Cause and effect

Tokyo Jujutsu High.

In the second-year classroom, quiet sounds drifted through the air as a teacher and two students peacefully went about their tasks-studying or writing reports.

"Ring, ring, ring..."

The phone on the lectern suddenly rang, shattering their peaceful moment. Below the lectern, Tsukasa Hatayama and Shoko Ieiri raised their heads at the interruption.

Yaga closed his laptop and picked up his flip phone with a slight frown. The caller ID showed his beloved student, Satoru Gojo.

"Hello?"

"Sir, Geto and I are at the Star Plasma Vessel brat's girls' school right now. This kid is ridiculously willful-even more than me!"

"She knows there's a bounty on her on the Dark Web, but she still insisted on risking a trip back to school. Sir, can I just drag her back to Jujutsu High?"

With the speakerphone on, Satoru Gojo's complaints rang throughout the quiet classroom, reaching both Tsukasa Hatayama and Shoko Ieiri.

Masamichi Yaga remained silent for a long while before replying, "Fulfill her wishes. Personally, I'd love for you to drag the Star Plasma Vessel back to Jujutsu High, too, but Master Tengen said every one of her requests must be fulfilled before the merger."

With that, he decisively hung up, giving his beloved student no room to refuse.

But just as he set down his phone and prepared to resume putting together some materials on his laptop, Tsukasa Hatayama's voice unexpectedly rang out in the classroom.

"Sir, I once read an ancient book in the library. It was about the Six Eyes, Tengen, and the Star Plasma Vessel."

Masamichi Yaga and Shoko Ieiri paused, looking in confusion at Tsukasa Hatayama, who spoke without lifting his head.

It wasn't as though they had never visited the Jujutsu High library, but neither remembered seeing an ancient book like that. What fraud had written it?

Tsukasa Hatayama kept studying as he continued, "The book recorded something very strange. It said Tengen, the Six Eyes, and the Star Plasma Vessel were bound in a cycle of cause and effect."

"In that cycle, before Tengen's merger every five hundred years, the Six Eyes and a Star Plasma Vessel would be born into the world."

"There was once an ageless Curse User who didn't believe it, so he conducted a little experiment, secretly killing the Six Eyes and Star Plasma Vessels who were born."

"But no matter how many he killed, when Tengen's merger came around five hundred years later, the birth of another Six Eyes and Star Plasma Vessel was still inevitable. The three kept recurring, bound together by cause and effect."

"Was there really no way to break it? Would it just keep going like that?" Absorbed in the story, Shoko Ieiri couldn't contain her curiosity.

"The book didn't record a way to break it, and there was nothing more about that Curse User."

Tsukasa Hatayama stopped his ballpoint pen as he answered. Slowly raising his head, he gazed inexplicably at the withered green-and-yellow leaves drifting outside the window.

"But as I see it, all three are extreme existences, so... it would take something even more extreme to break the cycle."

"For example..."

"That's enough, Tsukasa!"

Masamichi Yaga cut him off, then said irritably, "Master Tengen isn't someone we can speculate about. And stop reading strange old books in the library. I'm afraid you'll turn into Orochimaru someday!"

"Got it, sir~"

Tsukasa Hatayama drawled his reply, then stood and left the classroom. Still unsatisfied, Shoko Ieiri followed him, itching to hear the answer.

The Jujutsu High cafeteria.

Tsukasa Hatayama ordered an extra-large serving of pork rib rice, while Shoko Ieiri, who had followed him over, ordered lean pork ramen with a dash of sake.

They picked a table at random and sat down, pressing their palms together reverently in prayer. A few seconds later, they picked up their chopsticks and began eating without exchanging a word.

When Tsukasa Hatayama poured three spoonfuls of bitter melon juice over his rice, the laid-back Shoko Ieiri couldn't help twitching the corner of her mouth.

It wasn't the first time she had seen it while eating with him, but it still shocked her every time.

Sure enough, there was a reason scumbags hung out with other scumbags. Those three had completely contrasting tastes-sweet, salty, and bitter, all accounted for.

"Hatayama, you still haven't answered that question from the classroom." Shoko Ieiri took a sip of the sake-flavored broth, unable to hold back her question long enough to swallow.

Tsukasa Hatayama chewed his rice and swallowed it all before speaking. "You already know the answer. Tell me, what's the most extreme thing in Jujutsu Society?"

Inspiration struck Shoko Ieiri, and she instinctively opened her mouth to answer, but Tsukasa Hatayama shushed her first, forcing her to swallow her words.

Tsukasa Hatayama ate with obvious relish, while inwardly considering the question. The most extreme thing in Jujutsu Society was naturally none other than heavenly restriction.

And the one with heavenly restriction in this era was Toji Fushiguro, so the balance between those three... would be shattered by him, just as it had been in the original story.

Besides, what he had told them in the classroom wasn't merely a story-it had actually happened. That thousand-year-old Curse User truly existed, too.

He was... the riddler.

Shoko Ieiri slurped up a long noodle and asked curiously, "Is that old book still in the library? I'm planning to borrow it and read it in my dorm."

Tsukasa Hatayama's thoughts jolted to a halt. He had made all of that up based on the original story. Where was he supposed to find an ancient book for her to read?

Left with no choice, Tsukasa Hatayama lied without blushing or missing a beat. "I haven't finished it yet. I'll give it to you once I'm done."

Then he added, "That book is pretty thick-about a hundred to two hundred thousand pages. At my current reading speed, it'll probably take me three years to finish."

"Then give it to me in three years. I'll be staying at Jujutsu High to work after graduation anyway, so I can flip through it over a drink whenever I have some free time."

Shoko Ieiri didn't suspect a thing. After saying that, she lowered her head and resumed eating her noodles. Given Tsukasa Hatayama's personality, he wouldn't lie.

Tsukasa Hatayama let out a relieved breath. He would stall for now, then write an ancient book for Shoko Ieiri after graduation to make up for it.

The next day.

The second day of protecting the Star Plasma Vessel.

While Satoru Gojo headed to Okinawa to rescue Kuroi, Tsukasa Hatayama, far away at Jujutsu High, got up early to take an entrance exam at the University of Tokyo.

Students couldn't learn regular academic subjects at Jujutsu High; they could only study independently. Upon graduation, Jujutsu High would arrange an entrance exam for whichever university they wanted.

Although he was currently a second-year student at Jujutsu High and wasn't yet old enough for university.

He was still a Special Grade Sorcerer, a genius. So the Higher-Ups made an exception and arranged the exam, hoping he could earn his degree sooner.

As long as he passed, he could enroll in name only, then take another exam when it was time to graduate. Once he passed that, he could return to inherit the family fortune and officially become a capitalist.

That would fulfill his father's high hopes for him while also allowing his father to step down from his position and enjoy staying home with his mother.

(P.S. The upcoming Hidden Inventory arc should have a perfect outcome, but in exchange... it'll be a little cruel. Toji fans, proceed with caution!!!)

(Also, the Kenjaku version of Tiger Mom is just about to make his real appearance. After all, the protagonist's body is far too tempting. In another few chapters or so, there'll be a clash between two sides of vastly unequal strength.)