The road leading toward the Gojo Estate was quiet.
Far quieter than the highways they had spent the last several hours traveling through.
The evening sun hung low above the horizon, casting long shadows across the road while the occasional breeze rustled through the trees.
Inside the vehicle, Hiroyuki and Senjumaru, neither seemed particularly talkative anymore. Mostly because both of them were a little exhausted... Mentally, that is.
A little over a year.
That was roughly how long it had been since both had properly returned to the estate.
Not because they couldn't.
Simply because there was always something else.
A mission. A curse. A meeting. An investigation.
The moment one thing ended, another appeared.
Such was the life of an ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Unfortunately.
The two sitting inside the vehicle weren't exactly ordinary.
Meaning the number of things demanding their attention was significantly higher than average. A fact neither particularly appreciated.
"..."
"..."
The silence continued.
Comfortable. Familiar.
Eventually.
The familiar outline of the Gojo Estate appeared in the distance.
Large walls. Traditional rooftops. Far too much land. Far too much money.
The unmistakable residence of one of the Big Three Clans.
Looking at it from afar, one would think very little had changed.
Which was true.
Buildings rarely changed much within a year.
People, however, were a different story.
The vehicle continued forward.
Several moments later.
The gates opened.
And almost immediately—
Someone noticed.
Then another.
Then another.
Word spread quickly.
Far quicker than it should have.
By the time the vehicle fully entered the estate grounds, several attendants were already waiting.
The car eventually stopped.
A servant immediately stepped forward.
The door opened.
Both stepped out.
Almost simultaneously, the surrounding attendants lowered their heads.
"Welcome home, Young Master."
The greeting came smoothly.
Practiced. Refined. The product of generations of tradition.
Several attendants stepped forward shortly afterward.
Offering assistance. The usual things.
Hiroyuki thanked them.
The interaction lasted less than a minute.
Yet even then, a few younger attendants seemed noticeably relieved afterward.
An odd reaction.
Though not entirely unexpected. After all. Regardless of how approachable Hiroyuki actually was. His reputation within the clan had long since outgrown the person himself.
Such air continued for a moment until suddenly.
"Senjumaru."
The atmosphere shifted. One of the older maids bickered.
Then another.
Then another.
For perhaps two seconds.
Nothing happened.
Then all restraint vanished.
"Senju~!"
The first person to arrive was one of the senior maids. An elderly woman whom Hiroyuki remembered from years ago. Someone who had worked within the estate for longer than he had been alive.
The woman immediately seized Senjumaru's hands.
"Oh my goodness, look at you!"
Another appeared beside her moments later.
"You've gotten thinner."
"I have not."
"You have."
"I have not."
"You absolutely have."
A third maid joined the discussion.
"I told you she wasn't eating properly."
Senjumaru remained perfectly calm.
"...I eat regularly."
"That's what everyone says."
The accusations continued. Seeing this, Hiroyuki quietly stepped aside.
Some battles were unwinnable.
For all her accomplishments. For all her influence. For all the positions she now occupied throughout the Jujutsu Society. Within these walls, Senjumaru is simply Senjumaru.
A familiar face returning home.
A few of the older maids eventually noticed Hiroyuki attempting to escape.
One elderly woman smiled faintly.
"Young Master... Welcome Home."
"...? Oh, thank you."
And then...
"Have you been resting properly? You appear thinner than before as well."
Hiroyuki stared.
"..."
"..."
"...I'm leaving."
"That's not an answer." The old maid said with a knowing smile.
"I know."
Several maids laughed.
The sight itself felt strangely nostalgic.
Years ago.
This was normal.
Before Jujutsu High.
Before missions.
Before responsibilities began piling endlessly upon one another.
Back when returning home still happened regularly.
For a brief moment.
The estate felt exactly the same... Then reality returned.
As it always did.
Eventually. After several promises regarding future visits were extracted from them, the two finally escaped.
Then, Hiroyuki glanced around.
"Satoru?"
One of the attendants immediately answered.
"The young master is at the training grounds."
Of course he was.
Hiroyuki nodded.
"Thank you."
Then the two finally resumed walking.
The familiar paths unfolded before them. The estate itself had changed very little.
The gardens remained. The buildings remained. Even the atmosphere remained unchanged.
Until they arrived at the training grounds, that is.
Children watched from nearby.
Several instructors stood around the field.
Servants moved carefully along the edges.
At the center.
A familiar white-haired child moved through a series of exercises.
At first glance, nothing appeared different than usual. But Hiroyuki knows far better than that.
The difference wasn't in the training. It was the people. The glances. The attention. The expectations. The distance.
Subtle.
Yet unmistakable.
The sort of thing that only grew larger with time. Something that never truly disappears once it begins.
Gojo Satoru.
Bearer of the Six Eyes.
The future of the clan.
The future strongest.
People had already started looking at him differently. Not because of who he was. But because of what he represented.
And Satoru knew it.
Perhaps not consciously.
Perhaps not completely.
But he knew.
"...So it's starting."
Hiroyuki quietly muttered, the meaning behind his words goes deeper than he likes it to be.
Beside him. Senjumaru followed his gaze.
Neither elaborated. Neither needed to. The scene spoke for itself.
Then.
???
Satoru stopped.
His head tilted slightly. Almost instinctively.
The Six Eyes swept across the area. Searching...
Because while Hiroyuki remained difficult to perceive.
Senjumaru was not.
And if Senjumaru was here—
The realization struck immediately.
Satoru's head snapped toward the entrance.
Their eyes met.
The change was immediate.
The detached focus disappeared.
The cold concentration vanished.
The instructors noticed the change first. Confusion briefly appeared on their faces. Then understanding.
Because they had noticed Hiroyuki as well.
Several immediately approached.
Offering greetings. Exchanging a few words. Before tactfully excusing themselves moments later. Leaving the brothers alone.
"You sure did take your time." The first thing Satoru said with a cheeky smile.
Hiroyuki blinked in response.
"I was only gone for a year and so."
"That's not helping your argument."
"It helps mine."
"No, it's not." Satoru crossed his arms.
The conversation that followed was simple. Yet strangely enough, and sufficient.
Not long afterward.
The three, with a couple of Satoru's maids following at the back, began walking through the estate.
And as they did. Satoru talked.
Not excessively. Not excitedly. Simply more than usual.
The topics varied.
Training. Instructors. Clan matters. The occasional annoyance. The occasional achievement casually slipped into conversation. Several things Hiroyuki strongly suspected were being mentioned on purpose.
Though he wisely chose not to point that out.
The conversation continued. Or perhaps conversation wasn't the correct word.
Because most of the time, it was Satoru speaking, while Hiroyuki listened.
Occasionally responding. Occasionally commenting. More often, simply listening.
Behind them.
Senjumaru, along with Satoru's maids, follow closely with a slight smile on their faces as they both watch the Gojo brothers bicker with each other.
The scene itself is like an older brother returning home after a long trip. And a younger brother, attempting very hard not to look excited about it. Though not always succeeding.
Such a scene for them is rare, hence they can't help but smile watching it.
Unfortunately, such a scene didn't last too long.
A servant appeared nearby, a different one who serves in the main houses. The approach alone was enough to lighten the atmosphere.
Lowering his head respectfully, that particular servant said...
"Young Master."
Hiroyuki already knew.
"The Elders?"
"Yes."
The servant hesitated briefly.
"All of them are present."
Interesting. Very interesting.
The timing was almost amusing.
Satoru seemed to realize the same thing as he grinned playfully.
"Good luck."
"Yeah..."
Then Hiroyuki reached out and ruffled his hair. Immediately earning a look of annoyance.
"Tomorrow."
Satoru fixed his hair.
"What about tomorrow?"
"I'll see what you've learned."
Hearing that, the younger Gojo stood frozen for a second. As if processing what he just heard. Then, after that, his body straightened as a confident smile appeared on his face.
"I won't disappoint."
"I certainly hope not."
The challenge hung comfortably between them.
Familiar.
Routine.
Normal.
Then they parted ways.
Satoru headed elsewhere with his maids.
The servant disappeared.
Leaving only Hiroyuki and Senjumaru walking toward the estate's oldest building.
The atmosphere gradually changed the closer they got.
The warmth from earlier is slowly fading.
Replaced by something considerably less enjoyable.
After all.
Family was one thing. Politics was another.
Unfortunately.
The latter had a habit of ruining the former.
"Do you think they will agree?" Senjumaru spoke quietly.
Hiroyuki glanced toward her.
An interesting question. Unfortunately, knowing the elders for years, the answer was obvious.
"Nah."
Senjumaru nodded.
As though she expected exactly that answer.
"But I'll make them."
"I'm quite persistent... You know that, right?" Hiroyuki said with a slight smile as he met Senjumaru's eyes with a meaningful gaze.
Senjumaru let out an amused chuckle seconds later as she simply nodded once again.
Then, the conversation ended there.
Neither elaborated further.
They didn't need to.
Some discussions were better left for later.
The old building eventually appeared ahead.
Waiting. Silent. Patient.
Exactly as Hiroyuki remembered.
He stared at it for several moments.
Then sighed.
"Well."
Senjumaru glanced toward him.
"What is it?"
Hiroyuki looked toward the building one last time.
Then shook his head.
"Home was fun while it lasted."
And together.
They stepped inside.