Kento Nanami nodded slightly and sat down to read the documents in detail. After a careful look, he spoke again, "I see. It is normal for you to think that way."
The intelligence showed that after finally being released, Kron and Bale had not repented at all. Instead, they regrouped and planned revenge. Since they could not defeat Satoru Gojo ten years ago and stood even less of a chance now, they chose a roundabout approach by targeting the people he cared about.
Satoru Gojo cared most about his students, so they went after the students. As a result, the third-year students who were fully entering social practice suffered, being attacked during an off-campus assignment. The interns not only failed the mission but were seriously injured as well.
"Judging the past only from the outcome is not appropriate," Kento Nanami said. "But dismissing everything just because it is only a possibility is also unacceptable, especially when lives are involved. That would push you further away from the basic standards of being human."
Akira knew very well that this could not really be blamed on Satoru Gojo. Still, it was like hesitating over a choice and then regretting it later when things went badly, always thinking about how it could have been different. Kento Nanami could accept reality calmly, and on that point, Akira felt inferior to him.
Even after living two lives and being older in total years, Akira still had many shortcomings. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "If backtracking is not appropriate, then what about dealing with confirmed evil acts by Curse User right now?"
"I will handle them," Kento Nanami answered without hesitation. "Jujutsu Sorcerer are scum, and Curse User who abandon basic humanity are worse than scum."
"You said 'I,' not 'we'?" Akira narrowed his eyes.
"Yes," Kento Nanami replied evenly. "It is not about excluding you from the mission. It is just that killing is not something you need to deal with so early."
"Because I am a minor and you are an adult?" Akira asked.
"Exactly," Kento Nanami said. "I have a duty to prioritize your well-being. If adults leave everything to minors, then what use are adults at all?"
Akira smiled slightly. It was another sharp line, worthy of him. Then he said, "What if I tell you that this time, a minor can do something an adult cannot?"
"Oh?" Kento Nanami raised an eyebrow, his face showing curiosity but no doubt or disdain.
This was probably a shared trait among people connected to Tokyo Jujutsu High. They stood on the side of adults to protect minors, yet never looked down on them. Akira did not answer immediately and instead turned to Kiyotaka Ijichi.
"If my guess is right, before assigning this mission to Nanami-san and me, Teacher Gojo already took action," Akira said. "It is just that the result was…"
"Very bad," Kiyotaka Ijichi admitted frankly. "Teacher Gojo once found a possible hideout, but every time he arrived, it was empty. Our investigation was not as thorough back then as it is now."
Akira let out a quiet snort. It was obvious that there was a mole in the higher ranks, leaking information and hiding key intelligence. Satoru Gojo's long-standing reputation of being invincible had also made him careless, charging in before fully understanding the situation, assuming no one could oppose him.
The enemy had learned to be smarter and simply refused to confront him head-on. Akira said, "It seems that Q Curse User Organization wants to fully commit to the tactic of picking on the weak. In that case, we might as well send them a soft target to squeeze. From a normal analysis, first-year freshmen should be much easier to deal with than seasoned third-years."
"You mean…" Kiyotaka Ijichi's eyelid twitched.
"I will be the bait," Akira said plainly. "If the enemy is really that eager to take revenge on Teacher Gojo, they will not ignore our movements. If Q's revival is as I suspect, then my information and Nanami-san's should already be in the hands of Kron and Bale. Kiyotaka Ijichi-san, let me confirm something. My achievements have never been reported to the higher-ups, right?"
"Yes," Kiyotaka Ijichi said. "Teacher Gojo said that producing so many achievements right after enrollment would scare those elderly gentlemen with weak hearts."
He admitted it openly. With the number of Cursed Spirit that Akira had defeated, he should have been promoted long ago if no one had held it back. Akira had no objection to this arrangement, since his strength did not change with rank, and he did not care about fame or status.
In fact, it created more room to act. "A fourth-grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, even if favored by Satoru Gojo, how strong could he be?" Akira continued. "A minor with no prestigious background, personally selected by the strongest head of the Three Great Clans, would he grow arrogant and think he could solve everything, that he was the future of the Jujutsu World?"
"Would someone like that get along with the steady Nanami-san?" Akira went on. "Would he think adults are all useless?"
A cold light flashed in Akira's eyes, filling the room with a heavy atmosphere. Kiyotaka Ijichi swallowed unconsciously, feeling the pressure in the air.
Inside a luxury apartment building in Minato Ward, Tokyo, a teenage boy stormed out and slammed the door behind him. His voice echoed down the corridor as he shouted without holding back.
"Trash, cowards. People like you have no sense of duty, and you still dare to be Assistant Supervisor or call yourselves Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer?" "Do you think this is worthy of Teacher Gojo's trust? The third-year seniors are still lying in hospital beds!"
"How stupid was I to put any hope in people like you?" "Enough. Relying on you is worse than doing it myself. It is not like I have never exorcised a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit!"
"I came to Tokyo to complete a mission and deal with Curse User, not to hide like a turtle!"
He cursed as he walked away, ignoring Kiyotaka Ijichi calling after him. Even as he stepped into the elevator, he threw back a look of open contempt.
"It is because Jujutsu World is full of people like you who refuse to improve that it has become so lifeless. This really pisses me off, you trash."
Kiyotaka Ijichi stood in the hallway, having taken the full blast of the outburst. The spring evening wind was still a little cold, but it could not compare to the chill in the heart of a working man.
His heart felt frozen.
"I messed this up. How am I supposed to explain this to Gojo-san? I am definitely going to get yelled at."
Kento Nanami came out with a cold expression and spoke to Kiyotaka Ijichi.
"This is not your fault. He acted on his own and refused to follow orders. I will explain it to Gojo-san myself and I will not let it fall on you." "B-but Akira rushing out like that, could something happen to him?" Kiyotaka Ijichi was still kind at heart.
"Do not worry about him. A self-centered kid like that needs to suffer a bit to learn. You worked hard today. Come on, I will buy you a drink." "Is that really okay? Gojo-san is still waiting for me to report back." "It is after work hours. He does not control your time. You are an Assistant Supervisor, not Gojo-san's personal secretary."