He'd experienced this unpleasant feeling ever since he first enrolled at Jujutsu High.
"Seriously, it's been so long since you've seen your beloved senior. Don't you miss me at all? I've missed you guys, you know."
"If you miss us, then hurry up and start doing missions."
"We're about to work ourselves to death."
Kento Nanami stared at him with dead fish eyes and answered expressionlessly.
"Hahaha, well, anyway, everyone's hungry, so let's hurry up and get this over with."
Satoru Gojo laughed awkwardly and completely ignored the complaint. Taking the lead, he started walking up the stairs.
"This is the place, right? Your senior will help you vent some frustration."
"Making my precious juniors work this hard is absolutely unforgivable..."
Just as Gojo was speaking, a deafening roar exploded through the area.
A massive cloud of dust instantly swallowed him.
A surge of Cursed Energy followed. It was obvious that the Cursed Spirit lurking here had made its move.
And yet...
Not a single person standing at the bottom of the stairs reacted.
No one even bothered looking up.
Shoko Ieiri had already dragged Suguru Geto into a discussion about what dishes they should order later. Since Gojo was treating them to such an expensive meal, she had every intention of taking full advantage of it.
Meanwhile, Yu Haibara was earnestly introducing himself to Betty. Despite her youthful appearance, he didn't show even the slightest hint of condescension.
"Ah."
"Seriously."
"I really don't like rude people."
Gojo's voice drifted out from the dust cloud.
The next moment, an invisible force swept through the area, blowing away all the dust and revealing two figures.
The difference in size between them was enormous.
One was gigantic.
The other was Gojo.
Yet despite its overwhelming size, the massive Cursed Spirit showed absolutely no desire to fight. It struggled desperately to escape, but Gojo's foot pinned it firmly to the ground.
"Hey, Kento. Yu."
Hearing Gojo call out to them, the two first-years turned around.
"Already done, Gojo-senpai? Does that mean we're going to eat now?"
Shoko smiled as she looked over.
Then she noticed that Gojo didn't seem particularly happy. The grin had vanished from his face.
Geto picked up on it even faster.
After glancing at the Cursed Spirit trapped beneath Gojo's foot, he frowned slightly.
"This was your mission?"
"A Grade 1 Cursed Spirit?"
Both Nanami and Haibara froze.
After taking a closer look, they realized Geto was right.
Both of them were currently Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerers.
A Grade 2 Cursed Spirit was manageable.
A Grade 1 was another story entirely.
One mistake in their teamwork, or one particularly troublesome ability from the spirit, and they would've died.
"No. The information we received said it was a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit..."
Haibara shook his head instinctively.
Gojo raised his eyes and exchanged a glance with Betty.
"When were you assigned this mission?"
"Yesterday."
Nanami answered calmly.
Everything clicked into place.
Every last piece.
Those people had even less patience than he'd expected.
He'd only been back for a few days.
At first, he'd thought it was surprisingly restrained that they hadn't immediately come probing around.
Now he realized he'd been wrong.
They hadn't come after him directly.
They'd gone after his juniors instead.
After his return, they'd assigned Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara a mission that should've been far beyond their capabilities.
Just as Betty had predicted.
If they hadn't come today, Nanami and Haibara would've walked into this mission completely unaware.
There was a very real chance one or both of them would've died.
And afterward?
All it would've taken was a simple statement.
An intelligence error.
That would explain everything.
And there would've been nothing he could say.
"What a disgusting bunch of people..."
Gojo muttered under his breath.
"ROAR!"
Without any visible movement from him, the Cursed Spirit beneath his foot suddenly let out a shrill scream before instantly disintegrating into nothingness.
Perhaps sensing that Gojo was in a bad mood, Haibara hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"It was probably just a mistake by the Window staff."
"Stuff like this isn't exactly unheard of."
"Information can't be accurate one hundred percent of the time."
"Still, a Grade 2 turning into a Grade 1 is going a little too far."
Nanami's tone remained cold.
With the strength he and Haibara currently possessed, handling a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit was simply impossible.
Geto glanced at Gojo, then at everyone else.
After clearing his throat, he changed the subject.
"Since the mission's finished, let's go eat."
Gojo paused briefly before nodding.
A smile slowly returned to his face.
"You're right."
"Kento and Yu are fine, so I won't worry about it for now."
"Let's go. Time for a feast."
The group immediately changed direction and headed toward the high-end restaurant Gojo had reserved.
The six of them walked together, their shadows overlapping beneath the afternoon sun.
The atmosphere was lively and warm.
A full kaiseki course wasn't cheap.
Not even a little.
But that hardly mattered to Gojo.
Money wasn't something he needed to think about.
That said, the price did have its reasons.
Whether the flavor justified it or not was another matter, but the presentation and ceremony were impeccable.
It was aristocratic cuisine through and through.
By the time the meal ended, everyone was thoroughly satisfied.
As they prepared to part ways, Gojo looked at Nanami and Haibara.
"You know, Kento, Yu."
"Why don't you just stick with us for a while?"
"More people means more fun."
"Uh... wouldn't that be a bad idea?"
Haibara scratched the back of his head.
"If we stop doing missions, a lot of people will suffer because of Cursed Spirits. Some might even be put in danger."
"And honestly, this is one of the few things I'm actually good at."
"I think I should give it everything I've got. Otherwise, what's the point?"
"I don't really care."
Nanami pointed at Haibara.
"But this idiot will die if he's by himself."
"You two really are close."
A cigarette hanging from her lips, Shoko wandered over with a grin.
"That's just normal friendship."
"You're making it sound weird, senpai."
"Well, since you've both made up your minds, I'll leave it at that."
Gojo shrugged.
"But if anything happens, call your senior, okay?"
"As long as it's not too far away, I'll be there the second you hang up."
He knew there was no point forcing the issue.
So he settled for a compromise.
"After all, like you said, intelligence isn't always reliable."
"If it happened once, it can happen again."
"And don't worry about Curtains."
"Even if there isn't one, I'll get there fast enough that nobody will notice."
"Understood, senpai!"
Haibara replied cheerfully.
His straightforward sincerity never seemed to fade.
After saying goodbye, they got into the car and started heading home.
Betty casually played with one of the souvenirs Gojo had bought for her during their sightseeing trip before speaking.
"Looks like I was right."
"Yeah."
"I overestimated their patience."
"When are you planning to make your move?"
"In the next couple of days."
Gojo leaned back in his seat.
"Tomorrow, I want to see if I can teach Geto and the others magic."
"At the very least, it'd be nice if they had something besides Cursed Energy."
"It might help them survive."
"Cursed Energy is an extremely distorted power."
"From what I've seen and what you've explained, the upper limit is almost entirely determined by talent."
"Training barely matters."
"Your so-called training mostly just improves how Cursed Energy flows through the body."
"Things like Black Flash, refining Cursed Energy, or learning certain techniques are about all that can be developed afterward."
"If you want to become a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, master a Domain Expansion, or possess enormous reserves of Cursed Energy..."
He paused.
"It's like wealth."
"If you're born with it, you have it."
"If you're not, you'll spend your whole life chasing something you'll never reach."
"Where are all these strange life lessons coming from?"
Betty gave him a suspicious look.
"You sound awfully confident."
"Those TV dramas you didn't want me watching."
"I knew I was right to ban them."
"But Mana isn't much different, is it?"
"As a mage, your Mana reserves still have to be accumulated through training."
"Complex spells can be mastered through years of practice."
"You make it sound like anyone can learn Roswaal's multi-casting."
Gojo sounded unconvinced.
"You expect them to reach Roswaal's level?"
Betty rolled her eyes so hard it practically radiated contempt.
"Well... not exactly."
Gojo laughed awkwardly before becoming serious again.
"I'm just not sure whether they'll be able to learn magic in our world."
"It should be fine."
"You taught me how to use Cursed Energy in my world, didn't you?"
"Fair point."
Gojo nodded.
"Guess we'll try tomorrow and see what happens."
...
At Jujutsu High.
"Magic?"
Suguru Geto, Shoko Ieiri, and Masamichi Yaga all stared at Gojo in surprise.
"Yep."
"The same kind of magic Betty uses."
"Everyone has different attributes, though, so I don't know what yours will be."
"But based on my experience..."
"Most Jujutsu Sorcerers are probably Yin Attribute."
"If that's true, then things couldn't be more perfect."
"Betty's a Great Spirit of the Yin Attribute."
"She's basically one of the strongest existences possible when it comes to Yin magic."
"She can teach all of you."
"So?"
"Wanna give it a shot?"
"Why all of a sudden?"
Geto watched him closely.
"You've never mentioned any of this before."
As Gojo's closest friend, he immediately sensed something was off.
"Is this because of what happened yesterday?"
After thinking for a moment, Geto voiced his suspicion.
"Not entirely."
"Yesterday was just a small part of it."
Gojo sighed.
"Honestly, this is something I've been considering for a long time."
"I want you guys to be stronger."
"So if something happens, you won't be in danger."
"I'll learn! I'll learn! I'll learn!"
"I want to learn! Please teach me! I'm begging you!"
The instant Gojo finished speaking, Shoko launched herself across the room and slid to a stop directly in front of him.
Her expression was both excited and devout.
As a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Shoko had always worked in the rear lines.
The reason was simple.
Her technique was Reverse Cursed Technique.
It offered almost no combat ability.
The fact that she remained in the rear meant things were safe.
If she ever had to step onto the front lines to heal people, the situation had probably already deteriorated into a disaster.
Now a new path had appeared before her.
A chance to become stronger.
A chance to protect herself.
Of course she wasn't going to refuse.
If anything, she needed it more than anyone.
"No problem."
Gojo grinned.
"As long as you're interested, everything's negotiable."
"What about you?"
"Of course I'm interested."
Geto had no intention of turning it down either.
"Sensei?"
"Understood."
Yaga nodded, indicating he'd participate as well.
"Perfect."
Gojo turned toward Betty.
"I'm leaving the rest to you."
"Mm."
"Do we need some kind of aptitude test first?"
"Or is there another process?"
Shoko's curiosity about magic was practically overflowing.
Questions poured out of her one after another.
Betty eventually walked straight up to her and pressed a hand against her forehead.
"Close your eyes."
"Carefully sense the power inside your body that isn't Cursed Energy..."
Watching Betty teach Shoko reminded Gojo of Puck and Natsuki Subaru.
Back then, Puck had guided them the exact same way.
He suddenly found himself missing his friends from the other world.
While Gojo was lost in thought, Shoko suddenly let out a startled cry.
"I can feel it!"
"This is amazing!"
"Now guide the Mana through the Gate inside your body."
"Slowly."
"Control the amount of Mana, just like you control Cursed Energy..."
A stream of black smoke erupted from Shoko's body.
It looked exactly like the spell Betty had used to prank Geto the day before.
"The same spell from yesterday? She learned it already?"
Geto stared in astonishment.
As the firsthand victim of that spell, he knew exactly how terrifying it was.
If someone got caught without preparation, they were essentially finished.
The effect was practically comparable to the impact of Gojo's Domain.
"Don't make such a fuss."
Gojo waved him off.
"That's just the most basic level of magic."
"What Betty used on you yesterday was a mid-level Yin Attribute spell."
"If Shoko wants to learn mid-level magic, it'll take a lot more time."
"I see."
Geto nodded thoughtfully.
Then he looked at Gojo again.
"By the way."
"The thing you mentioned earlier..."
"Does it have something to do with the higher-ups?"
He still remembered Gojo complaining about them before.
Especially because of Masamichi Yaga, Gojo had never had a favorable opinion of Jujutsu Society's leadership.