The staff had already cleaned the blood from the Combat Arena, and its white boundary lines stood out sharply in the sunlight.
The referee stood at the center of the arena, the roster in his hand fluttering slightly in the wind. He cleared his throat, and his voice, amplified by cursed energy, once again carried across the entire basin.
"Third match-Kyoto Jujutsu High, second year, Kogi Rin."
Applause rose from Kyoto Jujutsu High's stands. A petite girl with twin ponytails stood up, an easy smile on her face, and skipped down from the stands.
She was one of Kyoto Jujutsu High's strongest second-years, as well as the team's deputy captain for this Goodwill Event.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High, second year, Utahime Iori."
Utahime took a deep breath and rose from her seat. Her expression was serious, her jaw tight, and her fingers unconsciously clenched around the cursed tool at her waist.
"Good luck," Wana said behind her. Her voice was still a little weak, but her eyes were sincere.
Utahime glanced back at her, forced a smile, then turned and headed down from the stands.
Satoru Gojo lounged in his seat with his legs crossed, another lollipop in his mouth-his third, from who knew where. He watched Utahime's retreating figure, then glanced at the girl skipping along on Kyoto Jujutsu High's side, and suddenly spoke.
"We can't possibly lose this one too, right?"
Damn it, still no one said a word.
Satoru Gojo turned toward the others beside him.
Zhiyan's expression remained solemn, Xian Di frowned slightly, Suguru Geto adjusted his glasses, Wana bit her lip, and Shoko watched intently-not one of them said anything like "Of course not" or "Utahime's really strong."
Satoru Gojo's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief, then from disbelief to a kind of helplessness he couldn't