Since this was only an introduction among the students, none of the teachers were present. For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkwardly stiff.
Maki Zen'in and Kaito Kamishiro looked completely unconcerned. Even if Toge Inumaki wanted to say something, he could not, while Panda’s stance was, I’m just a panda—I have no idea what you people are talking about...
The honest Yuta Okkotsu had no idea what to do. He wanted to explain things to the other side, but would saying that the upperclassmen were unable to attend because they had other business only sound like a flimsy excuse?
The Kyoto students were silent as well. Perhaps they agreed with Aoi Todo deep down. Then Noritoshi Kamo cleared his throat and spoke up. "Todo, perhaps they really do have something going on."
Todo braced both hands against the table and said with overwhelming pressure, "Whatever. As long as we can have a satisfying fight when the time comes."
Maki raised an eyebrow, ready to say something, but Kaito beat her to it. Rising to his feet with a grin, he said, "Hey, big guy. Since when is strength determined by school year? As I recall, Jujutsu Sorcerers have grades. I’m a pretty nice guy, so I’ll give you a heads-up—you’re definitely going to lose!"
Before the Kyoto students could react, Kaito casually pulled Yuta over and said, "Because our big brother Yuta is a Special Grade!" Then he feigned surprise. "Oh? Don’t tell me you’ve got a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer over there too?"
Todo, who had been on the verge of exploding, suddenly turned serious. Special Grade... that was synonymous with power! After all, his mentor, Yuki Tsukumo, was a registered Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer. Was this guy in front of him one as well?
"Huh?"
Suddenly becoming the focus of every Kyoto Jujutsu High student because of Kaito’s words, Yuta was at a loss. Then Panda stepped forward beside him.
"That’s right! Big Brother Yuta is really strong!"
Maki caught on to what those two troublemakers were thinking. With a smile, she added, "Hope you do your best. Don’t get scared before things even start."
"Salmon!"
Yuta stared at Toge, who had joined in, and nearly turned to stone. Maki-senpai saying it was one thing, but why were you joining in too, Inumaki? Yet he had no idea how to explain it. He really was registered as a Special Grade, but that was largely because of Rika...
"Ha ha!"
After a moment of silence, Todo raised his head. Instead of the expected gravity or panic, a genuinely delighted smile spread across his face. Staring intently at Yuta, he said, "I’m looking forward to it! I’m looking forward to fighting you. It’s sure to be an exhilarating battle!"
"Yuta Okkotsu, right? Let me ask you something..."
With utmost seriousness, Todo asked, "What kind of woman is your type?"
Yuta was thoroughly thrown off by the random question and did not know what to say. Kaito, naturally, knew exactly what Todo was doing.
There was not any profound meaning behind it. Todo simply used the answer to judge whether someone was worthy of being his friend, seemingly influenced by his teacher, Yuki Tsukumo.
Later, he would somehow get on the same wavelength as Yuji Itadori, the protagonist of the series Kaito had once watched, and declare him his best friend. Incidentally, Todo and Yuji both liked tall women with big asses.
Kaito patted Yuta’s shoulder. "Yuta already has a girlfriend. I’d advise you not to meddle, or you’ll die a very ugly death."
Yuta naturally knew Kaito was talking about Rika. Come to think of it, Rika should be about as tall as him by now, right?
"Tomorrow! Let me see what a Special Grade can do."
After saying that, Todo shoved his hands into his pockets, turned, and left. The students had at least gotten to know one another a little by then, and most of the teachers had arrived as well. Kaito spotted Shoko Ieiri—and Mei Mei, whom he had not seen in quite some time.
Mei Mei, Shoko, and Utahime Iori were sitting together, chatting about something. Meanwhile, Satoru Gojo had sidled up to Principal Gakuganji again and said something that made the old man’s expression look dark and frightening.
Masamichi Yaga stepped forward to announce the details of tomorrow’s Goodwill Event: a team battle. It was the same old format. A Grade 2 Cursed Spirit and several Grade 3 Cursed Spirits would be released into a designated area of Jujutsu High. The first team to exorcise the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit would win. If no winner was decided by nightfall, the team that had exorcised more Cursed Spirits would win. Beyond that, there were no rules.
"Therefore... interference is permitted. But you are all comrades who fight curses together. The purpose of this Goodwill Event is to help you understand your comrades—and yourselves. Do not kill your opponents or inflict irreversible harm upon them. The match will begin tomorrow at noon sharp."
Before returning, Kaito went over to greet Mei Mei and the others. Utahime had a favorable impression of the polite boy. Unlike that bastard Gojo, who showed absolutely no respect for his upperclassman.
Kaito did not try to ask Shoko about his questions concerning Reverse Cursed Technique. In some respects, Shoko was even worse than Gojo at teaching that subject... And he had already asked everything worth asking. He was only there to say hello.
After returning to the dormitory, they did not train much more that day. What they needed now was to conserve their strength and rest well for tomorrow’s match.
The next day.
Once both sides had finished preparing, they headed to their respective starting points after a speech from Yaga. Kaito and the others stood in a forest.
Maki had her long naginata slung across her back. Looking at everyone, she said, "You all remember the plan, right? Toge and I will exorcise the weaker Cursed Spirits around the edges while searching for the Kyoto students. If they encounter Toge’s Cursed Speech for the first time, there’s a good chance we can take one of them out immediately."
"Yuta and Panda will take White Wolf to look for the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit released in the central area. Kaito, you’ll operate alone. Your target is also that Cursed Spirit, as well as taking out their people. If we find that Cursed Spirit first, we’ve got this in the bag. Or... we could just eliminate every last one of them!"
White Wolf had been permitted to enter the match because Tokyo only had five people, all of them first-years. Though Yuta was a Special Grade, a portion of his current combat strength depended on Rika.
The higher-ups on both sides certainly knew that, which was why White Wolf had been allowed in. In truth, White Wolf’s role was to track their targets, perhaps offering some support at most.
After all, the point of the match was how to locate and exorcise the Cursed Spirits, as well as how to deal with opponents encountered during the search.
"Got it!"
The group immediately split up. Although the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit had been released somewhere near the center, it was not an inanimate object. It would not stay put, and its position had certainly changed by now.
This time, Kaito had not brought Annihilation. The battlefield was a forest, where visibility was poor. He could not fly like Gojo-sensei, nor did he have the Six Eyes’ field of vision.
If he had to wait until he met an opponent to draw his bow, he might as well rush in and fight at close range. So he had brought only a sword.
Meanwhile, Maki and Toge moved through the forest. Along the way, they encountered a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit that looked like a cross between a toad and a lizard.
To end things quickly, Toge pulled down his collar and spoke an ordinary word.
"Stop!"
Cursed Technique: Cursed Speech activated! Toge’s words became a law as absolute as iron. Those two softly spoken syllables imposed a crushing restraint, and the Cursed Spirit stopped where it stood against its will. Maki, already prepared, rushed in and cleanly cut it down.
At the same time, the principals and teachers were gathered at the observation post. Several screens hung on the wall before them, displaying different locations across the battlefield.
The screens showed the shared vision of crows controlled by Mei Mei’s Cursed Technique, [Black Bird Manipulation], which she projected onto the wall. This allowed them to observe the match in real time.
Of course, they had to pay Mei Mei to bring her in. She was a freelance Jujutsu Sorcerer now, though she maintained close ties with Jujutsu High and the higher-ups.
And Jujutsu High had Satoru Gojo, head of the Gojo Clan and a genuine moneybags. Since he never delayed payment, and because he and Mei Mei had once been classmates, they often worked together and kept in contact.
Gojo was chatting idly when one of the rows of talismans pasted to the adjacent wall suddenly burst into red flames.
The talismans recorded which side had exorcised the Cursed Spirits on the field. Every Cursed Spirit had been marked before release, and both sides’ Cursed Energy signatures had been registered here.
If a Cursed Spirit was exorcised by Tokyo Jujutsu High, the corresponding talisman would burn red. Kyoto’s would burn blue. Because Maki was participating, an unregistered disappearance response had also been set to count as red.
At the moment, Tokyo had taken a one-point lead. Gojo clapped and cheered. "Nice! We’re one point ahead."
Utahime, seated beside him, gave him a disdainful look. "You’re a grown man. How childish!"
The instant she said that, another talisman ignited—this time with blue flames. A delighted expression had just begun to appear on Utahime’s face, and her raised right hand had reached halfway into the air, but it abruptly stopped before slowly lowering.
"No. Stay calm. Do not let praise or disgrace move you. This little result is nothing..."
Then Utahime shifted her eyes slightly and saw that Gojo had somehow leaned right up close to her. She froze for a moment, only to see Gojo move back and say in an infuriating tone,
"Utahime’s obviously happy too. Why pretend you don’t care? I hear bottling up your emotions all the time can cause premature aging. Don’t end up like Principal Gakuganji~"
Utahime finally snapped, and her furious voice rang through the room. "I’m your upperclassman, damn it! Show me some respect, you bastard!"
Having offended two people with a single sentence, Gojo merely returned to his seat with a grin. Utahime was losing her mind, but there was nothing she could do to him. If she hit him, his Cursed Technique would block it all, and verbally, she was even less of a match for that asshole... So annoying!
"All right, all right. Don’t waste your energy on Gojo." Shoko comforted Utahime from beside her. Utahime gratefully hugged Shoko. "Thank goodness you’re here, Shoko~"
Meanwhile, Gojo had already turned back to the match with a smile, watching it on his own.
...
Rewinding to the previous night, Kyoto was discussing its strategy for the following day. Noritoshi Kamo said to the others, "I asked the principal and Utahime-sensei. That first-year really is a Special Grade."
"But there seems to be some hidden circumstance. We needn’t concern ourselves with that. We’ll follow the plan. Momo will provide aerial intelligence support. Mai, Mechamaru, and Miwa will exorcise Cursed Spirits on one side while disrupting Tokyo’s movements as much as possible. Do your best to take that dog out and destroy their source of intelligence."
"And Todo..."
Standing to one side with his arms crossed, Todo said dismissively, "Don’t drag me into all this messy nonsense. I’ll find that Special Grade first-year. There will absolutely be an exhilarating battle between us!"
Kamo nodded. "That is Todo’s assignment." Todo clicked his tongue in displeasure but said nothing more.
"As for me, I’ll locate the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit and exorcise it as quickly as possible. Whatever the reason behind that Special Grade may be, we must not underestimate them because they are first-years. Avoid their strengths and use our intelligence advantage to claim victory!"
Mai was silent for a moment before asking, "Won’t that make us look too weak?"
Kamo’s expression was solemn. "No! Never underestimate a Special Grade. In some respect, in some particular area, they can be absurdly powerful..."
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