The turmoil outside the walls had nothing to do with Tokyo Jujutsu High.
After being thoroughly rebuffed, Yaga Masamichi had no intention of paying the Zenin household a second visit anytime soon and instead threw himself into actively searching for other prospective students.
That said, it was undeniable that Asou Akiya was far from indifferent or detached from the matter. Through every channel available to him, he continued to gather information about the Zenin family, keeping a particularly close watch on the Zenin heir, as reports related to the clan arrived one after another without pause.
All of it served one purpose: to build a comprehensive understanding of the fourteen-year-old Zenin Naoya.
Near the school gates, Asou Akiya conducted reconnaissance, methodically walking through every location suitable for an assassination.
For the time being, he did not practice the movements of killing.
He needed to consider Zenin Naoya's temperament, his habitual routes and appearances, and the likelihood of counterattacks from his cursed technique.
Before any of that, however, there was something far more important to think through—how to lure Zenin Naoya onto Tokyo Jujutsu High's territory, make him attend school obediently, and use the Zenin family as a pathway to overturn the doomed outcome of Riko Amanai's death in the Star Plasma Vessel incident.
At fifteen, the key to breaking the deadlock was the Gojo family.
At sixteen, the key to breaking the deadlock would be Zenin Naoya.
At seventeen, the key to breaking the deadlock was still Zenin Naoya—more than that, Zenin Naoya would have to be pushed to strengthen himself, to approach his peak as quickly as possible, so that he could stand in front of Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu and block the onslaught of cursed spirits meant for them.
If anyone else were to learn of this, they would probably find it utterly inconceivable: that a scumbag young master could turn out to be such a pivotal figure.
Asou Akiya pondered the matter from every angle, and a conclusion surfaced in his mind.
[Having Gojo help is the optimal solution.]
The best approach would be to use Gojo Satoru's overwhelming charm at the Three Great Families' clan gathering to lure Zenin Naoya in. As for Fushiguro Toji's appearance next year—that was a trump card and could not be revealed to Zenin Naoya too early. This person had the potential to ruin the entire setup.
[But I don't like it.]
Asou Akiya's expression darkened. No matter whose looks had to be sacrificed, Gojo Satoru's were off-limits.
[But I can't take the field myself either.]
Irritated and restless, Asou Akiya tore a leaf from a nearby tree.
Zenin Naoya was the type to fall in love at first sight with the strongest, while holding nothing but near-contempt for the weak. If Asou Akiya wanted him to bow his head in submission, then he absolutely could not expose himself too early; it would be far better to remain an invisible presence, like air itself.
Scheming something like this required the right timing, the right setting, the right atmosphere—and fear powerful enough to shatter one's worldview.
A single strike straight at the heart, crushing arrogance beyond repair.
[A pen name?]
[What if I fabricate a pen-pal relationship through letters for him?]
Asou Akiya paced back and forth, unconsciously circling the flowerbed where he often sat with Gojo and Getou.
He tried constructing a persona for himself—an identity as the legitimate son of one of the Three Great Sorcerer Clans:
[Naoya, hello. My original surname is Kamo, born of the principal wife. I was later forced to live under an assumed name, my status handed over to a son born of a concubine. For the sake of producing a 'qualified' legitimate heir, my family erased me, turning me into a man without name or standing in the jujutsu world.]
[Because of my birth, I still know many of the Three Great Families' secrets, and I have never abandoned the thought of returning. As long as I live, I carry the purest orthodox bloodline of the Kamo family. What if I have no innate technique? I can still become strong all the same, and my descendants will still be jujutsu sorcerers. Starting from nothing, I will create another Kamo family with my own hands.]
[However, after living outside for many years, I accidentally discovered the whereabouts of the holder of the "Ten Shadows Technique."]
[He has black hair and green eyes, young in age, with the unmistakable features of the Zenin family—most likely one of your clansmen who was cast out and left to drift in the outside world.]
[You are about to become the next me.]
[A pitiable soul whose identity and position will be replaced by someone of far lower standing.]
[Zenin Naobito appears optimistic and open-minded on the surface, but in truth he is a cold-blooded clan head. He practices an uncompromising creed of strength above all else, and his fixation on the "Ten Shadows Technique" far exceeds what you can imagine.]
[You may probe his attitude if you wish, but I do not advise acting rashly. Think carefully and plan well—because you are still too immature, and you may not be able to keep your secrets intact in front of an old fox like him.]
[Yaga once did me a great kindness. If you wish to change a fate like mine, then join Tokyo Jujutsu High.]
[This will be a secret shared between the two of us alone.]
[To ensure that you believe this, this letter is being delivered by the person we admire the most. He is proud enough that it would be impossible for him to secretly read its contents, and he has also promised me that he will not reveal my whereabouts.]
[Besides, the Gojo family would not wish for the "Ten Shadows Technique" to appear, would they?]
[Becoming Gojo Satoru's junior is not necessarily a bad thing. Gojo Satoru is someone who can abide by school rules.]
[The three of us will become the closest of allies.]
[Your pen pal: Spectator.]
Asou Akiya threaded countless tiny hooks into the plan, silently composing a rough draft of the letter in his mind.
The tragedy of a man without an innate technique—hinting deliberately at Fushiguro Toji.
A self-made sorcerer who rose through sheer will—hinting just as deliberately: your elder brothers are useless, but I am not that kind of person.
An alliance of legitimate heirs among the Three Great Families—hinting further: we are legitimate sons, we are men, and we can stand alongside Gojo Satoru as equals.
And finally, at the very end, the appearance of the holder of the "Ten Shadows Technique."
Even if it were nothing more than a smokescreen, it would still be enough to make the selfish Zenin Naoya's heart pound in terror, to make him fear that his position as heir might be snatched away at any moment.
Because the entire Zenin family firmly believed in one thing: the "Ten Shadows Technique" was destined to appear.
[Next—]
Asou Akiya slowly closed his hand, as though folding a letter that did not yet exist and slipping it into an invisible envelope.
[January 1st… January 3rd. The gathering of the Three Great Families.]
[All I need to do is use Gojo's channels to deliver the letter safely.]
[Before the Star Plasma Vessel mission concludes, this "Kamo legitimate heir" will never reveal himself. He will remain a carrot dangling perpetually before your eyes. Everyone at Tokyo Jujutsu High will become a potential messenger for me. You will have countless suspects, and you will be free to toss and turn through sleepless nights, restless, anxious, and feverishly excited as you wait.]
[Zenin Naoya, you have far too many weaknesses—so many that choosing any single one at random is enough to leave you unable to eat or sleep.]
[You will never become the next Gojo Satoru.]
[And also… my apologies.]
[Because the person in this world who understands both Fushiguro Toji and Gojo Satoru the best is me—Spectator.]
…
Eight o'clock in the evening.
Asou Akiya decided that from now on, he would proactively call Gojo Satoru for ten minutes every day—partly to check in on him, partly to let him know he was safe.
"Gojo, what are you doing?" he asked.
Gojo Satoru, who had just come back from soaking in a hot spring, answered the call casually, pressing the phone to his ear as the other's gentle voice flowed in at close range.
"I soaked for a bit in the hot spring, and now I'm catching up on anime," Gojo said as he turned on the television, preparing to continue watching. His attention drifted, and he found it oddly novel to receive a call from Asou during winter break.
"Is it Naruto?" Asou Akiya asked, curled up under the kotatsu and savoring old plotlines. "How far are you?"
"I'm watching the 2004 movie release, Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow," Gojo replied, warming to the topic. "At the beginning, there's a movie star who's supposed to film a big adventure movie, playing a snow princess in a land of blizzards…"
"Maybe she really is a princess," Asou Akiya's voice drifted over softly.
"Is that so?" Gojo watched for a while longer. On the line, only the quiet rhythm of their breathing remained, both of them savoring the calm.
"That's annoying—no spoilers!" Gojo complained, tapping the fast-forward button. His Six Eyes processed the moving images at high speed, jumping straight to the scene where Koyuki Kazahana's identity is exposed and she truly is revealed to be a princess.
In Naruto, the teacher-and-student team of four travels to the Land of Snow on a mission, and the movie star Koyuki Kazahana is their protection target.
Feigning wounded feelings, Asou Akiya said, "So… it's really that annoying?"
Unable to see his expression and unable to tell sincerity from teasing, Gojo changed his tune. "Well, not really."
Asou Akiya stuck out his tongue. "I was lying."
Gojo Satoru: "..."
Gojo Satoru planted his foot on his own body pillow, as if he were about to pummel the other person through the phone. "Come duel me, Akiya!"
Asou Akiya calmly picked up some fruit from the low table and started eating. "I can't beat you. Playing games would be more evenly matched."
Gojo Satoru said without hesitation, "Then come over to my place and play games."
Asou Akiya refused outright. "No. It's too cold. I'm staying in my own dorm to hibernate through winter."
Gojo Satoru was speechless. A sorcerer talking about being afraid of the cold… under the protection of cursed energy, every one of them was practically inhuman!
"You just dislike that my house has too many rules. You don't actually want to come visit me," Gojo muttered under his breath, then asked sharply, "It's the middle of the night—aren't you supposed to be taking care of your health? What are you eating?"
Asou Akiya smiled warmly. "Seasonal kotatsu-roasted mandarins."
Gojo Satoru complained, "You already smell like mandarins. If you keep eating them, be careful you don't turn back into a little tangerine."
Asou Akiya lifted his sleeve and sniffed it. All he could smell was the citrus scent of his body wash. With deliberate mischief, he said,
"Ever since you and Getou left the school, I've finally been able to go all out buying mandarin-scented body wash. Mandarin-scented shampoo, mandarin-scented cabinet sachets, sneaking mandarins at midnight—I haven't enjoyed being completely surrounded by mandarin scent like this in ages."
Gojo Satoru shouted in near hysteria, "You know perfectly well that I hate mandarins!"
Asou Akiya replied pointedly, "Gojo, there are good mandarins and rotten mandarins, aren't there? You just hate rotten mandarins."
Gojo Satoru emphasized stubbornly, "But all mandarins rot eventually!"
Asou Akiya asked softly, "Is there really no exception?"
Gojo Satoru replied without hesitation, "None!"
Asou Akiya put on a show of being "hurt" once again. "So I'm not the exception after all."
Gojo Satoru snapped back, "If you keep eating like that, you definitely won't be!"
Asou Akiya let out a small laugh, quickly peeled and ate a tiny mandarin in two or three bites, and said through his chewing, "Then I'll stop."
Gojo Satoru imagined an Asou Akiya reeking head to toe of mandarin scent and felt as if he had just glimpsed a brand-new kind of nightmare.
"Ah, it's been over ten minutes already." The call had reached the time limit Akiya had set for himself. "I won't interrupt you watching anime anymore. If you're free every night, I'll call and chat with you for ten minutes. Let's talk again tomorrow."
Gojo Satoru kicked his pillows all over the place, then grabbed one back and kneaded it in his arms, saying coldly, "Either keep talking, or just wait and see—tomorrow I won't pick up your call."
Asou Akiya answered gently, "I used up quite a bit of brainpower today. I don't really know what to talk about anymore."
Gojo Satoru said, "You're overthinking things again, aren't you, Akiya?"
Asou Akiya hummed in agreement. "I want to help the people around me as much as I can."
Gojo Satoru didn't understand, so he asked directly. "You're obviously not some goody-two-shoes, so why are you always trying to save people like Getou does? You don't actually believe in his whole theory, right—the one about labeling power and protecting the weak?"
Asou Akiya felt that the Gojo Satoru asking this question looked like someone afraid of being left out—clever, yet oddly naïve.
"No," he said lightly. "I rarely protect the weak, and the people around me are all very strong."
"I'm the weak one."
He moved the phone away from his ear.
The phone's wallpaper had always been the same—pictures of Gojo Satoru as a white cat from every period of his life, an ever-changing yet eternal gallery.
On the first night of December, Asou Akiya finally relaxed. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the phone screen, right over the little white cat wearing sunglasses. He never once treated the cursed doll cat on his bed as if it were Gojo Satoru.
This was how Asou Akiya explained it to Gojo Satoru:
"I only soften for the smiles and tears of the strong."
Gojo Satoru's ears tingled.
The "Six Eyes" seemed to have picked up some strange information—on the other end of the line, there had been the faintest sound of lips brushing against something.
Ever vigilant, Gojo Satoru asked sharply, "Are you doing something lewd?"
Asou Akiya glanced again at the innocent, mischievous little white cat in sunglasses on his wallpaper, then laughed and teased, "Yeah. Extremely lewd. So obscene it's unbearable to look at."
Asou Akiya said, "This time I'm really hanging up. Good night."
Asou Akiya added, "See you on December seventh."
The moment Gojo Satoru heard the teasing tone, he realized he had misunderstood. Completely unembarrassed, a smile spread across his face as he spoke:
"I'm expecting a clean Akiya when I see you. No mandarin smell allowed—and… wait, don't hang up—don't you dare hang up!!"
The call ended.
All of Gojo Satoru's demands were cut off mid-sentence. He could only spit out an annoyed click of his tongue.
"Next week, I'm definitely going to deal with you."
The "Six Eyes" turned toward the calendar.
"Ahhh—there's still such a long time until next week! I don't want to be by myself!"
Someone who had never understood loneliness was, after the end of his first year at Tokyo Jujutsu High, forced to learn what winter break meant: an easy, unburdened stretch of time, and the loneliness that inevitably accompanied it. The "Six Eyes" showed no mercy at all, replaying a whole series of scenes from campus life inside his mind.
Gojo Satoru pinched at his eyelids. "No, I'm not missing them! I'm not! Cut it out already!"
The yukata on his body had been tugged crooked and askew, half on and half off, utterly devoid of any suggestive air—he looked more like a mass of spotless, untainted snow.
As for winter homework for high school students?
The one and only perk of being a jujutsu sorcerer in training was such a thing simply did not exist.