At 2:50 p.m., a red bus pulled into the final stop at Enzanroku.
Okamoto Yujiro spared an extra glance at the two unfamiliar women, watching their retreating figures as they ascended the staircase.
The group of four, having eaten and drunk their fill, stepped off the bus together.
"So Tokyo Jujutsu High is up ahead?"
"That's right, Riko-sama. This is one of only two educational institutions for jujutsu sorcerers in all of Japan."
Of the two female voices, the older one patiently explained things to the younger one.
The driver wanted to move a little closer to hear more, but his duties did not permit it. The term "jujutsu sorcerer" had already been firmly etched into his mind, filling him with a peculiar anticipation. During the course of his career, he hoped to one day glimpse the truth hidden behind the mist of the supernatural.
Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes took in every movement of the ordinary man, but he no longer paid any attention to the driver's reaction.
After enduring three days and two nights of hardship, they were finally only a single step away from returning to the school.
"Akiya still hasn't come back?"
Gojo conducted a carpet-search of the residual traces of cursed energy near the school gates, yet found no sign that Akiya had returned.
Of course, there were no traces of curse users either.
At exactly 3:00 p.m., Amanai Riko finally reached the top of the staircase, panting for breath after climbing every single step.
The other three slowed their pace to accommodate her stamina. Kuroi Misato continuously encouraged and cheered on Riko-sama, allowing Amanai Riko to find the resolve to continue walking forward through life through her own efforts.
Gojo Satoru lowered his voice and whispered to Getou Suguru, "Ordinary people's stamina really sucks."
Getou replied in all seriousness, "Back then, Akiya was even thinner and frailer than Riko-chan. He probably climbed up here the same way."
Gojo blinked in confusion.
"Was Akiya really that frail?"
Getou Suguru said, "I knew him before you did. In the beginning, he was frighteningly underweight. His wrists were as slender and fragile as a girl's."
Gojo Satoru asked, "You held them?"
Getou replied, "At the time, they were wrapped in bandages. Who would dare touch him?"
Amanai Riko assumed the two of them were still talking about her. Blushing furiously, she stepped forward with her left foot, planted her hands on her hips, and declared, "This young lady has arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High! Where are all the people who are supposed to give this young lady a warm welcome?!"
Black lines practically appeared across Kuroi Misato's face from secondhand embarrassment as she cast a pleading look toward Getou Suguru.
Suppressing his laughter, Getou said, "My apologies, esteemed young lady, but the ones guiding you from here onward are still going to be Gojo and me."
Servants? A welcoming ceremony?
Riko-chan's imagination had run a little too wild.
This was the headquarters of jujutsu sorcerers.
"...Fine," Amanai Riko conceded.
She flashed a bright smile at Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru, without the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
In truth, at the end of her life, being escorted by the two high school boys who had been looking after her all this time was already enough to leave her completely content.
Getou Suguru's phone vibrated. After reading the new message, he said, "Miss Kuroi, Akiya asked me to pass along a message. He'd like you to find our teacher, Yaga-sensei, inside the school so your cursed energy can be registered. You shouldn't continue accompanying us any farther."
Kuroi Misato tightened her grip on the hem of her skirt and said with difficulty, "Am I not allowed to see Riko-sama off?"
Getou hesitated for a moment before answering, "...It's up to you."
Amanai Riko looked at her with unmistakable hope shining in her eyes.
Clenching her teeth, Kuroi Misato nodded.
"Please allow me to accompany her a little farther, until I can go no farther."
"Uwaaah—"
Amanai Riko threw her arms around Kuroi Misato. The atmosphere had already taken on the feeling of a final farewell between the living and the dead, making her wish that time would stop at the very moment they had stepped into Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Getou Suguru replied to Asou Akiya's message, only for Asou Akiya to respond with a simple:
"..."
[Tokyo Jujutsu High Diligent Duo]
[Getou Suguru: This time, Satoru really exhausted himself. The person we most wanted to see after coming back was you. Where are you?]
[Asou Akiya: I'm outside the school. I'll be back soon.]
[Getou Suguru: Okay. We've already entered the barrier surrounding Jujutsu High. Riko-chan just asked me what happened to the lawn at the school entrance. Satoru told her that he got drunk last year and bulldozed all the trees. Riko-chan was so frightened that her face turned pale.]
[Asou Akiya: I'm not interested in hearing about your conversations with girls. See you later.]
[Getou Suguru: So cold. Are you jealous?]
[Asou Akiya: Heh.]
Speaking on Asou Akiya's behalf, Getou said, "Satoru, Akiya said he'll be back soon."
Standing nearby, Gojo Satoru tilted his gaze slightly upward, expanding the range of his vision, yet he still couldn't catch sight of Asou Akiya anywhere.
Their usual means of transportation were buses and, occasionally, taxis. Under Japan's traffic regulations, both were subject to speed limits. There was simply no way Akiya could make it back to Tokyo Jujutsu High that quickly.
Gojo clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"Tch. He won't be back for at least another hour."
On such an important day, his absence left the completion of the [Star Plasma Vessel Mission] feeling just a little imperfect.
[Asou Akiya: How's Gojo's condition?]
[Getou Suguru: Hang on. I'll take a picture and show you~.]
[Asou Akiya: Don't!]
Getou tapped on the camera function in their interest group's chat, overlaying it atop the messaging interface. Raising his right arm, he aimed the phone's camera at Gojo Satoru.
"Satoru, stop making that sour face."
[Asou Akiya: Don't! I'm begging you, don't take the picture!!!]
Almost reflexively, Gojo broke into a smile and struck a pose. He had an exceptional instinct for the camera. Lifting a hand, he casually brushed back his white hair, creating the impression of a white-haired supermodel posing for a magazine shoot.
[Asou Akiya: Suguru! Pretend I never said anything! I'm begging you, check your messages!]
With an almost vicious expression on his face, Gojo growled, "Suguru, make sure you get my good side."
Getou praised him earnestly.
"Satoru, you look perfect from every angle. You're practically made to be someone's phone wallpaper."
Amanai Riko murmured in admiration, "He really is handsome."
Kuroi Misato glanced back and forth between the two boys before deciding that Getou Suguru was still much more in line with her personal tastes.
After entering the barrier surrounding Jujutsu High, Gojo Satoru finally relaxed. Knowing that the camera flash and photo-taking function on a phone would overstimulate his eyes and make the "Six Eyes" uncomfortable, he reassured himself enough to deactivate the "Limitless" technique linked to the " Six Eyes" .
Behind his sunglasses, the brilliance of Gojo Satoru's eyes dimmed, no longer radiating with the dazzling, jewel-like splendor they had possessed moments earlier.
His phone began to ring, but Gojo made no move to answer it.
Click.
The photograph captured that instant forever.
[Asou Akiya: Suguru! Don't take a picture of him AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!]
At the center of the photo, its subject appeared relaxed and cheerful, overflowing with youthful vitality. His long limbs were casually arranged as he flashed a peace sign toward the camera.
And yet, a trace of confusion surfaced on his face.
A sharp-tipped blade had pierced through the chest of his school uniform.
The strike had arrived in utter silence...
Terrifying.
Half-crouched within the shadows behind Gojo Satoru stood a man resembling a lone wolf, gripping the weapon as he drove the blade into Gojo's back.
The killing intent and twisted sense of amusement that belonged to Fushiguro Toji were no longer concealed.
All four people within Jujutsu High froze in shock.
Getou Suguru went rigid. His thumb moved unconsciously, pressing down as he accidentally sent the photograph of Gojo Satoru.
Gojo slowly turned his head.
With the "Limitless" deactivated, his body had only managed to shift enough to avoid a fatal wound. In that first instant, cursed energy reinforced his muscles, bones, and internal organs, ensuring that he would not immediately bleed out afterward.
The cold, divine brilliance of the "Six Eyes" reignited within his gaze.
"Zero cursed energy..."
"...You're Zen'in Toji?"
Now bearing the surname "Fushiguro" after marrying into his wife's family, Fushiguro Toji felt his heart falter for a moment.
The "Six Eyes" glanced toward him, just as they had in the past.
The white-haired child from those days had grown into a sixteen-year-old boy. Toji had always believed that, in the other's eyes, he was no more significant than grass, trees, or scattered stones—not even worth noticing.
Never had he imagined that one day he would hear Gojo Satoru call out the name he had once carried.
Fushiguro Toji was blasted dozens of meters away by a single blast of Gojo Satoru's "Blue."
The paralysis gripping his body finally broken, Getou Suguru threw aside his phone and shouted in fury, "I'm sorry, Satoru!"
He summoned a gigantic caterpillar curse, which opened its maw and swallowed the enemy whole.
Gojo stopped Getou from rushing over.
"This isn't your fault, Suguru."
"...I was the one who let my guard down."
Unable to heal the wound, Gojo could only rely on his finely controlled cursed energy to compress the muscles around the injury and stem the bleeding. Large beads of cold sweat seeped uncontrollably down his forehead, yet deep within his heart, he felt grateful that the one who had been ambushed was himself and not anyone else.
Otherwise...
Otherwise, Suguru, Riko-chan, and Kuroi would all have died.
This stab wound wasn't enough to take his life.
The instant Zen'in Toji had rushed toward him with the blade, his instincts had sensed the danger.
Fortunately, he had managed to avoid the vital point in his chest and had not been killed in a single strike.
"Don't tell Akiya."
"You guys go first. Take Riko-chan somewhere safe."
Gojo struggled to keep his breathing steady as he yanked off his sunglasses in frustration. For the first time in his life, someone had successfully ambushed him.
"...Are you really going to be okay?"
Getou hesitated. He bent down to pick up the phone that had fallen to the ground, its screen already shattered and distorted beyond use.
"Riko-sama, let's go."
Panic-stricken, Amanai Riko allowed Kuroi Misato to seize her hand and pull her away. The two of them possessed enough self-awareness to understand that they could not intervene in this battle. Remaining behind would bring no benefit whatsoever.
"Who the hell do you think I am?"
Facing the direction where the gigantic caterpillar curse had gone, Gojo strode forward aggressively, completely unconvinced that the other man had died so easily.
"I've got a question for that runaway dog."
"What exactly gives him the right to hate me?"
"Hey!"
"I don't even have the surname 'Zen'in'!"
"You hate those rotten old conservatives from your family, so you're taking it out on me instead?"
"Back then—I saw you. You secretly stood behind me and you didn't have any killing intent toward me."
Standing closest to him, Gojo Satoru confronted the lone wolf directly.
Several seconds later, Fushiguro Toji burst free from the curse's corpse by hacking it apart. Bathed beneath a rain of violet blood, he emerged carrying another blade over his shoulder.
Fushiguro Toji replied carelessly, "I don't remember you at all. Aren't you a little too full of yourself, [Six Eyes]?"
—Yeah, right.
—As if.
The exact same thought echoed through both of their minds.
Both sides had a fondness for talking trash in the middle of a fight, but Gojo Satoru's brand of trash talk was particularly original.
"Me, full of myself? Hah? Zen'in Toji, are you not only suffering from memory loss, but also completely out of touch with current events? After this year's clan gathering, everyone in the Three Great Clans knows that you're secretly in love with me! You abandoned the Zen'in family for my sake and cast aside the Zen'in heir, who was hopelessly devoted to you!"
Fushiguro Toji: "..."
"Stop calling me Zen'in. It's Fushiguro. I've changed my surname." Toji dug a finger into his ear, then he frozed.
"...What the hell did you just say?"
Fushiguro Toji exploded.
"Me?! Secretly in love with a brat whose balls haven't even dropped yet?! Have all three of the Great Clans collectively lost their damn minds?!"
For some inexplicable reason, Gojo Satoru felt a sharp pang in his chest.
It was probably because of the stab wound in his chest.
Once upon a time, the "Zen'in Toji" Gojo had imagined in his mind had been a pitiful child of the Three Great Clans, someone constantly bullied within the Zen'in family.
He would have inherited the Zen'in clan's trademark black hair and green eyes.
He would have been born without any cursed energy, unable to see curses.
His body would have borne scars left behind by the abuse of clan members and curses alike.
His appearance would have been no less striking than Zen'in Naoya's.
As for his physique, Gojo had pictured someone with the same slender fragility as Akiya—the thin frame of an orphan, undernourished due to the hardships of childhood.
[Black hair and green eyes ✓]
[Scar on the mouth ✓]
[Appearance no less attractive than Zen'in Naoya's ✓]
[Slender physique X]
[Akiya, this is the type of man you admire???]
Gojo Satoru's vision went black.
This man was built like a beast.
His muscular physique was imposing, and his arms were as thick as Gojo's thighs.
The Six Eyes, which faithfully recorded the details of his daily life, suddenly replayed a memory for him:
[In the boys' dormitory, one early morning, Gojo Satoru had taken off his pajamas. Asou Akiya stared at him for a moment before turning his head away, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain for his physique.]
Gojo Satoru felt an overwhelming urge to grab Asou Akiya by the neck and shake him.
Akiya, you idiot with absolutely no taste!
He glared furiously at Zen'in—
No, Fushiguro Toji.
After all the battles of wits he'd gone through with Akiya, Gojo's social awareness and ability to deal with people had improved considerably.
"Your alias is 'Sorcerer Killer', right?" he asked. "So the Time Vessel Association paid you to kill the Star Plasma Vessel?"
Fushiguro Toji admitted it without the slightest hesitation.
"That's right. I originally planned to finish you off with a single stab."
He shrugged.
"Didn't expect it to turn into such a hassle."
The twenty-meter radius of open lawn surrounding the entrance to Tokyo Jujutsu High had significantly increased the difficulty of carrying out his assassination.
Gojo arrived at the same realization.
The person Akiya had been painstakingly guarding against all this time...
...had been Zen'in Toji?
A chill ran through his heart, yet indignation quickly followed.
"I'll pay ten times as much!" Gojo snapped. "Go kill your employer instead!"
Fushiguro Toji: "..."
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva that wasn't even there before answering with complete composure,
"Can't do that."
"I'm a professional assassin with professional ethics."
Pointing his blade directly at Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Toji said,
"As long as my client remains alive, my personal assignment isn't over."
If you've got the ability, then go kill the client yourself, "Six Eyes".
And if you don't—
Then I'll kill you instead and have myself a good laugh while I'm at it.