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zenith of stars by XxZuiliu

Anime » Jujutsu Kaisen Rated: T, English, Adventure & Drama, OC, Gojo S., Words: 783k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Jun 18, 2022 Updated: Jul 25

1,779Chapter 125: 117: set

Title: zenith of stars

Rating: T

Summary: "It's not the Six Eyes," they said. So then, the question is –what is it? [OC, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!OC, AU]

Warnings: N/A.

AN at bottom.

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zenith of stars

"117: set"

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"The things that keep happening whenever I'm not around, honestly."

"Then maybe this is a sign that you should stay longer around us," Shiki informs her cousin.

Satoru-niichan heaves a gusty sigh. "Maybe I should, hmm?"

Yes, it certainly would be good for him to put his foot down on the matter. The higher ups aren't subtle about expressing their dissatisfaction with him taking up a teaching post despite their protests, as evidenced by the recent influx of overseas missions.

However, both Shiki and Satoru-niichan knew that the reason why he hadn't rejected any of these assignments was because those were also truly missions that necessitated his presence. Had these been missions that the higher ups assigned to Satoru-niichan 'just because,' then he would've paid them a visit in Kyoto a long time ago.

… But if this trend continued, then Shiki would be paying the higher ups a visit if Satoru-niichan remained silent.

There were always a dozen dire emergencies happening on the other side of the world, and only one of Satoru-niichan. A weapon that is not properly cared for will inevitably be worn down if it's relentlessly used, and while Satoru-niichan's reverse cursed technique is far more refined and efficient than Shiki's, there's no cure for the inevitable accumulation of fatigue, for all that he's constantly 'refreshing' his brain to keep himself in top physical condition.

"What's with the face?" Satoru-niichan asks, poking her in the cheek. Shiki draws back from her cousin, batting at his hand –had she been making any particular sort of expression? "You look like you're disgruntled by something… oh! Oh, I see how it is. So my cute little cousin misses me this much, hmm? Have I not been paying you enough attention recently?"

Shiki barely resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't be obtuse, Satoru-niichan."

"What's that? Did you say that you miss me?" Her cousin playfully cups a hand to his ear, deliberately pretending to mishear her words. So it seems that he doesn't think this is an issue, and believes Shiki to be overthinking things, if this frivolous reaction is any indication of his attitude. "C'mon, say it again!"

"… I'm going to put salt in your coffee," she threatens. "Lots and lots of salt."

Satoru-niichan gasps, a sound of abject horror. "You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I?" Shiki lifts her chin challengingly in response. She's completely serious about ensuring that Satoru-niichan takes a step back from his endless workload.

… And pouring salt into his coffee, if that's necessary to make Satoru-niichan aware she means business about this.

"Since when did you turn into such a little menace?" Satoru-niichan's hand lands none-too-gently atop her head, and ruffles her hair messily. "I got it, I got it, geez. My little cousin is so demanding."

Shiki huffs and reminds him, "Your work abroad is important, but so are matters at home. When you're absent for too long, people start getting ideas."

"Well, yes. Unfortunately, that does tend to be the case." The young man's hand stills, and gentles as he tousles Shiki's hair one last time. "I'd say that you've done admirably in my absence, though."

… But Shiki isn't Satoru-niichan. She can do her best to fill in the gaps, but she's not a replacement for him, as both of them know perfectly well. No one could replace Satoru-niichan, not really.

There is a lot that Shiki relies on her cousin for –and she hopes that one day she will become someone whom he can trust and rely upon, too.

"I should be able to stick around for the foreseeable future," Satoru-niichan tells her. "Through the exchange event this year, at the very least."

Shiki blinks, "You'll be watching the event?"

"I'm a teacher now, aren't I?" he points out. "Isn't it natural for a teacher to be part of the Goodwill Exchange between the schools?"

Shiki supposes that's true. It's natural for teachers to be present at such an event, and Satoru-niichan is officially the teacher of the first year students in Tokyo this year. With him present, it would also be far harder for the higher ups to act as they pleased beneath his keen gaze.

With a Special Grade sorcerer in attendance this year and another Special Grade sorcerer watching the entire thing, there will undoubtedly be a lot of attention focused on the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event this time around.

"Y'know, I'm surprised you dragged Yuta into this thing," Satoru-niichan comments. "But it will be a good challenge for him. How is his training going recently, by the way?"

"He's proceeding well enough." Which her cousin would be able to see that for himself, once he returned to his teaching post tomorrow.

"Well enough to summon Rika on his own?" he asks.

"More or less." Okkotsu-san has been making rapid improvements, and while there is still much for him to work on, Shiki is confident that he won't be making a fool out of himself in this year's exchange event.

Satoru-niichan hums. "Alright, I think I see how it is. I'll take over things from here, Shiki."

Meaning that her cousin intends to step in for Okkotsu-san's training now that he's back, taking the responsibility off of Shiki's hands. This will free up her schedule and allow her to direct her attentions elsewhere.

Such as–

"Hopefully this gives you more time to take care of things on Tsumiki's end."

Shiki nods in agreement. There are… a number of matters to take care of, in regards to the recent discovery that Tsumiki now possessed a cursed technique. Something previously thought impossible for a non-sorcerer, and yet there was no denying the reality in front of them.

Tsumiki wasn't a non-sorcerer anymore.

News of this would send shockwaves through the sorcerer community once it spread, as it inevitably would. In many ways, it's a game-changer that completely turns the sorcery clans on their heads. The potential for sorcery means everything in a sorcery clan, after all. Those who lack the talent are naturally disregarded and sidelined for this egregious shortcoming.

But what if that was no longer the case?

For sorcery clans, there would no longer be any question of what would happen if successive generations did not possess any sorcery potential. And on a wider scale, being able to turn non-sorcerers into sorcerers would be a large step forward in solving their personnel issue. Cursed spirits far outnumber sorcerers in this day and age; if this could finally be balanced out, then it would be a great help in curtailing cursed spirits and reducing supernatural incidents in this world.

Of course, this was under the assumption that there was a clear, known method of turning non-sorcerers into sorcerers.

Tsumiki was a unique case –and as of now, the sole case where a non-sorcerer had become a sorcerer. Through unknown means, too, at that. There was no doubt in Shiki's mind that her friend's newfound abilities were somehow related to the mysterious cursed sleep she had been placed under. But even despite knowing this, she would still be hard-pressed to explain the details of how, precisely, Tsumiki had undergone this tremendous change.

And others would be keenly interested in how this change had happened.

… To be fair, if she were in their place then Shiki would also keep an eye on a non-sorcerer who suddenly transformed into a sorcerer, somehow. Such a thing was utterly unprecedented, and there were implications for what this would mean for the jujutsu world as a whole. Particularly if this proved to be a replicable, repeatable process.

The Gojo Clan was going to fall under intense scrutiny for this. Shiki can already imagine the headache that she'll be getting from the clan's elders when they demanded answers for how this came to pass, particularly seeing as neither Shiki nor Satoru-niichan have any answers to give. Which is also something that they should work on solving; if they could just find who had cursed Tsumiki, then they'd be able to find out just what happened to her…

Shiki exhales quietly. "Tsumiki is going to end up in danger, regardless of what precautions I take."

"But you can do your best to reduce the risks," Satoru-niichan pats her on the shoulder. Comforting, encouraging. "Has Tsumiki said anything about wanting to become an active sorcerer herself?"

"She's still deciding." Taking time to reflect on the matter herself, before she comes to a decision. Shiki had brought up the prospect to her friend last time, but the final decision is ultimately still in Tsumiki's hands.

"Hmm… it would be practical for her to at least get some self-defense training, at least," Satoru-niichan rubs his chin thoughtfully. "If we use the Gojo Clan's name to shield her, that would at least give other sorcery clans pause –or cause them to be subtle about what they attempt, at the very least– but we're going to have to worry about more than just the sorcery clans and the higher ups once the news of this spreads and becomes common knowledge."

It takes a moment for things to click in Shiki's mind. The sorcery clans and the higher ups will be able to make things inconvenient and difficult, but there are still certain rules that they'll nominally play by. On the other hand… independent elements and curse users have no such restrictions.

And there are two very prominent individuals that immediately come to mind, when something as groundbreaking as a non-sorcerer turning into a sorcerer is involved.

"Tsukumo Yuki and Geto Suguru." Shiki had overlooked them entirely, between worrying about Tsumiki's personal wellbeing and ruminating over what this change in her friend's circumstances would mean politically. In hindsight, though, this is blatantly obvious. Of course Tsukumo and Geto would be interested in Tsumiki's case. Both were sorcerers who wanted to put an end to cursed spirits in this world, and had pinpointed non-sorcerers as the main problem that they needed to work on; one more extreme than the other in their respective chosen solutions.

Knowing that it was possible for a non-sorcerer to become a sorcerer, however, was something that would greatly affect their plans.

And perhaps… also result in them potentially deciding to pursue a different plan of action to achieve their goals.

Cursed spirits were created from the accumulation of cursed energy that was unconsciously emitted by non-sorcerers in areas with high concentrations of negativity. Sorcerers did not emit any excess cursed energy due to being highly controlled in their usage of their own cursed energy.

If it was possible for a non-sorcerer to become a sorcerer, and it was also possible for all non-sorcerers to be turned into proper sorcerers–

Then, didn't that mean there was a good chance that this would put a permanent end to the proliferation of cursed spirits in this world? Or at the very least, reduce the number of cursed spirits that emerged every year while they worked on implementing this as a solution?

"Tsukumo Yuki and Suguru," Satoru-niichan agrees. "I'd like to say that neither of them would be the type to harm Tsumiki, especially now that she's a sorcerer… but I'm certain they would both be very interested in studying her, so as to further their own goals."

Yes. Shiki remembers her encounter with Tsukumo Yuki in China last year, when the woman had talked to her about her goals. Turning every single person into a sorcerer… even if there was only a faint chance of enacting this, it would be something that Tsukumo would investigate without fail.

… Geto Suguru, too, was a very real possibility, no matter how much the prospect of it raised Shiki's hackles. Because the man was someone who literally stated that his goal was to kill all non-sorcerers, which was neither feasible nor particularly practical, and had Geto encountered Tsumiki prior to her accident, there's no doubt that he would've seen her as a non-sorcerer who needed to be put down. That Tsumiki was a sorcerer, now… did this mean that he would finally see her as another human being? Or would he see her as an interesting specimen to be studied?

Satoru-niichan seems to believe that Geto would not harm Tsumiki. 'Especially now that she's a sorcerer' is something that he said in direct reference to Geto, if Shiki is understanding her cousin correctly. It's nice that at least one of them has confidence in Geto.

Admittedly, Shiki does not have a very objective view of Geto, given her bias towards Satoru-niichan –but then again, Satoru-niichan isn't very objective when it comes to his best friend turned criminal, either. She knows that Geto remains important to Satoru-niichan even now, though.

So…

As much as Shiki is reluctant to admit it, Tsumiki's situation is also an opportunity for her cousin. An opportunity for him to reach out to Geto, and convince him to reconsider his questionable plan of action.

Here is a non-sorcerer who has transformed into a sorcerer, seemingly without any drawbacks. Will you reconsider killing every non-sorcerer, now? If every non-sorcerer is a potential sorcerer, then how can you justify slaughtering all of them without mercy?

Geto-san is a fool, but he's not stupid. If there is a way for him to achieve his goals through a method that involves less bloodshed and does not result in him becoming enemies with Satoru-niichan, surely he would at least consider it, wouldn't he?

"Are you going to use Tsumiki to draw out Geto-san?" Shiki asks her cousin. Geto Suguru is someone who's excellent at hiding his tracks and running away, as Shiki has had the opportunity of personally confirming for herself during her suspension. Using Tsumiki as 'bait' would save them the troublesome effort of hunting the slippery man down, but…

"I'm considering it," Satoru-niichan admits. Faintly apologetic, but utterly pragmatic about it all the same. Shiki appreciates that her cousin at least isn't lying to her. "I know you don't like it, but Suguru will be interested in learning about how a non-sorcerer became a sorcerer."

And undoubtedly, this is something that he will want to confirm for himself in person as well.

Shiki would not have expected otherwise, but this doesn't mean that she has to like it.

"Think about it this way," the older sorcerer sitting beside her raises a finger sagely. "If we are the ones controlling the pace, then we can decide when and where Suguru comes knocking. On the other hand, if we don't provide him with a convenient opportunity, then he might decide to drop in on Tsumiki sometime when neither of us are around."

Shiki likes the prospect of Geto Suguru paying a visit to Tsumiki alone even less. "… You have a point."

"Of course I do," Satoru-niichan sniffs. "If Special Grade sorcerers are inevitably going to come looking for Tsumiki, then we might as well make sure they do so on our terms, don't you think?"

Shiki nods slowly.

"Wow, I can see that you're really enthusiastic here." Her cousin's sarcasm is not missed. Satoru-niichan reaches forward and prods her on her cheek. "If Suguru tries to kidnap Tsumiki out from under your nose or something, then you can break his legs, okay?"

Shiki will be doing a lot more than just breaking his legs if Geto hurts her friend. "Okay, Satoru-niichan."

"… If I'm being honest here, though, Tsukumo is probably a likelier candidate to kidnap Tsumiki than Suguru," her cousin muses aloud. "This sort of thing is right up her alley. You should probably keep your eyes peeled –Tsukumo works with quite an extensive network, regular sorcerers and curse users alike. I got her to agree to leave you alone, but I never did the same for Tsumiki… hmm, maybe I should get on top of that next time."

Shiki tilts her head. "You're familiar with Tsukumo-san?" She hadn't realized that. Satoru-niichan never really spoke about Tsukumo Yuki to her before.

"We're both Special Grade sorcerers," Satoru-niichan points out, which is fair. "But no, we're not familiar with each other. Suguru encountered her before I did."

… Geto Suguru developed his current philosophy towards non-sorcerers and the state of the jujutsu world after meeting Tsukumo Yuki. Shiki thinks that this is a very good explanation as to why Satoru-niichan hasn't familiarized himself with Tsukumo on a personal level, and clearly has no intention to.

The young girl studies her cousin carefully for a long moment. "… Do you think that you'll be able to convince Geto-san to change his goals?"

"I'll certainly try to," Satoru-niichan responds. "I mean, I can't guarantee it, but I'd say that it's promising. Tsumiki developing sorcery abilities is very convincing for proving that there's potential in non-sorcerers, and Suguru isn't one to overlook potential."

Shiki folds her fingers in her lap. "You've been considering this ever since Tsumiki became able to see cursed spirits."

"Well… yes," Satoru-niichan admits candidly with a sigh. "Naturally, that was where my mind went. It's not every day when a non-sorcerer begins developing a sorcerer's abilities. But I hadn't decided to do anything with that yet; I wouldn't risk Tsumiki."

"I know."

Satoru-niichan does not see Tsumiki as a friend like Shiki does, but she is a child whom he is responsible for. Had been responsible for, ever since the day that he'd brought her and Megumi back with him to the Gojo clan compound. He wouldn't knowingly place her into unnecessary danger.

But Satoru-niichan is a sorcerer, and the head of the Gojo Clan. Shiki isn't surprised that he's been considering how to utilize Tsumiki; it may not even be a line of thought that he consciously pursued. Habit, more than anything else. That he recognizes Tsumiki's wellbeing takes precedence despite this is all Shiki could ever ask of him.

Just as Tsumiki is important to Shiki, Geto Suguru is also important to Satoru-niichan. Significantly more so, even.

Shiki doesn't fully understand the nature of their relationship, and she doubts that she ever will. Nonetheless, she understands that Geto is important to Satoru-niichan, and if at all possible Satoru-niichan would not want to be locked in conflict with his best friend.

Tsumiki is a catalyst who might change things.

"… On the chance that you don't manage to convince Geto-san, and he decides to pursue a deeply inadvisable course of action anyways, then what would you do?" Shiki asks her cousin. Ideally, this would not be the case. But if Geto-san remained stubborn about things…

"Then I'll just do what I have to," Satoru-niichan shrugs. "In the worst case scenario… well… let's just say that I really hope things won't come to that."

Shiki hopes so, too.

.

.

"Y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm feeling kinda sorry for the Kyoto school this year."

"How so, Kinji?" Shiki turns towards her classmate.

"I mean… it's a hopeless fight for them, isn't it? Like–" Kinji waves a general hand in her direction, and towards Okkotsu-san who's sprawled out on the grassy field beneath Satoru-niichan's feet a slight ways behind her. "We've got you, we've got Okkotsu, and we've also got Gojo-sensei here whipping us all into shape. We're going to completely steamroller the event this year, aren't we?"

Arrogance is unbecoming. But at the same time, Kinji's confidence isn't entirely undeserved. The Tokyo school's lineup of competing students far outstrips the expected skill level of average second and third year students. From what Shiki remembers of the students in the Kyoto school–

"About that," Satoru-niichan sing-songs breezily, "Of course I expect the Tokyo school to win this year under my most excellent guidance –but it might actually turn out to be a little less completely one-sided than you think."

Kinji startles, and straightens. "Wait, really?"

"Really." Satoru-niichan leans over, as if sharing a secret. Almost unconsciously, Kinji also leans forward, mirroring the motion automatically. "Tsukumo Yuki is in Kyoto right now."

"Who?" Kinji stares blankly. "Oh wait, that name actually sounds pretty familiar. Where would I have heard it before, though…"

Kirara elbows him in the ribs. "Tsukumo Yuki is another Special Grade sorcerer! The one that Shiki encountered in China!"

Kinji slaps a fist onto his palm, making a sound of realization. "Right, that's what it was! That Tsukumo! She's the Special Grade sorcerer that's traveling around all the time and never takes missions, right?"

"That's the one," Satoru-niichan laughs. "She's over in Kyoto giving the students a few pointers these days."

That's odd. What Shiki knows of Tsukumo's personality profile and from what she gleaned during her meeting with the woman, Tsukumo is someone who chafes under the higher ups' orders. Training the Kyoto students seemed wildly out of character with Tsukumo's previous actions–

–but perhaps it wasn't completely incomprehensible, either. "Tsukumo has a personal student who currently attends the Kyoto school, right?"

"Ding-ding-ding!" Satoru-niichan gives her a thumbs-up. "Todo Aoi, second year student."

Kinji's face scrunches in concentration. "… Nope, that doesn't sound familiar."

"I don't think we met him while we were in Kyoto last year," Kirara supplies. "Maybe he was out on a mission at the time like Shiki, or something?"

Kinji blinks. "You mean they have a Shiki of their own over in Kyoto, too?"

"The only Shiki there is is the one right here in Tokyo, and no one is stealing her anywhere," Satoru-niichan proclaims grandly, pulling Shiki into an affectionate hug as he does so. "Todo Aoi… I've seen him before once, he's a funny kid. You definitely see the resemblance to Tsukumo in how he fights."

"Huh," Kinji hums in growing interest, "I'm listening."

"And that's all I'm saying about it," is what Satoru-niichan says immediately in response to that, causing Kinji to splutter. "I'm a teacher, you shouldn't be expecting me to give you any unfair tactical advantages! Shame on you, Kinji."

"Hey, you're the one who started talking about Kyoto!"

Satoru-niichan blatantly ignores him, and instead swings Shiki around in his arms. The girl hangs limply from his grip like a doll, patiently waiting for her cousin's playful moment to pass. This is not the first time that he's manhandled her like this, and it most certainly won't be the last time, either.

"Are you excited for your first exchange event?" he asks her.

"Not in particular," Shiki answers truthfully.

Satoru-niichan stops in his tracks. The end result of him doing so while Shiki is still in his grip has Shiki's feet dangling emptily over the ground.

Shiki kicks her feet a little helplessly and huffs, "Satoru-niichan–"

"I want you to have fun," he says, apropos of nothing. "You should have fun, it's a school event and friendly competition."

Shiki isn't sure just how much fun she's going to have when there are going to be a dozen higher ups and clan sorcerers angling to discredit Okkotsu-san and Satoru-niichan by proxy, and when she might also have to deal with the initial wave of interested parties prying into Tsumiki's situation. It's going to be a headache dealing with all of this; certainly not something that Shiki would consider fun. Fun is supposed to be something that you enjoy, not something that you suffer through.

But–

She'll be at the exchange event with her classmates. Kinji and Kirara are fun to be around, and Okkotsu-san is also good company. Aikawa Ruri is a little less so, perhaps, but Shiki will still be seeing the third year student for the first in a long time. Shiki wouldn't say that they're on good terms with each other, but hopefully the other girl is doing well.

Satoru-niichan wants her to have fun.

"… I'll try," she tells her cousin.

Satoru-niichan smiles.

.

.

…

.

Author's Notes:

And with this, we'll be heading into the exchange event! Shiki's first exchange event since becoming a Tokyo student, given that she missed out last year.

We have a Discord! Please feel free to join if you'd like to chat about the fic with other friends. The link is on my Tumblr (which you can find on my profile), which also includes extra tidbits and AUs, Q&A, update notifications, etc.

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