Kyoto Jujutsu High

"Yuta, you're up."

Gojo Satoru gestured for Okkotsu Yuta to step in. Panda, who had dragged Shen Yuanyi back to the side, loudly cheered for him. "Yuta, go! Take down Gojo-sensei!"

Okkotsu Yuta gripped his Wooden Sword, somewhat nervous. Hearing Panda's shouts, he gave an awkward smile. He had watched the earlier battles, and he was still working on mastering Rika's curse. Thinking of that dazzling exchange just now, if he relied only on his current strength...

But all he had to do was give it everything he had, right? Okkotsu Yuta tightened his grip on the Wooden Sword. With that thought, he no longer felt quite as nervous. Scenes from his usual training surfaced in his mind...

Surging Cursed Energy rose from Okkotsu Yuta's body, then gradually drew back around him under his control. Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow. That was an unusually vast amount of Cursed Energy. Perhaps... Okkotsu's idea was correct. It wasn't Rika who had cursed him—he had unconsciously cursed Rika...

Having finished preparing, Okkotsu Yuta let out a breath. With Cursed Energy coating his body, he shot forward at an astonishing speed, leaving only a faint afterimage in the air as the blade of his Wooden Sword slashed toward Gojo Satoru's face.

But in an instant, Gojo Satoru vanished again.

"He's here! Gojo-sensei's teleportation."

Okkotsu Yuta reacted just as quickly. He immediately spun around, sweeping the Wooden Sword in a full arc. Sure enough, Gojo Satoru had already appeared behind him, and smoothly dodged the blade.

"You've improved quickly. You look much more spirited than before, too. Just what I'd expect from my beloved student."

Gojo Satoru casually evaded Okkotsu Yuta's attacks, then tripped him when he let his guard down. Okkotsu rolled twice as he hit the ground, then settled into a half-crouch.

After gathering momentum for only a moment at his waist, the Wooden Sword tore through the air once more. Yet the fierce strike was abruptly stopped between Gojo Satoru's outstretched palms.

"I told you to treat me like an enemy. You're still hesitating, Okkotsu. You're not putting enough force into it either. That's going to cost you someday."

Okkotsu Yuta froze for a moment, and Gojo Satoru sent him flying with a sweeping kick. In midair, he felt as if his entire body were about to come apart.

Okkotsu Yuta quickly got back to his feet and saw Gojo Satoru beckon at him. "Again!"

For an entire afternoon, Gojo Satoru was like a machine that had no idea what fatigue was. One-on-one battles, team battles—by the end, it had turned into a trial for them to push their limits.

Pushing their bodies to the limit, squeezing every last bit out of their Cursed Energy and techniques—even Ieiri Shoko, who had come to watch, could not help complaining about Gojo Satoru a few times. She had already treated those students several times.

"The situation is getting worse. Monitoring stations across the country have detected another surge in curses. There are already far more Grade 2 and Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, and traces of several Special Grade Cursed Spirits have even been discovered..."

Gojo Satoru calmly laid out the current turbulent situation. Thinking of the clear signs of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit that had been observed, he could not help feeling concerned.

It was not that he was worried about how to deal with a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. What worried him was that this might only be a sign before the storm.

Ieiri Shoko also showed a worried expression. Gojo Satoru stood and clapped his hands, signaling for the few of them, who were taking a brief break, to come over. As he walked toward them, he left them with these words: "That's why... the burden on young people is getting heavier. While we can still protect them, I hope they grow up quickly and stand beside us."

A new round of Gojo-sensei's "loving instruction" soon began, and Shen Yuanyi took the opportunity to practice using many techniques again. Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes could also give him the most direct feedback very quickly.

Shen Yuanyi also discovered that when he used Cursed Technique Reversal on himself, states such as his Cursed Energy would return to the moment he had selected. In other words, it was another kind of "refresh."

"So it's a reload, huh!"

But there were things that could not be "refreshed." Just as his consciousness retained everything from before the refresh before returning to that moment, rather than reproducing the version of himself from back then.

For the time being, Shen Yuanyi called it mental energy. After repeatedly using Cursed Technique Reversal in succession, he would feel dizzy and weak, with headaches and a hazy mind. The more continuously he used it, the stronger those sensations became.

But after treatment from Ieiri Shoko, those symptoms eased considerably. In other words, the idea that had occurred to Shen Yuanyi before had just fallen apart.

He had wanted to use Cursed Technique Reversal to achieve all sorts of bug-level possibilities. For example, he could keep "refreshing" himself in battle. Not only would he never be injured, his Cursed Energy could be effectively limitless too!

Unfortunately, that was impossible... He could only treat it as a recovery method with a cooldown. It seemed that Reverse Cursed Technique was still the answer! Perhaps if he could gain a deeper mastery of Reverse Cursed Technique, then combine it with his own Cursed Technique Reversal, he could use it with almost no side effects? The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. Shen Yuanyi's heart stirred with excitement, but this was not the time to think about it, so he tucked the matter away for now.

Gojo Satoru's special training did not last long. The next day, after only half a day, he had to stop because something required his attention. Before leaving, Gojo Satoru pretended to wipe away a tear. "I know my beloved students must be terribly reluctant to part with me. Don't worry! When I get back, I'll bring you even better special training!"

"No!"

Ignoring everyone's wails, Gojo Satoru left with a cheerful smile. When it came to strength, Gojo Satoru was undoubtedly unparalleled, and he knew everything related to jujutsu. But when it came to teaching others, things became somewhat difficult.

In Gojo Satoru's own words: "Isn't something this simple already perfectly clear from what I said?" But in reality, everyone listening was completely lost. Although Shen Yuanyi's Cursed Technique Reversal had indeed benefited from Gojo Satoru's guidance, the time it took and the hardships involved were difficult to put into words.

That was why Gojo Satoru preferred practical teaching. If their brains could not learn it, then their bodies would learn it first! That was what Gojo Satoru said while giving a thumbs-up.

Though they complained about Gojo Satoru's training, they had still improved considerably. After all, being able to face an exceptionally powerful enemy without facing a genuine threat to their lives was an incredibly valuable experience.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Shen Yuanyi also met two second-year upperclassmen who had briefly returned while passing through. That's right—upperclassmen! Yet one was a man and the other was a woman, and they seemed to be in a relationship.

The man, Kinji Hakari, was tall and broad, with a thick head of hair swept up and back. At first glance, he looked like a... cauliflower? He had some stubble on his square face, and both eyebrows had two shaved slits. He did not look like a student at all, but more like a delinquent uncle from the streets.

The other upperclassman was named Kirara Hoshi. Judging from his appearance alone, he looked like a woman. He wore an extremely fashionable outfit, with straight-cut bangs and medium-length hair. Several decorative studs were embedded below his lips and around his chin, while his crop top showed off his slender waist. Most unusual of all were his eyes: his pupils were shaped like five-pointed stars, and there were stitch-like decorative markings around them.

There was not much conversation between them. Kinji Hakari seemed to hold a faintly displeased attitude toward the goodwill event—or perhaps something else. After casually saying a few words, he waved them off and left.

The day before the goodwill event arrived. The principal and students of Kyoto Jujutsu High had already come. Every Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event was held at the school of the previous year's winner, which meant Tokyo Jujutsu High had won last year.

In a large room usually used for meetings, both schools' principals, teachers, and students had gathered. Kyoto Jujutsu High's principal was an old man leaning on a cane. He wore traditional white robes and loose trousers, and his bald head was framed only by pure white eyebrows and beard.

Both were quite extraordinary. His beard hung all the way to his chest, but his eyebrows were even more eye-catching. His thick white brows drooped down as far as the length of his face. It was Shen Yuanyi's first time seeing eyebrows like that on a real person.

Gojo Satoru was Tokyo Jujutsu High's supervising teacher, while Kyoto Jujutsu High was represented by a woman in shrine maiden attire. Her originally lovely face was marred by a large scar running from her right cheek to above the bridge of her nose.

The woman, Iori Utahime, had been Gojo Satoru's upperclassman during his time at Jujutsu High, and the two seemed quite familiar with each other. As soon as Gojo Satoru arrived, he grinned and sidled up to say something to her. The disgusted expression that appeared on Iori Utahime's face upon seeing him soon gained another layer of anger.

Ignoring whatever those two were bickering about, Shen Yuanyi's attention was caught by a female student among Kyoto's group with black hair cut in a bowl style. Even though the hairstyle was different, this person... looked so much like Maki.

That girl was also studying Maki, her expression unreadable. Shen Yuanyi tilted his head and whispered to Panda, "Hey, Panda, do you see that? That person over there looks so much like Maki."

Panda had naturally noticed as well. Maki, standing beside them, saw the two whispering and occasionally glancing at her. Veins immediately bulged on her forehead.

"She's my twin sister, Maki Zenin. Can you two stop acting so damn sneaky?"

"Ohhh!"

Shen Yuanyi and Panda both let out low exclamations of surprise, making Maki want to beat them up right then and there. At that moment, Okkotsu Yuta quietly spoke from the side. "Yuanyi, Panda. Shouldn't the one we need to watch out for most be that... robot? Also, that guy over there looks really fierce. He's been staring at us the whole time."

Shen Yuanyi followed his gaze. There were six students from Kyoto in total: two boys, three girls, and one robot! That robot was not the highly futuristic metal man Shen Yuanyi had imagined. Instead, it looked more like a puppet infused with jujutsu characteristics, and it was even wearing Kyoto's uniform.

Of the other two boys, the one standing farther away was a traditionally handsome young man whose eyes seemed almost permanently closed. In Shen Yuanyi's opinion, unlike modern handsome guys such as Gojo-sensei and himself, the man's traditional attire and bearing made him seem more like the young master of some old aristocratic family.

The other burly man was much simpler to describe. Thick and powerfully built, his explosive physique could not be concealed even by his uniform. A scar ran from the left side of his forehead down past his left eye, and the hair atop his head was simply tied up into a spike reaching for the sky. He looked like someone not to be messed with.

The three female students looked much more harmonious. Aside from Maki's younger sister, who seemed to be at odds with Maki, the other two at least appeared quite friendly. The one who smiled back when Shen Yuanyi looked over was a girl with long blue hair and slightly slanted bangs.

The final student was very petite in appearance. Her golden hair was tied into two thick pigtails pointing upward, and her face was cute and pleasing to the eye. She seemed to be mixed-race. She also wore distinctive earrings, and a broom lay beside her. Was she cosplaying a witch?

The Kyoto principal and Yaga Masamichi had also finished their discussion. Yaga Masamichi stood and said, "Principal Gakuganji and I have decided on the content of this Exchange Event. It will be mostly the same as before. Next, you can all get acquainted with one another. From now on, you'll all be comrades on the same front."

The blue-haired girl had just greeted Shen Yuanyi when she was the first to stand and give a bow. "Hello, everyone. My name is Kasumi Miwa, a First-year at Kyoto Jujutsu High. Please take care of me!"

"Momo Nishimiya, second-year." That was the petite blonde girl.

"Mechamaru, first-year." Naturally, that was the mechanical puppet.

"Maki Zenin, first-year. Oh? What's this? Has Sister never mentioned me to you before? That's a little hurtful!" Though she said that, Maki's twin sister, Maki Zenin, showed no trace of sadness on her face. Instead, she wore a teasing smile.

"Kamo Noritoshi, second-year. Please take care of me." This was the handsome narrow-eyed young man. Shen Yuanyi raised an eyebrow at that. The Kamo Family! One of the Three Great Families alongside the Gojo and Zenin families. Interesting.

Tokyo Jujutsu High then took turns introducing themselves as well. Okkotsu Yuta and Maki spoke first, followed by Panda, who also introduced Inumaki Toge, who usually only spoke in rice ball ingredients.

Panda naturally drew the most attention, especially from Kasumi Miwa and Momo Nishimiya, whose eyes practically shone.

Then it was Shen Yuanyi's turn. Having had no time to tidy his hair these past few days, he had simply tied his somewhat longer hair behind his head, which instead gave him a carefree, uninhibited air. Though Kasumi Miwa's expression remained calm, her thoughts were racing: Another handsome guy! But Gojo Satoru is still a little more handsome. I need to find a way to get a photo with him.

"My name is Shen Yuanyi, a First-year. Please take care of me!"

Finally, it was the burly man's turn. His stern face revealed no emotion. After a brief, somewhat awkward silence, he finally spoke. "Todo Aoi, second-year."

"Say... are all of you First-years? Isn't that... looking down on us a little?"