Jujutsu Kaisen: I Have A Gardevoir

Before hearing his mother's voice, Noritoshi had imagined countless times what this moment would be like.

There were so many things he wanted to say to her, so many things he wanted to share.

But when the moment finally arrived, his throat seemed to tighten, and all he could do was call out, "Mother."

No other words would come.

On the other side of the call, Hayami wasn't much better off. She responded briefly, then it took her a full few seconds to squeeze out a simple sentence:

"Are you well?"

This must be what people mean when they say words fail at the height of emotion.

Akira stepped back a bit, giving them space. He closed his eyes, and memories of his parents from his previous life came flooding back.

If he could see them again, perhaps it would be like this.

He wondered if they were doing well in that other world—if his little sister was taking good care of them.

As her older brother, he was no longer around; all the burden must have fallen on her shoulders.

But his sister had always been excellent, unlike him, who was inconsistent. She was the kind of child other parents always praised. When they were younger, she never missed a chance to tease her big brother.

—"Schoolwork is so simple, why does everyone struggle so much?"

—"I envy the other kids. At least they still have room to improve. I don't."

These early lessons were Akira's introduction to the concept of being "ordinary" and his envy for her natural brilliance.

Of course, just because they teased and bickered didn't mean they weren't close siblings. Quite the contrary, it was exactly the kind of interaction most families had—bickering and bantering without holding back. And when the chips were down, they were always there for each other.

They must have been devastated by his death in that car accident.

If the god of reincarnation really existed, please send my love to them.

Dad, Mom, Sister, I'm doing well in this other world. Please, don't worry about me.

When he opened his eyes, the mother and son's "half-reunion" after eight years was drawing to a close.

Throughout the call, they maintained the same pace.

"Are you well?"

"I'm well. How about you?"

"I'm fine too."

Then there was a long silence—just staring at each other seemed to be enough.

"It's not suitable for us to be in contact right now. As long as you're doing well, I'll be at ease," Hayami said and then hung up.

Noritoshi looked at the darkened screen for a long time before reluctantly handing the phone back to Akira.

Akira sighed, and with a touch of emotion, said, "You understand why Mom did that, don't you?"

"I understand," Noritoshi nodded. "She's worried that our contact might bring me trouble. She's always been so considerate of others."

"What are your thoughts?"

"The same as hers. She's worried about me, and I'm even more worried about her. No matter what, I am still the heir of the Kamo family. If the family finds out, at most, I'll get punished. But for her…"

Noritoshi trailed off, but both brothers understood what he meant.

These old, established families were always hiding dark secrets. An estranged concubine was nothing to them, and if necessary, they'd have no qualms about disposing of their own flesh and blood.

Most of Akira's precautions were made with this in mind.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't prepared," Akira said. "Let's put it this way—even if the entire Kamo clan mobilizes, they wouldn't be able to harm Mom. What I'm more curious about, though, is your intention—you didn't mention the promise you made to Mom eight years ago."

"Because actions speak louder than words. I don't have the ability to make that happen yet. And… is bringing Mom back even the right thing to do?"

"Oh? I didn't expect you to say that," Akira was a bit surprised. "If you were still the Noritoshi I knew, bringing Mom back and restoring her name should have been your motivation."

"It was, until just now."

Only in front of Akira, who didn't technically exist, could he truly drop his facade and speak his mind without reservation.

"Noritsuna… I'm still used to calling you that. You don't mind, right?"

"Even if I did, you wouldn't change it. It's not the name 'Hayami' you care about, it's the surname 'Minami.' Hayami's 'Minami,' isn't it?"

"So what if it is? She's my mother alone, and now there's you, too. Am I not allowed to complain?"

Some people might say Akira is a "mama's boy," always bringing his mom into things. But it was really the other way around—he was the one taking care of his mom, in gratitude, while Noritoshi was the one still deeply attached to her.

Being forced to separate from your mother left a void that's hard to fill.

Sure, they traded one mother for another, but let's not forget the official wife did all this to keep her position secure. To her, was Noritoshi truly her son, or just a tool?

It was thanks to Hayami's early teachings that Noritoshi hadn't gone entirely off the deep end.

Just look at the Zen'in clan—what a mess they were.

In any case, Akira had already decided that when Maki went back to her family, he'd be right there to watch—who was afraid of making a scene? Certainly not Akira.

"Go on then," Akira said. "Finish your thoughts."

"Stop with the 'you, you' thing. Call me brother," Noritoshi said, pushing his luck.

Akira rolled his eyes. "Whether I call you brother depends on your actions. Now, explain yourself, or I'll reserve the right to beat you up—even to the point where our mom wouldn't recognize you."

If it were their childhood, Noritoshi wouldn't have cared. What was a fight, anyway? They'd been through that. Just don't back down.

But after their exchange during the tournament, he knew he couldn't win against Akira no matter what. His bruises still hurt from this morning, so he had to concede.

"You… just wait until I get some new gear."

"Mhm, I'll be waiting. Just don't take too long." Being in control like this felt fantastic.

"Back to Mom. Noritsuna, do you think she prefers living at the Kamo household or the life she has now?"

"Mom always cherished a life where her children were around, where the family could live in harmony. If that's fulfilled, it's clearly now. Too much drama in the Kamo household. I still don't understand how someone as naive and gentle as her fell into the Kamo family's mess."

"I think Dad said something about it—something about the Akaru family owing a big favor to the Kamo family, and my late grandparents arranging a marriage."

Akira thought about it. Knowing their mother's personality, if a parental wish fell on her, she wouldn't refuse.

Noritoshi continued, "So leaving the Kamo household wasn't entirely a bad thing for her. Bringing her back might not be the right move."

"So do we just let it be, Kamo remains Kamo, and Akaru remains Akaru?" Akira narrowed his eyes.

"Of course not. I just don't want her to suffer anymore. That comes first. The rest… I'm not sure yet. But I definitely won't do nothing—I'd never forgive myself."

Akira finally smiled, a smile of recognition.

To come up with this in less than half a day, Noritoshi was doing quite well.

"I'll tell you the rest of the answer," Akira said. "Get stronger—stronger than the current family head, strong enough that no one in the Kamo clan dares to oppose you. Imagine if Mom had someone like Gojo Satoru behind her—what could anyone do? At that point, whether she stays where she is or returns to the Kamo family as a queen dowager is entirely up to her. Then, whatever you want to do, no one will resist. The Three Great Families need to change."

"That answer… it sounds impossible," Noritoshi said, also narrowing his eyes. His expression was serious, but his resolve remained unshaken.

To Akira, that was enough.

"It's the highest difficulty. But that's fine—you're not alone in this fight. I'll help you."

"You'll help me? Or I help you? I honestly wouldn't mind switching places," Noritoshi raised an eyebrow, as if saying it wasn't all fun and games being the heir.

"You want to switch? I don't." Akira didn't hesitate at all in his refusal. "Besides the restrictions on inheriting the Cursed Technique, I'm living my best life—going wherever I want, beating up whoever I like, just taking care of myself. Going back to manage that whole family, full of schemers and backstabbers? Count me out. You're capable, you do it."

Being an assistant instructor at Jujutsu High was already pushing it; managing more people was simply out of the question.

"And after all your hard work for the past eight years, would you really give it all up without regret?"

Noritoshi went quiet. Of course he had regrets—he had worked hard for eight years. But some things needed to be said, and they mattered for the future.

Despite being on the losing side of their conversations, Noritoshi kept his head clear, never allowing himself to relax.

Akira knew what was on his brother's mind. He patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, what's yours will be yours. There are things that wouldn't be appropriate for you to do from your position—but that's not an issue for me. My journey in Kyoto is just beginning… You should return to the Kamo household right now and tell the head of the family that I, Akira, also known as Noritsuna Kamo, have secretly arranged to meet with you."

"???"

"!!!"

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