Author's Note:
I recommend reading this chapter while listening to "SAKURA" by Ikimono-gakari for the full experience.
—
Inside the Tombs of the Star Corridor, Getou Suguru successfully met Master Tengen.
Standing beneath a tree, Tengen smiled in her loose white robes and said, "We meet again, Cursed Spirit Manipulator."
In response to Getou Suguru's purpose for coming, Tengen handed him a book, having written down some personal insights and experiences within its pages.
"After you've finished reading it, you may decide for yourself whether to destroy it."
"Alright."
Getou Suguru accepted the book and flipped through a few pages. The moment he saw the contents, he immediately treated it as a priceless secret manual.
But being wary of the jujutsu world, Getou Suguru said, "I'd like to finish reading it here before I leave. Is that alright?"
Tengen replied, "It is."
Afterward, Tengen slowly walked away, leaving the vast open area entirely to him.
Within the records left by Master Tengen, Getou Suguru saw, for the first time, descriptions of the "technique's ultimate secret, Uzumaki." It contained, in complete detail, the abilities of the previous Cursed Spirit Manipulator.
In that instant, it felt as though an entirely new world had opened before him.
Countless detours had been eliminated from his path.
And for the first time, he no longer doubted the correctness of Asou Akiya's decision.
Uzumaki.
Domain Expansion.
Reverse Cursed Technique.
Extension Techniques.
Everything a Special Grade Sorcerer needed to know had been generously written down by Master Tengen.
"So it combines the cursed energy of multiple cursed spirits and releases it all at once?"
"It can even extract a cursed spirit's innate technique and allow the user to wield it personally?"
"If there were a cursed spirit capable of using Reverse Cursed Technique, wouldn't I be able to comprehend Reverse Cursed Technique through that cursed spirit?"
"No, that's not right. Reverse Cursed Technique is a positive force produced through the multiplication of negative cursed energy—'negative times negative.' Cursed spirits themselves are made of negative energy. For a cursed spirit to learn Reverse Cursed Technique would be little different from committing suicide. Besides, high-grade cursed spirits already possess extremely powerful regenerative abilities..."
Getou Suguru read with complete fascination, his imagination running wild.
Even if he could not master these things immediately, he no longer had to feel lost about the road ahead.
[Satoru, I'll definitely catch up to you!]
Sensing the fluctuation in cursed energy, Tengen glanced over in confusion at the hot-blooded Cursed Spirit Manipulator.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulators truly are kind people."
A high school boy who, even when Amanai Riko had not a single coin to her name, had offered her financial support and even lent her his apartment.
No matter how hard Tengen tried, she simply could not imagine Getou Suguru ever falling into darkness, and so she finally put her mind at ease.
This Binding Vow transaction had been worth it!
...
The dormitory room of Gojo Satoru had once again been furnished with a brand-new cloud sofa from a luxury brand.
Gojo Satoru stepped onto it and tested how it felt underfoot. A sofa that could withstand his full weight and abuse was a good sofa.
The carpet spread across the living room was made of brightly colored patchwork squares. Vivid and dazzling like something out of a fairy tale, it broke the cold, minimalist palette typical of Japanese interior design. Asou Akiya pushed a vacuum cleaner across the carpet, sucking away the dust that had settled on its surface. The machine's droning hum was rather loud, prompting Gojo Satoru to sprint over to the television, insert a disc, and crank up the movie soundtrack at full volume.
The workload of a second-year jujutsu student was relatively light. As long as they were not taking on missions, they had far more free time at their disposal and did not need to worry about spending every morning and afternoon buried in academic classes.
At first, Asou Akiya paid little attention to what was playing.
Then he heard the theme song from The Lion King coming from the movie.
A moment later, Asou Akiya softly hummed along to the melody while quickly finishing the cleaning work.
Just as Asou Akiya was about to leave, Gojo Satoru hurriedly stopped him and thrust his phone screen forward.
"Let's skip class and go sing at a KTV! I already sent messages to Shoko and Suguru."
"Did they agree?" Asou Akiya asked before he had even managed to read the messages clearly.
"Of course they did!" Gojo Satoru declared confidently.
That was because the message he had sent claimed that Akiya was the one suggesting the KTV trip.
"Who's paying for it? The money in your piggy bank?" Asou Akiya shot back.
"No problem. Most of the money in there was put in by you guys anyway." Gojo Satoru ran off to grab the piggy bank, stuffed it into Asou Akiya's arms, and then said, "I'll go drag that slowpoke Suguru out."
Half an hour later, Asou Akiya had also called over the three younger students.
Gojo Satoru had his complaints about Zen'in Naoya, but he had a favorable impression of Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu.
—All seven of them skipped class together that day.
After receiving Asou Akiya's text message, the Assistant Manager silently packed up their belongings, left the classroom, and stopped waiting for the group.
Inside a private KTV room in Tokyo, everyone had initially been indifferent when they heard that Gojo Satoru was treating them. However, Asou Akiya suddenly raised the piggy bank and said,
"Take a guess. How much money do you think Gojo has managed to save during this period? Is it enough to pay for everyone's outing?"
Zen'in Naoya looked puzzled.
"What is that?"
Haibara Yu immediately explained,
"It's a piggy bank. I used one when I was a kid!"
"I'm sure it won't be a small amount. Some of the money in there came from me too..." Nanami Kento said.
Gojo Satoru laughed especially arrogantly.
"I earned that money through hard work!"
Most of the people present had been shaken down by Gojo Satoru at one point or another. Getou Suguru was somewhat surprised that Zen'in Naoya apparently knew nothing about it.
The custom-made piggy bank Asou Akiya had ordered—a little white cat wearing sunglasses—had no removable lid. Using a miniature version of Blue, Gojo Satoru pulled the coins out one by one. In less than a minute, he had piled them into a small mountain of coins.
"Everyone gets a share! go ahead and take one!" Getou Suguru said in an excellent mood. He picked up a coin and slipped it into his pocket.
"You've actually saved up quite a lot, Gojo." Ieiri Shoko also took a coin.
"Really?" The airheaded Haibara Yu reached toward the pile of coins.
"Huh? We can do that? Thanks for the tip, Getou-senpai." Nanami Kento's dissatisfaction toward Gojo Satoru instantly vanished the moment money was involved. No one could resist the temptation of cash—especially when it came from the earnings Gojo-senpai had made by selling smiles around Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"..." Zen'in Naoya could not quite bring himself to stoop to that level, but his fingers twitched with temptation.
"Give it back! That's the money I've been saving! What if we don't have enough to pay the bill later?!" Gojo Satoru exploded on the spot. Throwing himself forward, he wrapped both arms protectively around his pile of coins and bared his teeth at the shameless thieves.
"Gojo, you only managed to save this much?" Zen'in Naoya asked, his face full of disbelief.
"All the allowance his family gives him is being held by me for safekeeping," Asou Akiya said in Gojo Satoru's defense. "So this really is all the money he has."
Then he added, "Alright, hand the money back."
Asou Akiya was the first to demand a coin from Getou Suguru, leaving him no choice but to comply. Returning it, Getou Suguru put on a hypocritical expression and said,
"Come on, everyone, stop bullying Satoru. Otherwise, be careful—he might block the entrance to your dorms tomorrow. No money, no leaving."
That was absolutely something he would do.
The moment Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu imagined that scenario, they obediently returned the coins to Gojo Satoru.
After the brief commotion died down, it was time to choose songs and start singing.
Asou Akiya was not nearly as familiar with Japanese songs as everyone else present, so he handed the privilege of selecting the first song to Getou Suguru. Among the people there, Getou Suguru was arguably one of the more normal ones. He chose this year's smash hit, "SAKURA."
The moment the melody of "SAKURA" began to play, even Asou Akiya felt a powerful wave of nostalgia.
It was the debut hit song of Ikimono-gakari.
A legendary success from the very moment of their debut.
Aside from Gojo Satoru and Zen'in Naoya, who were both visiting a KTV for the first time, everyone else already had a microphone in hand. They skillfully tested the sound, and by the time "SAKURA" started playing for the second time, everyone had already memorized the basic lyrics.
Everyone sang the parts of the song they liked best. No one fought over the microphone, and no one howled off-key like a wounded ghost.
Asou Akiya did not sing. Instead, he softly hummed along with the accompaniment, mainly listening to the main melody led by Getou Suguru.
He could tell that Getou Suguru was genuinely happy today, like cherry blossoms blooming at the height of spring.
"The cherry blossoms fell, fluttering down,
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love."
Holding the microphone, Haibara Yu picked up the next line in a voice overflowing with youthful energy.
"Even now, I'm dreaming the dream I prayed for with you that spring,
The cherry blossoms scatter..."
Nanami Kento followed somewhat awkwardly.
"From the train I could see, the traces of one day...?"
The song was about spring, about the season when cherry blossoms bloomed in abundance.
The lyrics painted a picture of life after graduation, of the future where one gradually grew into adulthood.
From the back of the room, Ieiri Shoko softly sang,
"In the window of the Odakyuu train,
in my heart,
I hear your voice."
Asou Akiya sensed Ieiri Shoko's gaze. When he looked over, he found her smiling at him.
A life of growth was accompanied by friendship.
Prompted by Getou Suguru's teasing and Ieiri Shoko's expectant gaze, Asou Akiya finally opened his mouth and sang for their sake.
"The start of my letter to you,
Says 'I'm doing OK'
You'll see through that little lie, won't you?
Even the town going past,
Is taking in the spring..."
Getou Suguru thought of the sixteenth birthday he would never forget for the rest of his life and continued singing,
"I'll get through these days without you,
And I, too, will grow up,
Will I forget everything?"
When the next verse arrived, no one sang.
Only the clear voice of the female vocalist remained in the musical accompaniment.
"'I really loved you.'"
The group, none of whom had much feeling for first love, simply enjoyed the music without thinking too deeply about the lyrics or the future.
Asou Akiya's lips moved slightly, as though he could not help silently mouthing the words along with the melody.
He did not look at anyone.
In his eyes were reflected several opened bottles of ramune soda sitting on the table.
When the song played for the third time, Gojo Satoru squeezed into the group without hesitation and snatched the microphone from Getou Suguru. Zen'in Naoya immediately followed suit, stealing Nanami Kento's microphone right afterward.
The two young heirs of aristocratic jujutsu families also wanted a chance to show off their talents.
Asou Akiya felt sorry for Nanami Kento and stuffed his own microphone into the boy's hands.
Nanami Kento shook his head.
"Asou-senpai, you should sing."
Japanese people did not say "love" lightly, nor did they often say "I like you."
Lyrics that no one else dared to sing were not only belted out by Gojo Satoru at full volume, but he even managed to drown out Zen'in Naoya's voice.
The way he openly sang of "liking someone" carried the same refreshing simplicity as ramune soda.
Asou Akiya wanted to laugh.
Listening to the song, who could possibly guess?
This white-haired high school boy was completely open and straightforward at heart. There was absolutely no chance of him ever starting a romance route.
No matter how many times the song looped, Gojo Satoru could sing the entire thing by himself. His sense of rhythm was impeccable, and it took only a few repetitions for his singing skills to evolve from amateur to karaoke king. In comparison, Zen'in Naoya was forced into the background, ultimately singing the final lines in a quieter voice:
"The dream I prayed for with you that spring...
Even now, the strong words you gave me,
Remain in my heart; the cherry blossoms dance."
Zen'in Naoya was surprised to discover that he sang worse than Satoru-kun.
Even so, Asou Akiya applauded for him, earning a displeased pout from Satoru-kun.
After that, several more songs were played in the KTV room, but no one could recapture the feeling brought by that very first song.
Several hours later, Asou Akiya proposed, "The late-blooming cherry blossoms in Hokkaido have just opened. Let's go see the sakura."
May was the season of late-blooming cherry blossoms in Japan, the final opportunity of the year to see them in full bloom.
Under Asou-senpai's leadership, the boys and girls of Tokyo Jujutsu High embarked on a spontaneous trip without a second thought.
They rode cursed spirits to Haneda Airport, transferred to a flight, and headed for Hokkaido.
The entire journey was carefree and exhilarating.
Along the way, every cursed spirit they encountered was thoroughly exorcised, as though they were using that method to prove they had been diligently "working."
Asou Akiya took countless photographs.
There were group photos.
There were individual portraits.
But more than anything else, there were pictures capturing the smiles on everyone's faces.
"Naoya, learn how to fit into school like a normal person. You can be as happy as Gojo Satoru," Asou Akiya said as he grabbed Zen'in Naoya, who was trying to walk at the very front, and pulled him back so that he obediently walked together with the younger students.
After spending the entire day running around and having fun, everyone arrived at the same decision without even discussing it.
They would spend the night at a hot spring hotel in Hokkaido.
Haibara Yu exclaimed, "Hot springs! This is what normal high school life is all about!"
Nanami Kento looked skeptical.
"Is it?"
Getou Suguru thought about it for a moment before cooperatively nodding.
"I don't think anyone will be embarrassed, right?"
Gojo Satoru lifted his chin and immediately started looking for trouble.
"Zen'in, you're not going to have a problem with this, are you?"
Zen'in Naoya gritted his teeth and replied,
"Of course I don't have a problem with it. Even when I soak in the hot springs at home by myself, there are servants attending to me."
Although the people attending him were maidservants… for the sake of not losing face, he could endure that detail being left unsaid.
Asou Akiya: "..."
The way these guys bragged was louder and more outrageous than one another.
Ieiri Shoko distanced herself from the group of high-school boys.
"I'm taking a private bath by myself. You guys can do whatever you want."
When it actually came time to enter the hot springs—
The only people in the communal bath were the three who had spoken up first: Getou Suguru, Nanami Kento, and Haibara Yu.
Getou Suguru sighed.
"Just as I expected. Those guys chickened out."
His expression filled with disdain.
What master strategists? What heirs of prestigious jujutsu clans? Trash!
Were their bodies really that embarrassing to show in public?
Nanami Kento looked somewhat awkward.
Meanwhile, Haibara Yu stared enviously at Getou Suguru's well-built physique.
"Getou-senpai, how do you train your body?"
"Just normal training."
"Getou-senpai, Nanami and I train regularly too. Want to compare arm strength?"
"Sure."
Splash—!
Haibara Yu was immediately flipped over.
Smiling pleasantly, Getou Suguru turned to Nanami Kento.
"Nanami-kouhai, would you like to test your senpai's strength too?"
"I'll pass."
Nanami Kento discreetly shifted farther away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
After soaking for a while, Getou Suguru realized there was not much to talk about with the two younger students. An idea suddenly occurred to him.
"How about this? Later, we'll launch a surprise attack on those three. You two can take pictures of the horrified looks on their faces. What do you think?"
Nanami Kento gave an answer that came from the depths of his soul.
"We'd get killed, wouldn't we?"
Getou-senpai, please come to your senses.
Two of your targets are Gojo-senpai and Asou-senpai!
"Fine, then. You two have fun. I'll go find them myself."
Disappointed by the lack of courage shown by his juniors, Getou Suguru summoned a cursed spirit and set off to locate the other three.
...
"AHHH! Cursed Spirit Manipulator, are you some kind of a pervert?!"
The first scream came from Zen'in Naoya.
After taking the photo he wanted, Getou Suguru immediately turned around and ran.
"Get lost! Suguru, don't you dare take pictures—AAAAAH—!"
The second scream came from Gojo Satoru.
The moment he relaxed the vigilance of the Six Eyes even slightly, he found himself shamelessly ambushed by his supposed friend. Getou Suguru's reflexes were lightning-fast. He snapped a picture at once, capturing the glorious image of Gojo Satoru panicking and frantically searching for something to hide behind.
"..."
The third victim, Asou Akiya, did not make a fuss when the curtain was suddenly pulled open.
He simply lowered himself deeper into the hot spring, silently extended a hand, and reached into the mouth of Ugly Treasure, which was floating on the water's surface. From inside, he pulled out a long sword and hurled it viciously in Getou Suguru's direction.
Getou Suguru leaped backward to avoid it, yet still remembered to take a photo in the process. The only thing he regretted was that his phone could not properly capture the image of a man and a cursed spirit soaking in a hot spring together.
Over the course of a single evening, Special Grade Sorcerer Getou Suguru happily managed to offend three people.
As a result, he suffered immediate consequences.
Inside the hotel room, Getou Suguru sat kneeling in the formal seiza position before Asou Akiya and Gojo Satoru, a large bump protruding from his head. He let out one sigh after another. The dark navy yukata, designed for adult men, suited him perfectly. His newly purchased phone, bought only last month, had been confiscated, and the numerous photos he had taken were now being reviewed by the thoroughly pranked Gojo Satoru.
Gojo Satoru flipped through the pictures of Zen'in Naoya and burst out laughing.
"Pfft—hahaha!"
The photos made Zen'in Naoya look like a scrawny boiled chicken.
The moment Gojo Satoru came across pictures of himself, however, he immediately deleted them.
This earned him a glare from Asou Akiya.
"Please delete mine too."
Gojo Satoru pointed at the hot spring photos of Asou Akiya and commented critically, "You weren't embarrassed at all. You were way too calm."
Asou Akiya replied, "Why would I? Only my shoulders were showing."
Then he turned the tables and mocked them instead.
"Unlike you and Zen'in-kouhai. You two were so pale you practically glowed. As expected of the young masters of the Three Great Clans."
Getou Suguru could not help laughing.
Unable to justify outright hitting anyone, Gojo Satoru chose a different method of retaliation and began tickling Asou Akiya.
At first, Gojo Satoru was the only one tormenting him.
Before long, however, Getou Suguru could no longer restrain himself and joined in.
The moment Asou Akiya's laughter became tinged with a tearful whine, Gojo Satoru immediately kicked his accomplice, Getou Suguru, away and declared in righteous indignation,
"Don't bully my man!"
Getou Suguru responded by offering him a warm and friendly middle finger.
In the end, among all the incriminating photos, the only victim left was their junior—
The 15-year-old Zen'in Naoya.
Zen'in Naoya arrived seething with anger, only to leave utterly dispirited after agreeing to a long list of conditions imposed by Asou Akiya, Gojo Satoru, and Getou Suguru. These conditions included, but were not limited to, greeting his seniors every day, helping his classmates understand the jujutsu world, accompanying Asou Akiya during taijutsu training sessions, and various other demands.
In exchange, he earned the chance to have those black-history photos deleted at the end of the year.
The filters through which Zen'in Naoya had once viewed the three of them shattered completely.
Gojo-kun—the once aloof and untouchable heir of the Six Eyes—was now a white-haired goofball.
Getou-kun—the fearless Cursed Spirit Manipulator who had never been intimidated by his cousin—was now a black-bellied lunatic.
And Kamo... no, Asou-kun—the wise strategist who had once seemed capable of calculating everything—was now a mischievous menace who resorted to photo-based blackmail.
"Are all of you perverts?"
"Yes!" ×3
When it came to reforming their junior and helping Zen'in Naoya turn over a new leaf, the three seniors stood united on the same front.