Sorry for no updates for the last two days. I got sick 😷
———
Two days had passed since the Star Plasma Vessel mission ended.
It was Friday, April 14.
Rumors had begun circulating throughout the outside world that Master Tengen was safe and well, and a third Star Plasma Vessel had replaced Amanai Riko for the assimilation process.
The argument between the higher-ups and the Three Great Clans still had not reached a conclusion. The leadership of the jujutsu world had yet to enter the accountability phase, but once a decision was finally reached, Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru would inevitably be summoned by the higher-ups for questioning.
"I'd like to hold a psychological counseling session in the classroom."
Asou Akiya submitted a request to Yaga Masamichi and successfully took over that morning's class period.
Inside the second-year classroom, no assistant supervisors were present.
Asou Akiya walked to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote a line of white characters across the blackboard:
[2006 Tokyo Jujutsu High First Psychological Counseling Session]
The three students below, none of whom had any love for attending class, immediately became energized.
They began chatting among themselves, clearly not taking the newly appointed "Teacher Asou" seriously in the slightest.
In fact, they looked as though they shared the same malicious thought: if anyone dared to lecture them, they would simply bully the teacher together.
Gojo Satoru raised his hand.
"Class Rep, what's this?"
Getou Suguru stroked his chin.
"Teacher Asou's heart-to-heart session? Is the school paying you a salary now?"
Ieiri Shoko showed no interest whatsoever in a counseling session.
"Is this just an excuse for us to skip class legitimately?"
Three troublemakers.
Asou Akiya calmly wrote a second line beneath the first:
[Regarding the Failure of the Star Plasma Vessel Mission]
"I won!" Gojo Satoru immediately protested. "It wasn't a failure!"
"Akiya is talking about the school's mission, not your victory over Fushiguro Toji."
Getou Suguru knocked Gojo Satoru lightly on the head and said with a smile,
"After we saved Riko-chan, this became the only failed mission on our official records. But honestly, we don't really care about what's written on paper."
Seeing this, happiness appeared in the corners of Ieiri Shoko's eyes.
"This has nothing to do with me, does it?" she asked cheerfully. "Can I leave?"
Asou Akiya smiled. "No, that won't do. You're a member of the class too."
Ieiri Shoko: "…Fine."
Akiya was in a good mood today, and the weather was pleasant as well, so he decided to conduct a meaningful post-mission review. He directed everyone to move the desks aside and arrange the chairs in a circle, forming a small group of four.
Shoko let out a sigh, unable to understand what significance there was in her participation.
In the Star Plasma Vessel mission, she had been little more than an observer. No one had expected her to face combat directly. She had only appeared after everything was over, helping treat Zen'in Naoya and Getou Suguru's injuries.
Akiya cast a perceptive glance at Shoko. She immediately straightened up and behaved herself.
"Class Rep, please."
Akiya said, "Shoko, I'll have you give the final evaluation later."
The four of them sat together in a circle.
First, Akiya had Getou Suguru and Gojo Satoru each recount the mission from beginning to end. Afterward, he gave his own account, allowing Shoko to hear three completely different perspectives on the "Star Plasma Vessel Mission."
Getou Suguru's version: The story of how Riko went from deceiving herself to breaking free from her restraints.
Gojo Satoru's version: Didn't want to save people. Saved people anyway. Helping the weak was such a hassle. Wouldn't do it again next time… and then ended up saving people again.
Asou Akiya's version: Every detail was accounted for—the time, the location, the people involved, and the events themselves. It sounded as though he were calmly reciting a meticulously recorded travel log from memory.
Shoko brought her palms together with a clap.
"I get it now. As expected, Asou's version is the best."
Getou Suguru spoke in a faintly aggrieved tone.
"Shoko is playing favorites again."
Gojo Satoru puffed out his cheeks.
"Exactly. She didn't react to my heroic accomplishments at all!"
Shoko immediately struck back with ruthless precision.
"My reaction to the part where you two were sprawled on the ground? How about not skipping over the moments when you looked completely pathetic? Mention something that would actually interest me."
Getou Suguru and Gojo Satoru simultaneously looked up at the sky, then down at the floor, and began whistling, pretending there had never been a moment in their lives when they looked miserable.
Akiya pulled their attention back to the discussion. The very first thing out of his mouth landed like a bolt from the blue.
"First matter: on the third day of the Star Plasma Vessel mission, after we returned to school, Getou Suguru took photographs of Gojo Satoru."
Getou Suguru's relaxed expression vanished instantly, replaced by a gloomy look.
"The photo?" Gojo Satoru said around a piece of gum he had managed to wheedle from Shoko. He chewed continuously, not taking the matter seriously. After all, the first stab he had taken from Fushiguro Toji's ambush had not seemed particularly severe at the time.
Asou Akiya opened the photo on his phone and presented it for everyone to admire—a truly unforgettable shot of Gojo Satoru with a blade driven through his chest.
Akiya said, "Before Suguru smashed his phone, he sent it to me."
Gojo Satoru: "..."
His sense of embarrassment immediately rose by several levels.
Noticing that both Getou Suguru and Ieiri Shoko had fallen silent, Akiya continued, "This matter involves several people. Personally, I feel that I shouldn't have asked Suguru about Gojo's condition. Suguru feels he shouldn't have taken the photo. Gojo thinks the matter is already in the past."
Then Akiya dropped a bombshell.
"But what I want to say is—this matter is not in the past!"
Akiya said, "Suguru, no avoiding the topic. What did you feel when you saw this photo again?"
Getou Suguru forced himself to participate in the discussion.
"Regret. Guilt. I shouldn't have assumed that returning to school meant we were safe."
Akiya replied coldly, "I feel something similar. Every time I see this photo, I want to beat up the Suguru who ignored my messages, and then scold the Gojo who wouldn't answer his phone."
Getou Suguru felt his face ache. Slumping bonelessly in his chair, he didn't even dare stretch the legs beneath his billowing hakama-style trousers in Akiya's direction.
After a brief pause, Akiya said, "I really... felt terrible. My concern ended up becoming the fuse that led to Gojo getting hurt."
Gojo Satoru could no longer continue chewing.
"Just let it go," he said voluntarily, trying to persuade them. "This wasn't your fault. I was the one who let my guard down."
Shoko shot him a rare look of surprise.
Since when had this guy learned to take responsibility onto himself?
Akiya, however, was completely unsurprised.
"You think it's your fault. I think it's my fault. Suguru thinks it's his fault. Everyone has their own opinion, but eventually we need to reach a conclusion." He paused before offering his suggestion. "Personally, I recommend that we stop wasting energy on this kind of internal self-blame. Instead, why don't we simply conclude that it was Fushiguro Toji's fault? The enemy seized an opportunity to hurt Gojo. It wasn't us."
Getou Suguru stared at him in astonishment.
So this was the real reason for organizing this psychological debriefing session?
To find a healthier direction in which to process and untangle the emotions weighing on their hearts.
Akiya immediately drafted an unwilling volunteer into service.
"Shoko, you're the outsider here. You can judge whether our actions were right or wrong."
For perhaps the first time, Ieiri Shoko felt genuinely involved in the discussion. Unafraid of offending any of them, she spoke bluntly:
"To be frank, all of you are at fault. Gojo does need to take responsibility for getting himself injured."
Asou Akiya nodded.
He wasn't afraid of Shoko's detached attitude. At moments like this, a certain degree of detachment was precisely what allowed someone to see a situation clearly.
Akiya said, "We'll learn from this lesson going forward. We won't give our enemies opportunities to exploit our weaknesses again. We'll use Gojo's photo as a warning to ourselves. I'll send a copy of the photo to each of you—make sure you save it."
Akiya continued, "Let's put it to a vote. Majority rules. Does everyone accept this conclusion?"
"Okay."
"Mm."
"Hah?! You're sending out a photo of me embarrassing myself?! No way! At least use a different photo!"
Three votes in favor. One vote against.
Everyone collectively ignored Gojo Satoru's protests.
Getou Suguru finally let go of the first burden he had been unable to move past. With great solemnity, he saved the photo onto his new phone. To prevent that bastard Gojo Satoru from snatching his phone and deleting it, Getou Suguru even placed the image under special encryption protection.
Akiya gave them no time to rest before moving on to the next topic.
"The second matter: Kuroi Misato's death."
The muscles in Getou Suguru's face tightened immediately.
Akiya began reading from the information stored on his phone.
"Kuroi Misato. Female. Passed away at the age of thirty-one. A member of the Kuroi family. No innate cursed technique. Possessed basic cursed energy manipulation and hand-to-hand combat skills. Skilled at cooking. Her childhood dream was to become a childcare worker."
Getou Suguru recalled Kuroi Misato's appearance and mannerisms.
She had been a gentle, composed, and considerate woman.
A childcare worker?
A profession devoted to caring for children?
Akiya continued, "The Kuroi family's mission is to serve the Star Plasma Vessel generation after generation. After Amanai Riko's parents died in a car accident when she was four years old, the Headquarters assigned Kuroi Misato to take charge of Riko's daily life and upbringing. Whenever danger arose, she also served as her bodyguard. However, I believe your understanding of her never went beyond the surface. None of you cared enough to learn more about her."
Akiya said, "I obtained Kuroi Misato's records and discovered that she once distanced herself from the jujutsu world. During her student years, she hated her family's tradition of serving the Star Plasma Vessel and even enrolled in a university."
The moment Getou Suguru heard the words "hated serving the Star Plasma Vessel", he found it difficult to reconcile them with the image of Kuroi Misato that existed in his memory.
Getou Suguru hesitated before speaking.
"Why would Miss Kuroi...?"
Gojo Satoru interrupted him before he could finish.
"If she didn't want to be a servant, isn't that perfectly normal?"
Gojo had no interest in digging deeper into something he considered this boring.
After all, wasn't there a little tangerine right in front of him who also had no desire to become a servant of the Gojo clan?
A trace of warmth entered Asou Akiya's eyes, and the faintest smile flickered across them before disappearing. He continued speaking.
"After Kuroi Misato agreed to shoulder her family's responsibility, she spent more than ten years by Amanai Riko's side. Throughout that time, she worked diligently, cared for the Star Plasma Vessel's well-being, submitted regular reports on the Star Plasma Vessel's condition, and protected the laughter and happiness that filled Amanai Riko's school life..."
The more Getou Suguru listened, the stranger it sounded.
He had the growing sensation that the discussion was drifting further and further away from his understanding of the situation, becoming increasingly unbelievable.
Ieiri Shoko cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"A watcher?"
Gojo Satoru had experienced something similar during his childhood, so he had the right to comment.
"Pretty much the same as the servants in my family. The difference is that she wasn't working for the Amanai family. She was working for the Kuroi family and the Higher-Ups."
Akiya nodded.
"Kuroi Misato was one of the Higher-Ups' people. There is no doubt about that."
Getou Suguru's voice turned hoarse.
"You're trying to say that she was... acting?"
Akiya shook his head, openly acknowledging the sincerity of her feelings.
"On the contrary, I believe she genuinely cared for Amanai Riko. During the years she worked with her, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to her responsibilities and raised Riko with the same care one would give to family."
A faint smile tried to appear on Getou Suguru's face.
"She was sincere toward Riko..."
Akiya shattered that naïve conclusion without hesitation.
"Feelings are feelings. Work is work. Kuroi Misato supported Amanai Riko's assimilation with Tengen."
Akiya's expression became puzzled.
"Why have you reduced her to a label? Why do you assume she was born to be a maid? Why do you think the meaning of her life was to take care of Amanai Riko?"
His gaze settled on Getou Suguru.
"Suguru, she was a living, breathing person. She held a university degree. She came from a jujutsu family. She had no obligation to spend her entire life as a maid, dedicating herself body and soul to serving Amanai Riko."
Akiya continued,
"Think back carefully. Did she ever ask any of you to stop the assimilation? Did she ever ask you to help Amanai Riko escape?"
Akiya paused.
"She didn't, did she?"
Then he delivered the conclusion.
"Kuroi Misato never once betrayed the jujutsu world."
Akiya continued, "Don't misunderstand. Her decision to accompany Amanai Riko to the Tombs of the Star Corridor was merely a form of end-of-life companionship. In reality, her duties as Riko's guardian had already come to an end the moment they reached the point of parting."
His voice was like a sword tempered by wind and frost, carving itself into the heart of the sixteen-year-old Getou Suguru who had lived through the Star Plasma Vessel mission.
"Based on that fact, I can make a reasonable inference that if time could be reversed, she would certainly choose not to go to the Tombs of the Star Corridor again. The primary reason for her death was that Kuroi Misato had become too emotionally invested in a job that had lasted for ten years."
In the jujutsu world, superficial relationships were everywhere. Once examined closely, they rarely held up. In the official records, Kuroi Misato was simply a professional woman carrying out her duties.
One of the dark jokes of the jujutsu world was this:
Kuroi Misato wanted to save Amanai Riko.
But no.
No, she didn't.
She was an executor who personally escorted Amanai Riko to the execution platform.
Amanai Riko's innocent, almost foolishly sheltered young-lady personality was, to a great extent, the result of Kuroi Misato's upbringing. Kuroi Misato never wanted Riko to know about the hardships and suffering that existed beyond her small world, and so Riko never learned what ordinary people's lives were truly like. A bird whose wings had been clipped by the very "family" she trusted had also lost its chance to fly into the wider world.
Akiya concluded,
"As for her death, I feel regret. However, I suggest that everyone acknowledge the fact that Kuroi Misato was an independent individual with her own will and identity. There is no need to transfer that regret onto Amanai Riko. The relationship between mistress and servant had already ended. Even if Kuroi Misato had survived, she would have had no obligation to continue raising or caring for Amanai Riko."
"Oh, so she was pretty unlucky," Gojo Satoru remarked, his expression completely unchanged. His mentality was astonishingly stable. "She lost her life over servant work that had already ended."
Then, with obvious interest, he examined Getou Suguru's increasingly shattered expression.
"Suguru, Suguru~ are you okay?"
Getou Suguru was very much not okay.
He flatly rejected Gojo Satoru's concern. At this point, he felt as though his entire worldview was splitting apart.
Akiya steered the conversation back to the main topic.
"In this matter, I was the one who advised Kuroi Misato not to follow them. Amanai Riko was the one who hoped she would come along. Kuroi Misato was the one who voluntarily chose to follow. Fushiguro Toji was the one who killed her. Therefore, once again, I suggest that we stop engaging in pointless self-recrimination. The person who bears the greatest responsibility remains the killer himself—Fushiguro Toji."
What were dead people for?
Naturally, they were there to take the blame!
Akiya put away his phone.
"Let's vote. Those who agree with this allocation of responsibility, please raise your hands."
Getou Suguru's thoughts were already in complete disarray, to the point that his mind had practically crashed. Yet the moment a vote was mentioned, he responded on pure instinct.
"I could have saved her."
Akiya answered objectively,
"From the moment she chose to follow them, we could no longer save her. None of us were capable of defeating Fushiguro Toji after he pursued them. Let me give you one piece of advice: when saving others, save yourself first. You have a responsibility toward your own life."
After delivering those rational words, Akiya proceeded to absolve both Getou Suguru and Gojo Satoru of responsibility as thoroughly as possible.
[You were not at fault.]
[Two minors should not have to carry this burden on their shoulders.]
Even if there was any responsibility at all, it stemmed only from Getou Suguru's kindness and sense of compassion, not from any moral obligation imposed upon him by society.
Getou Suguru: "..."
Getou Suguru completely shut down.
Akiya paid no attention to his reaction, allowing him to process his emotions in silence.
Three votes in favor.
One abstention.
Akiya continued, "Third matter: we left Gojo alone to face the enemy, which nearly resulted in his death."
Gojo Satoru froze.
Getou Suguru suddenly felt an urge to clutch his chest.
This was definitely Akiya beginning to settle accounts after the fact.
Akiya spoke with complete impartiality.
"In terms of straight-line distance from the school gate, Suguru was the closest to Gojo. Shoko was second. I was the farthest away, outside the school grounds. Shoko and I lacked the necessary strength and would only have held him back, so it was actually best that neither of us was present."
Then Akiya applied the remedy most suited to the illness, launching a psychological offensive based on the principle of I'm weak, therefore I'm justified; you're strong, therefore you're responsible.
Wasn't that the exact logic Getou Suguru had always used when dealing with the weak?
Then he shouldn't ignore the responsibilities that accompanied it.
Akiya turned to Gojo Satoru.
"Was Fushiguro Toji strong?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Gojo answered,
"Very strong~ Around the level of a Grade 1 to Special Grade sorcerer. With cursed tools in hand, he was capable of killing Special Grade cursed spirits. As for hand-to-hand combat, he's the most skilled fighter I've ever seen."
Akiya pressed on.
"He has no cursed energy and isn't a jujutsu sorcerer. Can he be categorized as an ordinary person?"
Gojo Satoru snorted.
"Of course not. If someone as strong as him still counts as an ordinary person, then me losing to him once would be even more embarrassing!"
Akiya replied, "But he was never acknowledged by the jujutsu world."
Gojo let out a derisive laugh.
"The jujutsu world doesn't acknowledge him, but I do. I'm not one of those rotten old geezers!"
At this moment, Getou Suguru still couldn't understand the significance of this exchange. Nevertheless, his mind unconsciously committed Gojo Satoru's judgment to memory.
—Fushiguro Toji, a powerful man whom the jujutsu world refused to acknowledge, but whom Gojo Satoru recognized.
—The man who had defeated both himself and Satoru.
Akiya continued, "This matter can be interpreted on either a small scale or a large one. At its core, it involves a single question: which is more important, your comrades or the mission? The answer is obvious. We are not shinobis from Naruto. Naturally, the comrades—who are few in number and spend their lives protecting ordinary people—are more important. If we encounter an enemy of unknown strength again, those who have the ability should stay and fight together. Those who don't have the ability should find somewhere safe to hide. Don't become your comrades' weakness."
Getou Suguru was overcome with shame.
The words pulled him out of his dazed state, forcing him to confront the issue head-on.
Filled with remorse, he admitted his mistake.
"I'm sorry, Satoru. If I had been there at the time, things might have been different. With the two of us fighting together, we might not have lost to Fushiguro Toji."
Gojo Satoru hurriedly refuted him.
"Akiya, don't blame Suguru. I was the one who told him to leave first—"
Before Gojo could shoulder all the responsibility onto himself, Akiya abruptly rose to his feet and cut him off.
"Gojo, be quiet!"
He openly reprimanded him.
"You don't get to voice an opinion from the victim's position. We're the ones who wronged you. If you insist on saying even one more word, then you'll be the one wronging us."
Gojo Satoru: "??????"
Hold on.
I'm the victim here, right?
So why is the victim getting scolded?!
Completely ignoring Gojo's confusion, Akiya continued,
"Let's vote. The person who bears the greatest responsibility in this matter is Fushiguro Toji. The second greatest responsibility belongs to Getou Suguru, who was the closest to the scene and possessed Special Grade sorcerer-level strength. The reasoning is simple: a sorcerer should protect their comrades whenever it falls within their capabilities to do so."
Getou Suguru raised his hand.
Ieiri Shoko raised hers as well.
Akiya delivered the final verdict.
"Three votes in favor. One abstention."
Gojo Satoru stared at the hand he had raised in opposition, marked with a symbolic cross.
For the first time, Asou Akiya had given him a lesson that struck with real force.
[Damn it, I've been outvoted by the majority again!!!]
Akiya said, "The fourth matter..."
The moment he heard those opening words, Getou Suguru's confidence evaporated. A sense of guilt immediately rose within him as he began wondering what mistake he had made this time.
Fortunately, Akiya delivered some good news.
"This matter has nothing to do with any of you. It's my issue."
Calmly facing the storm that belonged to him alone, Akiya said,
"It's time to discuss something I want to understand. Gojo, while you were lying at the school gate pretending to be a corpse, how much did you hear? From which sentence onward?"
Gojo Satoru broke into a grin.
Crossing his legs, he leaned back in his chair with complete ease and replied leisurely,
"All of it."
A sharp ache rose in Akiya's nose.
Looking directly at Gojo Satoru—who was somehow smiling so brightly—he realized that he, too, had been forgiven and accepted.
"I'm sorry. I said some things that were unpleasant to hear."
"It's fine. I don't care~"
As always, Gojo casually tossed out those words.
More often than not, once he said that, everyone around him would stop walking on eggshells.
"No."
Akiya refused to accept Gojo's leniency.
"Words are invisible weapons that can wound people. When you've done something wrong or said something wrong, you should apologize properly."
Behind his sunglasses, the crystal-clear Six Eyes watched everything.
The corner of Gojo's mouth curled upward as he found a new source of amusement.
"But this time, I don't believe you'll be able to win the vote."
[Akiya, majority rules. The others aren't going to help you this time.]
"Gojo, I want to teach you one more thing."
Akiya still looked as refined and gentle as ever. Yet when he spoke, there was an additional trace of vulnerability in his demeanor, as though he fully understood that he was one of the weak, someone whose ideals would be difficult for the strong to accept.
"An apology is something that comes from the heart. It doesn't require a vote."
The next second, Akiya delivered a vicious slap to his own face.
The crack echoed through the room.
"Only pain can make a lesson unforgettable."
The hurtful words he had spoken, the schemes he had carried out—none of them allowed him to accept Gojo Satoru's forgiveness with a clear conscience.
More importantly—
He intended to eliminate the hidden danger once and for all. He absolutely could not allow Gojo Satoru to dig this matter up and settle old scores with him in the future.
"...!!!" (x3)
The classroom fell silent.
Three utterly dumbfounded classmates had suddenly appeared around Asou Akiya.
The corner of Akiya's mouth had split open. A vivid red handprint bloomed across his cheek. Yet he remained perfectly calm as he said,
"I've enjoyed today's discussion very much. Let's end it here."
Thus concluded, successfully and to everyone's satisfaction, the 2006 Tokyo Jujutsu High First Psychological Counseling Session.
...
Number of people left psychologically traumatized for future sessions. +3