After handing his mission report to the assistant supervisor that evening, Sherlock was still snuggled up with his teachers under the covers early the next morning when a series of knocks interrupted him.
Cursing, Sherlock got up, changed his clothes, and cleaned himself up before finally opening the door with a dark expression.
That Dickhead Cat would never knock so politely. Whoever could keep knocking steadily and without interruption in the face of his morning temper definitely wasn't someone from Jujutsu High.
Sure enough, when Sherlock opened the door, he saw a man in a black suit.
A trace of contempt surfaced in the man's eyes when he saw Sherlock, but his expression remained appropriately respectful.
"Mr. Sherlock, the Higher-Ups have summoned you."
"..."
Watching the man in the black suit bow slightly as he spoke, Sherlock didn't answer. He didn't even move, simply standing there with his arms folded and watching the man in silence.
So much time passed that the man began to wonder whether he had actually delivered the Higher-Ups' orders. Still holding his slight bow, he looked up at Sherlock, only to meet the amusement in Sherlock's eyes.
This little brat is playing me!
Almost the instant their eyes met, the man read what Sherlock's gaze was conveying. Fury blazed in his heart, but Sherlock gave him no chance to vent it.
"Sure, lead the way!"
Sherlock answered with almost no hesitation, even sounding a little cheerful. He never mentioned contacting Satoru Gojo to confirm, nor did he mention contacting Masamichi Yaga or anyone else at Jujutsu High. He simply agreed.
When he heard Sherlock agree, the man maintained his respectful expression, but the look in his eyes changed, even carrying a faint hint of anticipation.
Sherlock understood almost at a glance exactly what the man before him was thinking.
Clearly, this man had mistaken the Higher-Ups' summons for an attempt to recruit Sherlock, and had taken Sherlock's agreement as acceptance. In his mind, once the Higher-Ups won Sherlock over and Sherlock entered their service, he would have plenty of ways to make life difficult for him.
Unfortunately, the idea was lovely, but reality was harsh. Sherlock had never considered accepting those Old Orange-Peels' overtures, and today's summons was probably not an attempt to recruit him either, but rather about the Curse User named Eiichi Kurokawa.
Without a word, Sherlock followed the man into the car bound for the Higher-Ups, then quietly followed him through their layer upon layer of barriers, before finally being dumped in a reception room.
Sherlock wasn't annoyed. He quietly drank coffee in the reception room as he waited for the Higher-Ups to summon him.
Only after nearly a full hour did a woman in office attire push open the reception room door and lead Sherlock to where the Higher-Ups were.
This was Sherlock's first time meeting Jujutsu Society's Higher-Ups face-to-face, and clearly, these Old Orange-Peels did not leave him with a particularly good impression.
It was a little room so dark that he couldn't make out the walls. Five dim lamps illuminated five unremarkable paper doors, and the Old Orange-Peels hid behind them, not even daring to show their faces.
Almost as soon as Sherlock entered, the door closed behind him. The instant it shut, an old fossil's hoarse, slightly shrill voice rang out in the cramped space.
"Sherlock, do you acknowledge your guilt?"
That opening line made Sherlock laugh in anger. Guilt? What was I guilty of? Selling Satoru Gojo off? Or taking the strongest man in Jujutsu Society to work as a host for a week?
Not bothering to play games with these Old Orange-Peels any longer, Sherlock plopped down on the little chair, crossed his legs, and stared fixedly at the five paper doors they were hiding behind.
"Guilt? Are you all sure you want to declare me guilty?"
"Insolence!"
An angry shout came from behind one of the paper doors as soon as Sherlock finished speaking, but he paid it no mind, even shrugging with a little helplessness.
"Don't blame me. Weren't you the ones who said I was guilty? If I'm guilty already, doesn't that mean I'll have to become a Curse User? Since I'll become one sooner or later, why should I listen to you ramble?
"Wouldn't it be better to just activate my Cursed Technique and assassinate you? Even if you hide inside this turtle shell for the rest of your lives, what about your families? Surely some of them will end up alone?
"My Cursed Technique might not be as powerful as Teacher Gojo's Limitless, but if I really wanted to assassinate someone, nobody could stop me, could they?"
"You bastard! Are you planning to betray us?"
Faced with Sherlock's utterly lawless remarks, someone behind one of the doors slammed a hand on a table. Sherlock, however, merely picked at his ear indifferently in the face of the Old Orange-Peels' demands.
"Why are you shouting so loudly? You chose this. You just wanted to question me over the death of that Cursed Tool maker, Eiichi Kurokawa, then recruit me under the pretext of letting me atone through meritorious service, and have me spy on Teacher Gojo. Why make it so complicated?
"As for whether I'm a traitor, isn't that just up to whatever you say? I don't really care. If you say I'm not, I'll behave myself and be my teacher's good student at Jujutsu High.
"If you say I've betrayed you, at worst I'll just go find my teacher's spouse. You still won't be able to do much to me."
"Wait, his spouse? Satoru Gojo is in a relationship?"
Faced with Sherlock's utterly shameless attitude, the Old Orange-Peels unexpectedly focused on his mention of his "teacher's spouse," leaving even Sherlock unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Suguru Geto. The Special Grade Curse User."
Sherlock answered as though it were perfectly natural, without the slightest hesitation. But the moment he finished speaking, someone kicked the door open from outside.
Satoru Gojo walked in with a dark expression and picked Sherlock up as though he were lifting a kitten. Ignoring the Old Orange-Peels around them, he stared fixedly at Sherlock with eyes that seemed like an expanse of sky.
"Your teacher is very happy that you're on his side and threatening these Old Orange-Peels. But your teacher is very unhappy that you're spreading rumors about his love life."
"!"
Uh-oh. What should you do when you get caught red-handed spreading sex rumors about your teacher? Waiting for answers online. Pretty urgent.
Watching Satoru Gojo grit his back teeth, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, Sherlock swallowed hard. He even had the feeling that he wouldn't survive the day.
But Satoru Gojo didn't dwell on the issue. Instead, he swept a cold gaze over the Old Orange-Peels hiding behind the paper doors, unleashing almost without restraint the oppressive presence unique to the divine child of the Six Eyes and the strongest of the modern age.
"There won't be a next time!"
With that, Satoru Gojo gave the Old Orange-Peels no chance to argue, carrying Sherlock straight out of the pitch-dark meeting room.
Only after the meeting room door closed again did the Old Orange-Peels' furious voices ring out in the dim space.
"Lawless! Absolutely lawless!"