In a small cabin on a snowy mountain, Artoria was being enthusiastically hosted by a middle school-aged boy.
"Here's some black tea, and there's also chocolate."
The boy's enthusiastic movements suddenly paused.
"Um, I forgot to ask earlier, what is your name?"
It seemed he hadn't seen anyone in a long time, as the boy spoke somewhat incoherently.
"Just call me Saber. And you?"
Artoria smiled at the boy, signaling him not to be nervous.
"Sa...ber? So Young Miss Saber is indeed a foreigner."
"It's Saber, from Britain."
Artoria wrote a few letters on the table with her finger.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. My name is Komori Satoshi, and I'm from Saitama Prefecture."
Komori Satoshi was full of apologies. Ever since that incident, he had fled in fear and ended up hiding in this remote snowy mountain.
After that, Komori Satoshi hadn't communicated with anyone for a long time, especially someone so beautiful.
"Saitama, huh? That's not close to this mountain. What are you doing here alone? Aren't your family worried?"
Artoria was a bit puzzled.
She could sense the Cursed Energy on the boy and knew he must be a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
As she spoke, Artoria pulled out her phone and sent Komori Satoshi's name to an Assistant Supervisor, asking them to look up Komori Satoshi's information.
"I…"
Komori Satoshi stammered, appearing very hesitant.
"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."
Noticing Komori Satoshi's nervousness, Artoria offered a comforting remark.
Her warm words and gentle demeanor significantly eased Komori Satoshi's tension.
It's probably fine to say it. Even if I face punishment in the end, it's what I deserve, right?
"I hurt my classmates."
Having made up his mind, Komori Satoshi lowered his head and revealed the secret he had kept hidden for so long.
"Why?"
Artoria didn't think such an honest and shy-looking boy would actively harm others.
"They always bullied me. That day, I don't know how, but I just couldn't control myself, and then…"
Komori Satoshi's voice grew softer and softer, as if he was afraid the young woman in front of him would blame him.
"Didn't you ask an adult for help?"
"The teacher said, 'Why do they only bully you and not others? You should look for your own problems and get along well with your classmates.'"
Komori Satoshi's mind replayed the teacher's always formulaic and somewhat sickening smile.
"My mother isn't well, and I didn't want to worry her."
Komori Satoshi came from a single-parent family. His mother worked three jobs to provide him with a better study environment, and after a serious illness, her health had been poor.
"Can you tell me what happened that day?"
Artoria was not in a hurry to make a judgment.
"That day, the three of them pushed me into an abandoned botanical garden, saying something like, 'You like flowers, so we're pushing you in here.'"
Memories resurfaced in Komori Satoshi's mind.
The three people who always bullied him held his shoulders, one on each side, and pushed him into the botanical garden rumored to have urban legends.
They even said, "Don't you like flowers? We heard there are rare species here."
"Then, we encountered a monster."
As he spoke, Komori Satoshi's body trembled slightly.
"That monster, like a legendary man-eating tree, swung its vines and grabbed us. I was very scared then, and suddenly, I don't know why, a surge of power erupted within me."
"Then I summoned many, many thorns, strangled that man-eating tree, and then…"
Komori Satoshi paused.
"Then they started shouting 'monster' and threw stones at me. At that moment, I felt both fear and anger, and then I attacked them."
Hearing this, Artoria understood Komori Satoshi's experience.
Komori Satoshi possessed the talent of a Jujutsu Sorcerer and awakened his Technique during a life-or-death situation.
Since Jujutsu Sorcerers draw Cursed Energy from negative emotions, Komori Satoshi, unable to control his emotions at the time, used his Technique to attack the people who had been bullying him.
Those three people must have seen the Cursed Spirits and Komori Satoshi using Jujutsu because their lives were threatened by the Cursed Spirits.
Beep, beep.
His phone chimed, and Artoria received photos sent back by the Assistant Supervisor.
The photos contained information about Komori Satoshi.
Because Komori Satoshi was a missing person in a Cursed Spirit incident, Jujutsu Headquarters happened to have his investigation files.
"Those three people are fine, you know."
"Eh?"
Komori Satoshi let out a surprised sound.
"According to the Jujutsu Headquarters' records, those three only suffered some superficial injuries. One of them had slightly more severe injuries due to excessive blood loss, but none of them were in life-threatening danger."
"Is that so?"
A smile appeared on Komori Satoshi's face.
He had thought he had killed the three of them.
But if he had killed them…
No, no.
Komori Satoshi shook his head vigorously.
"Also, I think you did nothing wrong."
Artoria's sudden words made Komori Satoshi look up in surprise.
"What's wrong? Resisting injustice and oppression is inherently the right thing to do, isn't it?"
Clang.
Artoria's words seemed to unlock some kind of shackles within Komori Satoshi's body.
Komori Satoshi, who had always been taught to be obedient and sensible, not to solve problems with violence, and to endure for a moment to find peace, seemed to undergo some kind of transformation at this moment.
Thump, thump.
Footsteps came from outside; something seemed to be moving in the snow.
Artoria's gaze sharpened, and she stood up to look outside the cabin.
Just as Artoria was about to draw her sword, Komori Satoshi suddenly stepped in front of her.
"Danger, Young Miss Saber, step back."
A green Shikigami covered in thorns appeared before Artoria.
This was Komori Satoshi's awakened Technique.
Shikigami: Thorn Beast
Moves: Thorn Entanglement, Thorn Strangulation, Absorption, Parasitic Seed, Fatal Bloom.
A three-meter-tall, entirely white Cursed Spirit appeared outside the cabin. Komori Satoshi commanded the Thorn Beast to release thorns and tightly control the Cursed Spirit.
"Hmm, that's it."
Artoria looked at the Cursed Spirit and nodded.
Three days ago, a rescue team saved a mountaineer who had been attacked by a Cursed Spirit.
According to the mountaineer, they were attacked by a bigfoot on the snowy mountain. The mountaineer's father deliberately led the bigfoot away to protect her, which is how she survived.
Seeing that Komori Satoshi was about to give out, Artoria no longer stood by.
Her invisible sword swung towards the Cursed Spirit, which was constantly pushing through the thorns and approaching Komori Satoshi.
"Eh?"
Komori Satoshi watched this scene in surprise.
At this moment, Artoria was bathed in the sunlight of the early morning, appearing so sacred against the surrounding white snow.
"Listen carefully, Komori Satoshi."
"Ah, yes."
Komori Satoshi instinctively straightened his body, as if he were about to be lectured by the head of discipline.
"To bravely resist injustice, and to step forward in the face of danger—these are all virtues. So, stand tall, Komori Satoshi, you are an excellent warrior."
A warm current surged in Komori Satoshi's heart, and tears unconsciously flowed from the corners of his eyes.