Tokyo.
Satoru and the others stepped out of the airport and entered the already waiting car.
As the car drove through the roads of Tokyo, Satoru turned and stared at Riko, who sat between him and Suguru. After the attack from Toji, she had been quiet, and Satoru noticed that the moment they stepped into Tokyo, Riko had been fidgeting nervously.
"Hey, you don't have to merge, you know," Satoru said, using vector manipulation to make only Suguru and Riko hear him.
Suguru and Riko turned and stared at him in shock, especially Suguru.
"Satoru, you—"
"Suguru, do you also want her to merge?" Satoru's simple question left Suguru silent.
After much thought, Suguru shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's not about what we want. This is our duty as sorcerers."
"Who made the rules?" Satoru asked.
"Hm?" Suguru stared at him in confusion, not understanding what he was saying.
"Must we follow the rules?" Satoru asked again.
"...Satoru... you..." Suguru's eyes widened as everything clicked.
Satoru turned and stared at Suguru. "What I'm about to do might be selfish and stupid, but I don't care!"
Screech!
The car came to a stop forcefully.
"Hm? What's wrong?" The driver/attendant frowned slightly as he stepped on the gas, but no matter how much or how strongly he stepped on it, the car didn't budge.
Satoru turned and stared at the still-stunned Riko. "Do you really want to merge?"
Satoru asked the question he had once asked her in the past.
"I..." Riko opened her mouth, but then she closed it and stared at the ground, her expression becoming conflicted. After a while, she looked up and stared at Satoru. "No! I still want to live a normal life! I still want to attend high school! Go to university, find a job, fall in love, and marry! I want to live a normal life!"
At the end of her words, Riko broke down in tears. She was still a middle schooler; no matter how hard she tried to put up a strong front, deep down she still felt unwilling.
Why her? Why must she sacrifice herself for people she didn't know?
Her thoughts were selfish, yes, but this was normal human behavior.
Who would want to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of people they hadn't met or known? Especially an orphan like Riko, who had no one in this world but Kuroi.
"You—what are you saying?"
Satoru hadn't used vector manipulation when Riko was talking, and the driver/attendant could hear everything.
"Do you know the importance of Tengen? So what if you want to live a normal life? Think of the bad change you'll bring to the jujutsu world! The merging of T—"
"Shut up."
Satoru's single word immediately silenced the man as his throat tightened, making his face turn blue and knocking him unconscious.
Satoru turned to Riko, his cold expression turning into relief. He had been afraid Riko would still want to merge with Tengen; no matter how selfish he was, he would still respect her choices.
"Let's go. I'll take you back," Satoru said.
"Satoru, you..." Suguru stared at Satoru in shock, not believing what he was seeing.
Satoru turned to Suguru and flashed a smile. "I'll be back."
Then, under Suguru's shocked gaze, Satoru touched the shoulders of Riko and Kuroi, and the trio vanished from the car.
....
Okinawa.
Riko's house.
The trio, consisting of Satoru, Riko, and Kuroi, appeared inside Riko's house.
Kuroi staggered slightly, still shaken both by the teleportation and the information she had just heard—Riko wasn't being sacrificed.
Riko turned to Satoru in shock. "Y-You brought us back? Why?"
"Didn't you say you didn't want to merge?" Satoru said with a smile. "Don't worry, no one would disturb your school days or your normal life. You can rest assured."
"But... would others really let me be?" Riko asked, her hands shaking.
"Of course not," Satoru said with a smile. Those old fogeys wouldn't take an action like this—a literal slap across their face—lightly. They'll surely retaliate. "But don't worry. If they send people, I'll kill them. Only if they see I'm serious in protecting you will they let you be."
Noticing Riko's still-concerned look, Satoru added.
"Don't worry. No matter who comes, no one would touch you—I'm the strongest, after all."
....
The news of Satoru 'kidnapping' the Star Plasma Vessel spread like wildfire in the jujutsu world.
In a traditional Japanese house—the meeting room of the jujutsu higher-ups.
"Presumptuous!"
A thunderous voice echoed in the room as one of the higher-ups, hidden behind a paper sliding door, slammed his table in rage.
"What does Gojo Satoru take us for?!"
The higher-ups were extremely furious. It hadn't even been two years since Satoru had disrespected the assistant from a higher-up, and now not only did he disrespect another one, he also went against the rules of the jujutsu world and kidnapped the Star Plasma Vessel.
(A/N: The driver/assistant was an assistant for a higher-up.)
"What should we do?" a voice asked.
"I say we brand him as a rogue sorcerer!" another voice said, sounding extremely familiar to Haruto—the same voice that had almost instigated the higher-ups against Satoru.
"I agree!"
"I also think that's a great idea!"
"Gojo Satoru is not only someone from the Gojo clan but also the next head of the clan—do you wish to disgrace the Gojo clan? Can you stand their retaliation?" Haruto calmly said from behind his door, silencing the entire hall.
Forget the retaliation from the Gojo clan; if they truly branded Satoru as a rogue sorcerer and he truly went rogue, the jujutsu world might no longer be safe.
"You're right. Branding Gojo Satoru as a rogue might be too much, but retrieving the Star Plasma Vessel is essential! The three great clans must ally together to take her back from Gojo Satoru!" the same voice who had brought the idea of branding Satoru as rogue said, eliciting nods from the other higher-ups.
(A/N: Can you guess who he is? 😏)
"But how do we find Gojo Satoru?" a higher-up asked.
"...It might take long, but we would surely find him! In the meantime, get the other Star Plasma Vessel ready," the voice said.
'Heh! You just want to find a way to kill him,' Haruto sneered internally, seeing through the plans of the higher-ups.
"Finding Gojo Satoru shouldn't be simple," a higher-up said, their aged voice filled with wisdom. "After such an act, he'll surely travel abroad. We should first search—"
"Gojo Satoru has been found!" an assistant burst into the hall, shouting.
"Eh?"
"He was sighted in Okinawa this morning!"
"What?!"
.....
Okinawa.
The 'runaway' Satoru currently sat on the roof of Riko Amanai's school, watching her play with her friends, a warm smile on his face.
....
A/N: Thanks for reading! :-) Please drop a power stone before leaving! See you tomorrow!
Next chapter: The Fight Against the World