JJK: Wheel of Time

"So far, there's nothing too concerning, but… Shin, you should be cautious about overusing your technique to enhance yourself. Accelerating your own time seems to have some effects on your body."

Shin Shuichi thought for a moment, then his face darkened. "Does that mean I might suddenly grow old or age too fast?"

Satoru Gojo pictured a middle-aged Shin, still in his teens, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. After calming down, he said, "That's why you need to be careful. Though, it might not be all bad, haha! Once you master reverse cursed technique, there might be a way to counter it."

Masamichi, observing Shin's thoughtful expression, added, "These techniques are extremely difficult to master, Shin. You must take it step by step and not aim too high too soon."

"Exactly, exactly!" Gojo chimed in, playfully patting Shin on the head. He then turned to Yaga. "Sensei, let's just say for now that Shin's technique is the acceleration of objects. That's how we'll report it to others."

Yaga, understanding Gojo's intention, nodded. "Understood. We'll register it as such when Shin enrolls, and we can use his immense cursed energy as a cover."

Gojo rubbed his chin and was suddenly reminded of Megumi Fushiguro, whose technique was the inherited Ten Shadows Technique of the Zen'in family. However, not everyone familiar with the Zen'in heritage would recognize it as anything other than a regular shikigami-summoning technique.

Even if Megumi's abilities were exposed, he still had the protection of both Gojo and the Zen'in family. But Shin had no such background and was still relatively weak. Gojo couldn't be with him all the time, so keeping his true abilities hidden for as long as possible was the safest route.

Back home, Gojo somehow managed to bring back a collection of old and new books. He claimed many were from the Gojo family's archives, mostly about the sorcery world and sorcerers.

"Hey, I might know everything, but teaching others is such a hassle. I trust someone as smart as you can figure it out on your own, Shin. Haha!"

Staring at Gojo's carefree grin, Shin muttered under his breath, "Does he even realize a seven- or eight-year-old can't understand most of this? I can barely communicate properly, let alone read at that level."

As Gojo left, he popped his head back in. "Oh, by the way, your paperwork to attend school with Megumi should be finalized by tomorrow. Be sure to get along with him."

Gojo disappeared again before Shin could ask, "What school? Where is it? How am I supposed to get there?"

Caught between Gojo's reliable and unreliable nature, Shin could only sigh. "I'll ask Megumi and his sister about it later if I can't figure it out."

Shin flipped through the books, but many of the terms were incomprehensible to him. He put them away on his bedroom shelf for later.

***

School wasn't particularly interesting, especially in elementary school. The lessons were easy for Shin, and most of his peers were immature, leaving him without many friends.

In his eagerness to read the Gojo family's archives, Shin studied hard and consistently performed well, earning praise from his teachers.

During this extended period as a student, Shin grew closer to Megumi and his sister, Tsumiki, though most of his interactions were with Tsumiki. Megumi's attitude towards Shin remained ambiguous.

The two boys' relationship only improved after a scuffle—though calling it a fight would be an exaggeration. After all, how much damage could two young boys really do? Shin didn't even take it seriously. If he had, with his basic grasp of cursed energy, it would've been outright bullying.

Looking at the stern-faced, spiky-haired boy, Shin couldn't help but feel like teasing him. His own life was no less pitiful than Megumi's, and at least Megumi had a sister. Why did he always look so grim?

Even though Megumi had awakened his technique, he kept saying he didn't want to become a sorcerer. But if Shin remembered correctly, Megumi's first appearance was as a sorcerer. He wondered what had happened to change his mind.

Shin had learned a lot about Megumi's background during Gojo's sporadic training sessions.

Back to the scuffle: after decisively defeating Megumi, Tsumiki broke up the fight.

Though Tsumiki wasn't much older, she displayed an adult-like warmth and understanding. Instead of scolding them, she tended to their slightly swollen injuries while gently lecturing them on how to treat others.

Under Tsumiki's soothing voice, the animosity between Shin and Megumi gradually faded.

Later, when a group of upperclassmen who barely qualified as "delinquents" disrespected Tsumiki, Shin marched straight into their classroom and single-handedly beat them all down.

After lying on the floor in agony, each of the so-called delinquents received a direct threat from Shin. It was clear they wouldn't dare mess with him again. All that remained was a room full of chaos.

Afterward, it seemed Gojo might've pulled some strings. The school gave Shin a mere slap on the wrist, thanks in part to his perfect grades. He was made to write a letter of repentance, which Megumi grudgingly helped him with.

By the time they reached middle school, the three were still classmates, and as they matured, the tension between Shin and Megumi mostly disappeared. Though Megumi often remained cold, they rarely fought anymore.

Instead, Megumi found himself in conflict with the school's delinquents—not over Tsumiki this time, but over girls who were attracted to his cool demeanor.

Naturally, Megumi beat them all down, earning himself a fearsome reputation, complete with a slightly embarrassing nickname Shin couldn't quite recall.

Shin, on the other hand, avoided trouble altogether. At the start of the school year, he deliberately made himself seem arrogant and aloof, drawing the attention of some larger, older troublemakers from outside the school.

After thoroughly thrashing them—borderline Yakuza types—Shin earned his own reputation, cementing himself as someone not to be messed with.

During these years, Gojo's so-called "training" helped Shin gain a deeper understanding of his technique, especially in terms of cursed energy.

According to Gojo, Shin was now ready to exorcise curses with just physical prowess alone.

"Anything below special grade should be no problem for you, but remember, caution is key."

And so, Shin's path to power was paved under Gojo's relentless "guidance."

By the time Shin reached his second year of middle school, he was informed that he would be enrolling in Tokyo Jujutsu High.

"Huh? I thought I'd wait until I graduated middle school. This feels sudden. And what about Tsumiki and Megumi?"

Lying on the couch with a cold can of soda, Shin's longer, tied-back hair was now white—dyed for a cosplay convention where he had dressed as Kakashi. The dye would wash out quickly, but Shin had dyed his hair all sorts of colors before, joking that his hair was too good not to be used for cosplaying.

Now, at sixteen years old, Shin had grown to over six feet tall, and the once-cute boy had blossomed into a handsome young man, with a thick stack of love letters to prove it.

Gojo waved his hand dismissively. "You're too smart for regular school now. You're not learning anything. Megumi will come around when he's ready. For now, let him and Tsumiki stay in the normal school."

Shin suspected Gojo just wanted to be rid of him, tired of all the questions. Even though Gojo was technically the teacher at Jujutsu High, Shin knew Gojo would likely dump him on Yaga or simply disappear.

"Well, I guess I'll finally get to hang out with Panda. He's joining this year too, right?"

After Gojo confirmed this, Shin was already mentally packing his bags: PS4, Switch, and maybe White Wolf too…

Speaking of Panda, he was a cursed corpse created by Masamichi, capable of independent thought and communication, hence the nickname.

Shin had met Panda several times with Gojo, and the two had become fast friends.

Lost in thought, Shin didn't notice Gojo's return until he popped up again, holding a long wooden box.

"Ta-da! Here's your admission gift: a Grade 1 cursed tool, specially chosen for you. It's perfect for your abilities."

Shin opened the box and found a long, lacquered red bow inside. There was no string or arrows, but he could feel the cursed energy within.

"This bow is called 'Extinction.' You use your cursed energy to form the string and arrows. Given your immense energy, it's a perfect match."

Eager to try it out, Shin decided to wait until he had the right opportunity.

Since he was about to transfer to Jujutsu High, Shin no longer had to worry about his current school, but he still needed to say goodbye to Tsumiki and Megumi.

Taking action, Shin said goodbye to Gojo and left. Not long after, he knocked on the Fushiguro family's door. Megumi answered with his usual calm expression. "What's up?"

Shin pushed his way in with a grin. "I'm heading to Jujutsu High tomorrow, so I came to say goodbye."

"You're saying goodbye? How touching…"

Shin didn't even turn his head as he replied, "Wrong. This has nothing to do with you. I came to say goodbye to your sister. Don't get too full of yourself, Megumi."

"Tch... who cares anyway?" Megumi scoffed.

After hearing the news of Shin's departure for Jujutsu High, although Tsumiki didn't have any jujutsu abilities, she had a basic understanding of the world. She congratulated Shin and made a table full of delicious food, inviting him to stay for dinner.

"I'll come back to visit when I can!" Shin waved goodbye, turning away as he prepared to finally step into the world of jujutsu he'd been waiting for.