"Why the long face, my dear brother?"
A curious voice was heard as Asuka kept looking at Yoichi, who was walking alongside her into the mall.
Her eyes were bright with a gleam of someone ready to max out a credit card, while her younger brother looked like he was marching toward a guillotine.
On the other hand, Yoichi didn't want to be implicated in this shopping spree.
But the thought of a strawberry sundae and pizza combo led him astray.
What a lethal curse...
He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black pants, the cool November breeze ruffling his hair as the serene glow of the autumn sun bathed the mall's exterior.
As for his absent-mindedness, ideas were being simulated on how to defeat Geryon, the demonic horse with the power to stop time itself.
Earlier on, Nevan and Beowulf had proved to be hard but manageable.
Nevan's "sucky-sucky" life-drain powers and her fluttering agility made the fight tedious, but she succumbed to his relentless pressure.
Beowulf had been even more straightforward; the beast was as rampant and predictable as a bull, easily triggered by a few taunts and mocking smirks until he left himself wide open.
But Geryon? That was truly something special.
In the game, there were telegraphs.
Seconds of slowed time where a player could dodge effortlessly.
In reality, the experience was far more brutal.
Any use of a time stop meant that one moment Yoichi was standing firm, and the next, he was being trampled by a massive, spectral carriage before he could even blink.
"Yoichi! Are you even listening?"
A sharp poke was felt against his shoulder as Asuka pouted at him. "I asked if this jacket makes me look too bland or if it has enough 'cool older sister' energy."
On the hot seat, those golden eyes lay upon the two jackets presented by his sister.
"Anything would do just fine for you, sis," Yoichi replied, unbothered. "I mean, look at you, beautiful enough to be an idol or something..."
A stunned silence followed as Asuka processed the rare praise, her proud posture faltering as her cheeks flushed a deep, sudden red.
"I-is that so? As expected of my little brother!" A heavy pat was delivered to Yoichi's head, Asuka's hand moving with a mix of genuine affection and awkward pride. "Then what about you? Do you want other clothes? It's on my tabs."
"That's very unusual of you, Asuka-nee," A skeptical eyebrow was raised by Yoichi.
"Of course! I mean, Dad has a lot of money thanks to your brilliant mind," Asuka laughed, nudging him toward the racks.
In these past seven years, Yoichi had grinded his ass to remember the most profitable spikes in the market history.
Tech giants and corporate powerhouses were targeted by his investments, bought low and sold with calculated marginality to avoid troubling the waters of the stock market.
To Kiyoshi, his son was a genius.
For Yoichi, it was just the standard procedure for a reincarnated soul with a cheat sheet for the future.
After a long silence, a heavy sigh escaped from Yoichi's mouth as he stood up to pick some clothes for himself.
"What about this?" A simple white hoodie was held up.
"Bland!" Asuka shot it down instantly.
"This?"
"Too much maturity! You look like you're going to a board meeting, not the fifth grade!"
"Then... This?"
"Uggghhh..."
The banter continued to bounce between them like a tennis match as they moved deeper into the store.
"Boring! All of them!"
"Huh?"
"You heard what I said, my dear brother! All of them are boring! Why always pick white and black colors?" A frustrated gesture was made toward the clothes pile in his arms.
"Because it accentuates my skin color, Asuka-nee!" Yoichi retaliated, standing his ground.
With his tanned skin and black-and-white hair, he leaned into a casual aesthetic rather than anything bombastic or trendy.
"This elder sister gets it right..."
"He's also muscular too, is that how kids grow now?"
"What a handsome child, he's definitely going to be a star in the near future."
Murmurs were heard as the eyes of the public drifted toward the pair, drawn by the natural charisma the "anomaly" couldn't help but radiate.
"See, even they get it!" Asuka smirked, crossing her arms. "You've got the 'main character' look, Yoichi. If we don't find something stylish, we're wasting that handsome face of my little brother!"
Yoichi couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose as the shopping spree began with Asuka testing each clothing for his sake like an indifferent mannequin.
Soon, after they shopped, Yoichi finally got his hands on the prize. A tray filled with the steaming pizza and that towering strawberry sundae was placed before him, and he wasted no time.
A soft chuckle escaped from Asuka's mouth as she whipped out her phone, capturing pictures of her brother looking decidedly less cool with his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel.
Afterwards, the trek back home began.
Asuka led the way with a skip in her step, energized by her successful acquisitions, while the heavy lifting was left to the family's resident powerhouse.
The sheer weight of the shopping bags would have snapped the spirit of any other eleven-year-old, but Yoichi carried the entire baggage with his entire strength, his muscles barely straining under the load.
Luckily, Yoichi was strong enough to handle these materialistic things.
I really hate shopping...
...
...
...
"Ahhh... How beautiful!"
A long stretch was performed by Yoichi as he stepped off the bus, his arms reaching for the sky while a satisfying pop echoed from his spine. Around him, a chaotic swarm of children began to unload themselves, their high-pitched excitement blending with the warm, earthy scent of the verdant trees.
The atmosphere in Kyoto felt different.
Heavier, older, and saturated with the weight of a thousand years of history.
This field trip was a final milestone for their grade, a deep dive into the traditions and legacy that kept Japan anchored to its roots.
The others were swarming with excitement, but to Yoichi, it was an entry into the belly of the beast.
Kyoto was the heart of the jujutsu world, and he could practically feel the ancient barriers being lively beneath his feet.
Luckily, Kiyoshi and Michelle had agreed to let him go after seeing his stellar grades, though the departure hadn't been easy.
A constant stream of nagging had flowed from Asuka's mouth for three days straight as she tried to convince their parents to let her tag along as a "chaperone."
Eventually, she had been restricted to the house by a firm "no" from their father, leaving Yoichi to enjoy his freedom in peace.
Finally, some breathing room.
A sharp glint appeared in Yoichi's golden eyes as he leaned against a stone pillar, his gaze drifting away from the tour guide's lecture.
A few meters away, he caught sight of three individuals who didn't fit the "tourist" profile.
Though they were dressed in casual hoodies and jeans, the way they carried themselves gave them away instantly.
"This might be interesting from now on..."
On the other hand, the sorcerers huddled close to each other, their faces pale as they cast furtive glances toward the group of elementary students.
"Did you sense that?" A frantic whisper was heard from the youngest of the three.
"Yeah, there's someone else in that group that has cursed energy," the leader replied, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Like... way too much!"
"How much are we talking about?"
"I don't know either... but that energy is unrestrained," the leader stated, his hand trembling slightly as he reached for his phone.
"It's not just CE. It's something... horrifying!"
"Then what are you waiting for?! Report it back to Gakuganji-sama immediately! That anomaly that we have been seeking for a lot of years might be there."
...
"Yoichi-kun, that was reckless!" A distraught gesture was made by Haibara toward the mental feed of the Kyoto sorcerers. "Those are Gakuganji's ears and eyes. You're painting a target on your back right now!"
"I'm tired of hiding in this Jujutsu world, Haibara-Sensei," Yoichi replied.
"It's exhausting to play hide and seek for so long. If the elders want to know what's coming, let them look. I'm not some secret they get to keep in a box."
A heavy silence followed as Haibara shook his head.
On the other hand, Toji leaned against a pillar of shadow, a knowing look passing through his face as he watched the exchange.
I told you so... A smirk appeared on Toji's face.
______________
Sorry for not uploading for two days, guys.
Got a flu that truly made my head bang. For now, I'm still light-headed but it's going to be back to normal. Thanks for the Power Stones, appreciate it a lot rn fr fr.