The teacher and student ended up sitting directly on the ground, abandoning all formalities, choosing instead to speak with complete openness and honesty.
Yaga Masamichi found it impossible to feel joy. On the contrary, he was so overstimulated by the revelation that his nerves felt scorched as he spoke, his voice heavy with urgency.
"The higher-ups will never accept the truth," he said flatly. "They won't."
Asou Akiya answered with a hint of grievance, his tone almost innocent in its sincerity.
"I never planned to let them know in the first place."
Yaga's mind threatened to short-circuit. For a moment, it felt as though steam might pour straight out of his head.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" he demanded, rubbing his temples. "The truth about your identity can't be made public. Even if I know you're not from the Gojo family, it changes nothing. From their perspective, I'll still be misunderstood."
Asou Akiya tilted his head slightly and looked at him with calm confidence.
"Yaga-sensei," he said gently, "use your brain a little more. It is useful, you know."
Yaga Masamichi felt a headache coming on. Designing combat strategies was one thing, but devising political maneuvers and layered deception? That was far harder than any battlefield plan.
After a long pause, he tried hesitantly, almost testing the idea aloud.
"So I just… say that the Gojo family no longer wants you?"
Asou Akiya stared at him for a second, then replied without missing a beat, his lips curling into a faint smile.
"Sensei, take a good look at this face of mine," he said, gesturing to himself, utterly shameless. "Then look at Gojo's attitude toward me. Who, exactly, would be the one getting discarded? Even if I were only useful as a political bargaining chip for marriage alliances between jujutsu clans, the Gojo family wouldn't throw me away so easily."
Yaga Masamichi: "..."
…You're quite narcissistic, aren't you?
Asou Akiya continued smoothly, as though that thought had never crossed Yaga's mind.
"You can tell them that my 'employment' relationship with the Gojo family ends at graduation," he said. "That I have no intention of entering the Gojo household registry, and no intention of becoming one of their people."
Yaga frowned. "And that will really be enough?"
"It will be enough for now," Asou replied. "If you want the higher-ups not to interfere with your educational work, then we need to wait until next year."
Yaga blinked. "Huh? Just next year will make a difference?"
Asou Akiya let out a soft sigh, as if disappointed that this even needed explaining.
"Next year," he emphasized, "is an extremely important year. A once-in-five-hundred-years turning point for the jujutsu world. Anyone who's taken a class on jujutsu history knows this."
Yaga crossed his arms, unconvinced.
"If Geto or Gojo were here instead, I'm sure they wouldn't know that either."
Asou Akiya paused for a heartbeat, then answered solemnly, with impeccable courtesy.
"…Thank you, Sensei, for trusting me—and for not trusting them."
Then, as if shifting seamlessly from conversation into lecture mode, Asou Akiya began to explain, his words measured and precise.
"Lord Tengen," he said, "possesses the cursed technique known as Immortality. He resides within the Tombs of the Star Corridor and is a figure who has lived for over a thousand years. More importantly, he is the cornerstone that maintains the barrier system of the entire jujutsu world."
He paused briefly, ensuring Yaga Masamichi was following.
"Next year will be the point at which the accumulated aging of Lord Tengen's body reaches its absolute limit. At that time, he will require fusion with a suitable 'Star Plasma Vessel' in order to renew his physical form—resetting his flesh and halting further evolution into a higher state of existence."
Yaga Masamichi rummaged through the dusty corners of his historical knowledge and managed to extract a vague recollection.
"…That does sound familiar."
Asou Akiya nodded.
"Evolution itself is an unknown variable. No one truly understands what that so-called 'higher state' entails. The upper echelons of the jujutsu world do not want Lord Tengen's evolution to go wrong, because any deviation could shatter the fragile stability the current system relies on."
He continued calmly, laying out the inevitable consequences.
"That is why the mission to escort the Star Plasma Vessel into the Tombs of the Star Corridor will inevitably take place."
"The escorts must be chosen from among the strongest and most trustworthy sorcerers in the jujutsu world."
"Because when that time comes, there will be those who oppose the fusion, and those who support it. The Star Religious Group, an organization devoted to preserving Lord Tengen's 'purity', exists precisely for this reason. They will not remain idle."
Asou Akiya's gaze sharpened slightly.
"And the choice of escorts will not be decided by the Higher-Ups. Their authority does not extend that far. Lord Tengen himself holds the right to designate who will stand at his side."
He spoke the next line with quiet certainty.
"The battle next year will be brutal. It will detonate five hundred years' worth of accumulated contradictions and conflicts all at once."
"Who intends to harm Lord Tengen, and who is willing to protect him—those are not matters for us to decide. Lord Tengen understands all of it perfectly. Personally, I suspect that Yuki Tsukumo will also be summoned back to Japan by the Higher-Ups. There are rumors that Yuki Tsukumo herself is a Star Plasma Vessel."
Yaga Masamichi's expression darkened abruptly. The ease with which he had been listening to history and conjecture vanished in an instant.
The only special-grade sorcerer in the modern era… a Star Plasma Vessel? One of Lord Tengen's potential "containers"?
Even if it was only hearsay, the implication was horrifying from Yaga's perspective.
Asou Akiya offered a quiet reassurance.
"I believe Ms. Yuki Tsukumo is intelligent enough to handle herself."
A once-in-five-hundred-years event of this magnitude was not something a special-grade sorcerer who had fled Japan would foolishly walk into—unless the Star Plasma Vessel mission had already failed, unless the Vessel was no longer needed.
Leaving the implication hanging, Asou Akiya shifted his focus back to the coming year and continued his analysis.
"Based on my predictions, Lord Tengen will most likely choose Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru."
He raised a finger to enumerate his reasons.
"First, they are the only two semi–special-grade sorcerers in the jujutsu world—their strength second only to true special grades."
"Second, they are students of Tokyo Jujutsu High. Their backgrounds are clean, and they have no ties to curse users, the Star Religious Group, or other external factions. The Three Great Families have always been collaborators with Lord Tengen."
"From this year to the next, we will all be living directly under Lord Tengen's surveillance. He has more than enough time to observe the students' character, judgment, and values."
When Yaga Masamichi realized that his two students would be swept into such a catastrophic event the following year, a heavy weight settled in his chest, and worry etched itself deeply into his features.
Japan's only special-grade sorcerer had already fled the country, and the only two remaining quasi–special-grade sorcerers were, by default, the most suitable candidates for any mission of such magnitude. If Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru were assigned to escort the "Star Plasma Vessel," and if the jujutsu world truly had no other viable "Star Plasma Vessel" candidates left, would that not mean that Gojo and Geto might ultimately be forced to clash with Yuki Tsukumo—to subdue her and drag her back to Japan?
The moment that possibility crossed his mind, cold sweat poured down Yaga Masamichi's back.
An internal conflict on that scale—could it become the greatest civil strife in the history of the jujutsu world?
"Akiya," Yaga asked gravely, "how many 'Star Plasma Vessels' does Japan have?"
"I don't know," Asou Akiya replied without hesitation.
Only a fool would openly admit that he knew where Amanai Riko was.
Yaga Masamichi pressed on, his voice tense.
"Based on your analysis, do you think it will ultimately come down to Gojo and Geto fighting Yuki Tsukumo?"
"I don't know," Asou Akiya answered again, just as calmly.
"It can't be predicted."
Then he added, with quiet certainty,
"The only thing I know for sure is that Lord Tengen is on our side, and he will be willing to offer assistance."
Relying on the fact that Yaga Masamichi was present—and that the two of them were on the brink of becoming adoptive father and son—Asou Akiya did not hesitate for even a second before speaking directly into the unseen depths.
"Lord Tengen, you can hear this, can't you?" he said aloud. "The jujutsu world's [Barrier]falls under your domain of control."
"I wish to become Yaga-sensei's adopted son."
"But the Higher-Ups do not trust me."
"I hope that, for the sake of me being a student of Tokyo Jujutsu High—one of the future cornerstones of the jujutsu world—you can help me just this once. In exchange, I am willing to establish a 'binding vow.' Next year, as one of the contingency measures for the 'Star Plasma Vessel' mission, I will assist Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, devoting every ounce of my strength to ensuring that the 'Star Plasma Vessel' reaches Tokyo Jujutsu High safely."
The "Star Plasma Vessel" mission scheduled for next year was of paramount importance—the absolute priority among priorities—one that would ultimately determine the life-or-death struggle involving Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, and Fushiguro Toji.
In the face of their deaths, even Asou Akiya himself could be sacrificed without hesitation.
As for Amanai Riko—what did she even amount to, by comparison?
If it were not for the sake of keeping Geto Suguru's mental state as stable as possible, he would have sworn an outright vow to send the "Star Plasma Vessel" directly to meet Tengen. Instead, he employed a small measure of calculation and restraint, promising only that the "Star Plasma Vessel" would arrive safely at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Asou Akiya had long since prepared himself to step onto the board at the pivotal turning point of fate.
What he lacked was not resolve, but a justification.
Now, that justification had finally appeared.
He used a reenactment of the original canon's events to draw Tengen's attention, deliberately displaying the power of his intellect, making it clear to Tengen—who had lived long enough to become a shrewd, world-weary existence—that he, too, could serve as one of the contingency measures for the "Star Plasma Vessel" mission.
Asou Akiya raised his voice and called out, "If you agree, then please remotely increase the cursed energy density of the [Curtain]. After Yaga-sensei submits the adoption application, I also ask that you put in a few good words for us before the distinguished members of the Higher-Ups."
"Tell them that Asou Akiya is a trustworthy, exemplary student—someone who will never become an enemy of the Higher-Ups."
"Please, do not make things difficult for Yaga Masamichi."
Asou Akiya extended his right hand and declared solemnly, "I will now establish a 'binding vow' for you!"
First, pay the price—only then seek the reward.
Such behavior ran counter to all common sense among jujutsu sorcerers. Yaga Masamichi did not even have time to stop him, and he found it nearly impossible to believe that an ordinary student could negotiate a deal concerning a major event of the coming year with the renowned "thousand-year living fossil" of the jujutsu world.
Yaga Masamichi stared at him in shock, completely dumbfounded.
"Akiya… you…"
A long moment passed.
Then, within the training grounds, the [Curtain] began to change. The density of cursed energy surged dramatically, rising to an entirely new level.
Tengen had given their answer—indirectly, yet unmistakably.
["Very well."]
Tengen had enemies lurking in the shadows.
Though next year had not yet arrived, a meticulously planned slaughter was already quietly taking shape, its contours forming in the dark long before the curtain would ever be raised.
Who would win and who would lose had yet to be decided; it would depend on which side had prepared more thoroughly, whose hidden cards ran deeper, and whose heart was crueler, colder, and more resolute when the moment of reckoning finally came.
To exchange a few words of goodwill for the assistance of a truly intelligent person—such a bargain, in Tengen's eyes, was worth far more than its cost.
Deep underground, within the Tomb of the Star Corridor.
Tengen sensed the completion of the "binding vow" and withdrew their manipulation of cursed energy, murmuring softly, almost to themselves, "A flawless jade is best left unbroken."
That no one would come to harm—this, more than anything else, was Tengen's greatest and most unadorned wish for the jujutsu world.
...
Yaga Masamichi was sincerely, wholeheartedly convinced.
After having drawn the attention of Lord Tengen, he even felt a touch of disbelief, as though a small, insignificant figure like himself had somehow received an overwhelming and undeserved favor.
For the sake of becoming Yaga Masamichi's adopted son smoothly, and to ensure that Yaga would not fall under suspicion from the higher-ups, Asou Akiya had sworn to take part in next year's "Star Plasma Vessel" mission. The vow left Yaga both deeply moved and profoundly uneasy, a tangled mixture of emotions surging through his chest and ultimately settling into the heavy pressure that came from glimpsing the shape of the future.
"Do you know?" Asou Akiya said softly. "I truly love Tokyo Jujutsu High. Everyone here is willing to accept new things; everyone harbors aspirations for the future, instead of trudging forward lifelessly along a rigid, predetermined social order."
Starlight shimmered in Asou Akiya's eyes—a brilliant, radiant gleam born from having finally achieved what he had long desired.
He had guessed that Tengen would observe him.
He had guessed that he would become an important participant in the Hidden Inventory arc of Jujutsu Kaisen—and now, the answer he received in return was clear and unequivocal: Yes.
Asou Akiya suddenly threw himself into Yaga Masamichi's arms, catching him completely off guard. His laughter rang out across the training field, bright and unrestrained.
"I'm sorry—I'm just too happy! The finest friendship, the deepest family bonds, the most beautiful love in this world—I want all of them! I don't want to miss out on any of it!"
"Akiya… I'll do my best to be a good father," Yaga Masamichi said as he instinctively caught him. After all, who in this world does not yearn for the best kinds of affection? His palms, roughened by years of practicing martial arts, did not dare to exert even the slightest bit of force. He held the boy with extreme care, afraid that one careless movement might crush bones that had not yet fully grown or hardened.
Like a flower bud not yet in bloom.
His heart softened completely, melting into a warm, overflowing tide of paternal love.
Yaga Masamichi began to see the future in small, concrete details. Next time, he would make Akiya an even cuter cursed corpse—perhaps a cat this time. He had heard that Akiya liked white cats. His child did not need to be lonely, did not need to feel inferior; his child deserved the very best things this world could offer.
In that single moment of embracing and being embraced, Asou Akiya shattered every remaining distance between them—every invisible boundary that had separated stranger from family.
If there is no opportunity, then one must create it.
Human relationships are bonds forged by throwing oneself forward without hesitation, by fighting with everything one has.
Emotion, strength, wealth, power—countless glittering things shone before Aso Akiyama, drawing his gaze and stirring his heart.
Inside, he felt almost delirious with intensity; on his face bloomed an expression of pure, unfiltered happiness.
"Papa Yaga!"
I love you as I love myself.
And to love oneself, as the British writer Oscar Wilde once said, is "the beginning of a lifelong romance."