A small group strolled down the bustling streets of Akihabara in 1995.
Through the absolute perception of the Six Eyes, Mirai gazed upon the embryonic stages of what would, in twenty years, become the unprecedented, holy mecca of two-dimensional anime culture.
Maids in black silk stockings. Girls aggressively handing out flyers. Otakus adjusting their thick-rimmed glasses.
It was the absolute promised land for the socially awkward and the culturally obsessed.
In a past life, Mirai had once made the fatal mistake of carelessly accepting a flyer from a maid wearing suspenders. She had latched onto his arm, chattering relentlessly until his brain short-circuited. Before he knew what had happened, he had been dragged into a maid café, thoroughly scammed, and lost half a month's living expenses in a single afternoon. It was a deeply unfortunate social tragedy.
Mirai still remembered it vividly. That maid had an incredibly strong grip. He hadn't started working out back then, so he couldn't break free. He was forced to just go with the flow and let himself be financially ruined.
Dark! The world is too dark! Mirai thought, shaking his head at the memory.
"Hey~" "HELLO?!"
Satoru had practically shouted himself hoarse over the street noise before he finally got a response.
Exasperated, Satoru glared at his twin. "You haven't answered my question yet!"
"What question?" Mirai asked blankly.
"There are so many prosperous, normal districts in Tokyo! Why the hell did we have to come to this weird electronics street?!" Satoru demanded, crossing his arms. He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard his Six Eyes processed the environment.
"What's weird about it?" Mirai replied, his tone radiating absolute, matter-of-fact arrogance. "We came here because I wanted to. And because I'm stronger than you, I get to do whatever I want, and we walk down whatever street I choose."
Satoru gave his cheap Onii-chan a massive eyeroll. He turned his head away, silently fuming. Arguing with Mirai was a guaranteed way to give himself a headache.
But as Satoru watched his brother walk—hands shoved deep into his pockets, swaying lazily from side to side with a terrifyingly arrogant forty-five-degree lean—a profound realization hit him.
If you have absolute power, you really can do whatever you want.
Staring at Mirai's back, Gojo Satoru's desire to become the strongest burned brighter than ever before.
Hmph. I guess he does look pretty cool walking like that, Satoru muttered inwardly.
Taking long strides to catch up, Satoru unconsciously adjusted his posture. Soon enough, his walking style perfectly mirrored Mirai's arrogant swagger.
"Old man, get ready. They're approaching your sector."
"Aren't they still a kilometer out? Is it really necessary to be this paranoid?"
"Even if the targets are just six-year-old brats, do not underestimate the perception of the Six Eyes."
Ogami's hoarse voice crackled through the earpiece. Awasaka Jiro scoffed softly, completely unbothered. How strong can a couple of six-year-old kids really be?
Far away on the rooftop, Ogami let out a soft sigh and raised her binoculars, keeping her focus locked strictly on her target: Zenin Mirai. Meanwhile, Awasaka waited in the alleyways ahead, his focus aimed entirely at Gojo Satoru.
But suddenly...
Both brothers felt a simultaneous prickle of malicious intent.
They stopped walking at the exact same moment. They exchanged a silent, knowing glance.
Then, two pairs of ethereal, majestic blue eyes snapped upward, piercing straight through the physical obstacles of the city. One pair locked onto the alleyway. The other locked onto a rooftop kilometers away.
For Awasaka and Ogami, the sensation was instantaneous and paralyzing.
Doubt, horror, absolute terror.
It felt as though they had been shoved off a cliff into an endless abyss, surrounded by indescribable, ancient horrors! It was the feeling of a frog leaping out of its well, finally witnessing the vast blue sky for the first time, only to be immediately swallowed whole by a hawk!
Silent despair hijacked their nervous systems. Pure survival instinct overrode their rational brains. Both veteran Curse Users instantly turned to run for their lives!
But the moment Mirai and Satoru broke eye contact, the suffocating pressure vanished.
Awasaka and Ogami snapped out of their panic, their self-awareness returning.
"Hag!" "Old man!"
They shouted through the comms simultaneously, their herd instincts kicking in as they desperately sought reassurance from one another.
Panting heavily, Awasaka didn't even bother wiping the cold sweat from his face. "This bounty hunt... should we abort?"
Silence hung over the comms for a long time.
Finally, Ogami's hoarse voice crackled through. "Just now... that was merely the passive pressure of the Six Eyes. It doesn't equate to their actual combat strength!"
She let out a raspy, forced chuckle. "Besides, what does it matter? My good grandsons will teach that arrogant Zenin brat how to behave! Hehehe!"
"You're right!" Awasaka forced a grin, his greed overriding his terror. "To hell with the Three Great Families! We have a bright, incredibly wealthy future ahead of us!"
"Hunting time!" they declared in unison.
Having successfully deluded themselves with the promise of a two-billion-dollar payday, the veteran Curse Users launched their attack!
"Interesting~" Mirai pinched his chin, murmuring softly. "Truly fascinating."
He genuinely hadn't expected anyone to be stupid enough to attack him after the subjugation of Mahoraga had been made public. Rushing him now was the definition of suicidal stupidity—like lighting a lantern inside an outhouse: You're literally just looking for shit!
"Mirai-sama..."
Takayanagi Mieko stepped forward, her face etched with worry. She had an almost telepathic connection with Mirai; she could read his emotional shifts with a single glance. "Is there a Curse User trying to harm you?"
"It's nothing~ Just a couple of minor trash bags needing disposal," Mirai waved a hand dismissively. "Right, Satoru?" He blinked at his twin.
"Exactly," Satoru cracked his knuckles, a feral grin spreading across his face. "I was just getting annoyed because I had nowhere to vent my frustration. They showed up at the perfect time!"
"But..." Mieko frowned, still deeply uneasy. She knew Mirai was powerful, but the maternal instinct to protect him was overwhelming.
"No buts, Auntie Mieko." Mirai flashed a dazzling, arrogant smile. "I am the strongest."
Standing next to him, Satoru's eyes widened. Damn it! That line is so cool! I want to say that line! he thought enviously.
Alright! Just one more reason to train harder!
"Hey, Satoru," Mirai drawled. "Want to make a bet on who can defeat their opponent first? The winner gets to make one absolute demand of the loser—as long as it doesn't violate ethics or the law. How about it?"
Satoru's Six Eyes flared with unprecedented brilliance!
This is the perfect chance to put this arrogant jerk in his place! "You're on!" Satoru agreed instantly, utterly convinced of his own victory. "When the time comes, the loser isn't allowed to cry or cheat!"
Hearing this, Mirai shrugged, though it took immense effort to suppress his diabolical grin.
"Deal."
Mirai turned to the women. "Auntie Mafuyu, Satoru and I will be right back~"
"Oh, you two... try not to play too rough," Mafuyu smiled softly. Unlike Mieko, Mafuyu possessed a deeply naive, unconditional trust in whatever the men in her life told her. She was exactly the type of woman who would believe any excuse a man gave her.
"I know, I know~ Mom is so nagging!" Satoru complained playfully.
The two brothers walked side by side toward the alleyway. Suddenly, Satoru slapped his forehead, realizing a glaring flaw in their plan.
"Wait! If we leave to fight these guys, what about Mom and Auntie Mieko? What if there's a third enemy hiding in the dark?"
"First of all," Mirai said, holding up a finger, "you will address me properly as Onii-chan. Second... relax. Auntie Mieko is extremely capable."
With those final words, Mirai crouched slightly and vanished from the spot in a sonic boom!
"Hey! Wait up! That's cheating!" Satoru yelled. He quickly patted his pockets. "Well, whatever! Mom has a high-tier barrier charm on her anyway!" Muttering under his breath, Satoru's small body blurred and vanished after his brother.
A split second after the boys departed, an almost inaudible whisper drifted on the wind toward Mieko.
"Lexus, protect them."
[Understood.]
System Log: Classified Asset
[Stand - Lexus]: The maximum operational range of Lexus from the user (Zenin Mirai) is exactly ten kilometers. Within this radius, Lexus can operate autonomously to defend designated targets.
A/N: For this week, every 100 Powerstones will get ya'll an extra chapter! Thank you!