Yuta Okkotsu, the one Gojo wanted to punch

"What level have you reached in your training?"

Toji stared at Shinsuke Zenin.

His laid-back older brother had it much easier than he did. He'd probably already unlocked his fifth acupuncture point, right?

Toji guessed.

"Just a little faster than you."

"All right, why ask so many questions? After we eat, I still need to go check on my nephew and niece."

Shinsuke ended the topic.

After enjoying a free meal, Shinsuke and Toji returned home. They checked on Tsumiki, then told Megumi they were going to Jujutsu High.

Megumi had no objections. He wanted to try out a new life, too. He'd been studying for so long; it was about time he tested himself in the field.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Gojo finally brought Yuta Okkotsu out into the open, introducing him to the public.

When the higher-ups found out, they realized Shinsuke Zenin and Satoru Gojo had fooled them. Furious, they went after the two of them in the middle of the night.

But when they saw the pair's utterly unconcerned expressions, they found themselves powerless to do anything about them.

If Gojo hadn't promised to train Yuta into a talented sorcerer who could stand alongside him, those old men in the higher-ups might have been furious enough to spit blood.

In the end, the higher-ups gave in. They canceled the death sentence for Yuta Okkotsu, who had "come back from the dead," and changed it to a suspended sentence, to be decided based on how things went from there.

"So being a Special Grade Sorcerer really does come in handy."

Shinsuke looked at Gojo, his tone teasing.

"Does it? If I'd known those old geezers would react like this, I should've brought Yuta out a month ago."

Gojo sat on the steps at the entrance to Jujutsu High, scratching his head with an annoyed look.

The moment Shinsuke had collected his reward from the higher-ups, Gojo could have brought Yuta out. He'd only held back for a month out of consideration for the higher-ups' dignity.

It had certainly worked. At least the old men in the higher-ups were only a little angry. If they'd found out they'd been played right after Shinsuke collected his reward, some of them might really have died of rage.

"By the way, Maki Zenin is that kid from your family, right? How come you sent her to Jujutsu High?"

Recently, Tokyo Jujutsu High had welcomed a new batch of first-year students. Including Yuta, there were four of them in all, which was quite a lot.

Maki Zenin had joined the school at the same time.

Gojo had recognized her at a glance.

After all, he'd never seen anyone else with Cursed Energy so weak it was almost impossible to sense.

"She came on her own. She wants to get stronger.

"You're their homeroom teacher now, right? Make sure you fulfill your responsibilities as a teacher."

Shinsuke smiled. Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi had already advanced to their second year, so he barely had to worry about anything with them anymore.

But with Gojo teaching the first-years, there was plenty for him to deal with.

"Hey, hey, you're the last person who has any right to say that, aren't you?"

Gojo looked utterly exasperated.

"I'm not going to discuss this with you. My nephew will be enrolling at Jujutsu High in a year, too. Make sure you take good care of him. He's going to become the strongest sorcerer of the modern era."

"..." Gojo.

"No way. If you want him taught, teach him yourself. I'm busy. If it weren't for Yuta, I wouldn't have time to teach students at all."

Gojo flatly refused. He knew about Megumi. The kid had awakened the Zenin Family's inherited Cursed Technique, and word of it would soon spread through the jujutsu world, just like when Gojo had awakened Limitless and the Six Eyes as a child.

The kid had a chance of becoming the strongest. If Gojo had the time, he wouldn't mind taking on a few more students.

But whenever he thought of Shinsuke, a teacher who was always trying to dump things on him, even his free time seemed to disappear.

It was one thing for Shinsuke not to teach his own student. Now he wanted to dump his nephew on Gojo, too.

The boy was the son of the man who had tried to assassinate him all those years ago.

By rights, Gojo and Toji were enemies. Shinsuke had just managed to pull the wool over his eyes.

Making him raise an enemy's kid? It did sound pretty interesting.

"No problem. It'll only be on the side. You'll have time."

Shinsuke shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away with a smile.

"That guy's still as annoying as ever... I really want to punch him."

Watching Shinsuke walk away with that air of having everything under control, Gojo felt incredibly irritated.

He'd been wanting to use a sparring match as an excuse to beat the guy up for ages.

But every time, Shinsuke turned him down with some excuse about how the time wasn't right or how it was childish.

Whenever Gojo tried to force the issue, Shinsuke simply ran off without playing along. It was infuriating.

With that thought, Gojo sighed and shook his head as he headed inside Jujutsu High. Sooner or later, he'd get a chance to catch Shinsuke and punch him.

Back in the classroom, Gojo saw the three new students—Panda, Inumaki, and Maki—getting beaten up by Rika.

"Rika, stop! They're not trying to hurt me!"

Yuta was still trying to break up the fight, but Rika had already sensed their hostility and was furious.

"Anyone who tries to hurt Yuta has to die!"

The three weren't hostile toward Yuta. They were hostile toward Rika. Who the hell wouldn't be on guard when a terrifying creature like that followed someone to school?

"Clap, clap, clap."

"That's enough. This is your new classmate, Yuta Okkotsu."

Gojo clapped his hands, stopping Rika and introducing Yuta to the three.

"So he's a new student. I thought a Curse User had snuck into the school."

Panda scratched his head and breathed a sigh of relief.

Inumaki said nothing, while Maki gave Yuta a brief, indifferent glance.

Yuta looked a little nervous. "H-hello. I'm Yuta Okkotsu. P-please take care of me!"

He wasn't good at communicating with people. Even though he had such a powerful Cursed Spirit as Rika, he was still timid and unsure of himself.

Of course, Rika might have been the reason for that.

"All right. Starting today, you're going to study hard. In a week, I'll assign you a mission to exorcise a Cursed Spirit."

At that, Maki's eyes lit up, and she tightened her grip on the long-handled blade.

She'd come to the right place. As long as she kept exorcising Cursed Spirits, she'd pass her master's test sooner or later!

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

The purpose of Gojo's Cursed Spirit exorcism plan was to help Yuta regain his confidence.

Outside a school surrounded by a Curtain, Gojo watched Rika tearing into a Cursed Spirit and remarked, "What a terrifying creature."

Even the strongest sorcerer of the modern era found Rika troublesome. No wonder those old geezers in the higher-ups wanted Yuta dead so badly.

"Teacher Gojo, we won!"

Yuta emerged from the school with two children on his back, struggling to make his way outside. Maki leaned on the hilt of her blade, barely able to move.

The Cursed Spirit had probably been around Quasi-Grade 1 level. If not for that timid guy, she likely couldn't have defeated it by herself—not unless she could use Play Cloud. Then she might have had a chance.

"I really didn't expect him to actually be Special Grade."

At first, Maki hadn't understood why Yuta had been classified as Special Grade as soon as he enrolled.

But now, watching Rika brutally rip apart the Cursed Spirit on the school rooftop, she understood. Their new classmate was a natural.