"Huh? You want me to take her as a disciple?"
Yuki Tsukumo glanced at Riko Amanai, addressing Sawa Gojo.
Satoru Gojo, standing nearby, chimed in with a jab. "Bro, this woman just lazes around abroad—she's basically a Special Grade title-wearing slacker!"
"If we're talking about teaching Riko, you're more than capable. Worst case, I could do it too."
Yuki's face darkened with irritation. "So my image has crumbled *this* badly?!"
"No, your image never crumbled—because it's always been like this."
"…"
Sawa cut in to explain. "We could teach Riko, sure, but when it comes to the teacher best suited for her, it's gotta be you, Yuki-san."
Yuki eyed Sawa suspiciously.
He didn't hold back, speaking openly. "Yuki, I know you're a Star Plasma Vessel too."
Yuki snorted. "Tengen, that old hag, spilled the beans, huh? I don't get why you're bringing this up!"
Sawa neither confirmed nor denied.
Tengen hadn't told him anything—he was piecing it together from fragmented memories of his past life.
"Point is, Star Plasma Vessels have always been seen as special beings with cursed energy but no techniques. Clearly, Yuki, you're an exception."
"As a Star Plasma Vessel, you awakened 'Star's Wrath,' a powerful technique. Maybe you can help Riko awaken hers."
Riko's face lit up with anticipation.
She knew this blonde woman was one of the "Big Four Special Grades," alongside Sawa and the others—a sorcerer beyond normal limits.
Someone like her might actually change Riko's fate.
Yuki rubbed her hair, exasperated. "Ugh, there is a way."
"Star Plasma Vessels don't lack innate techniques—they're just buried under their unique physiology. To awaken one…"
Yuki looked up, hesitating. "You'd need to undergo 'assimilation' with Tengen."
"Huh?!"
"Let me explain—it's not trueassimilation. Tengen absorbs the root of the Star Plasma Vessel's physiology, removing its suppression. Then, the vessel's innate technique can surface."
"So, back then, you…"
Yuki shrugged. "Yup, I went through that process and stumbled into awakening 'Star's Wrath.'"
Sawa, Satoru, and Riko exchanged glances.
"What? Gonna do it?"
Sawa asked tentatively, worried Riko might have trauma from Tengen.
Riko clenched her fists, thumping her chest confidently. "Of course I'm going!"
"I'll go with you!"
Satoru said after a pause.
Sawa added, "I'm coming too. If something goes wrong, my domain and Reverse Cursed Technique might come in handy."
Though he didn't want to intrude on his little bro and Riko's moment, Sawa feared Tengen, that old witch, might pull a fast one or botch it.
As the number-one pitfall in Jujutsu Kaisen, Sawa had zero trust in Tengen.
Yuki rolled her eyes. "I'm sitting this one out. I don't wanna see Tengen's face again."
Hoshikinomiya Shrine.
Satoru voiced concern. "Bro, we kinda messed up Tengen's initialization. That's bad blood, right? Will she agree to help?"
Sawa shook his head. "Little bro, forgot what I taught you? Treat people with sincerity and courtesy, and you'll always win them over. Let the past stay in the past!"
"Huh?"
Satoru dug at his ear, barely believing what he heard.
"Let's go."
Sawa strode into Hoshikinomiya Shrine.
Stepping back into the place that nearly cost her life, Riko clearly felt uneasy.
Inside, they saw a colossal tree, towering like a mountain, coiled within the shrine.
Sawa cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Old hag! Come out! Need a favor!"
Satoru and Riko froze, dumbfounded.
This… is your so-called sincerity and courtesy that wins people over?"
Sawa flashed an OK sign. "Yup. If she doesn't wanna help, I'll beat her till she does. That's what I call winning over."
"…"
Tengen's form emerged from the tree trunk, bizarre in appearance—a long, strip-like head with a wide mouth and four eyes, rivaling any cursed spirit in creepiness.
Tengen looked at Sawa wearily. "At least show some respect for a thousand-year-old jujutsu elder!"
Sawa rolled his eyes. "If a certain someone were as reliable as, say, Kenjaku, who's also lived a millennium, I wouldn't skimp on respect."
"Kenjaku!"
Tengen flinched, surprised Sawa knew that name.
"Seems you know a lot."
"As a scion of the Big Three Families, I've got ways to dig up special intel. Plus, the title 'history's worst sorcerer' isn't exactly hard to find."
Satoru, watching his brother and Tengen, looked utterly clueless.
Kenjaku? Worst sorcerer ever?
I'm from the Big Three too—how don't I know this?
"Enough of that. What do you want from me this time?"
Tengen dropped the Kenjaku topic and asked Sawa's purpose.
Sawa explained Riko's situation, and, surprisingly, Tengen agreed without hesitation.
"I've reflected a lot. After a thousand years, I can't grasp human emotions anymore, but assimilating Star Plasma Vessels… that might've been my mistake."
"No kidding."
"…So, helping Riko awaken her technique is my way of atoning, I suppose."
Soon, Tengen and Riko began the "assimilation" process.
At first, Riko was nervous.
But seeing Sawa and Satoru there gave her inexplicable reassurance.
The Gojo brothers kept their Six Eyes at full throttle, monitoring Tengen's every move.
Tengen sighed. "No need to be *this* on guard, you know."
"Who knows?"
Sawa shrugged. "You're a thousand-year-old fox, after all."
"…"
The "assimilation" went smoothly. With Sawa and Satoru watching, Tengen didn't try anything shady.
Riko emerged from the entwining vines, staring at her hands in a daze.
Satoru leaned in, curious. "Riko! How's it feel?"
Riko puffed out her chest, beaming with pride. "Oh-ho! I awakened a super strong technique! Get ready to eat my dust, Satoru!"
"Looks like your technique messes with your IQ."
"You…"
"Alright, cut the bickering. Yuki's waiting outside!"
The group left Hoshikinomiya Shrine, reuniting with Yuki, who'd been waiting forever.
"How'd it go? Smooth?"
Riko nodded excitedly. "My technique's called 'Star's Sorrow.' I can control the temperature in a certain range."
Yuki's eyes sparkled with interest. "Star's Sorrow—pretty solid technique!"
"Alright! From now on, I'm your jujutsu teacher!"
Satoru suddenly piped up. "Star's Wrath, Star's Sorrow—why do they sound so gloomy? And they totally don't match your personalities!"
Yuki and Riko whipped around, glaring at Satoru. "Then what should they be? Star's Joy?"
"But Satoru, your technique fits you perfectly. Limitless Technique—pretty limitless shamelessness too!"
"Achoo~"
Sawa, randomly dragged into the roast, sneezed.