The room didn't feel like a hospital.
It felt like a cage.
Every surface. Walls, ceiling, even the floor beneath Oden's feet was layered with sealing talismans. Yellow paper, inked with dense formulas, overlapping in a lattice of restraint.
Meant to contain.
Oden sat still on the chair, eyes scanning the space once… then dismissing it.
No way out.
Across from him, Satoru Gojo sat on his chair, as if this were a casual visit rather than a sentencing.
"…Execution?" Oden repeated, voice calm.
Gojo nodded once, like he was confirming the weather.
"Yep. Standard procedure. Dangerous unknown, extreme power, questionable affiliations…" He ticked the points off lazily. "You hit all the checkboxes."
Oden didn't react much.
Just looked down slightly.
"…I see."
A pause.
Then—
"…Did he succeed?"
Gojo tilted his head.
"Who?"
"…Geto."
That name hung heavier than the rest.
Oden's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Did he kill Yuta Okkotsu?"
For a moment—
Gojo just stared at him.
Then—
He smiled.
"…You're worried about him?"
Oden didn't answer.
Didn't deny it either.
Gojo leaned back slightly, amused.
"You tried to kill me for his sake, didn't you?" he said. "And now you're checking if your effort paid off."
A small chuckle escaped him.
"…That's kind of adorable."
Oden's expression didn't change.
"…Answer the question."
Gojo waved a hand dismissively.
"He's fine."
Simple.
"Very much alive," Gojo added. "Actually did pretty well, all things considered."
A faint exhale left Oden's chest.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
"…Good."
Silence settled again.
Then Oden leaned back slightly.
"…Then that's fine."
Gojo raised a brow.
"Oh?"
Oden closed his eyes briefly.
"…I failed."
No excuses.
Just fact.
"I couldn't kill you."
Another pause.
"…So this is the outcome."
His gaze returned to Gojo.
Calm.
Resolved.
"I'll die here."
Gojo watched him carefully.
"…You're taking it pretty well," he said.
Oden shrugged faintly.
"There's no point struggling."
His eyes flicked briefly to the seals around the room.
"…I can't escape this."
A beat.
"…And even if I could."
He looked back at Gojo.
"I can't beat you."
Silence.
Then—
Gojo smiled.
"…You're honest."
Oden didn't respond.
Gojo leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand.
"But…"
A small pause.
"There is a way you don't die."
Oden's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"…What?"
Gojo's grin widened.
"Simple."
He raised a finger.
"You enroll."
A beat.
"At Tokyo Jujutsu High."
Oden blinked once.
"…What?"
"Become my student," Gojo continued casually. "Play nice. Learn properly. Don't cause international incidents."
He shrugged.
"In return. No execution."
Silence.
Oden stared at him.
"…That's it?"
"Pretty much."
A pause.
"…Three months," Gojo added. "Probation."
"If you behave, you live."
"If you don't…" he tilted his head slightly.
"I'll kill you myself."
No malice.
Just certainty.
Oden held his gaze.
Then—
"…You're serious."
Gojo grinned.
"Dead serious."
—
Earlier.
A traditional room.
Low lighting.
Heavy atmosphere.
Several elders sat in silence, their expressions hidden behind shadows and age.
Authority.
Judgment.
And in front of them—
Gojo stood.
Relaxed.
Hands in pockets.
"…Denied."
The response came instantly.
Cold.
Final.
"That boy is too dangerous."
"His execution is necessary."
"He has already aligned himself with a curse user."
"We cannot allow—"
"Yeah, yeah."
Gojo cut them off mid-sentence.
Casually.
Like they were background noise.
The room went still.
"…I'm not doing that."
Silence.
One of the elders leaned forward slightly.
"…This is not your decision."
Gojo smiled.
"…It kind of is."
A pause.
"If he goes rogue," Gojo continued, tone light but eyes sharp beneath the blindfold, "I'll handle it."
The weight of that statement settled instantly.
"…You're asking us to trust you," another elder said slowly.
Gojo shrugged.
"I'm telling you what's going to happen."
A beat.
"…Give him three months."
Silence stretched.
Long.
Tense.
Then—
"…Very well."
Reluctant.
But accepted.
"A probationary period."
"If he fails—"
"I kill him," Gojo finished.
Then turned.
Already walking away.
"…Good talk."
Behind him—
Murmurs.
Complaints.
Frustration.
Gojo didn't care.
—
Back in the sealed room.
Oden sat quietly.
Processing.
Weighing.
Then—
"…I don't really have a choice."
Gojo's smile widened instantly.
"Exactly."
Oden exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
A pause.
"I'll do it."
Gojo stood up in one smooth motion.
Clapped his hands once.
Bright.
Satisfied.
"Great!"
He turned toward the door.
Then glanced back.
"Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu High."
A grin.
"Try not to die."
---
Morning came quietly.
Not with the noise of traffic or the restless hum of a city, but with stillness. A kind of expensive silence.
Oden sat cross-legged at a low table, staring at the spread in front of him.
Rice. Grilled fish. Soup. Side dishes arranged with almost artistic precision.
He took another bite.
"…This guy is rich."
That was the only conclusion he could come to.
The past week had made one thing painfully clear. Satoru Gojo did not live like a normal person.
The estate alone was absurd. Traditional architecture stretching further than Oden had bothered to explore. Servants. Gardens. Rooms that probably hadn't been used in years.
And yet…
They'd treated him well.
Better than he expected.
A soft knock slid open the door.
A woman stepped in, bowing politely.
"Oden-sama. Your uniform."
Oden visibly flinched.
"Don't call me that," he said immediately. "Seriously. Just Oden is fine."
The woman smiled gently, unfazed.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Oden-sama."
"…Why not?"
"It would be improper."
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Oden sighed.
"…This is going to be a problem."
Still, he accepted the folded uniform. Black. Clean. Simple, but it carried weight.
He ran his fingers over the fabric.
'Sorcerer…'
The word still felt strange.
A week ago, he had tried to kill the strongest man alive.
Now?
He was about to become one of the people he used to ignore.
People who fought.
People who died.
People who saved others… without ever being seen.
His grip tightened slightly.
Geto…
He exhaled.
"…Doesn't matter."
Whatever ideals Geto had, whatever war he was trying to start—
Oden wasn't part of that anymore.
He stood.
Changed.
And as he stepped out into the morning light, adjusting the collar slightly, a quiet thought crossed his mind.
'Guess I'm really doing this.'
---
The classroom buzzed with idle conversation.
Maki leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
"So who is it?" she asked, clearly impatient. "You've been dragging this out all morning."
Panda shrugged.
"Gojo said it's someone strong."
"That doesn't narrow it down at all," Maki shot back.
Yuta, sitting nearby, smiled faintly.
"Maybe it's someone we already know."
Inumaki nodded.
"Salmon."
"Helpful as always," Panda said dryly.
Yuta rested his chin on his hand, thoughtful.
'A new student… now?'
After everything that happened…
After Geto…
After that boy…
The door slid open.
And in walked the source of all chaos himself.
Gojo.
Grinning.
Bright.
Annoyingly energetic.
"Good morning, my wonderful students!"
Maki groaned.
"You're way too happy this early."
"Of course I am," Gojo said, clapping his hands together. "Today's special."
Panda leaned forward.
"Oh? Why?"
Gojo's grin widened.
"Because you're getting a new classmate."
Yuta straightened slightly.
"…Who is it?"
Gojo tilted his head toward the door.
"Well…"
"Why don't you see for yourselves?"
The room stilled.
A quiet tension filled the air.
Even Inumaki leaned forward slightly.
Gojo turned.
"You can come in now."
The door slid open.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Then—
A familiar figure stepped inside.
Hood up.
Uniform crisp.
White blindfold wrapped neatly over his eyes.
For a second—
Silence.
Complete.
Total.
Then—
"…Huh?"
Panda blinked.
"…No way."
Yuta's eyes widened.
"…It's you…"
Inumaki:
"Salmon?!"
Maki—
Maki shot to her feet so fast her chair scraped violently against the floor.
Her finger pointed straight at him.
Eyes blazing.
"You—!!"
Oden stood there, completely unfazed.
"…Oh."
A pause.
He tilted his head slightly.
"…You guys are here too?"
That only made it worse.
Maki's eye twitched.
"YOU!!"
And just like that—
The calm of the classroom shattered.
---
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