The gates of the Gojo Estate slowly opened, allowing Hiroyuki to drive the car inside.
Compared to the noisy highways they had spent the last several hours trapped on, the estate was almost unnaturally quiet. The evening sun hung low above the traditional rooftops, casting long shadows across the grounds while a gentle breeze moved through the surrounding trees.
Looking at the place now, one would think that very little had changed.
That was probably true.
Buildings rarely changed much within a year.
People, however, were a different story.
It had been a little over a year since Hiroyuki and Senjumaru had properly returned to the estate. Not because they couldn't visit, but simply because there was always something demanding their attention.
A mission. A Curse. A meeting. An investigation.
The moment one thing ended, another appeared to take its place.
Such was the life of an ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Unfortunately, neither of them was considered ordinary. As a result, the number of people constantly demanding their time was significantly higher than average.
A fact neither particularly appreciated.
As the vehicle continued deeper into the estate, one of the nearby attendants finally noticed them. He froze for a moment before recognizing the car and hurriedly whispered something to another servant.
Then that servant informed someone else.
And then another.
Word spread much faster than Hiroyuki thought necessary.
By the time he parked near the main residence, several attendants were already waiting outside.
"That was fast," Hiroyuki muttered.
Senjumaru glanced through the window.
"We have been gone for some time."
"That doesn't mean they have to prepare a welcoming committee."
Despite his complaint, Hiroyuki already knew this was relatively restrained by Gojo Clan standards. Had the elders been the ones organizing their arrival, there would probably be an entire line of servants waiting from the gate to the main house.
Thankfully, it appeared that no one had been given enough warning for something that excessive.
The moment the car stopped, an attendant approached and opened Hiroyuki's door. He stepped out just as Senjumaru emerged from the other side.
The surrounding servants lowered their heads almost simultaneously.
"Welcome home, Young Master."
The greeting came smoothly, carrying the practiced refinement expected from people serving one of the Big Three Clans.
"Thank you."
Several attendants stepped forward to offer assistance with the vehicle and their belongings. Hiroyuki exchanged a few words with them before allowing them to do their jobs.
The entire interaction lasted less than a minute.
Even then, some of the younger attendants looked visibly relieved once it was over.
It was a strange reaction, but not entirely unexpected.
Regardless of how approachable Hiroyuki considered himself, his reputation within the clan had long since grown beyond the person behind it. To the younger servants who had never properly interacted with him, he was probably less a member of the household and more some distant, powerful figure they needed to avoid offending.
Hiroyuki was still thinking about that when one of the older maids noticed the woman standing beside him.
"Senjumaru?"
The name immediately caught the attention of several others.
For perhaps two seconds, everyone remained perfectly composed.
Then all restraint vanished.
"Senju!"
The first to reach her was an elderly maid whom Hiroyuki recognized from his childhood. She had worked in the estate since before he was born and had been among the people responsible for training Senjumaru when she first became an attendant.
The woman immediately seized both of Senjumaru's hands and looked her over.
"Oh my goodness. Look at you!"
Another maid appeared beside her.
"You've gotten thinner."
"I have not," Senjumaru calmly denied.
"You have."
"I eat regularly."
"That's what everyone says when they aren't eating properly."
A third maid joined them and nodded gravely, as if they were discussing a serious medical emergency.
"I knew this would happen. You should have brought more food with you."
Senjumaru silently looked between the three women surrounding her.
After apparently realizing that no response would save her, she stopped trying.
Hiroyuki, meanwhile, quietly stepped away from the gathering.
Some battles simply couldn't be won.
For all her accomplishments, strength and growing influence within Jujutsu Society, Senjumaru was still just Senjumaru within these walls—a familiar girl who had finally returned home after being away for far too long.
Hiroyuki almost escaped unnoticed.
Almost.
"Young Master."
He stopped.
One of the elderly maids smiled at him.
"Welcome home."
Hiroyuki hesitantly returned the smile.
"Thank you."
The maid studied him for a moment.
"Have you been resting properly? You appear thinner as well."
"..."
Hiroyuki glanced toward Senjumaru, who stared back at him from within the small crowd of maids.
No help came.
"I'm leaving."
"That isn't an answer."
"I know."
Several of the maids laughed.
Despite himself, Hiroyuki couldn't stop a faint smile from appearing.
Years ago, scenes like this had been normal.
Before Jujutsu High. Before the missions. Before responsibilities began piling upon one another without end. Back when returning to the estate wasn't some rare occasion that needed to be celebrated.
For a brief moment, it felt as though nothing had changed.
Then, as it always did, reality returned.
After several promises concerning meals, rest and future visits were successfully extracted from them, Hiroyuki and Senjumaru were finally allowed to leave.
Once they were far enough away, Hiroyuki glanced around the familiar grounds.
"Where's Satoru?"
One of the nearby attendants immediately answered.
"The young master is currently at the training grounds."
Of course he was.
Hiroyuki thanked the attendant before he and Senjumaru resumed walking.
The familiar paths unfolded before them. Most of the gardens and buildings looked exactly as he remembered, carefully maintained to preserve an appearance that had probably remained unchanged for generations.
It wasn't long before the sounds of training reached them.
Several children stood near the edge of the field while instructors observed from different positions. Servants moved quietly around them, careful not to disturb whatever was happening at the center.
There, a familiar white-haired boy moved through a series of exercises.
At first glance, nothing appeared particularly unusual.
Hiroyuki knew better.
The difference wasn't in Satoru's training.
It was in the people surrounding him.
Their attention never left him. Every movement was watched, every success quietly noted and every mistake treated as something that needed to be corrected immediately.
Then there was the distance.
The children watched Satoru with admiration, but none stood beside him. The instructors treated him with respect, yet there was a certain carefulness in how they approached. Even the servants seemed increasingly aware that they weren't merely watching another young member of the clan.
They were watching Gojo Satoru.
Bearer of the Six Eyes.
Heir to the Limitless.
The future of the clan.
The one expected to become the strongest.
People had already begun looking at him differently, not because of who he was, but because of what he represented.
And Satoru knew.
Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not completely.
But he knew.
"So it's already starting," Hiroyuki quietly muttered.
The words carried considerably more weight than he would've liked.
Senjumaru followed his gaze toward Satoru. She said nothing, but the slight narrowing of her eyes told Hiroyuki that she understood.
Then Satoru stopped.
His head tilted slightly.
The Six Eyes swept across the training ground as though searching for something that had suddenly caught their attention.
Hiroyuki had become difficult to perceive whenever he wanted to be.
Senjumaru had not.
And if Senjumaru was here...
Satoru's head immediately turned toward the entrance.
Their eyes met.
The change was instant.
The detached focus disappeared, taking the cold concentration from his expression along with it. For the first time since Hiroyuki arrived, Satoru looked less like the future pride of the Gojo Clan and more like the younger brother he remembered.
The instructors noticed the change before following Satoru's gaze.
Upon seeing Hiroyuki, several of them approached to offer their greetings. A few polite words were exchanged before they tactfully excused themselves, taking the other students along with them.
Soon, only the brothers remained in the center of the field, with Senjumaru watching from a short distance away.
Satoru crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth already lifting.
"You certainly took your time, Nii-san."
Hiroyuki blinked.
"I was only gone for a year or so."
"That's still an entire year."
"The way you say it makes it sound like I abandoned you."
"I didn't say that."
"You were clearly implying it."
Satoru looked away with a quiet scoff, though the small grin on his face ruined whatever offended expression he was trying to make.
"I was only pointing out that you could've visited sooner."
There it was.
Hiroyuki stared at him for a moment before his expression softened.
"Yeah," he admitted. "I probably should have."
Satoru glanced back at him, seemingly caught off guard by how easily he conceded. After a brief silence, he cleared his throat and turned toward the path leading away from the training grounds.
"Well, you're here now."
"That I am."
That was more than enough of a greeting for both of them.
Not long afterward, the three began walking through the estate, with a couple of Satoru's attendants following several steps behind.
As they walked, Satoru talked.
Not excessively, nor with any obvious excitement. He simply spoke more than usual.
The topics varied between his training, instructors, clan matters and whatever had managed to annoy him recently. Every now and then, he casually mentioned some new achievement before immediately moving on, as though it had barely been worth mentioning in the first place.
Several of those accomplishments sounded suspiciously deliberate.
Hiroyuki wisely chose not to point that out.
Most of the time, he simply listened. Occasionally, he asked a question or made a comment, and Satoru would explain further while pretending he hadn't been waiting for Hiroyuki to ask.
Behind them, Senjumaru exchanged an amused glance with one of Satoru's maids.
It was obvious what was happening.
An older brother had finally returned home after a long absence, while his younger brother was trying very hard not to show how happy he was about it.
He wasn't doing a particularly good job.
Unfortunately, the moment didn't last nearly long enough.
A servant from the main house appeared farther down the path. The urgency in his approach was enough to warn Hiroyuki before the man had even spoken.
The servant stopped and lowered his head.
"Young Master."
Hiroyuki sighed.
"The elders?"
"Yes. They are awaiting your presence."
The servant briefly hesitated before adding:
"All of them are present."
That was interesting.
Hiroyuki hadn't expected them to gather quite this quickly. Either they had been informed about his arrival much earlier than he realized, or the subject they intended to discuss was important enough for none of them to risk being absent.
Satoru apparently reached the same conclusion.
"Good luck..."
Despite his respectful words, the amusement on his face made it clear how little he envied Hiroyuki at that moment.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Before leaving, Hiroyuki reached out and ruffled Satoru's hair.
The younger Gojo immediately leaned away and tried to repair the damage.
"Nii-san..."
"Tomorrow," Hiroyuki said.
Satoru's hands stopped.
"What about tomorrow?"
"I'll see what you've learned while I was gone."
For a brief moment, Satoru became completely still.
Then his posture straightened and a confident smile slowly appeared.
"You wont be disappointed."
"I certainly hope not."
The challenge settled comfortably between them.
Familiar. Routine. Normal.
Satoru eventually left with his attendants while the servant returned ahead to inform the elders of Hiroyuki's approach.
That left Hiroyuki and Senjumaru alone once again.
They continued toward the oldest building in the estate, and with every step, the warmth from earlier gradually faded.
Family was one thing.
Politics was another.
Unfortunately, the latter had a habit of ruining the former.
"Do you think they will agree?" Senjumaru quietly asked.
Hiroyuki considered the question even though both of them already knew the answer.
"No."
She showed no surprise.
"But I'll make them."
He glanced toward her, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"You, of all people, should know how persistent I can be."
Senjumaru's steps slowed by the smallest amount.
Her eyes met his, and for a moment, the look she gave him carried considerably more meaning than the conversation required.
Then her lips curved into a quiet, knowing smile.
A soft chuckle escaped her.
"Yes," she replied. "I am well aware."
Hiroyuki held her gaze for another second before looking ahead again, the smile never quite leaving his face.
Nothing more was said.
There was no need.
The old building eventually appeared ahead of them, silent and imposing, looking exactly as Hiroyuki remembered it.
He stared at the entrance for several seconds before sighing.
"Well."
Senjumaru glanced toward him.
"Home was fun while it lasted."
Together, they stepped inside.