[5]: Wheel of Time

The three children found themselves once again in an awkward silence. Tsumiki stared at the big white dog crouching at Shin's feet. She had to admit, when it wasn't being silly, it did look quite majestic.

With a new topic to break the ice, Tsumiki spoke up, "Hello, I'm Fushiguro Tsumiki, and this is my younger brother, Fushiguro Megumi. Is this your dog?"

Shin nodded slightly. "My name is Shin Shuichi. An uncle gave this dog to me. His name is White Wolf."

Tsumiki gave a sweet smile. "Can I call you Shin? Megumi also has two dogs, though I can't see them. He says one is black and the other is white, but I can see your dog just fine."

Shin didn't bother explaining what a Cursed Corpse was. He figured it was fine to treat it like an ordinary dog since they didn't seem all that different on the surface.

White Wolf sat on the ground, panting, and its tail wagged even more vigorously as if it understood Tsumiki's words. Although Megumi kept his usual cold expression, with his sister beside him, he remained relatively quiet and polite.

With White Wolf as a starting point, the three of them began to warm up to each other. At Tsumiki's request, Megumi reluctantly summoned his own white dog.

Shin watched as Megumi pressed his hands together, forming the shape of a dog's head, and then his shadow rippled. From it emerged a large white dog.

Perhaps because White Wolf was a Cursed Corpse imbued with Cursed Energy, it got along well with the dog Megumi called "Shikigami." The key reason, however, was that despite being young, Tsumiki was very gentle and kind-hearted, as could be seen by how her cold-faced brother behaved obediently in front of her.

They played together for almost the entire afternoon, and just as Shin was about to excuse himself to leave, he was invited to stay for dinner. From what Shin could recall, he could cook, but he might have trouble reaching the stove. Noticing Megumi's displeased expression, Shin simply smiled and agreed.

The meal was prepared by Tsumiki—simple and homey—but Shin ate happily, almost competing with Megumi for food. Megumi glanced unhappily at the boy across from him. 'This guy… why is he acting so familiar, and why won't he leave? My sister's attention is all on him…'

Remembering that Gojo Satoru had said they'd be attending school together soon, Megumi stabbed his food harder with his chopsticks. His sister noticed and said, "Megumi, eat properly and stop playing with your food," making him even more frustrated.

…

After bidding farewell to the Fushiguro siblings, Shin returned to the house where he would be living. The place was quite large, especially for just one child. It felt spacious and quiet, but Shin wasn't at all afraid. Instead, he quietly reflected on how Gojo Satoru was as unreliable as Yaga Masamichi had said.

White Wolf roamed around, familiarizing itself with the space. Shin explored the three-story house and chose a room on the second floor with good sunlight to be his bedroom. The house was clean, and everything, including water and electricity, was functioning well. It seemed someone had taken care of the place, so maybe Gojo wasn't entirely unreliable after all.

After spending his first night in the unfamiliar house, Shin woke up the next morning and made himself a simple breakfast of eggs, bread, and milk with ingredients from the fridge. Not long after finishing, there was a knock on the door.

Opening it, Shin found Gojo Satoru grinning at him. Before Shin could say anything, Gojo spoke first. "Get ready. I'm taking you to test out your Cursed Technique and to explain some basics about the Jujutsu world."

Shin picked up White Wolf, and in a familiar scene transition, Gojo brought him back to Jujutsu High, where he spotted Yaga Masamichi standing in the distance. However, this wasn't the school campus; it was a barren field.

As Shin was set down, he heard Yaga's disapproving voice. "Satoru, he's still just a child. Do you have to be in such a hurry?"

Gojo waved him off. "Don't worry. Shin's got a lot of talent, and his Cursed Technique is a bit special. We need to figure it out."

Gojo clapped his hands. "Yaga-sensei is a great teacher. He's here to explain the basics of the Jujutsu world to you."

Yaga approached, ignoring the playful White Wolf, his expression serious. "I'll start with the fundamentals."

"Negative emotions from humans generate Cursed Energy, which in turn gives birth to curses. Each year, over 10,000 people in Japan either die mysteriously or go missing, with most cases caused by curses. Some individuals are born with the talent to control their Cursed Energy, and by using it to power their Cursed Techniques to exorcise curses, they become Jujutsu sorcerers."

"Cursed Techniques are fascinating... You can think of them as superpowers. Mastering Cursed Techniques, Cursed Energy, and physical combat are essential for Jujutsu sorcerers."

"For example, Satoru's Cursed Technique is called Limitless. It may sound complicated, but one of its basic effect is that the closer anything gets to him, the slower it becomes, eventually making it impossible to touch him. Most Jujutsu sorcerers' techniques are public knowledge because revealing one's technique can enhance its power. Satoru also has the Six Eyes, which allow him to see the flow of Cursed Energy and even the operation of techniques. As for your Cursed Technique, it's unknown. We'll need to observe and test it out."

Gojo chimed in, "Exactly! So, Shin, why don't you show us your Cursed Technique?"

Shin was curious about his own Cursed Technique as well, so he cooperatively said, "Sometimes I enter a special state where I become extremely fast, and everything around me seems frozen."

As he spoke, Shin activated his technique. He felt something stir within him, and the familiar sensation returned. Gojo still seemed able to keep up with him, though Yaga lagged behind.

After the brief display, which lasted only a few seconds, Yaga's stern expression became more serious. Gojo's playful demeanor had also toned down, and the blindfold he usually wore was gone, revealing his intense gaze. He raised his hand, and a blue flame appeared on his fingertips. "Try releasing your Cursed Energy like this," Gojo instructed.

Shin had experienced this before, and with Gojo's guidance, despite Gojo's unusual teaching methods, Shin managed to follow along. Soon, he successfully condensed a stable ball of Cursed Energy at his fingertips.

"Now, try using your Cursed Technique on this Cursed Energy and see what happens," Gojo suggested.

Shin attempted to control his technique. It was an odd sensation, like using a body part you never consciously thought about. Cursed Techniques were a natural part of a sorcerer, but when actively used, their presence became much more pronounced.

Shin focused, and soon he saw the ball of Cursed Energy shift. In his vision, it suddenly disappeared from his fingertip, and a distinct trail of light appeared in the air. The sound that followed wasn't loud but rather sharp.

Yaga mulled over the display. While he could somewhat track Shin's movements when he sped up earlier, this Cursed Energy attack was completely beyond his vision. The Cursed Energy had disappeared and left a trail simultaneously. If that attack had been aimed at him, the only option would have been to defend—there was no time for dodging or counterattacking.

Though the Cursed Energy wasn't particularly strong, Yaga knew it was because Shin hadn't used his full power. After all, he was still just a child, and he hadn't learned many techniques yet.

Shin felt a bit drained. In fact, he wasn't holding back as much as Yaga thought; rather, he hadn't poured a lot of energy into the attack. Instead, he had focused on speed—activating his Cursed Technique.

Even Shin hadn't fully tracked the speed of his own attack. Gojo, shielding his eyes with his hand, gazed at the remnants of the Cursed Energy trail in the sky before turning back to Shin. His ice-blue eyes, rare and brilliant like a precious gem, held a peculiar expression.

"Impressive…"

Curious, Yaga asked, "Satoru, what exactly is his Cursed Technique?"

Gojo's expression grew a bit more serious, though he still wore a smile. "Time. It's time!"

"Shin's Cursed Technique manipulates time. He doesn't just speed up by enhancing his body with Cursed Energy—he's accelerating time for himself or other things. That's why his movements and attacks are terrifyingly fast; his time is different from ours."

Yaga's face showed astonishment. In the history of Jujutsu sorcery, there had been countless powerful techniques. For instance, Master Tengen's technique made him immortal, and as his body aged, it would eventually evolve into a higher dimension due to the effects of his technique.

Then there was Satoru's technique, which was also overwhelmingly strong. But a sorcerer possessing a time-based technique, and one this direct, was something he had never seen before.

While a sorcerer's strength wasn't solely determined by their technique, it was undeniable that the technique played a major role in shaping their potential. But it wasn't just Shin's technique that was astounding—his cursed energy was immense, to a borderline absurd degree.

Satoru, as if reading Yaga's thoughts, chimed in, "Shin's cursed energy is also tied to his technique. It seems that, even unconsciously, his technique has been influencing his cursed energy, making its generation extremely fast."

"Hmm… If my technique 'Limitless' consumes almost no cursed energy because of the Six Eyes, then perhaps in the future, Shin could reach a point where his energy generation surpasses his consumption. In a way, that would give him 'infinite cursed energy'…"

After hearing Satoru's words, Shin glanced down at his own hands. "Time… My technique is time?" At that moment, countless images flashed through his mind… Time… It seemed quite remarkable.

Before he could think further, Satoru pulled him close, flashing a bright smile. "How about it? Your technique just manifested for the first time! Want to give it a name?"

After a brief pause, Shin replied, "Let's call it… The Wheel of Time."