In this scene, misery could not have been more apparent. A poor student had suffered catastrophic financial losses overnight.
In his previous life, Asou Akiya had never known how much it would cost to have a high-school-aged Gojo Satoru to sleep beside him for one night.
Now he finally knew.
—The starting price was a ten-digit sum in yen!(Special Grade Cursed Tool: the Inverted Spear of Heaven).
Had he known that the outcome would involve "forced purchase" and "no refunds allowed," Asou Akiya would never have looked down on Ugly Treasure. He would have stuffed Ugly Treasure into his own stomach if necessary. He would not have dared to sleep, and certainly would not have dared to sleep so deeply.
Getou Suguru was the first person drawn over by the scream.
He arrived while brushing his teeth, the toothbrush still sticking out of his mouth.
Although they had heard the commotion, the two underclassmen wisely chose not to involve themselves.
Asou Akiya wrapped the thin spring blanket around his entire head and entered a state of complete self-isolation.
He did not want to speak to Gojo Satoru anymore.
Since there were too few people in the dormitory to hold a proper three-way trial, only Getou Suguru remained to conduct a one-sided interrogation of the utterly innocent-looking Gojo Satoru.
"Have you returned to normal?"
"What exactly did you do to Akiya this time?"
"Gojo, don't play dumb. Were the fragments on the floor your handiwork?"
There was obviously no one raising cats here.
Yet Getou Suguru had become so familiar with the process of disciplining one that the questioning flowed naturally.
Gojo Satoru tugged at the small blanket that Asou Akiya had buried himself beneath, trying to rescue him from self-inflicted suffocation.
"Suguru, don't make such a big deal out of it. After I carried Akiya back to the dorm yesterday, I got bored by myself, so I dealt with some of the spoils of war while I was here."
Getou Suguru immediately raised an objection.
"You came and went empty-handed. Where exactly did these spoils of war come from?"
Gojo Satoru answered matter-of-factly,
"They were Fushiguro Toji's Special Grade cursed tools."
Then he added,
"I left the spoils in Akiya's care. It took me quite a while to dig through everything and find them."
Aside from being thoroughly startled by Asou Akiya's scream, Gojo Satoru was in a fairly good mood.
After failing to get a response from his friend despite repeatedly pestering him, he sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs back and forth with a faint rhythm.
With one casual kick, he sent the puppet corpse Mii-chan, which had already been squeezed beneath the bed, even farther into the darkness underneath.
Getou Suguru gathered the fragments scattered across the floor and pieced them together. They formed an unremarkable-looking short blade, and its cursed technique effect was impossible to determine from appearance alone.
Suppressing the countless questions filling his mind, Getou Suguru instead asked with concern,
"Don't you have the Limitless Technique?"
Gojo Satoru cheerfully undid the buttons of his high-collared school uniform and exposed the scar on his throat for Getou Suguru to see.
His tone was openly boastful.
He displayed the "medal" earned from that life-and-death battle, never once treating the pain as something worth mentioning.
"Look, Suguru. It can bypass the Limitless Technique. Fushiguro Toji used it to stab straight through my throat."
Getou Suguru repeatedly compared the position of the wound.
"It really did... Gojo, you actually couldn't dodge it."
Suddenly, Asou Akiya threw off the thin blanket.
Breathing rapidly, he grabbed both sides of Gojo Satoru's uniform collar.
Unlike his usual habit of buttoning Gojo's clothes back up, he continued unfastening the remaining buttons in front of Getou Suguru.
The care and protection the Gojo Clan had lavished upon Gojo Satoru throughout his life had left their young master with flawless skin.
Now, however, a massive scar split across that once-pristine body.
From his throat.
Down across his chest.
All the way to his upper abdomen—
A brutal testament to the violence he had endured.
Gojo Satoru said cheerfully,
"Being injured feels pretty amazing. I was this close to dying~."
Getou Suguru's expression darkened.
His gaze locked onto the scar as memories surfaced of Gojo lying in a pool of blood.
"Why did he hold back against me... but go all out against you...?"
As for that nonsense about an enemy falling in love at first sight, Getou Suguru refused to believe a word of it.
Fushiguro Toji hated Gojo Satoru.
He hated Getou Suguru as a jujutsu sorcerer as well.
There had never been the slightest shred of goodwill involved.
Asou Akiya did not answer Getou Suguru.
The grief he should have already put behind him suddenly flared back to life from the ashes.
In the original story, throughout the entire jujutsu world, the one person who truly acknowledged Fushiguro Toji's strength was Gojo Satoru.
Precisely because he had been defeated once, Gojo Satoru later looked upon incomplete Heavenly Restriction users with genuine anticipation.
Fushiguro Toji!
During your lifetime, your hatred for jujutsu sorcerers blinded you completely.
Only at the moment of your death did you finally see Gojo Satoru clearly for what he was.
You entrusted your child to Gojo Satoru because, in the end, you were finally willing to place your faith in a jujutsu sorcerer.
—Please save my child.
—I am about to die. I have nothing with which to repay you. Whether you choose to accept this is entirely up to you.
{Note: Well, those weren't exactly Toji's final words, but that's essentially what he meant.}
Asou Akiya knew that the scars on Gojo Satoru's body would eventually disappear.
The memory of coming within a hair's breadth of death, however, would never fade.
The same could be said of Fushiguro Toji.
When Fushiguro Toji was resurrected during the Shibuya Incident, he had forgotten everything and become little more than a combat puppet. He ignored the weak and sought out the strong, swinging his blade toward worthy opponents. Yet somehow, he still remembered to aim fatal blows at his enemies' heads, refusing to stop until he had smashed them beyond recognition.
Asou Akiya carefully memorized the position of the scar.
His fingertips pressed against the slightly raised new flesh.
Its color was paler than the surrounding skin, creating a noticeable contrast. It was the result of Gojo Satoru using every ounce of his survival instinct to reconstruct and heal the wound left by the blade.
The Six Eyes were merciless.
They recorded everything their owner experienced.
Whether good or bad.
Smiling, Gojo Satoru pushed his hand away.
"That tickles. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Then he remembered Akiya's earlier breakdown.
Immediately, he grabbed Akiya's hand and pressed it against his own throat.
"Touch it as much as you want!"
Getou Suguru leaned closer and used his rough fingertips to feel around Gojo Satoru's throat, inspecting the state of the scar.
"Suguru!"
Gojo Satoru practically bristled.
Asou Akiya slapped Getou Suguru's hand away and said with mild annoyance,
"Be gentler."
Getou Suguru chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of friendship and asked,
"So you two aren't fighting anymore?"
Asou Akiya's expression immediately darkened.
The loss of the Inverted Spear of Heaven had disrupted part of his plans.
Although the future was still far away, deep down he had always hoped that Gojo Satoru would be sealed inside the Prison Realm once.
There were three reasons for that.
First, using the Prison Realm's sealing of Gojo Satoru as bait would draw out Kenjaku's hidden contingencies and reveal the cards he kept in reserve.
Second, being sealed inside the Prison Realm was actually beneficial for Gojo Satoru. In the original story, after being unsealed, his barrier techniques improved significantly. He gained the ability to compress and shrink the area of his Domain Expansion.
Third, because of the decline of the jujutsu world, truly powerful opponents had all but disappeared into obscurity. After losing Fushiguro Toji as a rival, Gojo Satoru's rate of growth had slowed more and more, and his potential was no longer being fully developed by this era.
When it came to combat, this guy was a genuine genius.
The more setbacks he suffered, the stronger he became.
A properly designed ordeal could push Gojo Satoru to even greater heights.
[If it really comes down to it, I'll go overseas and look for the Black Rope that appeared in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie. That can also disrupt the Prison Realm's technique. And if this guy destroys the Black Rope too, then I'll... I'll...]
For a brief instant, Asou Akiya's face twisted into an expression worthy of a vengeful spirit.
[I'll spank you, Gojo!]
Even though he had no idea what Akiya was thinking, Gojo Satoru suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"I admit that the Inverted Spear of Heaven was your spoils of war, and you had every right to destroy it," Asou Akiya said coldly. "But if you consider me a friend, then you should at least have informed me beforehand and listened to what I had to say."
Gojo Satoru stuck out his tongue.
A moment later, he dropped the playful act and responded seriously.
"Got it."
Getou Suguru asked, "Akiya, you didn't want that cursed tool destroyed?"
Having fully seen through Gojo Satoru's prodigal nature, Asou Akiya felt a level of despair beyond heartbreak. Since the Inverted Spear of Heaven was already gone, he could only reveal part of the truth.
"It's very precious... It's a special kind of key..."
Getou Suguru froze.
He glanced at Gojo Satoru.
Very good.
Gojo Satoru had once again revealed that clear, innocent, and utterly clueless look in his eyes.
Carefully, Getou Suguru asked,
"How precious are we talking about?"
Asou Akiya let out a long breath.
"One of only three keys in the entire world."
There were three methods of opening the Prison Realm:
The Inverted Spear of Heaven.
The Black Rope.
And the technique possessed by the ancient sorcerer Angel.
Gojo Satoru immediately leaned forward and asked excitedly,
"Is there treasure involved? Like the kind that opens a secret dungeon map?"
Asou Akiya faced Gojo Satoru directly.
Meanwhile, Gojo himself remained blissfully unaware that his uniform was still hanging open, exposing far more skin than it should have. His face had become noticeably thicker-skinned than before.
Pulling at the corners of his mouth, Asou Akiya gave him a cold smile.
"It can improve your barrier techniques."
Gojo Satoru's eyes lit up.
"Can it help me learn Domain Expansion?"
Asou Akiya replied, "Of course it can."
If the Prison Realm were in his possession, he would lock Gojo Satoru inside it and mercilessly force him to improve.
You can spend twenty-four hours a day lifting weights in there!
Getou Suguru did not dare interrupt.
Getou Suguru sensed the dangerous atmosphere.
Getou Suguru quietly began considering an escape route.
The anger in Asou Akiya's heart had not yet subsided. However, with Getou Suguru present, it was not convenient for him to vent it openly.
Then he remembered that yesterday he had collapsed in Getou Suguru's direction, yet Getou Suguru had not stayed by his side throughout the night. As a result, Gojo Satoru had been given the opportunity to target Ugly Treasure.
Without warning, he asked, "Suguru, what are you planning to do about Amanai Riko?"
Getou Suguru answered instinctively,
"I want her to return to the carefree life she had before."
A trace of guilt appeared on his face.
"You reminded me about recording cursed energy signatures, but I never had Kuroi Misato go find Principal Yaga. Part of the responsibility for Kuroi Misato's death lies with me."
Asou Akiya repeated several key words.
"A carefree... life... from the past..."
Then he said, "Gojo and I won't interfere in this matter. Make the decision yourself."
Gojo Satoru looked up.
Then lowered his head again and resumed fiddling with the bedsheets.
Asou Akiya continued, "Suguru, could you step outside for a moment? There are some things I want to discuss with Gojo alone."
Getou Suguru glanced at Gojo Satoru.
The lingering sympathy he felt for his friend made him hesitate. He was reluctant to leave Gojo alone to face the Great Demon King Akiya.
Gojo Satoru reached out and grabbed Getou Suguru's clothes, immediately sounding the alarm.
"Suguru, don't go."
Getou Suguru coughed awkwardly.
Displaying admirable courage, he said, "Akiya, you don't have to avoid talking in front of me."
Asou Akiya gave him a chilling warning.
"I strongly advise you not to get involved."
The hairs on Getou Suguru's body instantly stood on end.
He quickly shook off Gojo Satoru's grip, fled the dormitory, and abandoned his friend to his fate.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Gojo Satoru became visibly less enthusiastic.
His instincts were warning him that nothing good was about to happen.
Asou Akiya looked at him and said:
"The Okinawa bet. You lost."
When Gojo Satoru heard him bring up the matter, he was remarkably generous about the wager. Making decisions on his own as usual, he exclaimed, "Whoa! I can do what other high school guys do when they lose at games—dress up as a girl, or sing and dance!"
Ignoring his fantasies completely, Asou Akiya stated his demand.
"For the next six months, hand over your bank cards."
Gojo Satoru blinked.
"???"
"As for your salary account, your Gojo Clan accounts, whatever they are—hand all of them over to me for safekeeping."
Gojo Satoru looked puzzled.
"That's it? You're using the wager for something this minor?"
Asou Akiya was determined to cultivate some sense of financial responsibility in him.
"When you don't have money, you can ask me for it. However, for any expense exceeding ten thousand yen, you must provide a written explanation of the reason. If I don't approve it, then you are not allowed to spend money recklessly."
Gojo Satoru hesitated for a second.
"What if I want to buy desserts or games?"
Asou Akiya knew Gojo Satoru's habits inside and out.
"I'll recharge your dessert membership cards and top up your game currency. As long as it's personal entertainment spending, there won't be any problem."
Gojo Satoru immediately relaxed.
"I thought it was going to be something difficult. I'll give them to you later."
Then he jumped off the bed.
"No, I'll give them to you right now!"
The white-haired teenager cared nothing about how much money he possessed. Eager to hand over his bank cards, he planted both feet on the floor. Limitless prevented the soles of his feet from coming into contact with the scattered fragments.
Just as he was about to leave, Asou Akiya grabbed him and pulled him back.
Quickly fastening the buttons of his uniform, Akiya said, "Put your clothes on properly before you go outside."
Gojo Satoru immediately pulled a long face.
"Do you hate the scars on my body or something?"
"No."
Gojo Satoru's concern for his appearance flared up at once, and he became convinced of his own conclusion.
"It's fine, if you say you don't like them. I'll perform some magic later and make all of them disappear!"
Asou Akiya replied, "If you end up hurting yourself while doing that, don't let me find out about it."
"...Why?"
Asou Akiya replied, "Because I'm unwilling to worry about someone who doesn't know how to care about himself. I'd rather pretend not to know. You don't have to share every single thing with me."
"Tch."
Gojo Satoru could not really understand what that meant. With lingering confusion in his heart, he left.
Not long afterward, Asou Akiya received even more bank cards than he had expected.
There were primary cards.
And supplementary cards.
A total of seven cards lay spread across the bed, as though they could summon a dragon through the power of money alone.
His gaze darkened.
Even so, he felt the arrangement was still not perfect.
Then he sent a message to Ieiri Shoko:
[Shoko, do not lend money to Getou Suguru.]
Whether or not Ieiri Shoko would be left completely bewildered by the message was another matter entirely.
Muttering to himself, Asou Akiya said, "I have to teach you a lesson."
Gojo Satoru now possessed the ability to protect himself, so there was no need to worry about him for the time being.
He could afford to leave him alone for a while.
At present, there was only one major problem child remaining—
[Getou Suguru.]
Bending down, Asou Akiya retrieved his cursed corpse, Mii-chan, from beneath the bed and held it in his arms.
"I'm sorry. I won't ever let Gojo stay overnight here again."
The fierce, intimidating expression on Mii-chan's face immediately became adorable.
"Mii—!"
While cleaning up the room, Asou Akiya picked up one of the fragments from the floor.
His expression grew solemn.
After thinking for a long time, he came to a decision.
"I'll use Naoya's mouth to spread news of Toji's achievements, as well as the fact that the Inverted Spear of Heaven is supposedly in Gojo Satoru's possession."
"As for the truth that the Inverted Spear of Heaven has been destroyed, I'll keep it a secret for now."
As long as that fact remained undisclosed, the outside world would continue to believe that the Inverted Spear of Heaven was in Gojo Satoru's hands.
Even if Kenjaku obtained the Prison Realm, he would not immediately consider sealing the current bearer of the Six Eyes.
As one of the people closest to Gojo Satoru, Asou Akiya's own safety would also improve as a result.
Next, they would have at most one month of rest.
Once again, Gojo Satoru had shattered the balance of the jujutsu world.
The original story mentioned that this year would be plagued by an unusually large number of disasters, with cursed spirits running rampant. Based on the timeline, it would likely begin after the arrival of summer in May.
Asou Akiya needed to prioritize his own safety.
His utmost goal during the upcoming summer missions would be survival.
He was exhausted.
Yet he also felt an immense sense of involvement and accomplishment.
Having successfully protected the people he cherished, Asou Akiya lowered his head.
The corners of his lips curled upward.
A silent, somewhat wicked smile spread across his face.
[The primary objective of the Star Plasma Vessel mission was for Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru to survive. The secondary objective was for Gojo Satoru to kill Fushiguro Toji in return and master Reverse Cursed Technique. The next objective was to control Zen'in Naoya and ensure Amanai Riko survived while losing her status as the Star Plasma Vessel.]
[My mission has come to a perfect conclusion!]
[Mrs. Kaori, aren't you feeling anxious right now, with no way of knowing the outcome of Master Tengen's assimilation?]
[Just keep waiting patiently!]