Akira's sudden remark immediately silenced Naobito and Takanobu.
The Great Elder quickly covered Akira's mouth and offered an apologetic smile to the two heads of the families, "The junior is still young and doesn't know better. Please forgive him, please forgive him!"
"Hmph!"
The two family heads each gave a cold snort and left with a flick of their sleeves.
Seeing this, the Great Elder breathed a sigh of relief. "Young Master Akira, those two are the heads of The Big Three Families. Even you must watch your words!"
Akira shrugged. "I'm too lazy for pleasantries."
It wasn't that he was conceited; with his current strength, he was no weaker than these two family heads, and perhaps even superior.
Furthermore, he had absolutely no interest in the hypocritical social interactions between The Big Three Families.
Their conversation was just a minor interlude.
Clearly, Naobito and Takanobu had also sensed Akira's attitude and stopped trying to force a conversation where it wasn't wanted.
As for the juniors of the Zen'in and Kamo families, their impression of Akira and Satoru was akin to "the neighbor's perfect child"—beings they could only look up to.
This sense of distance discouraged them from even trying to approach and get to know the twins.
Akira and Satoru didn't mind at all; in fact, they quite enjoyed the undisturbed atmosphere.
Although curious glances were cast their way from time to time, the two treated them as if they were air, focusing on finding snacks at the banquet that suited their tastes.
"Ugh... so why is this dessert salty?"
Gojo Satoru put down a salt-and-pepper pastry, his face scrunched up.
"My foolish otouto!"
Gojo Akira shook his head and reached for a cherry pie.
Perhaps it was because they were twins, or because their Cursed Techniques required a lot of energy, but Gojo Akira, like Gojo Satoru, had also become a sweet-tooth.
Just as Akira's hand was about to touch the cherry pie, a small, fair hand reached out from the side and brushed against his.
Akira paused and turned to look, only to see a little brown-haired girl staring blankly back at him.
"Ieiri Shoko?"
Gojo Akira blurted out.
"You know me?"
Ieiri Shoko tilted her head.
The name of the "six eyes twins" was a household name in the Jujutsu World, so Shoko had naturally heard of them.
She just hadn't expected that the older brother of the peerless "six eyes twins" would actually know her name.
Akira nodded. "I've heard a bit. A natural user of the Reverse Cursed Technique."
Hearing this, Ieiri Shoko understood.
True, while the "six eyes twins" were famous, she possessed a natural Reverse Cursed Technique and was known as a "national treasure" level non-combat Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Even if her brilliance was somewhat overshadowed, she was still quite well-known.
While she was thinking, she saw that Gojo Akira had already taken the cherry pie in his hand.
"Uh..."
Ieiri Shoko immediately frowned.
Gojo Akira glanced at her and then split the cherry pie into two halves.
Ieiri Shoko's cute big eyes lit up, and she reached out her hands toward Gojo Akira.
"Satoru, this one is sweet."
Gojo Akira handed one half of the cherry pie to Gojo Satoru beside him.
"Eh?"
Ieiri Shoko's outstretched hands froze in the air, and her cute big eyes turned into two little dots.
"You... eh?"
Just as Shoko was about to speak, Gojo Akira held out the remaining half of the cherry pie in front of her.
Shoko carefully took the pastry. "Tha... thank you! But what about you?"
"Me? Anything is fine for me!"
Akira reached back and grabbed an even larger cherry pie from the table.
"Eh???"
The touched feeling that had just risen in Shoko's heart instantly vanished.
In just ten seconds, this guy had shocked her three times!
"What a... guy who doesn't play by the rules!"
Shoko complained in her heart, then took a big bite of the pastry.
After chewing a few times, her expression turned bitter.
"As I thought, sweets are just too cloying!"
And so, at the largest social gathering of the Jujutsu World organized by The Big Three Families, three small figures wandered around looking for food as if no one else was there.
The current head of the Ieiri Family, Ieiri Inamitsu, was also somewhat surprised to see his daughter mingling with the six eyes twins.
"Can it only be said that geniuses are attracted to one another?!"
Soon, the banquet moved to its second phase, which was when the various families showcased their new generation.
For this purpose, The Big Three Families had even set up a spacious dojo on the top floor of the hotel.
However, Akira and Satoru had absolutely no interest in these house-playing-like matches.
But as the center of attention, the two were still forced onto the stage to spar with the younger generation of the Zen'in and Kamo families.
These clan elders were just like parents who insist their children perform for relatives during the New Year.
Of course, the result was beyond doubt. Akira and Satoru displayed extraordinary strength, without even using Limitless or Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
Relying solely on martial arts and the insight of the Six Eyes, they completely dominated their opponents, even making some cry.
After all, they were just six or seven-year-old kids.
Amidst the gloomy expressions of Naobito and Takanobu, and the triumphant smiles of the Gojo clan elders.
The banquet finally reached the segment Gojo Akira looked forward to the most: the auction.
Skipping past all the flashy but useless trinkets along the way, the auction for the special grade cursed tool: yūun finally arrived.
yūun was a vermilion three-section staff, with black patterns on both ends of each section.
As a special grade cursed tool, it didn't have any special Cursed Technique bonuses; its effect was pure physical output.
To put it simply: sturdy, durable, and heavy-hitting!
"Five hundred million!"
Just as Akira was spacing out, someone in the venue started bidding, instantly outbidding the others.
Gojo Akira looked toward that person, his pupils suddenly constricting.
"Fushiguro... no, right now he should be called Zen'in Toji!"
"What's wrong, Brother?"
Satoru followed Akira's gaze and saw a robust, broad back.
A body with absolutely no Cursed Energy fluctuations, yet it gave Satoru a great sense of pressure and crisis.
Satoru's heart chilled. "This person... is strong!"
Akira smiled. "I told you long ago, there are many heroes in the world; don't always think you're invincible."
"Tch!"
Satoru curled his lip.
Although this person was strong, he didn't think he would lose.
Akira didn't say anything more. The ill-fated connection between Toji and Satoru could wait for the future; for now, the most important thing was... "Six hundred million!"
Akira spoke up, immediately causing a stir in the audience.
Toji frowned and turned to look at Gojo Akira, muttering softly, "Troublesome brat!"
"Seven hundred million!"
"Eight hundred million!"
"Nine hundred million!"
"One billion!"
"..."
Toji's composure was starting to crumble.
He looked at yūun on the stage, then thought about the small fortune he had worked so hard to save up.
Forget it. When it came to wealth, how could he, a "wild monkey" looked down upon by the Zen'in family, possibly compete with the pampered son of the Gojo Family's Six Eyes?
In the end, Akira bought the special grade cursed tool for the astronomical price of one billion.
As the auction drew to a close, the banquet neared its end.
"Akira, Satoru, until we meet again!"
Ieiri Shoko bid farewell to her two newly made friends.
Akira and Satoru waved back and then got into a black sedan.
Not far away, Zen'in Toji watched the departing Gojo Akira and Gojo Satoru, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.
Out of curiosity, he followed them.
The sedan stopped at the outskirts of the Gojo Family estate, followed by a stone path through the woods.
Akira and Satoru's mother, dressed in a kimono, came out to greet them, then slowly led them home by the hand.
In the falling snowflakes, the three figures in kimonos looked quite beautiful from behind.
Zen'in Toji's figure appeared abruptly dozens of meters away, his arms crossed as he looked at Akira and Satoru's backs.
And at that very moment, Akira and Satoru turned their heads simultaneously, their azure pupils meeting Toji's slightly surprised eyes.
"This is the first time anyone has detected my presence from behind!"
"And it's... two people!"
Zen'in Toji gazed at the receding figures, suddenly feeling that this winter was exceptionally cold.
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