Given the gap between geniuses and ordinary people, along with their teacher's unreliable personality, the students completely ignored Satoru Gojo.
Maki Zenin said, "All right, let's begin class, Assistant Akesato."
Panda said, "Please teach us well, Assistant Akesato."
"Seaweed." Inumaki's speech for okay.
"Then let's not waste time. First lesson—tactical thinking: how the weak fight."
Akesato did not stand on ceremony and quickly slipped into teaching mode.
Although becoming an assistant teacher had not been part of his plans, Akesato was certainly no poor teacher.
A trainer's training involved teaching. And the reality of not inheriting Jujutsu had made him think about this issue many times.
The seemingly wild idea of using a steamroller to block a Cursed Spirit had actually been the result of careful consideration—the optimal solution for breaking the deadlock.
"The weak? Are you talking about me?"
Maki Zenin's lips curled into a self-mocking smile. Among the students, she was the most competitive.
"No. You, me, Inumaki, Panda, even my Little Sa—everyone on this field besides Teacher Gojo is weak. We all have obvious flaws and shortcomings. Words alone won't be convincing, so let's talk while we battle."
"I'll go first."
Maki stepped forward without hesitation.
A fierce wind rushed at him as the Polearm Battle Blade in her hands swept toward him. That single move showed that she had spent at least ten years honing her martial skills; her foundation was extremely solid.
Akesato had already been prepared and took a step back to evade it.
Maki pressed her advantage, advancing step by step and fully exploiting the overwhelming force and reach of a long weapon. The sound of her weapon slicing through the air grew louder and louder.
Her physical ability was clearly superior to that of ordinary people. Coupled with her exceptional martial skill, her Battle Blade swung faster and faster, soon forcing Akesato into a position where he had nowhere to dodge.
"Got you!"
With that sharp declaration, the Battle Blade came slashing down—
—only to snap with a bang at the middle of the blade, where she held it.
Just before it struck, Akesato sidestepped the blade and smashed his fist into its wooden shaft.
The resulting shift in balance threw the girl's body off-center, and she nearly fell.
Although she promptly regained her balance and used a backflip to open the distance, she was still slower than Akesato at full strength. His elbow struck her abdomen, sending her flying sideways.
Akesato did not go easy on Maki just because she was female. He rushed in, intending to finish her with a full combo.
At the critical moment, a voice filled with compulsion rang out:
"Don't move!"
Cursed Speech user Toge Inumaki spoke. He pulled down the collar covering his mouth, revealing the rings and wave patterns around it—the Cursed Seal of the Inumaki Family, symbolizing snake eyes and fangs.
Under the voice's influence, Akesato was forced stiff. Taking advantage of the opening, Panda dashed in front of Maki with speed utterly mismatched to his plump frame and smacked Akesato back several steps.
Because he had protected himself with cursed energy in time, Akesato was uninjured. He rolled his shoulders slightly and broke free of the Binding Vow of Cursed Speech.
"Nice teamwork. You've already grasped one method of how the weak fight, but your thinking still isn't flexible enough. Panda, why attack from the front? A human's back is much harder to guard than their front."
"Because I had to account for Maki too. If I couldn't force you back, I would have continued opening the distance with Maki."
Panda had really thought it through. As expected of their strategist.
"Good, but not enough. If I were commanding, I'd have you sneak attack him. You're a Cursed Corpse, not a living creature in the conventional sense. Not needing to breathe is a major advantage." One raised finger became two. "The second way the weak fight is to make full use of your own advantages, drag your enemy into a field where you excel as much as possible, then defeat him with your wealth of experience."
"Then what should Maki do?"
"Leave her to Inumaki, of course."
"Huh?" Panda froze, while Inumaki and Maki were also somewhat bewildered.
Satoru Gojo, who had been watching from the sidelines, reacted first. "I see. Because cursed energy exists, differences in size and physical ability aren't a problem. Kato doesn't lack cursed energy."
"Exactly." Akesato nodded. "Cursed Speech is certainly powerful, but its flaws are equally obvious. I consider it a Jujutsu that forces direct confrontation. It's extremely convenient against fodder—one shout does the job. But against someone stronger than you, you have to endure a greater backlash. That's right, isn't it?"
"Salmon." Inumaki's speech for yes.
After saying that, he made a running motion.
Panda explained, "Kato runs very fast, so he can evade and reposition when things are unfavorable."
"Very good, but still not enough."
Akesato repeated his earlier assessment. This was also the greatest problem with the first-year students of Jujutsu High.
"In my view, that's an enormous waste. You have such a convenient Cursed Technique, so there's absolutely no need for you to run. Take the situation where I was pursuing Maki just now. If you had been close enough, you could have hit me hard the instant I stiffened."
Inumaki's gaze changed.
Maki and Panda's expressions also turned grave.
"Do you see it now? Inumaki can completely become the nemesis of close combat."
In high-intensity, high-frequency close combat, any unnecessary pause could be fatal.
After thinking for a moment, Maki said, "But Kato's Jujutsu is very difficult. The spread of cursed energy, selecting targets, the precision of the Cursed Technique—all of it requires a great deal of training time. It's impossible for him to focus solely on close-combat training like we do."
"Then specialize in one thing, or borrow tools. Jujutsu Sorcerers are human too. There's no reason not to make use of humanity's advantages. If it's only fighting people, individual firearms like guns and grenades are actually the best option. One pause, one shot to the head."
"You're wicked, but I like it." Satoru Gojo laughed happily.
Akesato smiled as well. "A dead enemy is a good enemy."
Maki and Panda unconsciously edged away. The atmosphere unconsciously radiating from one teacher and one assistant teacher was far too dark and terrifying. They won't sell us off someday, will they?
After briefly demonstrating an adult's methodology, Akesato returned to normal. "However, considering the special nature of Cursed Spirits, it would be better to choose materials that can conduct and store cursed energy, or simply use Cursed Tools."
Cursed Tools were objects infused with curses. They were similar to Cursed Corpses, except they could not act independently. However, they likewise possessed cursed energy and could harm Cursed Spirits.
Satoru Gojo made a decision. "That's easy enough. Maki, take Kato to pick out some Cursed Tools this afternoon. Choose things that are easy to use and carry. Ranged options are the priority."
Like Cursed Corpses, Cursed Tools were relatively rare. But as one of only two Jujutsu Sorcerer training institutions in all of Japan, Jujutsu High still had some in storage.
"The same theory applies to Panda. Even if you don't need weapons, you can carry smoke grenades, flashbangs, stun grenades, and similar things. Some people might say relying on external objects isn't true strength. But cultivation is one thing, battle is another. I said it from the beginning: we are weak. Pursuing victory alone already demands everything we have. Leisure, elegance, and things like that can wait until we become strong."
"I have learned much." Panda stood at attention and bowed, his attitude respectful.
"Lastly—"
"—Me?" Maki had enough self-awareness to know.
"You have the most problems, both hardware and software. Your strength is physical ability far surpassing that of ordinary people, even beyond what ordinary cursed-energy reinforcement can catch up to. Your weakness, if I'm not mistaken, is that you have no cursed energy, correct?"
"That's right." Maki readily admitted it, casually adjusting the glasses on her nose. "Without these, I can't even see Cursed Spirits."
She, Maki Zenin, was not a Jujutsu Sorcerer at all.
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