P a treon . com (slash) AkkhilesCosmos45

Gojo pulled him over to one of the other compounds. Unlike the other facilities, this one was just a single-story flat on the ground level. A small pond sat outside in the center of the facility, a group of koi fish swimming lazily within.

"This is the male dormitories," Gojo said with a dramatic flourish of his arms. "It has every amenity you need. There's a kitchen in the main living area and a smaller one in your room, although the ventilation is terrible so I recommend you keep the window open if you're going to cook. Though in my experience, hardly any of you actually know how to cook."

Shirou chuckled. "I'm decent at it. At the very least, I won't burn the place down."

Miyu and Kiritsugu always enjoyed his cooking. He kinda had to learn how to, as neither of them were able to adequately take care of themselves otherwise. Miyu was too young and Kiritsugu had given him food poisoning. After that incident, it was silently agreed that he'd be the one to take care of the food situation.

Gojo led him down another hallway before stopping at one of the doors. He gave it a few hearty slaps, the aged material creaking slightly under the force.

"This will be your temporary room until we set up one of the other rooms. We don't usually have them pre-made because there's a lot of them and we don't usually get new students," He opened the room, revealing a plain-looking quarters. Other than a few books neatly stacked on a nearby desk with a lamp and a small electric fan, the place was barebones. A minimalist's paradise.

"Someone lived here previously?" Shirou asked curiously as he inspected the sheets. They didn't smell bad and were still relatively clean, seeing as how only a thin layer of dust was present.

"Technically they still do, they're just not using it currently," Gojo corrected with a shrug. "But he won't mind. Currently, he's overseas on some other stuff. He has some special circumstances, and I thought it'd be a shame if his room went to waste. So don't worry about it."

"What's his name?" Shirou asked curiously as he picked a nametag sitting on the desk. He raised it to the light, narrowing his eyes to read the small print. "Yuta Okkotsu..."

"That's him," Gojo leaned over his shoulder, grinning as he tapped at the small picture. "Look at him. Kinda sickly, don't you think? We took it back when he was younger and he was dealing with some stuff, but he changed a whole lot during his time with us."

Sickly was the right word to describe him. His expression was one of an awkward smile, but his cheeks were a bit sullen and he had a few bags under his eyes. The kid definitely looked a bit like a mess, but his expression was kind.

There was something there though. Behind him. If he squinted he could see it. The outline of something. Something that wasn't human.

He felt his skin crawl a bit. He gently placed the name card back down on the desk and took in a short breath.

"I learned a long time ago not to take physical appearances at face value."

Gojo stared at him for a moment before chuckling.

"You're very insightful, you know that?" He noted. The blindfold obscured the expression within his eyes, but he looked impressed. "You'll do well as a jujutsu sorcerer. I don't need my eyes to tell me that. Maybe you got enough talent to be as good as me one day."

He lifted a finger and tapped at the card at a few of words listed under Yuta Okkotsu's profile.

"'Special Grade,'" Shirou read. He gave Gojo a curious look. "Is that like a rank?"

"Yup. The highest one a sorcerer can obtain. Currently, there are only three registered special grades out there," He raised three fingers. "There is Yuta Okkotsu, Yuki Tsukumo, and yours truly the great Gojo Satoru!"

He paused for a moment before correcting himself. "Actually, Grade 1 is technically the highest rank a normal sorcerer can obtain. Special grade individuals are... well... special! We don't exactly fit well within the established tiering system."

Shirou hummed. So Special Grade sorcerers were like EX-ranked noble phantasms.

"And how will I know what tier I'm supposed to be in?"

"Well the usual way it goes is that we decide based on your performance on your first mission, though it usually just gets you labeled as a grade 3 sorcerer. For reference, that's the second to last in terms of the power hierarchy," Gojo then grinned. "The second way is that you get your strength adequately checked by a higher ranked sorcerer. They give a recommendation on your power and the higher-ups approve it."

"That makes sense."

"So which would you prefer?"

Shirou stared at him. "What?"

"Well, between those two options, which do you prefer?" Gojo reiterated with a chuckle. "Since you're new it'll take a while before you're sent out on new missions. You're half a year behind the others so the wait will be even longer since we normally send new blood out in pairs."

It was clear that Gojo wanted him to pick option two. The man was endlessly curious, especially when it came to strength. That spark had been lit when he saw him manifest a sword back with his scuffle with Yaga's cursed doll, and now he wanted to see what else it was he could do.

...They could be here forever if he wanted to show him everything. There were too many weapons in his inventory. From Archer's inventory. So much data for him to go through. So much history. He wasn't even aware of all the properties each individual blade had.

But what he did know was enough for a tasting. The techniques that got him through the Fifth Holy Grail War should be enough to give him a good show at least.

"...I'm guessing you want me to fight you?" He asked with a humorous chuckle.

"Well since I'm the only high-ranking sorcerer out at the moment," Gojo grinned before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on a second. Try not to puke."

Shirou felt his body go weightless for a moment as the world shifted and blurred. A second later, they were at a grassy training ground surrounded by a track for running. Gojo took a step back and gave a show of limbering up.

"I'll go easy on you, but I want you to give me all you have," Gojo said as he stretched his legs. "Don't worry about hurting me. I'm the strongest."

"I guess a teacher wouldn't be much if a student was able to harm them," Shirou snarked as he took a step back. His hands twitched, feeling the urge to summon his swords rising. He may not have the class card with him anymore... but they had bonded. Truly bonded. It felt as if EMIYA was also working through him, telling him to prepare himself.

"Glad to see you got a bit of fire in you," Gojo stood back up to full height and gave a cocky smirk. "You're free to make the first move whenever you want."

His hands were in his pocket. No stance was taken. Either he was incredibly arrogant or seriously self-assured in his own strength. Probably both.

Well if he wanted him to make the first move, he couldn't refuse. The man understood that his technique was related to blade work, so he didn't need to hold back too much.

He traced Bakuya into his right hand and charged forward. Bringing his arm back, he planted his foot and twisted his body as he came in close. The blade arched towards his midsection, a strike that would easily bisect through a reinforced body.

But just before it made contact with Gojo's body, he felt his arm stop. Shirou's eyes widened at the event. He flexed his arm and he could feel his arm pushing forward. Such an odd feeling. He didn't feel any physical resistance. He could feel his arm continuing to go forward. It just didn't look like it was getting any closer to his target.

He brought his arm back and pivoted on his leg, aiming a sweeping kick at Gojo's leg. The same thing happened. His leg appeared to be fixed in place as it got closer to Gojo, but he could still 'move' it forward.

So it wasn't something as simple as a physical barrier.

He slowly put his foot down and took a step back. Gojo's stupid grin hadn't left his face.

"Like it? It's my technique. What it does is-"

"I'll figure it out," Shirou replied simply as he darted around, this time tracing Kanshou into his left hand and throwing it towards Gojo's front alongside Bakuya. Kanshou was halted midair while Gojo raised up a lazy hand and deflected Bakuya away from him and sent it spinning away.

"You sure you don't want a hint?" Gojo chuckled as he tapped the floating blade in front of him with a finger.

"I'm guessing it won't do me any good if you told me," Shirou said dryly.

"Well, yeah," Gojo shrugged. "But just think of it as a bit of sportsmanship. I'd feel bad if I was just beating you up without-"

He suddenly paused in his speech as the sound of something approaching from behind reached his ears. He slowly turned to find the white blade Shirou had thrown earlier pointed at his neck. He let out a small whistle.

"Tch," Shirou tsked as he gave the man a deadpan look. "So it's an omnidirectional barrier. Thought you could only deploy it if you saw the attack coming."

"Oh, that was a long time ago. Back when I was still a youngin," Gojo laughed as he grasped Kanshou and Bakuya and studied them. The way he handled them made Shirou cringe slightly. Clearly, the man wasn't used to holding blades. "But yeah, my barrier is constantly around me 24/7. Even when I'm asleep."

"That's a bit unfair."

"Well, it's a bit annoying to maintain it. I won't bore you with the details. You might not even understand it anyway," Gojo chuckled. "Still, you can forget trying to bust it open with brute force. Why? Because I'm-"

"You're controlling space."

"-I'm controlling space-" Gojo paused and frowned. "Wait, wait, wait, you got that? You seriously figured it out like that?"

Shirou shrugged. "I encountered something similar before."

Similar, yes. On this level? No. The Ainsworth technique of utilizing flash air was an application of magecraft that could displace objects within space. He had experienced its effects before, where even attacks made by him could be redirected somewhere else by connecting coordinates in space. This was something similar in that attacks were still 'moving' towards Gojo, but they never seemed to reach.

As if space was extending infinitely between them.

It was possible that a very, VERY high level of flash air could be used to replicate this effect, but such a thing would require too many complex parts to utilize. There is the case in maintaining the shield to fit around your body. Not only that, the magical energy required for its upkeep would be astronomical. Maybe for a brief moment when turned on before combat, but 24/7? It simply wasn't feasible to keep something like that up for a long time.

But he could tell Gojo wasn't lying... which meant either this man had an incredible amount of energy to use or he was a perpetual motion engine that could simply replace the energy he lost at the same rate.

Either way... this man was straight-up untouchable by normal means.

By normal means.

He still had a way. A way to break through this shield. He just needed to hope that the man wasn't going to realize it until it was too late.

The man seemed to deflate like a balloon as he pouted. "Well, you spoiled my fun. Most people are pretty mystified and in awe of my technique, you know?"

"I mean, it is impressive," Shirou admitted.

"Right?!"

"But there has to be a way around it, right? It's not almighty."

Gojo stroked his chin before laughing. "Well kid, you certainly have some balls. I doubt anyone has ever thought that when they were confronted by my technique."

Except for Toji, but we don't speak of Toji. He hadn't mentioned that little incident to anyone and he wanted to keep that embarrassing moment away from everyone's ears.

"Well, who knows?" Shirou chuckled as he slipped into a stance. "Maybe I'm wrong... but perhaps I'll surprise you."

Gojo grinned at the challenge. "Then give it your best shot, kid."

Shirou charged forward and his hands flashed with light as the twin swords appeared in his hand once more. He tossed them and they stopped once more in front of Gojo. He tilted his head curiously at the sudden repeat before two more blades appeared on either side of him.

Then another pair.

Then another.

"So you're trying to blind my vision, are you?" Gojo chuckled. "Or perhaps you're trying to see if overwhelming me with targets will cause my technique to falter? Sorry, but additional targets don't increase the strain on my technique."

He smirked. "Well, that's enough kindness from me. You don't think I'd be nice enough to just stand still forever, right?"

There was a shift in the air as he poured his cursed technique into the ground through his feet with a light stomp. The earth exploded upwards, throwing chunks of dirt into the air and blowing the swords away.

Shirou, who had been in the process of flanking around to get behind him, had reacted instinctively to the maneuver. Whenever someone was prepared to use a technique with little refinement, their power level spiked and fluctuated. This was something that had been taught to him by Kiritsugu and honed even further with his merging with Archer, who had refined this observation to deal with rogue magi. Thanks to that, he was able to avoid being blown upwards or from losing his footing.

His eyes suddenly widened as Gojo moved in front of him and grasped his arm before pulling, twirling him around and throwing a small jab towards his face which he promptly dodged. Its speed wasn't too fast and it was clear that he wasn't putting his back into the strike, but he really didn't want to get hit.

"Nice reflexes," Gojo grinned before launching a couple of palm strikes. "Don't get complacent though!"

Shirou inwardly cursed and used his free hand to deflect the first two strikes before strengthening his body with reinforcement to tank the third strike that slipped through.

"Ack!"

It felt like he had been hit by a cannonball. He didn't feel his ribs break, but he was definitely going to be bruised. Shit, was he going to throw up? Even with his reinforced body, it felt as if he had been hit by a truck. Just what the hell was that hit? That wasn't a pure physical strike!

He gritted his teeth and managed to pull his hand away from Gojo's own before planting his feet and taking a stance. Gojo was close and he didn't appear to be threatened now that he managed to get a hit in. He probably thought he was going to collapse any second now from the pain.

But he had endured far worse. A hit like this was different compared to people who wanted to kill him.

He took a deep breath and pulled a weapon from his database. One that he had pulled from his battle with Angelica. One that was relatively unremarkable compared to weapons that could part the clouds and scorch the seas.

But weapons of overwhelming might weren't what he needed. Those wouldn't break Gojo's defense because there was nothing to break. The issue was traversing the infinite distance that existed between them.

Yet that infinite distance was due to a technique. Thus, a disruption to that technique would lead to the removal of that infinite space.

A red spear materialized in his hand, letters of the fairies written on its neck by the blade. It was a spear that belonged to a knight of Fianna, one that was blessed with a simple but deadly enchantment: the forced termination of magical techniques.

Magecraft didn't exist in this world, but cursed energy was similar. Similar enough that it would have to abide by the same laws that governed this spear.

When that spear appeared in his hands and was thrust towards Gojo's midsection, he hadn't planned to intercept the strike. After all, he had long since grown used to the fact that no physical attack could harm him.

But glancing at that spear, observing it with his six eyes, noticing the unusual energy that poured from its tip...

His hair stood on end. He remembered this feeling. The last time he felt that was when-

The blade reached the boundary of his infinity and there was a ripple in the air as his technique was disrupted. It was as if a bubble had been popped.

For the first time in over a decade, something had broken through the infinity.

The tip of the red spear rested on his sternum and Gojo would be lying if he said he wasn't stunned. After all, the last time this happened-

Ugh, he wasn't going to think about it. To think it'd happen again! And in such a similar scenario!

Shirou breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the spear unmistakably touch against its target. If this had been anything other than a casual spar, he wondered if this maneuver would have worked. Definitely not as easily.

"Is this good enough?"

Gojo's head tilted down at the spear and he gave a chuckle.

"Yeah... that's good enough."

He brushed the spear tip away from his sternum and watched as Shirou dismissed it into motes of light.

"Multiple copies of the same blade with different attributes ascribed to each one," Gojo noted with a tone akin to wonder. "I've heard and seen creation techniques before, but yours is unlike theirs."

"How so?"

"Speed and cursed energy requirements, for one. It takes a lot to bring forth something out of just cursed energy. You'd need a very large pool of cursed energy to even make a single set of blades like yours, yet you did so multiple times and switched to making a spear with a technique that completely undoes the techniques of others."

That makes sense. From the way Gojo makes it sound, those were permanent creations. Stuff that stuck around. That was a step beyond his capabilities.

"My technique doesn't make one-to-one copies," Shirou admitted. Revealing just this much was fine. "They're still pretty faithful reproductions that look nearly indistinguishable from the original, but they're inherently weaker. If I were to try and force a perfect reproduction, it'd probably kill me. I'd say in terms of composition... my copies are approximately around eighty percent faithful."

Gojo hummed. "So it's a tradeoff. In exchange for making copies, they aren't as strong as the original... how interesting!"

It's why he preferred to pull weapons that tended to have more subtle enchantments rather than those that focused on pure destructive might. It was a far more efficient use of energy in battle.

He leaned forward with an excited expression. "And those weapons... where did you see those? I may not know blades well, but those clearly weren't from around here. Those swords were no katana and that spear doesn't look like one native to Japan."

He was right. The married blades were from China and the spear was from Ireland. Practically on the other side of the world.

Shirou merely shrugged. "I just saw them from a collector. It wasn't particularly exciting."

"Right, ok," Gojo brushed it off, clearly not interested in prying too much about the history there. He was more interested in the limits of his technique itself. "But now you got me curious... just how many weapons can you make with that technique of yours?"

Thousands. A near infinite supply. Provided he had the necessary amount of energy.

"Enough to get the job done," He answered with a neutral smile. That was enough information he was willing to reveal.

Gojo seemed to understand, even if he couldn't keep himself from pouting. "Fiiine, keep your secrets. All I really wanted to know about was your capabilities and I got a good look for myself."

He began walking off and tossed a casual thumbs up over his shoulder as he left. "I'll get your school card ready! In the meantime just get settled in. Classes won't resume until tomorrow since it's the weekend and the others are probably outside of campus right now so just sit tight, okay?"

And with that, he teleported away once more before Shirou could respond. The boy sighed and turned to look at the small crater in the middle of the field. Perhaps he could just leave and pretend he was never a part of this mess?

...

...

Better start filling in the hole. He really was a brownie. Well, it's not like he had much to do right now.

Yaga frowned as Gojo sat on the couch in front of him. The man was ecstatic. Far more happy than usual. Usually that wasn't a good sign since that meant that there was something immature afoot, but this was just slightly better news.

"Really?" Yaga frowned as he stared at the blank name card in front of him, the one that would be used to designate a student upon their enrollment into Jujutsu High.

"Really, really," Gojo nodded as he clapped his hands together. "This world is changing rapidly, old man. First Yuta, now this kid! We're getting a lot of serious talent this year!"

"But you want to give this kid the designation of 'Special Grade'," Yaga deadpanned, steeping his hands together. "You know that's not something that is supposed to be given out lightly. It's more of a curse than an actual rank."

Special Grade fell outside of the regular ranking system. It was one for individuals who were too strong to be compared to other sorcerers and earning that designation also meant that you would be under intense scrutiny. Even Yuki Tsukumo, who nobody could really force to do anything, was kept under constant surveillance whenever possible.

"Yeah, yeah, but what other rank could we give the kid? I ain't gonna give him something that doesn't reflect his level," Gojo shrugged. Real recognized real, and he believed those with merit should be recognized for their strength. "Kid managed to get past my infinity. That alone should be worthy of a special grade rank."

"Even if that may be the case, you need to be more subtle!" Yaga chided before slumping back in his seat. "The higher-ups are always excited for new sorcerers, but the problem is that all these new special-grade sorcerers are recommended by you. They'll see it as you amassing even more power, the kind of move that can threaten their authority. They won't just take this lying down!"

It was like adding new soldiers to his rank. The more strong soldiers that were recommended by Gojo meant they'd have more loyalty to him rather than the establishment itself. The conservative faction could have a thousand sorcerers, but it would mean nothing against the quality of three special grade monsters. Already Gojo's blatant disrespect for authority teetered the balance into a shaky position. The introduction of Yuta's services made things worse until he exorcised Rika and went overseas.

Another Special Grade in the form of Shirou Emiya could just topple everything and lead the higher-ups into doing something drastic.

"Relax, old man," Gojo smiled, though it held little warmth. "If the higher-ups want to cause issues again I'll just step in. As many times as it takes. So long as I'm around they won't be able to do anything."

"So long as you're around, so long as you're around!" Yaga parroted with a groan. "Satoru, do you honestly believe that to be the case? Be honest. When Yuta comes back you'll have to take care of two special grades. Strong as you are, you can't be in two places at once."

"Well, not yet," Gojo joked before holding a hand up at Yaga's glare. "Kidding, kidding. Still, I'm sure they won't push back as much in this case. The problem with Yuta was because of Rika-chan. Even if I think they blew it out of proportion, she always could be a threat if I wasn't around to stop her. With Shirou, that isn't the case. He has no trait that could cause them to worry outside of being sponsored by me. Also, he's the kind of sorcerer that they like. Quiet, obedient, and with an old-fashioned technique."

The oldheads were superficial people. As mainly made up of conservatives, they held a bias towards those who carried themselves in a way befitting an older sorcerer. People who listened to authority and kept their mouths shut when spoken to were the ones they showed favor towards. I.e, the ones who were easily controllable and those opposite to him in personality.

Shirou displayed these qualities when he introduced him to them. His technique would only make him more favorable. The creation of old weaponry was something that would resonate with those old folks who looked down on the more modernized techniques that blended with new technology.

So long as the kid outwardly carried himself as he usually does, the higher-ups would leave him alone. Of course, there was also the issue that he may draw too much favor and they'll end up trying to recruit him to their side. Poison him with ideals they had no business propagating.

...But so long as he was here that won't happen. Still, he could tell where Yaga was coming from.

"Alright, alright," Gojo leaned back and clapped his hands. "I get where you're coming from old man. How about this? We give him a recommendation for grade 1. Good compromise?"

"That's only the tiniest smidge more believable," Yaga grumbled with a sigh before relenting. Either he bent the knee here or Gojo would probably do something later. "Then who will you get to sponsor him? You know you can't since you'll be his teacher."

"I'll just get Nanami-kun to do it," Gojo hummed then stroked his chin. "Maybe Kusakabe. I can definitely get Mei-san to do it but she'll be asking for a hefty sum."

'As usual' went unsaid between the two of them.

"Then I'll go ask the old jiji over at Kyoto to approve it. That'll seal the deal."

"I'll ask him to approve it," Yaga corrected him. "If you ask him he's not going to do it no matter how good Emiya's credentials are."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that."

"So that's the deets! Congratulations! I'd throw you a party, but we should probably save it for when you actually get that Grade 1 designation."

Gojo smiled at Shirou from his position on one of the chairs in the shared quarters as he clapped his hands in celebration.

Shirou, on the other hand, gave him a deadpan look.

"So you're saying I need to go on a mission with a grade one sorcerer tonight... and then do so again with another grade one?" Shirou reiterated.

"Yup! That's the gist! Normally it'd take a while for something like that to happen, but since I'm the great Gojo Satoru, I was able to expedite the process!"

"...Your name really carries weight, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it!"

Shirou wondered how this man was able to act so shamelessly. It was kinda admirable in a weird way.

"So... what exactly does this mission entail?"

"Oh, the usual. Ninety-five percent of what we do is just curse extermination," Gojo said with a dismissive wave. "This mission will just involve you hunting down a supposed grade 1 curse under supervision by a colleague of mine. He's a swell guy, although he can be a bit of a hardass. Don't let his personality fool you though. He's a biiiiig softie underneath."

Shirou nodded slowly, although he wondered just what Gojo meant by 'hardass'. Judging from how childish he could be, his ideas of a hardass just might be a decently responsible human being.

"Is there any information I should know about?"

"Well, when it comes to missions like these, you hardly get any concrete info to go off of."

"...So what you're saying is that you're going to throw me into this situation practically blind."

"Pretty much, yeah!"

Suddenly, Shirou realized just why exactly there was such a high mortality rate in this line of work.

"...Do I at least know what time the mission will take place?" Shirou asked expectantly. Surely the man could tell him that at least?

"Ah, nope! But I'll know soon once Nanami-kun responds to my request."

"Respond to your request?" Shirou's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "...Are you saying he hasn't even told you that he was even willing to supervise me for this mission? Does he even know about this?"

From the way Gojo remained silent and how his seemingly perfect smile twitched a little at the ends, that was a resounding no.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Gojo waved his hands as Shirou's face began to be sapped in his confidence of Gojo's character. "He'll get back quickly! Usually he responds in a timely manner so I don't doubt he'll respond in the-" There was a buzzing sound and his expression brightened as his hand shot to his pocket. "-second- see?! I told you'd he'd-" His face twisted into a frown when he realized that it was instead a message from Ijichi telling him about another meeting with the higher ups.

He deflated and tossed his phone on the table with a pout before raising a weak finger. "Give him another minute."

Shirou nodded slowly and the two of them continue to sit in silence as they stared at the phone. Another minute passed and it buzzed once more, this time receiving a call instead of a text. Gojo quickly swiped the phone and stood up, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Nanami! Buddy! Got my text right?"

Shirou could barely make out the voice from the phone, but it didn't sound happy.

Gojo scratched his neck and stood up. "Of course I'm serious! I'm telling you, this kid has got some skills and he needs to get sorted out as soon as possible! You're the best grade one sorcerer I know so just do me a solid and- Hey, hey! Don't hang up!"

The man stood up and Shirou watched as he paced back and forth, continuously trying to placate the person on the other end of the call.

For a guy whose name carried a lot of weight... he sure didn't seem to have a lot of people on his side.

Nanami wouldn't consider himself a happy person, nor would he consider himself someone who was permanently unhappy.

There were two constants in his life: The fact that work was shit... and that Gojo Satoru was a nuisance.

The latter tended to be the one that drew his ire the most.

So when he got a text from Gojo asking him to take an unlicensed, unregistered, newly picked-up stray on a mission with him to get him a status as a grade one, he could already feel the headache forming.

"Gojo."

"Nanami! Buddy! Got my text, right?"

"Yes, and I will thus ask the redundant question of 'are you being serious?'" He groused, trying to bleed as much annoyance in his voice as possible, for as little good as it was.

"Of course I'm serious! I'm telling you, this kid has got some skills and he needs to get sorted out as soon as possible! You're the best grade one sorcerer I know so just do me a solid and- Hey, hey! Don't hang up!"

He withheld an audible groan and raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing gently to fight off the growing headache.

"You're asking me to observe a new student who hasn't even gone on any missions," His voice dripped with disappointment. "Do you need me to tell you why that is a bad idea?"

"I'm telling you, this kid can handle his own! I just need you to give him a recommendation so we can help get him promoted to grade 1. I know you wouldn't just give it out even if I asked you to, so I'll let the kid show you since I know you're such a stickler for the rules!"

There was little he could do to refute that statement. While he had no love for the higher-ups, he knew the importance of rules and regulations. It just wasn't something he could break as casually as Gojo because his sense of duty wouldn't allow it.

Then there was the matter of Gojo's recommendation. While the man was without a doubt the strongest sorcerer and was a bottomless well of talent, that strength of his made it difficult to accurately gauge the strength of others.

After all, every jujutsu sorcerer and curse were akin to ants to him. How could you distinguish the strength of one ant from another from your position on high? To him, a grade one was just as threatening as a grade 4.

But the infuriating fact (and one he couldn't just ignore) was that if he wasn't going to do it then Gojo would just get someone else.

...And as much as he wished he could fork the task off onto someone else there were frighteningly few responsible grade ones out there.

Rubbing his eyes he leaned back in his seat and gave a resigned sigh.

"...If I do this then I won't be grading him lightly."

He could practically feel the grin on the other end of the phone. Curse his sense of duty.

"You're the best Nanamin! I'll tell him the good news! I promise, he'll get things done before you have to get off work! No overtime for you!"

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Nanami quickly hung up before Gojo could get another word in and tossed the phone onto the couch cushion next to him.

He stared up at the ceiling in silence, hoping that Gojo was actually being truthful about the boy's abilities.

The last thing he wanted was to have a new sorcerer making the job far more difficult than it needed to be. He wanted to go in, do the job, and get out. All before overtime.

...Because when minimal effort is required, one should do minimal effort. Sorcerers aren't paid on overtime anyway.

He closed his eyes and fell into the arms of sleep, his breath evening out. A brief respite from a reality where each job could be his last.

Hopefully, for that boy, such a bleak outcome would not be the case.

When Shirou left the campus the sun was already setting. He hadn't ran into any other student, and though Gojo mentioned that there weren't even a handful of them in enrollment they were all off on a mission or the like. Even as students, their job was an 'all hands on deck' kind of deal.

He waited at the curb and watched as a car pulled up. His hand reached out to open the passenger seat before the window suddenly rolled down to reveal Ijichi.

"I'm sorry Emiya-san, but could you sit in the back? Nanami-san would like to talk with you."

"Ah, yes."

He moved to the backseat and pulled the door open. Sitting in the back was the man Gojo had said would be grading his performance on the mission and hopefully give a recommendation. He was a well-built man in a clean white suit and a blue undershirt. Atop his nose were tight-fitting glasses tinted in a shade of dark green, and if it were not for the small tilt of his head Shirou wouldn't have realized his eyes were on him.

From the blonde hair on his head and the slight differences in facial features compared to the average Japanese man, he guessed that there was a bit of foreign blood in him. Probably European.

"Emiya Shirou?" The man's voice was smooth and professional, reminding him of Kiritsugu.

He nodded. "That's me."

"Kento Nanami," The man nodded in approval. "Good. You're on time. Get in and we'll be on our way."

Shirou ducked into the car and shut the door behind him as Ijichi took off. Nanami reached to his side and pulled out a small folder.

"This is the details of our mission," Nanami said plainly as he handed it to him. "Tell me what you think."

Shirou took the folder and already he could sense the hidden message behind his words. The test for his rank wasn't going to start at the scene. By the time he had gotten in the car, the man was already assessing him.

He was beginning to remind him more and more of Kiritsugu with every moment.

Opening the folder and perusing the contents he already zeroed in on the key info that needed to be memorized. The scene they were going to was an abandoned construction site. According to the report, several cases of construction workers ending up in comas or sustaining injuries had occurred past dark. A seemingly unexplainable turn of events for the normal person.

From the size of the construction site and the frequency of these cases, it was concluded that the spirit was of approximately Grade 1 rank.

His eyes hovered over that piece of info, something Nanami took notice of quickly.

"Something catch your eye?"

"Is there really only one curse?" Shirou asked curiously as he tapped his finger against the page. "Nothing in here seems definitive. Not the number of curses nor its strength."

Nanami gave him the tiniest of nods. "Good. When it comes to reports like these, never let it allow you to believe you have a complete understanding of the situation. It is very rare that we are able to obtain accurate and concise details regarding the sighting of curses, so never assume the number of enemies will be the same as told."

Shirou gave him a curious look. "Where do we get this info anyway?"

"Info like this will be provided to us by the supervisors. Although it is best not to put full faith in the reports, they do important work. It is just simply too dangerous for them to properly observe situations on their own."

"Most supervisors aren't trained for combat or simply don't have the abilities to do so," Ijichi chimed in with an awkward chuckle. "Most of us are failed sorcerers, after all."

"Failed or not, no normal sorcerer would have any desire to challenge an unknown curse without knowing of its capabilities, thus it is far more dangerous for supervisors to gather intel on their own," Nanami adjusted his glasses. "The ones who do so are either foolish... or Gojo Satoru."

Nanami laid his hands on his lap. "You've accurately pointed out a problem in the report. I will admit, I did have my doubts about you but please don't take it personally. Gojo tends to overexaggerate sometimes."

Shirou chuckled. "Yes, he does seem like that kind of man."

"...But please don't get complacent. A keen eye and an ability to understand what isn't given to you directly is only half of the equation. For this mission, you will be the one to exorcise this curse. Alone."

Well that wasn't ominous. "And I'm guessing you will be nearby?"

Nanami nodded. "Rest assured, I will be there to make sure you are not killed or seriously harmed. However, I recommend you fight as if I weren't there. Show me that you not only have the mind of a grade 1 sorcerer, but the battle instincts necessary as well. If you are lacking in either rest assured I will notice, and I will not recommend you."

His warning was precise and clear. Though something in Shirou doubted the fact that the man would let him truly suffer a serious injury, he wasn't going to test it nor was he planning to.

"Understood."

"Good. Now, until we get to the construction site you will continue to give me your thoughts on the report. Go."

Ijichi just continued to watch the two interact from the rearview mirror in silence.

When they pulled up to the construction site, night had fully arrived. The full moon hung in the air, illuminating the area in an eerie glow that felt almost otherworldly. The construction site still had numerous construction equipment and materials leftover from when the workers had been ordered to temporary leave. From the looks of it, nobody was in any rush to reclaim them.

The air was thick with an ominous aura that almost seemed to darken the area around them. Even if one weren't attunted to the existance of the supernatural, the feeling of dread one would have just by being around the place would definitely deter most ordinary person.

Nanami stared at the construction site with a calculating look before nodding. He turned towards Shirou with a look of warning.

"This is your last chance to back out. What you're doing is an exception, not the norm. If it were up to me, I'd recomend you'd do things the proper way."

"Well, I'm already here, aren't I?" Shirou shrugged. "Thank you for the concern, but I know what I'm capable of. Whatever curse is here, I'll destroy it."

"Exorcise it," Nanami corrected before sighing in acceptance. "If that is what you believe... then I won't stop you. I'll be on standby observing."

Shirou nodded and began heading towards the construction site. Nanami watched him as Ijichi stepped out of the car to join him, a nervous look on his face.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" The supervisor asked.

"I won't let anything happen," Nanami said resolutely as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the car. "Whether he is truly Grade 1 material or not... will be proven in this trial."

"I see... and in that manner what do you believe?"

"What I believe is irrelevant. The skills to stay alive and the strength to exercise curses cannot be disputed once shown."

He then lifted a finger and held it in front of his face before chanting.

"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."

With those words spoken, a wave of blackness began to descend around the area to cloak it from the sights of any stray layman that would be about. As it finished closing, he let out a breath.

"So now we'll see... if Gojo's words are more than just hot air."

Hope you like this second chapter. In the future, I think I'd like to keep the word count around this. Maybe a little lower depending on how much time I have. Wordy chapters are nice, but there is such a thing as too wordy.

If you like the chapter, drop a nice like a review!

And yes, for any of you asking, this is the Miyuverse Emiya.