Toad's tongue stopped dead three centimeters from Satoru Gojo.
Naomitsu had expected this result.
"The Zenin Clan's Ten Shadows Technique? You can already perform a Shikigami Taming Ritual at such a young age?"
Satoru Gojo muttered his assessment as though he hadn't noticed the toad's tongue behind his head.
Naomitsu sighed and withdrew Toad into his shadow. With his current abilities, he had no way to breach Satoru Gojo's defenses.
"What? Giving up already?"
Naomitsu shrugged. "There's no point. Let's go. You're probably pretty busy, so let's not waste time here."
After saying his final goodbyes to Utahime Iori and Teacher Tachibana, Naomitsu followed Satoru Gojo out of the school he had attended for a year.
They boarded the Shinkansen and began a new journey.
A few hours later, they arrived in Tokyo. Naomitsu followed behind Satoru Gojo, studying the metropolis with curiosity.
After more rides and inspections along the way, they finally reached the junior high school affiliated with Tokyo Jujutsu High at two in the afternoon.
"Stay here for now. If anything comes up, just go find Shoko at Tokyo Jujutsu High."
"See ya~"
With a sultry goodbye, Satoru Gojo walked off, leaving a bewildered Naomitsu behind. Looking around the empty room, Naomitsu felt he'd been duped.
"Whatever. This works too. I don't have to risk my life fighting or sit through classes. I can stay home and focus on training."
School had held up his training last year. Here, he could spend this year working hard to increase his cursed energy.
When he had some free time, he could also exchange insights on Reverse Cursed Technique with Shoko.
The thought immediately lifted Naomitsu's spirits. He started exploring the surroundings, since this would be his home from now on.
The place Satoru Gojo had brought him to resembled a university dormitory. However, Naomitsu had a room to himself, complete with a bathroom, kitchen, and balcony.
It was less a dorm room and more a studio apartment.
"The scenery outside is pretty nice, with mountains and water. There's a convenience store and places to eat downstairs, too. Living here should be comfortable and convenient."
By the time he finished looking around and bought several bags of daily necessities, it had grown dark. Curled up in his room, Naomitsu suddenly felt as though he were back in his previous life.
"It's so lonely, feeling like this. It's all bright lights and nightlife outside. I might as well go for a walk."
The four-year-old walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. For the first time since coming to this world, Naomitsu felt lost.
"Being alone... is so dull. I wonder how Kenjaku managed to live alone for a thousand years."
As he wandered, Naomitsu came across an arcade in Tokyo. Inside were plenty of pachinko machines, along with all kinds of claw machines and capsule toy dispensers.
New to the city and with nowhere to go for fun, Naomitsu walked in almost without thinking.
Of course, he hadn't come to play. He just wanted to look around. Once the feeling passed, he would head back to rest or train.
"Nanako! Let me have a turn!"
"No! I'm not done yet!"
"Hurry up and move!"
"It's all right. There's another machine over there. We can just start that one."
"Okay, Lord Geto."
Hearing the conversation, Naomitsu stopped in the aisle. He hadn't expected to meet the person he least wanted to encounter so soon after arriving in Tokyo.
He turned and saw a man and two girls.
The man stood about 185 centimeters tall, with black hair tied in a bun, purple eyes, and a long lock of bangs hanging over the left side of his forehead.
He wore black outer robes with a Buddhist kasaya draped over them, bearing the words "five-panel kasaya."
This was none other than Suguru Geto. Naturally, the two girls beside him were Nanako and Mimiko, whom he had rescued from the villagers.
At that moment, Suguru Geto seemed to sense something and turned around. His gaze met Naomitsu's.
He noticed me!
Since he'd been spotted, Naomitsu decided not to leave. Running away guiltily would only arouse Suguru Geto's suspicions.
He might as well walk over and say hello. After all, Geto wanted to kill ordinary people, while he was a jujutsu sorcerer. Surely Geto wouldn't attack him.
Naomitsu approached Suguru Geto, who looked him over curiously.
"You're Gojo's new student? I never thought that guy's first student would be a little kid!"
Naomitsu was a little surprised. Geto's information network was quite impressive. It had only just happened, yet he already knew.
"He's not responsible at all. He brought me to Tokyo, then vanished."
Suguru Geto seemed to share that sentiment, apparently recalling their days as classmates. But he quickly suppressed those feelings.
"Lord Geto! Who is he?"
Hearing Nanako's question behind him, Suguru Geto stroked the girls' hair.
"He's a jujutsu sorcerer, just like you. He's also a genius with some remarkable abilities."
Suguru Geto's praise left Naomitsu feeling embarrassed. For a moment, he even felt a fondness for him.
After hearing Suguru Geto's words, Nanako and Mimiko immediately warmed to Naomitsu.
Lord Geto said he was a genius! He must be really strong!
"Is he even stronger than you, Lord Geto?"
"Don't be stupid, Mimiko! Of course not! Lord Geto is invincible!"
Seeing Naomitsu scratch his head awkwardly, Suguru Geto shot the sisters a stern look. The two bickering girls immediately fell silent.
"Sorry, that was rude of them. Let me treat you to dinner. I happen to know a nice place in Tokyo."
Naomitsu nodded. Now that he finally had the status of Satoru Gojo's student, he might as well use it to build a good relationship with Suguru Geto.
After all, Suguru Geto wouldn't be this polite to just anyone. Naomitsu only received such courteous treatment because of his connections to Satoru Gojo and Shoko.
"Yay!"
"You're so kind, Lord Geto!"
The sisters were only two years older than Naomitsu. At the mention of food, they immediately cheered with delight.
One adult and three children left the arcade through the crowd and headed toward the bustling shopping street.
"Wow! It's a sushi restaurant!"
It was an elegant sushi restaurant, and all the servers were pretty young women. As soon as Naomitsu stepped inside, he decided it was a lovely place.
"You've met Shoko already, haven't you?"
Naomitsu wasn't sure whether Shoko had told Suguru Geto about him, but if he wanted to build a good relationship, sincerity couldn't hurt.
Naomitsu nodded. "Shoko is really nice. Not only did she teach me Reverse Cursed Technique, she also took me to an amusement park, where we had lots of fun."
Suguru Geto's smile grew even brighter at that.
Seeing how gentle he was, Naomitsu suddenly began to understand why Shoko and the others found it so "unbelievable."
"Geto, you must be exhausted, choosing this path."
Suguru Geto's hand froze with a piece of sushi between his chopsticks, and he looked up at Naomitsu. Having his innermost feelings laid bare by a four-year-old struck him as absurd.
"Did Gojo... ask you to persuade me... or are you here to question me?"
Naomitsu shook his head. "I've only heard your story. I don't understand how someone as gentle as you ended up like this, but I respect the path you've chosen."
Suguru Geto said nothing, but there was something different in the way he looked at Naomitsu.
After dinner, Naomitsu and Suguru Geto parted ways. Now that they had said goodbye, there was no telling when they would meet again.
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