OBLINE, KUSUO SAIKI.

✶. you have a brother?

✶ . . . AT THE RATE YOU WERE going, it would be a miracle if you passed your exams let alone got into a good college. Jujutsu High was generous enough to pay you a stipend while you had been at school, and with your abilities, it was a given that you pursue being a sorcerer full-time. A part of you had wondered if it would be possible to get a normal job if the sorcerer thing didn't work out, but your grades were so abysmal that the answer was looking to be no.

You knew the smart thing to do was to just go back to Tokyo Jujutsu High. You had thought you could balance being a sorcerer and a student, but that was quickly turning out not to be the case. You'd had your fun as a somewhat normal high school student. You might as well just get back to training like the higher-ups were always saying.

You put your head on your desk and groaned. "I wish Kaido could just do my homework for me. How does he manage to get such good grades?"

You watched the clouds drift by through your window. Maybe Kaido really would do your homework if you told him it would vanquish the Dark Reunion ...

Meow!

A cat poked its head through your windowsill, blinking inquisitively. Your heart skipped a beat and you straightened, studying its face and its white fur.

Kusuo ...?

No. This cat was different. It had a funny-looking, almost cartoonish face. It didn't draw away when you stroked a hand along its back, letting out an adorable purr.

I must be some kind of cat-charmer, you thought. The cat was wearing a collar, but it didn't have a name or address on it. Had the Fushiguro's gotten a cat? They seemed more like dog people.

"Where did you come from, little guy?" you asked. "What's your name?"

"Good morning! My name is Warp! It's nice to meet you!"

You almost fell off your chair. "What the—did you just talk?"

"I don't understand. Would you like me to search for 'did you just talk'?"

"Cyborg cat," you breathed, drawing the thing closer to you. Indeed, there was a switch on the back of its neck to toggle between "human" and "cat" speech, whatever that meant.

"My name is Gojo. What are you? Are you some kind of experiment or something?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gojo! Would you like to know today's forecast?"

You grinned as Warp rattled off the day's weather and then the daily headlines. Was this what kids were playing with nowadays? You were actually kind of jealous.

Just as you were discovering that the pads on Warp's paws were actually buttons, the cat chirped, "Initial body scan complete! Uploading information now!"

"Wait, what? What are you scanning?"

Warp twisted out of your arms and leapt gracefully from your windowsill to the ground. You gaped as it scurried out of your yard and then onto the street.

"Wait, scan what?"

Abandoning your homework, you flew downstairs and then chased after Warp.

"Who's your owner?" you yelled. "I don't want anyone spying on me!"

Warp was so fast that you actually had to use Limitless to keep up with it. It seemed to lead you all over the neighbourhood before ducking under a gate and then inside a random house.

You tried to catch your breath as you glanced at the sign outside of the house. You jolted.

Saiki?