But Yaga moved even faster, turning his back on her at once. "Jujutsu High isn't suitable for a little girl like you. Satoru, send her somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?"
Yuji looked at Gojo Satoru in confusion.
But Gojo Satoru looked at Amber.
Amber was somewhat surprised to learn that she could not enroll, but considering Yaga's personality, she felt it was only natural.
"Actually, I told Principal Yaga about little Shier last night."
Gojo Satoru explained with a smile, "The Gojo Clan is one of Japan's three great Jujutsu families. As everyone knows, Japan's national happiness index is quite something, so Japan's Jujutsu Sorcerers and curses are much stronger than those in most countries."
"Hey, Satoru!"
Hearing Gojo Satoru bring that up, Yaga turned around with displeasure written across his face.
"And naturally, the Gojo Clan has certain businesses and arrangements overseas. So Principal Yaga and I decided that if little Shier couldn't pass the test, rather than let the Jujutsu World restrict her freedom like this, it would be better to send her somewhere beyond the Jujutsu World's reach, where she could live out her life peacefully."
Ignoring Yaga's tsundere attitude, Gojo Satoru continued, "Although your power means you don't have to fear those Rotten Oranges, it'd be endlessly annoying if they kept making trouble for you. So that place can only be overseas."
Amber looked at Gojo Satoru, then at Yaga Masamichi.
Just from the original work, she knew this principal was a good person. But she had not expected him to directly confront the Director's Office for someone he had never even met.
Heh, don't think too highly of him. He's only afraid that if they really push you too far, you'll let me out to go berserk.
Black Amber curled her lip and bluntly pointed out the truth.
Whether it was as Amber thought or as her other self thought, Amber felt that both were true. Together, they had led to Yaga's current choice.
"But Principal, you're being too arbitrary. Wouldn't it be better to let the children choose their own paths?"
Gojo Satoru abruptly changed the subject, his eyes fixed intently on Amber. "So, little Shier, whether you want to join or not is still your own choice."
Exchange Student
"If I don't enroll, can't I stay here?"
After thinking for a moment, Amber asked.
"Hm?"
Gojo Satoru froze for a second, then immediately understood what Amber meant.
Honestly, Amber still needed the Jujutsu World's intelligence network. Not only did she need to gain recognition, but she also wanted to keep track of the timeline in real time. However, she did not want to be controlled by the Jujutsu World.
Thinking about it carefully, why couldn't she be a free spirit like Tsukumo Yuki? She did not need to study Jujutsu anyway, and she had no need to worry about controlling Cursed Energy. With Tai Xu Sword Qi as her foundation, she was already highly skilled at manipulating any kind of energy.
As for her having too few negative emotions and therefore extremely low Cursed Energy... that was even less of a concern. She could always use her other self's Cursed Energy. With her other self's reserves, there was no way she could ever run out.
In other words, Jujutsu High had almost nothing it could teach her. Cultural studies might be the only thing useful to her, but she could make up for those through her other self as well.
"Of course you can."
Having just boasted that young people should be given the chance to choose their own paths, Gojo Satoru naturally did not see any problem with it. If anything, he was somewhat surprised that Amber had said it.
"Satoru!"
Yaga frowned.
"Refusing her wouldn't do any good anyway."
Gojo Satoru spread his hands. "I'm a good judge of character. A child like little Shier would do what she wanted no matter how much anyone tried to stop her."
"Besides, if she truly set her mind to it, no one could stop her anyway."
From the aura of the girl before him, Yaga could not see what matched Gojo Satoru's description. But at least the last sentence was correct.
With that in mind, Yaga Masamichi could only sigh. He did not think she was suited for the Jujutsu World at all, but if she herself insisted, then all he could do was offer whatever help he could.
Still, he did not forget to remind her, "If anything bad happens, leave the Jujutsu World."
Knowing that he had agreed, Amber obediently nodded.
"Great! But this does make things a little troublesome. I already arranged little Shier's transfer, but if she doesn't transfer in, she'll become a dropout girl."
Gojo Satoru rubbed his chin.
A dropout girl? No way!
Amber did not want that. Perhaps many students dropped out because of difficult lives, but in the public eye, dropouts were basically equated with delinquents.
"Don't worry. I'll sort it out later."
Seeing Amber's familiar anxious expression, Gojo Satoru finally nodded. Then he smiled. "We'll keep your student status at Sugikawa, and you can temporarily study at Jujutsu High as an exchange student. How does that sound?"
Yaga Masamichi had no interest in commenting on such a roundabout approach. After all that talk, wasn't she still becoming a Jujutsu High student?
But there was actually a difference. This way, Jujutsu High would no longer have much authority over Amber, at least on the surface. And as long as it did not exist on the surface, it would free Amber from much of her psychological burden.
For one thing, she could say no to things she found unreasonable. For another, it would give her a freer position.
She was not the type to think, "I'm strong, so I make the rules." Although she had not received much formal education, she still leaned more toward the idea that she was one cog within a larger whole.
In other words, although she possessed the strength of the powerful, she lacked the self-awareness of one.
Black Amber could not help with that, and neither could Fu Hua, because self-awareness was something one had to feel for oneself. Understanding one's place and what one could do required experience.
Gojo Satoru naturally understood Amber's intentions. "But if you do this, those Rotten Oranges probably won't provide you with an Assistant Supervisor. Their hostility toward you will also shift from the open into the shadows."
That did not really matter. Gojo Satoru was only casually reminding her. Since she was already at Jujutsu High, she could just follow the other students during missions as "extracurricular internships." And hostility was even less of a concern. Could they really dare lay a hand on Amber?
In any case, that matter was temporarily settled.
After discussing enrollment, Gojo Satoru asked for Itadori Yuji's clothing measurements. Jujutsu High uniforms were tailored specifically for each person, so even though Yuji had enrolled now, there was no uniform to give him immediately.
As for Amber, since she was not technically a member of Jujutsu High, she did not need its uniform.
Gojo Satoru led the two through the school, explaining the purpose of each building while casually teaching them some common knowledge about the Jujutsu World. When he finished, he looked at Yuji. "But none of that really matters. You just need to enjoy your youth."
Talking about youth in a school life filled with slaughter and negativity... Amber did not even know where to begin criticizing that.
Fortunately, Yuji was still cheerful. He loudly agreed before finally asking the question that had troubled him for a long time. "Come to think of it, if you need me to find the fingers, why did Principal Yaga test us?"
"Because he was afraid that children like you, who had never encountered Jujutsu before, wouldn't be able to adapt to life in the Jujutsu World."
Gojo Satoru was not surprised by the question. Geto Suguru's defection had left an indelible mark on him, but that mark was not his alone. Shoko, who had been his classmate, and Principal Yaga felt the same.
"But compared to keeping you at Jujutsu High and going out to find fingers for you to eat, I'd still rather have you go out there yourself."
"Because those who don't work don't eat?"
Yuji blinked.
"Because Sukuna's fingers aren't that easy to find. There are twenty fingers in total, but the Jujutsu World has only found seven over all these years."
Gojo Satoru smiled. "But now that we have you, the Sukuna inside you is basically like a radar. To recover his power, he'll tell you where the fingers are. So if you just shut yourself indoors forever, it'd be pretty troublesome~"
"Uh..."
The corner of Itadori Yuji's eye twitched. "In other words, if I just stay indoors forever, the delay on my execution would basically be extended indefinitely?"
After all, only seven fingers had been found over several centuries.
"Haha, it's not that simple. Those higher-ups won't just watch you bounce around under their noses."
Gojo Satoru shattered his fantasy.
"Figures..."
Yuji knew his idea had been too optimistic. He let out a heavy sigh, then asked another question. "By the way, why did Shier come here? Principal Yaga mentioned Incarnation earlier. Is Shier a vessel too?"
Within Ten Years, All Cursed Spirits Exterminated
"Little Shier's situation is a bit special."
Gojo Satoru had no intention of explaining directly. "Anyway, if you run into danger and your teacher isn't around, just rely on little Shier~"
"Huh? Shier's that strong?"
Yuji had not expected that answer, and he studied the girl beside him with some confusion.
She was somewhat petite, but her skin was fair. Her face was just as cute as in the photos he often saw—or rather, too cute. Combined with her shy and reserved personality, Yuji found it hard to imagine that a girl like her could be a Jujutsu Sorcerer even stronger than him.
What did he mean by photos? Oh, there were always people at school secretly taking pictures of Shier and sharing them in an internal group chat. She had a fan club, after all. A beautiful girl this cute was not something even giant screens could show.
He counted as a fan too, perhaps, though his preferred type was the complete opposite of Shier: tall, curvy, and hot.
But now that he thought about it, if he looked closely, Shier was unexpectedly well-endowed too.
"Don't scare your classmate."
Gojo Satoru reached out and smacked Yuji on the head.
"Ah, sorry!"
Only then did Yuji realize that his gaze had been somewhat rude. He had not meant anything by it, but she was the shy type to begin with, so even without any improper intentions, he would definitely cause her considerable discomfort.
"It's okay..."
Amber really did feel uncomfortable.
In the previous world, since it was not her own body, she had felt like there was a screen between them, so it had been fine. But in this world... although it was not her body now either, the excessive similarity made Amber feel as if she were browsing the internet with her real name attached.
She was not completely socially anxious like in reality, but she was not much better either.
Seeing Yuji withdraw his gaze and resume talking with Gojo Satoru, Amber poked Black Amber inside her body. Humans aren't so bad, are they? Even though he's only met you once, Teacher Gojo already trusts you so much.
Black Amber boredly curled her lip. He doesn't trust me. He trusts you.
What's the difference?
Amber had a different view. You and I are both Amber. Trusting me means trusting you too.
What a childish thought.
Hearing Amber's naïve statement, as though saying, "My friends are your friends too," Black Amber was disdainful. In the end, just as Fu Hua had said before, the Herrscher of Reason was not Fu Hua, and she was not Amber.
Yet when the words reached her lips, Black Amber could not say them. They got stuck in her throat, leaving her uncomfortable. Realizing Amber was the one who had made her uncomfortable, she simply said, Only you could be this naïve. He's obviously using this chance to win you over!
Feeling that the words did not seem very attacking, Black Amber became even more irritated. Forget it. You wouldn't understand even if I explained. I'm going to sleep.
You can sleep?
Amber was a little curious. Logically speaking, without the restraints of a body, she should not become tired.
But her question received no answer.
My other self?
Amber called out again.
After receiving no response for a long while, she could only wonder how Black Amber slept and decide to ask the next time Black Amber came out.
Elsewhere.
Liao Mao changed into Geto Suguru's skin and prepared to check on the Cursed Spirits that had allied with him in order to find Sukuna's fingers. But the moment he entered Jogo's domain, the sight before him left him utterly stunned.
"What... are you doing?"
Looking at the petite former Special Grade Cursed Spirit Mahito before him—now Mahito—with light-blue twin tails and a wide Western-style dress that could not conceal the stitches on her face and body, even Liao Mao, who had cultivated his composure for thousands of years, was momentarily dumbfounded.
"Ah~ Geto's back."
As the object of his stunned gaze, the former Mahito, now Mahito, wore her usual smile, as though nothing at the moment was worth being surprised over. "It's our new companion's idea."
"A new companion?"
Only then did Liao Mao have the chance to examine his surroundings.
There was an unfamiliar gray-haired figure in the domain. She was a woman wearing a black-and-red jacket, along with a short skirt and cap of the same colors. She was arguing with Jogo, who sat on a rock with a guitar in his hands, before raising her hand and slapping him.
Liao Mao: ...
"I already told you! You can't play rock just because you understand a little sheet music! This isn't rock—it's just copying the surface!"
The Herrscher of Reason looked utterly exasperated.
"We are noble Cursed Spirits! Why should we learn things meant for human entertainment?!"
Sparks constantly burst from Jogo's head as he loudly vented his resentment.
"What nonsense! Who said only humans can understand music? Besides, if you aren't going to learn human pleasures, why do you smoke? If you aren't learning from humans, why do you wear clothes?"
Before you continue