October 6th, the Tsukimi Festival.
Asou Akiya had been invited to Yaga Masamichi's home for dinner.
His teacher's wife had insisted that he wasn't allowed to help, so he sat obediently on the sofa with three different stuffed toys nestled in his arms. In the kitchen, the range hood hummed loudly. Even a Special Grade sorcerer couldn't escape the necessities of everyday life. Yaga Masamichi stood at the stove in an apron, making soup. When his wife walked over, he scooped up a spoonful and held it out to her.
"Give it a taste and tell me if the seasoning is right."
Yaga's wife, dressed up especially for the occasion, hadn't helped with the cooking. She took a small sip of the soup, and a feeling of happiness spread through her.
Yaga Masamichi was usually far too busy. She knew her husband could cook, but she rarely had the chance to taste his cooking. The unexpectedly delicious flavor brought back the reason she'd fallen for this man all those years ago: he was independent and self-reliant, loved small animals, and was skilled at the kind of felt crafts that could make any girl squeal with delight.
Still, Yaga's wife worried about whether her appearance was still presentable.
"Masamichi, I didn't smudge my lipstick, did I?"
"No, you look beautiful."
He wasn't good at saying sweet things, and he wasn't nearly as popular for his looks as his students. But there were millions of people in the world, and there was no need for everyone to be the same.
The two looked at each other and smiled, embracing each other's shortcomings without reservation.
Yaga Mayumi was over thirty. After marrying, she had taken her husband's surname and become Yaga Mayumi. To this day, they had no children, and she had endured no shortage of gossip from the neighbors, yet the gloom that had long weighed on her finally lifted on this day.
She knew her husband was a kind and open-minded man. He wasn't good at expressing himself, and he had never cared whether she could have children.
The years of their marriage had proven that beyond a doubt.
Yaga Mayumi rested her cheek against her husband's broad shoulder as she watched him cook, chatting softly. "That boy... he's almost seventeen now, isn't he? He's grown even more handsome lately."
Yaga Masamichi saw Asou Akiya quite often. "Has he? He looks the same to me."
"Men are so oblivious. I only see him once every few months, how could I not notice the changes?"
With the adoption paperwork soon to be completed, Yaga Mayumi was gradually beginning to feel like a mother herself.
"Does Akiya-kun have a girlfriend?"
Yaga Masamichi shook his head.
Yaga Mayumi asked again, "Don't any of the girls at school like him?"
Yaga Masamichi honestly answered, "Shoko from his class probably likes him quite a bit. They've been good friends ever since they enrolled."
Yaga Mayumi couldn't believe that a boy and a girl could really remain just friends in high school.
"Are they dating?"
Yaga Masamichi froze. His sharp ears immediately caught the sound of Asou Akiya coughing from the living room.
Yaga Masamichi promptly defended Akiya's innocence.
"Definitely not!"
Yaga Masamichi recalled, "Akiya's personality is carefree without being reckless. He's not the kind of person who would hide a relationship. If he ever dared to bully Shoko, I'd be the first to deal with him. I can guarantee that he and Shoko have never gone out alone together."
Yaga Masamichi had a pretty good idea of what his wife was really concerned about, so he brought up the usual bachelorhood of jujutsu sorcerers.
"Don't worry, the students at Tokyo Jujutsu High are all outstanding; They rarely date while they're still in school."
His expression was solemn, with a hint of pride.
"Are they all that conceited?"
Yaga Mayumi couldn't help herself. She didn't mean to describe them so harshly, but she'd met one or two of her husband's colleagues and some of his former students. They had honestly given her a rather unpleasant impression.
"Some are," Yaga Masamichi said. "There are a few who aren't particularly strong and have plenty of other problems. But the strong ones..." He sighed. "They're all eccentric troublemakers who insist on doing things their own way. Not a single one is an exception."
"What kind of strength?" Yaga Mayumi asked. "Financial strength?"
Then she realized her husband was being vague again, clearly unwilling to explain.
She didn't blame him. She had known even before they married that he was bound by confidentiality agreements with the school. She used to complain about how strict the school was with its teachers, but now...
Her husband had been promoted to principal!
Yaga Mayumi had made it through the most difficult years of their marriage and had now become a principal's wife. Looking at the private religious school on the outskirts of Tokyo, with its sprawling grounds, she couldn't help seeing it in a new light.
Only four students in each class, five years of boarding school, no summer vacation... The students who actually manage to graduate must truly be exceptionally talented.
Otherwise, she couldn't think of a second reason.
That evening, the Yaga couple warmly welcomed Asou Akiya with a sumptuous dinner.
Asou Akiya thoughtfully introduced the new students, letting his teacher's wife know that three more underclassmen had joined the school this year.
"The most distinctive-looking one is a mixed-race junior. He's naturally blond, and his name is Nanami Kento. His grandfather is Danish, and he longs for a leisurely life in a high-welfare society. The most cheerful one is a junior named Haibara Yu. He has big, clear eyes, and you can't help but like him at first sight. When you meet him in the future, you'll be able to recognize him immediately. Among the new students, the one with the best family background is a junior named Naoya. I can't reveal his surname, but if you see a boy with dyed hair and earrings who somehow manages to look both traditional and fashionable, that's definitely him."
Not to mention his wife, even Yaga Masamichi learned quite a bit from Akiya's introduction. He was particularly pleased that Akiya had deliberately omitted the Zen'in surname. The Three Great Clans of the jujutsu world were obscure clans that had little fame in ordinary society, but it was still important to be careful about letting something slip and bringing trouble upon yourself.
After dinner, Yaga Masamichi said, "Why don't you stay here tonight? You can return to school with me on Monday. Mayumi has already made up a bed for you."
Yaga Masamichi noticed that Asou Akiya's phone kept vibrating with incoming messages and ringing with calls.
"Akiya, give me your phone."
"Okay."
Asou Akiya guessed that his teacher wanted to have a talk with him. Smiling, he handed over his phone without resistance.
Yaga Masamichi answered the relentless calls from [DK Satoru] and bellowed in his full, booming voice, "You brat! Don't stay up all night! Go to bed early! I'm borrowing Akiya for three days!"
After saying that, Yaga Masamichi ignored the furious Gojo Satoru on the other end of the line and hung up. Almost immediately, another call came in, this one with the name [DK Suguru].
"Yaga-sensei, it's Suguru, not Satoru. I was calling to ask whether Akiya wants some dango. I can bring some over."
"Suguru, he's eating dango at my house; He's got no time."
For once, Yaga Masamichi played the role of the heartless teacher who broke up his students' little gathering.
A third call came in.
Yaga Masamichi assumed it was Ieiri Shoko and answered without thinking. Instead, a grown man's voice came from the other end.
"Boss, I've picked out the dessert shop. Happy Tsukimi Festival."
"..."
Yaga Masamichi turned to Asou Akiya with a complicated expression.
Akiya pretended to be shy, fiddling with his fingers and looking away.
When did you quietly start a business?
Are the duties of a jujutsu sorcerer not demanding enough, or does your day somehow have more hours than everyone else's?
The corner of Yaga Masamichi's mouth twitched.
"Your boss is too embarrassed to speak. I'm his teacher. Try calling him again in a few days!"
Yaga Masamichi dealt with every single call that came in for Asou Akiya.
Upstairs, Asou Akiya now had his own bedroom and study. Yaga Masamichi led him upstairs and explained, "These two adjoining rooms used to be my study and the storage room. I converted them for you. I've moved my own study downstairs. I've also been cleaning out the basement, which hasn't been used in years, and I'm planning to upgrade the dehumidification system. Next time, I'll give you a key to the basement. If you have anything you don't want ordinary people to see, put it down there."
Yaga Masamichi had considered everything Asou Akiya might need, going over each detail with the mindset of a parent and elder looking after a child.
"Akiya, is there anything we've missed?"
"No."
Asou Akiya noticed that the layout of the second floor had changed quite a bit. Unable to resist teasing his teacher, he added, "What about the room for your distant relative? Why didn't you just let me stay there?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Yaga Masamichi gave him a sharp knock on the head. "Don't say things that ruin the mood."
Asou Akiya hugged Yaga Masamichi's arm. "I only joke like this because it's you."
Yaga Masamichi looked disgruntled. "I've realized that you little brat aren't afraid of me at all."
Asou Akiya stepped into the room that would be his in the future. Its style was exactly to his taste.
"Why should I be afraid of a good person?"
Yaga Masamichi stood in the doorway, his expression darkening. Wearing the brown-tinted sunglasses his students had given him, he once again looked as menacing as a mafia boss. "I'm not necessarily a good person. It's not too late to change your mind."
Asou Akiya: "I'm so scared~"
Asou Akiya nearly doubled over laughing. Yaga-sensei pretending to be a bad guy was hilarious.
But in the next instant, Asou Akiya's expression changed completely.
His smile vanished. His expression turned cold, and his unfocused gaze fixed on the doorway, all warmth draining from him. His cursed energy remained perfectly steady throughout, making Yaga Masamichi feel that even if Akiya hadn't become a jujutsu sorcerer, he would never have been content to live an ordinary life.
"It wasn't me who chose you, but you who chose me.
You care for me and asks for nothing in return, yet it is so completely selfless that it awakens an insatiable greed within me.
I am the one who should be asking you to think this through carefully.
Are you truly prepared to adopt someone like me—someone filled with insecurities, secrets, and someone whose strength is limited?"
Compared to the sense of emptiness that surrounded Asou Akiya, Yaga Masamichi was like an unyielding stone, unmoved by wind or sun.
Yaga Masamichi's voice is firm and resolute. "There is no such thing as regret in my life. Not for me, Yaga Masamichi!"
This was exactly what Asou Akiya wanted: to walk through this hellish world of jujutsu without ever having to regret a thing.
A person must save themselves, but they also need others to serve as their guiding light.
Asou Akiya bowed slightly, adopting the manner of a strategist as he said, "The time is right. Please submit the adoption application on Monday."
Yaga Masamichi felt that far too much had happened this year. Everything surrounding the Star Plasma Vessel mission had allowed him to see what Asou Akiya was truly capable of, leaving him in a completely different state of mind from the last time they had discussed this. "How are we going to explain your situation to Jujutsu Headquarters?"
"Asou Akiya is someone who was born from ordinary civilians and possesses no cursed technique nor any special bloodline. The one-way 'binding vow' placed upon me will end when I graduate. I will absolutely never become a servant of the Gojo Clan."
Asou Akiya didn't want to be an "orange," nor did he want to spend his entire life being treated as one by Gojo Satoru.
They were equals.
Or rather, achieving that equality was precisely what he had been scheming and working toward with all his might: a youth that was equal, kind, and without regrets.
Before entering the school, Akiya had no choice but to fabricate an identity as the Gojo heir's personal attendant in order to protect himself. It allowed him to avoid attacks from both the shadows and the open, but that didn't mean he had no reservations toward Gojo Satoru.
He refused to use the black card Gojo had given him. When he was at his poorest, he'd rather borrow money from Ieiri Shoko or his senpai Mei Mei. He deliberately cut off every possible escape route for himself, doing everything he could to present himself to Gojo Satoru as someone self-reliant and capable of standing on his own two feet. Even when Gojo borrowed cursed tools for him from his family's armory, Akiya didn't want to have anything to do with them.
He had already compromised his identity once. He refused to sink any deeper into that quagmire of falsehoods and give Gojo Satoru any reason to look down on him in the future.
He wasn't servile.
He simply lacked the talent to stand among the strong and had been forced to become one of the weak.
But he is trying.
He is clawing his way upward with everything he had.
On Monday, the newly appointed principal, Yaga Masamichi, completed his report and formally submitted an application to adopt Asou Akiya. Jujutsu Headquarters summoned Yaga Masamichi, and he delivered Akiya's words with unwavering conviction.
"There's nothing wrong with his background; he is not a servant of the Gojo Clan!
The one-way 'binding vow' placed upon him will be dissolved after graduation!
His character is beyond reproach. He is an outstanding student of Tokyo Jujutsu High, and I am willing to personally vouch for him!"
The members of Jujutsu Headquarters began discussing the matter in hushed voices.
How could the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High possibly become entangled in some complicated relationship with one of the Three Great Clans?
The Inspector General of Jujutsu Headquarters asked in bewilderment, "Yaga, there are plenty of orphans in the jujutsu world. Why are you so determined to adopt him?"
Yaga Masamichi leveraged the reputation he had built over many years to win them a chance.
"Because he's a good kid who never gives me any trouble, and he's a classmate whom Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru both recognize."
What would happen to the second-year class without Asou Akiya? Yaga Masamichi didn't even dare imagine it. He couldn't picture Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru quietly attending school like ordinary students. Those two reckless troublemakers could probably tear a hole straight through the jujutsu world!
Tokyo Jujutsu High had the best education in the jujutsu world because Asou Akiya was helping him educate those students!
At the Tombs of the Star Corridor, Master Tengen passed a message to Jujutsu Headquarters as promised.
"Asou Akiya is trustworthy."
At the right moment, they could create the impression that even the aloof Master Tengen could be persuaded to intervene by Yaga Masamichi.
Jujutsu Headquarters might not trust Yaga Masamichi, but they could not afford to distrust Master Tengen.
To gauge the Gojo Clan's attitude without provoking the Three Great Families, Jujutsu Headquarters temporarily put the adoption application on hold and sent a board member to ask the Gojo Clan Head for his opinion.
"Principal Yaga of Tokyo Jujutsu High intends to adopt Asou Akiya. Does the Gojo Clan agree?"
The Gojo Clan Head remembered who Asou Akiya was—the classmate of Satoru-sama. Though utterly baffled by the situation, he cautiously gave his consent.
"We have no objections to Principal Yaga adopting him. He is not a member of the Gojo Clan, so please don't misunderstand. Satoru-sama has forbidden us from sending servants to Tokyo Jujutsu High. The Gojo Clan supports every decision Satoru-sama makes."
"..."
The member of Jujutsu Headquarters thought of Zen'in Naoya, who had thrown a fit the last time his promotion had been held up.
Who the hell would believe that?
Did they really think the Gojo Clan would be willing to let their precious "Six Eyes" suffer at school?
They were only saying this because they were afraid the "Six Eyes" would discover that Akiya was merely his personal attendant and throw a tantrum!
To deal with their longtime enemy, the Zen'in Clan, the Gojo Clan had even deliberately arranged for Asou Akiya and Zen'in Naoya to be partners. They had also denied Naoya's strength in the mission reports. Otherwise, why would Akiya risk offending the Zen'in Clan behind him?
Now that everything had been brought into the open and Jujutsu Headquarters had established communication with the Gojo Clan, The Headquarters conducted another detailed investigation into Asou Akiya, making absolutely certain that he had no ties to the Gojo Clan and that his financial resources did not come from payments provided by them.
Even Mei Mei, who had lent money to Asou Akiya, was questioned by Jujutsu Headquarters.
The powerful Grade 1 sorcerer with an established family background smiled brightly.
"That kouhai of mine, Akiya? He's a good kid. His only flaw is that he's poor."
No matter whom Jujutsu Headquarters questioned at Tokyo Jujutsu High, every answer they received was overwhelmingly positive.
The black-clad representatives from the Headquarters were astonished.
The last time they had come to see Asou Akiya, he had still been an ordinary Grade 4 sorcerer who had traveled to Headquarters alone.
And now, after being promoted to Semi-Grade 2, he had somehow won the goodwill of the entire school.
...
[Jujutsu Headquarters Approval Process.]
[10:00 a.m., October 9, 2006, Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School. Principal Yaga Masamichi submits an application to adopt Asou Akiya.]
[8:00 a.m., October 16, 2006. A representative of Jujutsu Headquarters meets with the Gojo Clan Head and receives a response of "approval."]
[2:00 p.m., October 20, 2006. Jujutsu Headquarters summons Mei Mei, a Grade 1 sorcerer, to inquire about the source of her funds and receives a response of "a loan."]
[6:00 p.m., October 25, 2006. Jujutsu Headquarters completes its collection of information on Tokyo Jujutsu High student Asou Akiya.]
[3:00 p.m., October 30, 2006. Yaga Masamichi's application to adopt Asou Akiya is approved.]