章節 21: Chapter 21

He looked at himself in the mirror and almost couldn't recognize the person staring back at him. Contrasting images of white short hair overlapped with the black ponytail he carried in his past life.

Grey placid eyes in contrast to the pitch black orbs befitting of a pure-blooded Uchiha with a direct ancestry to Madara himself. With a thin nose surrounded by high cheekbones, he was an almost complete carbon copy of Satoru.

The only distinguishing features were his grey eyes and his general stoic features. The usual stress lines beneath his eyes had also begun to clear out.

This new world was many things but it had nothing that was the sheer intensity that was beginning a shinobi career at the tender age of seven and the responsibilities that came with being the scion of a clan as prestigious as the Uchiha.

He had also grown taller, he realized with a quick measurement in front of the mirror. His fit frame was covered in a white half-hand haori, a black inner yukata, and a matching black hakama, with a pair of brown geta sandals on his feet—an informal version of the Jujutsu high school uniform.

Yet, there were privileges afforded to special grades, and a personalized version of the uniform was one of the perks; after all, they were the exception.

Despite his initial dislike for more formal wear, he found it difficult to reject the few wishes Aiko asked of him, and she had grown to love the way the more traditional dressing looked on him.

So he had let it be, leading to acceptance born of familiarity. Two matching black earrings hung off his ears, bringing up memories of a lost friend. He tore his eyes away from the mirror as he tried to shake off thoughts of Geto.

"Jiki!"

The door opened with some force as Aiko rushed in before bending over to suck in as much air as her frame could take. He had picked up the sounds of her feet slapping against the traditional floor of the house in a hurry while he studied himself in the mirror. Sending her a glance and a soft smile, she replied with a wide heartwarming smile.

"Ahhh, I thought I was too late already."

"We are," he replied with an uncaring shrug before turning his eyes back to the mirror. Aiko had stayed behind in the village to watch her recovering parents, and he didn't have it in him to request her presence back so soon. "It doesn't matter. Yaga-san might not like it, but as long as I show up today, there should be no real problem."

He had ended up picking Tokyo Jujutsu high to no real surprise, other than an hour long call from Mei-San guilt tripping him into owing her a shopping trip.

She got control of her breathing before taking quick and long steps to hug him from behind, pressing his head into her bosom and smothering him with more love than any other person had to give.

"I thought I'd be too late. Especially since I won't be there with you…"

He felt a pang in his chest at the confirmation of the words. Students at Tokyo Jujutsu High were mandated to stay on campus. This was a rule originally created to ensure the protection of the future jujutsu sorcerers in a time of monsters and legends.

Now, it was enforced so that clan-bred sorcerers would not be able to rely solely on the influence of their clans and learn to stand on their own feet in the outside world. He supposed some people saw the appeal in it, and rationally it obviously made a lot of sense. Yet that didn't stop his feelings on how this setup would affect their relationship.

She must have sensed the change in his mood even if his emotional turmoil was not present on his face. So she swiveled his chair to face her, yellow cat-like eyes staring into dull grey.

"You can still come visiting whenever you like, plus you'll have loads of stories to tell me."

"Those stories would most likely contain excessive amounts of sadness, death, blood, and gore," he replied with a raised brow. Aiko was a lot of things; brave, kind, caring, and intelligent.

One thing she wasn't was sorcerer material. She could not compartmentalize her thoughts like the truly prepared could—people born and bred for this lifestyle—the ability to discard the horrors that you witness in the morning and go have chicken soup for lunch with a smile on your face while talking with friends.

Like it was for shinobi, there is a needed spark… Shisiu used to call it a spark of madness. A spark that was needed to do the kinds of things they did. He personally believed they each had something missing—something fundamental to humanity was lost during the upliftment that came with the realization that you were more than human. Shinobi or Sorcerer, it was all the same.

Yet he wouldn't have her any other way. She bunched up her face at him into an exaggerated pout that turned his half-smile into a full-blown grin.

"As long as it's you telling the stories, I won't mind. There's also old man Tatsumi to watch out for now that he's getting so old."

He chuckled at the thought of the old man with a physique better than most athletes and with almost a century of experience under his belt actually needing the aid of Aiko with anything.

Yet he nodded because he understood what the offer really was. An open-handed offer for reconciliation. Even if no one in the clan truly dared to treat her like a maid, he would be gone for a long time.

Anything could happen in that span of time. That's why he agreed with the offer. Old man Tatsumi's presence would be a shield against the internal politics she might've faced with his absence.

"Now come on," she dragged him up by his hands, and he allowed the motion, letting her pull him to his feet. "You should not be too late on your first day of school."

....

She woke up the moment the car stopped. Her inhuman musculature and sense of balance highlighted the moment the movement in the car—the pistons, the gears, and the engine—stopped.

She forced bleary eyes open before rubbing them in a useless effort to shake off her dreams. Unfortunately, those dreams were formed with the truths that were her memories as a base which made them harder to shrug off. But today was her first day away. A day way without the shackles that were her clan.

"We're here, young lady."

"Alright," she replied to the older man, before putting on her glasses and stepping out of the car. It was the job of a second to wrap her green hair up in a high ponytail that fell to her neck, before opening the boot and taking out her bags.

She turned around and stared at the beginning of a new life as the driver turned on his car once more. The red torii gate stretched deep into the mountain pathway that led into the school.

"Are you sure this is where you want to stop?" The driver asked her once more, concern etched on his weathered face. They were on a pathway on the outskirts of Japan that didn't seem to see much traffic with their car being the only vehicle for several miles.

people she called family. She gave him a sharp grin in response. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? To be seen and recognized.

"Don't worry, old man, I'm going to be alright," she replied with a wave. The older man gave the surroundings one more glance before passing her a slip of paper.

"That's my number. In case you're in trouble, don't hesitate to call me, and I'll be here to pick you up. Take care of yourself, kid."

He took off and even while driving, he kept on sending glances back through the mirror at her.

"Mau Mau, such a kind Jiji."

"Ah."

She let out at the sudden voice that came from behind her, pirouetting on her left foot to dish out an explosive kick. An explosive kick that was forced to a halt right in front of a white-haired man with chiseled features, a blindfold, and a wide smirk.

"Attacking a teacher already, this year is gearing up to be something already."

"Ah."

She let out another scream, but this time in embarrassment, before dropping her bags and moving into a formal bow.

"I'm sorry!"

She shouted out loud. She just lashed at the strongest sorcerer of the modern era.

"Hehhehehehe."

The white-haired sorcerer let out a laugh as he hugged his stomach.

"You should have seen your face!"

She raised her head with a weird look on her face. Was this goofy man truly Satoru Gojo?

....

As they walked up the stairs, she realized that unfortunately for the image in her head, he was the man and the living legend all in one. Although she had lost most of the respect she had come to rate the man just after minutes with him.

"Then he said, 'You won't be alone for long.' Can you believe it? My cute little Jiki-kun. Now he's all grown up and doesn't even bother to call me when taking on centuries-old threats. Oh, the horror." He ended and started cleaning away fake tears.

She had spent the last few minutes climbing up the mountain and learning more about the rumored malevolent-eyed Gojo than she ever thought she would know. Still, even with the fake tears and exaggerated wailing, she could see how proud of him Satoru was.

They got to the top of the treacherous steps, and she sent a glance at the suddenly quiet man, his breath was remarkably in sync, she noted. The walk was nothing to her considering her physique, yet he matched her without even a single evidence of weariness.

"You don't have to worry about the Zenin clan from here on."

Her head snapped back to him in surprise. She had not known he was familiar with the inner workings of the clan, and the sudden seriousness he spoke with surprised her.

"I'm not saying you've escaped Naobito's reach completely, but this far away from him and under my watch, he will be heavily limited with what power he can wield against you."

He turned his head to face her, and even if she could not see his eyes, she could tell by the set of his jaw, the quick flare of breath, and the steadiness of his heartbeat and pulse.

"To truly break from the shackles of your clan, you would need to be strong. To be one of the exceptional few that can force the world to hold its breath for their passing... Till the, I will be your shade."

She ducked her head in a quick show of thanks and to hide the tears that tried to form in her eyes. She had been away from her clan for less than twelve hours and she almost couldn't believe the difference in treatment. Maybe she was wrong; maybe he was truly a trustworthy and reliable ma-

"Mau Mau, I'm so hungry. I'm going to freeload off the kitchen staff for a bit. Head to the corner of that building, and when you see a weird-faced elephant statue turn to your right and walk into the building, that's the orientation center. Toodles."

She snapped her head up to see the world's strongest sorcerer twist his hands into a sign and abandon her in a displacement of air and his signature smirk.

She stared at the spot, gobsmacked for another three seconds before she shook her head and set her glasses in place. She was starting to suspect the world's greatest sorcerer was a moron and a fraud all in one.

The architecture of Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High was a very familiar one for someone who lived in a centuries-old clan. It possessed aged wooden buildings with remarkable arches and painted doors, seal-etched statues, and doors reminiscent of a time without the rumored Master Tengen's protections.

She got to the door that was supposed to be used for introduction, dropping her bags at the sides she knocked heavily before stepping in.

She was greeted to the sight of three teenagers staring back at her. Her inhumanly sharp eyes picked up the details quickly.

The first one was a platinum blonde-haired teen with purple eyes and a shawl that covered his lower face. He greeted her with a two-finger peace sign. The second was a teddy bear? A giant white and black ball of fur that waved at her with a big smile that was all teeth; she doubted it knew how threatening that display was. Finally, the last person was a brown-eyed and brown-haired girl with little distinguishing features other than a birthmark on the top of her lips. She fidgeted on her seat and constantly bit her lips while looking at anywhere but her.

Maki took a quick calming breath before stiffening her spine and announcing her name.

"I'm Maki… just Maki." She finished with a sharp glare, waiting for someone to ask for her clan name. Fortunately, they took the hint, and the next person to speak was the black and white bear.

"Hello, I'm Panda!" It greeted out, it could even talk which should not have been as much of a surprise if she was honest.

"Kelp," the blonde-haired teen replied. Huh?

"I-I'm Ayame Emi, n-nice to meet you," the last girl stuttered with her eyes down.

Maki looked back at the three people she was going to spend her first year with and was already considering if the Zenin clan would have her back.

No, she had to think positive thoughts only. A class filled with a shy girl, a weirdo, and a talking bear couldn't be all bad, right?

The sliding door opened once more, and a man walked in. A giant man with dark shades and a darker skin tone.

"Right on time then, take a seat," he directed the last one at her, and she hurried to take a seat right next to the fidgeting girl. The man stared at them for a few seconds before he began to speak.

"My name is Masamichi Yaga, and I am the current principal of Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School. This is only an orientation, so I'm going to keep it short and to the point. I like punctuality and earnestness from my students. Unfortunately, one of you is already late," he added after a brief glance around.

She idily wondered who the last person was; they were already plenty enough according to what she knew about the classes in jujutsu high. The principal sent a hand to rub the side of his head in an exasperated motion while murmuring 'damn Gojos and stressing me-"

Knock knock.

The sound rang out in the quiet room, and the principal sent another glance at the door before letting out a sigh and calling out.

"Come in."

The doors slid open again for the second time, and a teen walked in. The white-haired, relatively tall teen walked in with practiced and measured movements.

Unlike the blue jacket and bottoms the rest of them wore, he was dressed in a more traditional haori and yukata combination. He stepped in and transitioned into a curt but formal bow at the principal before turning to face them.

Maki stared into an aloof face that might as well have been shaped from granite bearing sharp features and half-lidded eyes. Yet even half-lidded, she could see the slow spin of black pinwheels in a sea of red, and she knew who he was with that simple look.

"Gojo Jiki, nice to meet you."