Special Grade? Not Even a Dog Would Want That!

Jujutsu High, the principal's office.

"Nanamin said you wanted to see me?"

Watching the white-haired boy push open the door, Yaga put down the needle and thread he had been using to mend a doll. "Didn't you see the text I sent you?"

If Nanami hadn't reported back, Yaga would still have thought Jiahao was lying unconscious in the Dormitory.

His gaze landed on Panda's head, tucked among a pile of dolls as he eavesdropped on the gossip. Jiahao strode over and plopped down.

He rubbed the soft fur on Panda's head. "Didn't get any notification."

Jiahao pulled out the Brick Phone he had bought that day. "Call me from now on. This thing doesn't receive texts."

Seeing a few valor points drift up from Yaga's head, Jiahao froze for a moment.

He had switched to a Brick Phone to guard against that sly bastard Kenjaku tracking his signal. He hadn't expected a bonus like this.

At Jiahao's vacant expression, Yaga opened his mouth, feeling a little conflicted.

The boy clearly had talent as dazzling as Satoru Gojo's. Unfortunately...

He wasn't quite right in the head.

Yaga gathered his thoughts, took a report and a brand-new student ID from his drawer, and tossed them to Jiahao. "You don't need to help with Nanami and Itadori's mission."

"Following unanimous approval by the Jujutsu Council, your sorcerer grade is officially raised, effective today, to... Special Grade."

Yaga had been stunned himself when he received the notice that morning.

After all, in the whole of Jujutsu Society, there were only three Special Grade Sorcerers.

Two were overseas. Satoru Gojo was the only Special Grade Sorcerer left in Japan.

And unlike Yuta Okkotsu, who had been designated Special Grade upon enrollment largely because of Rika, the Queen of Curses who manifested involuntarily...

Jiahao's designation came from his own formidable strength and overwhelmingly gifted Cursed Technique.

He could unleash Black Flash at will.

His Copy technique broke through the boundaries between dimensions.

His total cursed energy far exceeded that of a Grade 1 Sorcerer.

His Reverse Cursed Technique was more powerful than Shoko's.

He was an all-round genius jujutsu sorcerer with virtually no weaknesses.

Jujutsu Headquarters probably wanted to recruit Jiahao. That would explain why they had rushed through the cumbersome Special Grade certification process.

Yaga knew perfectly well that the big shots upstairs had always been deeply unhappy with the lawless Satoru Gojo.

If Gojo's invincible strength hadn't left the Higher-Ups helpless, Sukuna's vessel, Yuji Itadori-and perhaps even Yaga himself, despite being Jujutsu High's principal-would have been dealt with.

At some point, the Higher-Ups might send someone to approach Jiahao in secret, hoping to use him as a counterweight to Gojo.

Yaga kept those thoughts to himself. He wouldn't interfere with his students' choices.

At most, he would do his best to dissuade them when they started down the wrong path.

Jiahao toyed with his new Special Grade student ID in one hand, then tossed the certification report back under Yaga's astonished gaze.

"What gives those old fossils at Jujutsu Headquarters the right to judge this King's grade?"

Jiahao looked at the dumbfounded Yaga and said disdainfully, "This King won't be a Special Grade Sorcerer."

At that, not only Yaga but even Panda, whose soft head fur had been twisted into a mosquito-coil spiral, gaped.

"Why, Jiahao?!"

Unable to keep pretending, Panda rose from the pile of dolls, shock written across his furry face.

"Besides a tiny pay raise, what other perks does being a Special Grade Sorcerer get me?"

Jiahao pushed the agitated Panda back down and resumed rubbing his head. "Does this King look short of money?"

Yaga nearly lost control of his expression.

If he hadn't investigated Jiahao's background, he might actually have believed that bullshit.

He specifically targeted gangs to collect protection money, driving their bosses to the brink of calling the police and turning themselves in.

And you're saying you don't need money? You must be so broke you've gone mad!

Jiahao continued, "No real benefits, and I'd have to fly all over the world dealing with troublesome curses."

"You lot are the only ones who take Special Grade seriously. This King doesn't care about empty titles."

"Besides, haven't you watched Naruto?"

"Sasuke, Naruto, Obito, Might Guy's dad Might Duy-weren't all those genin stronger than Kage-Level Ninja?"

"Everyone knows genin are the strongest in Naruto!"

It wasn't just Naruto. The current storyline in Jujutsu Society followed the same pattern.

After all, when Itadori turned Sukuna into a puddle of black sludge with his mysterious countryside getaway move, he was still only a Grade 4 Sorcerer, the lowest rank.

Besides, which of Jujutsu Society's famous Special Grade Sorcerers hadn't ended up miserable?

Suguru Geto, with his empty head.

Satoru Gojo, sliced clean in two.

Okkotsu, the scumbag widowed in childhood.

Yuki Tsukumo, tricked into blowing herself up.

So not even a dog would want the title of Special Grade Sorcerer.

Most importantly, Special Grades had to go on missions alone.

That would drastically slow his valor point earnings. It wasn't worth it.

As long as he was strong enough and had enough valor points, he could still bully Special Grades even as a lowly Grade 4 Sorcerer.

Without waiting for Yaga's reply, Jiahao patted the oversized furry head, turned, and left.

Watching Jiahao's swaggering figure depart, Panda wore a complicated expression. "This guy... what a baller!"

After leaving the office, Jiahao dialed Itadori on his Brick Phone.

There had been some initial progress on the Transfigured Human mission. After thoroughly reviewing the cinema's security footage, they had identified a survivor leaving the screening room.

Junpei Yoshino...

Jiahao hung up and recalled that character's storyline in the original work.

He liked disturbing movies, just like Itadori...

He had a very pretty mother.

A tragic supporting character who had endured years of bullying at school, only to end up as Mahito's toy.

There was no need to go over during the initial investigation. He would see what happened when things reached a critical point.

With that thought, Jiahao changed course and headed for the training field.

Half an hour later...

Kugisaki and Maki lay at the edge of the field, panting heavily, seemingly drained of every last bit of strength.

Fushiguro, Inumaki, and Panda-the two boys and one beast-sat back-to-back, staring at the sky with expressions of utter despair.

His vision a little blurry, Fushiguro vaguely saw his father, who had disappeared years ago, waving to him from the sky.

Fushiguro frowned, then closed his eyes in disgust.

"Fushiguro! Fushiguro!"

Panda's unusual constitution let him recover first. He shook Fushiguro frantically. "Open your eyes, Fushiguro! Don't fall asleep!"

Fushiguro struggled to open his eyes. "So that was a hallucination."

"You went way too hard. Fushiguro's life was flashing before his eyes!"

Glancing at Jiahao, who stood unmoving in the middle of the field, Kugisaki complained under her breath.

"Hard?"

From the center of the field, Jiahao drawled, "Don't blame me for hitting hard. Blame yourselves for being so weak."

"At the end of the day, this King is doing it for your own good."

Her fists clenched!

Clenched hard!

If only I could beat him...

Kugisaki shot the show-off Jiahao a teeth-grinding glare, then slowly crawled toward the edge of the field.

"Here."

With a little strength still left, Maki pushed herself up from the grass with one hand and passed the sports drinks at the sidelines to the others.

Brushing grass clippings off her trouser legs, Maki looked at Kugisaki, whose resentment was almost taking physical form. "Actually... he has a point."

"Better to sweat on the training field than have people gathering for your funeral after a mission."

Kugisaki gulped down several mouthfuls of her drink and wiped her mouth. "I get the logic, but..."

"Don't you think this guy is way too full of himself?!"

The others and Panda looked at Jiahao, who stood with his hands behind his back, and nodded in unison.

During the break, Panda also shared the firsthand information he had picked up in the principal's office.

"Special Grade?!"

"And he turned it down?!"

Another round of startled cries rang out, and valor points came pouring forth.

Kugisaki looked at Jiahao as though he were a monster, watching the corners of his mouth keep twitching upward.

After a while, seeing the valor points above everyone's heads begin to dwindle, Jiahao suddenly spoke as though something had occurred to him.

"By the way, do you know what real growing up is?"

"Finding more fallen hair on your pillow..."

He had only learned Nanami's famous saying that morning, and by afternoon he was already putting it to use.

They all rolled their eyes, silently grumbling.

This guy wasn't just full of himself. He was absolutely overflowing.