School Opening Day

About three days had passed since he learned the results of his assessment, yet Toho Tetsu continued to live steadily according to his own rhythm and plans.

The only difference from before was perhaps that he felt slightly more relaxed, but only slightly.

He had never slackened in the slightest when it came to cursed energy control, combat training, barrier technique research, or completing missions.

And when he received notice on the third evening that school would officially begin tomorrow, he still lay in bed staring blankly into space for a long time.

Because, barring any surprises, tomorrow he would truly meet the trio, become classmates with them, and study and grow alongside them from then on.

Just thinking about it made it hard to stay calm.

Still, no matter how excited he was, he had to sleep properly to face the next day's challenge. After all, those three all had distinctive personalities, and since they were complete strangers at first, getting along with them probably would not be easy.

And so, the day school began arrived.

The next morning, rather than heading straight to the training grounds as usual, he changed into his new Jujutsu High uniform, bid farewell to Mei Mei and Utahime, who were heading out on a mission together, and came to the classroom Yaga Masamichi had told him about in advance.

Since it was still early, there was no one here at all. He took out a book and began reviewing the common knowledge of Jujutsu Society that Utahime had taught him while waiting for his future classmates.

He had considered setting up a prank or some sort of welcoming ceremony, but ultimately abandoned the idea. It simply was not the kind of thing he liked doing.

Time slowly passed as he reinforced his knowledge and waited.

Half an hour later, footsteps sounded outside the classroom.

He looked up toward the door, and before long, a striking figure appeared there.

The newcomer had short brown hair and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. Her neatly tailored Jujutsu High uniform accentuated a figure that was still youthful but already beginning to take shape.

Toho Tetsu recognized her at once.

Shoko Ieiri.

Strictly speaking, Shoko was among his top three favorite female characters from the original work, tied with the other two.

Many people's impression of Shoko might be nothing more than that of a plain, ordinary school doctor with severe dark circles, someone who looked utterly worn down by office life.

But he personally quite liked the air of weary decadence she had after becoming an adult. Not to mention that during the Hidden Inventory Arc, she possessed both a girl's innocence and laziness, along with the calmness of someone who had seen through the world.

Moreover, he knew exactly what this girl's future would be like. Her classmates, friends, and acquaintances would leave one after another, until she alone remained in that treatment room, healing, healing, healing, until there was no one left who could call her Shoko.

While he was lost in thought, Shoko Ieiri was also sizing up the only stranger in the classroom. After several seconds of silence, she finally asked,

"Excuse me, is this the first-year classroom?"

"Yes."

He nodded, then introduced himself.

"I'm this year's new student, Toho Tetsu. Please take care of me."

In his view, getting along with Shoko was different from getting along with Utahime and Mei Mei.

Because of her own abilities, this girl had encountered Jujutsu Society far too early and witnessed too many sorcerers' partings in life and death. That was why she had developed such a strong sense of boundaries.

If he had to compare her to something, she was like a stray cat accustomed to watching its companions leave. Since she never knew whether they might suddenly disappear one day, she had learned not to hold eager expectations for every new companion.

But that did not mean those expectations had vanished. They were merely hidden somewhere very deep, needing long periods of interaction and companionship to emerge again.

So if he suddenly acted too enthusiastic or too eager, it would only make this girl, who still barely knew him, instinctively want to keep her distance.

As she watched his calm demeanor, Shoko Ieiri suddenly felt something strange.

This person... seemed to understand her very well, and they seemed oddly compatible?

"Shoko Ieiri. Please take care of me."

She blinked, brushed aside that strange thought, gave an extremely brief introduction, and sat down at a seat not far away.

There was some distance between them, but it was not deliberate.

Toho Tetsu said nothing about this. He merely nodded and returned to reading his book.

After staring blankly for a while, Shoko beside him also took out her phone and began tapping at it, seemingly passing the time.

About ten minutes later, another set of footsteps sounded outside the classroom, but these were firmer and heavier.

The girl slightly raised her eyes toward the door, while Toho Tetsu had already guessed who the newcomer might be.

Soon, the footsteps stopped at the entrance, and a tall figure stepped into the room.

He had medium-length black hair tied into a bun at the back of his head, with a lock of bangs hanging over his forehead. His uniform was impeccably neat, and he carried an old-looking cloth bag in his hand.

Most striking of all were his narrow eyes and the hint of thoughtfulness and gloom in his gaze.

"Ah, someone's already here."

As he spoke, he looked toward the two of them. After walking to a window seat and placing the cloth bag on the desk, he introduced himself.

"Hello, my name is Geto Suguru. I'm a new student this year. My cursed technique is called Cursed Spirit Manipulation. Simply put, I can subdue cursed spirits and use them for myself. I hope we can all get along well in the future."

After speaking, he gave them a gentle smile.

Looking at him, Toho Tetsu fell into thought. In his view, although the future cult leader had not yet developed that tangled and complicated air, the signs were already beginning to show.

To be fair, Geto Suguru was a very conflicted person in his eyes.

Because he had also developed and used his abilities too early, he had encountered far too much of Jujutsu Society's darkness. Yet what he saw was another side of it, which made him wonder how he could change this world.

But due to the limitations of his maturity, his ideas, and his way of thinking, he chose a more extreme path, ultimately parting from his best friend and walking toward destruction.

Even more tragically, he could not rest in peace after death. His corpse was exploited and controlled by someone else, who used his name and face to commit one evil after another.

Just as he was about to greet him, Shoko Ieiri beside him spoke first.

"Shoko Ieiri."

After that, she lowered her head and continued looking at her phone, as if she had merely completed a simple social obligation.

Geto Suguru paused slightly at her manner, then shifted his gaze to the other person present.

"My name is Toho Tetsu. As for my cursed technique... I don't even know whether I have one at the moment. Perhaps I'll find out in the future?"

Faced with Geto's curious gaze, Toho Tetsu's words were half true and half false. The effects of his cursed technique could not be casually revealed to others, so hiding it a little at this point was perhaps the better choice.

Upon hearing this, Shoko Ieiri instinctively glanced at him. After thinking for a moment, Geto Suguru nodded as well.

"That's perfectly normal. Cursed techniques are something you have to gradually explore. Before then, practicing other abilities is also quite good."

But before he could finish, the glass at the front of the classroom suddenly shattered. A figure leaped in through the window and landed on the floor, speaking with amusement and heavy mockery.

"True. He should practice more, or if he can't even put up a Curtain properly, won't he just drag everyone down in the future?"

The newcomer had tousled white hair and wore black round sunglasses. His Jujutsu High uniform hung casually open, revealing the shirt underneath, while a carefree grin rested on his face.

He removed his sunglasses and stared at Toho Tetsu with ice-blue eyes. When he noticed something, his gaze flickered slightly, but his words did not stop.

"But it doesn't matter. I'm the strongest, after all. As long as you obediently follow me, I'll guarantee your safety."

Shoko Ieiri frowned slightly. She had thought her future classmates would all be relatively easy to deal with. Who would have thought... there would be someone this unpleasant and difficult?

Geto Suguru's expression also became subtle.

Though he had only just met Toho Tetsu, this was still going to be his classmate. The other person had started off by mocking him, with a tone of unquestioning arrogance. It made him uncomfortable.

What was more, the mockery was the utterly baseless insult that he "couldn't even put up a Curtain properly."

So he spoke. His tone was a few degrees lower than when he had introduced himself, without anger, yet carrying a seriousness that could not be ignored.

"Before commenting on someone else's abilities, shouldn't you at least introduce yourself first? That's basic courtesy, isn't it, classmate?"

It seemed Gojo Satoru had only just noticed him. He gave him a couple of assessing looks, but Geto did not avert his gaze, merely looking back calmly.

This made Gojo Satoru look interested.

"Your name... was Geto Suguru, right? Then that girl over there is Shoko Ieiri?"

As he spoke, he casually dragged over a chair with the familiarity of someone in his own home, sat down in front of Toho Tetsu's desk, and looked at the two of them with curiosity.

Having their identities directly revealed made both of their expressions turn somewhat subtle.

After all, he had not even appeared in the classroom earlier. How had he learned their names and information?

"Did you use your cursed technique to eavesdrop?"

At Geto Suguru's speculation, Gojo Satoru merely scoffed.

"Eavesdrop? I wouldn't do something like that. The clan elders just gave me your information in advance and told me to get along with you all in the future, helping each other out."

As he spoke, he wore an arrogant smile, as though he had just told the dullest joke in the world.

"But there's no need for that. With me, Gojo Satoru, here, you only need to handle some simple work. I'll take care of everything."

Gojo Satoru.

The instant that name landed, both of their expressions subtly changed.

The two of them, who knew something about Jujutsu Society, both understood what that name represented: the wielder of the Gojo Clan's Six Eyes and Limitless cursed technique, the Jujutsu Society's publicly acknowledged "strongest candidate."

He had possessed talent far beyond ordinary people since childhood. He had once been targeted by a Curse User, only to drive them away with a single look.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would certainly become the Gojo Clan's head in the future, as well as one of Jujutsu Society's foremost figures.

Who would have thought that one of their classmates would be such a troublesome person?

Seeing the two suddenly fall silent, Gojo Satoru noticed that the way they looked at him differed from those flattering bootlickers. Still, he found it somewhat boring, so he shifted his gaze back to someone who was still reading.

Just as he was about to say something else, Toho Tetsu raised his head and looked at him with that somewhat familiar calm gaze.

"Gojo, have you found the answer to that question from the other day?"