Ten Shadows in the Heian Era

Narauko

Age 11

///

The soft light of the sun filters through the canopy above and illuminates my path as I walk towards my usual spot, the only clearing in my forest with a lake, though it might be more accurate to call it a pond, since it's not exactly large.

My single toothed geta stopped being difficult to walk through the forest with a while ago, so I'm making a game of it now to step exclusively on roots. The challenge is to make it there and back to the house without getting a single bit of dirt on my shoes.

So far, I haven't succeeded, but I mostly blame that on dirt being kicked up on the roots. I swear that the various tree roots are more dirty than usual. It's like the trees are conspiring against me, and my pride won't let me give up on the stupid challenge.

Oh well. Challenges aren't any fun if they are easy to achieve. Kind of defeats the point, really.

In my hand, I'm holding a basket full of berries, since it's lunch time for the deer, and there was a new fawn born recently, so I want to make sure it has enough sustenance to grow strong enough to get through the coming winter.

I've been kind of worried about it, since it seems weaker and smaller than the other new-born deer have been. If it really seems like it'll be too weak to survive the coming winter, then I'll just bring it to the house, where it can stay warm. 

I'm sure the old man would understand.

The walk isn't long, even with the challenge slowing me down somewhat.

As usual, a number of deer are already present lying around the water, relaxing. They really are beautiful creatures. Part of me wants to see if I can introduce the native deer here to the rest of the world at some point, but another part of me worries that something bad would happen, though I'm not exactly sure what that bad thing would be.

It is just that anxiety you get at the thought of something you care deeply about going through a significant change. Worry that things will somehow be different, even if you have no basis for why that would be the case.

Emotions are a funny thing like that. Rhyme and reason are difficult to comprehend, but I think that's fine too. I believe that the simple explanation of 'It wouldn't sit right with me' is a perfectly valid reason to make a decision.

Regardless of my thoughts, the deer perk up at my arrival, and most of the younger ones swiftly stand and come to swarm me. The older ones already know that I will come and sit down next to them, since I do always sit in the same spot, so they don't bother.

"You're all so adorable, you know that?" I say as I pet the deer, having to hold my other hand up so that a particularly adventurous young one doesn't steal everyone's food.

It takes a bit of wrangling and a lot of bribing the young ones with berries to get to my normal spot, whereupon I am quickly engulfed in yet more fur, making me laugh at their friendly eagerness.

"I really do love you lot," I smile as I continue handing out berries with one hand and petting my friend with the other, knowing that they can't understand my words but speaking to them anyway. "Thank you for having me."

It doesn't take long for me to run out of berries to feed, and with the initial excitement done with, a lot of the older deer went back to lying down on the grass or drinking from the lake, or going for a wander, to stretch their legs or get more food.

The young ones however, all bunched up together and clambered over one another into a great big pile over my legs and chest, with the smallest one somehow winding up at the front, its head resting on my shoulder and pushing against my cheek.

In my last life, my favourite animal was the swan. In this life, I don't think there's going to be any competition for what my new favourite animal is.

I still like cats though. And rabbits. Foxes too, and snakes as well. Okay, I like a lot of animals, but I like a lot of everything, so I don't think it's really surprising.

When the little fowls eventually settle down enough for a nap, I simply lean back against my tree and look up at the sky above, watching as the sun ever so slowly moves across the sky.

I figured out how to augment my Cursed Energy Reinforcement to layer over my eyes in a way that removes glare a little bit ago. It's kind of a pain to keep up, but that just means it's good training. Besides, even if it is a pain, it's worth it to be able to watch the sun without having to squint or going blind.

In my last life, I remember pacing out of boredom just from spending five minutes with nothing to do and no interesting thoughts to distract me.

In this life, I continued to sit there for hours on end, simply watching the sun move across the sky with nothing but peaceful contentment on my mind.

I feel like... Like I'm starting to forget what boredom felt like.

The joys of no internet, I guess, I think to myself with a snort.

Still, time does not last forever, and in what felt faster than the hours it must have been, the sun is eventually blocked by a specific branch that, from this position, always gets in the way of the sun just before I need to head back to get dinner ready for the old man.

So, with no real reluctance, I gently guide the sleeping fawns off of my form, doing my level best to avoid waking them up as I do, something that is inordinately difficult with wild prey animals. Once I am free of added weights, I stand up, briefly stretch, getting a nice and satisfying click out of my back and pick my basket up before heading back home.

Once again, the walk is not very long, especially since I don't rush, preferring to enjoy the peaceful sounds and atmosphere of nature as I go.

Soon enough, I hop off of the final tree root and land on the smooth wooden flooring of my home, the satisfying click of my geta on wood bringing a smile to my face.

The first thing I do after getting back is checking the soles of my feet, and I click my tongue when I see the strands of dirt. Shaking my head, I move on and walk further into the building, depositing my basket near the back door as I pass it and slipping off my geta.

Making my way to the kitchen, I set about preparing dinner, humming some long forgotten tune as I do so. My ability to sense Cursed Energy has improved of late, so I don't have any trouble locating the old man, and I make sure to prepare some tea with the food, packing both up on a pair of trays when ready.

We don't have the ingredients for anything particularly fancy, but there's nothing wrong with simple food, and it's filling enough to support my growth. The forest even has a bunch of rabbits, so we even have meat, which I understand to be more difficult to obtain in these times than my old memories of just going to the store.

I find the old man sitting on the wooden walkway that lines the outside of the wall of the house, kind of like a veranda, except it doesn't have an eave to keep the rain away, making it a nure-en, named as such because the Kanji for 'nure' means 'wet', which it gets every time it rains.

It's not the first time I've found him sitting there, stoically observing the shinboku, watching the sacred tree as if he is expecting something to happen. However, there is a certain sense of melancholy about him today that gives me pause.

Kinoshita's body shifts slightly as he smells the food in my hands, and I continue my approach as he turns to acknowledge my presence.

"What were you thinking about?" I ask as I settle down next to him, passing over the tray with his food and drink in it.

He takes the tray, places it on his lap and looks down at the food for a moment of solemn silence, before eventually, "Itadakimasu." Ignoring the question entirely.

Being brushed off hurts my feelings a little bit, but I have no right to pry, so I simply turn to my own meal, pick up my chopsticks, and dig in.

The meal passes in comfortable silence, both of us simply eating to the sight of this shrine's sacred tree.

"Gochisōsama deshita," Kinoshita says once the meal is finished, thanking me for the food in that kind of murmuring voice everyone gets when they repeat the same phrase every day.

"Osomatsusama," I respond by habit, using the same tone as I wave off his thanks, just as I have every other time.

He fed me when I could not feed myself. It's only natural that now that I can feed us both I would do so and repay the favour, he really doesn't have to thank me for it. But I understand that politeness is very important to the culture here, so I've gotten used to it at this point.

Kinoshita places his tray between us and picks up his half drank tea, prompting me to stack my own tray and bowl with his, before picking up my own drink and holding it in both palms to feel the warmth.

I'm not sure how long we sat there, simply sipping silently at our tea, but eventually Kinoshita surprises me with his voice.

"I was thinking of my wife," he says, abruptly answering my earlier question. "Today is the anniversary of the day that she died."

Oh. That explains the heavy feeling to the air.

"What was she like?" I ask after a moment of uncertainty.

He gets a far off look to his eyes at my question, staring at nothing, and for a moment I wonder if I should not have said anything, but right before I can apologise, he answers.

"Wilful." He says the word with so many subtle emotions that I can't pick out an exact tone. From affectionate to exasperated to annoyed and mournful. So many emotions tied down into one single word, more emotions than I've ever seen the old man express before, even if his face remains stoic.

"She did not get to spend much time here," he continues after a moment, gesturing lightly to the shrine around us. "But in the time that she did have, she would spend it there," I match my eyes with his, gazing upon the sacred tree.

"She would pray, every day. It is why she wished to live in a shrine." I can't help but feel somewhat surprised as the old man continues to talk, almost sounding animated as he does, even if he still hasn't smiled yet. "She specifically wanted to live in an isolated shrine no one would ever set foot in. She said she did not want the kami to be distracted by anyone else's prayers. So selfish," he finishes with a fond mutter.

She sounds like a really interesting person.

"What was she praying for?" I find myself asking. Surely, if she was willing to go to so much trouble to garner a kami's personal attention, she must have had some specific wish that only a kami could have granted her.

"The same thing that she always prayed for. The only thing that she ever desired," is his somewhat cryptic answer, but I get the message that he doesn't want to say what she was praying for, so I instead ask another question.

"Were her prayers answered, in the end?" I ask knowing it is probably a bit rude to do so, but too curious to stop myself in the moment.

For some reason, my words make the old man turn his head to meet my eyes, and for a moment, he just looks at me, some inexplicable feeling to his glistening gaze, as if he can somehow find the answer in my eyes.

"Yes," he answers after a moment, his voice lowering to a whisper as he suddenly turns away from me. "They were."

I feel like I have missed something, but I would have to be incredibly obtuse to not notice the sadness in Kinoshita's aura, or the faint glistening in his eye.

Without saying a word, I push the trays between us to the side, get up on my knees and shuffle closer to Kinoshita's side before simply leaning forward and embracing him in a hug.

He stiffens at my touch. "What are you doing."

"Comforting you."

"I am not a child," he quickly responds.

"Feelings do not disappear with age," I counter. "Adults need emotional support too. Does it bother you?"

He doesn't answer.

"I know that a man should be strong, able to stand on their own without support, without ever being seen to cry," I continue. "But you miss her. So my eyes are closed. I cannot see anything."

A beat passes, and Kinoshita's muscles relax, a tenseness leaving him. I keep my eyes closed as I tighten my hold of him.

In my last life, I was completely alone. Any sadness I ever felt was always compounded by the fact that I was not just sad, but also alone. I remember desperately wishing that someone, anyone was there with me.

Hugs are good. They are warm. No one deserves to mourn in solitude, without any warmth at all to support them. People generally don't like asking for support, but rarely will they complain after it is given.

We are all people, in the end. Everyone cries.

"...rau...ko!.....Nara...."

A faint voice, steadily growing louder comes to my attention, and I blearily pry open heavy eyelids, squinting slightly at the light. Slowly, my eyes and thoughts come into focus, turning the indistinct blur of purple and black before me into the sight of Taira no Takiyasha staring down at me with a frown.

"Narauko!"

Ah, I must have fallen asleep in my meditation. 

I never did find out what she was praying for.

///

Kiyohara no Motosuke

///

Walking through the endless corridors of the school at the behest of Tengen-sama, Motosuke considers whether her decision is the right one or not.

He does not doubt that Tengen-sama only wants what's best for everyone, but even so, her latest idea gives him pause. He wonders if it is a good idea. There seems too many ways for things to go poorly, no matter her intentions.

Most Sorcerers are not nearly as concerned with others as Tengen-sama is, after all. In the end however, he does not believe her kindness to indicate any naivety. Tengen-sama is older than all of them, he trusts her judgment.

Still, she could have told him where Narauko was before sending him after the boy.

Narauko has virtually no presence at all, if he wanted to find the boy by himself, it would be an impossible task. He wouldn't be able to sense that Special Grade unless he was right next to him.

It's a stark contrast to Sukuna, who can be clearly sensed even by the most dull of senses from anywhere in the complex.

Sliding open another paper door, Motosuke steps outside, raising a hand to shade his eyes from the sun, and once he has adjusted to the change in brightness, he quickly locates his target.

Down below in one of the many training fields, Taira no Takiyasha, the current object of his pursuit can be seen sparring alongside Minamoto no Yoshiie and Kamo no Sabishī in what appears to be a free for all brawl.

For a moment he simply watches, assessing their growth. It has been a few months since the start of their tenure here, and they have all clearly made plenty of progress, a staggering amount, actually.

The growth of Jujutsu Sorcerers is not some linear thing. They grow in bursts and spurts. Stagnating until properly stimulated into a period of rapid growth.

He remembers how they were when they first arrived, and their growth was fairly stable at the time. Just refining the basics, gaining experience and earning the proper muscle memory.

However, there was a noticeable change once that boy Narauko arrived.

All of them have started growing much faster. He has been inspiring them.

And in no one is that more clear than Taira herself. She was already Special Grade One upon entry, a rare accomplishment that put her among the most talented Sorcerers ever born, but it's only recently that it has really shown with how rapidly she has been growing.

It wouldn't surprise him if she were to experience a Black Flash soon enough. Such a thing can obviously not really be predicted, but at the same time, sometimes there is a certain.. tension that builds up, like a bowstring pulled ever more taut.

It's hard to describe it, and there are so many factors that go into it that it would take days to even attempt to do so. But in short, it just feels like it. Like she's pushing against a door with more and more force, making the door bend more and more. It feels like she just needs the slightest push forward to advance to even greater heights.

Shaking his head, he dismisses the thought from his mind and steps forward, flaring his Cursed Energy enough to get their attention.

The moment he does so, Minamoto and Taira freeze right before striking each other while dozens of lances of blood slam to a stop in mid-air as they all turn to look at him.

Absently, he wonders what kind of ripple effects will come of the Minamoto Heir, the Taira Princess and the granddaughter of Yasunori all befriending one another.

Well, he can guess the result. A lot of heartbreak, betrayal and rage. He does not think Tengen-sama to be naïve, but neither does he see a future where the clans can be at peace.

Though, perhaps she can merely see further ahead than him. She is immortal after all.

"Taira-san. With me," he calls out, waiting for her to sheathe her blade and join his side before leading her back inside.

"What is it, Kiyohara-Sensei?" She asks him, and he chooses to ignore the way she slouches slightly as she walks. He is entirely unsurprised that her father would have failed to raise his daughter like a proper lady.

"It is my understanding that you are close with Narauko-san, no? I am in need of him, but cannot locate his Cursed Energy." He doesn't miss the way she scowls at his words, nor does he miss the ever so faint brush of embarrassment that briefly colours her aura.

"We are not close," she all but hisses out. "We are just classmates."

She says that, yet she still leads him forward as if confident that she would know where he is even without being able to sense him. Besides, he might not have his own daughter's eyes, but neither is he blind.

"Really?" He asks with faux obliviousness. "I heard that he claimed the title of Strongest with that blade in hand," he gestures to the sword at her hip. "I find it struggling to believe that a mere classmate would be allowed to wield such a blade."

His words visibly upset her, but he can tell that she is not nearly as upset as a woman would be with an unwanted match. This surprises no one.

Her blade is the Sword of Ruin, the twin of her father's own sword, the Sword of Extermination. It is an incredibly valuable treasure, to the point that it is harder to believe that allowing Narauko to wield it was merely an act of friendship, instead of courthood.

"Tch. It was just a loan," she insists, purposefully not looking his way. "It was not a gift. I was just generating a favour from a Special Grade, nothing more."

The lie would be obvious even without his own observational capabilities, but he lets it lie for now, feeling a rueful smile grace his lips as he loses himself to the past.

He has not forgotten the letter that that boy came with. As the son of his dear friend, he would consider Narauko as something of a nephew. 

Still... He glances at Taira's face, taking in the frown and the fading blush, and he can't help but shake his head.

If I had any doubt that he is yours, he thinks to his old friend. Then that doubt is no more. I only hope your son will at least possess some restraint.

His old friend was also quite the attraction to the woman around him. At least until Murasaki stole his heart away.

"He's probably in here," Taira says, distracting him from his memories as they walk up to a set of shoji doors that lead to a small garden.

Taira slides the door open and steps inside without any fanfare, himself following closely behind, only to almost walk into Taira as she stops right in front of him.

Frowning, he takes a step around her and quickly finds himself freezing in place at what he sees, mouth agape with sheer awe.

The garden is a square with plenty of open space. White, blue and yellow flowers line the edge of the square, intermingling in a way that brings peace to the eyes.

There is a tobi-ishi, a set of stepping stones, that leads from the door to the centre of the garden, where there stands a single tree.

But what has their attention so enraptured is what is at the base of the tree under the light of the sun.

Sitting with his back to the wood in a lotus position is Narauko, his eyes closed in what is clearly meditation. But what stands out is the flowing white aura surrounding his body, flickering like soft flames that do not burn, reaching mere inches from his skin.

Is that Touki? Motosuke thinks to himself, shocked to the core. But how?! Where could he have found the time?! How could he even feel it under all of his Cursed Energy?!

One should note that Touki is technically not incompatible with any other sources of energy, but at the same time, it is a path for the weak and stubborn, for those only with no other method of advancement.

Part of this is because Touki does not have any nature. It is the most pure expression of neutrality without an ounce of positivity or negativity.

This means that for a Sorcerer, especially a Special Grade, who is full of Cursed Energy, it is almost impossible to even feel such a neutral expression, never mind bring it forth.

Even then, to be able to express your Touki requires years, sometimes centuries of near constant physical conditioning of the harshest kind. It is not something that can be accomplished by any but those who are able to dedicate every hour of every day to physical training.

There is a reason barely anyone makes use of it, especially humans who's lifespan is much more limited than the Yōkai who can afford to dedicate a century to the art. 

It is simply inefficient. There are plenty of examples of Sorcerers who thought mastering Touki would give them an advantage over others, and while this was sometimes true in the physical department, each of those examples were failures who accomplished nothing.

He supposes he should have known not to attribute normalcy with a Special Grade. They are anomalies for a reason.

However, as if witnessing Narauko glowing with Touki was not enough, there is another surprise in front of him in the form of a majestic, shining white deer lying with its head resting on his lap.

For a moment after laying his eyes on it, he was almost convinced that he was looking at the manifestation of a kami.

He has of course heard of Narauko's deer Shikigami before, it's likely his most well known Shikigami due to its ability. Positive Energy is a rarity among Sorcerers.

But either the reports vastly underestimated the Shikigami, or something has changed and they are out of date.

Generating Positive Energy is one thing. It is not even purely unique, as there are examples of it in history. But this is something different, he knows it down to his soul.

The thing with Shikigami is that they are Shikigami. They are not technically alive, just mere facsimiles of life brought into the world via a Sorcerer's Cursed Energy.

Yet this deer.. It feels alive.

Such an idea is absurd enough to be called impossible, but he would have thought that about Narauko using Touki, and he is looking at that right now, so he is feeling inclined to believe his instincts here, no matter how unbelievable.

It is always easy to tell a Shikigami when you see one because they are mere constructs. But when he looks at this, whatever this is, he does not recognise it as a Shikigami.

Yet, neither is it a kami, at least, he doesn't think it's a kami.

Frankly, he has no idea.

"Narauko," Taira calls out, snapping him out of his own shock, and when he glances over at her, he gets the distinct impression that she did not recognise the same oddness with the deer that he did.

Well, she probably noticed but simply found herself too inexperienced to recognise what it was her instincts were telling her. 

Though, he does have to hide a smile as he notices that unlike he, who was enraptured by the impossibility he was witnessing, she seems to have been enraptured with the sight for an entirely different reason.

'Just classmates' she says, he thinks in amusement.

He used to take great joy watching the wreck that was his old friend's love life before he settled with Murasaki. It is nice to see that he might be able to enjoy such entertainment once again with his son.

"Oy! Narauko!" Taira calls out again when the boy does not answer her.

Once again, there is no response except from the 'Shikigami' that raises its head to look at them.

Motosuke finds it curious how the deer almost seems to brush away Taira's presence in favour of focusing on him instead, as if he is the only one who needs to be watched for the sake of its Master.

'Just classmates', he repeats in his mind, raising a hand to cover his smiling lips with a sleeve.

"Narauko!" Taira shouts once more, leaning down until her face is merely inches away from the boy's own.

That finally garners a reaction from the boy, whose face scrunches slightly before his eyes slowly open, looking up at Taira as he visibly gains clarity until he recognises her and breaks out a smile.

"Takiyasha-san?" He asks, confused as his mind is still catching up. "Do you want me?" He asks, making Taira's face flash red, before realising his own groggy words and quickly correcting his misspeak, "I apologies, I mixed my words. What I meant to ask is if there was something you needed me for?"

"A-ah, right, I mean, no, I was just helping Kiyohara-Sensei find you," Taira quickly says, tripping over herself slightly with her words, not that Narauko seems to pay it mind.

I suppose there are some differences after all, he thinks to himself.

Narauko's attention turns to him, and at the same time, his aura of Touki slowly dissipates into the air.

"Kiyohara-Sensei?" Narauko asks after rising to his feet. "What can I do for you?"

Instead of answering right away, Motosuke turns to Taira and briefly dips his head, enough to be respectful of her position while keeping in mind his own position as her teacher. 

"I thank you for your assistance, Taira-san. You are dismissed."

Taira scowls at his words and briefly glances between the two of them before huffing and spinning on her heel. "Whatever," she scoffs with her back to them, and he watches her go until the shoji slams shut behind her.

Turning back around, he finds Narauko petting his deer, though the boy's attention quickly turns back to him.

"I'm sure you're curious as to why I am here," Motosuke begins, continuing at the boy's nod of the head. "In short, there is to be a goodwill event between our Jujutsu school and the Onmyōdō school in Heian-kyō, where the event will be held. It will be held in one month. I am merely here to inform you so that you can prepare yourself in whatever way you deem fit."

There is a lot more behind it all than just a goodwill event. It's mostly politics, really.

Sugawara no Michizane is now dead, and the title of The Strongest has fallen to Sukuna and Narauko, both of whom are attending Jujutsu High. This is significant because Michizane was an Onmyōji, not a Jujutsu Sorcerer. He was loyal to the Imperial Family, not to the clans.

Because of this, the balance of power in the court has been skewed towards the Imperial Family, and with his loss, the balance has come into question. If nothing is done, the country could fall into chaos as everyone tries to grab for whatever power they can.

Which is why Tengen-sama suggested this event. The latest generation of Sorcerers composes a significant chunk of the Jujutsu world's current total power. So the idea is that this event will clearly decide which side of the court will hold the balance of power, because even if no one likes the answer, getting rid of any uncertainty will go far in pre-emptively putting an end to any political chaos.

He just hopes Tengen-sama knows what she is doing here, because he can see many ways for this to go horribly wrong and spark the very civil war it is intended to avoid.

"A goodwill event?" Narauko parrots, intrigued, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Am I allowed to know what this event will look like?"

"It will likely be a team battle followed by a tournament."

"Why did you wait for Takiyasha-san to leave before saying this?" He asks, and Motosuke nods his head, pleased with the intelligent question.

"Because it has been decided that the event will only have participating members from the second and third years, as first years are too inexperienced and were judged as too likely to die, which would be a waste."

"And why am I an exception?"

"Because you are The Strongest."

"Ah. Does that mean Sukuna will also be participating?"

"Unless something pressing comes up, yes, that is the case." He says that, but he knows that Sukuna will not be allowed to participate.

It was deemed to much of a risk to the other participants to allow him to do so. As such, there will 'coincidentally' be an urgent mission at the time of the event that Sukuna will be sent on. Of course, he isn't going to tell Narauko this.

"This will be taking place in the capital?" Narauko asks, his excitement and curiosity plain to see, and briefly, Motosuke sees Murasaki's eyes reflected in this boy's.

He really is their son, he thinks. Whether he shares their blood or not.

"Yes. It will be an eight day journey, so you will be departing in just under three weeks."

Narauko's smile only grows at his words, really making him seem like a child eagerly waiting for a promised gift.

"I shall look forward with utmost eagerness, then," Narauko states with a respectful bow.

Now, Motosuke has said all that he needed to here, but he does not yet turn to leave.

"If I may ask," he begins, "How is it that you are able to manifest your Touki?"

"You saw that?" He asks, making Motosuke think that it is a new development.

"You were glowing."

"Oh." Definitely a new development then. "Well, it was mostly a coincidence really," he begins.

"At the end of Sukuna and I's fight with Sugawara no Michizane's Spirit, he used his Domain and stripped us of all our understanding of Cursed Energy. At that point, I was held in place, unable to move and nearly lost my life. Luckily, I was able to persevere, and though I did not notice it at the time, I have now realised that I must have used Touki instinctively back then."

By instinct? Motosuke almost wants to call him a liar. Men spend decades training their bodies just to get the faintest of understanding of Touki, and yet, from his description, it is almost as if Narauko did it by accident.

"My theory is that since I had forgotten how to use my Cursed Energy it was easier to call upon Touki, since I was just following my body's instincts, and Touki is from the body, right? Though, it is not like it manifested enough that I was glowing or anything, I wasn't even sure if I had actually used Touki until today. My Cursed Energy is pretty distracting."

For a second, Motosuke is unsure what to say to that. Narauko says it all as if it is so simple, but it really is not. If it were as simple as he described, there would be far more users of Touki among the Sorcerers.

"Your Cursed Energy didn't seem to be distracting you just now," Motosuke comments for a lack of having anything else to say.

"Yes. It was distracting, so I just used Domain Expansion repeatedly until I ran out, since Domains burn so much Cursed Energy. That way I could feel for my Touki without distraction." Motosuke is so incredibly baffled with open mouthed shock at Narauko's happily spoken words that he almost doesn't hear him continue muttering a complaint under his breath. "Took forever though."

A normal Sorcerer is basically drained after a single use of Domain Expansion. Realistically, a Grade One Sorcerer should have enough Cursed Energy to use their Domain twice, maybe three times, but even if they have the energy for that, in a fight they would need the rest of their energy to actually fight, and that's without even mentioning the amount of control that is required to use a Domain Expansion when your technique is already burnt out from a previous use.

Yet here Narauko is, describing using his Domain in rapid succession, so many times that he is actually complaining about how long it took to run out of Cursed Energy.

Who even uses Domains as a way to drain energy in the first place!?

Everything about this is absurd. Motosuke doesn't even want to think about it anymore, he's going to start doubting himself at this rate.

At the very least, any hesitancy that he might have had about calling a fifteen year old The Strongest has well and truly been erased.

What kind of Monster have you raised, Old Friend? He thinks to himself.

"Well, I should return to my duties," Motosuke says, hiding his awkward feelings behind a smile. "It has been a pleasure, Narauko-san. Have a good day."

It's certainly been an experience. He can see why his daughter got so angry at him.

She hates untalented men. She has ever since Murasaki died. His daughter looked up to the woman like a mother, more even than her own actual mother.

He has tried to inspire reason within her, but she is even now still too wrought with grief to forgive or forget. In her mind, Murasaki's death could have been avoided if only her husband were better able to take care of her.

And her husband would have been able to do so if he were talented enough to be truly strong. But he was not, and so his friend was exiled and his wife left in his care.

Narauko is not lacking in talent, that much is obvious. But unfortunately, his daughter's eyes see too much. He assumes that she simply noticed him thinking of her as weak and got upset.

His Nagiko despises weakness more than anything else, and she despises weakness in herself most of all. It's why, with her eyes that see through all things, she can never get along with anyone stronger than her, and can never respect anyone weaker than her.

A sigh leaves him at the thoughts of his daughter, as he has no idea what he can to do help her overcome this issue of hers.

Motosuke pauses at the door of Narauko's garden, thoughts of his daughter reminding him of one last thing he wanted to say.

"One last thing, Narauko-san," he says with his hand on the door, turning only enough to face the boy. "You will be participating with the second and third years, which means that you will acquaint with my daughter, Nagiko, once more. If she challenges you to a fight, I would take it as a personal favour if you were to accept."

The boy cringes slightly at her name, an awkward expression flashing past his face that turns contemplative at his request.

"You needn't owe me a favour for this," he says, showing exactly how little political experience he has. No one in the capital would ever turn down an easy debt. "I would have accepted anyway."

"Then you have my thanks," he says, giving one last bow before leaving.

He won't dishonour his daughter by saying anything like asking him to hold back or to treat her in any specific way. Besides, she would no doubt notice if Narauko were to act in a specific way due to his own request. She is perceptive like that.

Still, she has gotten a lot stronger lately, ever since those foolish rumours of being scorned by Narauko came about. Though, he no longer has the confidence that her growth will make the difference he once thought it would. Not now that he understands that Narauko has not been idle either.

Once again, he notices the effect Narauko has had on others. As he continues to grow in strength, he seems to be rising those around him along with him, entirely unintentionally too, he is pretty sure.

Truly, what an absurd existence.

///

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Did you think we wouldn't get a goodwill event? Ha! Not only will there be a goodwill event, but it will be the first ever in history!

Also, Narauko is going to the capital!! (Kill me! I'm gonna have to try and keep politics in mind as I write! Yippie!(

And yeah, Touki. I figure that it's reasonable enough for him to unlock it. I mean, typically it takes decades of hard training, and even then most people fail. But Narauko has been doing literally the most intensive physical training possible for nearly a decade now.

stuffing shit in his shadows weighs down his entire existence. He is constantly working out every single muscle simultaneously, but not just his muscles either, he is exercising his 'self', his entire being. Plus, he's a heaven defying protagonist level genius equal to Sukuna, so yeah, Touki at 15 seems reasonable enough to me. (Sukuna is at a disadvantage here, but dw, he's obviously gonna catch up ;))