Chapter 112: Awa Subaru: It's Over, All Over!
Inside the [New Kage-ryu] dojo, the atmosphere was thick with tension atop the traditional tatami mats.
"I apologize for the state of the Chainsword," Hachiman said, pushing the battered weapon forward.
"You damn brat!"
Sitting across from Hachiman was a white-haired old man whose stature had shrunk to that of a five- or six-year-old. He waved his arms in a fit of rage.
This was Masatsugu Shindo, the current Grandmaster of the New Kage-ryu lineage. Seeing the masterpiece he had forged reduced to a jagged piece of scrap metal made his blood boil.
"I think you've lost your mind! How dare you turn the chain-blade I spent months tempering into this garbage!"
"Master, please calm down!"
Behind him, Miwa Kasumi was death-gripped onto the old man's collar, restraining him from lunging forward.
"Hikigaya-senpai definitely didn't do it on purpose! Look at the battle scars—it must have been an incredibly intense fight!"
As a disciple of the school, Miwa knew the Grandmaster's temperament well. It was no wonder he was livid; the Chainsword Hachiman brought back was essentially a lump of iron. Its internal mechanism had melted under extreme heat, fusing the moving parts with the casing.
To a smith, it was a criminal waste of fine materials.
The old man brandished a small carving knife, looking ready to "strikeback" at Hachiman personally.
"Let go! I'm going to kill this bastard who doesn't cherish my work and dares to 'steal' our techniques!"
Miwa's grip slipped for a second, and the spry old man darted out like a greased eel, knife raised. Hachiman remained seated, unmoving, calmly taking a sip of his tea. Just as the old man leaped to strike, a sharp flash of movement occurred.
Thwack!
The old man's eyes rolled back mid-air, and he slumped into a dead faint before even reaching Hachiman.
"Apologies, Hikigaya-kun."
The speaker was a dignified elderly man—the Second Master, Hiroki Shindo. He was far more reasonable than his impulsive brother. He caught the falling Grandmaster with the crook of his cane.
Miwa let out a massive sigh of relief. She was a fan of both Gojo and Hachiman; seeing her idol get stabbed by her teacher was the last thing she wanted.
"Second Master," Hachiman acknowledged.
Hiroki nodded.
"My brother has made a fool of himself. It is actually our fault as craftsmen if a swordsman cannot rely on his blade in the heat of battle."
"No, as the Grandmaster said, it was my improper use," Hachiman replied politely. He didn't want to offend the men who provided his hardware.
As for "stealing" techniques—Hachiman was already a swordmaster. At his level, high-tier swordsmanship shared universal principles.
He didn't need to "plagiarize"; he could understand the essence of the New Kage-ryu with a single glance.
The New Kage-ryu was famous for its Simple Domain—a crucial technique for counteracting a Domain Expansion. Even "Mechamaru" had learned a great deal of it just by observing Miwa.
Hachiman pushed the sword closer to Hiroki.
"Can it be fixed?"
He felt a pang of regret. This Chainsword had been with him a long time, but its durability was starting to lag behind his combat pace. Even with psychic reinforcement, it had been broken. He needed an upgrade before facing the remaining three gods.
"And Second Master, please see if you can incorporate these materials."
"What are these?" Hiroki looked at the sparkling purple gems Hachiman produced. The cursed energy radiating from them was extraordinary.
By killing Casios the Eternal, Hachiman had harvested a core fragment of his essence: [Immortality]. If he could fuse this regenerative property into the Chainsword, the weapon could potentially self-repair, sparing him constant trips back to the forge.
"I will try my best, though I cannot make a guarantee."
They agreed on the standard protocol: once the forging was done, a shikigami would deliver it to Hachiman's door, and he would pay the commission. Business was business, even between acquaintances.
"Will you stay the night? Let us host you," Hiroki suggested.
"No, thank you for the kindness," Hachiman declined.
"I'm afraid the Grandmaster will wake up and try to kill me again."
Plus, he had a dinner invitation from Yukino.
As Hachiman rose to leave, he heard a voice from the hallway.
"I'm back, old men!"
The sliding door opened to reveal a man in a brown trench coat who looked like he had zero motivation. A sword tucked into his belt identified him as a disciple of the school.
"Guests today? Why isn't anyone training?" The man recognized Hachiman immediately. "Hikigaya-kun?"
This was Atsuya Kusakabe, the Grade 1 sorcerer and teacher for the second-year class at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Known for his "slacker" attitude and refusal to take on missions above his pay grade, he was nonetheless one of the strongest Grade 1s.
Kusakabe looked at the mangled Chainsword in Hiroki's hand and winced.
"To see a weapon deformed like that... just how dangerous was your fight, Hikigaya?"
Compared to Hachiman's relentless sense of duty, Kusakabe felt like a coward. He was the type to let others go first while he hung back. But for Hachiman, this "intensity" was just another day at the office—a carryover from his time in the Imperial armies where failure meant extinction.
Hachiman politely declined a ride to the station from Kusakabe and Miwa, preferring to walk. He caught the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. To avoid crowds, he booked a Business Class seat.
"It's the Detective Grandma."
"For real?"
"Look for yourself!"
Hachiman overheard the flight attendants whispering. "Detective Grandma" was the protagonist of a hit live-action mystery show, a favorite of his sister Komachi.
It turned out his neighbor in the carriage was the famous actress, Awa Tendo.
Awa Tendo, a Kyoto native, looked elegant in her kimono, far more approachable than her sharp-tongued TV persona. She gave Hachiman a polite nod.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Hikigaya?" she asked.
Hachiman was surprised she recognized him. "Yes."
"I apologize for the intrusion," she said gracefully.
"We met briefly two months ago at a dinner hosted by Mr. Sawai's company."
Hachiman remembered now. As a famous author, he was often dragged to corporate galas. He usually zoned out, but Awa Tendo had been introduced to him by her president, who had hinted that being on good terms with this young man was more valuable than knowing a billionaire.
Hachiman mentioned that his sister was a fan, and she graciously provided an autograph—a nice "cheer up" gift for Komachi after the stressful events at her school earlier that day.
As they chatted, Awa Tendo's granddaughter returned.
"Grandma, here is what you asked for."
Hachiman looked up and saw another familiar face. The girl wore a stylish black dress with brown accents, standing with a posture that screamed professional training. She wore a perfect, gentle smile—until she saw Hachiman.
"Subaru?" Hachiman realized.
It was Awa Subaru, the drummer for Soyo's new band. Hachiman remembered her as the peacemaker caught between a child-prodigy guitarist and the eccentric Momoka—the one who ended up with oolong tea poured over her head.
Wait. Awa Subaru and Awa Tendo. The surname clicked.
"Subaru, your posture!" Awa Tendo frowned. "I've told you to remain dignified at all times. Your daily behavior shows in your acting."
"Yes! Grandma!" Subaru snapped into a military-straight stance, her fear of her grandmother evident.
"Sit down, Subaru. Hikigaya-kun, let me introduce my granddaughter."
"Actually," Hachiman said, unaware of the landmine he was stepping on, "I already know Miss Subaru because of the band."
"Band?" Awa Tendo tilted her head. Since when was her granddaughter in a band?
Subaru's heart plummeted. Her smile vanished, replaced by sheer dread.
'It's over' the girl wailed internally. 'Everything is over.'
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