Afternoon

"Kinji, were you holding back? You didn't even use Domain Expansion."

Kirara Hoshi stood beside Kinji Hakari with his arms folded, eyeing him suspiciously.

Kirara had watched the whole thing. Kinji Hakari clearly had plenty of tricks left, yet Okkotsu and Rika had seized an opening and ended the fight.

"I wasn't. I just didn't have time to form the hand sign and expand my domain."

"Then why didn't you expand your domain right at the start?"

Kinji Hakari shot Kirara an irritated glance.

"The last match is yours. Are you even ready, wandering around here?"

"Nope. I've already given up. My opponent is that muscle-bound gorilla Aoi Todo, after all. He doesn't look like the type to go easy on anyone."

With Kirara Hoshi forfeiting, Aoi Todo advanced automatically. The four semifinalists in the Goodwill Event's individual tournament had been decided:

Okkotsu, Dai Li, Aoi Todo, and Mechamaru.

Without exception, all four who had fought their way this far were among the best students at the two schools.

Yuta Okkotsu, Dai Li, and Aoi Todo in particular had already fought battles that went well beyond ordinary sparring between students.

After Utahime Iori announced that Aoi Todo had advanced, a figure familiar to the students popped up.

"Hello, everyone! It's your teacher, Satoru Gojo~"

At some point, Satoru Gojo had walked up in front of everyone, his hands in his pockets and his usual easy smile on his face.

"Wow, both Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High put on quite a show. Your teacher is deeply moved."

"Utahime asked me to tell you that the semifinals and final will be held this afternoon. You're dismissed. Everyone can go now."

"Gojo? Wait, when did I ask you to tell them? I'm standing right here, aren't I? Wait, wait! Don't leave yet!"

Utahime Iori reached out to stop them, but the Tokyo Jujutsu High students, led by Dai Li, were already far away, and the Kyoto Jujutsu High students were about to follow.

"What's wrong with letting them leave early? Whatever Utahime had left to say was just going to be pointless anyway."

"Gojo, you are unbelievable!"

Utahime Iori looked at the group that had already disappeared down the corridor, then at the Kyoto Jujutsu High students who were also preparing to leave, and felt a vein throb on her forehead.

He was supposed to be one of the people in charge of the Goodwill Event, yet Satoru Gojo always seemed to show up just to cause trouble.

"Forget it..." Utahime Iori took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Meanwhile, in the room Kyoto Jujutsu High had set aside for the participating students to rest in.

The moment Dai Li returned, he flopped onto the couch.

"Finally, I can rest."

Although Dai Li had finished his match quickly in that morning's individual tournament, he was still sleepy. He had spent far too long playing on his handheld console the night before.

"You really can fall asleep anytime, Dai Li."

Yuta Okkotsu sat nearby, looking at Dai Li, who had already closed his eyes, and smiled helplessly.

"Can't help it. Projection takes a lot of mental energy, too."

Dai Li answered with his eyes closed.

"And we've still got the semifinals and final this afternoon. I need to stay in shape."

At that, Yuta Okkotsu's expression grew a little more serious.

He would surely have to face Dai Li in the end. Although he wasn't particularly eager to fight him, Dai Li had been right earlier.

Everyone else was taking these matches seriously. He couldn't face opponents who were giving it their all with a halfhearted attitude.

"I might face you in this afternoon's tournament, Dai Li. If we do, please don't hold back. I'd like you to fight me seriously."

Dai Li was a little surprised by Okkotsu's words. He opened his eyes and sat up on the couch.

"Before we came here, you were still all stiff and timid. Now you've really gotten into the spirit of the Goodwill Event, Okkotsu."

"Yes. To put it the way Hakari-senpai would:

my passion is burning."

"Something like that."

Looking at Yuta Okkotsu in front of him, Dai Li couldn't help smiling.

He still remembered when Okkotsu had first arrived. Despite possessing immense power, he had remained trapped by his past.

Afraid of hurting others, afraid of Rika losing control, afraid that his very existence would cause trouble for the people around him.

Back then, Yuta Okkotsu had possessed great power, yet instinctively doubted himself at every turn.

But now...

At least during this Goodwill Event, he had begun to face his own power.

"Not bad, Okkotsu."

Dai Li lay back down on the couch and spoke with his eyes closed.

"I have to admit, Satoru Gojo was right."

"About what?"

"Youth is meant to be spent with weird people."

Yuta Okkotsu froze for a moment, then couldn't help laughing.

"Am I weird?"

"Having a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit fall in love with you isn't extremely weird?"

The corners of Okkotsu's mouth lifted, and he chuckled.

He realized that Dai Li really did resemble Satoru Gojo at times.

Though he usually seemed rather unreliable, he always said something impossible to argue with at crucial moments.

"But seriously, don't hold back this afternoon."

Yuta Okkotsu spoke earnestly.

"You're giving me too much credit. Your girlfriend is terrifyingly strong. Satoru Gojo is probably the only one who can match her."

This wasn't empty flattery. Dai Li genuinely wasn't confident he could defeat Rika, who stood behind Yuta Okkotsu.

He had no intention of using "Life and Binding" at the Goodwill Event. Before they came to Kyoto Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo had told him:

"No using it, okay~? That 'Life and Binding' of yours.

It'll be a real headache if old man Gakuganji finds out."

"Life and Binding" was a cursed technique, so it left cursed residue like any other technique. Ordinary binding vows didn't.

The only thing Dai Li had previously planned to use was "Life and Binding: Tempering." By defeating other people or cursed spirits with his technique's efficiency reduced, he could earn rewards that improved the efficiency of his Projection Cursed Technique.

Improving the efficiency of the Projection Cursed Technique brought several clear benefits: less cursed energy needed to maintain projected cursed tools, a higher limit on the cursed energy he could pour into each cursed tool to strengthen it, and greater initial strength when a cursed tool was projected.

All things considered, it was Dai Li's best option for increasing his combat strength at present. After all, "Life and Binding: Tempering" could only grant rewards once a day.

As the two talked, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the room.

"Yo, looks like our two first-year aces are having a little pre-match chat."

The door swung open.

Satoru Gojo stood there, somehow holding another drink.

"So? Nervous?"

"Yes, I guess I'm still a little nervous, Gojo-sensei."

"All I ask is that you don't draw us against each other this afternoon."

Two students from Tokyo Jujutsu High and two from Kyoto Jujutsu High had advanced. Normally, the matches should have paired students from opposing schools, but that afternoon's matchups would still be decided by a fully random draw. Dai Li wasn't sure whether Satoru Gojo had something to do with it.

"Trust me, even if you aren't drawn together, you'll definitely meet in the end. Neither of you had better go easy on the other this afternoon."

"Satoru Gojo, were you just listening to us outside the door?"

"Of course not."

Satoru Gojo denied it without hesitation.

"Your teacher just happened to be passing by.

Anyway, Kyoto Jujutsu High's lounge is over that way, right?"

That afternoon, the venue for the Tokyo-Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event's individual tournament opened once again.

The first semifinal:

"Tokyo Jujutsu High, Dai Li."

"Kyoto Jujutsu High, Mechamaru."