Transforming already? Classic.
A smug thought within his mind while being escorted by Asuka toward the kindergarten gates. It felt as though Dante's very essence was slowly sublimating the soul, rewriting the DNA with every passing second.
Strange cravings hit first. A desperate need for pizza triggered by a random TV ad. Next came the white hair, a silver flag planted in a sea of black. Even the muscles felt different; they were denser, stronger, and more responsive than any child's should be.
However, he felt a little bit glad about it.
Of course, who wouldn't?
That god has a bit of taste. I like it.
The walk to school felt like navigating a minefield. Asuka chatted aimlessly, oblivious to the fact that the air around them had grown thick and heavy.
Every person encountered felt like a source of silent, invisible heat—some faint, some scorching and malicious.
To everyone else, this was just a Tuesday.
To the boy like him, it was a glimpse into the hidden and grotesque machinery of human emotion.
Nonetheless, like a predator in his natural hunting grounds, his mind was at ease.
A singular flare of uncomfortable and dense Cursed Energy was released, clearing the surrounding malice without a sweat.
As he entered his kindergarten, the atmosphere shifted. At five years old, he was already the center of attention. His slightly tanned skin and piercing golden eyes made him an eye-catching figure among the other children.
However, Yoichi didn't mind it. He had far more important things to worry about than playground popularity. Sitting at his desk, he opened his Akashic Records and began to list his primary objectives.
1. Invest in Bitcoin.
2. Have that gorilla be my mentor.
3. Overcome the missions ASAP.
4. How to be admitted to Jujutsu High.
5. Learn from the weakest to the highest sorcerers.
The top three items were his priority.
Money was the ultimate leverage, securing it meant financial independence, and he doesn't want to be broke asf like Dante.
Then there was Toji. The Zenin Clan had been fools to cast him out; his knowledge and sheer lethality were the perfect blueprints for Yoichi's growth.
Finally, there was a heavily nerfed style in his hand.
Yoichi didn't know what was going on inside that "unreliable god" mind that had granted it, and he knew he was barely scratching the surface of its potential. Mission completion was a top priority since it must unlock all of his styles in the near future.
The bottom two goals were matters of time and logistics. Yoichi wasn't worried; as long as he had the time and space to think, he knew he could navigate the path to Jujutsu High and master the hierarchy of sorcery.
They were steps in a plan that was already in motion.
His school day ended as smoothly as it had begun. Escorted back by Asuka, who had just finished her high school classes, Yoichi reflected on the simplicity of his day.
Kindergarten was all about basic ethics and proper conduct. Child's play for someone with his background. He played his role perfectly, making the day a smooth-sailing experience.
"I'm home—"
Yoichi started, only to be met by a shower of confetti and a loud "Happy Birthday!"
He saw his mother's radiant smile and rushed to her. "Mom!" he exclaimed.
His parents, Michelle and Kiyoshi, were hardworking people, but they never let a birthday pass without a celebration.
The evening was filled with a jovial, cordial energy, a rare moment of peace in a life that had recently become very complicated.
However, once the house went dark, Yoichi's focus returned to the task at hand.
He went to his room and transitioned back into the Wonderspace. Standing amidst the retro equipment and the hum of the studio, he looked at Toji.
"What's up with that look, brat?"
"Please, take me as your student!"
The plea was punctuated by a swift drop into a formal dogeza position. A desperate need for guidance weighed heavily on the mind; even with the likely inheritance of Dante's peerless talents, the wisdom of a seasoned killer like Toji was an asset too valuable to ignore.
A heavy silence followed. Toji stopped, his gaze lingering on the golden eyes as if weighing the effort against the potential entertainment. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face before a dismissive huff broke the tension.
"How many times do I have to tell you? No means no," a sharp snap came from Toji. "I don't do charity, kid. Find someone else to bother."
A swift turn came after, and the massive figure disappeared into the shadows of the studio, leaving the child alone in the quiet field.
Cheh, stingy!
A click of the tongue echoed, though Toji's rejection didn't sour Yoichi's mood.
[Please step inside the simulation room.]
A sudden shimmer took hold of the air around the small frame. Magically, a miniature white coat materialized, wrapping around the body with the crisp weight of high-quality fabric.
It bore the iconic straps across the back, mimicking the legendary aesthetic of Dante himself. Rebellion was secured to the harness, and both Ebony and Ivory were slotted into their holsters, though the sight remained undeniably bizarre.
A five-year-old child seemed to be gearing up for a war zone.
A deep, stabilizing breath was taken before he stepped inside with nervousness and thrill in his golden eyes.
I can't be careless. I'll master these talents like no other would. Just watch me, gorilla!
Beneath the clear blue skies and rustling green trees outside the facility, Akio turned to Toji.
"What's the real issue? He truly needs you."
Toji stopped, staring at his calloused hands.
"I'm a man without any change, Akio. I've lived one way, and I died that way. I'm someone who only knows how to kill... how to tear things down. You want me to build something up? I'm not that guy."
"Then why not take this second chance as a godsent plan for you?" Akio countered softly.
"You were a 'failure' to your clan, but here, you could be a master. A father figure, perhaps?"
"Tch. A godsent plan... you've got quite the imagination," Toji muttered. "Fine. We'll see."
...
"Holy hell, there's even a cutscene in the perspective of Dante's himself."
An inward comment of Yoichi was made.
The vision was no longer a third-person view on a TV screen; it was a firsthand experience of the legendary prologue.
Multiple scythes suddenly pierced through the torso, pinning the small frame to the ground.
In the game, the pixels had made the violence feel blurred and distant, but here, the pain was real, far too real for him.
A sharp hiss escaped the lips as the pain of cold steel tearing through flesh vibrated through every nerve.
Damn it, are all the cutscenes going to be torture?
The agonizing sequence finally snapped to a halt, leaving the simulation room flooded with a murderous, heavy pressure.
Standing across the void were the Hell Pride. Beings draped in tattered rags and wielding rusted scythes that dripped with a suffocating force.
Demonic Energy.
"Hahaha! It's showtime!"
A thrill spiked through his mind, drowning out the lingering echoes of agony.
The twin handguns, Ebony and Ivory, were pulled sideways in a wide arc, the muzzles glinting under the broken bulb lights.
A Hell Pride lunged, its scythe whistling through the air in a decapitating sweep.
Instead of dodging, a stance was taken.
A singular point of Cursed Energy was funneled into the palm just as the blade made contact.
CLANG!
A shockwave of crimson sparks erupted.
Royalguard.
The impact didn't move the child an inch; rather, the kinetic energy was absorbed.
Without missing a beat, a volley of bullets was unleashed, the bang-bang-bang acting as a metronome for the carnage.
Another demon teleported above, bringing its blade down in a vertical execution.
A slight shift of the shoulder came after another frame-perfect block.
CLANG.
The "Just Guard" echoed like a bell.
The energy stored in the body glowed, a volatile heat building up that demanded release. Spinning in a circle, a rain of bullets kept the pack at bay before the palm was thrust forward toward the nearest monster.
"RELEASE!"
A concentrated blast of pure, accumulated spite was discharged, blowing a hole straight through the demon's chest and sending it spiraling into the abyss.
The visual was jarring.
A tiny figure in a white coat blitzing through a swarm of demons with a slab of steel twice his size.
A nimble speed governed every movement, allowing the body to weave through a hair-breadth of lethal strikes while the air hissed with the friction of the blade.
Rebellion pulsed with a crimson glow, feeding through the massive Cursed Energy reserves like a starving beast, converting the raw power into something far more ancient.
Damn, so Devil Arms allow me to use Demonic Energy for the attacks! How convenient.
A storm of violence unfolded in the center of the simulation. A nimble dash took Yoichi inside the guard of a monster, where Rebellion was swung in a low-angle horizontal cut.
Multiple attacks rained down from all sides.
A focused stance was maintained, the body shifting only inches to parry each strike with the palm.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every "Perfect Block" added to the mounting pressure within the Royalguard gauge.
The atmosphere around the child began to distort from the heat of the stored energy.
A sudden jump-cancel saw the kid spinning like a top, guns blazing in a "Rain Storm" maneuver that blotted the arena with a downpour of bullets.
"Too slow!"
A cocky shout echoed through the room.
Upon hitting the ground, the final "Release" was triggered. A blast of accumulated power tore through the remaining simulation models, leaving nothing but fading particles of Demonic Energy.
A single bead of sweat traced a path down the cheek, yet a wide exhilarated grin remained fixed on the face.
Rebellion was spun in a flashy, one-handed circle before being slammed home into the back harness with a resounding click.
A casual hand reached up, brushing the black hair out of the golden eyes as the twin pistols were twirled around the fingers like toys and holstered in one fluid motion.
"Is that the best the underworld has to offer? I've seen more life in a graveyard at midnight."
The silence was intense as he remained smiling to himself in a weird sense.
"Ooohh, that's a pretty decent line. I'm such a natural."
A smug chuckle escaped the lips as the digital world flickered in acknowledgement.
[Mission 1: Complete!]
[Would you like to start the next mission?]
"Cut me some slack... No, of course not."
A wave of exhaustion finally began to tug at the muscles, prompting a decline.
Slowly, the crumbling remains of Dante's office disintegrated, the noir-style agency dissolving into the familiar expanse of the white canvas room.
A confident stride carried the small frame back toward the observation area.
Rebellion was secured firmly to the back, while Ebony and Ivory rested in their holsters, the weight serving as a trophy of the first real victory.
"How was it, Sensei? A good performance, isn't it?"
A lingering unease settled in Toji's gut as he watched the kid holster his weapons.
From the window, the "performance" had looked like a fever dream.
A toddler navigating a sea of scythes with the grace of a seasoned hunter.
"Quite the show, brat. Too bad the acting was better than the technique."
A cynical grin appeared on Toji's face, though his eyes remained sharp and unblinking. "That stunt you pulled with the mid-air volley? Flashy. Also stupid. You left your blind spot wide open for a full two seconds. If those things had half a brain, your head would be a souvenir right now."
"You're playing a game, kid. Got the instincts of a predator, I'll tell you that. But has the discipline of a toddler. Moving like a freak of nature... so start acting like one and stop wasting movement on being 'pretty.'"
"Style-lessness is a crime, Sensei. I'm just trying to keep the streets clean." Yoichi said.
A casual twirl of the hand followed. "If being a freak means I get to break the rules, then call me the king of the circus. I'll fix my footwork when you start making this look fun."
Smack.
Toji shook his head, his eyes closed in a silent prayer for patience he didn't possess.
His hand hit the face with unadulterated exasperation.
Long way to go. This kid is going to be the death of me... again.