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CHAPTER START---
"Love and gratitude?" Kusakabe asks, giving Taiyo a confused look. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you a Buddha or something?"
"Nah, I'm not that nice," Taiyo admits. "It's a bit complicated, but, it's why I was so determined to compete at the highest level, to win at the highest level."
"Well, uncomplicate it," Kusakabe says as he reaches into the cooler and grabs a can of black coffee.
Taiyo takes a moment to gather his thoughts, never really having to put this into words before, then reveals his heart to his teacher.
"When I was eleven, I was at an international Archery competition, over in Kyoto, one of my…well, I suppose he was a rival in his mind. In my mind, he wasn't even a thought," Taiyo says. "He'd always been on the podium with me for as long as I could remember, but I was always first. He was always one or two steps lower.
But that year we both got to the finals for our age group. It was between the two of us, three arrows left, and we both made perfect shots.
Then, on the next shot, his bow malfunctions, and his arrow doesn't even hit the target.
Since I never really miss in contests, it was obvious I'd win, but instead—"
"—You intentionally gave up one arrow, to keep it even," Kusakabe says. "Yeah, I read about that when Yaga told me I'd be teaching you. That's the show of sportsmanship that made you famous, right?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't for sportsmanship at first. I was just bored with Archery, with always winning. Figured that would make things a bit exciting at least, but it really didn't."
"Then where does the 'love and gratitude' come in?"
"On the podium, he smiled at me, for the first time. He looked up at me, and smiled, because I was the best competition he'd ever had, and even if he never won, I was always fair.
It felt like there was a glass wall between myself and everyone who wanted to reach me, and everyone who tried to reach me. That feeling… that feeling, is love to me. And when I respond by giving them a fair shot, and giving it everything I have, that's the gratitude we both share.
Getting to the Olympics was the height of that. The entire world on the other side of the glass, that kind of love is unmatched. And in the world of Jujutsu, only Satoru Gojo knows that kind of love."
Kusakabe scoffs, "You Special Grades are weirdos."
"Normal people don't reach the top, in anything."
"True, but I don't think Gojo feels love, for him, standing alone on the other side of the glass… it's lonely," Kusakabe says. "That's probably why he's curious about how strong you'll become, so he won't be alone at the top anymore."
"Huh, but why would I share the love?" Taiyo asks. "I want everyone looking up at me, not at 'us'."
"Don't you mean looking up 'to' you?"
"Nah, I don't care what they think about me personally, only their perspective in the realm of competition," Taiyo says with a disappointed sigh. "Too bad the Jujutsu world is so small, and now, I just see the Olympics as some kind of sick joke. They're trying so hard, but someone like you could beat every record with your eyes closed."
"So you won't be competing in the next one?"
"I never said that," Taiyo rubs the back of his neck as he gets up. "People are spending a lot of time training to challenge me. I must take their love and allow them gratitude. It's part of being the best in any competition."
"You know, being the top in Jujutsu means a lot of people will be aiming at your neck."
"Does Gojo have that problem?"
"Nah, because he's Satoru Gojo. Everyone knows better."
Taiyo shrugs. "Then I'll just have to get even stronger."
Kusakabe gets up, chuckling at his student's absurd aspirations.
Walking over to the river, he crouches beside it and places his hand above the water, palm down.
"First, let's get your understanding of the basics at a passable level," he says as Taiyo joins him by the river. "Your internal flowing of Cursed Energy determines your efficiency in Enhancement, Reinforcement, and Sensing. Jujutsu Sorcerers need to sense before they see, so now we just need you to get your ability to sense Cursed Energy to be passive."
"How efficient would you say I am?"
"With a bit more work, you'd be able to fight a Grade 1 Sorcerer like me, since your pool of Cursed Energy is an ocean, compared to us having a cup."
"And Gojo's?"
"He has a lake, but it refills faster than he drains it because of how efficient his Six Eyes makes him, so it's basically unlimited," Kusakabe says. "Only his Domain Expansion could really make a dent in it, but nobody can survive that, anyway."
"I see, and what's the next lesson?" Taiyo asks.
"Projecting Cursed Energy," Kusakabe cloaks his hand in Cursed Energy, then touches and presses it to the surface of the water, pushing the water down. "This is super advanced, but you can walk on water and other surfaces by projecting Cursed Energy between your body and the water, then visualize it pushing up against your body instead of pushing down against the water."
Kusakabe then stops and takes a deep breath, shaking his head.
"It takes a lot of concentration, and any wrong move and you fall in, so nobody really does this, and only a few people who know about this can even do it for more than one step."
"So, is this the best way to train Cursed Energy control?"
"External control, yes. And since your Innate Technique is basically laser beams, it should help you improve a lot."
"How good is Gojo at this?"
Kusakabe gets up and places his sword atop the cooler, then gets ready for a spar. "Gojo…that monster could probably run from here to America across the ocean, without missing a single step along the way."
"Seriously?" Taiyo asks, astonished.
"Well, he may just have such good control that he can run on the air itself, it's really impossible to tell with something like him."
Taiyo moves the stand opposite Kusakabe and raises his fists, "Every time one of you speaks about him like that, I just get more excited for our fights," he says while rushing in, beginning another long day of combat.
---9 Hours Later…
Standing in an open clearing, Taiyo is drenched in sweat and covered in shallow cuts and bruises, rolling a few small rocks in his hand.
Across from him is Atsuya Kusakabe, in a similar state, holding a traditional Japanese longbow with five arrows knocked.
"I'm ready when you are!" Kusakabe yells from across the field.
Taiyo nods and envelops the small rocks in Cursed Energy, focusing on flowing the energy around them to reinforce them to, making them as hard as steel.
A moment later he throws them all into the air, revealing six rocks cloaked in Cursed Energy spreading a dozen meters above him as they keep ascending.
In response, Kusakabe raises the bows and draws back the string, five arrows ready. He cloaks them in his Cursed Energy and fires.
The arrows soar through the air and shatter the rocks with ease before they curve into a wide arc.
The speed at which they move is almost too fast for Taiyo to track, and faster than even a bullet.
The arrows all curve into a wide arc and fly back to Kusakabe.
Four of them land at his feet, piercing the ground and burying themselves entirely, while the fifth is caught by him and fired again, piercing the sixth rock before punching through multiple trees at the far end of the clearing.
All before any of the rocks could hit the floor.
Kusakabe quickly rips the arrows out of the ground as he turns and begins walking back to the main campus buildings.
Taiyo falls into step beside him after going back for the cooler and Katana, along with all their clothes.
"That was insane," Taiyo says. "How'd you make the arrows curve like that?"
"Programming Cursed Energy to do simple things like that is pretty easy, just an advanced application of enhancement and reinforcement," Kusakabe says. "In a few weeks, we'll start working on Simple Domain, after we get past the basics of your Innate Technique."
"Simple Domain…I'll have to figure out how to program it like your New Shadow Style: Simple Domain. That'll be a pain in the ass."
"Yeah, well, I can't help you with that," Kusakabe says. "But you're pretty talented, and you work hard, so I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Yeah, but that trick with the arrows really makes me wonder what would happen if someone like an Olympic sprinter got Cursed Energy."
"Well, there is a human body limit," Kusakabe says. "Your physical build matters. Think of it as the base number, and Cursed Energy can be used to multiply it, but both numbers have a natural limit. You can't increase your body past a certain point. Nanami, Mei Mei, and I have all reached that limit."
"Yeah, but if someone with a better base number got Cursed Energy."
"Then you'd get someone like Gojo," Kusakabe says. "He's about as good as it gets, as usual. Since 99% of Cursed Energy users are Japanese, well, there is that one tribe in Kenya…"
"Racist."
"Tch, you're the one who brought up running," Kusakabe says.
"Why is Cursed Energy mostly in Japan, anyway?"
Kusakabe shrugs, "Nobody knows the origin of Cursed Energy, but my guess is some ancient cult made a deal with some otherworldly demon or devil, which is what Jujutsu actually is. Since in most depictions, the devil is a contract maker, and Jujutsu is built upon the existence of Binding Vows."
"Or aliens landed in Japan a few thousand years ago."
"Don't be silly."
"Says the man with invisible magic superpowers."
"Well, when you put it like that…I guess anything is possible," Kusakabe says. "Hey, I need to head out for a few days to deal with some things, so just practice what I've been teaching you so far, alright?"
"Got it, and I'll probably practice flowing my heat into objects too, since that should be fine."
"Yeah, and I'll send you the details for your uniform tonight."
"Gah, do I at least get to change the colors?" Taiyo asks. "I have some brands I'm supposed to wear. I'd rather not lose out on easy money like that."
"Sure, it's really only done so we can more easily spot each other in battle, but you'll be pretty famous in the Jujutsu world the instant the school year begins, so that won't be a problem. It also helps us pretend to be an ordinary school when we're trying to cover up our activity, but you're so recognizable that won't be much help. In fact, people would only try to learn more if you told them you're from this school and wore the uniform."
"No wonder Jujutsu Headquarters doesn't like that I'm in the public light so much," Taiyo says with a mischievous smile. "Too bad they don't matter to me."
"Just try not to get me killed by proximity," Kusakabe says.
"Between Gojo and I, you'll be fine, plus, that's more motivation to teach me the best way you can."
"Tch, you Special Grades are always such a pain in the ass…"
END CHAPTER---
Discord: discord .gg /eHuxNeZfyS [Come chat with me]
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene [Read ahead & support me]
You.tube: @KeanuEugene [Giving away all my writing knowledge]