When Suguru Geto returned after escorting Riko Amanai and Kuroi out of the Tombs of the Star and sending them back, he saw Akira Zenin standing beside a water sphere roughly three meters in diameter. Toji Fushiguro looked utterly drained, his entire body submerged in the water with only his head above the surface.
"Hey, kid."
"Hm?"
"I lost this time. But I wasn't defeated by the Zenin clan's [Ten Shadows]."
"Second Uncle, what matters is how you see it. What I think doesn't really mean anything."
"Doesn't mean anything, huh…"
"Second Uncle, you hate clans that worship techniques above everything else. Satoru Gojo despises the feudal, corrupt, and rigid higher-ups of the jujutsu world just as much. I left my family and came to Jujutsu High because of him. We could actually make plans together."
"Oh? I'm just a ghost drifting through the world with no real purpose. And besides, Satoru Gojo has already…"
Suguru Geto ran over. Earlier, Kuroi had only said that someone named Akira Zenin told them to retreat to the foot of the mountain from another route. Trusting his companion, Suguru Geto hadn't hesitated to lead the two away, then returned alone to check on the situation.
"Akira, what's going on here? Why is he here?"
Toji Fushiguro shot Suguru Geto a sideways glance.
"It's simple. I killed Satoru Gojo. If it weren't for the kid Akira, the Star Plasma Vessel would probably be dead too."
Suguru Geto's eyes flew open, his gaze turning sharp.
"Oh? Is that so?"
The space of Cursed Spirit Manipulation slowly unfolded behind Suguru Geto, curses surging within it.
Akira Zenin quickly spoke up, "Geto, calm down. Satoru is most likely not dead."
Toji Fushiguro tilted his head slightly in their direction.
Akira Zenin continued, "After all, he's Satoru Gojo."
Suguru Geto's expression eased a little. He nodded and drew back the Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
"BOOM!!!"
A blinding sphere of light erupted, instantly illuminating the entire area. Half the visible sky turned purple, as if some ritual were celebrating the birth of an existence.
Akira Zenin pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache coming on. Satoru Gojo had just mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique and restored his brain, and in the middle of his frenzy, finding no one around, he'd gone and fired a high-powered [Purple] straight into the sky?
That was completely out of control.
Akira Zenin looked over at Suguru Geto.
"No need to worry about Satoru anymore. It's everyone else we should be worried about."
From Akira Zenin's tone, Toji Fushiguro understood that the disturbance just now had been Satoru Gojo's doing. He hadn't died even after having a blade driven into his head? Reverse Cursed Technique could explain that, but what the hell was that purple explosion?
Toji Fushiguro could tell that was a technique capable of killing him outright. He shook his head with a wry smile.
"This generation really keeps churning out monsters. Maybe I should just retire and devote myself to watching boat races."
Akira Zenin walked over.
"Second Uncle, how about taking on missions from Jujutsu High? The pay isn't bad. You've got a kid to raise, don't you?"
With that, Akira Zenin released the water prison. Toji Fushiguro dropped to the ground and rolled his shoulders, flexing his limbs.
"In another two or three years, my kid will be sold off to your Zenin Clan. You'll probably be the next clan head, so that puts my mind at ease."
Akira Zenin shook his head.
"Whether he comes back to the Zenin Clan or not is up to Megumi himself."
"How do you know his name is Megumi?
Well, I guess with your status, you'd know things like that. But don't expect me to return the money."
Akira Zenin wanted to say that the money was meant as compensation for what Toji Fushiguro had gone through back in the clan, but it didn't feel right to put it that way.
"Just think of it as your operating funds, Second Uncle. How about going back and seeing my cousin?"
"Alright."
Toji Fushiguro shook the water off his body and slowly walked away into the distance.
"Second Uncle! Try living for yourself, just once!"
Toji Fushiguro didn't pause. He simply lifted his left hand and gave a casual wave behind him.
...
"Next, we're reporting on yesterday's 'Purple Sky' incident. The cause has been identified as Yanagiyama Fireworks Company testing their newest firework, the 'Purple Four-Foot Shell.' Please discuss rationally and do not believe unverified rumors."
"That's hilarious. What kind of company tests fireworks in broad daylight?"
"Shut up!"
Masamichi Yaga rubbed his forehead, stiff from constant frowning. These kids managed to cause a major incident every few days. He could feel his reputation as an educator slipping further and further away.
When Masamichi Yaga noticed the scar on Satoru Gojo's forehead, he pulled back the fist he'd been about to smash into Gojo's head.
"Satoru Gojo!"
"Yes!"
"Go run a hundred laps."
"Aye~"
In name it was a hundred laps, but in reality Satoru Gojo was secretly practicing short-range teleportation. He could now use his techniques freely without worrying about frying his brain with excessive information or processing. If anything went wrong, he could just fix it with Reverse Cursed Technique.
After finishing his short-range teleportation practice, an excited Satoru Gojo went off to find classmates to test his technique.
…
One year later~~
"Huh? What's going on?"
Shoko Ieiri watched as an eraser and a pencil were thrown at Satoru Gojo at the same time. The soft eraser hit his head, while the pencil was stopped by the Limitless Technique.
"Splash~" A can of blue paint was blocked by the Limitless Technique.
Ignoring the person lying in the tree, Satoru Gojo explained to Shoko.
"I changed the target of the technique to myself, using whether it would cause trouble for me as the criterion.
Basically, it used to be manual—now it's automatic. And instead of judging danger only by cursed energy output, it also takes mass, speed, and shape into account.
That way, I can keep Limitless running almost nonstop with minimal consumption."
"Splash~" A can of red paint was blocked by the Limitless Technique.
Shoko Ieiri frowned slightly.
"Won't keeping it on all the time burn out your brain?"
"I'll just keep Reverse Cursed Technique active to repair myself. Fresh brain, delivered nonstop."
"Splash~" A can of yellow paint was blocked by the Limitless Technique.
Satoru Gojo looked up at Akira Zenin, who was sprawled across the tree branches, surrounded by bottles and jars of paint.
"Hey, is this really that fun? Let me try one."
Akira Zenin scratched his cheek.
"I just wanted to see if you could draw on the outer layer of your technique. Theoretically, it should work."
"Sounds more like you're getting revenge for that time I drew on your face while you were asleep."
"Not at all~"
"So what if we mixed honey into the paint? Would your Limitless stop triggering then?"
"Huh… that actually sounds like something worth testing."
Akira Zenin glanced at Suguru Geto, who was standing nearby with a gentle smile. Because the Star Plasma Vessel incident had played out differently, Suguru Geto hadn't fallen into that spiral of self-doubt. Still, with his sensitive personality, it was better to stay cautious.
"Geto, can you grab me a bottle of iced coffee?"
Suguru Geto nodded and headed inside.
Once Suguru Geto was out of sight, Akira Zenin turned to Satoru Gojo.
"Gojo, if you've got something to say in the future, just say it. Especially with close friends. Opening up might lead to something you don't expect."
"Oh~ What's this, Akira-chan? Feeling lonely? Want me to tell you a few bedtime stories?"
"If you'd stop pestering me with experiments using your technique, I'd be grateful enough."
Akira Zenin set the paint aside and lay back lazily against the tree.
"Try not to send Suguru Geto on solo missions too often. The jujutsu world isn't a game. Some things don't have perfect solutions, and with how sensitive he is, you never know what might happen."
"Haha, Geto? There's no way someone like him would do anything extreme. What, you think he'd start plotting to wipe out humanity or something?"
"…"