Chapter 14: Two Years Passed in a Flash
After using his "evil cultivation method" to help Akako pull out her cursed energy and get a basic handle on controlling that power inside her, Gojo Satoru moved his teaching into the next phase.
"Alright, up next is training for control and stability."
Before his words even fully settled, a large group of identical cursed corpses poured out from behind him, every single one sporting Kyubey's face. They stared in unison with innocent big red eyes, enough to spike the blood pressure of anyone who hated Kyubey.
Akako's face was written all over with disgust: "There are actually this many?"
"The training content is super simple~" Gojo Satoru snapped his fingers: "You need to constantly output cursed energy into them to bind them or stop their movements. If your cursed energy output cuts off or isn't strong enough, you'll get hit by them, you know."
"Do your best, Akako-student, teacher believes you can do it!"
Surrounded by a pack of "Kyubeys" and facing attacks at any moment, this double dose of mental and physical pressure made the cursed energy buried inside Akako wake up at top speed.
"You annoying creatures! Stay away from me!"
She focused her mind, doing her best to channel that burning energy—so different from magic power—and tried to inject it into the cursed corpses once more.
At first, progress wasn't smooth. Her cursed energy output flickered on and off, earning her quite a few hits from the cursed corpses, but that only sparked her competitive spirit, making her hold out through it without uttering a single complaint.
Thanks to her exceptional talent, Akako slowly caught onto the trick, making fewer and fewer mistakes.
Training went straight through until dusk, the sky outside the window slowly painting itself in evening colors.
Looking at the field of fallen cursed corpses and Akako sitting on the ground panting from pure exhaustion, a flicker of praise flashed in Gojo Satoru's eyes.
"Good work, that's it for today's lesson."
Akako nodded, her messy long hair making her look a bit disheveled, but those wine-red eyes remained bright as ever.
"Though my performance today wasn't very ladylike... it was still pretty fun."
Successfully using that new power and the satisfying achievement of knocking all those Kyubeys flat on their backs gave her an unexpectedly refreshing sense of relief.
Come dinnertime, Gojo Satoru stayed over at Guren's invitation. Whether it was the work of magic or the butler's cooking skills, the meal at the witch's house tasted pretty amazing.
At the dinner table, Akako kept up her elegant table manners, but couldn't help bringing up her afternoon victories to her mother, her tone carrying a subtle hint of pride.
"...Even though those dolls were super annoying, I really can control that stuff called 'cursed energy' now."
"Is that so? Looks like my little princess can not only become an outstanding magician, but also a formidable jujutsu sorcerer."
Guren was more than happy to see this outcome. She had only agreed with a "give it a try" mindset at first, never expecting Gojo Satoru to spark her daughter's potential so quickly. At the same time, through this lesson, her trust in this unexpected "family tutor" grew a few notches deeper.
As the white-haired youth said his goodbyes and prepared to leave the castle, Guren called out to stop him. "Mr. Gojo, please hold on a moment."
Gojo Satoru turned around, finding that her aura lacked her previous seductive charm, showing instead the pure sincerity of a mother.
She leaned forward slightly, giving Gojo Satoru a deep, formal bow.
"I'll have to trouble you to take good care of Akako from now on."
Guren spoke softly: "Her magic talent goes without saying, and her grades at school have always been top-tier, but as you can probably tell... she's been protected too well by me and carries a lot of pride. Being pampered by everyone around her since she was small, she gets whatever she wants."
"Maybe because of that, she's never really had close friends her own age, and finds it hard to open her heart to anyone."
She paused, looking toward Gojo Satoru, her eyes sparkling: "People who can get this child's approval like you did don't come around often. I hope you won't just be her teacher, but if possible, be her friend too and look out for her."
"Well, I was planning to do that anyway, even if you hadn't asked."
When it came to walking impression values, Gojo Satoru's attitude was always friendly. Besides, Akako was an unpolished gem truly worth shaping.
"After all—" he said in a light, casual tone, as if stating an obvious fact: "Not just anyone can be my student."
After that day, Gojo Satoru kept up a rhythm of one jujutsu lesson a week. As their meetings stacked up, he naturally grew familiar with the "little witch."
Once in a while, he would invite Akako over to the Gojo estate as a guest. It was during this time that Akako got to know Kuroba Kaito and Nakamori Aoko, who often dropped by the Gojo household.
This was a deliberate move on Gojo Satoru's part.
Although he called himself Akako's teacher and friend, an interesting adult was still an adult at the end of the day. The bond between peers—innocent bickering and pure, simple laughter—was a precious connection he could never replace no matter what.
Besides, out of pure curiosity, he wanted to see what kind of dynamic the three would develop if they grew up knowing each other from a young age.
From what Gojo Satoru observed, Akako kept up her proper young lady act at first, but her attitude slowly softened over time, even sharing snacks with Aoko and bickering back and forth with Kaito.
Just as he was feeling touched, a sudden thought crossed his mind.
"Wait, didn't Akako have a thing for Kaito in the original story? Don't tell me we're heading toward some trashy love triangle drama where best friends turn into rivals over a guy down the road?"
In reality, his worries were the exact opposite of the truth.
Because Akako was still young right now, her mindset hadn't developed into that "if a man can't be won over by my charm, I'll do whatever it takes to make him fall for me" stage yet. She didn't hold any special thoughts toward the mischievous Kaito, let alone liking him.
Their relationship stopped right at being familiar playmates.
Aoko, on the other hand, was instantly drawn to Akako's doll-like features and vibrant crimson hair the very first time she saw her, blurting out in pure awe: "Wow, you're so pretty!"
"You look just like a princess straight out of a fairy tale book... no, more like a queen!"
Even though she had heard similar compliments countless times, for some reason, the clear, honest look in the girl's eyes before her—mixed with a shy straightforwardness—was so genuine that Akako couldn't help but take a liking to her. The warmth from Nakamori Aoko felt like a ray of light, casually shining into the little witch's somewhat lonely heart.
Spring turned to autumn, winters gave way to summers, and two years passed in a flash.
As time flowed by, Akako's jujutsu practice smoothly got onto the right track.
Even though she still poured most of her energy into her magic training, under Gojo Satoru's guidance, at less than thirteen years old, she had already reached the level of a Grade 3 jujutsu sorcerer. She could skillfully handle basic cursed energy manipulation, use cursed energy to boost her physical body, and even developed a few unique application techniques.
For instance, she tailored a "cursed tool" shaped like a long whip for herself, using it as an attack option alongside her magic wand.
A whip infused with cursed energy moved like a living venomous snake, able to wrap tightly around an opponent's body to pin them down, or snap through the air with a sharp crack, dealing significant physical and cursed energy damage all at once.
On top of that, with cursed energy constantly nourishing her body, her physical stats easily surpassed those of ordinary adults, seeing massive gains in strength, speed, and stamina alike.
Watching her swing her whip in such a sharp, cool posture sometimes made Gojo Satoru wonder to himself—
If she kept growing like this, wouldn't Little Akako end up turning into a legendary "melee battle mage"?
As for Akako herself, the deeper her understanding of jujutsu grew, the more she could sense Gojo Satoru's terrifying power.
Like someone standing at the foot of a mountain looking up at the peak, the higher she climbed, the more she could feel the sheer, towering height of that mountain. This realization made her put away any lingering competitive feelings she had at the start, turning them into deep, heartfelt respect instead.
Not just respect for a teacher, but respect for a true power.
Meanwhile, Akako and Aoko's friendship warmed up rapidly over those two years.
Maybe because deep down, the bond between Madoka and Homura in Madoka Magica had left a deep impression on Akako, once she realized how comfortable it felt to be around Aoko, she didn't keep her distance like she did with everyone else, but actively reached out her hand in friendship for a change.
Aoko was naturally cheerful and held a great impression of this pretty, mysterious new friend. One thing led to another, and the two ended up becoming inseparable best friends.
Even when they weren't meeting at the Gojo estate, they would hang out together to shop, chat about accessories and clothes they liked, and share girls' secrets. Sometimes they would leave Kaito—who kept trying to pull off magic tricks just to get Aoko's attention—hanging completely on the side, making him sourly "jealous" of Akako in private.
To spend more time with Aoko, Akako even made a decision that shocked plenty of people when moving up to middle school: she left her original elite girls' academy and transferred directly to Ekoda Middle School, landing in the exact same class as Aoko and Kaito.
Guren didn't object to her daughter's choice. Not only because she believed her daughter's intelligence would let her stand out in any environment, but more importantly, Akako was willing to offer her genuine heart to her friends, which was something truly precious.
Gojo Satoru was a bit caught off guard.
He originally thought Akako would chase relentlessly after Kaito like in the original story, never expecting things to drift off course entirely, with Akako ending up way closer to Aoko instead.
Hmm... if things kept going like this, the one who should be worried was probably Kaito, right?
Thinking of the two girls who were practically attached at the hip, Gojo Satoru couldn't help making a silent sign of the cross for his cheap nephew in his head. Here's hoping he could guard his little childhood sweetheart and not let her get stolen away by Miss Akako.
"So like I was saying... Aoko's being way too much, don't you think?"
Twelve-year-old Kuroba Kaito walked along the mountain gravel path, his hands resting behind his head, his tone dripping with helplessness.
Compared to two years ago, he had grown quite a bit taller, his dark short hair accentuating his increasingly handsome features, already showing the outline of the cool phantom thief he would become in the future.
"It was finally the weekend last time, and I wanted to ask her out to catch a movie. But when I ran over to her house, Inspector Nakamori said she'd gone out with Akako first thing in the morning." Kaito kicked a pebble by his foot, complaining: "She didn't even drop me a message, that's so unfair."
Gojo Satoru strolled casually by his side, hands in his pockets: "If you want a date, at least call ahead of time to confirm the schedule, young man."
"...It's not a date!"
Kaito mumbled, reflexively shooting back a denial.
Though he denied it out loud, deep down, he didn't really hate the phrasing all that much.
If he had to put it into words, maybe spending so much time around his eccentric uncle had gotten him used to those playful, teasing looks that said "say no more, I get it" alongside that red-string matchmaker smile. Over time, he had completely given up on arguing back, since it never worked anyway.
The two kept walking up along the mountain path, cutting through a patch of lush greenery. The early spring sunlight filtered through the leaves in broken light and shadow, filling the air with the fresh scent of green grass.
Kaito suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking up toward a spot not far away: "Wow... that tree is huge."
A towering cedar tree stood proud and firm, its dragon-like roots digging deep into the rock crevices, its dense canopy swaying gently in the mountain wind.
According to the butler, this cedar was the landmark of the Gojo family's back mountain. Having weathered centuries of wind, frost, rain, and snow, it remained lush and green, truly a sight to behold.
Gojo Satoru gazed at the ancient tree, involuntarily remembering those few cherry blossom saplings planted near "Kuno Nozomu's" tombstone two years ago.
Time flew by so fast. He wondered if those little trees, carrying sorrow and new life, were also growing quietly in some quiet corner. They had probably settled into the soil by now, stretching their branches out quietly when he wasn't looking.
As his thoughts drifted far away, he remembered the police academy group he hadn't seen in a long time.
Even though their lives had zero overlap, he kept a close eye on them from the shadows all along, not only putting their names on his "Death Prediction" list, but also having his raven circle around to watch them and prevent any accidents.
At least for now, he could be sure that Hagiwara Kenji had safely passed his dangerous timeline from the original story.
What's more, Hagiwara was not only alive and well, but working seamlessly with Date Wataru in the First Investigation Division, cracking major cases left and right; Matsuda Jinpei stayed in the EOD squad too, recognized by everyone as a top bomb disposal expert.
As for Furuya Rei and Morofushi Hiromitsu, one faded from sight after joining a special unit, while the other lost contact after being transferred to the Public Security Bureau.
Gojo Satoru thought to himself, going by the current timeline, those two had definitely accepted their undercover missions into the organization, likely going through grueling secret training in some hidden spot right now.
Maybe... before long, it would be time for them to meet again.
"Uncle? We're here." Kaito's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.
"Ah, coming."
Tucked behind the shadow of the ancient cedar, a stone staircase wound its way up to a quiet cemetery standing peacefully there.
Gojo Satoru and Kaito came today to pay their respects to Kaito's maternal grandparents—both were members of the Gojo clan who tragically fell off a cliff and passed away during a mountain climb years ago.
Kaito located his grandparents' tombstone, carefully setting down the fruit basket and pastries he brought along side it.
When Kuroba Chikage returned to Japan to care for Kaito last year, she had visited the Gojo family cemetery to talk with her parents for a long time. With the early spring weather turning clear and pleasant today, Kaito took the initiative to come pay his respects, and Gojo Satoru, having nothing else to do, came along for the walk.
The black-haired youth respectfully lit three sticks of incense, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes in quiet prayer.
Through the curling blue smoke, he noticed an exceptionally tall tombstone standing right at the very front of the cemetery. It stood out so clearly among the crowd of tombstones that it sparked his curiosity.
"Uncle, whose tombstone is that?"
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