Chapter 38: Approaching the Final Battle
"This kid's got guts, I'll give him that. Every time I see him, he's up to something new. Just two days in and he's already playing with fire, dancing on the edge of death."
Gojo Satoru, casually observing his student from afar while eating ice cream, chuckled to himself. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, snapped two photos of Tatsuro holding hands with the boss's daughter, and posted them to his social media:
[Gojo Satoru]: Out traveling. Ran into one of my students on a nighttime mission. Unexpectedly spotted him holding hands with the boss's daughter. Congrats to them both.
Satisfied after posting, he turned and strolled away. Though he initially came to protect Tatsuro, it seemed like the kid didn't need him at all.
As for the curse haunting Yuto Mi… Gojo had a feeling that it would make its move on the final day. He didn't know why, but that hunch lingered in his gut.
"Heh, interesting."
…
Meanwhile, Tatsuro was getting bolder, holding Yuto Mi's hand as they walked.
"I want something yummy," he whined.
Yuto Mi treated him like a little brother and said with a smile, "Okay, let's go get something good."
"Mm."
Tatsuro's eyes never left the ring on her left hand. He'd been holding her hand since they left the house. Though the curse had shown signs of agitation early on, it hadn't actually attacked him.
It only growled, "Let go! Don't touch my daughter's hand!"
Still, Tatsuro pressed on. He could feel the immense cursed energy radiating from the ring—it was like dancing with a lit stick of dynamite. One wrong move and he'd be reduced to dust.
But this was only the beginning. Two days had passed; thirteen more remained. That was enough time to get the curse used to him—just like how Zhi Zi could get close to it without triggering a reaction.
Time flew by. After an hour of strolling and clearing out some small-time thugs and a black-clad team that had been tailing them, they finally returned to the villa.
Because Tatsuro had slashed Yuto Mi's room door open earlier, and not wanting to wake Zhi Zi, she decided to stay in his room instead.
"I'm happy and all, but you're still sleeping outside. I'll take your bed for now. See you tomorrow."
"…Okay."
As the door shut behind her, Tatsuro sat down against the hallway wall, gazing at the night sky through the window. He held his sword and dozed off where he sat.
Would his back hurt tomorrow? Probably. But he was used to this. There had been many nights in his past life when he'd been kicked out of the house, forced to sleep on the cold ground under the moon, accompanied only by starlight.
It wasn't anything new.
---
The next morning.
Though he had no alarm clock, his internal clock woke him right on time. Tatsuro stretched and muttered, "Not a bad sleep… except my butt's numb and my back's sore."
After getting ready for the day, he stepped out of the villa and was immediately challenged to sparring matches. He offered some guidance, then followed Zhi Zi to breakfast.
Afterward, he jogged with Yuto Mi like always.
But today was different—she was wearing the ring. Even the curse had seemingly accepted him now. No more roars or glares.
All day, Tatsuro stayed close to her, continuing to play the role of little brother, slowly tightening the bond between them and integrating himself further into her world.
At night, he trained under Master Shuichi.
This life was orderly, calm, and peaceful… and so, the final day came.
Tatsuro knew that today was the decisive battle. If he won, he'd return to Jujutsu High and brag to the others. If he lost, he'd be lying in an urn while they mourned him.
As usual, he woke at 5:30 and stepped outside, expecting the daily round of sparring requests.
After 14 days of training under Shuichi, he had learned all of his teacher's combat techniques. Tonight at 8 PM, he would officially graduate.
Armed with these techniques, even if his physical stats were weaker, he could still go toe-to-toe with the others. If things got tough, he could always reinforce his body with cursed energy.
But today… something was off.
Normally, Kira and Kage—his gatekeeper twins—would be waiting at the front, jumping him with requests to spar.
But now?
Nothing.
The sun hadn't risen from the west. The world hadn't ended. Yet no one showed up.
Tatsuro frowned and asked, "What's going on today?"
The two stood like statues, unresponsive, not even glancing at him.
"Kira? Kage? What's going on?"
Still, no reply. Their eyes stared straight ahead as if he didn't exist.
Creepy.
Was he still dreaming? No… the detail was too vivid.
The trees swayed in the breeze. He stared at the leaves, each with its own unique texture and pattern. There was no way his brain could construct something so elaborate in a dream. Unless… he'd fallen asleep with his Sharingan active?
That wasn't it either.
Then what the hell was going on?
These guys usually shouted "Good morning, Vice-Captain!" the moment they heard the door open. What changed?
Just as Tatsuro was about to walk away, Kira and Kage clapped their hands.
"Vice-Captain Tatsuro! Thank you for everything!"
Suddenly, dozens of people rushed out from both sides of the road. They seemed to have rehearsed this—perfectly timed. One guy held a cake, and the rest clapped and cheered.
Well… maybe not loudly. But they each spoke from the heart.
Goinroku: "Thank you, Vice-Captain, for teaching us. If we meet again, I'll vote for you to be Captain!"
Ryusui Rakuhi: "Seriously! Our Captain taught us for three months and still didn't do as much as you did in two weeks."
Hyuga Hajime: "Vice-Captain Tatsuro, thank you so much for everything…"
Tatsuro scratched his head awkwardly. "Don't make me sound so noble. You're gonna embarrass me. By the way… where's Deputy Captain Masakazu and Master Shuichi?"
"I'm right here—"
Masakazu pushed through the crowd and said, "The Captain's on patrol. He didn't have time to come, so he sent me with a message: Don't bother coming back tonight. Just leave tomorrow morning. If I teach you any more, I'll have to give you my last pair of underwear."
That got a big laugh from the crowd.
Tatsuro could only smile bitterly in return.
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