Maki's Path of Effort

Maki Zenin had been born into the Zenin Family, one of the Three Great Families, yet she had it even worse than Kamo Noritsuna once had.

Kamo Noritsuna had lived well until he was eight. Maki, on the other hand, had never known a single good day since she could remember. Her inability to see Cursed Spirits had practically sentenced her Jujutsu Sorcerer career to death.

Worse still, among the Three Great Families, the Zenin Family was the most extreme when it came to Jujutsu Supremacy. One could only imagine how Maki had been treated.

One of the two Zenin Family members Akesato used as benchmarks was Maki.

By Zenin Family tradition, Maki should have remained oppressed like this until she died, but she refused to accept defeat.

Who said that without cursed energy, without Jujutsu, and without the ability to see Cursed Spirits, she could not become a Jujutsu Sorcerer?

I'll become one anyway. If I have no cursed energy, I'll make up for it with cursed tools.

If the Zenin Family won't have me, I'll leave and prove myself on a bigger stage.

Her ultimate goal was to become the Zenin Family Head, change the family's stale and conservative ways, make everyone see her in a new light, and vent this resentment.

Akesato felt inferior to her in that regard.

Though it was terribly inefficient, looked somewhat foolish, and had nothing to do with choices like "best" or "optimal," anyone who accomplished great things throughout history needed this kind of "foolishness."

"You chose the hardest path," Akesato said with no small amount of feeling.

"No. It's still much better than surrendering without making any effort."

Maki casually tossed aside the polearm Akesato had broken. She hurled the front half straight at him like a projectile.

With a backhanded motion, Akesato caught the weapon and dispersed its force.

"Then you should understand that you need to work harder than everyone else and have less room for error. First of all, stop using toys like this as weapons."

As he spoke, he exerted force on the remaining half of the wooden handle and snapped it in two.

There was nothing wrong with a Polearm Battle Blade itself. The longer the reach, the greater the advantage.

There was nothing wrong with using a wooden handle either. It effectively controlled the weight and balanced hardness with flexibility, which was what earned it the title of Thief of a Hundred Weapons.

But that applied to ordinary people, not Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Skilled Jujutsu Sorcerers could all produce physical output at the ton level, while ordinary materials could not bear the immense burden brought by high-intensity cursed energy.

"I understand. The master who taught me martial arts wasn't a Jujutsu Sorcerer, so I didn't consider that."

Maki nodded. Her easy defeat at Akesato's hands had not been due to a lack of skill, but because her weapon had been too fragile.

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes, and quite a lot."

The Prefectural Jujutsu High School students were all straightforward, decent people, and Akesato had nothing he could not say.

"Because you have no cursed energy, you must put far more effort into your equipment and tools. You need to make sure that no matter what happens, you won't be left helpless. Against Large Cursed Spirits, against Small Cursed Spirits, against fast ones, against large numbers of them."

"And against Jujutsu Sorcerers. Unlike Cursed Spirits, they aren't invisible and untouchable to you simply because you lack cursed energy, so you have more options when dealing with people. Consider my advice to Inumaki three times as seriously."

"Um..." Maki hesitated.

Akesato said pointedly, "What? Are you still thinking about this so-called fairness? Don't forget your position and, by extension, your innate circumstances."

"No." Unexpectedly, Maki shook her head. "I was just thinking about how to fire back when I meet someone like that. I could say, 'You can't even stop the Technological Creations you look down on, so this so-called Jujutsu isn't all that impressive'—what do you think?"

Akesato gave a classic tongue click. "Nice! Just remember to say it after you've beaten them flat. If possible, break both their arms and legs."

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Satoru Gojo had become a laughing machine and could not stop. "That's awesome! You two should just get together and overturn the Three Great Families."

"Your Gojo family is one of the Three Great Families too," Akesato shot back.

"Whatever. If you can surpass me, I'll be very happy."

Satoru Gojo flicked back his hair, looking like he was one speaker away from blasting, "How lonely, how very lonely it is to be invincible..."

"Get together?"

Panda's eyes lit up, sparkling.

Maki, however, gave it no further thought. "You said it, Assistant Teacher. Do you think I have a chance?"

"The possibility is extremely low, but it isn't zero. If you prepare thoroughly." Akesato smiled darkly. "First, develop your physical ability to the absolute limit. Then prepare suitable tactics—Nullify Cursed Technique, Counter Domain, countering Inherent Technique, preventing escape, and so on..."

"As long as it isn't zero." Maki rubbed her fists together, eager to try.

"I'll help too." Panda raised a paw.

"Salmon, Mentaiko." Inumaki's speech: Okay, count me in, but be careful.

"Then I'll give you a little more motivation." Satoru Gojo joined the ranks of those considering how to defeat Satoru Gojo. "The examples Ari mentioned all have corresponding cursed tools. I was once beaten to the brink of death myself. If he had been a little more ruthless back then and hadn't given me time to use Reverse Cursed Technique, you wouldn't be seeing me now."

"Someone like that exists?" Maki was stunned. "What kind of monster was he?"

"Someone like you, with no cursed energy." Satoru Gojo's expression was complicated and inscrutable. "Maki, when you applied for admission, you said you didn't need my sympathy. I said it wasn't sympathy—I genuinely thought highly of you. This is why."

"Who was he? Where is he?" Maki asked.

"He's been dead for nearly ten years. It's all in the past. I'll tell you about it when I get the chance. I have something to do, so today's lesson is up to the Assistant Teacher."

Satoru Gojo waved dismissively to conceal his feelings, then turned and left.

Though Maki was curious, Satoru Gojo would not say more, and she had no way to press him.

As for Akesato, of course he knew whom Satoru Gojo meant.

That person had been the second person from the Zenin Family whom he used as a benchmark, and the only one who had driven Satoru Gojo to the point of gambling with his life. All the advice Akesato had given Maki had been based on that person.

However, that person's relationship with Satoru Gojo was rather complicated. Since Satoru Gojo had not spoken of it, Akesato would not meddle.

He knew perfectly well what should be said and what should not, which jokes could be made and which could not.

He said, "Forget that incompetent teacher. Maki, my second piece of advice is to learn how to sense Cursed Spirits. Not being able to see them doesn't mean you can't sense them. Sight is only one of humanity's five senses, and beyond those five senses, there is the Sixth Sense. If you can 'see' Cursed Spirits without relying on glasses, your understanding of Cursed Spirits, your control over yourself, and everything related to it will rise to another level."

This was another thing Maki had never considered. She asked firmly, "Can it really be done?"

"Of course. I've seen more than one example." Akesato's expression was certain.

One was the person who had nearly killed Satoru Gojo.

The other was an utterly ordinary waiter with no talent for being a Jujutsu Sorcerer, not even worthy of having a name.

The only thing known was that he had four Foster Sisters.