Several black sedans were parked in a hidden corner, where assistant supervisors in suits were nervously exchanging intelligence.
Since the location of the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai, had been exposed, this place had become a prize in the eyes of every curse user in Japan.
The Star Religious Group had issued a sky-high bounty, and the Q Organization had declared they would completely eliminate the Star Plasma Vessel to overturn the existing order of the jujutsu world.
The air was heavy with the stifling tension of a gathering storm.
"Vroom—!"
A black motorcycle let out a beastly roar and came to a steady stop under the apartment building with a beautiful drift.
Yoru flipped off the bike and casually removed his helmet.
He still carried the faint scent of sulfur from the deep mountains of Gunma Prefecture, and on his back was a long, narrow object wrapped in black cloth.
It was the newly forged Shiranui.
"Instructor Yoru! You're finally back!"
The assistant supervisor in charge of the liaison looked at Yoru as if he were a savior and rushed forward excitedly.
"What's the situation?"
Yoru asked quickly as he walked toward the apartment building.
"It's very bad."
The assistant supervisor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Combatants from the Q Organization have already appeared nearby, and we suspect curse users have also infiltrated the building."
"Young Master Gojo and Young Master Geto have already gone up ahead of time, but Miss Riko's mood seems quite unstable..."
Yoru nodded without further chatter and stepped directly into the elevator.
He knew exactly what kind of person Riko Amanai was.
A middle school girl who had been brainwashed since childhood with teachings like 'You are the vessel for Master Tengen' and 'It is an honor to die for the greater good.'
How could her inner self not be rebellious and full of fear?
In the original timeline, Satoru Gojo's annoying mouth had certainly infuriated this Star Plasma Vessel quite a bit.
"Ding!"
The elevator stopped on the top floor.
As soon as Yoru stepped out of the elevator, he heard a fierce argument coming from an apartment at the end of the hallway.
"I don't want protection from two suspicious guys like you!"
"Especially you! That white-haired guy with the sunglasses! You look like more of a villain than those curse users!"
Riko Amanai's crisp and energetic voice echoed through the corridor.
"Hah? You're saying I look like a villain?"
Satoru Gojo's extremely displeased voice followed immediately after.
"Hey, hey, hey, kid, do you even understand the situation? If I weren't here, you'd have been chopped into mincemeat by those pieces of trash downstairs by now!"
"I am the strongest! You should be showing some gratitude for being protected, you hear me?!"
"You! You're too arrogant! Kuroi! Kick them out!"
"Miss Riko, please calm down. These two were indeed sent by Jujutsu High..."
Caught in the middle, the maid Misato Kuroi was sweating profusely, trying to soothe the rampaging Riko.
Meanwhile, Suguru Geto stood to the side, holding his forehead with a look of utter mental exhaustion.
Yoru walked to the half-open door, listening to the chaotic daily routine inside, and a smile couldn't help but tug at the corner of his mouth.
It was exactly this kind of youthful energy.
This was what he was striving with all his might to protect across time and space.
Knock, knock.
Yoru reached out, tapped lightly on the door, and then pushed it open.
"Who is it?!"
The arguing in the room came to a screeching halt.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto turned their heads at the same time. When they saw it was Yoru, their tense nerves relaxed instantly.
"Instructor Yoru, you're finally back!"
Suguru Geto let out a long sigh of relief.
"If you hadn't returned, Satoru would have probably started a fight with the protection target."
Satoru Gojo merely curled his lip.
His gaze fell upon the black cloth on Yoru's back, and a flicker of surprise flashed through the vision of his Six Eyes.
"Yo, did you get something good? I can feel that violent heat right through the cloth."
Yoru ignored Satoru's teasing and instead turned his gaze toward Riko Amanai, who was standing behind the sofa looking at him warily.
She was a young girl wearing a sailor uniform with her hair tied in a ponytail.
Her eyes held a trace of stubbornness and fear, like a little hedgehog with its quills raised, trying to hide her inner fragility with a display of aggression.
In the original story, this vibrant life had ultimately ended in a pool of blood during this very summer.
She became a nightmare that Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto could never let go of for the rest of their lives.
Looking at her, Yoru's gaze became more gentle than ever before.
He slowly removed Shiranui from his back, leaned it against the wall, and then walked over to Riko, leaning down slightly to look the girl in the eye.
"Nice to meet you, Riko."
Yoru's voice was soft, yet it carried a power that was strangely reassuring.
"I'm Yoru, an external combat instructor for Tokyo Jujutsu High, and one of the people in charge of this escort mission."
Riko was stunned.
She looked at the black-haired, red-eyed man before her, who was exceptionally handsome and possessed a gentle aura.
He didn't have the condescending arrogance of Satoru Gojo, nor the distant sense of polite detachment that Suguru Geto displayed.
Yoru's gaze was one of equality and respect—one that truly saw her as an 'ordinary girl' rather than just a 'Star Plasma Vessel.'
"You..."
The quills Riko had raised softened instantly. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice became hesitant.
"H-Hello..."
"Um... are you also here to force me into assimilation?"
The girl lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting the corner of her clothes.
Yoru smiled and reached out, gently ruffling Riko's hair like an older brother.
"No."
"I'm here to protect you."
"To protect your right to live as an ordinary girl."
As soon as those words were spoken.
The entire room fell silent.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were both stunned, looking at Yoru in disbelief.
Because Yoru's statement not only went against the orders of the higher-ups but also contradicted the fundamental purpose of this mission!
Master Tengen's assimilation was an absolute iron rule that the jujutsu world could not defy!
Misato Kuroi covered her mouth in shock, her eyes instantly welling with tears.
And Riko Amanai snapped her head up, looking at Yoru with pure incredulity.
"Wh-What did you say?"
Yoru withdrew his hand and turned around, looking out at the prosperous Tokyo night view through the floor-to-ceiling window. His tone was calm but carried an indisputable dominance.
"Whether it's the orders of the higher-ups or some bullshit assimilation ritual."
"None of that counts as far as I'm concerned."
"As long as you are unwilling, no one in this world can force you to do anything."
"And if they try..."
Yoru's hand rested on the hilt of Shiranui, and a terrifyingly intense wave of heat instantly swept through the entire room.
"Then they'll have to see if my blade agrees."
Bang!
Just as Yoru finished speaking.
The glass of the floor-to-ceiling window suddenly shattered!
Two masked combatants from the Q Organization, wielding poisoned daggers, swung in from outside like ghosts, aiming directly for Riko Amanai!
"Watch out!"
Suguru Geto shouted, preparing to summon a cursed spirit.
However, before he could act.
A brilliant red light flashed and vanished within the room, so fast that even Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes could only catch a faint afterimage.
The two Q Organization combatants still in mid-air didn't even have time to scream.
Their bodies were sliced into two halves in the air. The cuts were instantly cauterized by the extreme heat, and not a single drop of blood spilled out!
Thud, thud.
Two charred corpses crashed to the floor, emitting a foul smell of burnt flesh.
Yoru stood by the shattered window, Shiranui already slowly sliding back into its sheath.
With his back to the group, he glanced at the flickering shadows of curse users in the night below, the corner of his mouth curving into a cold arc.
"It seems some rats are already impatient to die."
Yoru turned his head and looked at Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, who were still in a state of shock, and raised an eyebrow.
"You two, 'The Strongest.'"
"Are you ready to cause a scene?"
Satoru Gojo looked at the two corpses that had been killed instantly.
He then glanced at the black blade in Yoru's hand, which was emitting a terrifying heat. An extremely excited light erupted within his azure eyes beneath his sunglasses.
"Hahahaha!"
"Interesting! This is too interesting!"
"Instructor Yoru, you're even more arrogant than I am!"
Suguru Geto also smiled helplessly, as several cursed spirits emitting powerful auras emerged behind him.
"Since Instructor Yoru has put it that way, it would be quite embarrassing if we were the ones to back down."
At this moment, because of Yoru's forceful intervention, the gears of fate began to veer wildly off their original track.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the city.
Toji Fushiguro looked at the bounty in his hand, a bloodthirsty sneer curving his lips.
"A troublesome swordsman has appeared by the target's side?"
"Doesn't matter."