Jujutsu Sorcerer Level Up

Although more people online in his previous life had called Megumi Fushiguro a "Disney princess," Akesato was more inclined to call him a Pokémon Trainer.

Just look at all those shadow shikigami of his.

Land, sea, and air.

Every size, from large to medium to small.

Cool, cute, adorably ugly, and uniquely tasteful.

Tanks, DPS, support.

Physical and magical.

He had it all.

And he had to tame them before he could use them.

Even more outrageous, they could evolve, though at a cost.

On top of that, the humanoid types and legendary Pokémon rarely seen among Pokémon could also be found in the shadow shikigami.

Akesato believed that if Megumi Fushiguro were thrown into the Pokémon world, he would still thrive there. Though Gary Oak or Green might be in danger of having their spotlight stolen.

Of the "ten Pokémon" Megumi Fushiguro possessed, the most popular were naturally the two dogs he started with—the Divine Dogs. They were incomparably fierce in battle, but in ordinary times, they could also be a source of joy, like the three fools in the snow.

But the cutest and most healing had to be the Leaping Rabbits.

Even Akesato, who missed spicy rabbit heads, had to admit that rabbits were adorable. Especially after being rendered through the Ten Shadows Technique, with a watercolor-ink-like filter layered over them—their cuteness rose to another level.

The moment Megumi Fushiguro completed the Taming Ritual, Panda urged him to summon the rabbits. Everyone grabbed one to play with. Even Maki Zenin, who took the tough-girl route, and Rika Orimoto, who had transformed into a Cursed Spirit, could not resist. Of course, Yuta Okkotsu had reminded the latter not to break the rabbits.

That reaction once again proved Akesato's point: as long as Yuta Okkotsu let go of his preconceptions and sincerely accepted Rika, she was controllable—at most, she occasionally had trouble holding back her strength.

The sole exception was Panda's second younger brother, Playful Panda. Relying on the fact that he was cuter, he never bothered asking about an opponent's Level before bullying other animals. Waving his tiny fists, he chased the remaining rabbits all over the ground.

Mind you, the name of Megumi Fushiguro's Cursed Technique was the "Ten Shadows Technique," not "Ten Shadow Techniques." It allowed multiple instances to exist; the weaker the individual, the greater the number.

Coincidentally, there were plenty of Pokémon like that too.

Kangaskhan, respectfully called Big Brother, who was used to bringing his child along when he fought.

Diglett and Magneton, which evolved directly into three-in-one forms.

And Wishiwashi, whose individual members were weak, so they simply moved in groups and took ganging up on opponents to the extreme.

Megumi Fushiguro, and you still say you're not a Pokémon Trainer???

Megumi Fushiguro knew nothing of Akesato's rich inner monologue. He was respectfully bowing to Akesato.

"Thank you very much, Senior Akesato. And... welcome back."

Kento Nanami had said that a Jujutsu Sorcerer's growth was not linear. People were the same. Some had grown into adults physically while remaining giant babies inside, while others matured overnight, becoming men from boys.

Quite a few Curse Users belonged to the former category, while Megumi Fushiguro was a typical example of the latter.

Before anything happened to his sister, he had been Brother Fushiguro, brimming with teenage delusions and ready to cure anyone who refused to submit.

He had loved sitting atop the pile of punks he had beaten down and delivering artsy remarks.

"Do you know what bottom line you should uphold when dealing with other people?"

"It's, 'I won't kill you, so please don't kill me either.' You can replace 'kill' with any other action. The point is to draw clear boundaries and not threaten another person's dignity."

"You crossed that line and ended up being treated as a nuisance by everyone around you. I'm sure that felt great." By which he meant being stepped on by Megumi.

"If you dare do something like that in front of me again, I'll kill you."

Now, while he had not yet reached Kento Nanami's level, he had already become mature and dependable.

"Yeah, I'm back."

Having lived in Japan for so long, Akesato had become quite skilled at such characteristic responses too. It just always felt a little strange when he did this with Megumi Fushiguro.

He could only imagine the expression this kid would make when looking back on this embarrassing history someday, taking what comfort he could from it.

"Did you come to train today?"

"Yes. I came up with a way to tame the Leaping Rabbits, but there were some problems during the execution. Fortunately, the seniors helped remedy the situation."

The Leaping Rabbits' combat ability was not worth mentioning. Their only two troublesome traits were their numbers and their speed. So Megumi Fushiguro had planned to use an enclosed room to limit the rabbits' movement, then deal with them one by one.

There was nothing wrong with the plan, but Megumi Fushiguro had overestimated how sturdy the buildings inside Jujutsu High were. In order to end things quickly, he had summoned the Great Serpent, only to accidentally punch a hole through a wall and let more than half the Leaping Rabbits escape.

Luckily, Panda was quick-witted and reacted fast enough to keep Megumi Fushiguro's Taming Ritual from ending in failure.

A whole group of humans being less reliable than a panda was truly beyond words.

And that panda continued to display his overwhelming emotional intelligence. "I heard from Satoru that you went on a confidential mission. Did it go smoothly?"

"The process had a few twists and turns, but overall, it went fairly smoothly."

Akesato made it sound casual, but someone had no intention of letting him brush it off so lightly.

"It wasn't fairly smooth. It was smooth like landslides and tsunamis."

The frivolous, unreliable adult man appeared from who knew where. Rarely, he was not wearing his blindfold. Instead, he had changed into casual clothes and paired them with a newly custom-made pair of sunglasses.

Throwing an arm familiarly around Akesato's shoulders, he spoke with a smug look on his face.

"Nanami told me all about it. Learning 'Black Flash' in just one week—mm-hmm, just as I expected from myself. I really do have a great eye for picking students."

Akesato and Megumi Fushiguro both curled their lips and looked away. Had this fake teacher's total teaching time even exceeded twenty-four hours?

Still, when Satoru Gojo talked about having an eye for talent, no one could dispute it. It meant Akesato was ready and would soon qualify to enter Far Moon Cursed Energy Academy.

"Black Flash???"

"That Black Flash?"

"How did you do it?"

"Salmon roe!" (Yay!)

The moment the term representing the highest realm of hand-to-hand combat was mentioned, it immediately drew everyone's attention.

"According to Teacher Gojo, all you need are hands. It's not that impressive."

With too many Mundane Studies masters around him, Akesato had been led astray too.

Besides, it was not entirely Mundane Studies. Whether it was impressive depended on who he was compared to. Compared to those who had not learned it, it was impressive. Compared to Yuji Itadori... that guy had learned Black Flash in only a few dozen minutes.

Naturally, everyone else immediately shot him disdainful looks, except for Satoru Gojo, who said:

"Right? Right? You even said I was showing off back then, but it was obviously the truth."

Akesato immediately distanced himself from Satoru Gojo through practical action.

"I was just joking. Having hands is only part of it. For your first Black Flash, using the move you're most familiar with gives you the greatest chance of success. But that's only my personal feeling. Everyone's situation is different, and it's hard for me to put my understanding of Black Flash into words."

"If it's hard to put into words, then experience it directly with your body."

Maki tossed aside the Leaping Rabbit in her hands. Compared to getting stronger, cuteness was not worth mentioning.

"Unfortunately, that's impossible." Akesato sighed and shook his head. "There's no such thing as holding back with Black Flash. I'm afraid I'd beat you to death."

It sounded a little harsh, but it had to be made clear. This was not something he could be vague about.

Satoru Gojo added, "He's telling the truth. If Black Flash hits a vital spot, even I could die. That's also why I've never demonstrated Black Flash. I can't be sure when I'll land one, and once I do, the fight is over."

If even the fake teacher who loved stirring up trouble said so, Maki could not press the matter further. She looked at Akesato unwillingly.

She had always considered Akesato her goal. Their close-combat ability had always been roughly on the same level. With cursed energy enhancement, Akesato had greater strength; having trained systematically since childhood under famous instructors, Maki was superior in technique.

But now, Akesato had mastered Black Flash, raising his strength by an entire level, while she was still progressing step by step. How could someone as competitive as her accept that?

Akesato sensed the shift in her emotions as well. Maki was the kind of person who wore everything on her face.

After thinking for a moment, Akesato said, "I can't demonstrate Black Flash in sparring, but there might be a chance when we fight Cursed Spirits in the future. Besides Black Flash, I learned quite a few other things this time. If you want to see them, I can demonstrate them for you."

"I want to." The gloom on Maki's face instantly gave way to sunshine, her smile brighter than the sun in the sky. "I want to see them now."

"Then—" Akesato admitted that he had been dazzled.

"Wait, finish the important business first." At the critical moment, Satoru Gojo disrupted things again.

"If there was important business, you should've said so earlier," Maki complained.

"Sorry, I forgot." Satoru Gojo said it with complete confidence. "Because it's not a big deal. Akesato's sorcerer rank just went up one level. He's a Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer now."

PS: A few things. First, this book finally has an Operations Officer—Vampire Eternal. Everyone, welcome them! There should be operating funds next month, and we'll hold events then, so please participate enthusiastically. Second, operating funds require a certain number of bonus chapters. This month is tight on time, so the author will make the call for now. Everyone knows Jujutsu Kaisen's tone: the good guys are crazier than the bad guys, while the bad guys say the good guys' lines. The upcoming bonus chapters will cover four iconic scenes featuring the four crazies. Today is Megumi, so we'll start with Megumi.

PS2: Still asking for tips, follows, and monthly votes—the triple support!