My Youth As A Sorcerer Sucks, Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Is It A Dream, Or....

—OoOoO—

The name’s Gojo Satoru. I’m the figure you call born perfect and loved by the Gods. No, I'm the God myself. I used to have a friend. Together, we were known as the strongest duo. But all that changed when the destiny that was supposed to bind us was destroyed. I was getting stronger, but he was lagging behind. Until, in the end, everything fell apart.

When the person I trusted most was at odds with me, I thought no one else could understand me. They can only observe and admire the beauty of a flower but never know what the flower is thinking.

That's the emo of the past me. If it weren't for that woman, I’d probably be trapped in that rubbish mindset and keep looking for something that was actually right before my eyes.

—OoOoO—

'Where am I?'

That was the first thought when I opened my eyes. The last thing I remember was looking after Komachi-chan, who had fainted after overexerting herself in training. That's right, I went to the Hikigaya residence after I sent Hachiman on a mission. Since Komachi-chan fainted, technically, only Asuka-san and I were at home. But I didn't do anything, tho.

Even though I wanted to do many things with Asuka-san, I stayed at the Hikigaya residence to help her look after Komachi-chan. Moreover, she had to go to work early in the morning.

All in all, that was the last memory I had before I was in this strange place.

I look around the room. You’ll know this is an ordinary house corridor with just one look. The interior is classic Japanese style. At first glance, I thought I was at my home, Gojo's residence. However, I immediately throw that away because I’m sure there’s no corridor like this in my mansion. On top of that, there’s an oddity that really bothers me.

“This is strange. Why can't my eyes scan anything? It’s like Six Eyes isn’t working at all.”

I move my feet a few steps forward along the corridor. But I stop right before a table with a tea set, several plates with beautiful carvings, and two frames of photos.

My hand reflexively takes the frame and looks at the people in the photo.

"Who are they? Why I can't see their faces?”

I can clearly see everything printed on the photo except their faces. That makes it difficult to identify the owner of this house. However, even though I can't see their faces, I know it’s a family photo.

In the middle is a man and a woman. The man’s holding a little girl, probably a three-year-old girl. Meanwhile, two other girls with a not-too-significant height difference are on the right and left side of the woman's feet.

In other words, their ages aren’t too far apart. In fact, these two girls look like elementary school students.

I gaze at the figure standing in the rightmost row, next to the man holding a little girl. From his stature, the man standing in the rightmost row is probably 25 years old.

Even though his face can't be seen, I think this guy looks reluctant to be photographed if you look at his posture.

Meanwhile, on the far left, next to the woman whose legs are flanked by little girls, is a woman who’s probably several years younger than the guy on the far right. While the woman appears to be holding a baby boy, the man standing at the far end appears to be holding a little girl.

I can get no other clue from the photo, so I put it back on the table. Because my curiosity was not yet satisfied, I took the other frame. It was also a family photo but a different family than the previous one.

"What's this? Isn't this the same person as the one who seemed reluctant to be photographed? I'm not sure, though. I couldn't see their faces either.”

It’s a photo containing four people. More precisely, a woman sitting in a luxurious chair holding a little boy on her lap and standing next to her feet is a girl, and I think she's the older sister. Meanwhile, the same man, whose posture seems reluctant to be photographed, stood behind them with his left hand holding the woman's shoulder.

“Their faces couldn't be seen. But from these two photos, I feel familiar with them."

I put the frame back on the table. And walked again through this house.

I need to find out where this is. Is this a dream? I don't know, but it all feels so real. Even the friction of my feet against the wooden floor feel like I’m actually walking. However, I'm having difficulty accepting that Six Eyes doesn't even work here.

My mind is so busy with various speculations that I don't even realise that my feet have taken me to the front of a room. Without hesitation, I open the door, and a scene I’ve never imagined appears.

At first glance, there’s nothing wrong with the room. It’s not like a torture room or something, but it's not a typical room.

Two PCs are arranged neatly, each with a 32-inch curved gaming monitor. Both PCs are on, and the monitors show an FPS game. Apart from that, if you look around the room, the room is really full of decorations from various famous franchises, such as Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Street Fighter.

However, the existence of two human beings caught my attention the most. The first is a man sitting back meekly in a chair before the monitor. Meanwhile, the second is a little girl with long white hair standing on a chair with a victory pose.

The girl wears a white T-shirt with the word La-Lion on the front. The T-shirt looked so big that her shorts were barely visible. It looks particularly conspicuous that the girl is wearing something like night vision even though the room is well-lit.

The man, who seems to be giving up, raises his head and looks at me. When our eyes meet, I can't help but be surprised after knowing who he is.

“Satoru-san? I thought you were hanging out with Fubuki-chan?” he asks.

Hachiman?

That's the name I wanted to shout. But strangely, my voice won't even come out.

Seeing Hachiman in this place is very strange because I’m sure I sent him on a mission to supervise Maki and Haruno. However, even more surprising is that the Hachiman I see now seems much more mature than the one I remember. Judging from the contours of his face, I’m pretty sure he’s in his late twenties.

Moreover, when did Hachiman want to call me by my first name?

The white-haired little girl immediately faces me right after hearing Hachiman say my name. She removes her night vision, revealing her sleepy eyes.

“Satoru-san!!”

The girl screams happily and immediately runs towards me. Generally, I’ll avoid or just stop it if there’s a kid I don't know who’s clingy towards me. But strangely, that thought didn't even cross my mind when I saw the little girl who looked only nine years old running and hugging my leg.

"Hey, Botan-chan. You can't call him that," said Hachiman, who’s already standing and walking towards me.

“But you also call him that, Nii-chan?”

The girl replied with a sweet voice, which made Hachiman immediately speechless.

But, nii-chan? Since when did he have another sister besides Komachi-chan? How could this white-haired, glazed-eyed girl call him—.

Wait, what? White hair and glazed eyes?

I immediately look closely at her once again. Her hair is white, but it’s not as bright as mine. Her eyes are sleepy. At first glance, it looks like Hachiman’s, but his eyes are a combination of glazed and rotten. Meanwhile, this girl’s eyes are more like when Asuka-san is sleepy.

“Well, because he's your pop, and you can't just call him by his name. Or mom will get angry.”

“But I was just mimicking you.”

“That's the point, Botan-chan. The one mother will scold is me, not you. So, you have to work together to protect me, okay? I’m counting on you.”

The girl named Botan doesn't seem to really understand Hachiman's words. However, she just nodded enthusiastically while showing a pose rendering a salute.

“Okay dokee….”

The little girl then looks up to look at me. I look back at her in question. The next second, the girl named Botan turns her gaze back to Hachiman.

“But Nii-chan, papa looks really strange.”

“Indeed. It's very strange to see him this quiet.”

They continued talking after that, but I didn't listen at all. I'm still stunned by a word that girl said.

Papa? Did she just call me Papa? Me?

While too busy processing what’s happening, I hear tiny footsteps approaching. It seems it’s not just me, Hachiman and the girl also hear it, so they look at the door behind me. I also turn my body to find out who’s approaching us. And just as I do, another little girl appears annoyedly.

"There you are. You suddenly disappeared, Papa! I thought you were going somewhere else without telling me, but instead you came back home.”

The little girl approaches with emphasis on every step. When she’s right before me, she kicks my leg really hard. I thought my Limitless was active as usual, but the kick from her small leg hit my shin. I wonder why my technique didn't activate. Thinking back, it’s not just my technique. I couldn't even use Six Eyes.

Is it because of this in the dream? Wait, is this really a dream?

“Fubu nee-san, welcome home! You know what, I can beat Onii-chan three times in a row!” Botan-chan chirped.

"Oh really? Even though you've only been learning to play FPS games for a week? You're really great, Botan-chan!”

“That's because I'm the next head of the Gojo Clan!”

“Eh… Botan-chan really wants to be the successor of the Gojo clan, huh? I thought you were just joking when you said that," replied the eldest sister.

What? If you look at how they are, this girl named Fubuki is the oldest, right? Even though I've made a lot of breakthroughs, the Gojo clan still has a solid traditional approach. So, it’s hard to imagine if the firstborn didn't become the head of the clan.

However, the idealism I’m trying to build has been fully applied. Speaking of the Gojo Clan, I'm curious about who leads the clan in this dream since I no longer want to hold the title. Is it Yuta? It should be Yuta since I already set the ground so he can be the next head after he reaches twenty.

"Onii-chan said, if I become the head of the Gojo Clan, I can play games as much as I want and order other people to work on my regards," said Botan.

In the next second, the atmosphere around the girl seemed to become a little gloomier.

“I hate leaving the house. I want to always be at home and play games. And Onii-chan said that if I become a powerful sorcerer and become the head, they'll let me sleep and play games all day.”

The girl let out her complaints in a slightly sulky voice. It sounds cute and adorable. Even when I babysat Megumi, Tsumiki, Hachiman, and Komachi-chan when they were little, I didn't think they were this cute. It’s more than just a feeling of cuteness, but there’s also an urge that makes me want to make all these girls' wishes come true.

However, on the other hand, seeing her attitude, which is very similar to Hachiman's, makes me glare at the man.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? I just told Botan-chan, if she becomes the strongest, she can do whatever she wants.”

I wanted to say something, but my mouth couldn't utter a word again. However, it seems that little Fubuki took my place.

“Now I understand why Nee-chan usually says that Nii-san is the worst.”

“No, Nii-chan is the best! He taught me a lot about how to play games!”

The pair of sisters keep fighting, but they look very adorable.

If you pay attention, Fubuki, as an older sister, has characteristics similar to Asuka-san's. But in terms of physical traits, she’s close to me. Her bright white hair, her blue eyes, even though I know they aren't Six Eyes, and even the lines of her elegant face look similar to mine.

On the other hand, Botan looks like a mix between me and Asuka-san. Her white hair is a little darker than mine. Her glazed eyes look similar to Asuka-san's eyes when she's sleepy. In this case, if leaving aside Hachiman's rotten eyes, I can even see the resemblance to Botan's eyes. But in terms of character, she looks like Hachiman, who prefers lazing around doing his hobbies rather than outdoor activities.

If the photo I saw in the corridor at home was our photo, I should’ve had three daughters in this dream. I'm curious about the youngest. Does she also have white hair? Are they similar to me? I really want to know. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, this mouth feels locked shut.

I chuckle when I see the two little girls arguing about what kind of brother Hachiman is. Simultaneously, I touch and stroke their heads. The two white heads look up at me with questioning eyes.

“Papa is also very strange today. You're so unusually quiet," said Fubuki.

I’m quiet not because I wanted to, but because I couldn't speak.

Ignoring this, Fubuki suddenly hit her right fist against her left palm as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, that's right. Mom sent me a message that she would be home soon. We’ve to prepare Gura-chan's birthday surprise!”

Fubuki immediately grabbed Botan's wrist and pulled her vigorously.

“Come on, Botan-chan! We can't lose to Komachi nee-chan and Haruno nee-san!”

They just run. Even though Botan looks like a child who always wears a sleepy expression, I could see a glint of enthusiasm in her eyes. I'm curious, tho. Is this Gura, the youngest?

“Hey, don't run around in the house!” Hachiman shouts, which, of course, they don't heed.

He sighs and looks at me.

“You know, I also find you very strange today. I mean, you've always been the odd one out even though you're already the father of three. But seeing you so quiet is actually much stranger. What? You want to complain because you're tired? You’ve no right to say that, man. You really left the hardest job to all of us. Even after thirteen years, cursed spirits outbreaks throughout the world show no signs of slowing down."

Holy shit?! What could cause a cursed spirits outbreak throughout the world? Although their existence from the start isn’t exclusive to Japan. But never before has a disaster of such a magnitude hit the world at one time. No, forget about it. Even in Japan, the cursed spirits outbreak disaster only occurred in the Heian period due to the actions of Shuten Douji and in the modern era, which was initiated by Suguru.

If there’s a cursed spirits outbreak worldwide, the scale would be too large to be controlled. More than that, what causes this to happen?

I hear Hachiman sigh in resignation.

“You still don't want to say something? Why are you so quiet today? But whatever. I'll go back to my place first before Haruno-san and the kids come back, make sure Fubuki-chan and Botan-chan don't do anything stupid.”

Hachiman quickly walked out of the room after saying that. Meanwhile, I’m still thinking about what he meant by the cursed spirits outbreak.

This is just a dream. I shouldn't get too carried away by what happened in this dream. But I can't stop doing it and feel bad about it.

Suddenly, the temperature in this room dropped drastically. An unpleasant presence and a suffocating burden suddenly overtook my body. I immediately turn my body and look at the source of that evil energy.

It’s a mirror, but what matters is what’s inside it.

“Yo, Gojo Satoru. It's a beautiful dream, isn't it?”

It’s a creature I’ve seen for the first time. However, looking at his large body and unique tattoos all over his body and face, he has four eyes with something that looks like an exoskeleton on the right side of his face. The strangest thing is that four hands and a mouth are on his stomach.

Even though I’ve never seen that figure, I know who that creature is.

“Sukuna. Is this your doing?”

The creature gave a sadistic grin.

“My doing? What could this sealed old man possibly do, you fool?”

Sukuna then chuckled after mocking me.

“This is your fear, Gojo Satoru. Deep inside you, you’re afraid of me.”

“Me? Afraid of a fraud like you? I thought you were only infamous of your evilness, but it seems you also have a clown side of yours.”

Sukuna doesn't reply to me and just gives me a smirk.

“This ideal dream, this future, is an image you’ll never see. Do you know why? Because I’ll kill you. Not only that, everyone you love, I’ll tear them apart and have them as my feast. Your dreams will just be dreams. You’re a strong, but your throne is empty and meaningless. You always lose at crucial moments. You've never achieved anything in your life, Gojo Satoru. And always will be.”

—OoOoO—

“I'm home!” Hachiman shouted as he entered the house.

He looked at the shoe rack, realising that his mother's work shoes weren’t there. Apart from that, he saw something that shouldn't be there.

'So, that guy really is here, huh?'

Hachiman took off his shoes, put them in their proper place, and took his house slippers and put them on. Meanwhile, Haruno followed him from behind.

“Excuse me.”

“You can use the guest slipper, Haruno-san.”

After saying that, Hachiman didn't pay any more attention to Haruno and headed straight to Komachi's room, where he felt Satoru's presence there.

Komachi's room was on the second floor. It needed to pass through the living room first before reaching the stairs. But when he reached the living room, he found Komachi carrying a cup of hot chocolate in her pyjamas.

“Welcome home, onii-chan,” she said while looking at the figure behind Hachiman, “And welcome to our house, Haruno-san. Sorry if I greet you in this outfit."

In Haruno's eyes, Komachi didn't seem as cheerful as usual. Whether it was because she had just woken up or the effects of the crushing defeat she had experienced, Haruno didn't know, and it wasn't the right time to discuss it.

“It's fine. Suit yourself. It's your house, after all," replied Haruno with a friendly smile.

Hachiman didn't want to ruin their reunion, considering that Haruno said she was quite sorry for not being able to visit Komachi and that his sister would also be happy to see Haruno. But he couldn't mince his words any longer.

"If you're here, why is Gojo-sensei still in your room?”.

“Mother left a note, saying Gojo-san would look after me while she went to work. But when I woke up, I saw him asleep sitting on the floor.”

Komachi experienced extreme fatigue after she skipped school yesterday and trained alone. Her immense frustration at being defeated and only being able to live because of her opponent's forgiveness really bothered her. That was why she overexerted herself and ended up fainting. Luckily, Hiratsuka's men found her quickly after Asuka told her that she had received a report from school that the girl wasn’t present.

"Sleep? That man? I don’t know he also needs sleep," replied Hachiman.

He had important business. Even though he felt irritated because Satoru suddenly came to his house while he was away, his common sense could override that ego. The reason was that the findings at Yoshino's residence and his theories must be immediately confirmed and tested. For that reason, Hachiman immediately dashed to Komachi's room without waiting for a reply from the girl.

“What's wrong? He seemed to be in a hurry, and I felt Sukuna's finger in his pocket," commented the Hikigaya girl.

"You're familiar with them?" Haruno asked while looking at Komachi,

"Believe me. Because of that thing, I, along with Megumi-san and Isshiki-san, almost died from Turbo Granny if Onii-chan didn't arrive on time."

“Did it attract the attention of the cursed spirits?”

Haruno asked, and Komachi answered with a nod. The woman then turned her gaze back to the stairs, where Hachiman went to the top floor.

"No wonder Ichiji-san immediately wrapped Sukuna's finger using a sealing paper. Even that, he said, it wouldn’t be enough to suppress the cursed energy emitted so it had to be immediately stored in a special facility."

“But more than that, I'm actually more curious about Gojo-san sleeping. Just like Onii-chan, I thought Gojo-san is the type of person who doesn't need sleep in his life.”

While saying that, Komachi looked enthusiastic to see how her brother would awaken her life's third most important person. Seeing that, Haruno felt relieved because it seemed that Komachi's mental condition wasn’t as bad as she imagined, and she unconsciously let out a faint smile.

“Come on, I wonder what kind of dream he had.”

—OoOoO—

Hachiman opened the door to Komachi's room in a hurry. It was a normal room that girls generally had. It had blue paint with several boyband posters stuck to the walls. Hachiman's eyes quickly found the figure of an adult man sleeping on the floor, sitting cross-legged and with his arms crossed.

However, Hachiman saw something strange in Satoru. Putting aside the fact that it was his first time seeing a sleeping Satoru, Hachiman could find cold sweat dripping down his face. In fact, the side of the eye patch looked a little wet with sweat. Komachi, who followed Hachiman from behind, was also surprised to see Satoru, who looked uncomfortable with whatever had happened in his sleep.

“Huh? Earlier when I was just brewing hot chocolate, Gojo-san looked fine. Is he having a nightmare or something?”

Hachiman ignored Komachi's testimony. He walked closer towards Satoru. Komachi followed suit and matched her steps with her brother.

Hachiman pointed his hand, about to hold Satoru's shoulder and shake him. However, Satoru quickly removed the blindfold when his hand was only a few inches away. Hachiman and Komachi reflexively pulled their bodies back while holding their breath when they saw Six Eyes' sharp gaze. However, they could breathe a sigh of relief when those eyes softened after Satoru saw the figures.

“What's up, kids?”

Without waiting for a reply from Hachiman and Komachi, who were still a little stunned, Satoru realised that another figure was standing at the door.

“Oh, you’re here, Yukinoshita? Does that mean your mission was a success?”

The woman hesitated to answer the question but ignored it and approached the people.

“You can see for yourself. But that's not why we’re here. Or rather, there’s something Hikigaya-kun wants to discuss.”

Satoru looked at Haruno momentarily, but he then moved his gaze to Hachiman. There's nothing strange about the boy. However, he could guess what they were discussing when he saw the two objects Hachiman kept in his pocket through his Six Eyes.

“Sukuna's fingers? And that's two? Did you find it in the Cursed Train like in the case of Megumi and the others?”

“Well, that thing only consumed one finger. The other one was found at the Yoshino family residence. And Yoshino Junpei's mother was found dead due to a cursed spirit attracted by this finger. At least, the reports say so," replied Hachiman.

‘It’s a case handled by Nanami, isn’t it? wasn't it a case involving the discovery of transfigured humans? It was the first movement of the cursed spirit that turned Haruno into a sorcerer since the incident in the abandoned tunnel. And they found a Sukuna’s in his house, the person suspected of being the accomplice of the cursed spirit and now his mother was killed? Something's wrong and it's too fishy to think it was a coincidence or carelessness.'

Satoru wasn’t directly responsible for the work. He was the one who recommended Itadori Yuuji to be under Nanami's secret supervision. However, because of that confidentiality, Satoru couldn't just contact Nanami and constantly intervened in his work because Itadori Yuuji was there. As such, Satoru only received a final report from Nanami about their work and how Yuuji was doing.

However, by combining two related things, Satoru's brilliant brain could realise that something was wrong with that.

"Do you know who Nanami is chasing right now?" Satoru asked Hachiman.

“That's the cursed spirit that Maki and I once fought, right? Ijichi-san already told me all the details.”

“Seeing as you didn't immediately go to see Nanami even though the cursed spirit was your main target, and instead rushed to see me, you must also think there's something fishy, ​​right?”

Hachiman was relieved to hear the question. Satoru not mincing words made it easier to wrap up the whole discussion quickly. Without answering the question, Hachiman reached into his pocket and looked for a finger, which he confirmed came from the Yoshino family residence.

Hachiman pulled the finger out. A sealing paper was seen wrapped around it. However, seeing that the condition had deteriorated even though the seal had only been installed a few moments ago, it proved that the mediocre seal couldn’t withstand the power of one of Sukuna's fingers.

While opening the paper wrapped around the object, Hachiman explained his hypothesis to Satoru.

“From the reports I received, I suspect that Yoshino Junpai is just a disposable pawn. I don't know what this cursed spirit is planning, but what I'm worried about is that he's planning to create an army of sorcerers and brainwash them like Yoshino Junpei.”

Hachiman paused momentarily and looked at Haruno before finally returning his gaze to Satoru.

“In that case, we can provide this proof to the higher-ups that giving Haruno-san shelter under the jujutsu headquarters was the right choice because this cursed spirit hasn't had time to cram strange ideas into her head yet.”

Hachiman finished his words at the same time he finished removing the seal paper. After that, he gave the finger to Satoru.

“Put that aside, can you check this out and see if there's anything that could be used as a mark or something?” Hachiman asked.

Satoru stood up from his sitting position. He completely removed his blindfold so that his Six Eyes could capture all the information depicted on the finger. Satoru stared at the object silently until the confirmation that Hachiman had been waiting for came out.

“Yes, it does. But it’s very cryptic and vague.”

“I understand if you say it's cryptic because whoever put it there definitely didn't want it to be known so easily. But vague? What do you mean?" Hachiman asked.

“It's like an imprint, an inherent soul information. Basically, Sukuna's finger is a cursed object used to seal his soul. So, I can see a part of Sukuna's soul in this finger. However, on the surface of this finger, there’s something like a faint smudge that wasn’t part of Sukuna, but also had a life aspect. I've never seen anything like this, but if soul information existed, I'm sure it’d be something like this.”

Hearing the explanation, Haruno, who had only been listening, immediately thought of something.

“It's that cursed spirit, right? He can manipulate and change his soul and the souls of others. In fact, according to Hikigaya-kun, he once created a third eye that was connected to him to counter Hikigaya-kun's cursed technique. If he can create new organs, isn’t leaving faint soul information in other objects just a piece of cake?”

Hachiman, Satoru, and Komachi looked at Haruno at the same time. They agreed with the argument, and from whatever angle they could think, no other logic made more sense. However, after it was confirmed that Hachiman's initial theory about the finger being marked was correct, there was another theory he still had to ask.

“Since you've confirmed it, now the real problem is, can you use this marked finger as a guide?”

Satoru, who had not put his blindfold back on, furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Hachiman with his blue eyes.

"For example?"

"For example, if I mark this finger, and you place it in the special warehouse in the Tombs of the Star, will I be able to break through Tengen-sama's barrier without any effort?"

“That's… interesting.”

Satoru covered his mouth with his right palm, and a severe expression was clearly written on his face.

'Toji once reached the Tombs just by following the smell that Suguru and Amane left behind. But what if a sorcerer, or cursed spirit leaves a mark inside, and follows it outside? Will that work? In theory, Tengen-sama could mess things up as long as he detects an intruder, but would that also mess up his tracks?'

Satoru took a deep breath. No matter how much he simulated in his head, a definite answer would never emerge as long as he didn't have concrete evidence. He closed his eyes briefly and looked at the only man beside him.

“Just thinking about it won't get us anywhere,” Satoru said as he put the finger in his pocket, “Hachiman, we're going to Jujutsu High and do call Isshiki. That girl should still be there today.”

"Now?" Hachiman asked while looking at Komachi hesitantly.

Haruno, who realised the meaning of that gaze, tried to calm Hachiman.

“I’ll look after Komachi-chan for a while. You can trust me. I won't let her do stupid things.”

Hachiman appreciated the volunteering, but it wasn't enough to completely dispel his doubts. However, he knew there was something he had to do because he had started it.

“You don't need to worry about me, Onii-chan. I mean, I know I was a little reckless for skipping school and training beyond my capacity. But I'll be fine here.”

Hachiman sighed after receiving this persuasion. Even though he was reluctant and hesitant to leave, there was a responsibility he couldn't shirk in the end.

“Fine, I understand. But why do you also want me to call Isshiki?” Hachiman asked Satoru.

Iroha was a student from Tokyo Jujutsu High who was undergoing a special program for assistant manager training sponsored by Hiratsuka. Because of that, there was no obligation for Satoru to supervise the girl because that responsibility was taken by Hiratsuka until Iroha completed the program she was undergoing. However, there was one thing that Hachiman and the other students underestimated about Gojo Satoru.

“No matter what, Isshiki is still my student, you know? I probably didn't have a specific plan for her training because Shizuka knew more about her progress than I did. But looking at the development of her cursed technique, I think this one will suit Isshiki.”

Hachiman sighed at the man's words.

"Fine, whatever,"

Seeing Hachiman give up made Satoru grin enthusiastically. He then looked at Komachi and Haruno, who would soon be left without a guard except for the barrier installed in this house.

“Komachi-chan, if anything happens, don't contact your mother immediately. Asuka-san has been very overworked lately. I hope you understand. Instead, you can contact me. I’ll be coming straight from a jujutsu high in less than a minute.”

Hachiman, who was already in the doorway, glanced at the man's interaction with a complicated expression.

'That bastard. Why are you acting as if you are our father?'

—OoOoO—

A black sedan was moving along the toll road at a relatively high speed in the morning. The sedan moved swiftly to avoid and overtake other vehicles. Several cars were disturbed by how the sedan driver was driving, and they didn’t hesitate to curse by honking their horns. However, the sedan ignored them and continued without reducing speed.

Kiyotaka Ijchi was under pressure. Working under Gojo Satoru always forced him into that position, but this time, the pressure he received had piled up like a mountain.

'Why am I always dragged into conspiracies that aren’t commensurate with my abilities? Keeping the secret about Itadori-kun being alive, being one of the two assistant managers trusted to accompany Yukinoshita-san, and now being dragged into investigating the possibility of Tokyo Jujutsu High being infiltrated? Come on, I'm just an ordinary worker, not a monster like those two,' thought Ijichi while looking at Satoru and Hachiman through the rearview mirror.

He didn't even dare to just take a breath. He didn't know what harsh words Satoru would spew if the man saw him complaining.

However, what made Ijichi even more depressed was that he couldn't read the atmosphere around the two special-grade sorcerers he was serving.

"Thanks, anyway," said Hachiman, breaking the silence since they left Hikigaya's residence.

The boy didn’t specify to whom the thanks were addressed. However, the two adult men with him could understand who he was talking to.

"For what?" Satoru asked with a mischievous smile.

Hachiman snorted and looked away at the road visible from the car window.

“You don't need to make me mention it, right?”

“Come on, there's no need to be shy. Didn't your mother always teach you to thank properly? Don't make your mother's teachings go to waste, Hachiman-kun...."

Satoru said that while embracing Hachiman's shoulders. He pulled the boy close and ruffled his hair roughly. It's unusual for Satoru to feel this excited about Hachiman. But it couldn't be helped when he saw the boy he had known since he was little showing a stubborn tsundere attitude.

Even so, without Hachiman needing to say it, Satoru understood what the thanks were for.

Basically, Hachiman had a lousy suspicion that Satoru had taken advantage of coming to his house late at night to be alone with his mother while he was working to watch over Haruno and Maki. However, it turned out to be Satoru who helped keep an eye on Komachi, who was still unconscious, while his mother had to go to work early in the morning after working overtime and coming home late at night.

However, Hachiman was reluctant to say it directly in front of Satoru, or the man would continue to tease him endlessly. But Satoru wouldn't let him go if he didn't say something.

“Let go of me, damn it,” Hachiman replied while trying to get away from Satoru, “Put that aside, I never thought that you also need sleep. And it seemed you had a nightmare.”

Satoru's face briefly looked sour, but it only lasted less than a second, which even Hachiman overlooked. He let go of Hachiman, and after that, the boy immediately returned to his original position and straightened his hair again.

"What do you mean? I'm also a human who needs sleep, you know? Not just sleeping, I’m also full of strong love.”

“Your words disgust me. Besides, haven't you thrown away all your humanity in exchange for becoming the strongest?” quipped Hachiman a little jokingly.

Satoru just smiled slightly in response to the sarcasm. For him, it was just an ordinary sarcasm that Hachiman often threw at him. However, one thing was slightly different, and he felt he had to improve that mindset.

“You know what? I think it's time for me to show you my wisdom as the greatest teacher of all time.”

Hachiman raised the corners of his eyebrows.

"What?"

“ ‘Free your body from humanity and let yourself dive into the deep sea of ​​jujutsu sorcery.' I know many reference books say to leave all that behind if you want to become a powerful sorcerer. However, I’m different. I never throw them away. I still maintain my humanity. I embrace everything I want without exception. Whether it's silly things or something special, I won't leave them behind.”

Hachiman listened to every word the white-haired man said. However, he could only look at him with a questioning gaze.

“It's quiz time!” Satoru suddenly shouted brightly, “Hachiman-kun! Mention the similarities between freeing yourself from humanity and embracing everything!”

Hachiman was a little startled by the sudden change in atmosphere. He really had a hard time predicting Gojo Satoru's behaviour even though they had known each other for almost a decade. However, ignoring that, he thought seriously about Satoru's question. Unfortunately, no reasonable answer came to mind.

"I don't know."

“It's about desire and hesitation, Hachiman,” Satoru replied with a confident smile,

Hachiman was still looking for a common thread between Satoru's answer and question. Many conclusions came to mind, but he was unsure which one Satoru meant. Noticing Hachiman's complicated expression, Satoru smiled crookedly as if he was right about something.

“See? You must be hesitated whether the conclusion you have is the same as what I mean, right? Even though it seems trivial, it's small things like this that make people fail to reach my level.”

Hachiman had to swallow hard after hearing Satoru's statement, which was right on target.

“That's only natural, isn't it? It doesn't mean anything if my conclusion turns out to be wrong," replied the boy, who was still trying to avoid it.

“No, that's not it. Right or wrong isn’t the only thing you’ve to pay attention to. Even if you know you might be wrong, why are you hesitant to ask me?”

Satoru cornered Hachiman with a mocking smile that made the boy lost for words.

“Asking someone won't make you look stupid,” the white-haired man continued.

Satoru sighed as he tapped Hachiman's head lightly with his knuckle.

“But considering your personality, you’ll definitely keep the question to yourself, think about it alone, and in the end you’ll never find the answer until someone else points it out. Or if you manage to find the answer yourself, it might be too late.”

"I still don't understand," said Hachiman.

“Hesitation creates unconfident. unconfident will create gaps. And this gap will become your weakness. The longer you hesitate, the more things you’ll miss.”

Satoru paused his explanation momentarily to change his sitting position while looking at the road they were passing through the car window.

“To throw away your bonds or grasp onto everything, you won't be able to do any of that if you still have even a shred of hesitation left in you. In the end, only those who can be completely total on their path will be able to reach this level.”

Hachiman wanted to refute this idea. However, Satoru managed to get ahead of him.

“' ‘It's as if one can become strong just from that alone,' is what you’d to say, right?” Satoru said with a mocking smile.

“Stop acting like you know what I’m thinking.”

The white-haired man then ruffled Hachiman's hair anxiously.

“Come on, boy. How long do you think I've known you?"

Satoru stopped his activities before Hachiman rebelled. He sighed and leaned back while enjoying the calming aroma of the perfume placed in the car.

“It's about mentality, Hachiman. Hard training and good skills make you a strong sorcerer. However, the right mentality will take you beyond everything.”

Hachiman lowered his head. Even though his eyes were staring at the tips of his shoes, his mind was wandering somewhere. He swallowed all his ego and had no intention of arguing and being stubborn in front of Satoru. Word after word that the man had said began to play back, repeating itself in his brain like a broken radio.

“Jujutsu sorcery is endless possibilities, you already understand this, right?” Satoru reopened the conversation, "The books you have read are only the results of recordings of sorcerers in the past. Basically, they are just other people's thoughts and ideas. It's good to use as a reference, but you shouldn't get caught up in their thinking.”

Satoru took a deep breath and let it out before continuing his impromptu class.

“Come up with your own ideas and never hesitate. If you can fulfil these two mindsets, you’re on the right path to becoming whatever you want."

Right after Satoru said that sentence, silence enveloped them again. The only sound that could be heard was the faint sound of the car engine Ijichi was driving. Meanwhile, Hachiman just supported his chin while continuing to look far out the window.

Even though Satoru never got a reply, he only responded with a snort and a meaningful smile. He brushed his hair back using fingers. However, when his back touched the back of the chair, the words that came out of Hachiman's mouth caught his attention.

"You know what, it feels strange hearing such weighty words from your mouth," said Hachiman without looking at Satoru, "But thanks, I'll think about it."

The white-haired man just laughed softly at that.

“I know right? That doesn't suit my image, right?”

Satoru replied, bringing his face closer to Hachiman as if he had confirmed the statement. However, in the next second, he pulled his body back and threw his back against the seat.

"Well, those wisdoms are something I picked up from someone when I was young."

Satoru paused his words and wandered deep into his memories as if trying to recall one of his cherished memories.

“That's something your mother taught me, after all.”

Hachiman spontaneously turned to the man.

“What? Really? Like, seriously?”

“You’ve to trust your mother's capacity more, boy. Even though she doesn't have a cursed technique and her abilities are only one level better than Ijichi, but she’s a very amazing person.”

Hachiman looked at Satoru, who was giving off a smile that disgusted him. However, the man's praise sounded so sincere in his ears. It didn't seem like something said just out of admiration. It was also not an empty compliment that the man gave because Hachiman knew that Satoru wasn’t a man who could easily give credit to other people.

Hachiman looked away again, staring at the road through the car window. No matter what the man was thinking, he felt an inner turmoil that disturbed him.

"Above all, it was her wonderful tough side that made me fall in love with your mother," added Satoru with a firm statement.

Hachiman gasped and could only blink a few times. For the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes, Satoru's words, filled with unexpected things, kept making his mood mixed. Hachiman had heard the man joke many times about him loving his mother. He usually got annoyed and swore every time Satoru said such ridiculous things.

However, at the moment, it was difficult for him to pour swear words into such a sincere-sounding statement.

"You know what, I'm really going to beat you up one day," replied Hachiman.

Those cursing words were the best he could give. However, there was no feeling of excessive annoyance like the boy usually showed every time Satoru brought up this topic.

“You're welcome, Hachiman-kun, you're welcome.”

—To Be Continued—

Author Note: Hello Hi!!! You know what, i think this chapter is my favourite lol. Like, I really enjoy when i wrote this one. I don't want to spoiler, so don't read this if you don't follow the manga. Basically, seeing how Satoru fared, I really enjoyed writing the story he couldn't have in canon even it's just something in his dream. But the the thing is, was it really a dream? Or a warning from his subconscious? I don't know. Even though i already planned the whole thing since wrote this story from the start, i have not decided his fate yet.

Anyway, if you have a hard time imagining Satoru's daughters in this chapter, just search "Shishiro Botan", "Shirakami Fubuki", and "Gawr Gura". They are vtubers from Hololive.

Last but not least, what do you think of this chapter guys? And please be safe and see you again.