Kaito was fifteen and already used to the weight of Aiko on his shoulders.
It was a Saturday in late spring.
Sendai streets were busy — weekend shoppers, kids running between stores, salarymen in a hurry.
Aiko had insisted on coming.
"Nii-chan! Ice cream day! You promised!"
Kaito carried her piggyback style — her arms around his neck, legs dangling, chin on his shoulder narrating every shop window.
"That one has cute plushies! That one has manga! Nii-chan buy me the cat one!"
Kaito deadpan: "Ice cream first. Plushies are conditional on no CE leaks in the store."
Aiko pouted into his hair.
"You're no fun."
Kaito adjusted her weight (effortless with light reinforcement).
"I'm extremely fun. I just don't want to pay for property damage."
They turned a corner near the shopping arcade.
The air shifted.
Not curse malice — something sharper.
Cleaner.
Heavier.
Kaito stopped walking.
Aiko felt it too — went quiet, grip tightening.
Across the street, leaning against a lamppost like he owned the city, stood a man in black — white hair, blindfold, lazy grin.
Gojo Satoru.
He wasn't looking at the street.
He was looking straight at Kaito.
Even through the blindfold, Kaito felt it — like being weighed on a scale made of infinity.
Gojo tilted his head.
Then smiled wider.
Kaito felt the shift before he saw it.
Space warped — subtle, almost playful.
A tiny Blue orb formed in front of Gojo's palm — small enough to fit in a hand — then flicked forward like a marble.
Not aimed to kill.
Just to test.
The orb pulled — air sucked toward it, street dust spiraling, pedestrians stumbling slightly from the sudden tug.
Kaito reacted instantly.
CE looped through his body — full reinforcement.
Suppression burst — 90%.
Physical mode.
He spun Aiko off his shoulders, set her behind him in one fluid motion.
"Stay low."
Aiko nodded, eyes wide but trusting.
The Blue orb hurtled toward them — attraction force strong enough to yank a grown man off his feet.
Kaito didn't dodge.
He stepped forward.
Right fist infused to the knuckles — CE concentrated like molten steel.
He punched straight into the orb.
Impact.
The attraction force met infinite reserves + perfect timing.
Black flash spark — small, contained, but sharp.
The orb shattered like glass — attraction reversed for a split second, then dispersed.
Shockwave rippled outward — street signs rattled, nearby shop windows vibrated.
Pedestrians yelped, thinking it was a sudden gust of wind.
Gojo's grin grew.
"Well well."
He pushed off the lamppost, strolled across the street like he was walking through his own living room.
Stopped a few meters away.
Blindfold tilted down slightly — Six Eyes glowing underneath.
"You've got a battery in there, kid. And no plug. How… interesting."
Kaito stood straight, fist still clenched, CE still flowing.
Aiko peeked from behind his leg.
"Nii-chan… who's the weird tall guy?"
Kaito didn't look back.
"Someone dangerous. Stay behind me."
Gojo laughed — bright, carefree.
"Dangerous? Me? I'm just the friendly neighborhood teacher."
He raised a hand — casual wave.
Another Blue orb formed — this one larger, stronger.
But he didn't throw it.
Just let it hover.
"You punched my Blue with raw force. No technique. No domain. Just juice and timing."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I like you already."
Kaito deadpan:
"Flattered. Can you not throw marbles at my sister?"
Gojo's grin turned mischievous.
"Sister? Ohhh. That explains the clingy aura I'm sensing."
He crouched down to Aiko's level — still a few meters away.
"Hey little one. Your big bro's got a lot of power. You too?"
Aiko peeked out further.
"My Nii-chan is the strongest! And he carries me everywhere!"
Gojo laughed louder.
"I can see that."
He straightened up, looked at Kaito again.
"You're not registered. Not a clan kid. Not even on the radar. And yet…"
He tapped his blindfold.
"…you're carrying enough cursed energy to make most special grades look like batteries in comparison."
Kaito didn't flinch.
"Does that mean you're going to keep throwing things at us?"
Gojo shrugged.
"Nah. Test passed."
The Blue orb vanished.
He turned to leave — then paused.
"By the way…"
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"If you ever want to learn how to actually use all that juice… look me up."
A playful salute.
"See you around, Battery-kun."
And he warped away — gone in a shimmer of space.
Kaito exhaled.
Aiko tugged his sleeve.
"Nii-chan… was that a good guy or a bad guy?"
Kaito looked down at her.
"Both. Probably."
He lifted her onto his shoulders again.
"Come on. Ice cream's waiting."
Aiko cheered.
"Yay! And tell Yuji-nii about the weird tall guy!"
Kaito started walking.
"Yeah. He's going to love this story."
He didn't know it yet — but the white-haired man had just marked him.
And the quiet years?
They were officially over