.
Early springtime means that the weather will be gradually growing warmer as the seasons change. In March, the air still retains a cool chill to it. There is currently a light layer of rain drifting down from the overcast sky; a fine film of feather-soft droplets that brushes a gentle caress upon the skin.
… Or at least it would, were it allowed to make contact with her skin instead of being blocked by the expanse of oiled paper that stretches above her.
Shiki readjusts her grip on the thin bamboo handle of the umbrella in her hand.
There is a certain sense of serenity and relaxation, walking alone beneath a quiet spring rain like this. Sedately making her way up the well-worn stone stairway with even, unhurried steps, the girl actually finds herself enjoying the tranquil stroll to the school gates against the backdrop of rainy mountain scenery.
Briefly, Shiki closes her eyes and takes a brief moment to appreciate the peace and quiet. If her last school year as a first year student was anything to go by, and if she also takes into consideration her newfound duties as Gojo clan heir and the traditionalists who are displeased with her appointment… this may very well be the last bit of peace and quiet that she sees all year.
"Yo!" As if on cue to her thoughts, a loud, boisterous voice abruptly shatters the idyllic calm. "C'mon, pick up the pace already!"
Shiki opens her eyes.
Ahead of her, standing beneath the red torii gate at the end of the winding mountain stairway, Kinji raises a hand in a casual wave.
"I thought you said you were still gonna be suspended when the school year started?" he teases.
"Evidently, I was mistaken," Shiki sighs.
It makes sense to keep her away from the Tokyo school, to ensure that Shiki serves the full, extended length of her 'punishment.' Both as a way to impress upon her that becoming the clan heir doesn't mean that she's suddenly free to ignore the consequences of her actions, and as a way to express to onlookers that Shiki's appointment as clan heir isn't something that the Gojo Clan fully and unanimously agrees with.
However–
Shiki had failed to take into account that the traditionalists apparently had greater reason to keep her away from the clan compound.
Their binding vow with Satoru-niichan meant that the branch families were now sworn to follow Shiki. Now that she had become the clan heir, that was a considerable amount of political heft that could be utilized within the clan.
Quite understandably, there were many who didn't wish for Shiki to put that to use. Individuals who would greatly prefer it if their new clan heir didn't get an opportunity to integrate herself deeper into the clan's workings upon ascending to her new position.
And thus, their solution?
Putting Shiki back into the Tokyo school and away from the clan compound.
Undoubtedly, there would be others reacting with displeasure upon Shiki's suspension ending as early as it did. The Yagyu Clan, for one. The higher ups from the Jujutsu Headquarters, for another. But even so, the traditionalists in the Gojo Clan seem to have come to the conclusion that any misunderstandings that would result from her suspension ending early are preferable to whatever else Shiki might accomplish by being a frequent visitor to the clan compound.
It's funny to see them panic like that. Satoru-niichan had laughed, then asked Shiki whether she wanted to return to school or stay and needle the elders a little more.
Shiki, on her part, had opted to return to the Tokyo school.
Rather than staying and dealing with the traditionalists' heightened wariness when she had just been named their clan heir… there's also merit to seeing what they get up to in her absence. In fact, Shiki being preoccupied with missions and school matters might even lull them into a false sense of security. Something that she could potentially use to her advantage, while also avoiding the worst of the posturing and power plays in wake of her ascension to her new position.
"Well, whatever the reason is for your suspension being over and done with… Welcome back, Shiki," Kinji grins at her. "Sucks that you missed the opening ceremony and everything last week, though."
Shiki easily falls into step beside her classmate as they begin climbing the last stretch of the stairway together. "Did something interesting happen?"
"We got a first year student who punched the higher up overseeing the ceremony!" Kinji's grin widens. "It was awesome, you really should've seen it for yourself."
… A first year student punched the higher up overseeing the opening ceremony?
Hmm. It seems that she really did end up missing something interesting this time.
"Who was it?" Was this first year a student who had somehow been wronged by the administration? Or had they antagonized, or been antagonized by the higher up in question? Shiki doubts that they're from one of the sorcery clans. A clan child would likely be constrained by strict values of propriety and respect ingrained into them since childhood.
"Zenin Maki," Kinji tells her with relish. "Yeah, it's exactly the 'Zenin' that you're thinking about."
Shiki stands corrected, then. A clan sorcerer had punched a higher up?
… Not that she really has any room to be speaking here, given that Shiki herself is a clan sorcerer who had killed two higher ups, but it's the principle of the matter here. And, strictly speaking, she had been born outside the Gojo Clan. As a result, her early childhood had been free of any sorcery influences, which was most likely a large contributing factor to her… different mindset, compared to most clan sorcerers. There's a slight distinction to be made here.
The name 'Zenin Maki' sounds vaguely familiar, though. But it's not one of the names that Shiki remembers seeing in the Gojo Clan's list of notable Zenin sorcerers. Which begs the question of where she'd heard it before…
Ah, that's right.
Zenin Maki is the name of one of the Zenin twins. Twin girls, cursed twins. Tsumiki was… maybe friends with the other sister, Zenin Mai? Shiki vaguely recalls Tsumiki mentioning that at some point, although the particulars are lost to her.
Unlike her friend, though, Shiki wasn't nearly as well-acquainted with the Zenin twins. Either one of them. She remembers a brief run-in with the Zenin girls during the year that she'd danced during Obon for the very first time, but that was the extent of Shiki's interactions with them.
It's hard to imagine a clan sorcerer raising their hand against one of the higher ups. But if it's someone who's female, and also a so-called 'cursed twin' on top of that… Shiki thinks that she can see why Zenin Maki might harbor such sentiments. A traditional, prestigious sorcery family such as the Zenin Clan would not be a kind place for such an individual, and it makes sense why Zenin Maki would not view the higher ups kindly by extension.
A twin child…
Twins are seen as an inauspicious omen among sorcery families. If memory serves correctly, twins are seen as cursed because being born together from the same womb means that they are treated as a singular individual in terms of jujutsu, or something along those lines. This means that each twin's potential is halved from what it could've been, had they been born as a complete entity.
Behold, the superstitions that are ingrained deeply in sorcery culture. Even though it's not a proven fact, this still does not stop some of the more traditional families from continuing the reprehensible practice of smothering newborn twins in their cot.
In the present day and age, most families have already discontinued this practice. Which may or may not be related to the steadily-decreasing number of sorcerers, thus increasing the need for preserving children who could continue the bloodline. Still, this did not mean that twins were always treated kindly.
Kiyohira-sensei had mentioned that to be part of the reason why Gojo Minako and Gojo Morikazu were so eager to break ties with the Shunryu branch family. Gojo Minako had given birth to twin girls, and while the two parents did not love their children any less for it, many in the Shunryu had not shared the same opinion.
Which would've been made worse by the fact that, as the branch family's pride and sole Special Grade One sorcerer, Gojo Morikazu would've been expected to sire powerful children to inherit his talents.
… As the Shunryu branch's former pride and sole Special Grade One sorcerer, at least.
Shiki does not know if Zenin Maki's parents were anything like Gojo Minako and Gojo Morikazu. The chances of that being the case seem… slim.
Besides, if Zenin Maki were a beloved child, then Shiki definitely would've heard of a Zenin student joining the Tokyo school this year. The fact that she hadn't implied that Zenin Maki showing up in the Tokyo school was a surprise. This, added to the fact that she had apparently punched the higher up present in the opening ceremony, all added up to form the picture of a rebellious Zenin girl who'd come to the school on her own accord, most likely against the wishes of her clan.
But these are merely all conjectures on Shiki's part. She wouldn't know for certain until seeing the Zenin girl for herself in person.
"The first years look like they'll be fun." Oblivious to her thoughts, Kinji continues chattering away as they approach the school buildings. "You already know that Okkotsu is one of the first years. He finally has the ID card and everything now that it's all official. Panda is a first year too, can you believe that? I wonder what strings Yaga-gakucho had to pull in order to make that happen… Oh, and aside from our elder-punching Zenin, there's also another clan kid in the class."
Hearing about a Zenin student in the Tokyo school had been a surprise. This one, however, Shiki thinks she knows what to expect. "An Inumaki?"
Kinji falls quiet, then groans exaggeratedly. "… Y'know, I was just about to ask if you wanted to guess who it was. Spoilsport. Guess you already knew about it, then?"
Yes, she did. The Inumaki boy's enrollment in the Tokyo school was not a secret.
Ordinarily, aspiring young sorcerers who hailed from sorcery clans and possessed strong cursed techniques would be strongly encouraged to attend the Kyoto school, rather than its Tokyo counterpart. But in this case, it seemed that the Inumaki Clan's Cursed Speech wasn't something that the higher ups felt comfortable keeping around beside them in Kyoto.
Physical attacks can be blocked, but words that speak curses into existence are rather more difficult to defend against.
"I was informed of the Inumaki student's enrollment beforehand." The rain is beginning to thin out now, and Shiki tilts her umbrella back so that it rests against her shoulder, instead of continuing to keep it raised above her.
It's a pleasant sensation, the silk-soft threads of rain grazing upon her skin.
"He's called Inumaki Toge," Kinji tells her. "Interestingly, he only says random food names whenever he talks. I don't suppose this is a cursed technique thing, too?"
"It is."
"… Knew it. Most weird quirks all seem to be related to cursed techniques somehow," the boy nods. "Man, it must be pretty rough to be cursed into only being able to communicate using food names."
Shiki blinks. Given what she knows of how Cursed Speech works, "I'm fairly certain that he can say other things."
Kinji pauses at the revelation. "Wait, if he can say other things, then why is he… hold it. He's not gearing up to prank the entire school into thinking that he can only say food names, is he?!"
"I don't think that's the case." Why would anyone do that? The bizarrity of what her classmate has just proposed is not something that had even occurred to Shiki. "His Cursed Speech would be extremely limited, if that were the case."
"His 'Cursed Speech,' is it? So… his communication skills are cursed?" Kinji scratches his chin.
"In a fashion." Shiki isn't certain on the particulars of the Inumaki Clan's cursed technique, but she knows that Cursed Speech is more or less exactly what it sounds like: The speaker's words are cursed. And the type of curse that is inflicted by the technique depends on the nature of what words are spoken.
If Shiki were to guess, it's possible that the Inumaki boy restricts his vocabulary to food items because food is not the sort of thing that's usually associated with curses. But is it a measure to reassure others around him that they are not in danger of being cursed when he talks to them? Or is it a method of control, because he is unable to control which of his own words that his cursed technique is activated by?
Again, it's not something that Shiki will know without being able to observe it in person.
Kinji rubs his face. "Shiki, 'In a fashion' doesn't explain anything at all!"
"… It might be best for Inumaki-san to explain his cursed technique to you himself." Some of the information that Shiki has learned about the Inumaki Clan falls under restricted information in the Gojo Clan, so she's unable to provide her classmate with the detailed explanation that he's curious about. Besides, Inumaki-san might also have his own explanation for how his cursed technique operates.
"Explain things himself… I hate to break it to you, but 'Okaka' isn't exactly an informative explanation, either," Kinji grumbles under his breath. "I know that sometimes Kirara and I tease you about being too wordy and excessive with your explanations, but sometimes the exact opposite thing is also true."
Shiki ignores her classmate's complaint. "Where is Kirara?"
"Oh, Kirara? Kirara's a little busy right now…" Kinji opens his mouth to continue responding, but then seems to decide against it halfway through. He gives her a mischievous grin instead. "Wanna take a guess at what Kirara is up to right now? Bet you can't guess this one!"
Since Kinji is the only one of her classmates to greet her on the mountain stairway, it's a given that Kirara is currently otherwise preoccupied. The two of them always seem to be out and about together, to the point where Shiki rarely sees one of them without the other. Something that would keep Kirara away in this case, then…
"A mission?" she muses. But no, that doesn't seem right. If Kirara were on a mission, then Kinji should be attending the mission with him instead of standing here beside Shiki. And a mission wouldn't be something that Kinji thinks Shiki to be incapable of guessing, would it? "Or… is he guiding the first year students around the school?"
"Nah, we did that right after the ceremony," Kinji smirks. "Although it kinda ended up being Panda giving us a tour instead. There were a few spots he showed us that I didn't even know were there. Kirara got to lead the way to the morgue, though."
With a small spot of nostalgia, Shiki recalls her own early days as a first year student in the school, back when Kirara had been her only classmate. He'd seemed to be quite enthusiastic about seeing Shoko-san's morgue back then as well, and it seems that this hasn't changed over the past year.
"… He's not in the morgue, is he?"
"Nope!" Kinji shakes his head, clearly pleased. "That's three tries already –wanna keep guessing, or do you want me to just give you the answer?"
Ever since they've entered the cluster of temple-like school buildings, Kinji has been leading the way. Shiki hadn't thought too much about it at first, but now that he's trying to get her to repeatedly guess about Kirara's whereabouts…
Well. There has to be a reason why they're heading to one of the sparring areas, right?
"Kirara is sparring right now?"
"How did you– … okay, yeah. I guess I wasn't exactly being subtle about this." Kinji breaks off and laughs sheepishly when Shiki gives a pointed look to their surroundings. "Yeah, Kirara's in a spar right now. An important one."
Not a normal practice spar? An unusual distinction to make. Then, something that would qualify as an important spar for a jujutsu student…
"Promotion assessment?" she guesses.
"Quick on the uptake as always, ojou-sama," Kinji gives her a small thumbs-up. "Kusakabe-sensei said that Kirara was good to rank up as a Third Grade sorcerer pretty much on the very first day of class. Still gotta go through the assessments and everything, though."
Generally, in order for a sorcerer to be promoted to a higher rank, the first step was receiving recommendations for it from other experienced sorcerers. The sorcerer's promotion application and the corresponding recommendations would then be submitted to the Jujutsu Headquarters together, after which someone would be sent from headquarters to perform an assessment. Once the assessment had been passed and it was determined that the individual in question was indeed deserving of a higher rank, the sorcerer would officially receive their new rank and the benefits that came with it.
From what Shiki was aware of, Grade Three and Grade Two promotions were quite similar to each other. Being promoted from Grade Two to Grade One, however, required a far more extensive assessment, involving supervised missions to demonstrate their abilities, as well as recommendations from individuals who were not mentors or those with conflicts of interest.
This made sense, considering that Grade One sorcerers were the ones expected to deal with the most dangerous cursed spirits. To resolve the situations that proved to be too difficult for other sorcerers to handle, and be a pillar of strength for others to rely on. Nepotism and being well-connected might be able to grant a particularly ambitious sorcerer a Grade Two ranking even if they lacked the strength for it in reality, but no Grade One sorcerer was ever truly undeserving of the rank.
Or if they were, then they would most likely be dead in very short order.
That wasn't something that Kirara needed to be worrying about anytime soon, though. Nor Kinji, not unless…
"If Kirara is being assessed for a promotion right now, then what about you?" she asks her classmate. Because Kinji, too, is more than ready for a promotion at this point. One could say that it's long overdue, even.
It's utterly ridiculous to keep a sorcerer who's capable of using Domain Expansion as a Grade Four. If the higher ups are going to sneakily assign Kinji missions that are 'misranked' and above what a Grade Four sorcerer is expected to deal with, then they should at least have the decency to give him the rank to go along with it.
"I've got my own assessment scheduled for the day after," Kinji shrugs. "Grade Two, instead of Grade Three."
Kinji's cursed technique is one that's powerful enough to see him being Grade One, in Shiki's opinion. His 'jackpot' state makes him more or less effectively immortal during its duration, which is extremely useful in a fight. Not something that's easy for the average opponent to overcome, either.
There are likely several reasons as to why he hadn't been directly named a Grade One sorcerer aside from age and inexperience. The fact that the higher ups had lost face when Shiki upended their plans to detain Kinji because of their suspicions, for one. Kinji being a rebellious child who wasn't so easily controlled, for another. Him having a decidedly nontraditional cursed technique might also play a part here, although that would probably be less of a decisive factor in the grand scheme of things.
Because in the end, power is what matters most for a sorcerer. What form that power takes comes secondary to how strong it is, no matter how much the higher ups might wish otherwise.
"I wonder how long it will be before you're nominated for a Grade One promotion." Even though there would be certain individuals who would be opposed to it, there are others who would be eminently practical about things. As long as Kinji showed himself to be a strong sorcerer, there should be a limit to the opposition that he would face.
"You're kidding me," Kinji laughs. "Grade One, really?"
Shiki tilts her head at the odd reaction. "Why are you laughing about it?"
"… Wait, you're being serious?" The boy's laughter peters out slowly once he notices her confusion. "Isn't it obvious? Shiki, you're a Grade One."
"And?"
"And I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be winning any fights against you any time soon," he says. "Like, I'm not too shabby in a fight, but I think I've still got a ways to go before hitting Grade One."
… And her classmates think that Shiki is the person with a skewed sense of things between them. "Kinji, I'm very strong for a Grade One sorcerer."
"I know," the boy nods reasonably. "Never said you weren't."
"As in, I'm very likely the strongest Grade One sorcerer," Shiki pauses. "In a straight fight, at least."
Shiki is a strong sorcerer, with her greatest strength being close combat. But even so, there are still other areas where her skills are lacking, or not as refined as they could be; she's not so arrogant as to be unwilling to admit that. For example, she's heard of a Grade One sorcerer who is a barrier specialist. Shiki is able to create barriers, but her skill and understanding in this field is unlikely to surpass that of a specialist's.
Regardless, setting all of this aside –Shiki is definitely one of the stronger Grade One sorcerers, if not the strongest of them. This is something that can be surmised both from the overall level of strength that Shiki has seen from the Grade One sorcerers whom she has encountered to date, and from looking at Shiki's extensive mission record.
To put it bluntly: Shiki is probably a terrible example of the average Grade One sorcerer.
Kinji huffs. "So you're saying that I shouldn't be using you as a point of comparison, huh?"
"Not for measuring whether or not you're deserving of a Grade One promotion, at least." If he insists on doing so, then he's going to be stuck as a Grade Two sorcerer for a long, long time. Shiki doesn't intend to stand still and wait for her classmate to catch up to her, after all.
The boy scratches his head. "I dunno, it still feels a bit… weird, y'know?"
Shiki arches an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic doubt that she's witnessing from the normally confident, boisterous sorcerer. "You do remember that higher-ranked sorcerers receive higher salaries according to their rank and mission record, right?"
"Nope, it's not weird at all!" Kinji instantly declares. "So, how does a guy go about applying to be a Grade One sorcerer around here again?"
Shiki shakes her head, hiding a small smile at her classmate's antics. "You'll need at least two recommendations from other Grade One sorcerers."
"So you, and–"
"I don't think I would be permitted to submit a recommendation on your behalf." They're classmates. If Shiki were to do such a thing, then there would undoubtedly be accusations of favoritism at play. "Teachers aren't allowed to directly recommend their own students for promotion, either."
Kinji falls silent for a brief moment. "… Know any Grade Ones I could ask, then? C'mon, you're the fancy ojou-sama with all the connections."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about a lack of recommendations." Kinji is a sorcerer who can use Domain Expansion. Even if it opens automatically as part of his cursed technique instead of indicating mastery, a Domain Expansion is still something that most sorcerers are never able to achieve in their lifetime. There will definitely be multiple sorcerers willing to submit recommendations for him, even if Shiki does nothing about it.
In fact, there are probably already people who've submitted recommendations for Kinji. It's just that there's no precedent for a sorcerer leaping from Grade Four to Grade One in a single go, and Kinji's lack of experience is also a factor that works against him. Coupled with the snarl from the exchange event last year, it's no surprise that his promotion is being delayed.
If one thinks about it, the student who'd distinguished themselves the most in the last exchange event was undoubtedly Hakari Kinji.
"Huh, you really think so?"
"I don't see why you're so concerned about this."
"Hey," Kinji pokes her pointedly in the shoulder. "Anything that concerns money is serious business and should be treated accordingly."
Shiki stares at her classmate.
"What?" Kinji blinks at her.
… For a moment, it had almost felt like Shiki was listening to Mei-san speak through Kinji. "Nothing. You should ask Mei-san for a recommendation in the future."
"Who's that?"
Had he forgotten? "She's the Grade One sorcerer with a cursed technique that allows her to control crows. You met her on that mission where you encountered Okkotsu Yuta. She's the sorcerer who came with me as backup, remember?"
"Oh!" Kinji's exclamation is one of dawning realization. "You mean the lady with the giant battle axe!"
… Mei-san's choice of weapon is indeed a giant battle axe. Unconventional, but the woman makes it work for her. Clearly, it left an impression on Kinji.
"Y'think she'd really give me a recommendation?" Kinji hums. "We didn't really talk to each other or anything back then. I was kinda preoccupied with, y'know, trying to not get killed and stuff."
If Shiki is correct in her assessment of Mei-san, then the answer would be a resounding Yes. "Mei-san likes making investments."
"Eh?"
In lieu of answering, Shiki closes her umbrella and rests it gently on the wooden rack by the doorway.
Their wandering conversation has seen them all the way to one of the dojo buildings specifically designated for sparring in the school. Even though they have yet to enter the building itself, the sounds of sparring can be heard from within. Muffled impacts, and low voices.
"We're going to continue this some other time," Kinji says to her, then grips the edge of the door and slides it open.
Almost immediately, there is a loud thud.
… It's not the sound of the sliding door.
Rather, this thud is a sound that's accompanied by a choked wheeze. One that indicates someone's breath being mercilessly driven out of their lungs.
Shiki and Kinji step into the room just in time to see Kirara being flipped over and thrown down into the wooden floorboards. And before the boy even has a chance to get back to his feet, his opponent follows with a sharp kick that ends up knocking him directly into the wall on the opposite side of the room–
Or it nearly ends up doing so, at least. Right before Kirara ends up impacting roughly against the wall, he is caught by Kusakabe-sensei, who catches him at the last moment and braces the boy's shoulder to help him regain his footing.
"That's enough, Zenin," the man says.
Zenin?
Given what Kinji had said earlier, Shiki had been under the impression that Kirara was currently sparring as part of his assessment for a Grade Three promotion. In that case, then the one performing the assessment should be a sorcerer sent from the Jujutsu Headquarters.
But the one who'd just knocked Kirara across the room was a young dark-haired girl who did not match the description of an official sent from the headquarters. A young girl who only had a small whisper of cursed energy in her body; even Aikawa Ruri possessed more cursed energy than this girl did.
… Yet the general air that the two girls possessed could not be any more different from each other. Certainly, cursed energy was not the sole measure that a person's strength was determined by. The Sorcerer Killer, for example, was a man who didn't possess a single drop of cursed energy in his body yet numbered among the strongest enemies that Shiki had ever faced even despite that limitation. But it didn't make sense that Jujutsu Headquarters would employ someone so severely lacking in cursed energy, not unless it was for a purely administrative role.
Zenin, Kusakabe-sensei had addressed her. Was this the new Zenin first year that Kinji had mentioned earlier, then?
"What's going on here?" Kinji is the first to move, immediately heading to Kirara's side. "I thought you were being assessed–"
"He is," a different voice interrupts. Brisk, and businesslike. "Although I suppose I've already seen all that there is to see here."
The speaker is not someone whom Shiki recognizes. A sorcerer, undoubtedly, but not one that Shiki is acquainted with. Going by the context of his words… would this be the sorcerer performing Kirara's promotion assessment?
Kusakabe-sensei turns towards the man. "Hatanaka-san, this is–"
"You don't need to make excuses, Kusakabe-san," the brown-haired man holds up a hand. "I think the results are quite clear, after this… display. Promotions aren't something to be taken lightly, but I'm sure that Hoshi-san will be able to meet the necessary requirements in their next attempt."
And so saying, the man sketches a perfunctory bow and turns to leave–
Only to come face-to-face with Shiki in the doorway.
'Hatanaka' blinks, as if trying to register what he's seeing in front of him. The man's eyes widen briefly in surprise, before regaining composure.
"Gojo-sama," he smiles politely, and bows. This time, the bow is a markedly deeper and more respectful one, compared to the cursory gesture of courtesy that Kusakabe-sensei had received mere moments earlier. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, although I am afraid that I have other duties which call me at the moment. If you'll excuse me…"
The man makes an abortive motion at moving past her. Unfortunately for him, Shiki doesn't move a single inch from where she stands in the doorway, which causes him to remain in place as his voice trails off awkwardly.
"G-Gojo-sama?"
"Answer my classmate's question," Shiki remains steadfast and unmoving. "What's going on here?"
.
.
…
.