The Eve of the Goodwill Event

The morning breeze carried the chill of early autumn through the ginkgo trees lining the street, sending a few yellowing leaves spiraling to the ground.

Feng walked along the outside of the group. After several days of rest, he had changed into a brand-new dark Jujutsu High uniform, its crisp collar accentuating his tall, well-proportioned figure.

His steps were steady, his hands tucked casually into his trouser pockets.

The horrific wound that had pierced his left shoulder a few days earlier now showed no outward sign of injury; his right hand, once severely corroded by black cursed residue, had also regained its original fair complexion.

He kept his head slightly lowered, his dark red eyes calmly watching the road ahead, his whole bearing reserved and composed.

Beside him, suitcase wheels rumbled over the asphalt.

"That's why I said those old geezers at the top definitely did this on purpose!"

Nobara Kugisaki dragged a pink suitcase half her height with force, her brows knitted and her voice full of impatience and disgust.

"Okkotsu won last year, so this year's event should have been held in Tokyo!

Changing the venue back to Kyoto at the last minute with some excuse about 'barrier maintenance at the Tokyo campus'-they're obviously trying to make life difficult for us on their own turf!

Now my Tokyo shopping plans are completely ruined!"

At the front of the group, Maki Zenin carried a long-handled cursed tool wrapped in heavy cloth over her shoulder.

Hearing Nobara's complaints, she gave a cold snort without looking back, her ponytail swinging sharply behind her.

"If you know they're trying to intimidate us, that's all the more reason to stay sharp.

Those Kyoto guys have always looked down their noses at everyone. If you let them underestimate us, I won't let you first-years off the hook."

Maki pushed up the special glasses on the bridge of her nose, a sharp glint of fighting spirit flashing behind the lenses.

"Salmon."

Dressed in a high-collared uniform, Toge Inumaki lowered his collar a little and voiced his earnest agreement, approval in his purple eyes.

"Now, now, don't be so tense. Think of it as a free trip to Kyoto.

I hear the local specialty wagashi are really good."

The hulking Panda walked between Inumaki and Maki with his furry paws clasped behind his head, lightly playing peacemaker in an attempt to ease Nobara's resentment.

Megumi Fushiguro walked silently on Feng's other side, carrying a plain crossbody bag.

He did not join in Nobara's complaints. His emerald eyes discreetly swept over Feng's left shoulder before shifting to the right hand tucked into Feng's pocket.

"Are you sure you're physically all right now?"

Megumi Fushiguro's voice remained level, carrying his characteristic restrained concern.

His gaze did not linger on Feng for long, quickly returning to the path ahead.

"Doctor Ieiri said your recovery rate was extraordinary, but the Goodwill Event isn't just an ordinary sparring match.

At Kyoto Jujutsu High... that guy named Aoi Todo is a fighter through and through. And this last-minute venue change seems unusually targeted."

Megumi Fushiguro frowned slightly. As a tactical thinker accustomed to assessing risks before a fight, he remained highly wary of this trip to Kyoto and all its uncertainties.

Just then, as though something had suddenly occurred to her, Nobara Kugisaki stopped abruptly, her suitcase wheels letting out a sharp screech.

She turned and looked around at everyone.

"Wait, speaking of which-where did that unreliable blindfolded idiot of a teacher go?

We're leaving for Kyoto today, and he's supposed to be leading us, but he's nowhere to be seen?!"

"Don't worry, I'm still in good shape. Gojo might already be there. He always does whatever he wants, after all. Let's go."

Thinking of what was about to happen, Feng could barely hold back a smile before speaking quietly.

At Feng's answer, Megumi Fushiguro's gaze lingered for two seconds on the steady rise and fall of his chest and his unimpeded steps.

Only after confirming that Feng's body truly showed no sign of lingering injury did his slightly tense jaw relax a little.

"It had better be."

Megumi Fushiguro looked away, his gaze level with the bustling crowd ahead. His voice dropped, taking on a cool, rational edge.

"If it's just friction between students, that's manageable. But the sudden venue change means control over this Goodwill Event has fallen entirely into the hands of Kyoto Jujutsu High's principal, Yoshinobu Gakuganji.

He's an extremely conservative old man. When it comes to any unpredictable factor beyond their control... they often resort to eliminating it completely."

At this point, Megumi Fushiguro glanced at Feng out of the corner of his eye. He did not spell it out, but the warning was already unmistakable.

He knew very well that the "Rainfall" sorcerer before him, who had demonstrated astonishing destructive power within just a few months and even survived an encounter with a special grade cursed spirit, had undoubtedly caught the attention of those old fossils at the top.

Walking on the other side, Nobara Kugisaki rolled her eyes irritably at the remark that Gojo always did whatever he wanted.

"Huh? That guy practically has 'irresponsible' written all over his face!"

Nobara gave the handle of her pink suitcase a hard tug, her heels clicking crisply against the platform tiles.

"He'd better have gone to Kyoto early to line up for limited-edition desserts or fancy gifts for me. Otherwise, once we get there, I'm definitely shoving that blindfolded head of his into the Kamo River!"

"Tuna mayo."

Walking ahead, Toge Inumaki gave a muffled reply from behind his high collar, seemingly in full agreement with Nobara's threat of violence against Satoru Gojo.

"All right, all right. Even if Satoru Gojo isn't here, the Goodwill Event still has to go ahead."

Maki Zenin stopped behind the platform's yellow line, shifted the long-handled cursed tool on her shoulder, and turned to look at the first-years.

Her sharp eyes swept over Feng, Fushiguro, and Nobara from behind her lenses.

"Listen up. Once we get to Kyoto, try not to go off alone.

Those guys won't go easy on you just because you're first-years, especially that muscle-bound lump called Todo and that narrow-eyed guy.

If you run into them, just fight. Don't embarrass Tokyo Jujutsu High."

As Maki finished speaking, a low rumble came from deep within the tunnel.

The rush of air swept up dust and fluttered their clothes as a streamlined white Shinkansen train roared in, stopping precisely in front of them.

With a beep, the doors slid open to either side.

"Let's get on. Off to Kyoto."

Panda patted his furry belly and was the first to step into the carriage.

Megumi Fushiguro held his bag's shoulder strap with one hand and shifted aside slightly. Only after watching Nobara struggle to lift her suitcase into the carriage did he follow beside Feng, boarding the Shinkansen bound for the heart of the storm.