Iizuna Noriyuki (Part 2)

Okkotsu ultimately did not help Iizuna Noriyuki finish him off.

Maki was willing to do it for Okkotsu, but Iizuna Noriyuki looked at the murderous spear in her hand and still declined her kind offer.

When Ijichi and Takano Shinichi saw the amusement park visitors coming out, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Takano Shinichi contacted the local security personnel to calm the visitors, while Ijichi headed into the park to meet up with Xia Jie and the others.

Xia Jie and the others chatted with Iizuna Noriyuki as they walked through the amusement park, though most of the time, it was Iizuna Noriyuki doing the talking.

"Okkotsu, you've already been promoted to a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer? Well, that's only natural!"

"Huh? Maki, you're still a Grade 4 Jujutsu Sorcerer? Those old fools at Jujutsu High!"

"How are Panda and Inumaki? Are they doing all right?"

"A few days ago, I went to see that Hakari guy. Guess what he wanted to do? He actually wanted to open an underground fighting ring! What a bold bastard! Hahaha!"

"Hey, Xia Jie... Mm, your name sounds a lot like Suguru Geto's, and your Cursed Technique is similar too. Even your appearance..." Iizuna Noriyuki said to Xia Jie.

Xia Jie looked at him speechlessly. Iizuna Noriyuki gave an awkward laugh. "Your eyes are much bigger than his! But are you really not related to him somehow?"

"I'm of Chinese descent, Senior," Xia Jie replied evenly.

"Oh, then it seems you really have nothing to do with each other!" Iizuna Noriyuki said with some surprise. He glanced at Xia Jie. "I heard you control a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit! I'm very curious—how did you subdue a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit?"

"The first Cursed Spirit I subdued had the ability to grow," Xia Jie repeated the excuse he had given Jujutsu High. "It gradually grew into the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit it is now!"

"Something like that actually exists! The Cursed Spirits Suguru Geto subdued could never do such a thing!" Iizuna Noriyuki said, visibly shaken. "Doesn't that mean it has the potential to become a Special-Grade Cursed Spirit?"

"How could it be that easy?" Xia Jie said dryly. "It was already extremely fortunate for him to reach Grade 1! Becoming Special Grade requires absorbing an enormous amount of Cursed Energy. The conditions simply aren't there right now!"

"That's true!" Iizuna Noriyuki said, his eyes flickering. "If it were during the golden age of jujutsu, it might have been possible!"

"Come to think of it, can't you really let me meet that Cursed Spirit? Xia Jie-kun—" Iizuna Noriyuki drawled.

A chill ran down Xia Jie's spine at the way Iizuna Noriyuki addressed him. He forcibly suppressed the urge to punch the man and refused expressionlessly. "No!"

Iizuna Noriyuki definitely had extensive experience exorcising Cursed Spirits. Shadow Maru had only sent out one clone, while its main body was no weaker than an ordinary Special-Grade Cursed Spirit. Iizuna Noriyuki could easily see through the truth, and that would make things troublesome.

Seeing that Iizuna Noriyuki was about to keep pestering him, Xia Jie proactively changed the subject. "Senior is a Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer. You should be able to recommend others for promotion, right?"

Maki suddenly stopped and looked at Xia Jie with a complicated expression. "Hey, Xia Jie! Don't meddle in this!"

Among everyone present, she was the only Grade 4 Jujutsu Sorcerer. Xia Jie's question was clearly about whether Iizuna Noriyuki could recommend Maki for promotion.

Iizuna Noriyuki looked at Xia Jie, then at Maki, and smiled. "You want me to recommend little Maki for Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer?"

Xia Jie nodded, waiting for his answer.

"You're also a Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, aren't you?" Iizuna Noriyuki asked. "Why don't you recommend Maki for Grade 2 yourself?"

"I had considered it," Xia Jie said directly, having expected this question. "But I asked Panda, and students in the same year at Jujutsu High can't recommend each other."

"Mm, now that you mention it... Jujutsu High does seem to have such a rule." Iizuna Noriyuki thought for a moment.

"Exactly." Xia Jie spread his hands at Iizuna Noriyuki. "If I could, I would have recommended her myself, but the rules don't allow it. I really don't understand why Jujutsu High made such a rule."

Jujutsu High ranked Cursed Spirits from low to high as Grade 4, Grade 3, Grade 2, Grade 1, and Special Grade. Jujutsu Sorcerers were ranked the same way.

Generally speaking, Jujutsu Sorcerers of the same grade were stronger than Cursed Spirits of that grade.

Jujutsu High arranged things this way so that when Jujutsu Sorcerers handled Cursed Spirit incidents, they would retain some room to respond even if unexpected situations arose.

For that reason, Jujutsu High was quite strict when evaluating Jujutsu Sorcerers' grades.

First, lower-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerers needed recommendations from higher-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerers to be promoted.

Second, the lower-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerer had to complete three to five missions alongside higher-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerers other than the recommender and receive excellent evaluations.

At that point, they became what were known as Semi-Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerers or Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Finally, they had to independently handle a Cursed Spirit incident of the corresponding grade before they could officially advance.

This entire process essentially eliminated the possibility of unqualified people filling positions.

Xia Jie agreed with Jujutsu High's evaluation process for Jujutsu Sorcerers. He simply could not understand why they had added the rule that students in the same year could not recommend each other.

"Jujutsu High made that rule to prevent classmates from recommending lower-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerers to positions beyond their ability because of personal ties," Iizuna Noriyuki explained. "Not only would those lower-ranked Jujutsu Sorcerers be completely useless during the assessment, they might even hold the other Jujutsu Sorcerers back."

"Tasks that might otherwise have succeeded could even fail because of it. There have been precedents for that in Jujutsu High's history."

"I see!" Xia Jie said in realization.

"Then recommendations from upperclassmen are fine?" Xia Jie continued.

"They're fine," Iizuna Noriyuki answered. "You've probably noticed that students from different years rarely carry out missions together."

"Since classmates have more similar experience and strength, Jujutsu High often arranges for students in the same year to act together."

"So even at the same Jujutsu High, upperclassmen and underclassmen are not particularly close. Upperclassmen therefore do not casually help underclassmen with promotion recommendations."

"But that's only under normal circumstances." Iizuna Noriyuki changed his tone. "With how close little Maki and I are, something this minor is naturally no problem at all!"

Maki looked at Iizuna Noriyuki in surprise. "Iizuna, are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" Iizuna Noriyuki flashed Maki a V sign. "Aren't you grateful? Should you offer yourself to me in return?"

Maki made to pull the spear from the box. Iizuna Noriyuki hurriedly begged for mercy. "Hey! Little Maki, that's going too far! I'm helping you here!"

Maki hesitated, then released the box in her hand. "You really want to recommend me for Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer? Won't that cause you trouble? You know I'm from..."

"The Zenin Clan, right? I know!" A mocking smile appeared on Iizuna Noriyuki's lips. "Do you think I'm afraid of those people from the Zenin Clan?"

"If so, little Maki, then you really underestimate me!"

"I may hate trouble, but that doesn't mean I won't help my friends just because I'm afraid of trouble!"

"Besides, with your strength, little Maki, becoming a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer is only natural!"

"I'm only doing what is right. What can the Zenin Clan possibly do to me?"