The next day, Tokyo Station.
The pre-departure announcements circled above the platform, mingling with the shrill screech of wheels grinding against the rails.
Uchiha Ayato leaned back against the broad, soft seat-back of his premium-class seat, staring up at the ceiling with a faint look of distaste.
[Investigation Mission: Complete Kakashi’s commission.
Reward: Ninjutsu: Four Symbols Seal] “Honestly, if it weren’t for the reward, I’d never sacrifice my precious time to go help handle a recovery mission that isn’t even Grade 2.” He grumbled, casually swiping open the blinking screen of his phone.
The text message Gojo Satoru had sent looked nothing like a proper mission briefing—every line was crammed with all sorts of emoticons—— [Ayato-kun~ I specially arranged an all-expenses-paid trip to Sendai just for you!] [While you’re at it, go make friendly contact with your future classmates!
A young man’s youth is all about sweating it out on the run~ (ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ] Having to read text this eye-searing first thing in the morning was honestly an occupational injury.
Still…
Sugisawa Third High School in Miyagi Prefecture, huh.
If nothing went wrong, this should be where the story began.
The King of Curses from a thousand years ago, Ryomen Sukuna, would soon awaken in this era.
Of course, to Ayato, whether Ol’ Sukuna woke up or not didn’t really matter; right now there was another matter giving him a headache—— Chihaya Anon.
Yesterday, in order to cool down that slightly overheated pinkish mood, he had decisively chosen to turn deserter—one could only imagine how much resentment that stinky pink-haired girl had stockpiled by now.
She was already hard enough to deal with, and today he’d flat-out taken leave and skipped school—it was hard to imagine what kind of howling storm he’d be walking into next.
As the saying goes, you fear a thing and it comes: his phone suddenly buzzed a few short times.
He opened LINE to find that Miss Chihaya, whose avatar was a single blooming lotus, had already fired off several messages in a row—— [Ayarin, how come you didn’t come to school today?] [The teacher said you took sick leave—what’s the matter exactly?
Is it serious?] [Want me to come check on you after school?
Should I buy you any medicine?] …
The long string of text radiated an urgency that hit him in the face; he could practically picture the girl staring eagerly at her phone right through the screen.
Nothing’s harder to bear than the kindness of a beauty.
Ayato sighed, his thumb tapping rapidly across the screen: [Off to Sendai to handle a bit of private business.
There’s nothing wrong with my health at all, no need to worry.] [I’ll respawn in the student council room right on time next Monday, and bring a souvenir while I’m at it.] [Also, an early wish for a pleasant weekend, Madam President.
Good luck with the band’s rehearsal.] The moment he finished sending, he switched off the screen.
A smooth, flowing combo—the whole point being to provide emotional value while firmly refusing any offline contact.
Outside the window, the platform’s warning bell began to ring sharply, and a uniformed station attendant waved the red signal flag in his hand.
Uchiha Ayato raised a hand to flag down the train attendant and ordered a bottle of iced oolong tea.
He’d only half-twisted off the cap, the cold condensation not yet fully dissolved against his fingertips, when two figures came hurriedly slipping in through the carriage door, accompanied by a faint waft of fragrance.
“That was close, so close!
Good thing we made it—if we hadn’t, the manager-san would’ve given us a serious scolding, right?” Leading the way was a girl with long brown hair draping over her shoulders.
She had bright, vivid features, and though she was a little out of breath, the smile on her cheeks carried a carefree, guileless brightness.
The girl following behind her wore a black peaked cap pulled down a little low; a simple white T-shirt and a chestnut-colored high-waisted long skirt traced out a slender, graceful figure.
The premium-class seating was a “2+1” layout, and they happened to stop at the very row Uchiha Ayato was in, settling into the seats on the other side of the aisle.
Ayato’s gaze froze the instant he made out the face of the girl in the peaked cap.
It was a face so exquisite it was utterly flawless even bare of any makeup, golden medium-length hair falling to her shoulders, a gentle, reserved glimmer hidden within her purple eyes.
But that face—the kind that could grace a poster cover from any candid snapshot—was not the reason Ayato had been stunned.
[Social Mission: Kamui Cannot Hide the Tears—Persuade Uchiha Obito to let go of or change his obsession.
Reward: Ocular Technique: Kamui] Uchiha Ayato: …
Ayato stared at the absurdly beautiful blonde girl across from him, at a loss for how to even snark about it.
Uchiha Obito?
Kamui cannot hide the tears; everywhere he looked, there was Sakiko.
There was definitely something up with the Togawa family—anyone even remotely connected to the Togawa family got flagged by this junk System as a member of the Uchiha clan.
Uncle Ayato really did need to ponder just what this so-called “darkness of the Togawa family” actually was.
As for the mission the System had issued…
To be honest, it was extremely difficult, but the generous reward made it worth a try.
Let’s be real—who wouldn’t want to twist an enemy’s head right off with a single red-faced, furious glare?
Sumida Mana had just stuffed her bag into the overhead luggage rack when she turned her head and ran straight into Ayato’s gaze fixed unblinkingly on Uika.
She blinked, nudged the arm of Uika beside her, then flashed Ayato a lively smile like a little sun: “Hey there, mister, are you looking at Uika?” Hearing her companion’s words, Misumi Uika turned her head aside with a touch of awkwardness.
She saw the black-haired youth seated in the single seat beside them—he had a deceptively handsome face, and that effortless, innate air of languor was truly rare among people his age.
Uika had long grown accustomed to gazes like this.
She habitually steadied her breathing and tilted the brim of her cap up a little.
A professional, impeccable gentleness surfaced on her face, the corners of her mouth curving into a perfectly judged arc as she gave Ayato a light wave: “Hello there~” There was no doubt about it—Misumi Uika’s response was textbook-perfect.
But Uncle Ayato was every bit a face-changing master who pulled no punches either!
The instant Misumi Uika’s voice fell, Ayato’s eyes lit up abruptly, and his features—until now carrying a keep-your-distance languor—now perfectly displayed delight and just the right measure of bashfulness.
“Uika?
Mana?
Are you really the two from sumimi?” He straightened his posture slightly, his speech quickening a touch: “Sorry for staring so long just now—I just couldn’t believe I’d run into you two here.” “I’ve been a die-hard fan following you ever since ‘Here, the world!’ first climbed the charts!” The wariness in Misumi Uika’s gaze eased a little; she was well-practiced at handling fans who were enthusiastic yet kept a polite distance.
“Thank you so very much for your support~” Misumi Uika pressed her palms lightly together, her voice maintaining a heart-fluttering warmth: “Running into a fan on the train makes us really happy too.” By comparison, Mana had none of that invisible layer of social distance Uika kept.
Lively and outgoing to begin with, the moment she heard he was a fan of theirs, she leaned right over, half her body angling out into the aisle.
“So you’re a fan!
I knew it—the way you were looking at Uika just now was so blatant!” Mana giggled, deftly fishing a pink paper box out of her backpack: “Since you’re a fan, then we’re all friends!” “Look—ta-da!
Strawberry chocolate donuts!” Ayato looked at the donut box Mana was holding out, the corner of his eye twitching despite himself.
Wasn’t this girl just a bit too easy to fool?
Uchiha Ayato grumbled helplessly to himself, yet his face was piled high with a flattered smile as he solemnly reached out with both hands to accept the donut: “Is…is this really okay?” “A donut handed to me personally by Miss Mana—I’m just too blessed!” Ayato took a bite while he was at it, the cloying sweetness of strawberry icing bursting across his tongue in an instant, and he gave a thumbs-up: “Super delicious!
Thanks to this donut, my mood for the whole day is going to be the best ever!” “Right?!
These donuts are worth lining up two whole hours to buy!” Mana lifted her chin smugly.
Watching the two of them interact so chummily, Uika wore a gentle, faint smile at the corner of her lips.
This boy’s smile was just too natural, his gaze clear and open, leaving no room for any sense of guardedness to take root.
The train wove through a tunnel, the scenery outside the window blurred by the speed into streaks of gray lines.
“Are you two heading to Sendai today for some special performance?” Munching on the donut, Ayato eased into the real topic in a casual, chatty tone: “Honestly, as a fan, missing the schedule announcement makes me feel pretty unworthy.” “Aw, it’s not really an official tour or anything—just a small mall meet-and-greet slash live event, at a shopping complex near Sendai Station.” Mana spilled everything without the slightest guard: “Since it’s a last-minute add-on to the schedule, it was only mentioned a little inside the fan club.” Beside her, Uika added with a smile: “That’s right—if your schedule allows, you’re welcome to come watch.” “Of course—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Ayato took a sip of oolong tea and swallowed down the rest of the donut along with it.
For the next hour and a half, the carriage was filled with a cheerful air.
Uchiha Ayato could, in a single sentence, praise both Uika’s taste in arrangement and Mana’s stage presence, and toss out a few “middle-school-boy jokes” that had the two of them covering their mouths and giggling.
Sadly, no feast lasts forever, and the train was about to pull in at Sendai Station.
Arriving at the supreme citadel of jujutsu—Sendai!
“Well then, mister, we’ll head off first to get ready!
Remember to come hear us sing!” Mana shouldered her bag and waved at Ayato.
Uika, too, pulled her cap brim low and dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment: “The trip was very pleasant.
Thank you—I hope to see you cheering us on from the audience.” “Good luck with the show.
I’ll be watching you the whole time.” Standing by the aisle, Ayato watched the two girls merge into the stream of disembarking passengers.
Once their figures had vanished completely, the smile on Ayato’s face instantly drew in, returning to that languid, couldn’t-care-less state.
Blending into the crowd, he strolled unhurriedly down the platform, even finding the leisure to buy a box of souvenir treats.
But all the while, his gaze stayed firmly locked onto Sumida Mana and Misumi Uika.
Compared to a cursed-object recovery mission doomed to come up empty, doing his own thing was, as expected, the better option.
As for Fushiguro Megumi?
It didn’t matter—just forget about Fushiguro Megumi.
———— ____ 👻🔥Walnut-chan ;)🔥👻 🔥 New history: Uchiha Reborn in Jujutsu Kaisen: The System Thinks I’m in Konoha, but I’m Not Help smash these goals: