[October 2012 – Sakura-machi]
"Good evening, viewers. In today's top story, Kurotsuki Industries has once again turned the global tech market upside down."
The anchor's voice rang from televisions across Japan. Behind her, the screen displayed a glowing logo: NEURA — a sleek "N" wrapped around a glowing neural grid.
"In a surprise announcement this morning, Kurotsuki Industries unveiled NEURA, a revolutionary smartphone line featuring an AI assistant that experts are calling the most advanced of its kind. Pre-orders opened at 10 a.m., and within two hours, the website crashed under unprecedented traffic."
Clips rolled: crowds in Tokyo, London, and New York lining up in front of stores; tech bloggers gushing over unboxing videos.
"NEURA's features include a camera generations ahead of current models, a proprietary operating system called GenOS, and the company's signature AI — capable of contextual conversation, adaptive learning, and lifelong loyalty to its user. The device is reportedly tamper-proof, unhackable, and optimized for privacy. Industry leaders are calling it the 'smartphone of the decade.'"
The anchor smiled tightly at the camera. "And remember — the CEO behind all of this is still a teenager: Kurotsuki Tenkai."
The camera cut to a photo of Tenkai at a press event, wearing a dark blazer, his black Gojo-like hair falling over his galaxy-colored eyes. No smile. Just the quiet focus of someone already five steps ahead of everyone else.
The news report buzz faded as Gojo flicked the TV off with a finger. He was lounging in the waiting area of Tokyo Jujutsu High, his long legs stretched out, his blindfold tilted like a lazy headband.
"Kid makes a billion-dollar empire before breakfast," he muttered. "And people still wonder why I like hanging out with him."
On cue, the heavy doors opened. Tenkai entered, crisp in a simple black hoodie and jeans — an odd look for someone the world now associated with luxury tech launches. He carried himself quietly, eyes scanning the corridors like a chessboard.
"Yaga's waiting," Gojo said, hopping to his feet. "Principal time. Don't worry, he's not as scary as he looks. Well… most days."
Tenkai didn't react. He adjusted his hoodie and followed.
[Principal Yaga's Office]
The room smelled faintly of cedar and old paper. Principal Masamichi Yaga sat behind his wide desk, his sunglasses glinting under the low light. Wooden puppets lined the shelves, their limbs half-finished; one twitched faintly with cursed energy.
"Sit," Yaga said simply.
Tenkai did, folding his hands in his lap. His posture was relaxed but unyielding, as if the chair itself had to accommodate him.
"I've read your file," Yaga began, voice gravelly. "Tech prodigy. Martial arts training. No formal jujutsu education." He paused. "Why do you want to be a sorcerer?"
Tenkai's answer came like a blade. "To fight back."
Nothing more. No elaboration. Just that.
Yaga blinked once. The weight of the words hung in the office like a storm cloud. For a moment, the only sound was the creak of a puppet's wooden limb.
Then Yaga leaned back in his chair, his glasses hiding his eyes. He let the silence stretch, but Tenkai didn't fidget.
"Very well," Yaga said at last. "Admitted."
Tenkai nodded once, stood, and left without a backward glance.
The door clicked shut.
Yaga exhaled slowly, realizing his palms were damp against the desk. For decades, he had read cursed energy like a second language, but this boy's presence… it was like staring into an abyss without edges. A small vessel holding an ocean.
He wiped a bead of sweat from his temple. "Another unreasonable monster," he muttered under his breath.
Gojo was leaning against the corridor wall, tossing a candy wrapper up and down like a coin.
"So? Survive the scary principal?"
Tenkai handed him a small box.
Gojo's brows rose. "What's this?"
"Your phone."
Gojo ripped it open like a child at Christmas. Inside lay a gleaming NEURA custom model— slim, blue-and-white matte finish, its edges trimmed in sapphire light. The screen flickered to life instantly, greeting him in a voice suspiciously smooth:
"Good afternoon, Satoru Gojo. Welcome to NEURA."
Gojo's grin widened behind his blindfold. "It knows my name! Oh, this is gonna be fun."
Tenkai adjusted his hoodie. "It's optimized for your… eccentricities. Don't break it."
Gojo twirled it in his fingers. "Break it? Kid, I'm about to marry it. Does it have games?"
"Several," Tenkai replied flatly.
"Does it play my theme music when I walk into a room?"
"No."
"Boo."
They walked side by side down the stone corridor. Outside, the sun was sliding toward evening, the sky over Tokyo burning orange.
"Are there other students?" Tenkai asked quietly.
Gojo shook his head. "Not like you. Curse users are rare, and real sorcerers are even rarer. You're basically my only new project right now."
Tenkai absorbed that in silence as Gojo led him to the dormitory.
The dormitory was a traditional Japanese building nestled against a grove of old pines. Paper lanterns glowed faintly along the walkway.
"This'll be your room," Gojo said, gesturing. "Spacious, quiet, comes with free sarcasm from me if you ever need it. Settle in; training starts tomorrow."
Tenkai bowed his head slightly. "Understood."
As he stepped inside, the air was cool and still. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to sit on the futon, closing his eyes.
Aion's voice stirred faintly in his mind. "Observation complete. Multiple curse energy signatures detected in vicinity. Gojo's power remains immeasurable."
"I know," Tenkai whispered back, lips barely moving.
[Later That Evening — Principal's Office]
Gojo leaned back in a chair, legs crossed, scrolling through his new NEURA phone like a gamer trying to speedrun its features. "Kid's a genius. This thing even tracks my heartbeat when I lie. Spoiler: I never lie."
Yaga ignored the joke. "That boy…" He clasped his hands, fingers tightening. "His cursed energy reserve. I've never felt anything like it. If he loses control—"
Gojo waved a hand lazily. "Relax. He's not the type to go berserk. More like the type to make spreadsheets about it."
"I'm serious, Gojo."
"So am I," Gojo replied, suddenly dropping the humor. "I've seen enough monsters to know the difference. He's not a problem. He's a variable."
Yaga's jaw tightened. "Do you know his innate technique?"
Gojo paused, looking at his phone's shimmering screen. "Huh. Forgot to ask."
Yaga stared. "You—what?"
Gojo smirked. "Don't worry, Masamichi. When it's time, he'll show us. Until then…" He rose, sliding the NEURA into his pocket. "…I'll keep an eye on him. Six Eyes, remember?"
Yaga watched him leave, unease curling in his gut. "Another unreasonable monster…" he murmured again.
Outside, the pines rustled under the October wind.