Yuki Tsukumo returned once again to Tokyo Jujutsu High, and she wasn't in the best of moods.
She was a Kyoto Jujutsu High alum, yet she hadn't set foot on her own campus in ages—meanwhile, she kept getting dragged to this neighboring school.
How was that supposed to make sense?
Everyone knew how complicated "neighboring schools" could be. Sometimes allies, sometimes rivals. Even if the two schools acted like sisters, when it came time to draw blood, no one held back.
Right now, things were calm, which only meant competition outweighed cooperation.
Her alma mater was already grumbling about it.
Yuki's boots clicked crisply on the gravel path—tap, tap, tap.
From a distance, she could already see that massive white-boned tree, and her mood soured even more.
Of course there's a Special Grade here...
...
BANG—BANG—BANG!
Sōjun Minamoto recognized the knock immediately.
He didn't bother getting up. Sure enough, a moment later, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a tall woman stepped into the dorm.
Yuki Tsukumo.
She dropped down on the sofa next to him with casual boldness, furrowed her brows, and asked,
"What's going on with you guys? You can't be Gojo's examiner? You seriously need me that bad?"
As she spoke, she perked up, grinning to herself.
"I really must be important."
Sōjun just gave her a sideways glance.
To put it nicely, her political instincts were a bit lacking.
But her intuition? Sharp.
She wasn't cut out for politics, and she knew it. So she followed her heart and went overseas, far from interference or expectation. No one telling her what to do, and she didn't meddle in anyone else's business either.
These days, she'd built her own team of sorcerers abroad.
Strong and kind—qualities of a true leader. Yuki Tsukumo had both, and that drew a group of like-minded companions. Now they did things their own way, freely and on their terms.
Surrounded by friends, working on things she actually cared about—it really did seem like the best path for her.
"The Higher-Ups won't allow it," Sōjun explained patiently. After all, he needed a favor from her soon. He looked at her and laid things out clearly.
"There are only two Special Grades in the Jujutsu world right now. Once Gojo gets promoted, that makes three. But you're overseas and completely outside their control. Gojo's backed by his clan, so assigning him anything comes with layers of red tape—it's all a pain to manage."
"They finally get another Special Grade, and it's still not someone they can fully command..."
"What about you?" she suddenly cut in.
Sōjun ignored the question. "If someone's not 'theirs,' they're an outsider. You think the Higher-Ups want us getting too close to outsiders?"
"What about you?" she asked again.
"You don't get involved, but you still sort of represent Kyoto Jujutsu High. And I can barely count as a representative for Tokyo. Gojo's more complicated—he represents both his clan and the school. That kind of overlap makes things unstable."
"If it's just the two of you, they'd be fine with that. But with me added in, the three of us would form a stable unit. So they'll do everything they can to drive a wedge between me and Gojo. Honestly, they'd love to keep all the Special Grades apart."
"But we're already pretty close," Yuki replied, not bothering to ask again why Sōjun wasn't aligned with the Higher-Ups. She just followed his train of thought.
Sōjun Minamoto felt a flicker of satisfaction—he'd been waiting to hear those words for a long time. Leaning forward, he rested his chin on clenched fists and spoke in a low tone.
"There's nothing we can do. It's already a done deal.
Gojo's situation is easier. He has a clan backing him—it's both support and a chain. The Higher-Ups can still direct him, more or less. But for us, it's more complicated. They're afraid we'll both disappear, but they're just as afraid we'll stick together. So, sooner or later, they'll try to drive a wedge between us while keeping us in play.
Three Special Grades, all on different sides, not interacting with one another—that's the kind of 'stability' they want most."
"So you're saying... we've got trouble coming?" Yuki Tsukumo asked.
"Yeah..."
"Got any ideas? Because I'm not wasting time dealing with that nonsense."
Sōjun paused for a moment. Yuki was starting to grow impatient when he finally answered.
"There's a way. I plan to support Yaga-sensei's rise to principal. That would secure a voice for us within Jujutsu High. He's close with the Kyoto principal too, so it could bring the two schools even closer. Strengthen our alliance.
That would give us some pull with the Board of Directors.
If they try anything again, at least we'll have room to push back."
He looked her straight in the eyes.
"You know what Yaga-sensei's like—he's someone we can trust. Of course, if you've got a better candidate, I'm all ears."
"Eh—I don't have anything against Yaga-sensei," Yuki replied, "but becoming principal isn't exactly easy, is it? Isn't the old guy still in office?"
"You don't need to worry about that. All you have to do is speak up at the right time—show your support. That's it. We'll handle the rest."
Yuki frowned and thought for a moment. If it really was that simple, there was no reason not to agree.
After all, having to swing by Jujutsu High every now and then was a pain. Just as she was thinking this, Sōjun added,
"Take this time with the examiner, for example. You had to come all the way back because we didn't have any say in the matter. I was perfectly capable of handling the role myself."
"If it happens again, you might have to come back anyway..."
"..."
"Alright, I'm in. Just send me a message when you need me."
"Exactly. We're all Special Grade. A lot of things aren't as complicated as they seem—power solves most problems.
But we all have our own sense of duty, our ideals, our moral compass. That's why we play by society's rules... and that gives them ways to control us.
But hey, that's the price of being the 'good guys,' right?"
Yuki Tsukumo gave a barely noticeable nod. Yeah, if not for sticking to their principles, who would put up with being ordered around?
With that settled, the mood between them relaxed.
"Oh, right—your eyeball," Yuki said, pointing at Sōjun's eye. "Still need me to add weight to it?"
She was already feeling back in top form.
"No need," Sōjun replied bluntly. He popped out an eyeball, placed it in his palm, and held it out to her. "Look."
Yuki didn't take it. Just from the surface texture, she could feel the weight it held.
The eyeball had completely severed any connection to her technique—she probably couldn't even lift it now.
But something felt off. Wasn't this the same state it was in when she left last time?
She reached out and touched it, sensing the weight still had untapped "potential." That made her pause.
"It hasn't hit the limit? You should still be able to enhance it again, right?"
"Yeah, but there's no need to trouble you. I can do it myself now," Sōjun said, pulling out another eyeball and placing it beside the first in his hand.
From the look and feel, they were identical.
And they were.
Now Yuki looked genuinely surprised.
"How'd you pull that off?"
She clearly remembered only enhancing one eyeball. But now there were two?
Wait—she glanced at his eyes again. They were packed—dozens of eyeballs. Could it be...?
Whether someone else had appeared with a similar or identical technique, or whether Sōjun had managed to replicate it himself, she didn't know. But her curiosity was piqued.
And if she had to trust her gut—it was probably the latter.
He always had a knack for developing his techniques in unexpected ways. It wouldn't surprise her if he'd found a way to mimic the same effect all on his own.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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