The First Lesson, The Battle of the Weak

Given the vast difference between geniuses and ordinary people, coupled with their teacher's unreliable personality, the students completely ignored Satoru Gojo's presence.

Maki Zenin: "Alright, let's start the lesson, Assistant Akesato."

Panda: "Please guide us, Assistant Akesato."

"Salmon." Toge Inumaki's speech, understood.

"Then let's make the most of our time. First lesson: tactical thinking, the combat of the weak."

Akesato didn't refuse and quickly got into character.

Although being hired as an assistant wasn't part of his plan, Akesato was definitely not a bad teacher.

Training a trainer also meant teaching. The reality of not inheriting Cursed Energy had made him ponder this issue many times.

The seemingly outlandish idea of using a steamroller to block Cursed Spirits was actually the result of careful consideration, the optimal solution to break through the deadlock.

"The weak? Are you talking about me?"

Maki Zenin's lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. She was the most competitive among the students.

"No, you, me, Inumaki, Panda, including my Little Sa, everyone on the training ground except for Teacher Gojo are the weak. We all have obvious flaws and shortcomings. Words alone aren't convincing, so let's talk while fighting."

"I'll go first."

Maki yielded to no one.

A strong gust of wind hit him, and the long-handled battle blade in her hand swept forward. This move alone showed that she had at least ten years of experience in martial arts, with a solid foundation.

Akesato was already prepared and dodged with a backward step.

Maki, seizing the advantage, pressed her attack relentlessly, fully utilizing the power of her long weapon. The sound of the weapon cutting through the air grew louder and louder.

Her physical fitness was clearly superior to that of ordinary people, and combined with her excellent martial arts skills, she swung the battle blade faster and faster. Soon, she had cornered Akesato, leaving him with no room to escape.

"Got you!"

With a triumphant cry, the battle blade swung down fiercely—

—It snapped with a bang, right in the middle of the blade, at the point where she held it.

A moment before impact, Akesato moved away from the battle blade and punched the wooden handle.

The resulting shift in balance caused Maki's body to tilt, and she almost fell.

Although she quickly adjusted her center of gravity and flipped backward to create distance, she couldn't outrun the fully prepared Akesato, who struck her abdomen with an elbow, sending her flying back.

Akesato did not hold back because Maki was a woman. He pressed his attack, intending to finish her off with a combo.

At the critical moment, a voice filled with compulsion rang out:

"Don't move!"

Toge Inumaki, a Cursed Speech user, spoke. He lowered the collar covering his mouth, revealing his mouth adorned with circular and wavy patterns – the Cursed Seal of the Inumaki Family, symbolizing snake eyes and fangs.

Under the influence of his voice, Akesato was forced to freeze. Taking advantage of this opening, Panda, with a speed uncharacteristic of its bulky physique, appeared in front of Maki and pushed Akesato back several steps with a slap.

Akesato was unharmed due to his timely use of Cursed Energy for defense. He slightly moved his shoulder and broke free from the Cursed Speech's restraint.

"Good teamwork. You've grasped one of the combat methods of the weak, but your thinking is still not flexible enough. Panda, why did you attack from the front? The back of a human is harder to defend than the front."

"Because I had to consider Maki. If I couldn't repel you, I would have retreated with Maki to increase the distance." Panda had actually considered this; he was indeed the strategist.

"GOOD, but not enough. If I were in command, I'd have you launch a surprise attack. You're a Cursed Corpse, not a conventional living being. Not breathing is a huge advantage for you." One raised finger turned into two. "The second combat method for the weak is to leverage your own advantages and drag the enemy into your domain as much as possible, then defeat them with your rich experience."

"Then what about Maki?"

"Of course, it's up to Inumaki."

"Huh?" Panda blinked in surprise, and both Inumaki and Maki looked bewildered.

Satoru Gojo, observing from the sidelines, reacted the fastest: "I see. Because of Cursed Energy, the gap in physique and physical ability isn't an issue. Toge doesn't lack Cursed Energy."

"Exactly," Akesato nodded. "'Cursed Speech' is certainly powerful, but its drawbacks are equally obvious. I consider it a Cursed Technique that forces a direct confrontation. It's very convenient against weaklings; it's just a matter of a single utterance. But against someone stronger than you, you have to endure greater backlash, isn't that right?"

"Salmon." Toge Inumaki's speech, affirmative.

After speaking, he made a running motion.

Panda helped explain: "Toge runs very fast, to dodge and reposition in unfavorable situations."

"Very good, but still not enough."

Akesato repeated his previous assessment, which was also the biggest problem for the first-year students at Jujutsu High.

"In my opinion, this is a huge waste. You have such a convenient Cursed Technique, there's no need to run at all. Taking the situation where you were chasing Maki just now as an example, if you were close enough, you could have landed a heavy blow on me the moment I froze."

Inumaki's eyes changed.

Maki and Panda's expressions also sharpened.

"Did you realize it? Inumaki can completely become a counter to close-range combat."

In high-intensity, high-frequency close combat, any unnecessary pause is fatal.

Maki thought for a moment and said, "But Toge's Cursed Technique is very difficult to use. Spreading Cursed Energy, selecting targets, and the precision of the technique all require a lot of practice time. It's impossible for us to focus solely on practicing close combat like this."

"Then specialize in one thing or borrow tools. Jujutsu Sorcerers are still human; there's no reason not to utilize human advantages. If it's just combat against people, individual firearms and grenades are actually the best. One pause, one headshot."

"You're bad, but I like it." Satoru Gojo laughed happily.

Akesato also smiled, "Dead enemies are good enemies."

Maki and Panda unconsciously moved away. The atmosphere emanating from a teacher and an assistant teacher was too dark and terrifying. They wondered if they would be sold out by them someday.

After briefly demonstrating his adult methodology, Akesato returned to normal, "However, considering the special nature of Cursed Spirits, it's better to choose materials that can conduct and store Cursed Energy, or directly use Cursed Tools."

Cursed Tools are items imbued with curses, similar to Cursed Corpses. They cannot act autonomously but possess their own Cursed Energy and can inflict damage on Cursed Spirits.

Satoru Gojo decided, "That's easy. Maki, take Toge to pick out some Cursed Tools this afternoon. Choose ones that are easy to handle and carry, with a preference for ranged options."

Like Cursed Corpses, Cursed Tools are quite rare. However, as one of only two Jujutsu Sorcerer training institutions in Japan, they had some stock.

"The same theory applies to Panda. Even if you don't need weapons, you can carry things like smoke bombs, flashbangs, and stun grenades. Some might say relying on external items isn't true strength. But training is one thing, and combat is another. As I said from the beginning, we are the weak. We're doing our best just to pursue victory. Composure, grace, and the like can be considered once we become strong."

"I've learned my lesson." Panda stood at attention and bowed respectfully.

"Finally—"

"—Me?" Maki knew her own limitations.

"You have the most issues, both with hardware and software. Your advantage is physical conditioning that far surpasses ordinary people, even outpacing Cursed Energy reinforcement in the general sense. Your disadvantage, if I'm not mistaken, is that you have no Cursed Energy, correct?"

"That's right." Maki readily admitted, adjusting the glasses on her nose, "Without these, I can't even see Cursed Spirits."

She, Maki Zenin, wasn't a Jujutsu Sorcerer at all.