Tokyo.
With the return of the strongest trio, the chaos that swept across the city finally came to an end. The aftermath, however, was far from simple. Reconstruction, investigations, political pressure, all of it required coordination between the three great jujutsu families and government agencies.
As head of the Gojo family, Shion had barely set foot back in Tokyo before drowning in paperwork and negotiations. Meetings replaced sleep, and strategy replaced rest.
Being busy was tolerable.
Watching his younger twin relax while he worked was not.
With impeccable reasoning, and a little shameless persuasion, Gojo Shion managed to drag Satoru into the workload.
"Bro, you're abusing your authority," Satoru complained lazily, though he still showed up.
Instead of disbanding after the crisis, the various divisions shifted into disaster relief. After large scale catastrophes, cursed spirits multiplied rapidly. The flood of fear, grief, and anger in affected areas created ideal breeding grounds, and that surge would last for months.
Across Japan, emergency assistance requests poured in. The regions where the water clock, the flower cauldron, and the dragon had manifested suffered severe casualties. Negative emotions there were off the charts.
Grade 2 cursed spirits were everywhere. Grade 1 appeared in droves. Even special grade manifestations were no longer rare.
Local sorcerers were overwhelmed. Some strongholds had even been assaulted by top tier cursed spirits.
"The only option is to deploy special grade sorcerers to suppress them," someone concluded.
Shion and Satoru exchanged a glance. Neither of them could leave Tokyo at the moment.
"Send Yuki Tsukumo and Yuta Okkotsu," Shion decided.
"There are three severely affected regions. We're still short one."
"I'll go," Suguru Geto said, raising his hand with clear reluctance.
He had just returned from Hokkaido. Now he was boarding another flight back.
Shion leaned back in his chair. "Where's Toji?"
With manpower stretched thin, he had no intention of letting anyone enjoy a quiet life.
"Um… Toji Fushiguro is not a registered sorcerer, nor does he belong to the three families. We do not have the authority to mobilize him."
"Is that so?"
Shion smiled and dialed a number.
Five minutes later, Toji hung up with a twitch in his jaw.
"Dad, what happened?" Megumi Fushiguro asked.
"Nothing," Toji replied flatly. "Some bastard wants me working overtime. No overtime pay."
Megumi said nothing. That sounded about right.
---
Three months later.
"The Sixth Division performed exceptionally during the Tokyo incident," the report read. "Three special grade cursed spirits and seventeen Grade 1 cursed spirits were exorcised."
"Based on performance and combat evaluation, Panda, Toge Inumaki, and Maki Zenin demonstrate strength exceeding their current ranking. Recommendation: promotion to Grade 1 sorcerer."
Recommended by: Gojo Shion.
As principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, Yoshinobu Gakuganji reviewed all official promotions. He stared at the three recommendation letters on his desk.
Inumaki was straightforward. As a descendant of the Inumaki clan, his Cursed Speech technique justified a Grade 1 ranking.
Panda and Maki were more complicated.
Panda's strategic value made the higher ups reluctant to elevate him too visibly. A near Grade 2 position kept him useful without drawing excessive attention.
As for Maki, the Zenin clan opposed it entirely.
Aside from Naobito Zenin, who remained neutral, the clan elders were pressuring him heavily. Maki's father, Ogi Zenin, insisted she should remain Grade 4.
It was, they claimed, a matter of family honor.
Gakuganji understood the internal conflict within the Zenin family. Ordinarily, he might have accommodated them.
But he looked again at the recommender's name.
Gojo Shion.
The man bold enough to confront Tengen without flinching would not hesitate to confront Kyoto High either.
Gakuganji's old bones preferred peace.
He stamped the approval seal.
After sending the documents off, he opened a drawer and examined a confidential scroll. His expression darkened.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
He closed the drawer as students from Kyoto entered.
"Principal, you called for us?"
"Yes. Sit."
They obeyed, though Aoi Todo sprawled carelessly.
A moment later.
"What?"
Todo slammed his hand on the table, rising abruptly.
Gakuganji's voice was emotionless. "The higher ups have ordered you to eliminate Yuji Itadori during the exchange event."
"He is not truly human. He is the vessel of Ryomen Sukuna. Even without consuming another finger, he remains a ticking time bomb."
"You are to act without restraint. The incident will be classified as an accident. The higher ups will assume responsibility."
Todo moved in a blur, grabbing Gakuganji by the collar.
"Old man, that's my best friend you're talking about."
"Matters that threaten the jujutsu world cannot bend to personal attachment," Gakuganji replied coldly.
Bang.
Todo kicked the door open. "There's a Takada chan signing event at three. This meeting's already wasting my time."
"Todo," Noritoshi Kamo began.
"Quiet," Todo snapped, glancing back. "I've long since been disappointed in your taste in women."
He turned to Gakuganji again. "If you actually try it, I'll deal with you myself."
Then he left.
Gakuganji exhaled slowly. "If Todo refuses, so be it."
His gaze shifted to the others.
"Then you will proceed with eliminating the vessel."
The Kyoto students exchanged looks. To them, killing Sukuna's vessel was no different from exorcising a cursed spirit.
They had not trained alongside Itadori like Fushiguro and Kugisaki. They did not know him the way Maki and Panda did.
Their only impression of him was brief and distant.
Kasumi Miwa hesitantly raised her hand. "But… Itadori's teacher is Satoru Gojo…"
Silence lingered before Gakuganji replied.
"You will not kill him directly. You will lure him to a designated location. I will arrange for a Grade 1 cursed spirit to carry out the assassination."
"In that case, even Satoru Gojo will have no grounds to object."
Miwa lowered her gaze. It felt wrong, like stepping into the role of a villain.
Kokichi Mechamaru remained silent. So did Momo Nishimiya.
Noritoshi Kamo nodded slowly.
"Good," Gakuganji concluded, a faint glint in his eyes. "It is settled."
Somewhere else in Tokyo, Shion leaned back in his office chair, staring at yet another stack of documents.
A weekend of rest, gone. Monday already demanding overtime.
He tapped his pen against the desk, lips curving slightly.
"At this rate," he murmured, "my resentment might rival a cursed spirit."
===
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