NOVEL WEB Chapter 374: 126
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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 126: 118: kyoto, once more
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
"118: kyoto, once more"
.
Kyoto is much the same as Shiki remembers. This is far from the first time that Shiki has been here, after all. After so many visits over the years, a certain degree of familiarity with the environment is only to be expected by this point.
At the same time, it's also… different.
… Probably because there are no particular celebrations or ceremonies to meticulously prepare for this time around, which contrasts greatly with what Shiki is used to every time she visits Kyoto.
However, right now Shiki is only here to attend a school event. The Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event, a longstanding tradition between the Kyoto and Tokyo jujutsu schools where students would engage in a friendly competition with each other and display their skills.
Usually, only second and third year students are allowed to take part in this exchange event. First year students are generally unprepared for the higher level of performance that is demanded, and fourth year students are far too preoccupied with their busy schedules to properly devote time preparing and participating. Thus, leaving only second and third year jujutsu students as active participants.
But there are always exceptions, of course. Last year, Shiki and her classmates had been asked to join the Tokyo school's lineup due to the deaths of multiple Tokyo students during the catastrophic Obon that had taken place. Although Shiki had ended up being unable to join due to being sent away on a mission to a foreign country while the event was going on, both Kinji and Kirara had participated as first year students.
This year, the higher ups have not attempted to repeat the same trick by sending Shiki away again –and they are wise not to. It remains to be seen if they will continue to make wise decisions while Shiki and her classmates are in Kyoto this year. Knowing what she does of the higher ups' habits, however, Shiki can't say that she's particularly confident in their ability to do so.
"Y'think the higher ups are gonna be difficult again?" Kinji scratches his chin speculatively.
"Hopefully not," Kirara grimaces faintly from beside him.
"I'm not so sure about that. The higher ups don't like the Tokyo school at all. I'm betting that they'll take any excuse to come down on us like a hammer… what? Why are you guys all looking at me like that?"
"No real reason," Kinji says, still staring. "Didn't think you'd be eager to chime in like this, Aikawa."
Aikawa Ruri huffs, rolling her eyes. Despite the irritated display, however, the nervous way that the girl fidgets as she twirls a lock of hair around her finger indicates that she's restless and uneasy beneath the bluster. "I'm not eager! I just… it would be great if things didn't turn into a disaster again, like last year."
'Last year' referring to how Kinji had been locked up by the higher ups when he'd revealed his Domain Expansion. Shiki hadn't realized that Aikawa-senpai cared so much about what had transpired, though, given that both she and Ichinose-san had quietly stood by instead of protesting Kinji's detainment. In fact, when Shiki had arrived in Kyoto after hearing what happened to her classmate, she'd found Kyoto students sneaking around the higher ups' orders in a bid to free Kinji. And what had the Tokyo students been doing?
Perhaps it's uncharitable of her to think this way. Both Aikawa Ruri and Ichinose Kiichi are sorcerers who lack political connections that would allow them greater leeway in their actions. Kamo Noritoshi, on the other hand, is of the noble Kamo Clan, whose influence lingers even despite their recent decline. Even so, though…
"It's not anyone's fault but the higher ups' if we're talking about what happened last year," Kirara says firmly.
"Uh-huh, I wasn't trying to imply otherwise," Aikawa sniffs. "I'm just trying to say it would be great if things went smoothly."
A nice thought, to be sure. Shiki also thinks that it would be great if the exchange event progressed without trouble… but she's also aware that the entire event going off without a single hitch wouldn't be the ideal outcome that the higher ups are looking for. If the higher ups intended to use this event as an opportunity to sink their claws into Okkotsu-san in some manner, then it was likely that they would interfere in the competition somehow.
Shiki would need to watch out for that.
"You're going to jinx us like that, Aikawa," Kinji drawls.
The third year girl folds her arms across her chest defensively and scoffs, "You really believe in stuff like that?"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
… A little belatedly, Shiki realizes that this conversation seems to be headed in the direction of an imminent argument, as their exchange grows gradually more heated. But arguing with each other is perhaps not the wisest course of action at the moment. Students from the same school are expected to cooperate with each other in the exchange event, after all.
But Aikawa has a difficult personality, and Kinji isn't exactly the type of person to let things lie if there is someone irritating him, either. It also doesn't help that the two of them don't seem to like each other very much –and Aikawa's dislike of Shiki hadn't endeared Kinji to her, either.
"That's enough, both of you!" Kirara breaks in, bodily interposing himself –herself– between the duo. "Aikawa-san, please stop digging your heels in and antagonizing Kinji. Kinji, just let it go."
"Seriously, Kirara?" Kinji makes a face. "Did you hear what she was–"
"Aikawa-san had a bad attitude towards you, yes. That's on her," Kirara says candidly, ignoring the indignant sound of protest that the third year student makes in the background. Evidently, Kirara is not particularly pleased by how she'd acted either. "I'm not asking you to forgive her, but at this rate you guys are going to be at odds with each other throughout the entire exchange event."
Kinji wrinkles his nose. "Yeah, so?"
"So what's the point in handing an extra advantage to the Kyoto school like this?" Seeing Kinji's unconvinced expression, Kirara sighs. "The higher ups are already going to be on the Kyoto school's side, so let's not make things any more difficult for ourselves."
Kinji kicks mulishly at a stray pebble on the road. "The higher ups can't argue against the results if we just solidly beat the Kyoto school at whatever trials they set up this year, fair and square."
"We were fair and square last year," Kirara reminds him. The results of that being: Kinji had been briefly locked up when he'd shocked everyone by using his Domain Expansion, and the victory had ended up going to the Kyoto school anyways in the aftermath of the debacle.
Naturally, Kinji does not look enthused by the reminder. "Okay, okay, you've made your point. Play nice, whatever. Ugh, I think I'm starting to get a little sick of Kyoto already."
"That's a rather rude thing to say, isn't it?"
Shiki turns around at the sound of the new voice that speaks up from behind them, as do her other classmates.
The speaker is a brown-haired boy wearing a pair of glasses –who also happens to be dressed in the dark-colored school uniform of the jujutsu schools. Accompanying him are also several others who are similarly outfitted, likely all jujutsu students.
Kyoto jujutsu students, if Shiki hasn't missed her guess. There are also a few familiar faces that she notes among them –Kamo Noritoshi, and the blond girl who'd been with him when Shiki had briefly encountered him attempting a jailbreak for Kinji last time. The girl shrinks back nervously as Shiki's gaze sweeps over her, but Kamo-san dips his head briefly in polite greeting. Shiki returns the gesture with a small nod of her own.
"I'll say what I want, Naniwa," Kinji drawls as he maintains deliberate eye contact with the glasses-wearing boy. "Kyoto sucks."
The Naniwa boy narrows his eyes. "That disagreeable attitude of yours isn't going to do you any favors here, Hakari."
"Yeah, so?"
… Somehow Shiki has never really quite realized it before, but it seems that Kinji has a knack for riling others up. The Kyoto boy bristles, looking like he wants to stomp over and give Kinji a piece of his mind–
–but is held back from doing so by the blond boy beside him grabbing his arm.
"Naniwa, it's not worth arguing about this," the boy urges. "You don't–"
Whatever he'd been about to say is roughly cut off when Naniwa shakes off his grip, this time glaring at his own classmate. "Keep your hands to yourself, Ayatsuji."
'Ayatsuji' immediately steps backwards, hands half-raised in surrender. "Right, fine, whatever."
Naniwa glares at his classmate for a moment longer, then turns back towards Kinji and the other Tokyo students. Behind him, the blond boy immediately drops his placating gesture and stuffs his hands into his pockets.
"You are guests in Kyoto," Naniwa sniffs. "Know that your behavior reflects upon the image of the school that you represent. Though the Tokyo school's history is lesser than that of Kyoto's, you should still try to–"
"You know," Kinji cuts the boy off without a care, "I wanted to say this last year, too, before Ichinose stopped me: You really need to pull that stick out of your ass, Naniwa."
The boy's face colors in anger. "How dare you, you insolent–!"
"Naniwa-san, please." This time, it's Kamo-san who interjects. "For all your accusations of our Tokyo guests being rude, you haven't been particularly polite to them yourself, either. As for Hakari-san's dislike of Kyoto –well, it's understandable why he would dislike it if he's only had bad experiences here to date, isn't it?"
Naniwa frowns. "You're taking their side, Kamo?"
"It's not about taking sides," Kamo-san shakes his head.
The older boy arches an eyebrow skeptically at the denial, but Kamo-san doesn't even blink at the scrutiny. A beat of silence passes where Naniwa sizes up Kamo-san like this, instead of immediately flinging sharp words in his direction.
Which is a sharp contrast to the irritable way he'd reacted when his blond classmate had attempted to stop him just earlier.
Was it because Kamo-san was a Kamo, perhaps? Shiki supposes that someone from the Naniwa Clan would be the type to put stock in such things…
"Very well," Naniwa huffs, pushing up and adjusting his glasses. "I suppose that it wouldn't be a bad idea to sort out any grievances through our upcoming competition instead."
Kinji gives the Naniwa boy a thumbs up for those words… for all of three seconds, before flipping his wrist so that it becomes a thumbs down gesture instead.
"You guys are going down, Kyoto."
"Is that how you see this gong?" Kamo-san returns pleasantly, one arm held out calmly in front of Naniwa as the agitated boy whirls on Kinji once more. "I promise that we're not going down without a fight, Tokyo."
"Who says we're going down at all?" Another Kyoto student strides forward. Or rather, it's more like he shoves his way forward, if Shiki is being accurate. Naniwa is promptly brushed out of his way with all the care of a pebble being roughly displaced from one's path, and perhaps the same would also have been true for Kamo-san, had Kamo-san not swiftly sidestepped in time.
"Todo, have a little more care," Kamo-san says, faintly exasperated.
The tall boy waves a hand dismissively in his direction, the only sign of acknowledgment towards Kamo-san's words as he looks over the Tokyo students… and his gaze locks unerringly on Shiki.
Lips part over white teeth and split into a wide grin. "You. You're Gojo Shiki, aren't you?"
"Yes." Tall, dark-haired, and boasting well-defined musculature in a way that's almost reminiscent of Kiyohira-sensei. Shiki is quite certain that she hasn't met this boy before, but she thinks that she knows who he is. Of all the Kyoto students present, his cursed energy is the highest among them. And Kamo-san had called him by name earlier, hadn't he?
'Todo.' That means this is likely 'Todo Aoi' whom Shiki is looking at –the student of Special Grade student Tsukumo Yuki who was said to be currently enrolled in the Kyoto school.
"So you've managed to make it this year." A few steps forward, and then Todo is in front of her. Shiki cranes her neck to look upwards; the boy is really tall. Nearly as tall as Satoru-niichan, even, and Shiki's height barely comes up to her cousin's shoulders.
"Whoa there, why are you acting so familiar with her?" Kinji glances between them skeptically. "You know this guy, Shiki?"
Nope. Shiki shakes her head. She knows of him, but she is not personally familiar with Tsukumo's student.
"They said that the exchange event this year would be worthy of my time," Todo curls a hand into a fist, an action that speaks towards either an attempt at intimidation or an expression of eagerness. "So. What type of boys do you like?"
… What?
Shiki blinks. Had she misheard his question? It sounded like–
"Excuse me, what?" Kinji's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. Then, his eyes narrow. "Hang on, are you hitting on her? Who even are you, anyways?!"
"Todo Aoi," the boy answers, not even bothering to glance in Kinji's direction. Which does not seem to make Kinji any happier about the situation. "I like tall girls with big butts."
"Nobody asked you!" Kinji snaps, and pauses. "… Wait, if that's the case, then why are you hitting on Shiki?"
Multiple coughs and choked-off sounds promptly emanate from their fellow students around them, Tokyo and Kyoto schools alike.
Kirara swats Kinji in the back of the head, the motion one of uncompromising reprimand despite the startled laughter that she's forcing down at the same time. "Kinji!"
"What? I didn't say anything that wasn't true!" Kinji protests, and gestures towards Shiki. "Just look at her! She's tiny!"
… Shiki is aware of her own diminutive stature, thank you very much. Unfortunately, one can't really control their own height. If Shiki had her way, she too would choose to be taller –a taller height also grants greater reach, which would be so much more convenient for many things even outside of extended combat range.
In short, it's all rather unfair. Ken-jichan is tall! And so are the vast majority of the other Gojos! If Shiki inherited an aptitude for sorcery from the Gojo Clan, then why couldn't she also have inherited some height to go along with it?
Kinji didn't say anything that wasn't true. But somehow Shiki still finds herself feeling faintly irritated all the same.
"You didn't have to say that aloud!" Kirara continues scolding the boy.
"But everyone was thinking it!" Kinji remains wholly unapologetic.
Shiki gives her thickheaded classmate a flat look, one that goes completely unnoticed while he continues his antics with Kirara.
Todo snorts. "A person's taste in their partner reveals everything about them. Guys who have boring tastes are boring themselves, and I hate it when things are boring."
Meaning, he has no intention of propositioning Shiki, as Kinji had been wary of earlier. Good to know. Shiki has never spared much thought towards romance in her life, and it's not something that she sees herself becoming interested in anytime soon. She'd probably only turn her attention towards this once the Gojo Clan begins pushing on the matter.
"That's a weird way to get a read on another person," Kinji informs Todo.
"But it's accurate," Todo remains unmoved. "So? Hurry up and answer already, Gojo. It can even be another girl or whatever, I don't care. What's your type?"
"You really are Tsukumo-san's student." Now that Shiki thinks about it, Tsukumo had asked her the same thing when they'd first met in China. What kind of boy is your type, the Special Grade sorcerer had asked her out of the blue, startling Shiki with how sudden and completely unrelated to anything the question had been. And if Shiki recalls correctly, she had answered with… "Someone who can take me in a fight."
"Whoa, say what?" Kinji's head snaps towards her. His expression is surprised, then turns vaguely… pitying? Why? "Actually, I guess I'm not that surprised, that answer is very you, Shiki. But you do realize that you just, like, ruled out ninety percent of the population there, right?"
Shiki shrugs. "I'm sure that the Gojo elders will try to arrange an appropriate political match for me in the future."
"… Shiki, the only Gojo who can take you in a serious fight is probably Gojo-sensei, and he's like a hundred years older than you," Kinji deadpans. "Besides, you don't seriously mean that you'll just go along with whatever candidate that your clan elders pick, right?"
"Of course not." To be perfectly honest, Shiki can't really see the Gojo elders choosing someone that she would be fine with as a partner and a husband. Anyone they choose would be someone to represent their own interests most of all, and Shiki could not care less about the elders' desire to control her. So, "If they disagree with my decision, then I will challenge them to prove their strength."
Kinji cocks his head. "… Is being strong really that important to you?"
"Yes," Shiki nods. Admittedly, strength comes in many different shapes and forms, and Shiki is not one to dismiss this out of hand, but–
But at the very least, her own strength in combat is something that Shiki is relatively confident in. And in the jujutsu world, strength means power. The power to be able to make one's own decisions, instead of having everything be decided for them. To speak, and have their voice be heard, instead of being ignored.
… Which has less to do with what qualities Shiki is looking for in a partner, and speaks more towards Shiki's own problems, now that she thinks about it. This isn't just about her partner; it's also about the myriad issues that she has encountered regarding the matter of her position in the jujutsu world as a daughter of the Gojo Clan.
Daughter and heir, now. Which, in turn, only means that the scrutiny on her and by extension her chosen partner would be all the closer, what with Shiki being the Gojo heir. Being Gojo Satoru's chosen heir.
Shiki will not allow herself to be controlled by anyone whom she does not permit. A close partner who would have that sort of powerful influence over her –is not someone who can be weak. Who cannot afford weakness, not with Shiki being what she is.
… Kinji might be right; it does seem like Shiki has high standards. And, she's also well aware that she's not exactly an easy person to like, either, nor is it even really easy for Shiki to form meaningful relationships with others in the first place.
Forming a romantic relationship?
It's difficult for Shiki to imagine something like that happening.
And come to think of it, is it even necessary? Shiki is not averse to marriage on principle, but with how convoluted and troublesome this entire situation seems to be shaping up, it's starting to seem like it would be better to just set it all aside…
In fact, it's probably best to set aside this entire line of thought for now, as irrelevant as it is. Shiki doubts that the Tokyo and Kyoto students are interested in her marriage woes. Todo had only asked Shiki what type of person she liked, nothing more.
She wonders what insight the boy gleaned from her answer.
"Hm," Todo squints at her, then leans back and straightens. "Hmmm… That's more boring than I expected."
The boy sounds vaguely disappointed. Had he expected Shiki to say something completely different? What kind of answer had he been expecting from her, really?
"Now who's the one being rude?" Aikawa mutters under her breath, glaring at the Kyoto contingent.
"No, no, believe it or not this is actually a good response from Todo," Kamo-san waves his hands. "Usually, he responds by punching you in the face for giving a boring answer."
Aikawa stares at him. So do the rest of the Tokyo students. "He responds by doing what?"
Kamo-san smiles, faintly rueful. "He's started more than a few fights this way; most of us have all gotten punched by him over here in Kyoto. Except for Nishimiya here, she was able to escape from him before he could land a hit."
"Only because my cursed technique was good for running away," the blond girl beside him adds, faintly flustered. "Kamo-kun is telling the truth here. Naniwa even threatened to get Todo suspended for his behavior! … Although that didn't really go anywhere in the end, I guess."
Of course it wouldn't have. It's normal for jujutsu students to spar with each other, so it stands to reason that Todo wouldn't be suspended over something like that. Naniwa's status as a Naniwa sorcerer wouldn't have helped his case in this instance, given that Todo's teacher was Tsukumo Yuki, a Special Grade sorcerer. For a student closely related to a Special Grade sorcerer to be suspended… they'd have to do something that the higher ups considered serious.
Such as when Shiki had killed two of their number unblinkingly and without remorse. That had gotten her suspended for several months.
Todo turns away from Shiki, evidently having lost all interest in her now that he has her 'boring' answer. His eyes roam over the Tokyo students, and settle on Okkotsu-san.
"You. What's your type of girl?" he demands.
"U-um," Okkotsu-san rears back, not having expected to be addressed directly like this. "I… I don't really know? I haven't really thought about it before, so…"
"Then think about it now!" Todo orders him, and stalks over to tower imposingly over the other boy. "If you give a boring answer too, then I'll–"
"Then you are not going to punch a Tokyo student in the face." Kamo-san is behind the other boy in an instant, one hand resting warningly on Todo's shoulder. "The exchange event is starting in two more days. Can you seriously not even wait two days? Even if you're itching for a fight, you can do it when we're actually supposed to be fighting each other!"
"I'm not itching for a fight, I just want to hear his answer," Todo brushes off the other boy's hand impatiently. "This isn't your business, Kamo."
"No, it is," Kamo-san retorts. This time, there is a thread of something steely beneath his tone. "I want the exchange event to proceed smoothly. That means no students beating each other up before the event even starts. Do you know the kind of things that people would start saying if that happened?"
Shiki, for one, can certainly imagine what unpleasant rumors might spread. There are already many eyes on this year's event, due to the Special Grades involved. Anything that happens here can and will be exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Malicious sabotage and–
"What do I care about what other people say?" Todo remains indifferent.
Kamo-san's lips thin. "If you don't care, then you're an idiot."
Todo stills. Then, slowly turns towards Kamo-san.
"Care to repeat that?"
Kamo-san squares his shoulders, and lifts his chin. "I said, you're a blockheaded idiot–"
One moment, Kamo-san is standing there defiantly, and in the next, he goes flying.
Todo's well-muscled arm is still extended in a punch. His gaze is locked in Kamo-san's direction, though –even though the other boy had been sent flying, he'd still blocked in time, minimizing any damage done– and then he takes off after Kamo-san without another word.
… If Kamo-san's goal had been distracting Todo from the Tokyo students, then it was a great success.
"Kamo-kun!" Nishimiya runs after her fighting classmates. The remaining Kyoto students soon follow after her, even Naniwa who wears a pinched, irritated expression as he's pulled along.
"Well, that was interesting," Kirara eventually says into the silence after their departure. That's certainly one way of putting it –Shiki hadn't expected this to be how their first encounter with Kyoto's second and third year students would conclude. "Todo has a pretty strong character, huh? Kamo-san looks like he has his hands full with that."
… Perhaps the exchange event will be a little more interesting than she thought.
Kinji abruptly startles. "Hey, wait, why didn't he ask me who my type was?"
Kirara slaps a hand to her forehead.
.
.
…
.
Author's Notes:
And so we head into the exchange event! According to JJK canon this would be the year that Okkotsu single-handedly won the event on his own, except that's going to be tweaked a bit this time around. It's exciting to think that the next exchange event we'll get around to in this story will be the one that we all know and love from canon! … But that's still a ways off in the future right now.
The Kyoto third years are sort-of OCs. For anyone who's watched the JJK0 movie, the third years are going to be the three students that we briefly see Nanami with before he goes on to unleash consecutive black flashes on the attacking cursed spirits.
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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