"Our souls are both crying out! Can't you feel it?"
The battle between Aoi Todo and Dai Li had dragged on for quite a while, but neither had so much as a bruise on his face. Both remained uninjured, with plenty of cursed energy left.
Aoi Todo was utterly satisfied. This was the first time he had faced an evenly matched opponent like Dai Li, and his fighting spirit soared.
Dai Li, meanwhile, only found it troublesome. This was his first time facing an evenly matched opponent like Aoi Todo, and much of the difficulty came from Todo's high combat intelligence.
Damn it. His cursed technique counters my most powerful attack-launching projected cursed tools all at once. Every cursed tool I project contains cursed energy, making all of them valid targets for his technique.
So firing them one after another won't work either. It'll just make it impossible to predict where he'll appear after switching positions with his technique.
"I can't feel a thing. Could you stop talking like that? It's creepy."
"Fair enough. We are sworn rivals, after all.
"Dai Li, you and I are destined to walk completely different paths, given your taste for little girls."
With that, Aoi Todo took up his fighting stance again.
"Um, about my preferences..."
"Could you not tell anyone else? I told you that in confidence."
"I refuse, my sworn rival."
Aoi Todo was actually a dull sort of man who wouldn't go around spreading things like that. Bringing it up now had rather backfired on Dai Li.
"You... ugh, forget it."
Dai Li couldn't understand Aoi Todo. No wonder nobody besides Yuji Itadori got along with him.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Aoi Todo paid no mind to Dai Li's protest. Instead, his smile grew even more satisfied.
"That's more like it, Dai Li."
"Don't hide your soul. Don't deny your preferences."
"A person's choices are part of what makes him who he is."
The instant those words fell, Aoi Todo vanished again.
Dai Li's pupils narrowed slightly as he closely watched Aoi Todo's movements.
"Here he comes."
Clods of broken earth flew in every direction, and an invisible gust swept up the surrounding leaves with a rustle.
Aoi Todo hurled a cursed-energy-infused punch at Dai Li.
Before the rush of wind from his fist even arrived, its overwhelming pressure had already set the surrounding air trembling.
Dai Li chose not to meet it head-on. He pushed off in an instant and dodged sideways, projecting a long blade into his hand as he slashed at Todo's shoulder during the opening after his attack.
Aoi Todo was just about to clap his hands and activate Boogie Woogie to swap positions.
But at that very instant-
"Pheeeet!"
A shrill whistle suddenly rang out from the center of the forest.
The team match was over. One side had exorcised the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
Dai Li put away his long blade and simply kicked Aoi Todo, sending him sliding several meters back.
"The team match is over, Todo. I'm heading back."
"If you still want to fight, wait until the individual matches."
Aoi Todo clearly had no intention of stopping. If Dai Li hadn't offered a reason, he might have continued attacking.
As the two stood at an impasse, another announcement rang out from the center of the forest.
"The Tokyo Jujutsu High team has won this team match!"
"All participants, please return to the assembly point!"
Upon hearing Utahime Iori's announcement, Dai Li immediately left the forest and headed to the assembly point.
"Oh, Dai Li! Are you all right?"
Seeing Dai Li's figure slowly come into view, Yuta Okkotsu waved in greeting.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
Dai Li waved back at Okkotsu, indicating that he was unharmed.
"That's a relief. Even Todo really is no match for you, Dai Li."
"Of course. Mostly, Aoi Todo's cursed technique just counters me a little. Against a technique that swaps objects containing cursed energy, the cursed tools I fire can't hit him at all."
"Neither of us had any particularly powerful moves, so I could only fight him with fists, feet, and blades. I barely got hurt."
Yuta Okkotsu watched Dai Li boast on and on. Of all his classmates, Dai Li was the one he trusted most.
Dai Li usually looked dazed and half asleep, and some of the things he said were hard to understand. He was a little arrogant, too, and sometimes bickered with Maki.
But Yuta Okkotsu knew it in his heart: Dai Li was always someone he could rely on. Maki, Panda, and Toge Inumaki felt the same. Though none of them said it outright, they all trusted Dai Li and could leave their backs to him without worry.
"Okkotsu? Okkotsu?"
"Ah, yes!"
"What's wrong? You and Rika are both okay, right?"
Yuta Okkotsu's distracted look caught Dai Li's attention, making him wonder whether something had happened to Okkotsu during the team match.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just spaced out for a moment."
"Oh, good. By the way, were you the one who exorcised that Grade 2 Cursed Spirit?"
"Of course! Yuta Okkotsu exorcised it. Yuta's the MVP of this match!"
The hotshot teacher, Satoru Gojo, had once again popped up out of nowhere.
"I saw every bit of your performance. You were all great!"
"Hey, Principal Gakuganji! Tokyo Jujutsu High won this time! Don't forget, that means the next Sister-School Goodwill Event will be held at our school!"
Satoru Gojo waved cheerfully toward the Kyoto Jujutsu High group, utterly unconcerned by Yoshinobu Gakuganji's sour expression.
"Satoru Gojo, you..."
Faced with Satoru Gojo's deliberate provocation, Yoshinobu Gakuganji even opened his tightly shut eyes.
Utahime Iori also shot Satoru Gojo an irritated glare.
"You only won the team match. The individual matches haven't even started. Isn't it a little early to celebrate?"
"What's the harm?"
With both hands in his pockets, Satoru Gojo smiled without a care.
"At least we won today's first match."
"And we still have the individual matches coming up. I'm really looking forward to seeing how our kids do."
Standing among the crowd, Dai Li swept his gaze over the Kyoto Jujutsu High students nearby.
Aoi Todo happened to turn his head at the same time, and their eyes met again.
Aoi Todo grinned and lightly tapped his fist against his palm. His meaning couldn't have been clearer.
They would pick up where they left off in the individual matches.
Dai Li sighed helplessly.
"Looks like that guy's completely fixated on me."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Satoru Gojo smiled slightly.
"At least you won't have to worry about finding an opponent for the individual matches."
"I'd rather find someone a little more normal."
"Ha ha ha! No can do. That would be too boring for you."
Satoru Gojo patted Dai Li on the shoulder.
"Youth is all about spending time with weirdos!"
"Don't act like weirdness is a given. Is running into aliens and stuff supposed to be normal when you're young? This isn't some coming-of-age shonen manga."
"Ha ha ha, true enough."
Watching Satoru Gojo and Dai Li bicker, Yuta Okkotsu couldn't help smiling.
Before you continue