The next day, Naoya kept pestering his cheap old man to get him a phone.
"...Here you go, but don't forget about your training!"
"Yes, father!"
Without even sparing him another look, Naoya quickly ran back to his room.
Coming back to his room, he sat cross-legged and thought.
'As long as I prevent Toji from messing everything up, the entire future can be saved...'
The Heavenly Tyrant really messed everything up, leading to all the problems later on.
'It would have been better if I could form a connection with Toji, but he hates the Zenin family to the core and won't even talk to me...'
Maybe he would calm down in the future after meeting his wife. That would be a better time to approach him.
Still, it was no guarantee that the plan would work, so for now he should focus on becoming friends with Satori Gojo.
'In the series, Gojo being the strongest was actually not happy, since there was no one who dared to be friends with him as everyone was scared away due to his powers. Those who stayed mostly just wanted to take advantage of him...'
If everything was according to the story, then he didn't need to do anything special—just treat Gojo like a normal human being, and they would become best friends.
But there was a catch.
Satoru Gojo was no longer Satoru Gojo.
He had become a 'she'.
Satori Gojo... hm.
Well, a gender change shouldn't change much... should it?
He wasn't sure. He would have to wait and find out.
For now, let's just go with the normal approach.
Taking out his phone, he typed Satori's number into it before saving it.
Then he quickly wrote a greeting message.
It was casual, yet at the same time polite.
After sending it, Naoya put down his phone and prepared to start training.
But before he could get up...
*Ding* *Ding* *Ding*...
His phone started vibrating like crazy.
Tilting his head, he opened his phone and saw more than ten messages had been delivered, and they were all from Satori...
Though the messages... seemed a bit weird...
[It's the Zenin clan's idiot!]
[🤡]
[Hehehe, I totally thought you lost my number or forgot!]
[Wow, your father actually let you have a phone?? Miracles do happen, hehe]
[Anyways.....]
[You text like a polite old man. Are you secretly 40?]
["Greetings"?? What is this? 😂]
[Relax, relax~ no need to be so formal!]
[So? Why don't you say something, Zenin-kun?]
[Don't tell me you got stunned by my brilliance 💅]
[Don't be afraid! You can tell me! I wouldn't blame you 😌✨]
[…oh?]
[…you still there?]
[Hello? Hello? Zenin-kun? Friend? Don't tell me you fainted already?? 🤔]
Well, what could he say?
It seemed he had met a professional chatter.
Scratching his nose, Naoya wrote down a message of his own.
[I didn't faint, I just got scared of your hand speed.] (Naoya)
[Hehehe, am I too fast for you, Zenin-kun?] (Satori)
[Maybe I'm not the fast one; instead, you're the one who's too 🐢 hehe~~] (Satori)
'She really likes sending emojis, doesn't she?'
Moving his fingers, Naoya started chatting with her.
By the time he sent one message, she would send three.
She even asked him to send an image.
Naoya didn't think much and took a casual pic before sending it to her.
And then instantly, she started roasting him.
[Damn, what a dull room you live in 😮💨] (Satori)
[You can't even smile. It looks like someone is holding you hostage.....] (Satori)
[Don't tell me everyone in the Zenin clan lives inside a prison....] (Satori)
He didn't know how to feel about being looked down upon by a five-year-old for sending a picture.
And yes, Satori was two years older than him.
[Hmph, since you're so good, send me your picture. I bet you're even worse than me.] (Naoya)
[Okay~ okay~ give me a second...]
Image.jpg
Naoya downloaded the picture, and a smiling Satori's face appeared.
Her room was painted with vibrant colors, unlike his dull gray one. She had a shelf behind her with several anime figurines placed neatly.
Naoya looked at the image for a few seconds, then looked at his own.
There was no comparison at all.
He looked like a depressed child with mental issues, while she looked like a beautiful princess from a rich family.
So he replied without hesitation.
[You lost, mine's clearly better 😬.] (Naoya)
Then he closed the phone, ignoring the rapid vibrations, and went to train.
He could have continued talking to her, praising the image she sent, etc., but that would have been a fake act.
To be friends, he believed keeping it real would be better.
Oh, and he truly did believe his photo was better, by the way.....
---
Gojo Family Residence
"Naoya Zenin! Are you blind?? How can you say your dull image is better than mine???" Satori shouted while jumping on her bed in anger.
But after quickly sending several messages and receiving no reply, she calmed down.
"You really are an idiot... heh, mistaking me for a boy....."
A smile appeared on her face as she remembered his shocked face from yesterday.
Seeing that he was really gone, she pressed the back button and looked at her chats.
And interestingly...
The only chat present in her list was with Naoya Zenin.
'You're a weird one indeed, Naoya Zenin..... while everyone is too scared to even look at me.... you didn't even fear me..... but even wanted to be friends? Heh, an idiot indeed...'
Her eyelids dropped for a moment.
'....though I wish... there were more good idiots like you....'
---
Zenin Clan Residence
Naoya waved the spear in his hands using familiar movements, battling an older child.
They went back and forth several times before Naoya managed to catch him off guard and deliver an attack to his stomach.
With that final strike, his opponent fell down.
Naoya took a towel from Kiyo and wiped away the sweat forming on his forehead.
While he was resting, Naobito Zenin, his father, suddenly spoke from the side.
"Your uncle Ogi is getting married soon."
"Hm? That old fart? Which lady is desperate enough to marry him??"
*Smack*
"...That's your elder. Have some respect, son."
"Oh? Which lady was fortunate enough to get to marry my respected elder who looks like he's 100 years old?"
"Hm, it seems he has been thinking of some weird ideas of his own...."
Naobito glanced at his son before changing the topic.
"Your progress is steady. Because of your age, there's only so much you can do to increase your physical strength. It's better to focus on cursed energy efficiency for now..."
"I understand. By the way, do you know how to use Domain Expansion?"
".....Domain Expansion? Tsk, learn to walk first before thinking of flying, son."
Naobito snorted, not taking his words about learning Domain Expansion seriously.
What? You think anyone can use a Domain?
It's the ultimate technique of a jujutsu sorcerer! Give it some respect, okay?
Naoya rolled his eyes at his father. If only he knew that every other cursed spirit in the future would be spamming Domain Expansions.
After the physical training session was done, Naoya summoned his contracted shikigami, 'Round Deer'.
"Round Deer, show me how to use Reverse Cursed Energy."
*Sniff*
The Round Deer started sniffing Naoya using its large nose several times before summoning a ball of positive energy and throwing it at Naoya.
Naoya carefully sensed the entire process with great attention. He asked the shikigami to repeat it several times, then did small experiments of his own.
But even after trying several times, he couldn't grasp the feeling.
Though he didn't give up and kept doing it for the next few days.
And finally, after the third day, he managed to use Reverse Cursed Technique.
Seeing the wound on his palm rapidly healing up, Naoya smiled in satisfaction.
With this, his survivability in combat would increase by another level.
Knowing how to use Reverse Cursed Technique was, without a doubt, a sign of being one of the strongest.
And he had managed to learn it in less than a month after coming to this world.
Feeling satisfied with himself, Naoya was about to continue when Naobito suddenly called him and said something interesting.
"You're going to replace my maid with this guy?" Naoya said while pointing at a muscular-looking samurai with a sword at his side.
"It's for your safety. Your maid is an ordinary person. It's better to have someone like him as your butler instead...."
Yesterday, his brother Ogi brought in his new wife, not bothering to explain anything to anyone.
'He's being so desperate it's almost funny. Still, it's better to be tight on security just in case...'
While Naobito was thinking about Naoya's safety, Naoya was staring at the guard his father had selected with a weird look.
'This guy, with so little cursed energy, is supposed to protect me?'
Was this a joke?
Although he was better than the guards who followed him around, he wasn't that much better in his eyes.
'You want me to replace my hot maid with a nice soft ass with a muscular man who's not even that strong?'
The choice seemed obvious to him.
"I refuse."
"...You refuse?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
"He's too weak."
"Hm...."
Naobito touched his mustache and looked at the guard he had selected.
True, compared to his son with his shikigami, this guard really wasn't that strong.
But he was already the best among the current ones and obviously a better choice than a normal human.
"Fine. Since you think he's too weak, then forget it."
"But remember this—you're a Zenin. Be prepared for anything and everything."
"I understand, father."
With that, Naoya left the place.
Returning to his room, Naoya called out his maid, Kiyo.
"Naoya-sama."
Kiyo bowed her head and waited for his command.
"Kiyo, come and sit here."
Naoya patted the ground beside him.
Kiyo looked over in confusion before folding her legs and sitting beside Naoya.
"Yes, just like this....."
After getting her in position, Naoya lay down and placed his head on her lap.
His action seemed to confuse the maid.
"Naoya-sama?...."
"It's a lap pillow, Kiyo. Just stay like this," Naoya said while feeling her soft thighs and giving her a thumbs-up.
As a young master, it was only right for him to take advantage of his maid!
He had been corrupted—or rather, had understood his powers as a Zenin.
Indeed, this entire clan was filled with trash.
And he too was becoming one of them.
---
Inside another room.
*Splat*Splat*
Ogi Zenin tightly held the long hair of the woman as he kept thrusting his sword inside her.
*Splat*
"Your duty is to give me a son who inherits my superior genes..... do you understand woman?"
*Splat*
Her perky white hips trembled as she grasped for air and replied in a small voice.
"Yes..... husband....."
"Hmph!"