It was Sunday morning.
I spent the early hours comforting a tearful Raiko.
Thanks to our morning date, her expression had brightened considerably.
The atmosphere between us was much softer now.
"Raiko."
"Yes, Master. You're referring to this afternoon's schedule, I assume? Since it is your request, I shall carry it out with absolute perfection."
Raiko, walking beside me, gave a soft, narrowed-eyed smile.
She remained composed, having been briefed on our plans the night before.
"Then shall we head out? We should arrive just in time if we leave now."
"If that is what Master desires."
Holding Raiko's hand, I headed toward the train station.
Our destination was none other than Tokyo Jujutsu High.
It was the one place I had wanted to avoid for as long as possible.
In the original story, the Jujutsu High brass—the higher-ups—were depicted as being situated deep within the school, which only added to my reluctance.
Fortunately, that wasn't strictly the case.
Nevertheless, there was a singular reason I had avoided the school until now.
I hadn't felt certain yet.
'But that's changed.'
Now, I have six Servants.
With the right balance of utility and sheer firepower, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.
By showing my face at the school, I would naturally draw some aggro.
And if I drew enough attention, the higher-ups at the Headquarters would surely take notice.
What happens if those bureaucrats make a mistake?
Well, the shift in power that Gojo had been waiting for might finally manifest.
And that shift was exactly what I wanted as well.
The Jujutsu Headquarters was a cancer.
They were the kind of people who, like Kenjaku, needed to be pulled out by the roots.
Stagnant water rots.
And there was no better example of that adage than those elders.
"Welcome."
We took the train and disembarked at Shibuya.
When we reached our meeting spot, Yaga was there to greet us.
"Huh? Yaga-san, why are you here?"
My eyes widened in surprise.
He was the last person I expected to see personally acting as a chauffeur.
"I heard you were coming and decided to pick you up myself. Satoru would undoubtedly have been rude to you if he'd come."
"Isn't Geto-san there too?"
"That boy is relatively well-behaved compared to the other one, but he's still a troublemaker. He lacks the refinement to host an honored guest."
"I'm an honored guest?"
I tilted my head, and Yaga gave a firm nod.
"That corpse you sent us. Kenjaku, was it? We were able to extract significantly more information than anticipated. I don't know if it's appropriate to say this, but it will be a massive boon for the development of jujutsu."
A jujutsu sorcerer's corpse holds a wealth of information.
Much like the ninjas in Naruto.
I heard they learned a great deal during the autopsy, which… was both grim and strangely gratifying.
"I'm glad I could be of help."
"Mhm. More importantly… who is this lady?"
"This is Raiko. Minamoto-no-Raiko. She's also known as Yorimitsu. Does the name ring a bell?"
Raiko was primarily known in history as Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu.
Her achievements were blindingly legendary.
The exterminator of countless anomalies and monsters.
The figure who led the Seiwa Genji clan to its golden age.
In Japan, her name carried immense weight.
Her fame was almost on par with figures like Nobu—Oda Nobunaga.
"God damn! How could I not know a historical figure of her caliber? The legendary warrior who vanquished countless horrors?"
Yaga's eyes nearly bulged behind his sunglasses.
He looked genuinely staggered.
"You flatter me. Please, simply call me Raiko. Or Yorimitsu, if you prefer."
Raiko gave a polite, elegant bow.
As she leaned forward, her chest—which looked like it weighed five kilograms a side—swayed downward.
Good grief. Look at that.
That's a pair of national-treasure-tier breasts right there.
"Ah, yes. It is an honor to meet you. I am Yaga Masamichi."
Yaga bowed back with deep respect.
Unlike the wariness he showed toward the other Servants, there was a visible sense of awe in his demeanor.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you mind giving me an autograph once we reach the school? Er, by an autograph, I mean…"
"I am familiar with the concept. However, I'm not sure my hollow name carries such value. It's quite embarrassing."
"Not at all. It would be my utmost honor."
Yaga fussed over her for a while before holding the car door open for her.
I guess he's a history buff?
His screen time in the original story wasn't that high, so his personal hobbies were a bit of a mystery.
"Come, get in."
"Thank you. Come, Master."
Holding Raiko's hand, I climbed into the car.
The ride was incredibly comfortable thanks to the V.I.P. treatment.
"By the way, that body you sent… it was truly bizarre."
Yaga struck up a conversation while driving.
The body… Kenjaku?
"In what way?"
"Shoko—our student—opened the skull, and there was a brain with teeth in it. It was quite a shock."
Kenjaku was a being who occupied a corpse by removing the original brain and transplanting his own.
Because he eventually took over Geto's body in the original timeline, fans often called him 'Brain-Suguru' or 'Kenjaku'.
It was a fitting, if morbid, description.
"Did it move at all?"
"Fortunately, it didn't flop around like a landed tuna. I can still see the image of Shoko scowling while she took a scalpel to that brain."
Yaga grimaced as he recalled the scene.
I suppose watching an autopsy isn't exactly a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
"I imagine disposing of it was just as unpleasant."
"Hmph. After the autopsy, Satoru used Lapse: Blue to crush it into a tiny cube, then we threw it into the incinerator. The look on his and Suguru's faces at the time was truly…"
Yaga continued to chat as he drove.
The stories made the time fly by.
Before long, we arrived at the entrance to Jujutsu High and began climbing the long flight of stairs.
"Another girl? Exactly how many women do you have around you?"
As we reached the school grounds, a scowling Gojo Satoru came into view.
What a colorful welcome.
"A lot. And there might be more later."
I had already summoned my full roster, but I chose to bluff.
I wanted to keep him a bit intimidated.
"Unbelievable."
Gojo hugged himself in a mock dramatic gesture.
He was clearly trying to get a rise out of me.
"Satoru. She is not someone you should speak of so flippantly. Stand straight and introduce yourself with the proper respect."
Yaga frowned and walked up to him.
*Thwack! He delivered a sharp blow to the top of Gojo's head.
"Agh!"
The sound of the impact was visceral; he must have hit him pretty hard.
Wait, why didn't he block that with Limitless?
"Just who is she that you're acting like this? She's just a woman in a cheongsam with a… rather vulgar figure."
"This is Lord Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu."
"…Huh?"
In an instant, Satoru froze.
It was as if his brain had suddenly encountered a system error.
"Yorimitsu? Who? The Yorimitsu I know from history?"
"Yes."
"Seriously? No, wait, they could be lying, right?"
"Do they look like the kind of people who would lie? And for what purpose?"
"I mean, I guess not, but still…"
Gojo trailed off, staring at us with a look of utter disbelief.
"It isn't a name so grand that one would lie about it. Though I'm embarrassed to admit it, it is indeed my true name."
Raiko smiled gently.
Even though his comment about her being 'vulgar' could have been offensive, she didn't seem to mind.
Her gaze was that of a mother looking at a mischievous child.
It was a look of pure, saintly mercy.
"…Wow. This is insane."
Gojo scowled, seemingly cycling through the five stages of grief in seconds.
Ultimately, he was forced to accept reality.
"But why is she here?" Gojo asked, looking at me.
Now that he acknowledged her identity, he was using significantly more polite language.
"I called her here to train you for a while. It's a special favor."
"Huh? Training? What kind of training?"
"Combat training, obviously."
As I replied with a grin, Raiko stepped forward in silence.
"I look forward to working with you. Master has asked me to be as strict as possible, so I intend to follow his wishes to the letter."
"Wh-Wait, what?"
As Raiko smiled, Gojo's pupils practically spun. His lost, wandering gaze was a sight to behold.
Even after accepting the truth, he was still panicking.
I guess it's time to start the lesson.
At the Jujutsu High athletic field.
Two figures stood on a track designed like a small arena.
One was Gojo.
The other was Raiko.
"Wow… that's a bit much."
Watching from a distance, Geto chuckled to himself.
Ieiri, standing beside him, was doing the same.
"Gojo needs a good beating. He grew up too spoiled, that's why he has no manners."
"Shoko, I agree, but it'll be a problem if he actually dies from getting hit."
"Oh, come on. They said she's a great figure from history, right? I'm sure she'll hold back just enough."
Just enough to leave his bones in pieces, probably.
Ieiri swallowed those words and turned her gaze elsewhere.
The two people on the track.
Her eyes settled on the boy sitting on the grass enclosed by that track.
'An innate technique that summons historical figures…'
What kind of structure does it have? What is the Cursed Energy consumption like?
She couldn't wrap her head around it at all.
Ieiri watched the composed boy and thought through several theories.
Eventually, she gave up.
'I have no idea.'
She had plenty of other work to do besides analyzing him.
She wasn't leisurely enough to obsess over things she couldn't understand.
Learning, experiencing, and applying—as long as this didn't interfere with that process, it was fine.
"Now, let us begin."
Raiko drew a sword from the empty air.
The blade was encased in a fur-wrapped scabbard.
As the blade was unsheathed, a cold, sharp edge revealed itself.
Dojigiri Yasutsuna.
One of the Five Regent Swords of Japan and the blade that had slain countless supernatural horrors.
'I don't know where it came from… but is that also a Special Grade Cursed Tool?'
Gojo swallowed hard.
He couldn't see any Cursed Energy with his Six Eyes.
The pressure radiating from the blade itself was extraordinary.
"I've been told you use a technique that prevents attacks from touching you. I shall neutralize your energy appropriately, so do not let your guard down."
"Ah, yeah. But… do we have to use real swords? If it's training, maybe a wooden sword would be better…"
"I cannot afford to be lenient against the man called the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern era. I shall judge your limits after we exchange blows."
Raiko took a stance, her hand firm on the hilt.
In that instant, the word 'death' flashed across Gojo's mind.
It was overwhelming.
'Are you kidding me? Is this really training?'
Was she actually trying to kill him?
Gojo glanced resentfully at the boy as he regulated his breathing.
Knowing his opponent could likely tear through his energy, he couldn't rely solely on Limitless.
It wouldn't be shredded like a piece of paper, surely, but…
A split-second opening was all it would take.
"One more thing. Please do not fly too high. Running away pointlessly won't lead to proper training."
After issuing her final warning, Raiko kicked off the ground.
It happened in a heartbeat.
She vanished from his sight and reappeared instantly.
The pale blade was already streaking toward Gojo's throat.
"Huh?"
Just as he blinked in surprise, the blade made contact near the side of his neck.
Screeeeeech!*
The blade, laden with ancient Mystery, bored into Gojo's defense.
Slowly but with absolute certainty.
If he stood still, he would be decapitated.
"Agh, seriously! This is nuts!"
Gojo grumbled and quickly retreated to open up space between them.
Maybe a second.
If he hadn't escaped within that second, the blade would have definitely pierced through his Limitless.
"I can't afford to lose focus for a single second."
"That is how training works. Furthermore, I have grasped your general skill level from that single exchange. You are truly magnificent."
"Thanks for the compliment. You can tell all that from one move?"
"Yes. I have a feeling now. Therefore, I believe I can push you a bit harder."
"Wait, hold on a second—"
This wasn't what he signed up for.
While Gojo panicked, Raiko lunged again.
It was a diagonal slash rising from below.
The sheer power behind it suggested that if it hit, his entire upper body would be sent flying.
*SCREEEEEEECH!
The blade dug in even more fiercely than before.
Gojo, on high alert, dodged the strike and flew above Raiko's head to activate his technique.
—Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!
Crimson light gathered at the tip of Gojo's finger.
He fired a concentrated point of repelling force.
The distance was only two meters.
It was too close to evade.
Raiko quickly raised her blade to block.
CRACKLE!*
As the blade clashed with the red spark, Raiko unleashed a surge of violet lightning.
A skill held by only a few Servants.
An even more specialized variant of that skill.
Mana Burst.
Due to the lightning-aspected Mana Burst, the outer edges of Gojo's Limitless began to scorch away.
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