The Director's Bizarre Encounter

It was the morning after he had marched on the capital and overturned the old order of Jujutsu Society.

Dio, the newly appointed director of Jujutsu, set out from a temporary residence kindly provided by Satoru Gojo and walked toward the old headquarters, where cleanup and reorganization were still underway.

In the faint morning light, the streets were quiet. His pace was unhurried, his bearing as relaxed as an old Beijinger taking his caged bird out for an ordinary morning stroll.

Just then, a deep, powerful engine rumble approached from the distance, rapidly growing louder.

A stylish heavy motorcycle screeched to a precise, clean stop beside him.

The rider was a tall woman. She swung her leg over and dismounted, casually removing her professional helmet in one fluid, powerful motion.

Dazzling golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, gleaming with a healthy sheen in the sunlight.

Her face was striking and bold, and the fitted riding suit accentuated her stunning curves.

Tucking her helmet casually against her side, she walked straight up to Dio, flashed a bright, candid smile, and opened by getting straight to the point:

"Hello, Mr. Newly Appointed Director~ Mind if I ask what kind of women you like?"

Dio stopped and calmly looked her over. There was no trace of offense or surprise on his face; instead, he returned an equally sunny smile.

"Hello-I suppose I like anyone who makes me feel something.

If I had to rank my preferences, I'd lean toward someone pretty with a nice personality, who's just a little clingy."

The blonde woman's eyes lit up, and she pointed at herself teasingly.

"Oh my, doesn't that mean I fit your standards perfectly? Haha, just kidding~"

She held out her hand and formally introduced herself. "I'm Yuki Tsukumo, a Special Grade Sorcerer. That should tell you who I am, right?"

"I've heard of you, Miss Tsukumo." Dio shook her hand with a moderate grip. "Suguru Geto mentioned you to me-"

Almost the instant the name "Geto" left his mouth, Yuki Tsukumo reflexively recalled the famous assessment Suguru Geto had given her ten years earlier, when he was still a Jujutsu High student, looking utterly serious and a little exasperated:

["An unreliable senior who, despite being a Special Grade, never takes any missions and just loafs around overseas."]

What an embarrassing skeleton in her closet!

"Stop right there! Don't listen to his nonsense!" She immediately raised her other hand in a "time-out" gesture, an awkward smile flashing across her face as though the past was too painful to revisit. "That was then, this is now!"

She cleared her throat and resumed a serious expression, though she still couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes:

"Here's the thing. After I heard what you'd done last night, I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I bought a ticket for the earliest flight straight back, just to see it for myself.

Maybe I'm even your first fan!"

"Thank you for your kind regard, Miss Tsukumo.

A great man once said, 'Clean the house before inviting guests.'

All I've done is the necessary work of clearing away years of accumulated filth and rotten rubbish.

It's nothing worth boasting about, merely... something someone had to do."

Dio inclined his head slightly, speaking with restraint.

"So, you've come all the way back from overseas. Is there something urgent you'd like to discuss?"

"Hey, hey, I'm a bona fide 'Special Grade,' you know!"

Yuki Tsukumo planted her hands on her hips, her tone matter-of-fact.

"You went and did something as earth-shattering as 'marching on the capital' back here. How could I not fly straight home to see it for myself?

Originally, I was planning to watch how things developed first. After all...

I'm just an insignificant beauty who wants every last Cursed Spirit in the world to disappear."

Before she had even finished speaking, she suddenly took two steps toward Dio, entering his personal space with a faintly imposing air.

Then she bent halfway forward, letting her arms hang naturally and resting her hands lightly on her knees, which she drew together.

The seemingly casual movement accentuated her voluptuous figure. Beneath her fitted jacket, her full curves swayed gently as her weight shifted, radiating the assertive allure unique to a mature woman.

Her entire pose blended a probing challenge, playfulness, and a hint of temptation, as though she were waiting to enjoy whatever embarrassment or wavering he might show.

It was one of her favorite little tricks. Against young, hot-blooded male Sorcerers in particular, it often easily threw them off balance and gave her the upper hand in conversation. It had worked time and again over the years.

Yet Dio merely watched her calmly, his eyes clear and his expression unchanged.

He showed neither a boy's embarrassed shyness nor the wavering of someone drawn in by a woman's charms, nor even the retreat an ordinary man might make.

His gaze was as pure as if he were observing an interesting experimental phenomenon or admiring a beautiful work of art.

Yuki Tsukumo tilted her head slightly and tossed her sunshine-bright golden hair, maintaining that simultaneously imposing and seductive pose as though his indifference didn't bother her.

She continued:

"But Principal Yaga sent me an encrypted meeting outline, and I've skimmed through it:

Use the authority of the reorganized Jujutsu Headquarters to enforce widespread awareness of Jujutsu from the top down, compelling all of society to adapt, understand, and ultimately evolve...

That caught my interest.

Most Sorcerers spend their entire lives treating the symptoms.

A Cursed Spirit appears, they exorcise it. They finish a job, collect their pay, and rest. Over and over, like clocking in for work.

But if we really want to eradicate the problem, we need to treat the cause-to create a world where Cursed Spirits aren't born.

Whether we take the path of 'cursed energy optimization' for all humanity or achieve the transformation into 'Heavenly Restriction Tyrants' that I've been pursuing, the point is to bring the creation and existence of curses under fundamental control...

On that point, you, Geto, and I actually share the same goal!"

At last, Dio reacted differently.

He gently clapped, the rhythm measured and clear, then studied her earnestly for a moment, as though meeting her for the first time all over again.

Then he extended his right hand, genuine approval on his face and unmistakable pleasure in his voice:

"That's wonderful! It's not just Geto and me. Satoru and Yuta have expressed their support too.

There are already four Special Grade Sorcerers who embrace the philosophy of 'cursed energy optimization.'

You're the fifth. Welcome aboard, Yuki Tsukumo!"

They exchanged a formal handshake, their palms touching only briefly before parting.

Dio withdrew his hand and explained evenly, "Here's how I see it. Making mistakes isn't frightening, and it doesn't matter if we don't know which path is absolutely right.

The most frightening things in this world are the refusal to change, numbness, fear, despair, bewilderment, forgetfulness, and acceptance and submission.

Accepting suffering as inevitable and submitting to an unjust fate-that is the true source of the problem!"

As he spoke, he placed both hands on the broad leather belt at his waist, decorated with a conspicuous red heart. Its style matched the World's outfit exactly, flamboyant and laden with symbolism.

Then, with a pose full of tension and balance, Dio leaned his entire body backward to an almost perfect forty-five-degree angle, supported entirely by his formidable core strength, as though gravity itself had yielded to him.

"Too many people in this world are like that: burying their heads in the sand, willfully ignoring reality, muddling through, content to address surface problems without searching for an effective way to eliminate Cursed Spirits at the root.

Simply spreading knowledge of Jujutsu and training Sorcerers en masse is actually relatively easy. With enough resources and teachers, we can make steady progress.

But how do we reverse this social tendency to evade the fundamental problem... how do we awaken people's courage and willingness to 'change'...

That is the central challenge all of us reformers truly have to face!"