Please Read : Please support me by find akadaka on patre0n. And sorry for grammatical errors because I am not a native speaker. I'll try to improve it with all my might.
A big thanks to Alexis Chagoya for giving me support.
—OoOoO—
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
Oregairu by Wataru Watari & Ponkan8
Genre : Supernatural, Action, Friendship, Slice of Life, and Little Bit Romance
Summary : Not the romantic comedy of youth that he experienced, not the quiet and normal life of youth he had. He never missed his day-to-day cursing his strange and annoying life. He is Hikigaya Hachiman and this is all his complaints as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Chapter 25: Afterwards.
—OoOoO—
Hijikata Toshizo sat cross-legged on the beach. He looked at the vast horizon that spread out before his eyes. That was not his first time in this place. However, he still found it hard to believe that sight as peaceful as this embodied the innate domain of a man-eating cursed spirit. He also had an innate domain and could incorporate it ideally into Domain Expansion. However, if only talking about scenery, his domain wasn't as peaceful as this.
Due to Jogo's death at the hands of Hikigaya Hachiman, the domain was quieter than usual. The boss was somewhere to have fun. The cursed spirit that embodied nature's wrath was calming down in a forest he didn't know about. And the owner of the domain was soaking in this artificial sea.
The serenity that he rarely got, to be honest, made him feel very comfortable. However, Hijikata felt disgusted when he found comfort in the lair of a cursed spirit. He felt sick of himself having to hang out with that bunch of crazy monsters.
The current him was indeed the embodiment of a vengeful spirit. His grudge and anger towards the new government that massacred his comrades using cursed tools and the sorcerers were real. However, his pride as a samurai and a high-ranking military officer made him reluctant to live with these cursed creatures for a long.
"Thinking of something, Hijikata?"
The Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi turned towards the source of the sound. Behind him, he saw someone in a black yukata wrapped in a chequered yellow cloth. The vengeful spirit's expression hardened upon seeing the most disgusting person he had ever met.
Hijakata didn't want to be a hypocrite. He didn't like being like that. However, he was not one to cling to blind ideals. To avenge and liberate his comrades snatched away by a cursed fate, he had no choice but to team up with the man.
"The plan to seal Gojo Satoru had to meet several conditions. One is getting rid of the obstacles during the process. You said Tsukumo Yuki and Okkotsu Yuta are currently overseas, so Hiratsuka Shizuka is the only pest left."
Hearing Hijikata's narrative, Geto remained silent while wearing a serious expression. He didn't want to reply to those words because he knew Hijikata hadn't completed his issue.
"Then, what about Hikigaya Hachiman? You plan to pit Hiratsuka and her group against the Japanese Jujutsu Association. Will it work? With Hikigaya Hachiman's current level, do you think the association will take the bait you laid?"
Geto began to understand where Hijikata's worries lay. Indeed, even he was pretty surprised by Hachiman's significant development.
"Doesn't matter. Hikigaya-kun may have entered the realm of special-grade sorcerers. However, he still has some weaknesses that can be exploited. Well, maybe a minor detail about my plan should be revised."
"So?"
"Humans are arrogant creatures. When humans gain strength, they think they can endure everything alone. How ridiculous, isn't it?" Geto replied with a light laugh, "Hikigaya-kun is no different. If something starts to eat away his surroundings, he will unconsciously place himself as a sacrifice, become a social hammer, then try to bear it all alone."
Hijikata didn't make a single sound. He glared at the man with the stitches on his forehead. The vengeful spirit was trying to find the connections in the words he had just heard. And after a few seconds of silence, Hijikata opened his mouth.
"And how can you be so sure about him?"
Geto once again smiled at the question. He probably would have replied with a smooth lie if this was his usual self. However, Hijikata once correctly guessed that this talking Geto Suguru was nothing more than a shell. The Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi was one of only two beings who realised the figure behind Geto's body.
Because of that, Geto—or something that possessed him—decided to answer as it was.
"Because this body once fought and beat that boy. Those who crave power tend to look for achievements to confirm their existence. Hikigaya Hachiman and Zen'in Maki are bright kids who know their limits. However, they refused and instead of taking Okkotsu Yuta away. They challenged Geto Suguru and ended in misery."
Not stopping there, he continued.
"Besides, at the abandoned tunnel incident that dragged Yukinoshita Haruno, why did he prefer to tell Zen'in Maki his plan? Though, he could have contacted Satoru or Hiratsuka."
Hijikata snorted, hearing Geto start a riddle. He didn't dislike it. On the contrary, with some riddles like this, he could keep his mind sharp. It's just that sometimes he didn't like how his interlocutor was too wordy. However, above all, Hijikata Toshizo decided to answer.
"Wasn't that because he only acted out of concern for Yukinoshita Haruno? He had no concrete proof of his suspicion. It could have been a false alarm if he had told them."
Geto smiled faintly at that. He could understand why Hijikata thought that way. Given his high-ranking officer and tactician background, he would only send out his best troops if the information was confirmed. However, Hijikata forgot that the military world differed greatly from the jujutsu society. Or instead, if he had to compare, the world of jujutsu was more like a spy's life.
"For sorcerers, whether the information is true or false doesn't matter. Although the source is unclear, they will move to verify it. Because if they wait for factual information, they are just waiting for victims. Jujutsu sorcerers are not soldiers who only make a move based on truthful information. They are spies assigned to check the validity of information and executors who will act directly on the information they have validated."
Even though there were many incidents where the victim had occurred before the sorcerers acted in practice, that didn't mean what Geto said was wrong. The incidents where the association reacted late were because they were short of people. The number of jujutsu sorcerers in Japan was at least less than 2,500. With only that many in charge of a country the size of Japan, it wasn't surprising many incidents escaped their notice.
Hijikata, who was listening to Geto's words, understood the meaning of those. However, he didn't want to jump to conclusions. He preferred to wait for Geto to finish his entire explanation.
"Hikigaya Hachiman has greatly improved after killing Quanxi, likewise Zen'in Maki, who had just completed the special training Satoru gave. With those feelings growing, it wasn't surprising that Hikigaya-kun wanted to challenge himself for accomplishments. The same went for Zen'in-chan, so she accepted his offer at the abandoned tunnel incident."
Even after receiving such information, Hijikata still couldn't predict where this conversation would lead. The vengeful spirit pinched his chin while closing his only remaining eye. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find the answer.
"I give up. What exactly do you want to aim for?" asked Hijikata with a snort.
Geto did not immediately answer the question. The man raised his right hand while striking a 'peace' pose.
"Because of Hikigaya-kun's development, there are two things we have to do in a structured manner to get rid of Hiratsuka."
Hijikata clenched his jaw. He listened carefully as Geto began to touch on the substance of their plan.
"Let's get this straight first. I don't care whether Hiratsuka dies or not. One thing is for sure, as long as she can't take action in Shibuya, my objective is fulfilled."
Hijikata nodded. He already knew that much and the outline of the plan. With a deep voice, he spat out the words to confirm.
"And to do that, we're going to take advantage of the momentum Mahito created after he managed to turn Yukinoshita Haruno into a sorcerer, right? Creating a similar phenomenon in Hiratsuka's surroundings would give off the impression of 'structured coincidence' so the association would suspect her and turn them against each other?"
Geto nodded, confirming that statement. However, Hijikata still needed to finish his words.
"However, Hikigaya Hachiman's rapid development will make it difficult for us to launch an action in Chiba. Getting around someone of Hiratsuka's calibre alone would be difficult and even more complicated with Hikigaya Hachiman's current capacity. So, what's your solution, Geto?"
"Like I said, Hikigaya-kun is in a period where he will try to bear it all on his own, even if he has to be the social hammer. That is his biggest weakness right now. And we will take advantage of that by making him busy with the assassins we will send."
Hijikata furrowed his brows at that statement.
"You want to kill him?"
However, Geto only answered this question with a slow shake of his head.
"Not him, but his sister, Hikigaya Komachi."
"Hikigaya Komachi? Who? Such a motive will only serve to our detriment if she is irrelevant."
"Of course, she is relevant," Geto replied casually, "Before the Gojo Clan gave refuge to the Hikigaya family, the other two clans shared the same interest in her cursed technique and attempted to win Komachi-chan over to their side in various ways. Offering some money and a radical way they did. In fact, after the Hyakki Yakou incident, the association paid special attention to that girl because they were afraid that she might end up like this Geto Suguru."
Hijikata frowned for a moment when he heard his words. It sounded odd when the man referred to himself as an object. However, Hijikata also knew that the figure of Geto Suguru before him was nothing more than a shell. In addition, the unknown facts that he heard also piqued his curiosity a little.
"Then, what made her get so much attention like that? Is her cursed technique so special?" asked Hijikata.
"Your Shikigami came to watch the incident at the Chiba Folk Museum, right? If you remember a girl who can control cursed spirits, that's Hikigaya Komachi."
Hijikata covered his mouth using his right palm while making a thinking pose. The entire sequence of events was still firmly imprinted in his mind without missing a tiny detail. And if indeed the information about Hikigaya Komachi's power was accurate, it meant that the girl was one of the obstacles that must be removed.
As if knowing Hijikata's thoughts, Geto answered without the need for the cursed spirit to ask a single question.
"Exactly. She might be a hindrance in the future. So, if we managed to kill Hikigaya Komachi, that would be our bonus. However, even if it doesn't work, it doesn't matter as long as we eliminate all the potential obstacles for our plan in Shibuya."
Hijikata couldn't help but agree. It was true there were many obstacles before their eyes that must be removed for the benefit of their respective plans. However, rushing into doing so was not a wise choice. They must do gradually everything. And eliminating the biggest nuisance should be a priority for now.
"So, you want to take advantage of the tension between the Hikigaya family, the association, and the two great clans by sending assassins to Hikigaya Komachi? That way, it would look as if people in Kyoto wanted to rekindle the flames of enmity with the Hikigaya family. As such, it will keep Hikigaya in check? And that will open up a hole for us to take action in Chiba?"
Geto nodded with satisfaction because his interlocutor could catch what he was thinking so well. However, the man knew that the cursed spirit still had one question. And just like what he was thinking, Hijikata threw that question at the long-haired man.
"How do you make the assassins we're about to send appear to be the doings of the people in Kyoto?"
"Did I say that we would send the assassins?" asked Geto back with a sly grin, "It's not us who will send, but the association themself will."
Geto paused for a moment. He purposely saw the reaction of the cursed spirit. When he saw his curious look, he felt a certain sense of satisfaction.
"Today, Yukinoshita Haruno, accompanied by several sorcerers, including Hikigaya-kun, will depart for Kyoto. At the same time, the development of Hikigaya-kun, who deserves the title of the special grade, will be the momentum for the rise of the Hikigaya family. If we drive it properly, we can take advantage of it without getting our hands dirty."
While saying that, Hijikata clearly felt the black fog behind the man's friendly smile. Hijikata understood that the man was not a random figure, considering the thing that possessed Geto was a thousand-year-old creature. However, the chills tormenting him right now weren't because the intensity the man was displaying overwhelmed him. He shivered at his ability to conduct an orchestra that made the world play at the rhythm of his hand.
Hijikata reflexively clenched his jaw. He tried to hold back his desire to part ways with the man. More than anyone else, he knew he was one of the instruments moving at his will. However, his desire to bring punishment to the new government and sorcerers for what they did to his comrades in the Boshin War kept him in the game Geto set.
Even after rising from the dead and gaining this much power, Hijikata cursed his inability to stand on his own feet and avenge himself with his hands.
'If it weren't for the existence of Gojo Satoru, I wouldn't be willing to become his puppet,' he thought.
Meanwhile, Geto Suguru—or at least the one who possessed him—was aware of the mood swings that occurred to his interlocutor. Even though he couldn't read other people's minds, he could at least grasp their changing reactions based on the thousands of years of experience he lived through.
If it wasn't for Hijikata, Geto probably wouldn't care about the details in his expression. However, Hijikata was an essential pawn in his plans. Although vengeful spirits generally arise with the ego controlling it, Hijikata Toshizo could control the ego and act on rationality. He, who could maintain his sense and proliferate even though he hadn't reached his final evolution, made Geto want to keep Hijikata by his side until the cursed spirit evolved perfectly. Until then, he wanted to devour Hijikata for his own sake.
That's why Geto had always given special care to Hijikata so far. He gradually filled Hijikata's grudge with things that could fuel his ego. Only with his ego fuelled beyond his intelligence could protect Hijikata's mind. Geto did it by continuing to give the cursed spirit a purpose so that he would continue to thirst for revenge.
And under these circumstances, where Hijikata was starting to question their working relationship, that was just what Geto would do to keep Hijikata on track.
"Speaking of Hikigaya Komachi, I think you can start your revenge by killing that little girl."
"What do you mean?" asked Hijikata.
"She is a descendant of Abe no Seimei. Even her cursed technique is the same as his. You know, it makes Hikigaya Komachi like the reincarnation of Abe no Seimei himself."
Hijikata found no correlation between that information and his revenge. Geto, of course, realised and continued his words again.
"Since the end of Nara period, sorcerers mostly were belonged to the feudal lords or being a lone wolf. However, Abe no Seimei was the one who first gathered sorcerers into an organisation under the same banner and forged a close relationship with the Empire. The laws used by the association are also adaptations of Seimei's organisation. In other words, Seimei is the forerunner of the association and the entire system they used until now."
Hijikata began to understand the man's intentions. And just hearing it made his blood boil. But Geto didn't stop there. He wouldn't pass up this opportunity to pour oil on Hijikata's vengeful fire.
"The alliance of sorcerers as an organisation with the Empire of Japan was started by Abe no Seimei. Because of that, the practice of corruption, manipulation, sabotage, and much more started massively in that era. Now, just imagine if Abe no Seimei had not founded the organisation and established contact with the emperor then. It's possible that the troops in the name of Emperor Meiji would never use cursed tools to suppress your forces in Hakodate, right?"
Geto was trying hard to hide the wide grin on his face when he felt the massive cursed energy leaking from Hijikata's body. The phenomenon he witnessed was proof that he managed to cram food into Hijikata, that hungry for revenge. And in closing, Geto gave the cursed spirit a final push.
"Considering Hikigaya Komachi isn't enrolled in the jujutsu school yet, she probably won't be on the Shibuya on Halloween night. However, it wasn't a difficult to arrange for her to present in Shibuya."
Geto paused to stare at the artificial sky within Dagon's domain.
"That said, after sealing Gojo Satoru, I will present Hikigaya Komachi to you to lift the curtain on your revenge against this country, Hijikata. On Halloween night, kill Hikigaya Komachi and show your terror to this land that betrayed your merits."
—OoOoO—
You wouldn't find the hustle and bustle of the city in the morning here. You wouldn't feel the crowds competing to start the day in this remote place. You would never have peace and comfort in the morning if it trapped your life in the selectiveness of a metropolitan area. Overall, you didn't have to worry about blasphemy caused by a minor problem on this incredible mountain.
The Metropolitan would always be a den for predators of life. The overcrowded city gave no mercy to the slow-footed. The Metropolitan was a cruel place, where the main stage only belonged for those good at acting and adapting.
This girl was a person who deserved to be called one of the main actors in life. She was a girl blessed and loved by the Gods. She was gifted with beauty, intelligence, courage, and wealth.
Her beauty made her always the centre of attention wherever she was. Her intelligence confirmed that she would always be special no matter the circumstances. Her courage allowed the girl to go as far as she wanted. Meanwhile, her wealth ensured that luck would always be in her hands.
That said, she was the perfect image to describe the world that always revolved around her.
Yukinoshita Haruno, that was her name. She was very used to being the main character in the ferocity of life. She was used to seeing others squeezing blood and sweat just to be where she stepped in. She had also become immune to the sweet words chanted by those seeking shortcuts.
She was a princess, but now confronted with a world where all her worldly talents were seen as mere objects.
Was she disappointed because she apparently wasn't the main character all this time? No, not at all. On the contrary, Haruno couldn't describe the feeling welling up in her heart.
For the umpteenth time, the girl looked up at the sky. And for the umpteenth time, she realised she was under a different view of the sky.
"What are you doing, Haruno?"
The girl was snapped out of her reverie when she heard the deep voice of a mature woman. She turned around briefly to check on the owner of the voice. However, only a few seconds later, she returned her gaze to the sky again.
"The sky is completely different. Is this the so-called Barrier Technique, Shizuka-chan?" she asked.
When she said 'the sky is different', that was not a metaphor of speech, but a literal meaning. Haruno could feel and imagine the incredible morning sky in this remote place. However, simultaneously, her eyes caught a transparent light blue that seemed to be a partition separating heaven and earth. As far as Haruno was looking at the horizon, the transparent soft blue chamber appeared to have no end. And that was what caught Haruno's attention.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, Haruno's conversation partner and former teacher, looked up at the same sky. Her plain maroon t-shirt and dark green jogger pants swayed slightly with the wind.
"That's how it is. Generally, the type of barrier often used in this situation is Curtain. However, because my cursed technique is specifically a Barrier Technique, I developed my own barrier with a different approach from what they taught for thousands of years."
The barrier was basically the same as a shikigami, where all sorcerers could create it even if they didn't inherit the cursed technique. However, the difference between those possessing cursed techniques, specifically a Barrier Technique like Hiratsuka or a shikigami-oriented technique like Megumi's Ten Shadows, was undoubtedly a difference, like earth and heaven.
It said that Hiratsuka's knowledge of the Barrier Technique was equivalent to thousands of years of experience. In other words, those who didn't possess the Barrier Technique would need at least thousands of years to reach Hiratsuka's level. Unfortunately, humans couldn't live that long without certain tricks or techniques. Because of that, Hiratsuka's existence as the second user of the Barrier Technique after Tengen became one of the crucial pillars in modern jujutsu society.
"The spell name's Intercurrent Barrier. In short, its function is the same as a barrier that protects two jujutsu schools. However, because I use the five foundations, my barrier is more flexible than what has been used."
"Would it be fine to tell me?" Haruno asked.
Even though it had only been a day since she had woken up, Haruno had already learned a lot about the fundamentals of jujutsu sorcery. Besides Cursed Energy Reinforcement as a theoretical basis, Hachiman told Haruno to study how common sense in the world of jujutsu worked.
She learned cursed techniques were the insurance for jujutsu sorcerers. Because of that, they always tried to keep their cursed techniques secret. In fact, both Hachiman and Hiratsuka had told Haruno not to tell them anything about her cursed technique, though they had accompanied her since she encountered the Alter inside her.
"Even though I'm a civil servant, I'm quite a famous sorcerer, you know?" replied Hiratsuka nonchalantly as she shrugged, "Intercurrent Barrier is my basic spell, and many people already know about it."
"Wow, that's a bold declaration for someone telling me to be careful."
"Well, this is what life is like. As long as you are strong, you will survive."
Haruno nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Hiratsuka only glanced at the girl briefly and then walked ahead.
"Come on. They have been waiting," said Hiratsuka.
Haruno did a little jog until her pace matched Hiratsuka's. And just as she caught up and walked beside the mature woman, Haruno continued their conversation.
"Did you create this barrier because of last night's event?"
Hiratsuka didn't stop in her tracks and only glanced at Haruno before she looked straight ahead again.
"You knew it?"
"I was outside the room, so there's no way I wouldn't know. In fact, I saw several people hurrying away, including you, Maki-chan, and… a panda?"
Haruno wasn't sure about the last word she said. Last night was dark so she might just saw it wrong.
'It wasn't a cursed spirit, but a panda. Is it possible for a panda to move like that? Dang, this world really drove me crazy time by time.'
Forget about the panda in question. It would never erase the event Haruno witnessed last night from her memory. Even though the distance was practically far away, she could see a meteor that suddenly appeared from nothing and hit the ground. Not long after, a large explosion accompanied by a white light illuminated the dark night around the scene.
Haruno knew it wasn't a random phenomenon. Even she, who hadn't learned Cursed Energy Tracking yet, could sense the terrifying cursed energy from where the two incidents had occurred.
Hiratsuka just sighed softly. She didn't even feel surprised to hear Haruno knew about it. If she already knew that much, hiding such information would be meaningless. Besides, it was the right time to introduce Haruno further to this world.
"The boards of Tokyo Jujutsu Tech are concerned about an infiltration like last year. That's why they asked me to build this barrier. Apart from concealing the damage caused by last night's battle, it is also to detect if any intruders have entered the mountainous area that surrounds the campus."
"Wow, doesn't that drain cursed energy from maintaining such a large barrier?" Haruno asked in awe.
"Well, not really. Building a barrier is the same as building a building. To build it, you need labours and electricity to move heavy equipment. However, if the building is finished, all you need to do is routine maintenance so that the building doesn't collapse. Barriers are like that too. All I did was build. Not maintenance it. And I don't even care if the barrier collapses at this second."
Hiratsuka was famous for having abundant reserves of cursed energy, though not as much as Okkotsu Yuta. However, this woman was the second-best energy efficiency after Satoru. Because of that, constructing a gigantic barrier would be relatively easy. Instead, the problem was that she required high concentration, which irritated her a bit.
Hiratsuka paused for a moment while looking up at the sky.
"Unless they pay a high price for my services, I don't care about the fate of the barrier I built," Hiratsuka continued.
"That's very materialistic for you. Though, I do agree. In the end, it's still all about business, right?"
"Exactly. I didn't teach you to be a money-oriented asshole. However, if you want to extend your hand for free, do it to the right person. And you should note the association is not the right group to receive assistance for free. Moreover, they have a lot money than you can imagine."
Haruno nodded in understanding. Nor did she think that an organisation that had that much privilege was a place short of money. In fact, the Japanese Jujutsu Association was an underground group, which was automatically illegal but had many strong connections to various parties, even to the government. Which meant the Japanese Jujutsu Association was the safest place for money laundering in the country.
"By the way, what exactly happened last night? Are such attacks normal in the jujutsu world?" she asked.
"Nah. Jujutsu sorcerers favoured effective methods. However, what happened last night was a high-level battle near the mountain foot. Gojo-san and Hikigaya were attacked by a disaster class cursed spirit."
"What? seriously?" Haruno asked with her eyebrows raised.
Hiratsuka just nodded slowly in response.
Haruno had already been told about the various classifications used to measure the cursed spirit power level. Simply put, a special grade was a high-level cursed spirit that required at least one or two first-grade sorcerers to exorcise it. However, among the special grade cursed spirits, the association still grouped some cursed spirits with powers above ordinary special grades. That was what they called the disaster class.
Disaster classes were generally created because of human fear of natural disasters. Because of that, the cursed spirit could scorch a city easily if it wasn't taken care of immediately. Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirits, which were born from human imaginations of mythology, and Vengeful Cursed Spirits also had the potential to reach the disaster class. In fact, the Big Three Vengeful Spirit of Japan once wreaked terror across this country. Kyuubi no Kitsune also created many disasters when it appeared.
To defeat a disaster-level cursed spirit, a batch of first-grade sorcerers wouldn't be enough if none possessed an anti-domain system. Therefore, special-grade sorcerers were people who were expected to be able to exterminate them easily.
"Was Hikigaya-kun alright?" asked Haruno worriedly, "I understand that Gojo Satoru, who is said to be the strongest, should be able to handle it. But I was worried because Hikigaya-kun was there."
Hiratsuka smiled at the question. She sometimes felt uncomfortable when she heard parents constantly brag about their children. However, for this moment, Hiratsuka thought she understood those parents' feelings.
"Don't worry. Hikigaya is my pupil. He's stronger than you think. Actually, Gojo-san handed the exorcism over to him, so all the credit goes to that brat. In fact, the enormous explosion that was accompanied by a white light and ended with a mushroom cloud was Hikigaya's work."
"Eh? Really? So, Hikigaya-kun single-handedly exorcised a disaster-class cursed spirit?"
Hiratsuka once again nodded vigorously with a proud smile.
"Of course. Hikigaya is my pupil, after all."
"Well, it's not like I underestimated Hikigaya-kun. However, when he and Maki-chan had a hard time fighting against the cursed spirit that turned me into a sorcerer, it made me think he didn't stand a chance when encountering a disaster class."
Hiratsuka understood where Haruno's worries lay. Haruno's first experience in the world of jujutsu was encountering an extremely dangerous cursed spirit, so it must have left a scar whenever she heard of the 'disaster class'.
"In jujutsu fight, cursed techniques play a significant role. No matter how strong you are, if your opponent's technique is your worst matchup, it will be a tough fight. The cursed spirit that kidnapped you back then was literally the worst opponent for anyone."
"This place has a lot of uncertainty, huh?"
"That's how it is. That said, speed in processing information becomes essential in battle besides fighting ability."
The two continued to chat the entire way through the Tokyo Jujutsu Tech building. Even so, Haruno's questions dominated the conversation. However, several times, they didn't just talk about jujutsu sorcery. Hiratsuka and Haruno occasionally exchange stories about their past when Haruno was still a high schooler and Hiratsuka became her teacher.
On their way, some of the passing staff would greet them, or instead greet Hiratsuka. From those scenes, Haruno deduced Hiratsuka indeed play an essential role in jujutsu society.
Tokyo Jujutsu Tech had a vast building complex. Rather than a vocational school, this place was more like a university building with complete facilities. Haruno had learned that this place was one of the two headquarters of the Japanese Jujutsu Association. Because of that, it took at least 10 minutes from where she was staying to the entrance gate.
Regarding where she stayed, they provided Haruno with a particular building separated from the main buildings. At first, she thought it would be like a prison or something. However, the building was a liveable place, even for people with questionable status.
From what she heard, one of the greatest sorcerers of this era, Okkotsu Yuta, was once stationed in the building she stayed when he was brought to Tokyo Jujutsu Tech before being transferred to the dormitory.
Ten minutes had passed, and the women finally arrived at the gate. There were already five people waiting. Four of them were familiar faces to Haruno. While the remaining one was a woman, she met for the first time. Starting from the ones Haruno knew, it was Hikigaya Hachiman who stood on the far left, followed by Zen'in Maki on his right, Ieiri Shoko, who was in charge of the health facility. Lastly, it was the person who made Haruno feel calmer just by looking at him.
Haruno was raised in the manner of a noble daughter, so she was required not to show any weakness that tarnished the family's name. Therefore, when she saw that grown man, Haruno couldn't rush at him even if she wanted to.
However, the man paid no heed to etiquette at all. Apart from the fact that no paparazzi were stalking him, he knew that the girl before him was in a very fragile state even though she looked stern from the outside. As such, the man took the initiative to dart towards Haruno and hug the girl to his chest.
"Haruno, my daughter. I'm sorry I was not by your side when you woke up," he said as he hugged Haruno tightly.
Haruno briefly felt some tension in his body, but it didn't last long as he slowly relaxed. Only after that did the girl return the grown man's tight hug.
"I'm fine, father. Many people have helped me here, which makes me very grateful."
Yukinoshita Yukimura, father of Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Yukino. The adult man hugged his daughter tightly, and clear liquids seemed to seep from the corners of his eyes. Those present here understood such a reaction. After all, he was just an ordinary man. He was just a person who was forced to bear the secrets of the dark side of this world just because he occupied a strategic position in the government.
Yukimura knew how dangerous the world of jujutsu was. It was like a nightmare when he heard that a special grade cursed spirit had attacked his daughter. It didn't stop there. His daughter was even turned into a sorcerer. And as a result, she was now charged with being the accomplice of the cursed spirit.
An ordinary person could not endure the misfortunes that befell his daughter. However, seeing how fine Haruno was proved that she was a fantastic woman who was crazy enough to survive in the world of jujutsu.
Haruno let go of his hug. Although reluctantly, Yukimura finally let go and stepped back to give Haruno space. And seeing the reunion was over, the maturest sorcerer in the group clapped her hands for attention.
"I feel bad for interrupting your reunion, but we don't have much time," Ieiri said.
Haruno batted her eyelids a few times at that statement. She understood she had to go to Kyoto to testify. She also knew the people here might be the ones accompanying her. However, she didn't understand why that woman—Ieiri Shoko—was also in this group.
However, before Haruno could ask, Hachiman chuckled first.
"Can't we just go later? Our Shinkansen is still quite long, isn't it?" he said, covering his mouth with the back of his hand and yawning.
'Wow, Hikigaya-kun is much gloomier and lazier than usual. The normal Hikigaya-kun is already like Hiki-negative. Does this mean the one in front of me is Hiki-cubic-negative?'
While Haruno was engrossed in her thoughts, a girl standing by Hachiman's side barked at the boy.
"Don't yawn next to someone, you silly. It's inappropriate."
Hachiman's temples twitched when he had to face Maki for the umpteenth time this morning. He stared at the girl flatly. With a lazy movement, he scratched his ear using his left pinkie. And without warning, Hachiman carelessly rubbed it on Maki's cheek.
It was as if the rope holding her anger was snapped when Hachiman rubbed his pinkie, used to dig gold in his ear, against her beautiful cheek.
"This bastard! I will kill you right here, right now!"
Maki quickly gripped his neck tightly. Her superhuman strength forced Hachiman's drowsiness to suddenly disappear when he had to save himself from her wrath. Due to the significant difference in physical strength, Hachiman was forced to use Cursed Energy Reinforcement on his neck.
'Damn, did this girl's strength get any stronger?'
"You crazy bitch. Get off my collar, you gorilla!" Hachiman barked at Maki.
"Not before I knock out your teeth one by one," replied the girl grumpily.
"You're going to need all day."
"Don't care. And I can do this all day."
Hachiman thought momentarily, looking for another plan to quell Maki's tantrum.
"What about wagashi? … Two packs." Hachiman's irrelevance bargain.
"The one sold in Sasaya?" Maki replied, was also irrelevant.
"Deals?"
Maki was silent for a moment.
"Deal," she replied as she let go of Hachiman's neck.
The boy rubbed his neck slowly. He just hoped it didn't leave a mark.
"Just watch out if you dare to rub your shit on my cheek again."
Hachiman just turned his face to the side in response to the warning. And without everyone noticing, a certain woman looked jealously at the ridiculous fight that ended with just the wagashi.
Speaking of wagashi, it was a Japanese sweet that was generally served with matcha as a dessert. The pure sweet taste of wagashi from red beans, and a touch of brown sugar gave it a distinctive flavour. The sweet was widespread throughout mainland Japan and had many variations, ranging from unique to each region to the most common ones such as mochi, dorayaki, dango, and such.
However, the wagashi sold in Kyoto was very distinctive. Besides the taste that was still authentic because it maintained a traditional flavour, wagashi in Kyoto had menus that vary depending on the season. Wagashi in Kyoto generally had a solid sweet taste in summer, or just pre-summer. That was because people sweat more in summer and tend to lose stamina quickly.
For most people, kyo wagashi—Kyoto wagashi— would be eaten as a side dish. However, Maki and Hachiman have one thing in common. They would never get sick just from eating a lot of sweets. While Hachiman was the type of person who purely liked sweets, Maki was a girl who liked to eat junk food, including snacks with high glucose content, such as kyo wagashi.
Since Hachiman and Maki shared the same frequency when it came to snacking, it was easy for them to make up after they had an overly ridiculous argument like earlier.
"I still don't get it. Why the two of you can have such extraordinary synchronisation in battle even though you are just noisy brats like water and oil," Ieiri complained as she lit her cigarette.
"Well, that's because it's easier to lead an idiot in various situations," Hachiman answered nonchalantly.
"Exactly. And as the note, he's the idiot one," Maki added, pointing at Hachiman with a thumb.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Although they had just made up, they glared at each other again, to the point that it looked like lasers were about to shoot out of their eyes.
Meanwhile, the people who saw the two teenagers' agitation couldn't help but sigh. In fact, a blonde-haired girl who had been standing still only showed a resigned smile.
"Could you brats shut your damn mouths for just one second?"
Hiratsuka's anger, accompanied by an overflow of cursed energy, locked Hachiman's and Maki's mouths. The two of them looked away from each other, but their eyebrows still bent while letting out a 'tsk' sound from their mouths.
Ieiri, who ensured the two crooks wouldn't make a scene again after being scolded by Hiratsuka, looked at Haruno to take over the conversation.
"These two are indeed in charge of your training. However, the ones who'll accompany you to Kyoto are Hikigaya and me."
Haruno nodded and asked, "By the way, what should I do when I get there? I mean, don't we discuss the plan first?"
Ieiri frowned at the question. She then looked at her junior—Hiratsuka—with a questioning look.
"Haruno is Hikigaya and Maki's responsibility," she replied, looking at the two kids, "Didn't you tell Haruno the plan?"
Maki, who was stared at by them, couldn't help but put on a stupid expression.
"I thought Hachiman would explain the plan. I mean, yesterday was the cursed energy learning session he did, right?"
After Maki finished giving her defence, Hachiman was the only person charged for this negligence. He didn't know how to defend himself. Hence, he simply made a 'peace' sign with his fingers, tapped it lightly against his head, and ended with a single word.
"Tee-hee~," he said while sticking out his tongue.
Seeing this reaction, Maki wanted to immediately berate Hachiman. However, her intentions were interrupted when Hiratsuka glared at her, signalling not to start an unnecessary fuss. Meanwhile, Ieiri just sighed. She had expected this to happen.
'Satoru and Hikigaya are complete opposites, but their recklessness regarding these things is remarkably similar. I wonder why,' Ieiri thought.
The woman who had a fake medical license then looked at Haruno.
"Whatever. Get in the car. I'll tell you the details myself during the trip."
Without waiting for a reply, Ieiri immediately walked to the car and was followed by a short blonde-haired woman in a black suit who had been silent. Meanwhile, Hachiman and Haruno looked at each other for a few seconds and nodded. Before they took a step, Haruno took a moment to look back at her father.
"It's time for me to go, father."
Yukinoshita Yukimura nodded curtly and then hugged his daughter.
"When you said your first words, I knew you were special. Even now, you are still like that, and I believe you are what they call a human who is loved by the Gods. So, I believe you will always be able to succeed in whatever path you choose."
Yukimura paused for a moment to return to his following words.
"Don't worry about your studies and family matters. I have prepared an excuse for your absence. I hate my powerlessness in the jujutsu world, and I still have a hard time believing that my daughter would be one of them. However, I have no other choice and will do my utmost for your good to survive in this world."
Haruno smiled slightly, feeling her father's warmth. For her, who was required to be an adult, even since childhood, this moment when she could receive attention like a child was priceless.
"Don't do it, please. You know, I never had any interest in becoming the family's heiress. Yukino-chan is more suitable if you see how cute she is when she tries to stack up with me. However, starting from here is a path that I chose for myself. This is a world where my name, position, knowledge, and talent don't have much meaning. This is a place where I can try everything from scratch as Haruno… just a Haruno."
It was a selfish request and weighed heavily on the middle-aged man's heart. Yukinoshita Yukimura didn't mind if Haruno wanted to try something new. However, just letting her go into a world filled with curses was something else.
The father of two let go of his daughter and looked at the pair of violet irises deeply.
"I understand. However, I will provide you with reasonable assistance. If you don't need it, consider it insurance if things go awry."
Haruno nodded in understanding. She understood it was a legitimate concern and that much help would be appreciated. However, as her father had said, it was only insurance.
Seeing no resistance from his daughter, he turned his gaze to the only boy in the group.
"Hikigaya-kun, I know this isn't an easy request. However, please take care of Haruno," he said while bowing.
"I'll try," replied Hachiman.
After they finished exchanging words, Hachiman and Haruno stepped into a sedan whose engine had been warmed up by the side of the road. And from here, the curtain on Haruno's journey in the jujutsu society was officially lifted.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: since this is only the afterwards chapter, there isn't much I want to say. However, I will summarize this entire arc in some paragraphs.
Yukinoshita Haruno was turned into a sorcerer by Mahito. thanks to Hachiman and Maki's quick actions, and Satoru's decision to bring her to the Tokyo HQ. Haruno obtains a cursed technique in the form of a unique shikigami, which completely resembles herself, except for a few physical traits. The cursed technique has an independent consciousness, but still acknowledges Haruno as her master. this uniqueness makes her energy pool divided into two, the positive energy is in her while the negative energy in her shikigami. But overall those are her own energy. Because of the cursed technique that made it seem she had a different side with a different charge, Haruno named her cursed technique (or his shikigami) alter or anti-Haruno like in anti-matter.
Though not shown, Hachiman is terrified by Mahito's power. To be more precise, he was afraid that he would even be touched by him. However, it was fear that pushed him forward. that fear allowed him to successfully give another form to his technique, partially activate the Cursed Technique Reversal. That allowed him to activate the superposition technique on certain body parts at will. It made it seem like something that hit him just passed right through his body. In addition, Hachiman successfully answered Hiratsuka's challenge, which asked him to utilise the surrounding hydrogen atoms to construct new technique through his superposition spell. Deuterium Cat is the name. Drawing on Satoru's Red as inspiration, Hachiman attracts hydrogen atoms around him when he is in a superposition state. Apart from producing a big explosion, Hachiman's technique also utilises fusion reactions that are created naturally through a quantum tunneling process. In other words, it's like a 1 kg hydrogen bomb, but only fusion reactions, no fission reactions. so that the radiation created doesn't permanently damage the environment.
Hachiman's Domain Expansion (DE) name is Spooky Action At A Distance. Although the name was inspired by Einstein's remark about quantum entanglement, the way it works is different. Instead of creating two atoms that are entangled and then linked to each other, Hachiman's DE effect makes the target "know" the pain through environmental effects, and then creates an illusion in the brain that the pain is multiplied many times over. Jogo was the first target that Hachiman killed using his DE. Jogo's death will change the map in Shibuya, but I promise it won't diminish Shibuya's spectacularity.
last but not least, Geto and the gangs have set a new target. Their goal of removing obstacles remains the same. They still regard Hiratsuka as the main nuisance in Japan to seal Satoru. And Hachiman's sharpness was a hindrance for them to get rid of her. However, having a direct confrontation was foolish for them. Because of that, they will plot to kill Hikigaya Komachi to divert Hachiman's attention.
That's all from me. Please support me by subscribe me on "patre0n.-com-/-akadaka" (please replace "0" to "o", and remove the "-". Once again, sorry for the inconveniences because this site blocked the word and I can't provide the link). I won't force you and I'm still continuing the story although you don't subscribe me. But it'll help me a lot if you willing to click subscribe button on my paare0n. Anyway, See you and stay safe.