A sudden warp in the living room occurred as the Murakami family materialized out of thin air. Satoru didn't even flinch; he simply leaned back on the sofa, a casual wave offered to the group.
"Welcome back! I was starting to think you'd escape without me," Satoru chirped, his grin wide and effortless. "Oh wait, you actually did, didn't you?"
Asuka, on the other hand, didn't share the humor. A low growl escaped from her throat as she stared at him maliciously.
"Who do you think you are, sitting there like some pampered cat?" Asuka snapped, her voice dripping with venom. "You've gotta have a huge gall coming here, you shady man!"
"Ouch~ Someone's got a sharp tongue," Satoru replied, his smirk only growing wider.
"Careful, Asuka-chan. You might accidentally bite it."
Like oil and water, the two of them clashed instantly. The mood in the room became intense, the air crackling with a strange, competitive pressure until Yoichi stepped between them.
A firm hand was placed on his sister's shoulder, stopping her from biting back.
"Knock it off, both of you," a flat command was given by Yoichi. He turned toward his parents, his expression softening just for a fraction. "I have to go. The longer we stay, the more attention we draw to this house."
"Take care of yourself," Michelle whispered, her hands clasped tightly over her heart.
"And please... try to eat properly."
"I will, Mom. I promise," Yoichi said, before turning and dragging Satoru by the sleeve.
"Move it... We're leaving."
"Hey! Careful now, it's expensive!"
Satoru complained, though he followed without resistance, waving one last time to the family.
The front door clicked shut, leaving the house in a sudden, heavy silence. Michelle bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the door as if she could see through it.
"He's going into such a dangerous world..." Michelle murmured, her voice trembling.
Kiyoshi merely stepped forward and patted his wife's shoulder, his touch steady and grounding.
"Don't worry," a quiet reassurance was offered by Kiyoshi. "Our son isn't just some kid anymore. Let's just pray for his safety."
Though words provided a sense of consolation, a lingering doubt also remained rooted in Kiyoshi's heart.
After all, who knows what will happen in the future?
All he and his family could do was offer a silent prayer for Yoichi's safety, hoping his son's resolve would be enough to shield him from the storm.
Outside, a black sleek car sat idling in front of the house. Yoichi and Satoru approached the vehicle, their footsteps echoing against the quiet pavement of the suburban street.
"Hey there! Miss me already?" Satoru chirped with a lazy wave.
The driver's door opened, and Ijichi stepped out with a frantic energy. A deep, respectful bow was presented as he looked between the eccentric teacher and the teenager beside him.
"Gojo-san! You're late... remarkably late," He adjusted his glasses before turning toward Yoichi. "And you must be Murakami-kun. I am Kiyotaka Ijichi, the assistant director at Tokyo Jujutsu High. I'll be overseeing your transport and logistics from here on out."
This man's game must be studied, A look of internal respect appeared on his face.
He bagged one of the baddies like that? Absolute bonkers of a man!
"Nice to meet you," a brief greeting was offered by Yoichi, climbing into the back seat.
"Don't mind him, Ijichi! He's just grumpy because I didn't let him take a nap," Satoru laughed, sliding into the car with his usual lack of personal space. "Now, floor it! We have some very grumpy old men waiting for us in Tokyo, and I'd hate to keep them waiting for their inevitable disappointment."
Once they boarded the car and the doors thudded shut, Satoru leaned over, his presence suddenly overwhelming in the cramped backseat.
"So... what was that?" A pointed question was asked by Satoru.
A blank expression appeared on Yoichi's face as he merely feigned ignorance, looking directly at the blindfolded man.
"What was what? We were just saying goodbye to my parents."
"Don't be a killjoy! What was that trick?"
Satoru persisted, his voice rising with excitement. "Are you like Doraemon? Or is it one of those mysterious powers you've been tucking away? One second you're there, the next—poof! Not even a trace."
"Hmmm... those secrets stay within the family," A calm reply was offered by Yoichi.
"Come on! Don't be like this! You can't just drop a disappearing act and expect me to sit here quietly!" Itching with such curiosity, Satoru actually begged him, his hands gesturing wildly.
"You'll eventually understand it in the future," Yoichi stated. "For now, I'll need to hide it... Yes... a secrecy for my own sake. Even from you, Sensei..."
A groan of playful frustration escaped from Satoru, slumping back into the leather seat.
"Man, you're no fun. You're starting to sound like an anime narrator with a cliffhanger."
...
...
...
The cool night air of the Tokyo Jujutsu High entrance felt heavy, charged by the presence of the elite sorcerers gathered near the massive torii gates.
"It's too lively here. What's the occasion?"
A casual yet sharp question came out from Yuki as her eyes scanned the perimeter with a mix of amusement and disdain.
A weary sigh escaped from Masamichi Yaga's mouth as he adjusted his sunglasses. "You know the occasion. The report was confirmed this morning. That fool is bringing the anomaly here. The Higher-Ups are in a frenzy, and they want him processed immediately."
"Processed? What a polite word for a firing squad," Shoko remarked, a trail of smoke rising from the cigarette held between her fingers. "The casualty reports from the last forty-eight hours are abysmal."
"The sudden spike in Curses across the region has half the staff in the infirmary. Some are glad the source is found, but the rest? They want someone to blame for their dead partners."
"Hatred is a powerful motivator, but a poor strategist," Nanami added. A frown appeared on his face as he checked his watch.
"The workload has become unsustainable. We are shielding chokepoints with half-staffed teams. This is a truly total systemic collapse."
A booming laugh erupted from where Naobito Zen'in stood. He didn't even look up as he spoke, his tone dripping with the arrogance of the Zen'in clan.
"Who cares about the workload? If the brat is a balance breaker like Satoru, then he's a threat to the order of things," Naobito grunted, a smirk appearing through his weathered face. "The world was finally getting used to one freak of nature running around. Now we have two?!"
"It's no wonder the old farts are trembling."
Suddenly, all of them looked at him with a strange gaze.
Aren't you an old fart too?!
"Always about the politics with you, old man," Yuki broke the silence with her statement.
"I'm just curious to see if the kid has the spine to match the chaos he's causing. Satoru seems quite taken with him, and the reports say his Cursed Energy signature is unlike anything we've recorded."
A silence ensued as the headlights of a black sedan cut through the darkness, sweeping over the gathered sorcerers.
"We're here," a muffled voice came from the driver's seat.
Satoru leaned over, a hand hovering near Yoichi's shoulder. "Now, don't get cold feet, kid. Just stay behind me if the glares get too heavy, okay?"
A steady breath was taken by Yoichi.
Then, a smile appeared on his face as he pushed the car door open, stepping out into the cool mountain air.
"Whoa, talk about a huge concert," Yoichi said, his voice carrying clearly through the silent courtyard.
Every eye in the vicinity locked onto him.
His tanned skin caught the moonlight, and those golden eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire. The monochromatic messy hair and the lean, muscular build, impressive even for his age, drew a sharp contrast against the traditional surroundings.
Both of them walked side by side, the strongest sorcerer and the anomaly, moving through a sea of scrutiny.
Some eyes were wide with curiosity, while many others burned with a visible, jagged hatred.
"Wow! You brought the whole welcoming committee!" Satoru chirped, waving a hand.
"Keep the theatrics to a minimum," Yaga commanded, his voice booming with a stern resonance. He stepped forward, his sunglasses reflecting the boy's image.
"I am Masamichi Yaga, Principal of this school. You've caused quite a stir, Yoichi Murakami."
"So I've heard. Sorry about the overtime," Yoichi replied, his tone was surprisingly grounded.
A grunt of acknowledgment came from Yaga, though he still didn't know what was actually wrong with the child's capabilities.
"A student who understands the value of time. Remarkable," Nanami Kento remarked, stepping forward with a crisp nod. "I am Nanami Kento and I dislike working late."
"Nice meeting you, Nanami-san," Yoichi replied. "I'll try to be punctual, okay?"
"What's your name, boy? Actually, never mind that," Yuki Tsukumo added.
"You may call me Yuki."
Shoko Ieiri stepped out from the shadows, flicking the ash from her cigarette. "Shoko Ieiri. Nice to meet you. My idiotic friend here has been talking about you for quite some time so I apologize for his childish behavior."
"Take it with a grain of salt from her. Shoko's always been like that." Satoru whispered.
Upon hearing him, Shoko glared at Satoru, who merely whistled left and right, feigning ignorance of her deadly stare.
On the other hand, a look of realization appeared on Yoichi's face as he looked at Shoko, then slowly turned his head to stare at Ijichi.
Both of them tilted their heads in unison, exchanging a long, silent glance.
After a heavy beat of awkward silence, both Shoko and Ijichi shook their heads at the same time, as if dismissing an impossible thought.
"What was that for?" Shoko asked, her eyebrow arching in confusion.
"Nothing. Just... respect," Yoichi muttered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Tch. Enough with the pleasantries," Naobito Zen'in growled from the side, swigging from his gourd. "He's a shrimp! Satoru, you dragged us out here for a child?"
"Hey, you came here involuntarily! I can't—" Satoru wanted to say something until a hand stopped him.
"Size is deceptive," Yoichi said, his tone cooling into something more formal yet biting. "I hope to provide a good show for your sake."
Naobito paused, the sake gourd frozen at his lips. An amused grin slowly spread across his weathered face as he realized the brat had teeth.
Soon, a sudden blur erupted from him closing the distance, his movements defying the natural flow of time.
He appeared face-to-face with the anomaly in a heartbeat, the air pressure following him like a wind-breaker.
The old man's face was twisted in a mask of sheer drunken arrogance.
"Listen here, you little stain," Naobito growled, his voice a gravelly bark that vibrated in Yoichi's chest. "Satoru might be amused by your existence, but the Zen'in clan doesn't acknowledge 'anomalies.'"
Yoichi, however, didn't flinch.
A flicker of recognition passed through his golden eyes as he tracked the staccato rhythm of the movement.
He knew this power. Projection Sorcery, the crown jewel of the Zen'in Clan that divided a single second into twenty-four frames.
"Wow... That's too fast. I mean, being too fast might be bad for you, is that right? Naobito-sama?" Yoichi joked around, his voice calm despite the presence inches from his nose.
A vein popped out of Naobito's forehead instantly. The mockery hit him harder than a physical strike.
"You insolent, flea-bitten brat!" Naobito roared, his hand twitching as if ready to frame-trap the boy into oblivion. "You dare lecture me on my own speed? I was crossing battlefields before your father was in diapers! You're nothing but a fluke!"
A cold breath was sucked in by the surrounding crowd. The junior sorcerers stood paralyzed, their hearts hammering against their ribs.
No one, absolutely no one, dared to mock the Head of the Zen'in Clan to his face.
With a serene smile remaining on his face, Yoichi shifted his weight. "Then..."
A silent step rang through the stone courtyard as Yoichi's foot met the ground.
In a literal blink, the boy vanished.
Naobito's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his refined perception hitting a wall of nothingness.
The crowd gasped, their heads whipping left and right as they tried to scan the shadows for the disappearing act.
"Sensei! Shall we go?!"
A collective snap of necks occurred as every gaze flew toward the gates.
Yoichi stood near the entrance, merely one step away from passing the threshold of the main building.
A thought crossed Yoichi's mind as he looked back at the fuming old man.
Perhaps Naobito carried a deep, festering anger for the associates he had lost in the recent chaos, men he had likely nurtured and trained.
It was also simply the Zen'in bloodline at work; they were inherently arrogant and presumptuous, convinced the world revolved around their refined techniques.
It was understandable to Yoichi, but he wasn't about to be flexed on like a nobody.
"He's got the guts and skill! I like this one!" Yuki commented, a wide grin stretching across her face as she watched the boy toy with the Zen'in head.
On the other hand, Yaga, Shoko, and Nanami exchanged heavy glances.
The same chilling thought mirrored in their minds.
That wasn't Cursed Energy at all!
There was no spark, no residue, and no activation of a technique. It was as if the very laws of physics had simply shifted to accommodate the boy's whim.
A boisterous laugh erupted from Satoru as he clapped a hand on Naobito's rigid shoulder. "Rough luck, old man! Looks like your frames skipped a few beats there, huh?"
Naobito's face turned a shade of purple that matched his kimono, but Satoru didn't stop.
He pointed a thumb toward the left of them, away from the gate Yoichi was currently eyeing. "Hate to break it to you, Yoichi-kun, but that's the wrong way! The party is over here!"
"Oh..."
"You've can tell me that sooner!" Yoichi replied, his voice flat with mild annoyance.
In an instant, he teleported once more.
He reappeared right beside Satoru, the displacement of air making a soft thwip sound.
The crowd went nuts. Whispers turned into frantic chatter as the junior sorcerers tried to process what they were seeing.
This wasn't mere high-speed movement; it was instantaneous teleportation without even a hint of a Cursed Energy signature.
It defied everything they had been taught about the mechanics of Jujutsu.
"Where are we going?" Yoichi asked as they began descending a long, stone staircase leading beneath the school's foundations.
"There's somebody who wants to look at you first," Satoru replied, his tone shifting into something slightly more cryptic, though the smirk remained.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Yuki shouted.
She wasn't about to miss whatever happened next.
A weary sigh escaped from Yaga's mouth as he looked at Shoko. Helplessness was written all over the Principal's face.
"Another troublemaker... again," Yaga muttered, rubbing his temples.
"Right..." Shoko replied, lighting a fresh cigarette despite the "No Smoking" signs.
"And this one doesn't even have the decency to leave a trail we can track."
The rest of the group followed the two at the front, their footsteps echoing through the damp, torch-lit corridor as they headed deep underground.
_________
Sorry if the chapters take too long! I'm just setting it up for the Devil Trigger reveal.
Also, I wanted to let Tengen explain the mythological creatures since he along with Kenjaku and Sukuna here are old guys.
Thanks for the Power Stones! I mean it!