Open the Door, Check the Water Meter

In an upscale apartment building in Minato Ward, Tokyo, a boy slammed the door open and stormed out:

"Trash! Cowards! People without a shred of responsibility like you think you deserve to be Assistant Supervisors? Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers?"

"Do you think this is worthy of Teacher Gojo's trust? The third-years are still lying in hospital beds!"

"How could I have been so stupid as to place my hopes on people like you?!"

"Enough! Rather than pinning my hopes on you, I'd be better off doing it myself. It's not like I've never exorcised a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit before!"

"I came to Tokyo to complete a mission and deal with Curse Users, not to cower like a turtle!"

He cursed as he strode away, utterly ignoring Jitako Ijichi's attempts to stop him. Even as he entered the elevator, he did not forget to throw back a disdainful look.

"It's because the Jujutsu world has people like you, with no drive to improve yourselves, that it's become so lifeless. I'm furious, you losers!"

Jitako Ijichi, who had just been sprayed with saliva, stood aggrieved in the corridor. The spring evening breeze was still somewhat chilly, but it could not compare to the chill in a working man's heart.

His heart was ice-cold.

"I screwed up... How am I supposed to explain this to Mr. Gojo? I'm definitely going to get yelled at now."

Kento Nanami came out with a cold expression and said to Ijichi:

"This has nothing to do with you. He acted recklessly and refused to follow orders. I'll speak to Mr. Gojo about this myself. I won't put you in a difficult position—"

"B-but Classmate Akesato ran off like that. What if..." Jitako Ijichi was still too kindhearted.

"Leave him alone. Self-centered children like that need to suffer a little before they learn what pain is. You've worked hard today. Come on, I'll buy you a drink..."

"Is that really alright? Mr. Gojo is still waiting for me to return."

"It's after work hours. He doesn't get to control you now. You're an Assistant Supervisor, not Mr. Gojo's personal secretary."

As Kento Nanami spoke, he naturally locked the door. The two entered the elevator side by side.

The elevator's metal doors slowly closed, concealing Kento Nanami's signature sunglasses—and the meaningful look in his eyes.

Less than five minutes after the two left, a piece of surveillance footage was sent out.

The long-haired man who received it sneered and handed his phone to the hooded man beside him. "Hmph. Satoru Gojo's student is just as arrogant as he is."

"That's normal at his age. But we should still be cautious. It could be a trap meant to lure us in." The latter was clearly more prudent.

"Don't worry. Suguru Geto has completely broken with Jujutsu High, and Satoru Gojo has been under constant surveillance by our partners. As long as he isn't Special Grade, he's nothing to worry about. We have far more ways to deal with jujutsu sorcerers than we do Cursed Spirits."

Behind the long-haired man stood a dense array of rifles and cannons, enough firepower to arm an entire platoon.

"Exactly. Ten years ago, we were unprepared. If we had prepared properly, that Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer might never have had the chance to turn one into three."

With a wave of the hooded man's hand, pairs of hollow eyes opened in the darkness, silent and motionless like the eyes of the dead.

"Deal with that arrogant student first, then kill Kento Nanami."

"Anyone who dares to come reinforce them dies with them! Should we blast them into chunks, or leave behind a sheet of human skin?"

"No. I want to bind their corpses into strange shapes and toss them at Jujutsu High's entrance. Satoru Gojo's expression then is sure to be spectacular."

Deep-seated hatred gleamed in both their eyes.

Ten years ago, not only had their mission failed and left them tasting defeat, their dignity had been utterly trampled as well.

No matter how one of them begged for mercy, his opponent ignored him, then released a legendary kissing-maniac Cursed Spirit to frantically kiss his face. Worse still, that kissing maniac was hideously ugly. It had left him with lasting psychological trauma, and ever since then, he had worn a hood and wrapped himself up even more tightly than Satoru Gojo, refusing to leave even the slightest bit of skin exposed.

The other had been scorned by Satoru Gojo before the battle even began. Once it did, he was arranged into an indecent pose—and that bastard even took photos to commemorate it.

If they did not take revenge for such humiliation, they could hardly call themselves human.

Even if they knew they were being used, that they had been pushed out as shields, it did not matter. The higher-ups were using them, and they were using the higher-ups as well.

Satoru Gojo was the common enemy of Cursed Spirits and Curse Users alike.

What was more, as Curse Users, if they did not curse others, then their existence had no meaning.

The moonless, windy night was suited to curses—and even more suited to murder.

As it happened, Akesato thought so too.

This incident appeared to be revenge by enemies from ten years ago, but it was not that simple.

It was a warning and an attempt at weakening him by the conservative higher-ups who could not stand Satoru Gojo.

What Satoru Gojo sought was reform in the Jujutsu world, and that would inevitably shake the interests of those who already benefited from the existing order.

If they could, the old powers would naturally want to eliminate Satoru Gojo once and for all, cutting off future trouble at its source. Unfortunately, they could not do so. On the contrary, Satoru Gojo possessed the ability to wipe them out entirely.

However, doing that would cause the complete collapse of order. Though Satoru Gojo was powerful, he was only one man and could not rebuild the Jujutsu world's order by himself.

Thus, he chose to maintain a false front with the higher-ups, restraining and compromising with each other while cultivating his own people.

The higher-ups of the Jujutsu Alliance were not all fools. They could not possibly fail to see through Satoru Gojo's intentions. Since they could not beat him openly, they would resort to underhanded means. You may be invincible, but that did not mean everyone in your faction was invincible.

Without any people left, what could a lone commander do besides cause destruction?

As long as the conflict between both sides remained, and as long as Satoru Gojo held to his bottom line of refusing mutual destruction, incidents like this would play out again and again.

This time, it was the third-years. Next, it might be the second-years, then the first-years. Satoru Gojo could not clone himself, and it was impossible for him to protect his students every moment of every day.

To keep the conservatives from pushing their luck, and for the sake of future safety, this mission not only had to be completed—it had to be completed beautifully, so that the conservatives understood that it was not only Satoru Gojo they could not afford to provoke. The rest of the Gojo faction was equally beyond their reach.

He would use the rekindled "Organization Q" as his point of attack.

Although he did not know exactly where Satoru Gojo stood, now that Akesato had arrived, he would not allow those utterly unworthy people to run rampant.

Intelligence showed that aside from the first one that had been wiped out, the Q Organization had two other bases in Tokyo.

Normally, after being alarmed, the snake would quickly relocate.

But after today's little performance of "parting ways," the snake might very well do the opposite—opening its jaws wide and waiting for its prey to come knocking.

At that moment, Akesato stood before the base closest to the apartment building where Nanami lived.

This base was somewhat larger than the first one, and according to Gardevoir's senses, there were more people inside as well.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was the obvious fluctuations of cursed energy within.

They could not even be bothered to hide it anymore? Then neither would I—

Akesato grinned.

He raised his leg, kicked down the door, and charged in—all in one smooth motion!

"Open up! Water meter inspection!"

PS: Thanks to the cat seated above the clouds, F灬Nightfall, and Midnight Swamp Mud for the donations. Please keep supporting with likes, comments, and bookmarks!