I Play Ninjutsu in Jujutsu Kaisen! Chapter 11

Among the many Cursed Tools, the Naginata was the only one that caught Natsu Hiraku's eye. Maybe because he had used one before, but it simply felt right in his hands, both in weight and appearance.

Of course, if possible, it would be even better to pick two Cursed Tools: one sword and one Naginata.

"Teacher Gojo, can I choose two Cursed Tools?"

"Mm, sure. As long as you can use them comfortably. After all, you'll need a long time to get used to them, but I recommend choosing just one."

"I see."

Natsu Hiraku looked at the long swords and Naginatas on the rack before ultimately choosing a long sword. Practicing two weapons would be far too troublesome. He wasn't some weapons master, and a sword was more adaptable than a Naginata.

Though the Naginata felt natural in his hands, he would be finished if the terrain was too narrow. Details like that had to be considered.

"A sword? The Cursed Tool I gave Yuta was a sword too. Teach him sometime when you're free."

Gojo Satoru looked at Natsu Hiraku as he came out, his face filled with gratification. Then he shut the wooden door and continued, "Come on, I'll introduce you to your future classmates."

"..."

"Teacher Gojo, have a little faith in me, okay? Be careful, or I'll put laxatives in your dinner."

Natsu Hiraku complained.

Gojo Satoru waved a hand. "It's not that I don't have faith in you. He's a genius too. In terms of cursed energy alone, he completely crushes you. Although I have no idea why the cursed energy in your body suddenly increased by such a huge amount, that kid really is strong."

"Then, Teacher Gojo, what do you think my odds are against that Megumi?"

"Three to seven. You're the three, he's the seven."

Three to seven...

Although Gojo Satoru didn't know about his trump-card ninjutsu, Great Fire Annihilation, three to seven was still terrifying. Someone might die if he used that technique, so sparring was probably out of the question.

As his trump card, it wasn't time for it to be revealed yet. But if he lost, not only would he have to repeat the year next year, but the system reward would be gone too!

Looks like he would have to ask Maki for some intensive training tomorrow.

He would copy every Blade Technique he could replicate. If he still couldn't win...

Then he would blast him to death with a mouthful of fire. He couldn't lose the mission reward, no matter what.

At the training grounds.

Megumi Fushiguro, newly arrived, looked at the upperclassmen beside him. Though he was curious why Panda could speak, he still didn't ask.

"Hello, Megumi Fushiguro. I'm Panda."

Panda extended his right hand with a smile, but to Megumi Fushiguro, the giant panda before him seemed to be asserting his dominance. Its fangs protruded from its mouth, its claws were sharp, and it looked as though it might devour him the next second.

What the hell was going on at Jujutsu High?

A talking giant panda, a white-haired guy who kept talking about food, and a man with an overwhelming aura. The only one who could be considered normal, an older sister figure, was currently glaring at him fiercely.

What did I do wrong? This is terrifying...

"Panda, you scared him."

Maki Zenin remarked.

"Huh? How could that be? I clearly greeted him very politely."

Panda scratched his head, unable to understand.

"Bonito Flakes."

Toge Inumaki waved a hand, indicating that he didn't understand either.

"How about I give it a try?"

The moment Yuta Okkotsu spoke, he was opposed by two people and one panda.

"You're the scariest one." ×2

"Salmon!"

"..."

"You guys are so mean."

Yuta Okkotsu looked heartbroken, tears welling at the corners of his eyes as if his soul had been dealt a blow.

"Yo, looks like you've all been getting along pretty well."

Gojo Satoru arrived with Natsu Hiraku.

Oh, so this is Megumi Fushiguro? He really does look strong. Natsu Hiraku gave him a glance.

He had finally found a normal person.

Megumi Fushiguro also immediately spotted Natsu Hiraku behind Gojo Satoru. Compared to the people around him, he really did count as a "normal person." This place was far too oppressive.

Natsu Hiraku looked at Megumi Fushiguro, who was slightly shorter than himself, and extended his right hand. "Hello, Megumi Fushiguro. I'm Natsu Hiraku. You can call me Brother Natsu or Senpai Otoshi from now on. If you want to see ninjutsu, I can give you a fifty-percent discount—fifty thousand yen."

"..."

I'm numb...

He's not normal either...

The smile on Megumi Fushiguro's face gradually froze, and his eyes seemed to lose their light. He suddenly regretted coming to Jujutsu High.

"Don't make that face, Fushiguro. They may look like this, but they're all good people."

Gojo Satoru rubbed Megumi Fushiguro's head, then looked at the others with a slight smile and shouted, "In two days, Natsu Hiraku and Megumi Fushiguro will have their one-on-one match. If Natsu Hiraku loses, he'll be demoted to the first year next year. When that happens, everyone can bully him to your heart's content! Oh yeah!!"

"Oh!?"

The onlookers' gazes swept back and forth between Natsu Hiraku and Megumi Fushiguro, as though they were greatly interested.

"What a pain. I don't want to fight."

Without a second thought, Megumi Fushiguro refused. He had no intention of being treated like a toy and watched by so many people.

Didn't want to fight?

Not only would Gojo Satoru refuse to allow it, but Natsu Hiraku would never agree either. The System Quest had already been issued—whether he wanted to fight or not, he had to.

Natsu Hiraku said disdainfully, "Afraid I'll bully you? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. Your senior is a very gentle person."

"..."

Where did he get the nerve to say something like that? Was he Jesus?

Anyone with eyes could tell that Megumi Fushiguro had far more Cursed Energy within him than Natsu Hiraku.

Generally speaking, the amount of Cursed Energy was the standard used to judge a jujutsu sorcerer's strength. However, this method of assessment only applied to most sorcerers; it did not account for special cases, and everyone had their own trump cards.

Natsu Hiraku's words only made everyone curious. Though they had interacted with him only a little, they could tell he was not the sort to boast or make empty promises. On the contrary, he was very meticulous.

He treated everyone differently, yet without any so-called prejudice. Just the way he had won everyone over with a single meal was enough to show that.

What method would someone like him use to defeat an opponent who seemed impossible to overcome?

Everyone looked forward to it.

"Hah? Then let's fight right now!"

When faced with someone who looked down on him, Megumi Fushiguro generally solved the problem with his fists.

He took the bait!

A smile appeared at the corner of Natsu Hiraku's lips. "Not today. I'm injured. We'll do it in two days, just as Teacher Gojo said. Counting today, that means the day after tomorrow. If I lose, I'll be your classmate next year. If you lose, you'll have to call me Brother Natsu from then on. How about it?"

"Fine! But let's add one more condition. If you lose, you'll be demoted next year and treat me with the utmost respect."

"Of course. Everyone here is a witness."

After saying that, Natsu Hiraku waved and left. He was not trying to act cool—his legs hurt from standing, and lying down at home would be far more comfortable.

Training could wait until tomorrow. He could not train today anyway; every movement hurt so much his body ached like hell. Being a couch potato for a day was pretty nice.

At the very least, it would make Megumi think he was arrogant and lower his guard. Killing two birds with one stone.

As everyone watched Natsu Hiraku limp away, their faces fell silent while they screamed inwardly, You're already like this—are you sure you won't get beaten to death the moment you step into the ring?

Maki Zenin also felt somewhat guilty. After all, she had inflicted those injuries herself. Although it had been for his training, if she had not hit him so hard, he could have trained for one more day and improved his chances of winning.

Back in his room.

Natsu Hiraku took off his shoes and walked across the smooth floor. He gently placed the Cursed Tool on the table, then took the clothes from the washing machine and hung them on the balcony to dry.

Once he was done, he sat on the bed and stared at the blade on the table, thinking about the Blade Techniques he had seen on television. It would be great if Maki Zenin let him copy some Blade Techniques right now, though that was obviously impossible.

After all, he had only just copied her Naginata. If he went over and shamelessly asked her to demonstrate some Blade Techniques now, she would probably beat him half to death. His skin might be thick, but he was not bored enough to go looking for death.

Was he really going to waste the entire day?

Knock, knock, knock!

The crisp knocking interrupted Natsu Hiraku's thoughts. Maki Zenin's voice came from outside the door. "It's me. Open the door."

What was she doing here?

Natsu Hiraku raised an eyebrow, surprised by Maki Zenin's visit. By all rights, after calming down, she should have been training Yuta Okkotsu on the field, or perhaps making friends with Megumi Fushiguro, since he was going to be her junior.

Though he did not know why she had come, how could he leave a guest waiting outside the door?

Natsu Hiraku slowly got up and answered, "Coming."

He opened the door and looked at Maki Zenin standing there with a boxed meal in her hand. "What is it?"

"Here, this is your meal. You haven't eaten anything since this morning, right?"

"Oh. Yeah, thanks."

Natsu Hiraku took the meal from Maki Zenin, replying somewhat awkwardly. A cook like him had actually forgotten to eat.

"Want to come in and sit down? There's still some fruit left over from yesterday in the fridge."

"Yeah. Excuse me, then."

Maki Zenin took off her shoes and walked inside.

"It's nothing. We're classmates, so what's there to excuse?"

Natsu Hiraku did not close the door. He set the boxed meal on the table and began eating, then looked at Maki Zenin sitting on the bed and asked, "Maki, did you come all this way just to bring me food?"

Maki Zenin shot Natsu Hiraku a glance and questioned him in an unmistakably firm tone, "Is that a problem?"

"How could it not be? You saved my life. If you'd come any later, I would've starved to death."

"Hmph!"

Maki Zenin gave a soft snort and got to the point. "Can you really beat Megumi Fushiguro? You're not just talking big, are you?"

"A little, maybe. It'd be too embarrassing to lose to a junior."

"..."

"Honestly, I give up on you. You're usually so shameless—why did you suddenly get worked up today?"

Watching Natsu Hiraku completely absorbed in slurping his noodles, Maki Zenin felt exasperated at his failure to live up to expectations. Things were already this critical, yet he could still eat? She smacked him and asked, "How confident are you?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Natsu Hiraku nearly choked to death after having his meal interrupted. Holding up four fingers, he said, "F-four tenths. If you teach me Blade Techniques today, then five tenths."

"Five tenths? Fine, I'll let you have my Blade Techniques on the cheap. Come with me. If you lose, don't blame me for looking down on you."

With that, Maki Zenin grabbed Natsu Hiraku and dragged him away.

"Wait, I'm not done eating!"

Natsu Hiraku hugged his lunchbox and wolfed down the food. He hadn't felt it before, but the moment he saw food, his stomach began to grow hungry on its own. On top of that, he had thrown everything up that morning from nausea, so he was starving to death now.

"You can eat after you're done learning. If I weren't afraid you'd lose and embarrass us, I wouldn't teach you Blade Techniques."