White Wolf and Megumi Fushiguro

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Gojo set Ren down and said, "Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu High. Once you're older, this is where you'll study."

Ren looked around.

Between rows of tall, orderly trees, a stone path stretched forward. Stone lanterns lined both sides, and in the distance, half-hidden among the forested hills, stood a cluster of buildings with old-fashioned tiled roofs and raised eaves.

Gojo walked with him as he spoke.

"The school is protected by barriers. Ordinary people and curse users can't just wander in. Stay here for a bit while I handle some things, and then I'll arrange something for you."

They passed several buildings before Gojo finally brought Ren to a tall man.

The man was powerfully built, with short black hair, a carefully trimmed beard near his chin, and a firm, resolute look in his eyes. Everything about him gave off the impression of a serious, rugged man.

"Satoru, what is this? Why did you bring a child?"

Gojo gave him a rough explanation, then turned to Ren.

"This is my old homeroom teacher and the next principal of Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga. Yaga-sensei, I'll leave him with you for now. I'll be back soon."

After Gojo left, only two people remained.

They stared at each other.

Masamichi Yaga stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the little boy who did not even reach his waist. His expression was extremely stern.

"Ahem..."

Yaga broke the silence first. They could not just keep staring at each other forever. That would be too awkward.

Conveniently, an idea had come to him.

He tried to use the gentlest tone he could manage. "Do you like toys? I have a lot of toys here that can move. You can see if any of them interest you."

Ren remembered Panda.

The rugged man in front of him seemed to know how to make cursed corpses. To put it simply, he could create nonliving things with cursed energy that could move on their own.

That made Ren a little interested.

He nodded.

Yaga brought him into a room filled with all kinds of dolls and stuffed figures. Most were modeled after animals, and a large number of tools had been set off to one side.

Yaga picked up a round white ball. It was fluffy, smaller than a basketball, and had only a pair of cartoonish eyes and a mouth. No arms, no legs.

He handed it to Ren.

"Satoru said you have cursed energy. Hold this in your hands, think about making it move, and then throw it at the floor."

Ren held the ball in both hands. It felt nice when he squeezed it.

Following Yaga's instructions, he poured cursed energy into it.

The ball's eyes immediately became vivid. It began trembling in his hands, gradually growing hard to hold.

Ren threw it at the floor.

The white furball bounced up at terrifying speed and struck the ceiling. Then it ricocheted around the room, drawing a dizzying path through the air.

Yaga stared.

He had made the thing in his spare time as something closer to a toy. Once given cursed energy, it became extremely elastic. Unfortunately, its offensive power was poor, so he had left it unused.

Then what was with that horrifying speed?

And the cracks on the walls and ceiling?

Yaga was about to stop the furball when Ren suddenly appeared with both hands outstretched. The white ball was clutched tightly between them.

That was when Yaga realized something was off.

Gojo had told him only that the boy was special, without giving many details. Yaga had barely seen that speed just now. He had not been prepared, true, and he had not been paying close attention, but it was still shocking.

Ren's eyes shone.

He had the memories of a previous life, and his mind was far beyond that of children his age. Even so, perhaps because of his body, some childlike instincts remained in him.

Throwing the ball, watching it rebound at ridiculous speed, and then catching it again...

It was basically an absurdly upgraded bouncy ball, and Ren was having a wonderful time with it.

Yaga had been about to say something, but when he saw how happy Ren looked, the words stopped in his throat.

While Ren kept catching and throwing the white furball, Yaga picked out a few relatively harmless cursed corpses and let him play with those as well.

...

When Gojo returned, he saw Yaga sitting cross-legged with a smile on his face.

Not far away, Ren was playing with a husky-like cursed corpse. The boy held the white furball in one hand, then tossed it away. It bounced off at high speed.

The husky took off after it with wild enthusiasm. After catching up, it grabbed the furball in its mouth and ran back. Halfway through, it tripped and tumbled, then immediately got up as if nothing had happened and carried the ball back to Ren.

Yaga noticed Gojo and stood.

"Satoru. You're back."

Gojo scratched his head.

What was he looking at?

Yaga explained, "I was worried he would get bored, so I found a few cursed corpses for him to play with. You know I've been researching how to give cursed corpses their own awareness lately. This dog is one of the less successful results."

Yaga looked at him, thought for a moment, and added, "The child's talent is excellent. Where did you find him, and how do you plan to arrange things?"

Gojo rubbed his chin. Yaga's expression grew worse and worse as he listened.

"Huh? I didn't tell you earlier?"

After Gojo explained Ren's background in more detail, Yaga narrowed his eyes.

"That really is something..."

Gojo smiled as he watched the husky run back and forth.

"I've already handled things at the orphanage. I'll find him a place to live, and if that doesn't work, I'll hire a caretaker. At his age, he can more or less live on his own, right?"

Yaga sighed.

"He's seven or eight, Satoru. Even if he's mature for his age, you can't be this careless. And didn't you take in another child before? Shouldn't you have some experience?"

Gojo froze, then struck his right fist against his left palm in sudden realization.

"Right! I'll raise him together with Megumi and Tsumiki. They're about the same age, so he'll have more companions. Perfect. That's settled."

Yaga shook his head.

He had long since stopped expecting Gojo's personality to make sense.

He turned and waved Ren over.

Ren came over holding the white furball, with the husky at his side.

Gojo waved cheerfully.

"I've finished the paperwork at the orphanage for you, and I found you a nice place to stay."

"Oh. Thank you."

Ren thanked him politely, then turned to return the white furball to Yaga.

Yaga waved him off.

"You can keep those two cursed corpses. Consider them a gift. The white ball isn't very useful, but this dog is named White Wolf. It has a certain amount of combat ability. It may help you in the future."

Ren looked down at White Wolf, who was wagging its tail happily, then raised his head and thanked Yaga seriously.

He truly had not expected the stern-looking man to give him both cursed corpses.

This fierce, serious man had a soft and loving side inside him.

He was a good person.

"Then I'll take him with me."

Gojo said goodbye, then ignored Ren's opinion and lifted him again. White Wolf and the furball were both held in Ren's arms.

Gojo waved, and the two of them vanished from the spot.

When they reappeared, Ren found himself on an open street.

Gojo had brought him to a detached house by the road. He handed Ren a key.

"This will be your place from now on. Later, I can find a caretaker for you. For now, I'll take you next door. Your future companions live there. They'll be my students someday, too."

They went to the house next door.

Gojo knocked on the door and called out in a cheerful, drawn-out voice, "Megumi, Tsumiki, open up! It's me, Satoru Gojo!"

After a rhythmic round of knocking, the lock opened.

A girl stood behind the door. She looked quiet and polite, and she greeted Gojo when she saw him.

"Where's Megumi? I brought you two a new friend."

Tsumiki Fushiguro looked at the boy standing behind Gojo, then answered, "Megumi is in his room."

Gojo slipped both hands into his pockets and headed upstairs as if he knew the place perfectly. He was just about to push open one of the doors when it opened first.

A black-haired boy with hair like a sea urchin walked out.

"Gojo-sensei, were you seriously not going to knock?"

Gojo waved a hand. "What are you talking about? I did knock."

Young Megumi Fushiguro sighed.

"I didn't mean the front door... Never mind."

Gojo reached out and rubbed the boy's head, pressing down the spiked tips of his hair. The moment he moved his hand away, they sprang back up.

Then Gojo made an exaggerated presenting gesture.

"Ta-da! Let me introduce a new friend. His name is Ren Kamishiro. Just like you, he has talent as a jujutsu sorcerer. He has already awakened his cursed technique, too. You might even be classmates one day."

Ren studied the still-young Megumi Fushiguro.

He was not that different from Ren's impression of him, especially the hair. His childish face stayed cool and expressionless, creating a strange kind of contrast.

Maybe it was even cute.

To Ren, though, he looked more like the type of kid who made people want to flick his forehead. Of course, Ren was a good child. He did not hit people randomly. Back at the orphanage, everyone had simply respected him so much that they acknowledged him as their leader.

Speaking of the orphanage, he wondered how things were going there.

With the authorities and the professionals involved, it should be fine. When he was older, he could find time to go back and take a look.

While Ren was studying Megumi, Megumi was studying him too.

After hearing Gojo's introduction, Megumi's young face darkened.

"I don't want to become a jujutsu sorcerer."

Gojo acted as if he had not heard him at all.

"Great, now you all know each other. Oh, right. School starts soon. Unless something unexpected happens, you'll all be in elementary school together too."

"You three should bond a little. I've got things to do, so I'm off."

Gojo vanished, leaving the three small children behind.

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