A few weeks passed since the garden had been protected by Shiori's spell. The shimmering barrier remained unseen by normal eyes, yet it pulsed faintly with warmth and natural energy — a quiet warning for any who dared to intrude.
Shiori tended to the garden every morning without fail. Dew clung to his long white hair as he crouched beside the growing plants, eyes gleaming like carved sapphires under the sun. Each seed he planted was now a sprouting miracle. The leaves bore strange patterns, almost like glyphs — and though no fruit had yet bloomed, the energy within each plant was undeniable.
The maids watched from a distance, always whispering, but they dared not get close. The last one who tried to sneak a look at the garden had turned pale the moment she passed the outer line of the barrier and ran off, mumbling about voices and pressure she couldn't explain.
Meanwhile, Satoru was growing more curious — and more possessive.
He walked up to the garden one early morning, dragging a sleepy maid behind him. "Let me in!" he huffed, arms crossed. "Shishiiii! I want to help water the plants!"
Shiori, now used to his brother's endless enthusiasm, glanced over his shoulder, expression flat but amused. "You'll burn the plants with that chaotic cursed energy of yours," he said, deadpan.
Satoru blinked. "No, I won't! I'll be gentle! I'll use my pinkie finger!"
Shiori rolled his eyes but motioned with his hand. The barrier shimmered for a moment, allowing Satoru to pass through harmlessly. As soon as the elder brother stepped inside, he gasped.
"Woooow…" He turned in a full circle. "It's different inside. It smells sweet. And the air's thick. Not bad thick. Just… alive."
Shiori smirked, pride hiding behind his calm exterior. "The field has already adapted to the system's energy. Everything planted here has a high resonance with my cursed energy. It's not just a garden anymore."
Satoru blinked at his brother. "You sound like an old man sometimes."
"You sound like a child," Shiori replied smoothly, returning to checking the sprouts.
"I am a child."
"…Touché."
The two brothers worked quietly for a while, and for a rare moment, there was peace. The Gojo estate was calm. No outside tension. No clan rivalries. Just the laughter of birds and the rustle of leaves.
But peace, as always, never lasted long.
Later that day, while the clan head met with several elders, a messenger arrived with news that made the entire room still.
"A sorcerer from outside the clan attempted to infiltrate the garden perimeter. The barrier rejected them—violently."
"What?" the clan head's voice cut sharp across the silence. "Who dares send someone to spy on my sons?"
"We do not know. The spy was cloaked, unmarked, and used generic-grade cursed tools. But…" The messenger hesitated. "Their body was burned with residual sunlight… the type that doesn't come from nature."
The elders murmured among themselves. It was subtle, but they were shaken. The young Shiori was no longer just a mystery. He was becoming something dangerous.
And not just dangerous — divine.
The clan head dismissed the others and stared out the window of the meeting hall, eyes falling on the distant eastern garden. He could barely see it, but he felt it — the hum of unnatural energy, old and new, woven into the estate's very bones.
"What are you becoming, Shiori?" he whispered.
--
Later that night, in the privacy of his room, Shiori sat cross-legged on the floor, hands resting on his knees as the system interface glowed before him.
[Garden Status: Stable. 5 Sprouts Active. 5 Potential Fruit Signatures Detected.]
[Estimated Time to Full Manifestation: 2 Months (Accelerated by Cursed Infusion: Daily).]
"Not bad," Shiori muttered. "System, can I influence what type of fruit grows?"
[Negative. The fruit aligns with the dominant traits of the user's cursed energy and environment.]
"I see… so if my cursed energy is precise and rooted in control, the fruit may reflect that."
[Affirmative.]
Shiori nodded, his thoughts racing. So much potential. So many outcomes. What kind of Devil Fruits would be born from his garden? Would they mimic those from One Piece, or evolve into new variants entirely?
He looked over to the small forge beside the garden, still untouched.
That would be next.
But for now, he smiled.
"I'm finally growing something in this world. Let's see who comes to try and take it."