He said they were "professionals" from the Jujutsu world, responsible for ensuring his safety, but.. one of them was clearly the shadow he had been searching for.
#
Tetsuya Kuroko went through the most painful summer of his life.
Just as he was contemplating where his future would lead, an elder named Zenin Naobito entered his life.
You are the talent we need. Will you come with me?
Kuroko looked at the hands reaching out toward him and took them without hesitation.
He knew he might not be suited for this environment, but at least.. this time, someone said they needed him.
——Since we can no longer coexist in peace, we might as well choose to fall together.
#
Ever since Geto Suguru defected, Gojo Satoru has been so busy he hasn't had a moment to rest. When he finally managed to find some free time, he suddenly discovered an interesting little fellow had appeared within the Zenin family's rotten mess.
Unlike typical shikigami users, he can not only summon shikigami but can also occasionally borrow their abilities.
Looking at the little brat of the True Shadow Method he had just found, Gojo Satoru fell into deep thought.
—Should we dig it up?
#
Are you interested in joining my game, Kuroko-kun?
What is Gojo-senpai planning to do?
Do you want world peace or a world without suffering? Those are impossible, aren't they?
No, I don't have such grand ideals.
I just want to.. overturn this twisted jujutsu world.
#
Note: No CP, all characters are just friends.
The Kuroko and Aomine-related content follows official IF lines, including but not limited to Captain Kiyoshi and Police Officer Aoyama.
The timeline spans from Kuroko Tetsuya's youth to adulthood, with Kuroko Tetsuya corresponding to the Star Plasma Vessel event in the original Jujutsu Kaisen (2006).
Kuroko Tetsuya's shikigami are all from the neighboring Throne of Heroes, but since there is no Mage Association in this world, he himself is a form of possession.
Key points: Shadow Servants, involving aspects of the Beast of Humanity setting, including Black Mud.
Pushing Mahito and Hanami away, I am full of malice toward the two of them.
The abstract plot following the original Jujutsu Kaisen story has been heavily modified and does not strictly follow the original setting.
Chapter 2: The Second Fox
What shattered?
—It was his heart.
Rishia Heisuke wanted to find a hole in the ground to bury Hinata in right now.
If it were him hearing such words, he would already be contemplating which planet was more suitable for human survival.
No.. he couldn't bring himself to ask someone if he could rely on them for a toss the very first time they met.
Hinata's expression only froze for a brief moment.
He tilted his head back and continued to ask with a hint of testing in his tone, "Then if I play well, can you set the ball for me, Senpai?"
Miya Atsumu listened to the question, which felt like a small beast extending its claws, subconsciously recalled the scene he had just witnessed of the other person jumping.
His height was below average, judging by his physique, his strength was likely lacking as well.
His ball handling was incredibly poor, he lacked any tactical thinking. The only two things that could possibly catch anyone's attention.. were likely just his speed and jumping ability.
Thinking this, he subconsciously asked, "How long have you been playing volleyball?"
This boy made many mistakes that only a novice would make, he was quite a far cry from the relatively "experienced" Rishia Heisuke standing beside him.
If he were a novice.. with that kind of jumping ability and explosive power, he could certainly be called a talent with great potential.
Hinata thought deeply for a moment before answering honestly, "A very, very long time."
Countless days and nights have passed since the first time he touched a volleyball.
A trace of unmistakable disappointment appeared in Miya Atsumu's eyes.
The sun gradually disappeared below the horizon, the orange-red sky was swallowed bit by bit by the darkness.
Miya Atsumu stood up, a smile barely touching his face: "Anyway.. good luck."
Loving volleyball and having a talent for playing it are two different concepts; what he wants is a "monster" who possesses both.
They probably won't meet again..
—A tiny flower.
Rishia Heisuke breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't had the chance to speak with this future senior.
What a joke, he had absolutely no desire to strike up a conversation with this senior, who looked like he had such a strange personality.
Coming back to his senses, Rishia Heisuke looked at Hinata with concern. "Shoyo, you.."
But before he could finish speaking, he noticed an inexplicable smile on Hinata Shoyo's face.
Heisuke, I've made up my mind.
Hinata looked at Miya Atsumu's retreating figure in the distance, but his eyes held not the sadness and grief that Heisuke had expected, but rather..
An eager, restless excitement.
"What?" Rishia Heisuke froze for a moment.
Hinata's voice rang out, his tone incredibly firm: "I want to become stronger."
No extra explanation was needed; these few words were more than enough.
Excited, Hinata Shoyo looked at Rishia Heisuke beside him: "Miya Atsumu is Inarizaki's setter. You're so amazing, Heisuke, you'll go to Inarizaki too, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's already been confirmed that I'll be a special recruit." Rishia Heisuke froze for a moment, then nodded softly.
Hinata clenched his fists: "Then I'm going too."
“He will stand on the same stage as Heisuke! And give Miya Atsumu a big surprise!”
And that king from Kitagawa Daiichi, he must go even further than all of them.
The more sensitive Rishia Heisuke looked at the full-of-fighting-spirit Hinata Shoyo, momentarily at a loss for words.
He could feel that Miya Atsumu's final words might not have been encouragement or expectation.
What he expressed was definitely not "wait until you climb to my level," but rather the disappointment that no matter how hard one tries, one will never reach it.
But..
Rishia closed his eyes and extended his fist toward Hinata.
I believe in you, Shoyo.
I want to stand on the same side of the net as you, too.
His voice was gentle yet firm, without a shred of doubt regarding the future of the person before him.
Perhaps for Hinata Shoyo, the concept of "time spent playing volleyball" began the very moment he first touched a volleyball.
But in reality.. the time Hinata has actually been formally in contact with volleyball and learning how to play it has only been these short two months from when Rishia first met him until now.
Jumping ability, physical fitness, explosive power, speed.
Hinata possesses almost every ability that all volleyball players should have.
As for the technical barriers, a crack had already been pried open by his growth, which over the past two months could be described as occurring at light speed.
Rishia Heisuke lowered his eyes.
He knew, was that not also a part of "talent"?
The seedlings that still poke their heads out of the barren land are strong and resilient.
Perhaps he was just waiting for an opportunity, waiting.. for an opportunity to absorb enough nutrients and bloom.
To be honest, he wanted to see that moment.
The sensation of being "chased" from behind was becoming increasingly palpable; Hinata Shoyo's technique had become far, far stronger than it was when they first met.
But he would never be caught and surpassed by Hinata Shoyo.
After all.. he was also constantly improving.
Hinata raised his hand and lightly bumped fists with Rishia Heisuke.
As night fell, the boy's eyes shone as brightly as the sun.
As the two were preparing to head home, Rishia Heisuke asked a fatal question: "How are Shoyo's grades?"
Hinata fell into an eerie silence, his entire being losing its luster like a frost-bitten eggplant.
Inarizaki High School, the best comprehensive high school in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, is renowned nationwide for its various clubs, including volleyball, baseball, the orchestra.
And Hinata Shoyo, who had made up his mind to go to Inarizaki High School..
is an academic failure.
It's okay..
Inarizaki still admits a lot of people every year.
With a clear goal in sight, even the once tedious and monotonous tasks began to take on meaning.
And Hinata Natsu also discovered that her brother had changed.
Since moving here, her brother has always come home very late.
Every time he came back, he was covered in the smell of sweat, so she would push him to take a shower before she would cling to him to play.