April 12th. The third day of the Star Plasma Vessel mission.
Okinawa remained peaceful. No chaos erupted, and the typhoon never arrived. It seemed that Asou Akiya's "prophecies" only worked when they felt like it.
At 9:00 a.m., at Naha Airport, accompanied in secret by their underclassmen, Gojo Satoru, Getou Suguru, Amanai Riko, and Kuroi Misato boarded their flight back to Tokyo.
Asou Akiya, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Getou Suguru swept his gaze around the cabin.
"Akiya didn't board?"
Seated in the row ahead of them, Haibara Yu turned back and replied, "Asou-senpai left last night."
After receiving the answer, Getou turned to Gojo.
"Did he say why?"
Gojo Satoru had already gone three days and two nights without sleep, yet he still looked remarkably energetic.
"He did," Gojo answered casually. "He said he could track down the middleman handling the bounty and completely eliminate the hidden threat behind it for us."
Getou frowned with concern.
"He's going after that person alone? Isn't that too dangerous?"
Gojo didn't think Akiya was the sort of person who would sacrifice himself for the sake of the "Star Plasma Vessel." After spending an entire night talking to him over the phone, that impression had only grown stronger.
"If there's any danger, he'll run faster than anyone else," Gojo said dismissively. "Don't worry about it for no reason."
Then he added, "He said the middleman is just an ordinary person."
Only then did Getou relax.
Among sorcerers, Akiya couldn't be considered particularly powerful, but dealing with ordinary people was effortless for him.
"Suguru, I'm counting on you."
Gojo reached into his pocket and brushed his fingers against his sleeping eye mask. The silk felt soft beneath his touch, but he ultimately didn't take it out to put it on.
"We'll wait until Riko-chan's bounty expires while we're up in the air."
"The one who's really been working hard is you," Getou replied, looking at Gojo's resolve with newfound admiration.
Nanami Kento lowered his head and flipped through one of the magazines provided on the plane, making no attempt to join the conversation.
The three of them were seated together. To Nanami's right sat Zen'in Naoya, who had taken the window seat. From the very beginning, Naoya had displayed an intense aversion toward Amanai Riko, who was seated behind them.
Through the narrow gap between the seats, Zen'in Naoya caught sight of Amanai Riko's face as she gazed out the window.
The longer he looked at her, the deeper his disgust grew.
The heir of the Kamo clan had gone so far as to turn himself against his own cousin, Toji, all for the sake of helping Gojo-kun and Getou-kun escort a woman like this.
Toji.
His Toji...
The moment he thought of the killing intent his cousin harbored, it became difficult for him to breathe.
Suddenly, Zen'in Naoya spoke up to the two upperclassmen.
"Akiya-kun instructed me to wait for you at the inevitable route leading to the Tombs of the Star Corridor. The school has already prepared a helicopter. Until you and the 'Star Plasma Vessel' make your final decision, I'll remain on standby."
Getou Suguru blinked.
"Huh? All three underclassmen were told that?"
Haibara Yuu looked equally surprised.
"No! Asou-senpai told us that as soon as we got off the plane, we were to return immediately to Tokyo Jujutsu High."
"That's right," Nanami Kento added. "Asou-senpai informed us that Haibara's and my support mission would officially conclude once the plane landed."
From the corner of his eye, Nanami glanced toward Zen'in Naoya—the very person who disliked involving himself in unnecessary matters.
How had this man ended up mixed up in all of this?
The corners of Gojo Satoru's lips curled upward as he drawled in his usual carefree tone, "Zen'in, you've got an extra Binding Vow on you now."
Zen'in Naoya's expression remained unchanged.
"Akiya-kun made a deal with me."
Gojo asked, "What was the deal?"
Thankfully, there's the Six Eyes. Otherwise, we would've completely missed Akiya's backup plan, Getou thought to himself.
Zen'in Naoya replied bluntly, "There are outsiders present, so it isn't convenient for me to elaborate. Akiya-kun paid a price significant enough that I couldn't refuse. In exchange, he asked me to assist you. If I break our agreement, may I die a miserable death."
Gojo looked down on Zen'in Naoya's abilities.
"That's completely unnecessary."
Anything Zen'in Naoya could accomplish, he and Suguru could do as well.
Anything the Zen'in clan could provide, the Gojo clan standing behind him could also provide.
There had been absolutely no need to seek Zen'in Naoya's assistance.
Then, as if the thought had just struck him, Gojo nearly burst out laughing.
"Hold on. A rotten little orange like you would actually swear an oath ending with 'may I die a miserable death'?"
Zen'in Naoya felt a stab of bitterness in his chest.
Inside, resentment surged through him.
Because the emergence of the Ten Shadows Technique would condemn him to a fate far worse than death.
"No matter what you think," Zen'in Naoya said dejectedly, his spirits sinking to their lowest point after suffering one blow after another. Craftily sidestepping the details, he concluded, "the fact remains that, through Akiya-kun, I've formed an alliance with you regarding this matter."
Gojo Satoru neither confirmed nor denied it. He offered neither agreement nor objection.
Zen'in Naoya shut his mouth.
The night before, just prior to Asou Akiya's departure, he had sought Zen'in Naoya out for another meeting.
As for the measures they would take against the "Heavenly Tyrant," Asou Akiya had arranged for Zen'in Naoya to undergo a special simulated rehearsal.
"The Zen'in clan head's technique is a newly emerged technique of the modern era. The Three Great Clans have already thoroughly studied Projection Sorcery itself, but I don't know the extent of your abilities. Can you evade bullets with a known trajectory?"
"If the trajectory is known, then naturally I can."
"What about a continuous barrage?"
"That depends on how many rounds Cousin Toji's handgun can fire in succession..."
"Thirteen rounds."
"..."
"A SIG P228. A compact handgun that uses .357 SIG ammunition. Its firing rate is 5.82 rounds per second, thirteen rounds per magazine—a high-rate-of-fire handgun specifically capable of penetrating professional-grade body armor."
Asou Akiya described Fushiguro Toji's weapon in meticulous detail.
For a brief moment, Zen'in Naoya's face turned ashen.
You're expecting me to block Cousin Toji's sustained fire of five to six shots per second?
Might as well kill me right now.
Neither he nor his technique could withstand such agonizing torment.
Then Asou Akiya revealed the crucial point.
"The handgun is not a cursed tool. The bullets don't contain even a trace of cursed energy."
Zen'in Naoya instantly came back to life and broke into mocking laughter.
"Non-cursed weapons can't kill cursed spirits, and they still expect to kill jujutsu sorcerers? As long as Cousin Toji is using an ordinary firearm, there's no way he can break through my cursed energy reinforcement."
—This, too, was the tragedy of the "Heavenly Tyrant."
Then Asou Akiya promptly poured another bucket of cold water over him.
"Please prepare yourself mentally. He'll be able to see your movements clearly."
Zen'in Naoya blurted out, "Impossible!"
Projection Sorcery allowed him to perform twenty-four consecutive movements within the span of a single second, surpassing the limits of ordinary dynamic visual perception. That meant his speed stood at the very pinnacle among jujutsu sorcerers.
Then, in the very next moment, Zen'in Naoya dispelled his own doubts.
"...If it's Toji... then I suppose it's not impossible after all..."
Asou Akiya selectively ignored this display of hero worship.
"Given Toji's talent for assassination, I believe he'll choose the moment when everyone is at their most relaxed to shoot Amanai Riko. After all, Amanai Riko is just a girl who doesn't understand cursed energy."
Zen'in Naoya asked, "But wouldn't Gojo-kun be able to detect him?"
Asou Akiya shook his head.
"No. If there are obstructions in the way, the Six Eyes won't be able to detect Toji."
He continued, "I believe Toji will do everything he can to lure Gojo Satoru away. Gojo Satoru isn't someone without weaknesses. There are other people within the school that we care about. In any case, after you get off the plane and return to the school as I've instructed, wait at the unavoidable route leading to the main hall of the Tombs of the Star Corridor. For the time being, do not show yourself anywhere else within the school grounds."
"The main hall of the Tombs of the Star Corridor is a place none of us can enter," Asou Akiya said. "It only welcomes those who have been invited. Even Toji won't be able to enter it. The barrier techniques protecting the main hall are fundamentally different from the barriers surrounding Jujutsu High."
"This place," he concluded, "is the final location where Toji will make his move."
Then Asou Akiya proposed, "As for the way you'll intervene, I've already planned out a strategy for you. Take a look and tell me whether you think it's feasible."
As he listened to the plan Asou Akiya laid out in detail, Zen'in Naoya found himself speechless once again at the extent of the Three Great Clans' research into Projection Sorcery. Even with his own understanding of his inherited technique, he had never imagined that it could be used to save someone in such a manner.
Since they were both direct descendants of the Three Great Clans and intimately familiar with one another's techniques, Zen'in Naoya spoke up about one of Projection Sorcery's limitations.
"I can't touch her. If I do, she'll be frozen for one second."
"I know," Asou Akiya replied. "I even know that, when frozen, the effect turns her into something like a 'photograph.'"
"We'll calculate the angle of the gunfire in advance and prepare ourselves against the bullet trajectories to the greatest extent possible," Asou Akiya explained. "It's easy enough for Toji's bullets to hit a person, but striking a thin, paper-like figure is another matter entirely."
"You'll block the first bullet—the one that's easiest to defend against. If, after that, Toji switches to cursed-tool ammunition, then abandon the person and run. I won't force you to stake your life on protecting the Star Plasma Vessel."
"As soon as you've rescued her, put her aboard one of the helicopters and send me a message immediately," Asou Akiya had said. "Until you've sent her out of the country, you are not allowed to change your mind and deliberately sabotage the Star Plasma Vessel."
"When things reach that point, our transaction will be considered complete."
Sitting on the plane, Zen'in Naoya felt an inexplicable phantom pain flare up across his back.
Even if Cousin Toji wasn't using cursed-tool ammunition, there was still every possibility that ordinary bullets would end up lodged in his body.
With that thought in mind, Zen'in Naoya shot Amanai Riko several malicious glares. The poor girl was left utterly baffled. Why did this beautiful Tokyo Jujutsu High student seated in front of her look so displeased every time he looked at her?
Forget it.
Amanai Riko lowered her gaze, loneliness flickering through her eyes.
Maybe everyone was unhappy with her.
"Riko-chan."
Seated in the middle seat, Gojo Satoru suddenly spoke.
"If a person isn't even afraid of death, then there's nothing left for them to fear."
Amanai Riko puffed out her cheeks.
"Is that something you've learned from experience?"
Gojo replied indifferently, "Those were the words of one of the best friends Suguru and I have. Don't fear death, or you'll become weak. Don't fear being weak, because no one is born strong. The only kindness this world offers is that it leaves everyone a path through which they can seize power for themselves."
Gojo Satoru enjoyed indulging the innocent and straightforward Amanai Riko, but what he truly admired, at his core, were people who strove relentlessly to strengthen themselves.
There were simply too many weak people in this world.
He couldn't possibly look after them all.
If everyone possessed Asou Akiya's ruthless resolve—using the threat of death itself to force the awakening of cursed energy—then this world would already have become a golden age for jujutsu sorcerers.
Human beings had always possessed the potential to protect themselves.
Why should they have to rely upon the hands of others?
Kuroi Misato sat alone nearby, her gaze drifting from time to time toward Riko-sama, who was receiving the protection of everyone around her. Among all the Tokyo Jujutsu High students dispatched to support the Star Plasma Vessel mission, there was only one person she had never met.
Akiya.
He had never once appeared before either her or Riko-sama.
Getou Suguru smiled at Kuroi Misato and said, "Since Akiya isn't here, I'll introduce you to him another time."
Getou Suguru thought to himself:[The warmth with which you care about other people... the two of you are alike in that regard.]
Even so, their Akiya was still better.
From the very beginning, he had never intended to betray his friends, nor would he ever sacrifice their interests.
At 10:30 a.m., outside the gates of Tokyo Jujutsu High, a lean middle-aged man arrived by car to pick up Asou Akiya.
The vehicle came to a stop two kilometers away from the headquarters of the Time Vessel Association.
Asou Akiya pushed open the car door. The driver, seated behind the wheel and wearing both a face mask and glasses, stepped out as well. Without uttering a single word from beginning to end, he opened the trunk and took out an expensive leather briefcase containing fifty million yen in cash.
Asou Akiya had withdrawn part of the enormous prize money he had won from betting on boat races for today's use.
Satou had no idea what this "distinguished guest" intended to do. However, even ordinary people had heard one thing or another about the Time Vessel Association.
It was, after all, one of Japan's renowned religious organizations with a history spanning many years.
"You should head back," Asou Akiya said calmly, his gaze fixed on the airplane crossing the sky overhead. He fitted the monitoring earpiece into place before walking alone toward the headquarters of the Time Vessel Association. "Satou, don't wait for my call. Get rid of the vehicle as quickly as possible."
At 11:00 a.m., the bounty placed on Amanai Riko officially expired.
The flight bound for Tokyo had yet to land, but with the exception of Zen'in Naoya, everyone finally loosened the taut string of tension within their hearts.
Gojo Satoru found himself thinking about all the delicious lunches Tokyo had to offer.
"Suguru, where should we go for a good meal at noon?"
Getou Suguru turned to Amanai Riko.
"Riko-chan, what would you like to eat?"
Amanai Riko blushed and raised her hand.
"I-I haven't tried so many things before! I want to eat all of them!"
Gojo made the final decision with a single declaration.
"I'll take all of you and eat our way through an entire street!"
Amanai Riko's face immediately lit up with delight.
"Yay!"
After disembarking from the plane, having listened to the two upperclassmen discuss how they intended to indulge the Star Plasma Vessel every step of the way, Zen'in Naoya finally could not hold himself back any longer. Pulling Gojo aside, he asked in private,
"Gojo-senpai... do you like women of this type?"
He was convinced that Gojo Satoru had been bewitched by Amanai Riko, and that was why he had committed such an outrageously rebellious act.
Gojo Satoru wore an openly displeased expression. "I don't like bean sprouts!"
Zen'in Naoya remained utterly bewildered. "You don't want to marry her, and you don't even like her. Then what's the point of saving her?"
Gojo rolled his eyes. "If you understood that, you wouldn't be one of those rotten old conservative s."
Zen'in Naoya felt a surge of frustration. Clearly, it was Gojo-senpai's words and actions that made no sense, yet he was always the one being called a rotten old conservative.
"Does the Gojo family know about this?" he asked. "Wouldn't your family be furious?"
"They do," Gojo replied matter-of-factly.
If Little Tangerine knew about it, then that was the same as the Gojo family knowing.
"...I've heard that your allowance is unlimited. Is that actually true?" Zen'in Naoya took a deep breath before asking an utterly bizarre question.
"Yeah." Gojo tilted his head. "Does anyone from the Three Great Clans actually have a limited allowance? Don't tell me it's you, Zen'in."
"...Goodbye!!!"
Zen'in Naoya's composure shattered completely. Storming off in fury, he flung his sleeve behind him as he left.
Getou Suguru walked over from the side and said with an amused smile, "How did you manage to anger him enough to chase him off again?"
Gojo replied, "He had it coming~."
That little rotten orange was always trying to compete with him in everything, without ever considering whether the Zen'in family was willing to elevate him in the first place.
One of the Gojo family's rules was that whoever possessed both the " Six Eyes" and the "Limitless" would inevitably become the head of the clan.
In this world, only the Gojo family stood behind him.
Only the people in his family were willing to indulge him unconditionally and spoil him without reservation.
Gojo pulled out his phone and glanced at it, only to discover that he had several unread messages from two hours earlier.
[Jujutsu High Foodie Duo]
[Asou Akiya: I made some milk tea this morning and left it in your refrigerator. Remember to come back and drink it tonight.]
[Asou Akiya: I hope you all have a pleasant journey. I've set out as well.]
[Asou Akiya: I've successfully caught the person~.]
At 12:00 p.m., at one of the entrances to the Time Vessel Association, Kong Shiu had just finished his phone call with Fushiguro Toji. By now, Fushiguro Toji had already picked up Gojo Satoru and the others' trail after they disembarked from the plane, following at a distance far behind them.
Kong Shiu muttered to himself, "The bounty has ended. For now, I'll trust that he'll succeed. I've already done everything I could to help."
He shut the overheating laptop on his lap, took a sip of water, and stepped out of the car, preparing to meet with the deep-pocketed person in charge of the Time Vessel Association.
However, before he could even push the car door halfway open, an external force abruptly stopped him—
—and pushed it shut again.
Kong Shiu's heart instantly turned cold.
The passenger-side door opened, and a stranger carrying a briefcase climbed into the seat beside him.
The newcomer was young, with black hair and black eyes. His features were refined enough to rival those of a celebrity, while his eyes shone with a confidence entirely different from the kind born of brute strength. Dressed in the uniform of Tokyo Jujutsu High, he faced the most famous intermediary of the underground network with an unchanged smile.
"Hello, Mr. Kong Shiu."
His name had been spoken aloud.
Kong Shiu felt his heart sink lower and lower as he steeled himself for retaliation.
Asou Akiya casually shoved the briefcase into Kong Shiu's arms, showing not the slightest regard for the laptop resting there.
"This is my sincerity."
Kong Shiu suffered the loss in silence, forcing a pleasant expression onto his face as he opened the case.
Inside were fifty bundles of ten-thousand-yen banknotes.
He froze.
Tokyo Jujutsu High students were generally dirt poor, so where had this wealthy individual suddenly come from?
"...What exactly do you mean by this?" Kong Shiu asked cautiously.
Everyone knew that jujutsu sorcerers were lunatics.
And the person before him already had one foot planted in the world of curse users.
"You once told Fushiguro Toji that thirty million yen was more than enough to deal with an ordinary person, didn't you?" Asou Akiya said. "Today, I'm giving you fifty million yen. It isn't an enormous amount, but it certainly isn't insignificant either."
Turning slightly toward him, Asou Akiya raised his index finger and gently waved it from side to side.
There wasn't a trace of killing intent emanating from him, as though he had no idea that what he was doing was in direct violation of the Jujutsu Sorcerers' Code of Duty.
"I have a favor I'd like to ask of you."
"After three o'clock this afternoon, place a bounty on the life of the person in charge of the Time Vessel Association."
"The designated individual for this assignment..."
"...is the 'Sorcerer Killer', Fushiguro Toji."
"If you agree, you live."
"If you refuse, then I'll help you step on the gas right now and send this car crashing into a wall so we can both die together, former Korean detective."
With just a few casual remarks, Asou Akiya exposed Kong Shiu's hidden past. Resting his hand on the car's ignition button, he smiled pleasantly as he threatened the other man. Jujutsu sorcerers could kill without using cursed energy, and they certainly wouldn't die in something as trivial as a car accident.
Kong Shiu's mind raced frantically. He didn't dare make any rash moves as sweat soaked through his suit.
"You even know what I said to Fushiguro..." he said stiffly. "Then you should also know that he's in the middle of carrying out a mission..."
"That's right. I know everything," Asou Akiya replied, his black eyes dark and unfathomable. "Which is why I've already reserved enough time for him."
"Enough time to kill Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru, and then still have time to come back and kill one of the Time Vessel Association's executives."
"..."
Kong Shiu's body became even more rigid.
A completely innocent smile spread across Asou Akiya's face.
"Relax. Gojo Satoru's stamina has already been worn down to nearly its limit by him."
Kong Shiu's fear of Tokyo Jujutsu High students reached its peak.
Just who the hell was the real mastermind here?!
"Come," Asou Akiya said, his voice distant and hollow, carrying an unmistakable note of ruthlessness. "Let's establish a Binding Vow. I know you possess cursed energy and that you can see cursed spirits. I don't require you to have a cursed technique. I only need a Binding Vow strong enough to ensure that you won't dare reveal my identity or violate the unbreakable agreement between us."
1:00 p.m., Tokyo Jujutsu High, near the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
"Useless! You're all completely useless!"
Zen'in Naoya cursed out his subordinates over the phone, so furious that he wished he could kick them through the receiver.
"Fine, I can accept that you couldn't uncover Zen'in Toji's current address. But I asked you to investigate which woman he married, what his child's name is, and where they live, and you're telling me you found absolutely nothing?!"
There was no helping it now. Zen'in Naoya's plan to threaten his cousin into standing down by using his son had fallen apart completely.
Kamo had only informed him of the existence and identity of the "Ten Shadows," without revealing the precise whereabouts of the "Ten Shadows." It was his own fault for placing too much trust in the Zen'in family's intelligence network and forgetting that he was merely the Zen'in heir, not the Zen'in clan head who could mobilize every connection and resource at the family's disposal.
"Damn it... If I ask my father, won't I end up exposing myself?"
Zen'in Naoya stamped his foot in frustration, the cold killing intent in his eyes only amplifying the striking beauty of his features.
The direct descendants of the Three Great Clans were all renowned beauties in their own ways, yet in that vast dye vat of corruption, only Gojo Satoru had managed to remain untainted.
Zen'in Naoya found himself increasingly suspicious of Kamo's intentions.
A battle between the "strongest" would inevitably end with one of them losing.
Either Toji would fall, or Gojo-kun would.
Was this matter really as simple as he had initially believed?
Best friends?
Did Kamo truly intend to help Gojo Satoru...
...or was he trying to get Gojo Satoru killed?
Who would emerge victorious from this battle, and who would lose?
Zen'in Naoya's thoughts were in complete disarray, tangled beyond sorting out no matter how hard he tried. Unable to make sense of the chaos in his mind, he could only follow the path of self-interest and take things one step at a time.
"Cousin... I'm sorry."
Amid the agony of having to turn against the person he idolized, a twisted sliver of pleasure welled up within Zen'in Naoya's heart.
Toji, you abandoned the Zen'in family back then and regarded the bloodline of the clan as nothing more than garbage.
So why did you still choose to have a child?
That woman deserved to die.
And that child who awakened the Ten Shadows Technique deserved even more to die.