September 13th brought an eerie quiet to Kyoto School's students — they behaved like quails, not one daring to come forward and challenge the visitors.
This left Gojo Satoru deeply disappointed — no sorcerer student bold enough to kick up a fuss had appeared.
The previous day had been a triumphant haul of shopping. Ieiri Shoko changed into her new skirt, spent half the day on her phone, and through her own connections obtained firsthand intelligence. Suddenly she announced, "Kyoto School's fifth- and fourth-year students are returning one after another — all drawn here by your famous name."
Getou Suguru expressed surprise. "Is Gojo that well-known?"
Getou Suguru expected Gojo Satoru to reply with a smug "yes," but instead the other turned to gaze out the window — his expression cool and distant. The sharp line of his jaw stood out starkly; his eyelashes resembled frost, each one distinct and piercingly cold. It was as though Getou Suguru had asked a tiresome question, and Gojo Satoru could not even muster the interest to respond — abruptly drawing an infinite distance between himself and the world.
Getou Suguru could not help frowning, concern rising for the shifts occurring within Gojo's heart.
Asou Akiya noticed they had fallen silent and brought over three glasses of iced barley tea — inviting them to wet their throats.
"I received some information as well."
Asou Akiya smiled, drawing their attention.
Through channels among the assistant supervisors, Asou Akiya was no longer rootless in the jujutsu world. "They're searching for a special-grade cursed spirit."
Any task involving the capture or exorcism of cursed spirits inevitably passed through the assistant supervisors. The vital importance of the logistics department went without saying — one reason Asou Akiya had invested effort in cultivating relationships with them. Whoever controlled intelligence networks and logistical support greatly increased their chances of survival in the jujutsu world.
Getou Suguru startled. "For this year's Goodwill Event?"
Asou Akiya nodded. Gojo Satoru finally spoke. "Now that does sound a bit interesting."
Gojo Satoru turned his face toward them — his eyes, unshielded by sunglasses, holding a purity of crystalline clarity.
"Suguru, do you want it? A special-grade cursed spirit."
"...Yes. I do."
Getou Suguru felt an impatient craving to ascend to special-grade sorcerer.
In that instant, the Six Eyes resembled the vast sky — yet the sky reflected only Getou Suguru's figure within them.
Ieiri Shoko accepted this reality with calm composure.
Asou Akiya felt a fleeting shadow cross his heart — witnessing such a grand stage where only two protagonists stood center upon it.
The feeling was far from pleasant. Asou Akiya told himself firmly:
You are a supporting character — do not delude yourself into chasing the lead role.
This spot is a hard-won privilege you wrested from fate itself — do not grow sentimental.
Hold tight to the carefully prepared script and wait for your moment.
One day, the protagonists of this youthful campus tale will step down and become supporting characters just like you.
The self-therapy proved remarkably effective.
Asou Akiya revealed no cracks in his facade — concealing everything even from Ieiri Shoko, who had been observing them.
In the bathroom, Asou Akiya locked the door, leaned back against the wooden wall, and bowed his head for a brief moment. Once he had gathered his emotions, he turned on the faucet — washing his hands with meticulous care, as though rinsing away the excess secretions clinging to his soul.
He considered Kyoto School's plan with cool detachment. The Three Great Families' vaults held no special-grade cursed spirits — fresh ones were difficult to capture. Rather than expend enormous effort organizing an exchange event, the simplest approach would be to let Gojo Satoru steamroll the competition. Yet the problem resurfaced: the conservative headquarters had recently suffered humiliation at Gojo Satoru's hands. Those old men would not let it rest. To salvage their dignity and teach the two "first-grade sorcerers" a lesson, they would not hesitate to bend the rules as far as needed.
[If I were one of the headquarters members, I would target a curse user — force them to swallow a special-grade cursed object, turning them into a vessel for a special-grade curse and serving as a temporary prop for the event.]
[Tokyo School's vault contains "Ryomen Sukuna's finger" and "Cursed Womb: Death Painting" — Kyoto School lacks nothing similar.]
[A special-grade curse is not a special-grade cursed spirit — there is no possibility of subjugation through Cursed Spirit Manipulation.]
[This way, the headquarters holds every advantage. Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru face formidable opponents yet gain nothing in return.]
[Gojo Satoru wanting to help Getou Suguru subjugate a special-grade cursed spirit… that would be nothing but a pipe dream.]
Asou Akiya suddenly laughed.
Then, he swiftly reined in his sinister and cold train of thought — splashing his cheeks with cold water.
He spoke to the black-haired youth in the mirror whose face had turned red from the patting. "All right — these matters have nothing to do with you."
[I am not their enemy.]
[I am their companion.]
Being a lower-year student whose depths no one fully plumbed was far better than frightening his classmates.
Asou Akiya stepped out once more.
Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru were playing gomoku — the board consisting of horizontal and vertical black lines that Asou Akiya himself had drawn.
Getou Suguru twirled a water-based pen between his fingers — lost in thought over his next move.
Gojo Satoru — whose computational abilities remained an enigma — suddenly turned his gaze toward Asou Akiya. The Six Eyes seemed almost capable of reading hearts, yet Asou Akiya knew such a thing was impossible.
Asou Akiya moved to sit beside Getou Suguru — intending to help him survey the board…
Gojo Satoru reached out once again and caught hold of Asou Akiya.
"No fair."
The white-haired youth acted without reason or regard for convention — gripping Asou Akiya's wrist firmly.
"Suguru can't win — and you aren't allowed to help him cheat."
For the Six Eyes of the Gojo family — who picked up rules for board games with supernatural ease — instinctively barred Asou Akiya from joining.
No game, no matter how intricate, could rival the computational complexity of the Limitless technique's formulas.
Yet he resisted this intrusion on pure instinct.
Left with no choice, Asou Akiya returned to sit beside Gojo Satoru — unable to assist Getou Suguru in any way. Gojo Satoru seemed to have gained a crucial counterweight outside the board itself — his intuition sharpened to an almost unbelievable degree.
Unwilling to let Getou Suguru overhear, Gojo Satoru sent a message to Asou Akiya on his phone.
[Jujutsu High Gourmet Duo]
[Gojo Satoru: Little tangerine, what were you muttering about earlier?]
Asou Akiya raised an eyebrow.
[Asou Akiya: Do you want to get styes? Peeping on a male classmate in the bathroom?]
Gojo Satoru glared at Asou Akiya.
[Gojo Satoru: I never had that intention! You were just too close!]
[Gojo Satoru: The Six Eyes included you in their observation range — I certainly didn't want to see you staring blankly at the mirror.]
Gojo Satoru had yet to grow fully accustomed to the role of protector. It was the duty of a sorcerer and the obligation of a Tokyo Jujutsu High student that gradually awakened within him a faint desire to shield others. The Six Eyes unquestionably kept watch over Asou Akiya — drawing him into their protective scope.
Ieiri Shoko's safety was not something Gojo Satoru needed to concern himself with.
Asou Akiya was the very first person Gojo Satoru had ever chosen of his own will to protect.
"Akiya, did eating spicy food give you constipation or something?" Gojo Satoru snapped his phone shut — his way of showing concern for a classmate uniquely his own. "You were in the bathroom forever."
"...Thanks for your concern." Asou Akiya could barely bring himself to meet the other's gaze. "Just a minor worry, that's all."
Gojo Satoru replied, "What's there to worry about?"
He proceeded to flaunt his phone screen at Asou Akiya. "Look — I changed to a new wallpaper!"
Asou Akiya caught sight of Inoue Waka — a smile curving his lips while his eyes remained steeped in quiet stillness.
"She's very beautiful."
He praised Gojo Satoru's taste as impeccable.
"What about your phone wallpaper? Which female celebrity is it?"
Gojo Satoru naturally reached for Asou Akiya's phone — eager to discover which celebrity the other favored.
"It's not one — I drew it myself."
Asou Akiya unlocked his phone and navigated to the home screen background.
The wallpaper featured a simple line drawing of a cat — plump and fluffy, with pink paw pads and a black sleep mask covering its face.
"So lame — you don't even like female celebrities? You prefer this fat white cat instead." Gojo Satoru seized the chance to tease Asou Akiya. "What's wrong with its eyes? That sleep mask looks so ugly."
A vivid image flashed through Gojo Satoru's mind: Asou Akiya zoning out in class. Asou Akiya rarely slacked off like Shoko — he studied diligently. Only when profoundly bored would he doodle on paper, and he never tossed those scraps into the trash — always disposing of them himself. For some inexplicable reason, Gojo Satoru remembered one casual sketch with striking clarity: a little white cat wearing round sunglasses. At the time, he had even felt faintly offended by it.
The two simple drawings bore too strong a resemblance — as though he himself ranked below this masked fat cat.
"Why isn't it wearing sunglasses?"
"..."
Asou Akiya had no desire to answer — he snatched the phone back, refusing to entertain Gojo Satoru's complaints about his wallpaper.
Gojo Satoru felt stung by little tangerine's cool reaction. "Huh?"
What did I do to upset you this time?
Getou Suguru interjected. "My phone wallpaper isn't a female celebrity either — do you want to mock me the same way?"
Getou Suguru set down his water-based pen and doodled idly in one spot. "I'm done — I forfeit."
Gojo Satoru lost the joy of victory — his expression collapsing.
Getou Suguru wanted to see Asou Akiya's wallpaper. With permission granted, he smiled and extended an invitation. "I remember a cat café that has a huge white cat just like this one — massive, with blue eyes. Shall we go check it out next time?"
Asou Akiya felt genuinely tempted by Getou Suguru's suggestion — yet he could not help recalling the man's notorious reputation as the king of substitutes.
No — better not. The world of substitutes ran deep as the sea.
Asou Akiya declined. "Suguru, I only fall for two-dimensional characters — or cats I've raised myself. Feelings need time to grow slowly."
Getou Suguru sighed with regret. "I've never kept a cat before."
Asou Akiya began discussing real-life ideas about raising cats with Getou Suguru — leaving Gojo Satoru completely forgotten in the back of his mind.
Gojo Satoru could not fathom what the two were doing. Talking about cats was fine — but why exclude him entirely?
"Akiya~." Gojo Satoru called out.
"Suguru~." Gojo Satoru demanded attention.
Ieiri Shoko shuddered at the cloying tone — the image of aloof arrogance Gojo had projected upon enrollment crumbling spectacularly.
Seniors of Kyoto School — did you know the bearer of the Six Eyes was this sort of person?
In the end, with no way left to disrupt them, Gojo Satoru turned to complain to Ieiri Shoko. "Shoko, they're being so mean!"
"..." Ieiri Shoko let out a sudden puff of laughter.
It was not funny at all — well, perhaps just the petty jealousy of high school DKs.