Lin Ran Wants to Learn Jujutsu

"I'm so full~" Nobara Kugisaki rubbed her little belly and let out a satisfied burp. When everyone looked at her, she instinctively blushed. It seemed she had eaten a little too much.

Maki was no better off. In a sense, she had eaten even more than Nobara Kugisaki. Since it was her first time trying Lin Ran's cooking, she found it incredibly delicious and accidentally overate.

The others had eaten quite a bit too, though not as much as those three. Still, everyone was thoroughly satisfied.

Lin Ran could also tell that Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki were in much better shape than before he had left. At the very least, their mindsets had fully recovered. They were no longer devastated by Yuji Itadori's death; instead, they had become more driven.

"Say, Lin Ran, what exactly have you been doing all this time? Don't tell me you've been up to something shady?" After eating and drinking her fill, Nobara Kugisaki began teasing Lin Ran.

Lin Ran merely smiled, rose to his feet, and said, "Nothing much. Just making a little money to support myself. Oh, and I brought everyone some snacks."

As he spoke, Lin Ran walked over to a corner covered by a black cloth. When he pulled it away, rows of gift boxes were revealed underneath.

"What are these?" Panda-senpai looked curiously at the exquisitely packaged gift boxes.

"These are things I bought for everyone. They're not expensive, but I hope you won't mind." Lin Ran carried the boxes over with both hands and placed one in front of each person.

"Newcomers these days really know what they're doing. You even know to bring gifts for your seniors." Maki smiled meaningfully. When she opened the gift box, she found all kinds of snacks inside.

"Sushi, Kikufuku, Takoyaki, Instant Ramen!" Nobara Kugisaki immediately called them out. They were all things she liked to eat.

These snacks were essentially snack gift sets. However, it was clear that Lin Ran had specially gone to several places to buy everything before packing them into individual gift boxes.

There was no concept of snack gift sets here yet, so he could only put them together himself.

At least the results were pretty good.

"Then who are the boxes still on the floor for?" Nobara Kugisaki noticed that there were still several boxes in the corner that had not been brought over.

"Oh, those are for Teacher Gojo and the Principal." Lin Ran had actually prepared one for Yuji Itadori as well, but these foods needed to be eaten soon. They would spoil if left too long.

"I'm full." Fushiguro Megumi stood up at that moment and left the kitchen without another word.

"Fushiguro, you haven't taken your snacks yet." Lin Ran called after his retreating back, but the other boy did not respond.

"Don't mind him. I'll bring them to him later." Nobara Kugisaki knew what Fushiguro Megumi was thinking. A little over a month ago, Yuji Itadori had still been eating, chatting, and joking around with them. Now they would never see him again. Naturally, he would think of Yuji Itadori under such circumstances.

Lin Ran had not expected Fushiguro Megumi to be so sentimental. He might usually look cold and aloof, but he was actually the type who was cold on the outside and warm on the inside, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

Of course, Nobara Kugisaki was the same type. Her words showed no mercy, but she understood everything perfectly well.

That meal was finally over. The three seniors were very pleased with Lin Ran. Not only could this newcomer cook well, but he also knew how to bribe them with gifts—no, it could not be called bribery. He was using gifts to win their favor. Not bad at all.

After the meal, Lin Ran took a walk around the school by himself. The school's one advantage was its closeness to nature, and its grounds were quite expansive. It was a great place for a stroll, with especially fresh air.

Fushiguro Megumi was sitting quietly alone atop a large boulder. Lin Ran happened to have something he wanted to ask him, so he walked over.

Fushiguro Megumi saw Lin Ran approaching, but his gaze remained fixed on the moon in the sky. The moon was full tonight, and its light was gentle.

"Fushiguro, I have a question I'd like to ask you." Lin Ran stood below the boulder and looked up at Fushiguro Megumi.

"If you have a question, ask. I'll tell you what I know."

"Alright, then I'll ask." Lin Ran looked expressionlessly at Fushiguro Megumi and asked, "Does Jujutsu High have somewhere specifically meant for learning jujutsu? Like a room with lots of jujutsu techniques you can study?"

"You want to learn jujutsu?" Fushiguro Megumi looked at Lin Ran in surprise. "Logically speaking, someone with your current strength shouldn't be asking something like that."

Lin Ran asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Is there some problem with it?"

Fushiguro Megumi gave Lin Ran a serious look and realized that he truly did not understand, so he explained, "Learning jujutsu depends on talent and bloodline. There may be many jujutsu techniques, but not everyone can learn them. Generally speaking, the path of jujutsu you will walk in this life is determined from birth, and it is nearly impossible to acquire one afterward."

"Take me, for example. The Ten Shadows Technique is one of the Zenin Family's inherited techniques. Most of its techniques involve shikigami, so I possess a unique talent in that area. Another factor is Bloodline Inheritance, which ordinary people cannot imitate. Likewise, others have their own unique aptitudes in different types of jujutsu. There may be many jujutsu techniques, but you cannot simply learn whichever one you want. That is why the school does not really encourage students to study jujutsu techniques on their own. Instead, it encourages them to take on missions and undergo training to awaken their own jujutsu talents—that is, to 'advance' their original jujutsu techniques."

Lin Ran knew that learning jujutsu depended on talent, but surely it was not completely impossible to learn, right? Wasn't the school a place for teaching jujutsu?

"Jujutsu High does teach jujutsu, but what you learn depends entirely on your own talent and ability. Others cannot interfere. Some people may be unable to learn any jujutsu techniques in their entire lives, while others can build a career in jujutsu through their bloodline talents."

"Still, I'm not trying to discourage you, but jujutsu is innate. Techniques are essentially abilities one is born with and can hardly be comprehended through later training or any other means. That is why they are called Innate Techniques. Possessing an Innate Technique does not mean you can use it, because there is another prerequisite for using a technique: you must have the brain structure of a sorcerer. Likewise, having a sorcerer's brain structure and a large amount of cursed energy does not necessarily mean you possess an Innate Technique."

Fushiguro Megumi felt that Lin Ran still did not understand what all this meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The school's Jujutsu Pavilion is open. You just need to register before going in, and then you can read there."

"You could've just said that from the start. I thought I wasn't allowed to learn." Lin Ran smiled. As long as he could go look at jujutsu techniques, there was no problem. What he had feared was not being allowed to see them. Still, after hearing Fushiguro Megumi explain so much, he was indeed a little bewildered. Learning jujutsu sounded incredibly difficult. No wonder there were so few Jujutsu Sorcerers in this world—it was all about Bloodline Inheritance and talent.

Fushiguro Megumi did not pay much attention to Lin Ran's words. Most of the jujutsu techniques in the Jujutsu Pavilion were only for reference; learning them was completely impossible unless one possessed comprehension and talent far beyond ordinary people. Even then, it was only theoretical. Otherwise, they could merely be used to broaden one's knowledge.

"By the way, Fushiguro, when does that Exchange Event start?" Lin Ran cared rather deeply about the timing, though he felt as if the timeline of this world had somehow become longer.

"There's still some time. We need to train hard during this period if we want to win the competition." Fushiguro Megumi's eyes were resolute. He wanted to grow stronger. Only by becoming stronger could he protect the people he wanted to protect.

"In that case, I'll go take a look at the jujutsu techniques in the Jujutsu Pavilion, then head out again." Lin Ran grinned. Since he had time, he naturally intended to make use of it.

"You're going out again? Aren't you going to train with us?" Fushiguro Megumi looked strangely at Lin Ran below him. What was this guy thinking about all day? Did he think he could learn jujutsu just by going to the Jujutsu Pavilion? And he still wanted to go out at a time like this—what on earth was going through his head?