In a traditional room lined with pristine tatami mats and the sharp, woody scent of incense, a heavy silence was maintained.
The sliding shoji doors framed a view of a manicured Zen garden, but the peace inside was purely surface-level.
An old man sat with a rigid but upright posture, his gnarled hands resting on his knees. Nearby, a woman with a scar on her face sipped tea with a restrained grace.
"Gakuganji-sama!"
A frantic shout broke the stillness. The subordinate scrambled into the room, his forehead nearly hitting the mats as he bowed in a state of high-octane panic.
A judgmental glare was directed at the messenger by Gakuganji. "You forget yourself. Why do you disturb this assembly with such a lack of decorum?"
This is Yoshinobu Gankuganji, the principal of Jujutsu Kyoto High and one of the higher-ups of the Jujutsu World.
He's a traditionalist man as Gakuganji weathered countless battles of both Cursed Spirit exterminations and mental gymnastics in the World of Jujutsu.
In fact, he wasn't like this at the start.
When he came into the Jujutsu World, he was a man with lofty ambitions and grand dreams of becoming one of the best Sorcerers with an optimistic goal of exterminating all of the Cursed Spirits in the entirety of Japan.
That being said, reality was cruel as expected.
Of all the sufferings of losing comrades and subordinates, he remained tough. Still standing up to this date with such an impressive performance and longevity.
However, as time went by, he noticed that his ideals were futile.
It's not that Gakuganji gave up or something, but the reality itself led his beliefs to turn into this current state of a man.
That the world they are living in was something that not even the toughest of minds or the strongest of souls could destroy these abominations that have plagued humanity since its insurrection.
That's why he became like this...
Traditionalist, stern, and stubborn.
Just like the ones at the top.
"Oh, don't be like that, Gramps!"
A playful voice filled the room as Gojo Satoru leaned forward, his grin practically audible. Gakuganji stared at the man in front of him, his gnarled fingers tightening against his knees as he weathered that infuriatingly casual stare.
To the Gakuganji, Gojo was the epitome of everything that made his blood pressure spike. An agent of chaos wrapped in expensive fabric and infinite power.
At first, he loathed Satoru's existence.
The combination of Six Eyes and Limitless in a man like Satoru Gojo made him lose his subordinates and comrades he had nurtured, a promising future that was buried by this monstrousity right in front of him.
"They are just doing their work, you know," Gojo added, waving a dismissive hand toward the trembling subordinate.
"Work that you wouldn't know the first thing about!" An indignant shout erupted from Utahime as she slammed her teacup onto the tray. "Some of us actually respect the hierarchy! We don't all just teleport around eating sweets while our juniors have heart attacks from stress!"
"Ehh? Are you still on that?" A lop-sided grin appeared on Gojo's face. "You know, if you frowned any harder, those wrinkles are going to become permanent. And here I thought Kyoto women were supposed to be 'refined' and 'elegant'."
"I am refined! You're just infuriating!" Utahime felt exasperated as she pointed a finger at his chest. "And don't you dare mention wrinkles! If I have any, it's because I've spent the last decade dealing with your absolute lack of a personality!"
"Lack of personality? Ouch~" Satoru clutched his chest, feigning a mortal wound. "I'm hurt! Truly. I thought we had something special. Was it the souvenir from last week? I knew I should've gotten you the more expensive charms."
"I threw that charm in the trash."
"Liar! You're wearing it under your robes right now, aren't you?"
"I am not!"
As the two bickered back and forth, Gakuganji merely stared at the subordinate.
The man immediately understood the weight of that silent gaze; he moved closer, bowing low, and whispered the specific coordinates and the rising energy readings into Gakuganji's ears.
The Principal's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine alarm crossing his countenance.
"We need to get moving!" Gakuganji commanded, his voice cutting through Gojo's laughter. "Maintain the surveillance and establish a perimeter. We are heading to that spot immediately!"
As the report became clear, he stood up with an agility that belied his age, orders flowing from his mouth like a seasoned general.
This was no longer a simple curiosity; it was a monumental task involving an unknown anomaly. The kind of existence that has caused a cascading series of problems ever since Satoru Gojo's birth shattered the world's equilibrium.
For the higher-ups, this was the "Ghost" they had been hunting: a variable that shouldn't exist, moving through their sacred city.
I got a bad feeling about this...
With his intuition, Satoru immediately realized the issue as he connected the dots.
A monstrous cursed energy signature within a field trip of elementary schoolers.
A certain troublesome kid crossed his mind.
"Come on, let's head straight!" Utahime remarked.
A sigh escaped from Satoru's mouth as the trio began to travel through the beautiful, ancient scenery of Kyoto
Destination? The elementary schooler's inn.
However, when the three arrived at the inn, they sensed that there were no kids now.
The sprawling wooden structure, which should have been vibrating with the chaotic energy of dozens of primary schoolers, was eerily quiet. Only the faint scent of tatami and old wood remained.
A worried glance was exchanged between the three sorcerers as they stepped into the lobby.
"Where are they?" Utahime asked as she approached the front desk.
A look of confusion appeared on the receptionist's face as she peered over her glasses at the strange trio. "I'm sorry, but our guests' privacy is—"
The words were cut short as the subordinates flanking Gakuganji stepped forward.
They flashed their credentials, official government seals that functioned much like the FBI, granting them immediate and unquestionable authority.
"We are here on a matter of public safety," One of the subordinates stated.
"Oh! My apologies!" An agitated bow was offered from the receptionist, quickly checking her logbook. "The students left about thirty minutes ago. Their itinerary was moved up. They went to visit the landmarks and should be at the Kiyomizu-dera sector by now."
...
...
...
"Sensei," Yoichi asked, his voice a low mutter that blended into the chatter of his classmates.
What is it? A questioning eyebrow was raised by Toji within the Wonderspace.
"I was wondering... if you could sell Kinkaku-ji, what do you think the price would be?" Yoichi asked, his voice a low mutter that barely carried over the excited chatter of his classmates.
Idiot, you can't sell something like that. It's a cultural relic, Toji replied in a flat, unimpressed tone echoing in the boy's mind.
One by one, each trademark of Kyoto was visited during their trip. Every architecture was something straight out of the history books, the golden leaf of the temples shimmering under the November sun.
As the guide and the teacher began telling historical facts, the air was filled with Yoichi's weird questions. Inquiries about property taxes on shrines, the structural integrity of ancient wood against explosive force, and the black-market value of sacred artifacts.
A collective sense of bewilderment was felt by the Wonderspace residents.
Haibara rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous laugh, while Riko just stared at Yoichi's mental projections in disbelief.
A sigh escaped from the teacher's mouth as she adjusted her glasses, looking at Yoichi with a mix of awe and concern.
"Murakami-kun, while your interest in... 'structural economics' is impressive, please try to focus on the spiritual significance of the temple."
"My bad, Sensei. Just curious," Yoichi chirped, though his golden eyes didn't lose their sharpness.
"Hmmm... Looks like there's a party over there."
When they arrived at the Kiyomizu Temple, those golden eyes locked onto a certain direction.
In his perception, he could see dozens of flickering Cursed Energy signatures, the local Grade 3s and 4s, scurrying away like rats.
However, standing in the center were three stronger, abomination-like signatures that radiated a heavy patchwork of malice.
According to Yoichi's internal research, the ancient barriers of Kyoto were supposed to keep such spirits at bay, but the barrier was currently trembling, its fluctuations visible rippling in the sky.
"Sensei, I need to use the comfort room," Yoichi announced, putting on his best "innocent child" face.
A look of concern appeared on the teacher's face as she stepped toward him. "I'll escort you, Murakami-kun. It's easy to get lost in these crowds."
"No, no, that's okay!" A polite, reassuring smile was offered by Yoichi. "You should stay here and keep an eye on everyone else. I wouldn't want the group to get separated because of me. I'll be back before the next lecture starts."
The teacher eventually agreed, her shoulders relaxing as she nodded. "Alright, but make sure you come straight back, okay?"
"Yes, Sensei," Yoichi chirped, bowing respectfully.
As soon as he turned the corner and broke her line of sight, the "polite student" mask shattered.
In a sudden blur of motion, Yoichi's body flickered, landing onto the sturdy rooftiles of the temple building using Air Trick.
The wind whipped against his face, looking down at the courtyard.
With a fluid gesture, the weight of Ebony and Ivory was felt in his hands, their dark barrels glinting in the sun, while Rebellion was equipped across his back with a clink.
If they're going to throw a party this big, it'd be rude not to show up! Yoichi replied internally as Ebony and Ivory were slid back into their holsters.
And with a grin on his face, the white coat flapped into the air, strutted forward into the verdant forest with thrill and adrenaline.
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Feeling pretty good rn. Gotta be back with regular updates now, maybe 2 chapters per day or just one chap. I'll definitely repay the chapter debts so stay tuned my peeps!
Ciao!