"Hey, are you from the Zenin Clan?"
Toji raised an eyebrow and asked Maki.
Maki furrowed her brows, clearly unhappy to be called a "Zenin," but there was no getting around the fact that it was her surname.
"Yeah. What do you want?"
Toji gave her a teasing smile. "Life in the Zenin Clan treating you badly?"
"..."
Maki frowned, as if some unpleasant memories had surfaced. "Hey! What are you getting at, anyway?!"
Toji shrugged and didn't answer her question. Instead, he put on a serious expression and asked, "Why did you come to Jujutsu High?"
Maki pouted. "To get stronger, obviously!"
"And then?"
Maki paused, then clenched her teeth and spoke her mind, one word at a time.
"I'm going to rip that rotten-to-the-core tree that is the Zenin Clan out by its roots!"
Toji froze for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth lifted, and he burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha..."
Toji laughed without a care in the world, loud and unrestrained.
Panda, Nanako, and the others exchanged glances.
"That guy's so weird!"
"Is he a little crazy?"
"Salmon! Salmon!"
Megumi Fushiguro silently took two steps back.
Of everyone there, only Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto probably understood how Toji was feeling.
As Maki watched Toji laugh, for some reason, she sensed a hint of relief and satisfaction in his laughter.
It was almost like... the exhilaration she felt whenever she dreamed of bringing down the Zenin Clan.
After a long while, Toji's laughter gradually died away.
He fixed his eyes on Maki, his expression more serious than ever.
"Hey, kid. Want to be my student?"
"Huh?"
Maki froze and pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Gojo Satoru stepped in front of Toji. "Maki's a student at Jujutsu High. You're trying to poach her!"
Toji didn't seem to care. "Then I'll reluctantly take a temporary teaching job at Jujutsu High. I'll teach only her, and I won't take a salary."
"No salary?"
"Call it a whim. I feel like preparing a little surprise for the Zenin Clan!"
Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto's eyelids twitched.
How was that a surprise? It was downright terrifying!
"I don't agree!"
Maki raised her hand. "Compared to this random guy, Mr. Gojo and Mr. Geto are obviously more reliable!"
Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto were both Special Grades.
Giving up on two Special Grades to become the student of some unknown man went completely against Maki's path to becoming strong.
Hearing this, Gojo Satoru shook his head. "Maki, maybe this man is better suited to teach you than Geto and me."
"Because he also bears a Heavenly Restriction. And his original name was..."
"Toji Zenin."
Maki's pupils contracted.
Toji Zenin!
That name was practically taboo in the Zenin Clan. Every clan official avoided speaking of him.
But there was one person in the Zenin Clan who often mentioned that name and even idolized him.
That was the Zenin Clan heir, Naobito's son, Naoya Zenin.
Whenever Naoya abused and tormented Maki under the pretense of sparring, he would compare her to Toji, who also bore a Heavenly Restriction, then conclude that she was "trash."
That was how Maki had learned of Toji Zenin.
The same surname, the same Heavenly Restriction, the same miserable experiences.
The only difference was that, as an adult, Toji had awakened the power of a tyrant, slaughtered half the Zenin Clan, and walked away without a care.
Maki, meanwhile, still couldn't control her own fate.
Toji looked at Maki. "Well? Are you willing to become my student now?"
Maki fell silent for a moment, then looked up with a vicious, feral smile. "Senior, I'll finish the job you left half-done for you!"
Toji was taken aback, then burst into laughter once more.
Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto exchanged a glance and smiled as they shook their heads.
The Zenin Clan... What a bunch of idiots. They'd picked a fight with another lunatic!
The blood and genes flowing through those who bore a Heavenly Restriction seemed destined to be this crazy.
Megumi glanced at his deadbeat dad, then at Maki.
He suddenly felt like his standing in the family had inexplicably dropped another notch.
Maybe whether he was really his dad's biological son still needed to be investigated!
"All right, quit looking so glum, kid. Come over and say hi to your classmates!"
Toji ruffled Megumi's spiky hair and pushed him in front of the others.
"Um..."
Gojo Satoru suddenly popped up, raising his hand sheepishly. "They're not Megumi's classmates. He's only thirteen, so he's still a year away from being old enough to enroll."
Toji and Megumi both froze.
"Then why did you have me bring Megumi here?"
Gojo Satoru rubbed his hands together and gave a cheeky grin. "Well, I just took on a genius student! I heard my brother took one on, too, so I brought Megumi here to show him off!"
Toji: "..."
Megumi: "..."
Suguru Geto covered his face. "That really is something Gojo would do."
"Who said you could show him off to me?"
Hearing that voice, Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto turned around in delight.
"Sawa—brother, you're here!"
The others turned around as well.
Judging by Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto's reactions, the man about to make his entrance could only be that man!
The uncontested strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of the modern era, the current head of the Gojo Clan, Gojo Sawa!
Just then, Gojo Sawa appeared before them, wearing sunglasses.
At a glance, he looked almost exactly like Gojo Satoru.
Even the smile on his face was just as smug.
They also noticed that a gloomy-looking boy was following behind Gojo Sawa.
"Hm?"
Gojo Satoru, Suguru Geto, and Toji Fushiguro all looked at the boy at once, their eyes betraying a hint of disbelief.
Gojo Sawa was the strongest, so the terrifying amount of Cursed Energy radiating from him made sense.
But what was with that boy?
The sheer intensity of his Cursed Energy and the pressure he gave off were hardly any weaker than Gojo Sawa's!
Gojo Satoru's expression stiffened, but he still clung to a final shred of hope. "Brother, he's..."
Gojo Sawa was struggling harder than ever to suppress his grin. "Oh, him? He's my student, Yuta Okkotsu!"
"Yuta, come say hello to everyone!"
Yuta Okkotsu smiled, then stepped forward somewhat awkwardly and bowed, greeting everyone earnestly.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Yuta Okkotsu, but you can call me Yuta. I hope we get along!"
Gojo Satoru suddenly seemed to lose all his strength. He slumped down as if his soul had left his body.
"Yamete~"
Gojo Satoru rushed over to Megumi and put both hands on his shoulders.
"Megumi! You've got another year of special training. A year from now, you're going to beat Yuta!"
Megumi glanced at Yuta, who was practically burning with Cursed Energy, and blinked.
"Huh? Me?"
Before you continue