Well... That was hella easy.
Registration was as smooth as butter, with the trainers acting almost suspiciously eager to get him on the mats.
Maybe they were just desperate for a new student to mold.
But Kyokushin wasn't a game; it was a physically demanding grind. The focus on brutal conditioning and mental fortitude made Michelle frown with immediate worry.
An imagination fueled her fears, painting pictures of her son returning home covered in bandages.
Luckily, a supportive nutball occupied the father's role. Kiyoshi's mantra, 'Pursue it with full effort and move forward', echoed in Yoichi's mind.
Standing there, a strange flash of nostalgia for his old life surfaced.
It had been safe, boring, and monotonous.
Compared to that grey past, the sweat and discipline of the dojo felt alive.
Kyokushin Karate... Great choice, brat.
A chill raced down the spine. The area was scanned, but the voice resonated from the inside. Toji-sensei?!
Correct, Toji replied coolly.
Almost gave me a heart attack! Some of us prefer our internal monologues without uninvited guests!
Pissed and curious, a mental command was issued: Akashic Records, connect me.
In an instant, the consciousness was back in the Wonderspace while the physical body walked on autopilot behind his parents.
Toji was found smirking, chilling with Akio and Tsubaki. Haibara and Riko were busy cloud-watching nearby.
The real shocker, however, was the grilled meat.
"What is this? And where'd the barbecue come from?!"
"Found some boars. Hunted 'em," Toji said through a mouthful of pork. "Good stuff."
A stare of pure disbelief came after.
Great. My life is officially a livestream for the dead. Hope you guys brought drinks, 'cause I don't work for free!
"Your mother... she's a rare beauty, isn't she?" Mamaguro remarked, watching his perspective with a warm smile.
Yeah... she's the real deal. Guess the good looks in this family didn't just fall out of the sky.
The thought lingered as the physical self settled into the passenger seat while the parents chatted in the front. Conversations between the living boy and the dead cast hit full gear during the ride home.
The mechanics were explained: they were watching him like a PUBG stream—third-person, real-time, though with a limited range. He was the main character, and they were the audience he never asked for.
Streaming in Jujutsu Kaisen with a Bunch of Dead Casts as Viewers... yeah, that's got a ring to it. Maybe I can get some sponsors? Or at least some better commentary.
The Kanagawa streets rolled by, and a weird sense of comfort was felt. Even if a trap was stepped into, a "backseat gaming" crew was ready to call out the monsters before the party even started.
...
...
...
Two weeks in, and the "boring" life of a toddler was officially over. Yoichi was a dual-student: a kindergarten "prodigy" by day and a Kyokushin trainee by afternoon.
His reincarnated soul along with Dante's talents made the learning curve look like a flat line, much to the trainers' shock.
Back in the Wonderspace, the teenager with the bowl cut and the blinding smile practically bounced on the balls of his feet.
"Hey! We haven't officially met without the shouting! I'm Haibara Yu! It's seriously a huge honor to meet the kid who's keeping Toji-san on his toes!"
"The name's Yoichi. Murakami Yoichi. And don't believe everything the gorilla tells you. I'm the one keeping him in line."
The introduction was met with a bow from a girl standing nearby, whose hair swayed.
"And I am the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai! Though, in this place, I suppose 'Riko' is just fine..."
A wave of silent sympathy washed over his mind as their faces were committed to memory.
These were the ghosts of a broken system.
One was a harmless critter with a monumental position in a merger that never happened; the other was a bright soul toyed with and discarded by the higher-ups of the Jujutsu world.
Their fates were tragedies written in the margins of history, but here, they were just people.
"Hey, Haibara-san!" Yoichi directed the thought with a sudden focus. "You're Jujutsu High second-year, right? That means you've been through the wringer. I've got the power, but I'm lacking the "fine print" of the trade."
A curious tilt of the head came from Haibara. He stepped closer, his energetic aura shifting into something more serious.
"Whoa... I noticed it earlier, but up close? Your Cursed Energy is unrestricted. It's like a massive reservoir with the floodgates ripped off. It's... honestly a bit scary for a five-year-old."
"Then let's put it to work," A daring smirk appeared on Yoichi's face.
"Toji-sensei is great for learning how to break bones, but I need the technical stuff. Barrier techniques, curtains, the 'science' of the craft. How about it, Haibara-san? Care to show a child the ropes?"
A genuine laugh erupted from Haibara, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Teaching? Me?! Wow, I've always wanted a junior to look up to! You've got the raw talent of a Grade 1 already, Yoichi. If we can get your control to match those reserves, you'll definitely be like Gojo-Senpai!"
"Consider me your new Jujutsu professor!"
"Yeah... Just don't expect him to be as quiet as a textbook," Riko teased, sitting on the sofa.
"Jackpot!" Yoichi replied. "Lucky me getting the ultimate premium subscription to the Jujutsu world! Let's see how fast I can break the game now."
...
A final wave of the hand served as a farewell before Yoichi stepped through the shimmering threshold of the simulation room.
The destination was set: Mission 2.
A curious look was directed at Toji by Haibara, who watched the boy vanish into the white void.
"Hey, Toji-san, what's he doing? Is he going to meditate or something?"
A crossed arms and a grunt were the only response at first. "The brat has a unique way of leveling up," Toji replied. "Just sit back and see it for yourself. It's a circus, but the kid's got some moves in him."
Inside the simulation, the noir-drenched streets of a crumbling city manifested around Yoichi. A mix of adrenaline and nerves bubbled in the chest as the cinematic sequence began—the camera panning over the silver-haired child as he leaned casually against a lamppost, tossing a coin into the air with a suave, untouchable aura.
[Mission 2: The Blood Link]
"Alright, let's see if these guys have any cadence!"
A swarm of Seven Hells lackeys materialized from the shadows, their hooded forms and rusted scythes creating a wall of ragged metal.
Instead of retreating, a grin appeared on Yoichi's face.
A sudden blur of motion followed as Rebellion was unsheathed in a blinding arc.
A vertical slash cleaved the first demon in two before its weapon could even whistle through the air. Fluid transition took place as the massive blade was spun in a "Prop Shredder" motion, lifting three more lackeys into the sky in a whirlwind of sparks and shredded cloth.
"Don't blink! You might miss the finale!"
While suspended in mid-air, Ebony and Ivory were drawn with a lightning-fast flourish.
A double-tap cadence echoed through the alleyway, the bullets carving through the demonic husks with precision.
Each shot was timed to the beat of the imaginary meter climbing in his mind's eye.
A heavy landing came next, the impact cracking the pavement beneath the boots.
A group of demons lunged from the rear, but a sharp tinkle signaled the activation of Royalguard. The kinetic force was absorbed with a dull thud, and an explosive counter-thrust sent the entire front line flying backward into the crumbling brick walls.
The lackeys were being dismantled with a terrifying efficiency that left Haibara speechless back in the observation room.
The speed was unnatural, the reflexes were inhuman, and the sheer flair of the combat was something no Jujutsu manual had ever described.
Keep 'em coming! I'm just getting warmed up for the big guy!
A trail of purple dust followed every swing as the alley was cleared. The path ahead was open, but a chilling rumble began to vibrate through the ground.
A massive hooded silhouette began to coalesce at the end of the plaza, wielding a colossal bell-scythe with murderous intent.
The Hell Vanguard had arrived.
The atmosphere of the plaza curdled as the Hell Vanguard began its assault.
A sudden ripple was the only warning before the entity vanished, its silhouette melting into a pocket of distorted space.
A frantic spin was executed by Yoichi, his senses screaming a warning.
CLANG. The jagged bell-scythe materialized inches from his throat, the sheer weight of the impact vibrating through Rebellion and rattling the bones in his arms.
A grunt of pain escaped the child's mouth as he was shoved backward, his boots carving deep furrows into the simulated asphalt.
Damn... this guy hits like a truck!
Attempting to regain the initiative, a series of rapid-fire shots was unleashed from Ebony and Ivory. The bullets, however, never reached their target.
They seemed to slow to a crawl, trapped in a localized warping of space before falling harmlessly to the ground.
A chilling laughter echoed through the plaza as the Vanguard flickered out of existence again. A second later, it reappeared directly above him, the scythe descending in a lethal arc.
"Not today!"
The Royalguard stance was adopted in a heartbeat. A crimson flash signaled a successful block, but the kinetic energy wasn't fully dissipated.
The ground beneath Yoichi's feet shattered into a crater, and a stinging sensation bloomed across his shoulder, bypassing his physical guard.
A trail of blood stained the white coat, but the wound began to knit itself back together instantly. The "Physical Regeneration" was working overtime, yet the mental strain was mounting.
Every time a counter-attack was launched, the Vanguard simply blinked through dimensions, reappearing in his blind spot with a speed that defied the laws of physics.
"Hey! No fair using cheats!"
A heavy slash from the boss forced a desperate roll to the side. The scythe struck the brickwork where his head had been a millisecond prior, the impact sending out a shockwave of distorted energy.
Back in the observation room, a look of genuine concern appeared on Haibara's face.
"The space is bending around him... he can't predict the trajectory if the distance between them keeps changing!"
Toji remained silent, his arms still crossed, though his eyes narrowed. He watched the boy struggle, seeing the "freak of nature" finally pushed to the edge by a foe that couldn't be beaten by raw strength alone.
A sudden crunch echoed through the void as the jagged scythe found its mark.
The curved blade was driven through the center of the chest, the impact lifting the small frame off the ground before a violent surge of kinetic energy threw him out of the simulation entirely.
A heavy thud went after as Yoichi hit the studio floor, sliding several feet before coming to a halt.
The pain was surreal.
A white-hot agony that threatened to swallow his consciousness whole.
However, a series of thunderous pounding erupted from his heart as his physical health began to recover immediately.
The gaping wound in the white coat remained, but the flesh beneath it knitted back together with a fierce sound.
"Yoichi! Oh my god, are you okay?!"
Mamaguro and Riko rushed forth, who knelt beside his battered state with faces full of terror.
Riko's hands hovered over him, trembling as she looked at the blood-stained fabric.
[MISSION FAILED.]