"Mom, I'm leaving for Kyoto in a few days."
"Hmm… I'll help you pack your bags later."
"I'm going to Kyoto."
"Have fun, and remember to bring some souvenirs."
"Mom!"
Akira finally couldn't hold it in anymore—this wasn't the kind of casual conversation he was hoping for.
"I'm going to Kyoto for the Sister School Exchange Event, and Noritoshi Kamo will also be participating as Kyoto's representative. You can't possibly not know this."
Indeed, Akira hadn't directly stated it, but Hayami was a formal staff member at the school and handled paperwork for Jujutsu High. She would know about events even earlier than the students.
And yet, almost a month had passed, and Hayami hadn't made any comments about it.
She hadn't said she'd go, but she hadn't said she wouldn't go either.
It's important to note that Principal Masamichi Yaga had already gone ahead to meet with Principal Yoshinobu Gakuganji of Kyoto Jujutsu High to begin preparations.
Given Hayami's role at the school, she could easily accompany them.
Even when confronted by her son, Hayami remained silent.
Akira knew what his mother was struggling with, but with the date quickly approaching, there wasn't much time left to hesitate.
"Mom, it's time to give me a definite answer. You can make your decision without worry; if there are any problems, I'll take care of them."
"And how do you plan to handle it?" Hayami asked.
"We'll see how the Kamo family reacts. If they turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened, then everyone's happy. If they try to cause trouble, well, then they can't blame me for retaliating. I'll have Gardevoir and Darkrai tear down the Kamo family estate—that should help them see reality, don't you think?"
Having studied under Satoru Gojo for so long, Akira had learned plenty of techniques for "threatening" and "intimidating" others. But following the traditional restraint of his upbringing, he always kept a limit.
"We don't seek trouble, but we're not afraid of it either. We've pledged not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, but if someone starts a nuclear war, we're ready to drop a bomb right on their heads."
Finally, Hayami smiled a little, gently patting Akira on the head.
When Akira was little, she often did this, and Akira's signature "head pats" had been learned from her.
But with Akira's growth spurt, Hayami now had to reach up to touch her son's head.
"I'm glad you feel this way, but, Akira, have you thought about how the jujutsu world might react if you did that?"
"At worst, they'll face us head-on and lose, then resort to sanctions and isolation. I'm not bragging, but when it comes to handling sanctions, Tokyo Jujutsu High is second to none. No one in Japan dares to claim the top spot ahead of us. The sky won't fall—we have Gojo-sensei to hold it up."
At first, Akira just wanted to ensure a stable life for his mother, but after spending more time with Satoru Gojo, he realized being a bit more radical was fine. This was exactly what Gojo wanted to see. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given them the carte blanche to do anything as long as they didn't kill or cripple anyone.
"I just don't want to trouble Gojo-sensei too much. He's already helped us so much," Hayami said softly, shaking her head.
"We've done plenty for him too! That's how human relationships work, right? Or… Mom, do you actually like Satoru Gojo?" Akira teased.
Hearing her son's off-topic comment, Hayami was so annoyed she turned the head pat into a slap on the head:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to push me out so you and Gardevoir can have your little world to yourselves?"
Akira, with his tough skin, barely felt the pain. Half-joking, he said:
"Does it matter if someone else is around? Gardevoir and I don't care."
"…" If he hadn't said anything, Hayami would've almost forgotten—she was the one who had to endure all the second-hand affection between Akira and Gardevoir the most.
"And besides, Gojo-sensei is great in almost every way except his personality. There haven't even been any rumors about him. And honestly, even his personality issues… compared to my cold-hearted biological father, they're nothing."
"If you put it that way, I suppose."
Ever since the first wife's demand to "swap children" was approved, Hayami had completely lost any fondness for her ex-husband. While she might still be mindful of appearances in public, she had no need to hold back around Akira.
"But looking at it like that, doesn't that make too many people suitable for marriage? Does that mean I have to marry all of them?"
"Are there other candidates?" Akira asked, resting his chin on his hand in mock thought. "If we're talking about unmarried adult men… could it be Principal Yaga? I mean, he has pretty decent qualifications, but his looks… are a bit uneven."
With all that muscle on his face, it was no wonder the good looks at Tokyo Jujutsu High came from people like Satoru Gojo and Akira himself.
"If the principal heard that, he'd be heartbroken. He holds you in such high regard."
"It's not my fault! He spends all his time holed up working on cursed corpses. Honestly, with the amount he's making, I wouldn't be surprised if he's secretly building an army."
In some ways, Masamichi Yaga was a parallel version of Akira. The longer he spent developing, the stronger his foundation became. And not to mention, Yaga held a trump card the Jujutsu Alliance had coveted for years. If he were to reveal it, he'd become the fifth—or rather, the fourth—Special Grade Sorcerer, ahead of Yuta Okkotsu.
"It's not like that. The cursed corpses are more like children to Principal Yaga. Who would want to send their children to war? Let's stop this topic—you wouldn't want people saying you're treating Gardevoir as a tool, would you?"
"That's on me." Akira admitted his mistake without hesitation. After all, if he really thought like that, it wouldn't be Yaga who'd come after him—it'd be Panda who'd get him first. "Uh, so about your second marriage…"
"Let's drop that too. Just because you think someone is suitable doesn't mean others will feel the same. I've never considered that—I just want to see you and Noritoshi grow up well. That's enough for me."
This was Hayami's most genuine sentiment. When she left the Kamo family, half her heart had already died, and she placed the rest in her two children.
"Then you definitely should go. Don't you want to see with your own eyes how Noritoshi is doing?"
"Of course I do, but… I'm afraid if I go, it'll only cause more trouble for Noritoshi. The more conflict we have with the Kamo family, the worse his situation will be. After all, he's still the Kamo family heir."
Hayami finally revealed her true concern.
Akira and Satoru Gojo could protect her, but they couldn't protect Noritoshi—at least, not the Noritoshi who was the heir of the Kamo family.
From the beginning, Hayami had always prioritized her children's future. Her own situation didn't matter.
She hadn't told Akira because she feared he might resent the Kamo family heir, seeing as he had been cast aside by the same family.
Understanding his mother's thoughts, Akira sighed: "You're so kind, that's why my cheap biological mother bullied you."
"Is being kind a bad thing?" Hayami asked.
"It's not bad, it's just—" There were some politically incorrect things Akira didn't want to say. "Since you feel that way, I won't force you to go. Do you have anything you want me to say to Noritoshi?"
"…" Hayami hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "No, there's nothing to say. As long as he's doing well, that's enough. Just take some pictures for me if you get the chance."
"That's easy. But even if you don't have anything to say, I do. If Noritoshi forgets where he came from and turns into someone as detestable as my biological father, don't blame me for beating him so badly you won't even recognize him."
Akira might be a good guy, but that didn't mean he had the same unshakable patience as his mother.
"Just go easy on him." Hayami smiled, knowing both her sons were important to her. "You sound like you're all ready?"
"Almost. But that second-year student still hasn't shown up. If this keeps up, I might just throw him into solo fights."
After all the first-year students had been practicing team battles for so long—what kind of "newcomer" hadn't even shown up once?
However, the very next day after Akira's complaint, that man appeared.
"I'm Kinji Hakari, a second-year student. I'm your senior. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me—I'll kindly answer all of them…"