.
"I think you might've traumatized the first years."
"I haven't traumatized anyone." If the first year students are somehow 'traumatized' simply after seeing Shiki kill a cursed spirit, then it begs the question of why they're even training to become sorcerers to begin with. From what Shiki knows of the first years, none of them are quite so weak-minded.
"Okay, maybe not traumatized traumatized. But I think there's definitely some degree of trauma going on here," Kinji insists. "Seriously. You don't want to try and explain yourself a bit or something?"
"What is there to explain?" Shiki tilts her head.
"How about, I dunno," Kinji throws up his hands exasperatedly. "Telling them that you're not actually heartless, for starters?"
"Is that important?"
"Forget about traumatizing the first years, I think you're about to traumatize Kinji," Kirara coughs from the side, snickering slightly.
Kinji rolls his eyes, and groans exaggeratedly. "Am I the only one who's concerned about this? Really?"
"I get that you're worried that the first years might've been a little taken aback by Shiki killing the cursed spirit, but… I mean, it's not as if she was wrong to kill it, right?" Kirara shrugs. "I think most of them get that. Okkotsu-kun might need a little longer to get over things, admittedly…"
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," Kinji snaps his fingers and points directly at Shiki. "You. You really aren't concerned at all about your rapport with the first years going down a few notches because of this?"
Shiki stares back placidly at her classmate. "And why exactly would I be concerned about that?"
"Because out of the three of us, you're the one who's been keeping the closest eye on those guys," Kinji fires back without missing a beat. "I get that interpersonal skills are not your strong suit, but it's going to absolutely suck if you've put in all this effort with the first years so far, only for it to go down the drain over some misunderstanding. Are you really okay with that?"
Is that what it seemed like from his perspective? "Satoru-niichan asked me to keep an extra eye on his students."
"… That's literally not what I asked," Kinji says.
"Whether or not I have a 'good rapport' with the first year students doesn't affect whether or not I look out for them, and I will do so regardless at Satoru-niichan's behest," Shiki sighs. "But to strictly answer your question: I don't have any particular personal opinions on this one way or another."
Kinji squints at her. "Why can't you just say that you want to be friends like a normal person? Is that really so hard to do?"
Shiki is pretty sure that's not what she just said, and she has no idea why Kinji would come to that conclusion. She sends the boy a flat look, to which he only responds by letting out a thoughtful 'hmm' and scrunching his brows even further.
Kirara snorts, clearly amused by their interaction. "He's just messing with you at this point, Shiki."
"Don't tell her that," Kinji complains. "And I'm only joking a little bit! Listen, this girl is so bad at making new friends that it'd be almost impressive if it weren't so depressing to witness. Seems like a damn fine shame to just stand aside and watch her sabotage herself, y'know?"
"I guess? I really do think that you're exaggerating a bit with the first years, though," Kirara hums. "I think Okkotsu-kun is probably the only one who was legitimately upset by her killing the cursed spirit from the manor. And even then, it seemed… honestly, I'd say that it kinda seemed like Okkotsu-kun was more upset with himself than Shiki, towards the end."
"Huh," Kinji rubs his chin thoughtfully. "… I don't think I caught that."
"Well, that's just how it seemed to me," Kirara shrugs. "I'm not entirely too certain about it myself. But… Okkotsu-kun seemed to be sympathetic towards that cursed spirit, right? And it probably doesn't help that he's also pretty attached to his own cursed spirit, so that probably colored his opinion and all."
"It still fucks with my mind a bit to think that he actually got separated from that Special Grade cursed spirit of his. Thought they were supposed to be permanently attached together or something," Kinji mutters under his breath, then sighs. In a louder voice, "Yeah, I don't think you're wrong on that front. Okkotsu really isn't what you'd call unbiased, when it comes to vengeful spirits. And that cursed spirit from the manor was pretty weird, as far as cursed spirits go."
"For sure," Kirara agrees. "I've never seen a cursed spirit that looked so… human. It's almost a little scary to think about, honestly."
"Why would that be scary?" Shiki gives her classmate a strange look for that statement. "Human shapes are easier to account for in a fight."
Most cursed spirits all bear monstrous forms. As a direct result of this, Shiki is familiar with fighting four-legged beasts and other such cursed spirits bearing irregular shapes. But even then, it still remains undeniable that it's far easier to read and predict the attack patterns of a human-shaped opponent. She can't see why Kirara would think otherwise.
Kinji lets out a sharp little bark of laughter. "She's got you there, Kirara."
The other boy sighs, faintly aggrieved, and flicks back a lock of dark hair over his shoulder. "Yes, yes, both of you are right. My mistake. Usually, people have more hang-ups about fighting another person versus a monster."
"It's not another person, though, it's a cursed spirit–"
"You know what I mean, don't be obtuse," Kirara gives the other boy a light shove, huffing. Kinji rolls with it, pretending to double over and wheeze dramatically from the gesture. "Oh come on, stop exaggerating!"
"And how would you know? You're not the one being shoved around," Kinji sniffs.
Kirara rolls his eyes, hard. Despite the evident irritation, however, there's no hiding the amused smile that curls upwards at the edge of his lips.
"If the two of you are quite done…" Shiki clears her throat. "I will be taking my leave and heading over to meet with Yaga-gakucho now."
"Wait, you're not coming to class with us?" Kinji blinks in surprise. "Since when did you have a meeting with the principal lined up, anyways?"
"Since Okkotsu-san's Special Grade cursed spirit manifested itself on a mission without warning." Naturally, there were certain parties who had complaints about such a thing. Yaga-gakucho had managed to push back the meeting with the higher ups' delegates to the next day, instead of allowing it to immediately take place upon Shiki's return to school with the first year students. But there was a limit to how long he would be able to delay things by himself.
"I guess that did happen, huh," Kirara hums. "… But things turned out fine in the end, right? Orimoto Rika didn't actually hurt anyone."
"Yes." Shiki had also been swift to arrive on the scene, so it wasn't as if the situation had been uncontrollable, either. That's certainly not how the higher ups will be portraying the narrative, however. "I expect that they'll use this opportunity to argue that Okkotsu-san should be transferred to the Kyoto school."
Kinji makes a face. "Does Kyoto actually have anyone who can keep a Special Grade cursed spirit in check?"
"I would not be surprised if the higher ups were secretly keeping a card or two hidden up their sleeves." It would be far more surprising if they didn't, honestly–
"But I thought Gojo-sensei is technically the only Special Grade sorcerer around?" Kirara asks. "… Does that mean the higher ups actually have other Special Grade sorcerers working for them, too? Why are they so fixated on Okkotsu-kun, if that's the case?"
"There aren't any other Special Grade sorcerers working for the administration," Shiki corrects the misunderstanding. "Currently there are only a grand total of three… well, four sorcerers who are officially ranked as Special Grade. Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Tsukumo Yuki… and Okkotsu Yuta."
"Okay, so. You're saying that there are other sorcerers out there who can deal with Special Grade cursed spirits, except they're just not officially ranked as Special Grade themselves?" Kinji scratches his chin. "… Oh! Is this like, some way of keeping their salaries down or something? Since Special Grade sorcerers would need to be paid more?"
"Seriously, Kinji?" Kirara gives the other boy a flat look.
"Hey, you have to admit that my theory makes sense!" Kinji protests, snapping his fingers. "I don't see why it wouldn't be a good thing for there to be more Special Grade sorcerers around. The more the better, right? Especially since sorcerers are always perpetually understaffed and all."
"It's extremely rare for a sorcerer to be given the rank of 'Special Grade,'" Shiki tells the boy. "Not unless there is some aspect of their abilities that far outstrips what you would see in a Grade One, or… they have extraordinary potential for causing collateral damage on a massive scale."
There's not exactly a strict standard that defines a Special Grade sorcerer. Mostly because Special Grade isn't an actual 'standard' for sorcerers to be held to in the first place. More than anything else, Special Grade describes an outlier, and there aren't very many sorcerers who prove themselves to be such exceptional anomalies.
"Right, right," Kinji nods along with her words. "But if there are sorcerers who can take on Special Grade curses, then isn't it kind of a shame that they don't get the rank to go with it? Like, Grade One sorcerers are Grade Ones because they're expected to be able to kill Grade One cursed spirits, right? So if you have a sorcerer who can kill Special Grade curses, then…"
"Then that still doesn't necessarily mean that they're qualified as a Special Grade sorcerer," Shiki shakes her head. She sees where Kinji is coming from with his reasoning, but that's not exactly how this works, unfortunately. For example, "I can kill Special Grade cursed spirits, but I'm not a Special Grade sorcerer."
"And I can't be the only person who thinks that's weird," Kinji informs her with absolute seriousness. Maybe that was a bad example to use on her part, then. "Between you and Okkotsu, I know who I'd put my bets on in a fight."
"Okkotsu-san's ranking is a bit… premature, perhaps, but that does not mean he's undeserving of his current rank." The boy has more cursed energy than Satoru-niichan, on top of the Special Grade cursed spirit following him around. Okkotsu Yuta being a Special Grade was never something that was in doubt. "He lacks training, and experience. Both of which can be fixed."
"Still not seeing why he's a Special Grade sorcerer instead of someone else who can actually take down a Special Grade cursed spirit," Kinji says. "No offense to Okkotsu or anything."
"There are Grade One sorcerers aside from me capable of fighting Special Grade cursed spirits, but that doesn't make them Special Grade," Shiki pauses. How should she explain this? "… Grade One sorcerers are Grade One sorcerers because they're expected to be able to exorcise any Grade One cursed spirit without issue. Similarly, a Special Grade sorcerer should be able to exorcise any Special Grade cursed spirit without any issues. However, such sorcerers are exceedingly rare."
"But there are non-Special Grade sorcerers who can fight Special Grade cursed spirits?" Kinji still appears faintly confused.
"I think I get it," Kirara, on the other hand, just looks thoughtful. "Just because a sorcerer can take on and exorcise one Special Grade cursed spirit doesn't necessarily mean they can take on all Special Grade curses without problems, and that would be why they're not a Special Grade sorcerer. Something like that?"
"Something like that," Shiki agrees. She wonders if she should find it concerning, how easily and casually her classmates bring up the term 'Special Grade' when it's something that normally tends to be regarded with a distinct measure of fear and reverence…
… probably not. In fact, it might even be a good thing that they don't have 'Special Grade' on some sort of high mental pedestal the way that so many sorcerers do. How many sorcerers have died to Special Grade cursed spirits before because they simply couldn't even imagine themselves properly fighting back against a Special Grade?
"Hey, so hypothetically speaking," Kinji starts, "If I take out a Special Grade cursed spirit someday –no, wait, if I prove that I can regularly take out Special Grade cursed spirits at some point in the future, then does that mean I'd be considered for getting promoted to Special Grade?"
"… Special Grade curses aren't that common."
"Could've fooled me," Kinji snorts. "C'mon, Shiki, be honest here. Don't you think we tend to run into Special Grade-level dangers a lot? There was that crazy zombie curse user back during Obon, then we encountered Okkotsu, and now we're also running into even more Special Grade curses on regular missions…"
If Shiki is being perfectly honest, Kinji's experience is most likely the exception, and not the norm. It's completely normal for the average sorcerer to go their entire lifetime without seeing a single Special Grade cursed spirit.
… But Shiki's classmates aren't exactly average now, are they?
At the very least, Shiki has great confidence in their ability to find trouble.
The girl sighs. "I will be leaving to meet with Yaga-gakucho now." It seems that she'd inadvertently been sidetracked talking with her classmates, once again. Hopefully she hadn't been keeping the principal waiting too long.
"Hm? Oh right, you said that you had a meeting with him earlier," Kinji smacks a fist into his open palm. "Slipped my mind, sorry. Are you running late for it? Want us to come along with you?"
"That's unnecessary." Shiki highly doubts that Kinji would enjoy sitting through any meeting involving the higher ups any more than she did.
"You sure about that?" The boy hastily quickens his steps so that he's standing in front of her, forcing Shiki to stop and look up towards him. "The higher ups might try to do something stupid again."
It certainly wouldn't be the first time. But Shiki thinks that she knows what to expect from this meeting, and if the higher ups did have something inadvisable in mind… "I'd like to see them try."
Kinji lets out a light whistle, "Sounds scary."
The boy sounds more entertained than scared. Which is rather indicative of his opinions on the higher ups, and his complete lack of respect towards the administration. Unsurprising, given his experiences, although this was also–
"Let us know if there's anything that we can help with," Kirara reaches out and pats Shiki on the shoulder. "Neither Kinji nor I know a lot about all the politics going on with the higher ups, but just give us the word if it turns out that there's something we can do."
The sentiment is appreciated. But things haven't nearly deteriorated to the point where Shiki requires help from her classmates in dealing with the higher ups. Neither of them are in the same position as her, either, so it's also doubtful just how much help they would be able to offer her. As lower-ranked student sorcerers, it would be a lot easier for the higher ups to ignore the two of them in a way that they simply wouldn't be able to for Shiki. There's a difference between dismissing a civilian student, and dismissing the newly-declared heir of the Gojo Clan.
And even before Shiki had been named as the heir of her clan, she'd been a prominent sorcerer in her own right.
Someday, Kinji and Kirara might build up similar reputations… but that was something to look forward to in the distant future, once they both established themselves as powerful, competent sorcerers. Here and now, Shiki is the only Tokyo student who is well-positioned to argue against the higher ups. Even more so than Yaga-gakucho, in some ways.
"If you want to help out, then maybe check up on the first years if you have time," Shiki suggests. If she's interpreting things correctly, then the higher ups calling for a meeting through Yaga-gakucho should be more of a warning than a genuine attempt at transferring Okkotsu-san to Kyoto. But there's no harm in being extra careful and making sure that the higher ups haven't planned anything… sneaky, while she was otherwise preoccupied.
"Still worried about the first years?" Kinji huffs, amused. "Are you sure that you wouldn't prefer checking up on them yourself? Oh hey, maybe you could invite the first years to an inter-class movie night! Watching movies together is a good way to hang out and make friends!"
… Kinji's thought process is a mysterious thing. Shiki doesn't quite understand the logic here, but going by the pleased way that Kinji immediately turns around and begins making plans for a movie night with Kirara, he's clearly very enthusiastic about it.
She'll leave them to it, then.
.
.
"You're late, Gojo."
"My apologies." It turned out that Shiki had gotten rather more distracted talking with her classmates than she'd expected earlier, which was mildly embarrassing since it resulted in her being late. Punctuality is important, and shows respect. While Shiki might not respect the higher ups very much, Yaga Masamichi is someone who she does respect. "I lost track of time. It's my mistake."
The principal blinks, almost as if startled by her apology. "Ah. That… well, mistakes happen. Please don't follow your cousin's example and make a habit of it, though."
Satoru-niichan? Being habitually late? Shiki almost opens her mouth to ask Yaga-gakucho if he isn't mistaken, because this certainly isn't something that she knows to be one of Satoru-niichan's habits. Satoru-niichan can teleport! The only reason why he'd ever be late is because he intentionally wants to be–
"It is good that all parties are finally present," a different voice sounds in the room. The speaker is someone whom Shiki does not recognize, but presumably this is the higher ups' chosen representative for this meeting. A sorcerer dressed in traditional garb, who wears a slightly pinched expression on his face –likely offended by Shiki's tardiness. "Then, shall we discuss the matter of what to do with Okkotsu Yuta?"
Yaga-gakucho turns, arching an eyebrow. "The boy is safe, and nothing came of his cursed spirit manifesting independently. There is no need to–"
"There is every need to ensure that there is no repeat of this situation," the other man insists. "Yes, nothing happened this time and no one was seriously injured as a result of his loss of control. But it would be foolish to not take precautions –who's to say that the next time Orimoto Rika manifests, we won't see any casualties?"
Shiki strides into the room, and pointedly takes a seat directly across from the man on the other side of the table.
The man coughs slightly. "… Even you cannot guarantee that Okkotsu Yuta will never hurt someone if he loses control, Gojo-san."
"And you can?"
"Well, not me, specifically." Another cough. The man hurriedly clears his throat, and deliberately straightens his posture into something more confident. "It is the opinion of the higher ups that additional measures must be taken in order to ensure that there is no threat of a Special Grade cursed spirit running amok, especially since current methods have proven insufficient. To that end, they've proposed the use of suppression seals in order to ensure that Okkotsu-san's cursed spirit is properly contained."
"You want to use suppression seals on him, Minamoto?" Yaga-gakucho frowns. "Okkotsu Yuta is a human being, not a cursed object to be sealed away!"
"And it would be an absolute waste to seal away a promising Special Grade sorcerer, wouldn't it?" Minamoto responds with a sharp shake of his head. "No, that's not what the higher ups have in mind."
"Then why would you even bring up a proposal like this?" Yaga-gakucho leans forward. "Suppression seals are used either on dangerous cursed objects or on criminals, and Okkotsu Yuta is neither."
"It's true that Okkotsu Yuta is neither a cursed object nor a criminal curse user, but there's no denying that he is dangerous," Minamoto responds levelly. "Even if it might not be his original intention, there is a high risk of him harming others around them due to his lack of control."
"Which is precisely the reason why he is a student," Yaga-gakucho points out. "Training to properly control his cursed energy will allow him to–"
"But unlike other students, any loss of control on Okkotsu Yuta's part is a mistake that could potentially prove to be lethal," Minamoto emphasizes. For a brief moment, his eyes flick towards Shiki. "You must understand, we do not mean to question the Gojo Clan and their methods of containing him. However, surely you realize that it is extremely concerning when a Special Grade cursed spirit goes on a rampage. Things may have ended well this time, but there's no telling what would've happened if Gojo-san hadn't arrived in time to regain control over the situation."
For all that the man claims not to 'question' the Gojo Clan, there is really no other way that his words can be construed: The higher ups are questioning the Gojo Clan. More specifically, they're pointing fingers at Shiki and Satoru-niichan for allowing this to happen. Even though Orimoto Rika's manifestation was an accident, the fact that it happened at all was something extremely concerning to them. Yes, it was a good thing that Shiki had arrived swiftly on the scene –but what if she hadn't?
… Looking at the situation objectively, it's not an entirely unreasonable worry that the higher ups have brought up here. But at the same time, this is also very clearly a transparent attempt on their part to gain a greater measure of control over Okkotsu-san. Sealing him will do nothing but disrupt what little control the boy had managed to gain over his abilities, and potentially even completely reset the progress that he'd made so far in 'untangling' the gnarled curse binding him to a cursed spirit of his deceased childhood friend.
Shiki doubts that the higher ups would want to permanently damage Okkotsu-san's abilities, so the seal probably wouldn't be one of the harsher ones. But she can most certainly see why they would like the idea of limiting Okkotsu-san and ensuring that he wouldn't be a 'threat' to them. Perhaps even hold the 'keys' to this seal in order to force Okkotsu-san's obedience to them. From the higher ups' perspective, Special Grade sorcerers are most useful when they're controllable, after all.
"I don't agree with sealing Okkotsu-san," Shiki states, blunt and straightforward as she cuts off the higher ups' representative before the man can continue with his spiel on how it's necessary to do something about Okkotsu Yuta. They're going to be stuck in this room for at least another hour at this pace, and Shiki has little interest in prolonging this conversation.
"G-Gojo-san," Minamoto sputters. "Please be reasonable. You must admit that it was largely due to luck that you were able to prevent any tragedies from occurring this time by arriving on the scene when you did! But this won't always be the case if nothing is done about Okkotsu-san–"
"Wrong," Shiki informs him. "I deliberately kept an eye out for the first years. There was nothing lucky about my arrival."
"… Then, that's even more reason for something to be done about Okkotsu Yuta!" Minamoto immediately changes tracks. "If that Special Grade cursed spirit of his was able to make a temporary escape even despite your attention to the first year students, then doesn't that mean the current methods of containment are insufficient? That further preventive measures must be taken, before we are met with tragedy?"
"What's important isn't containing Okkotsu-san, but instead ensuring that he receives proper training," Shiki shakes her head. "If the higher ups want a Special Grade sorcerer who will be useful to them in the future, then sealing the sorcerer in question is a terrible way to go about doing so."
"It will be a modified seal, one with minimal negative effects to Okkotsu-san's person," Minamoto leans forward earnestly. "Usami Yoichi is an experienced Grade One sorcerer and a highly talented sealing specialist. He will most certainly be more than up to the task."
"The higher ups have already selected a specialist to perform the sealing?" Shiki asks flatly, unimpressed.
"Um," Minamoto freezes awkwardly for a moment, and coughs stiltedly. "… It is… an important matter that is of great concern to many, Gojo-san. In order to expedite matters, initiative has been taken during certain discussions in order to–"
"I'm not interested in hearing your excuses." None of it changes the fact that the higher ups are getting ahead of themselves. What confidence did they have that Shiki would actually agree to their ridiculous proposal? Were they not concerned about being maimed by Satoru-niichan once he returned from his own mission and discovered what they'd attempted during his absence?
"Gojo-san, I understand that you have your concerns as well, but please at least listen! The higher ups truly mean well, and they–"
"They're going to find themselves short of a Grade One sealing specialist if they attempt to override me," Shiki says blandly. Then, repeating herself again for the sake of clarity, "I disagree with sealing Okkotsu-san. The situation with his Special Grade cursed spirit was also under control. You have no grounds to insist that the Gojo Clan's methods of watching over Okkotsu Yuta are insufficient."
Minamoto's hands curl into fists. "But it is insufficient. Okkotsu's cursed spirit was the one that destroyed the manor! If there had been any hostages trapped inside, then there would almost certainly have been casualties from such an act!"
"Please calm down, Minamoto," Yaga-gakucho breaks in. "I admit that you have valid concerns. However, sealing Okkotsu Yuta is going a step too far. It would be one thing if someone had been seriously injured or even killed by his cursed spirit. But given that this was not the case–"
Minamoto raises his brows incredulously. "Are you suggesting that we wait until there are casualties before doing anything about it?!"
"I'm saying that it's unreasonable to punish a student for the mere possibility of what might have happened," Yaga-gakucho remains firm. "Especially seeing as no one was hurt in the end."
"But that's not enough, Yaga-gakucho," Minamoto's lips turn down in a deep frown. "Preventative measures are clearly necessary, if Okkotsu-san cannot control his cursed spirit."
A sudden thought occurs to Shiki. If the core argument here is that the higher ups' intervention is necessary because of a lack of control on Okkotsu-san's part…
"… Then if Okkotsu-san is able to prove that he can control his cursed spirit. Will the higher ups withdraw their concerns?"
"I… what?" Minamoto blinks, as if disconcerted by Shiki's question. "That's… well, Gojo-san, the problem is that Okkotsu-san is unable to control that cursed spirit of his, as far as we know. Preventing it from manifesting on its own and causing chaos is our primary concern."
Shiki is aware. But, "If Okkotsu Yuta is able to demonstrate appropriate control, then will the higher ups withdraw their concerns?"
"I suppose…" Minamoto trails off briefly. "In the hypothetical scenario that Okkotsu Yuta is able to properly control and direct that cursed spirit of his like a shikigami, then there would certainly be no need for any concerns on the matter. But unfortunately, that's easy to say and not very easy to do. Which is why the higher ups have proposed the idea of sealing Okkotsu-san to begin with."
Minamoto seems to be faintly at a loss as to where Shiki intends to lead this. Yaga-gakucho, however, is rather more familiar with her, and instead shoots her a scrutinizing look.
"… How do you intend for Okkotsu to demonstrate that he can control his cursed spirit, Gojo?" he asks slowly.
So far, most of Okkotsu-san's lessons have been a mix of learning how to control his cursed energy, and familiarizing himself with combat training. Very little of it has been focused on experimenting with how to control the Special Grade cursed spirit attached to him. There isn't exactly any precedent for controlling a cursed spirit like a shikigami, but Shiki suspects that this shouldn't be something too hard for Okkotsu-san to accomplish if he puts his mind to it.
The boy has every advantage for it. Even Shiki had been able to 'negotiate' with his cursed spirit and convince it to destroy the haunted manor, so clearly it's possible to reason with and direct Orimoto Rika. If it's coming from Okkotsu Yuta, who the cursed spirit actually likes and seems to actively desire to defend…
It's a good idea, isn't it? Right now, the Special Grade cursed spirit is more of a liability to Okkotsu-san than anything else. But once Orimoto Rika becomes an active asset to Okkotsu-san in combat, then there's nothing for anyone to complain about. If Okkotsu-san can empathize with an enemy cursed spirit that he's supposed to exorcise, then surely he would only share a closer bond with the cursed spirit of his childhood friend.
As for how he would demonstrate being able to control his cursed spirit…
"The annual exchange event between the jujutsu schools will be coming up again soon," Shiki neatly steeples her fingers together. "That seems like a good opportunity, doesn't it?"
Minamoto chokes and breaks out into a sudden coughing fit.
.
.
…
.