way he chose to live and interact with the world.
At that moment, Getou Suguru's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
After exchanging only a few words with the person on the other end, Kuroi Misato could clearly sense the change in him. The tension in his presence softened, and the guilt he had been carrying over her kidnapping finally began to ease.
Getou Suguru drew out his words and shouted toward the shoreline.
"Satoru—have you had enough fun yet? Akiya wants you to answer the phone!"
Gojo Satoru had been busy splashing around in the water and hadn't brought his phone with him, so Asou Akiya had asked Getou Suguru to call him over.
The moment Amanai Riko noticed Gojo Satoru stop playing, she unconsciously puffed out her cheeks, unable to hide her disappointment. Kuroi Misato rose to her feet, carrying a large towel over with her and draping it around Amanai Riko's shoulders. Both of them understood that their time at the beach was coming to an end.
Gojo Satoru glanced at her before walking barefoot onto the shore and taking Getou Suguru's phone.
Getou Suguru remained where he was, standing beneath the shade cast by a rocky outcrop to escape the sun. He made no attempt to leave and instead openly lingered nearby, intending to eavesdrop on the conversation between Gojo Satoru and Asou Akiya.
Gojo Satoru looked at him.
"?"
Then he curled his lips.
"Scram. Scram."
Getou Suguru tilted his head to the side, stretched both arms lazily, and pretended to be a deaf man who couldn't hear a thing.
Gojo Satoru immediately complained into the phone.
"Akiya, Suguru's eavesdropping. I'll help you yell at him."
Getou Suguru: "..."
As the voice of the person on the other end reached him, Gojo Satoru's deliberately goofy attitude gradually faded.
Far away at the airport, Asou Akiya carefully explained the itinerary for the day in detail. He praised the younger students for carrying out their duties responsibly and confirmed that the Time Vessel Association's private aircraft had already departed Okinawa. Meanwhile, the bounty posted on the curse user platform was still active and would remain in effect until 11:00 a.m. on April 12—the following day.
"Gojo, I've already purchased tickets for all of you to visit the Okinawa Museum and the Aquarium. Do you still want to continue sightseeing and having fun?"
"There's no need to worry about my side."
"I'll make the necessary arrangements for the younger students' schedule."
Asou Akiya's gentle, refined voice felt strangely out of place against the backdrop of the blazing sun and the lively beach.
The moment Getou Suguru heard those words, his expression immediately turned serious.
Before he could say anything, however, Gojo Satoru drove a fist into his shoulder, stopping him from interrupting.
After thinking for a moment, Gojo Satoru replied,
"Akiya, it would be a waste to let those tickets go unused. Suguru's been having a lot of fun too. Let's leave tomorrow morning instead."
Getou Suguru repeatedly tried to open his mouth and speak.
Gojo Satoru simply slapped a hand over Getou Suguru's mouth and began waggling his eyebrows theatrically.
From the other end of the line, Asou Akiya replied without hesitation:
"Alright."
At the end of the call came a response that was entirely characteristic of him—Asou Akiya unconditionally supported whatever decision Gojo Satoru made.
The moment the call ended and Gojo Satoru finally released him, Getou Suguru immediately grabbed his wrist and shoved the hand away with visible disgust.
"It's covered in salt."
Gojo Satoru protested indignantly.
"I was helping you!"
Then he raised his palm and sniffed it.
"Does it smell salty? I've had Infinity active the whole time."
Getou Suguru smoothly changed the subject as though nothing had happened.
"We've already stayed long enough. Returning to Tokyo Jujutsu High now would be the safer option."
Gojo Satoru looked completely unconcerned.
Lowering his voice, Getou Suguru asked,
"Satoru, why did you suddenly change your mind? Keeping your technique active for such a long period isn't exactly effortless, is it?"
Gojo Satoru immediately leaned in as well, speaking in the same conspiratorial tone.
"Akiya made a bet with me. I want to see who ends up winning."
Getou Suguru raised an eyebrow.
"Let's hear it."
Skipping over all the background details, Gojo Satoru got straight to the point.
"He bet that nothing would happen in Okinawa."
Getou Suguru fell silent in thought.
"If Akiya is willing to make a wager, then there's usually a very high chance he's confident in the outcome. What are the stakes?"
Gojo Satoru stared blankly.
"…I forgot to ask."
Getou Suguru: "..."
At that moment, Getou Suguru genuinely wanted to crack Gojo Satoru over the head!
Was there really nothing inside that brain of his except thoughts about eating, drinking, and having fun?
After a brief round of silent wrestling and mutual strangling that produced no actual casualties, the two of them emerged from behind the rocks on surprisingly friendly terms.
In the end, Getou Suguru agreed to Gojo Satoru's decision to extend their stay.
When they informed Amanai Riko, a brilliant smile immediately bloomed across her face.
Of course, the greatest reason Getou Suguru was willing to indulge Gojo Satoru was his confidence in both of them.
The path they were walking was one that could very easily lead them into becoming enemies of Master Tengen. Yet both he and Gojo Satoru possessed the strength to face whatever crisis lay ahead.
More importantly, standing behind them was Asou Akiya—a person who always planned several steps ahead and prepared for every possibility long before danger ever arrived.
As evening approached, the sky gradually dimmed.
At 6:50 p.m., Asou Akiya had dinner with his two underclassmen. Zen'in Naoya couldn't stomach ordinary commoners' food and left on his own.
Seated inside a ramen shop at the airport, Asou Akiya ordered a simple bowl of somen noodles. Haibara Yuu ordered an enormous serving of tonkotsu ramen piled high with meat. After comparing the two bowls, Nanami Kento realized that his own appetite fell somewhere between the two extremes.
"Asou-senpai, do you not have much of an appetite?" he asked.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Asou Akiya was scrolling through his chat history. Hearing the question, he looked up.
"My appetite is average."
The four of them were clearly having the time of their lives.
Yet not a single photo had been uploaded to the [Tokyo Jujutsu High DK Trio] group chat all day.
Asou Akiya sprinkled an excessive amount of shichimi pepper into his bowl of somen. Crimson flecks spread across the clear broth until streaks of red floated on the surface.
Nanami Kento could only stare in speechless disbelief.
Haibara Yuu immediately gave a thumbs-up.
"Amazing, Senpai!"
Among the three of them, only Asou Akiya was not wearing a school uniform. Dressed in the classic combination of a button-up shirt and slacks, he sat across from Nanami Kento and Haibara Yuu, both of whom wore the black uniforms of Tokyo Jujutsu High. Once the noodles arrived, conversation ceased, and the three quietly focused on eating.
After the meal, Asou Akiya made a trip to the public restroom.
He splashed cold water onto his face to force himself awake.
In order to maintain the image of a dependable senior, he had refrained from catching up on sleep. Throughout the entire day, he had paid careful attention to his appearance and demeanor, perfectly fulfilling Zen'in Naoya's expectations of the heir of the Kamo Clan—classical, beautiful, elegant, well-read, and fiercely competitive.
On the day before the Star Plasma Vessel mission, he had suffered from insomnia.
On the first day of the mission, he had stayed up all night together with Gojo Satoru.
Now it was the evening of the second day of the Star Plasma Vessel mission, and another sleepless night was unavoidable. He would once again spend the night talking on the phone, because Gojo Satoru had no intention of resting either and remained constantly vigilant, monitoring the surroundings without pause.
Water dripped from his chin as he raised his eyes toward the mirror.
Reflected there was a handsome black-haired youth in the midst of adolescence. Pushing back his damp bangs, he revealed eyes tinged with unmistakable fatigue.
"Just hold on for one more night."
Asou Akiya offered himself a quiet word of encouragement.
This would be the last difficult night he had to endure.
As long as he could make it to tomorrow, everyone would return to Tokyo Jujutsu High, and the Star Plasma Vessel mission would finally come to an end.
Asou Akiya continuously extended his perception through cursed energy, maintaining constant vigilance against any curse users lurking nearby. After being delayed for a short while, he finished taking care of his personal needs, courteously gave way to passersby, kept an appropriate distance from the men entering the public restroom, and followed the signs toward the exit.
As he stepped outside, he brushed past a powerfully built man dressed in casual clothing.
Their shoulders collided lightly.
Asou Akiya didn't lift his head to look at the other person. A sharp ache spread through his shoulder, and he immediately quickened his pace as he left the restroom behind.
Then, without turning around even once, he dialed Zen'in Naoya's number and spoke in a low voice.
"Zen'in Naoya, how much longer are you planning to wander around outside? Hurry up and come find us. We're staying together tonight, and tomorrow morning we're taking a flight out of Okinawa."
Behind him, the man who had suddenly come to a stop finally withdrew his gaze.
Asou Akiya forcibly regulated the rhythm of his heartbeat with cursed energy. His eyes lost focus slightly as he carefully concealed every trace of fear from the outside world.
That had been close...
Far too close...
He couldn't turn around.
He couldn't make eye contact.
And he absolutely could not leave his life behind in this place.
There existed a certain type of man who made a living with his looks, then relied on his emotional intelligence and physical appeal to keep wealthy women wrapped around his finger. Asou Akiya didn't need to see the man's face to identify him. Merely seeing that body was enough.
There was no second man in all of Japan whose sheer sexual magnetism and physical perfection could rival this one.
A skeletal structure harder than a wall.
A body blessed—or rather cursed—by heaven itself with monstrous physical abilities.
Holy shit.
It's Fushiguro Toji!!!
...
Inside the public restroom, Fushiguro Toji relied on his excellent memory and keen eyesight to recognize the Tokyo Jujutsu High student dressed in civilian clothes.
That face belonged to the "girl" who had been walking beside Gojo Satoru during Halloween the previous year.
The instant he saw the black-haired boy by himself, killing intent stirred within Fushiguro Toji.
His stomach contracted slightly, squeezing the ugly little curse hidden inside it.
He had already spent every yen of the advance payment provided by the Time Vessel Association on the bounty. Yet after two consecutive days, not a single sorcerer around Gojo Satoru had died. The situation had strayed far from his original expectations, and it left him in an extremely foul mood.
Then his sharp ears caught the name "Zen'in Naoya" as well as the time the Jujutsu High students planned to depart the following day.
Everything was continuing exactly according to his battle plan.
The only thing he had not anticipated was that someone from the Zen'in family's garbage heap had shown up as well.
For the sake of tomorrow's battle, he couldn't afford to alert the enemy prematurely.
[Tch. What rotten luck.]
As though he had brushed against something filthy, Fushiguro Toji promptly withdrew from Naha Airport.
After years in the assassination business, he had developed an additional habit:
Before a kill, don't cause unnecessary trouble.
Save up a little good luck.
—
Author's Note:
In the original story, there was a random passerby who bumped into Fushiguro Toji and even cursed at him. Toji didn't get angry. He simply crouched down and stared at the person.
I think that before his battle with Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Toji was still capable of restraining his temper to some extent.
That said, he would still be annoyed.
P.S. In this chapter, Zen'in Naoya unintentionally rendered a tremendous service.