...that's an interesting framing. Being groomed to become Gojō-sensei's ally...

Inori's not altogether against the idea. He nods.

"But you know, murder is allowed! You just have to make sure nobody else cares, or make sure that they think they can leverage it to their advantage. So. Be smart!"

"That's kind of awful," he says, leaning back on the wall behind his bed and closing his eyes.

"Yeah, but effective! I am the last of my clan and everybody is just fine with that."

He frowns. "I don't think I want to know."

"Nah, probably not. Back to less cheerful topics."

"So, because of this shitshow, I won't be around as much. I'm sorry about that, I really am. I will be by to help train you and Akiho, and I will absolutely be here the instant you need me. But I am not well liked, by anyone, and if you and Akiho are too associated with me I think you might get pulled into another... this. Right now, you both are actually in a really good position. You look extremely competent and valuable. Nobody wants you dead because they think they can maybe use you. Before they sort of didn't want you dead, but clearly were willing to risk it, because you weren't within their grasp. I was being the all-powerful-Gojo and going 'Mine mine mine mine mine' as obnoxiously as possible to get them to maybe think that touching you was dumb. But. Clearly I cannot be everywhere, and I don't want to upset the fragile balance you have now. Especially when you're this vulnerable. This won't be forever, okay?"

...he nods.

"I will become stronger. I won't... need you to protect me forever."

"Of course not. You're a powerful and talented young sorcerer, who's being trained by the best." He lifts his blindfold, just to wink.

Inori rolls his eyes before closing them again.

"Anyway. I think that's everything. I need to go find Akiho-chan and have a shorter version of this same talk. You okay if I head out?"

"Sure."

"Okay." He gets up and ruffles Inori's hair. "Stay alive. Oh, and! You will not be seeing Ijichi very much, nobody was very impressed by him blithely doing what Kyoto told him to, and we actually found a replacement." He sounds so happy. "I won't spoil the surprise, but it's great."

"Huh. Okay."

He thought replacements were extremely hard to find in this line of business but he has to admit he will not miss Ijichi-san.

Gojo heads out. After a couple more hours of peace, the sun has set in the sky, and it becomes clear what Gojo meant.

"My mom is becoming an assistant at this school!" wails Akiho from outside of his room, like she's dying.

"You can come in," calls Inori, sounding amused.

In she comes, to flop dramatically onto his bed near his feet, perpendicular to him.

"She was apparently so incredibly unimpressed with Ijichi-san that she went to the principal and asked, 'How can I make sure that man is never responsible for my daughter again' and Yaga-sensei offered her a job and she decided that that would work, and it will, she sees curses and can do barriers and everything, but it's terrible."

"Why is it terrible, pray tell?"

"Do you know what this means? My mom will be giving us missions. My mother! She will be one of the first ones to know if I ever do anything stupid, and she will let me know how much she disapproves. She's kind of disapproving of how I want to be a sorcerer anyway, and now she will be involved in the specifics! I can't just go, 'I'm fine, mom,' and leave it at that! Terrible!"

"It seems like 'working at your sorcerer school' isn't that disproving, but you know her best."

He still hasn't looked up from his book reader but he's grinning.

"It's sort of 'I support your decisions because I love you, but I do not agree with or understand them at all,' which isn't really disapproving but it's still not great and. Ugh. It's just. It's terrible, okay? It's all terrible. Pity me, damn it."

"There there. I would pat you but you are too far."

"You're not even looking up. You're just reading while I'm here suffering."

"Correct."