A new teacher

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

The long-awaited doubling of his cursed energy arrived. His original sixty thousand had only increased by ten thousand, since he had spent the past year at school and barely trained.

As a result, his doubled cursed energy only came to a little over 145,000.

After deducting another ten percent for his cursed energy Binding Vow, he had [130500] cursed energy left.

Although a large portion of his cursed energy had been deducted, there was still good news. Only seven years remained until the Binding Vow ended.

"Naomitsu! Teacher Utahime Iori wants you!"

Outside the corridor window, Noritoshi Kamo leaned over the windowsill and called to Naomitsu. After spending a year together, the two had buried the hatchet and become friends, albeit not particularly close ones.

Of course, the real reason was that Naomitsu had defeated Noritoshi Kamo in a single move. After witnessing the staggering gap between them, Noritoshi Kamo realized that he and Naomitsu were in entirely different leagues.

And so, he had let it go.

"Oh, I'll be right there." Naomitsu slipped both hands into his pockets. At four years old, he was already 1.2 meters tall.

When he arrived at the office, both Teacher Utahime Iori and Teacher Tachibana were there. They turned to look at him as he entered.

"Utahime? What's up?"

Utahime Iori hooked an arm around Naomitsu's neck. After a year together, they had grown very close, and she was fully committed to raising him into the next Satoru Gojo.

"Kid, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"The good news, obviously!" Naomitsu answered without hesitation.

Utahime Iori smiled mischievously. "The good news is that your strength and theoretical knowledge passed the assessment. You've been recommended to skip ahead to junior high in Kyoto."

"And the bad news? What is it?" Naomitsu was puzzled. What bad news could there possibly be for him?

"The bad news is that once you start junior high, you won't have a wonderful teacher like me anymore. Oh, and you'll have to leave your friends and sisters behind!"

Naomitsu: "..."

Naomitsu was a little speechless. Utahime Iori still treated him like a child. This was hardly a big deal to him. It wasn't as though they would be separated by death.

"Well? Are you sad?"

Naomitsu made a show of nodding, then hugged Utahime Iori and pretended to blow his nose on her.

"Hey! You little brat! What are you wiping on me? Do you want a smack?"

Teacher Tachibana had long since grown used to their bickering. This was what happened once someone got close to Utahime Iori. She was easily provoked by nature.

"Boo-hoo, I'll miss you, Utahime."

After straining for ages, Naomitsu managed to squeeze out a single tear. Utahime Iori could tell, too. The little brat was putting on a complete act.

"Just you wait, kid. Once you get to your new class, that teacher will straighten you out."

"Come on, Utahime, tell me. Who's my new teacher? Is it Satoru Gojo, the guy you're always muttering about hating?"

Naomitsu was intensely curious about who this teacher was. If it was Satoru Gojo, he would really be set.

"It's a secret! You'll find out when you get to your new school tomorrow!"

Naomitsu was a little speechless, but then he remembered that Naoya Zenin had just started junior high this year. He could ask him when he got home.

"All right, you're moving up soon. Go say goodbye to your sisters and friends. I'll take you to school in a bit."

Naomitsu looked puzzled. "Utahime, isn't the junior high in Kyoto Prefecture?"

Utahime Iori shook her head. "You're too talented to let that talent go to waste in Kyoto Prefecture. I've already discussed it with the principal. We're making an exception and sending you to Tokyo."

At the mention of Tokyo, Satoru Gojo's figure and Suguru Geto's face surfaced in Naomitsu's mind.

This isn't good... I'm still at the stage where I need to lie low and grow stronger...

"Um... Utahime, could I... not go?" Naomitsu asked nervously.

Utahime Iori's smile vanished, and she firmly shook her head.

"Forget it, kid. Your clan has already been informed. Both your parents agreed, and so did the current clan head.

Pack your things. You'll be leaving shortly. Go say goodbye to your sisters and friends while the teacher still hasn't arrived."

Utahime Iori's tone left no room for negotiation, and Naomitsu understood. His clan and the school's higher-ups were in this together. They weren't going to consider his wishes at all.

In their eyes, he was nothing more than a slightly more valuable pawn.

And he hadn't even grown up yet.

Naomitsu left the office, returned to the classroom, and said goodbye to Maki and Mai in turn. This would be the first time since his birth that he would be separated from his two older sisters for an extended period.

The sisters couldn't take it as calmly as Naomitsu. Each clung to one of his arms, sobbing their hearts out.

"Mitsu-chan! I don't want you to go!"

"I want to go with Mitsu-chan!"

Neither sister was putting on an act. Their tears had soaked Naomitsu's sleeves.

In all the time Naomitsu had spent with the sisters, he had never seen them cry. Especially Maki, who usually carried herself like a composed, dependable older sister.

He hadn't expected her to be the one crying hardest as she clung to him.

Behind the sisters, Naoya Zenin, Megumi Fushiguro, and the others had also come to see him off.

"Boss... should I cry a little too?"

Clearly, Naoya Zenin was secretly delighted. The farther away Naomitsu went, the better. His own position would be that much more secure.

"Don't bother. Help me protect Maki and Mai. If they get hurt, you're the first person I'll beat up when I come back."

"Boss! I guarantee I'll get it done!" Naoya Zenin stood at attention.

Naomitsu turned to Megumi Fushiguro next. He had promised the boy's father that he would protect him.

"Megumi, call me if anyone bullies you. I'm your boss. If something happens, I'll sort it out for you. Don't try to shoulder everything alone."

"Got it, boss." Megumi Fushiguro nodded.

After making the rounds and saying goodbye, Naomitsu figured it was about time. He patted his sisters' heads one last time, then resolutely turned and left.

When he returned to the office, the teacher who had come to collect him had already arrived.

And that teacher was none other than Satoru Gojo, the man who declared, "Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one."

"There, this is your new teacher. Though he might have quite a few missions to handle, so he won't have much time to spend with you."

Gojo bent down and studied the four-year-old before him.

"Hey, little guy! Let me take you to Tokyo! I'll make you stronger! You're my very first student!"

Satoru Gojo laughed and joked, looking nothing like a teacher. In fact, this was his first year teaching, and he usually had no time at all.

If Shoko hadn't happened to mention this to him, he might not have come.

Perhaps hearing "the next Satoru Gojo" so often had stirred his curiosity enough to come and take a look.

"Could you let me see your Limitless?"

The moment Naomitsu spoke, he wanted to test Satoru Gojo's strength. Satoru Gojo was happy to oblige. In truth, he wanted to see what Naomitsu could do as well.

"Hey, hey! This is the teachers' office! It's not a place for you two to fight!"

Utahime Iori planted her hands on her hips and shouted, but this time Naomitsu didn't listen. As soon as Satoru Gojo agreed, he activated his cursed technique.

"Toad!"