#increasingly unimpressed throughout the snippet i should say

[yuesya]

Zenin Naoya had always known that Shiki-sama was the rare type of sorcerer powerful enough to shape the world around her simply through her existence alone. She’d single-handedly breathed life back into the withering Zenin Clan, after all, reminding them that a sorcery clan’s roots laid in indisputable strength rather than inane ceremony.

In fact, it was commonly said that Zenin Shiki’s most notable achievement was her reform of the Zenin Clan.

Naoya had always rolled his eyes and scoffed at those words, though. Because wasn’t it obvious that Shiki-sama’s influence didn’t just stop at the walls of the clan compound?

… However, he’s also starting to realize that his clan head’s very existence underpins a lot more than he’d ever expected, even despite that understanding.

Ugh. Naoya can’t believe that a flaky guy like Gojo Satoru is actually the pillar and backbone of jujutsu society in this world. The guy is strong, yeah –Naoya would look down on him and the Gojo Clan forever if he failed to make a name for himself despite possessing both Limitless and Six Eyes– but, seriously. Gojo Satoru, despite his perpetual flippancy, cares way too much about the existing power structure and what other people think to be any good at affecting notable change and getting things done.

Shiki-sama, on the other hand, is far more decisive and efficient.

If Shiki-sama were here, then the situation would never have devolved to its current point. Where Gojo Satoru had stupidly gotten himself sealed and students were the ones thrusted onto the front lines. Sorcerers were always in short supply, yeah, but things shouldn’t be this bad! Seriously, where were all the other sorcerers? Collectively hiding under rocks across the entire country??

From what Naoya has gathered of this world so far, Gojo Satoru set himself against the higher ups without actually having offered any significant resistance the past several years. Idiot. Threats only hold power when people believe that you’re willing to go through and act on them.

So, Naoya is guessing that the lack of manpower is primarily because of two things:

One, Gojo made enemies of the higher ups without having properly divested them of their power and authority. Hence the administration immediately turning difficult as soon as Gojo had been taken out of the equation via seal.

Two, Gojo has a terrible personality and is not nearly as charismatic as Shiki-sama. Only Geto would come running at his beck and call–

Oh wait, except that’s impossible, because Geto was already dead in this world! And currently his corpse was being puppeted by an ancient sorcerer who was sowing chaos across Japan. Plus publicly unveiling sorcery to the world at large, on the international stage.

And while they were at it, Toji and Tsukumo were also both dead. Somehow, inexplicably, Toji had died years and years ago at Gojo’s hands. Tsukumo had recently been killed by the aforementioned ancient sorcerer in a fight.

Are the standards for Special Grade just different in this world, or something? Since when did Special Grades die so easily?

Naoya sighs. “It’s almost impressive how you guys got rid of all your Special Grades.”

“No one ‘got rid’ of anyone,” Kusakabe immediately denies. Which is a big fat lie if Naoya has ever heard one. He gives the other sorcerer a thoroughly unimpressed look. “… Alright, that might’ve been bad phrasing on my part, but it’s not as if anyone deliberately wanted there to be less Special Grade sorcerers.”

It all seems like a long string of bad coincidences, doesn’t it? Shiki-sama never being born, Sumire-san dying and causing Toji to spiral and die at Gojo’s hands, Geto Suguru experiencing a mental break that also led him to eventually die at Gojo’s hands…

“Whatever,” Naoya shrugs. Not his world, not his problem. He’ll do what he can to help, because he’s a sorcery and it’s his duty to do so. But his priority will still be finding a method of returning to his world, where he belongs. Speaking of which, “I need to speak with Tengen-sama. When would you be able to arrange–”

Kusakabe coughs, “Tengen-sama is dead. Tsukumo’s death enabled the ancient sorcerer to reach Tengen-sama with no further obstructions.”

… Seriously?