The summer was strangely composed.
Even though several days had passed since everything went awry at the Tombs of the Star Corridor, the sky remained clear, and the sunlight was just as scorching. The cicadas cried without a thought of resting, and the wind brought only hot air, wearying the soul.
It was a burning season that knew nothing of what had transpired.
But the people were different.
Among them, the Higher-Ups of the Jujutsu world had absolutely no intention of letting this matter slide.
It was the third time Yaga Masamichi had set the documents down. Each time he read them, there were sentences that grew more absurd.
Failure of the Star Plasma Vessel's merger.
Intervention by unknown origins.
Identification of an uncontrollable Special Grade danger among those involved.
Discussion regarding isolation and disposal if necessary.
Disposal if necessary.
Yaga's eyes lingered on that sentence once more before he eventually pressed down on the corner of the paper with his finger.
Resisting the urge to crumple it was harder than he expected.
A presence stopped outside the door.
A moment later, the door opened, and Gojo Satoru was the first to enter. Dressed in a white shirt, he bore not a single bandage, his face carrying its usual nonchalant expression.
Geto Suguru followed him, and finally, Yuji entered.
All three of them looked perfectly fine.
The sight only increased Yaga's irritation.
"Sit."
Gojo plopped down into a chair as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"Teacher, your expression is terrifying."
"Shut your mouth if you know who's responsible for it."
"Isn't it more because of Yuji than me?"
Yaga's gaze pierced directly into Gojo.
"You are included in that as well."
Gojo raised his hand submissively.
"Okay."
Geto took his seat without a word, but Yuji remained standing until the end. Yaga saw this, but he didn't bother telling him to sit again.
It was obvious without asking who the most stubborn person in this room was.
Yaga got straight to the point.
"The Higher-Ups have begun to move."
The air in the room grew heavy.
Geto was the first to ask.
"Is securing Amanai their priority?"
"Yes."
Yaga selected a piece of paper and slid it forward.
"Their justification is sufficient. The Star Plasma Vessel refused the merger. This could impact Master Tengen's stability. Failed mission, missing reports, and—"
His gaze shifted to Yuji.
"An unexplainable variable… Itadori Yuji… that would be you."
Gojo leaned back in his chair and spoke up.
"The phrasing is quite unpleasant."
"There's no reason for them to write about you favorably."
"But it's perfectly explainable. One incredibly strong guy upended everything. Simple."
Geto let out a small sigh.
"Satoru."
"What? Did I say anything wrong?"
It wasn't wrong. The problem was that the statement was too accurate.
Yaga ignored Gojo and continued.
"The problem isn't just the Star Plasma Vessel. Right now, the Higher-Ups are looking at Itadori Yuji with even more weight."
Yuji's expression didn't flicker.
Observing that reaction, Yaga rubbed his brow for a moment.
"You expected this, I assume."
"Yeah."
"Then at least pretend to be surprised."
"It's a hassle."
Beside him, Gojo stifled a laugh. Geto lowered his gaze. Yaga took a deep breath before exhaling.
"The topic of isolation came up first."
The traces of amusement faded from Gojo's face.
"And what about disposal?"
"It's not in the official documents yet," Yaga said tersely. "But it was brought up during the meeting."
Silence.
Gojo was no longer smiling. Geto's expression had also darkened. Only Yuji remained unchanged.
Seeing that, Yaga clicked his tongue internally.
Truly, this man didn't even blink upon hearing news of his own execution being discussed. He couldn't tell if the man had incredible nerves or if his senses were simply broken.
Gojo opened his mouth.
"So."
His voice was lower than usual.
"Who suggested it?"
"They won't be able to move immediately," Yaga stated firmly. "You two are here, and so am I. Most importantly, Master Tengen's reaction since the incident at the Tombs of the Star Corridor has been ambiguous. The burden of the Higher-Ups laying a hand on you without a concrete justification is too heavy."
Geto picked up the thread immediately.
"So for now, they'll use methods closer to control rather than a frontal confrontation."
"Correct."
Yaga set the documents down with a sharp thud.
"Observation. Isolation. Restricting movement. Pressuring those around him. They will tighten the noose like that."
Riko.
No one in the room spoke her name, but all three of them pictured the same face.
Gojo slowly rested his chin on his hand.
"So they're striking where it's easiest."
Yaga didn't answer. That silence alone was enough.
Geto narrowed his eyes.
"It will be problematic if the location where Amanai and Kuroi-san are hiding is exposed."
"That's why I called you here today," Yaga said. "From now on, you must minimize your movements. Especially the three of you."
Gojo immediately tilted his head back.
"I refuse."
Yaga asked with annoyance, "And why is that?"
"Staying still just makes us look more suspicious."
"You were already suspicious."
"Teacher, that's harsh."
Geto cut in.
"Satoru isn't entirely wrong."
Yaga looked at Geto this time. Geto continued calmly.
"The more we shrink back, the more certain the Higher-Ups will become. Especially if Yuji hides, they'll believe they were right to judge him as uncontrollable."
Gojo interjected without a hint of a smile, "Which is why we should move about even more confidently."
Yaga looked back and forth between the three in silence.
Gojo was as arrogant as ever, and Geto was calm but firm in his words.
And Yuji—he was still just standing there.
Yaga suddenly asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Yuji gave a very brief answer.
"I won't hide."
It was the answer Yaga expected.
Yet hearing it for real only made his headache worse.
Yaga asked again, "Reason?"
"Once you hide, you have to keep hiding forever."
"That's your perspective."
"No," Yuji's voice was flat. "It's the same from the opponent's perspective."
The room fell silent.
Yuji continued slowly. "Right now, the Higher-Ups judge me to be a danger. That much is true. But their next problem is that they're under the illusion that they can control me because I'm a danger."
Gojo let out a tiny laugh. He quite liked the sound of that. Yuji remained composed.
"If I hide, they'll think I'm running. And they'll believe they can keep chasing an opponent who runs."
Geto crossed his arms and asked, "So you'll face them head-on?"
"Yeah."
"As a display?"
"No, as a warning."
A short answer. But the meaning within was heavy.
Yaga massaged his temples. "What you're saying sounds like you intend to intimidate the entirety of the Higher-Ups."
"Correct. Do they really think… they can stop me?"
The air fluctuated just once at Yuji's chilling gaze. An immense surge of Cursed Energy rippled outward. For a brief moment, the aftermath of that ripple directed itself at Yaga.
"…!"
Yaga stood in silence, breaking into a cold sweat. He couldn't speak for several seconds.
Gojo, watching this, couldn't hold back a grin.
"Teacher Yaga. You know this is a first for you, right?"
Geto spoke in a low voice, "Satoru."
"Hey, it's the truth."
Yuji didn't let his gaze waver for a second.
"I am not staying still because I cannot be killed. It is because killing is too easy… that I foolishly play along."
Hearing those words, Yaga felt a genuine sense of suffocation for a moment.
It was a statement bordering on pure illogic.
The problem was that the manner in which he spoke that illogic was so unfamiliar. The indifferent aura he initially projected now felt like it surpassed a vast ocean, revealing the very edges of the cosmos. A depth of darkness where the distance of light-years was indistinguishable.
That was the version of Yuji that Yaga was feeling now.
"Haah."
Yaga let out a short sigh. Ordinary common sense didn't apply here.
A normal person would worry about political buffers, negotiations, or justifications. This man intended to simply shove the disparity in power in their faces.
It was then.
Two light knocks sounded on the door.
Before Yaga could give permission, the door cracked open and a familiar face peeked in.
It was Ieiri Shoko.
"Can I come in?"
Yaga narrowed his eyes. "Why even bother knocking?"
"Manners."
"You already opened it."
Shoko shrugged as if it didn't matter and walked inside, a drink can in one hand.
Gojo brightened. "Oh, Shoko."
"Quiet."
Shoko pulled over an empty chair and scanned the room's atmosphere.
The documents.
Yaga's expression.
The somber Geto.
The unsmiling Gojo.
And Yuji, leaning against the window side.
She spoke immediately. "So the talk of disposal came up."
Yaga sighed. "How did you know?"
"Given the timing, it was about time it came up." Shoko set her can on the desk with a clink. "And calling this specific combination together after what happened at the Tombs… it was never going to be good news."
No one refuted her. Shoko looked toward Yuji and gave a tiny smirk.
"Looking at your reaction, you weren't surprised much either."
Yuji answered, "I expected it."
"Typical. You're really no fun."
Gojo chimed in. "Teacher says isolation hasn't been formalized yet."
"If it gets formalized, it'll be too late. No? Or rather, the Higher-Ups would just be wiped out instead."
Shoko spoke with an expression that wasn't particularly heavy. It wasn't that she took the matter lightly, but rather that she knew she was the only one in the room not immediately swept away by emotion.
Shoko instinctively held doubts about Yuji's existence. He was a natural calamity that surpassed Gojo Satoru, a man harboring something like an inscrutable disaster.
Though he was a handsome man who appeared to be a proper youth, the expressions and tone he revealed held an ill-fitting maturity and a hardened edge that clung like mud.
Taking her eyes off him, she asked Yaga, "So, what's the conclusion?"
"Parallel protection and deterrence," Yaga answered shortly.
Gojo frowned. "That's vague."
"Vagueness lasts longer," Geto countered this time. "If you block too hard, it becomes a frontal clash. If you let go completely, gaps open up."
Shoko nodded. "Then I'll take a look at Riko's movements."
Gojo's eyes shifted slightly at the mention of Riko's name.
Shoko added, "As far as disguises for a schoolgirl or medical justifications go, I'm the one who can move the most naturally."
Yaga conceded that point. "Fine." He then looked at Yuji. "However, don't you go wandering around alone."
Gojo spoke as if mocking him, "You just told him not to hide."
"I'm saying not to go alone, not telling him to stay still," Yaga snapped back. "The same goes for you, Satoru."
Gojo pretended not to hear, and Shoko chuckled while opening her can.
Then, Geto spoke up slowly. "Itadori."
The attention in the room shifted to him at once. Geto leaned back in his chair and asked with a calm face, "I understand you want to face them head-on. But if your method is too aggressive, the Higher-Ups might actually reach a conclusion faster."
Yuji tilted his head slightly. "Do they really think they can kill me?"
"No… the Higher-Ups aren't that foolish. Because they can't kill you," Geto's eyes sharpened ever so slightly, "they'll try to cut off those around you first."
A brief silence. The statement was accurate.
If striking Yuji was difficult, they could strike Riko, Kuroi, or other links to break the balance. The Higher-Ups were people well-versed in such methods.
Gojo crossed his arms. "That's why we're here."
Geto nodded. "Right. Which is all the more reason to divide the roles."
Shoko accepted it immediately. "I'll check on Riko and Kuroi."
Gojo followed. "I'll move with Yuji."
Yaga added one more thing. "Suguru, you watch the external movements. We need more information on the Higher-Ups."
Geto answered quietly, "Understood."
The conversation seemed to wrap up, but the air in the room didn't fully dissipate. Probably because everyone knew this was only the beginning.
Riko survived, Yuji intervened, and Gojo awakened. With so many variables occurring at once, there was no way the world would let it pass quietly.
Gojo stood up from his chair. "Then I'll head out with Yuji."
Yaga asked bluntly, "And where exactly?"
"For a walk."
"Sit down."
Gojo grinned. "I'm kidding." He paused for a beat and added, "Mostly."
When Yaga genuinely pressed his palm to his forehead, Shoko gave a small laugh. Geto watched them and then suddenly looked at Yuji.
Yuji was still silent.
That silence weighed on Geto strangely. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "You."
Yuji shifted his gaze.
"Are you really not shaken?"
The question was brief, but its meaning was complex. Talk of killing him. Pressure aimed at Riko. The Higher-Ups' movements. The times ahead that would only become more tangled. Despite all that, Yuji's demeanor was too peaceful.
Yuji thought for a moment before answering, "Even if I were shaken, nothing would change."
It sounded like an answer, yet it wasn't. Geto felt those words linger for a long time. If you're shaken, it's too late. It sounded like something spoken by someone who had lost far too much, more so than anyone else in that room.
Geto didn't ask further. Instead, he just gave a brief nod.
Gojo, having heard the exchange, spoke up to change the mood. "So, are we done?"
Yaga sighed. "It's not the end. It's the beginning."
"That's an awfully scary way to put it."
"It's scary because it's reality."
Shoko stood up and grabbed her can. "I'll move first."
Geto followed suit. "Me too."
Gojo pulled himself away from his chair and gave Yuji a tap on the shoulder. "Let's go, Yuji."
By now, the informal address was so natural that no one in the room found it odd.
Yuji gave a short nod. Just before they reached the door, Yaga spoke one last time.
"Itadori."
Yuji stopped. Yaga's gaze was heavy.
"Don't carry it all on your own for no reason."
Silence. Gojo, Geto, and Shoko all stopped for a second.
Yuji replied without turning around. "I'll pass on the meddling."
The words were short, but the weight within Yuji's statement was heavier than anything else. The life he had endured was something no one could change.
The door closed, leaving only documents and dust in the room.
As the four of them stepped outside, they walked down the hallway in silence for a while.
Gojo broke the silence first. "Yuji."
"What."
"Lunch is on me today."
Shoko said incredulously, "Suddenly?"
Gojo smirked. "I'm in a good mood."
Geto said quietly from the side, "Guess the tension finally broke."
"No." Gojo's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Actually, it's the opposite."
It was a brief answer, but the three of them understood. From now on, things were getting real. The Higher-Ups were moving, the Riko situation wasn't over, and Yuji's existence would gradually fall into more people's sights.
And far more dangerous things than those discussed in the room today would pour out in the future. Yet Gojo was smiling. Strangely, he felt more clear-headed than afraid.
Watching that expression, Geto thought to himself, 'He really has changed.'
And just how far that change would lead, no one knew yet.
Through the hallway windows, the summer light continued to pour down brilliantly.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 36
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T