Senior Mei Mei...

"Whoosh."

The scene shifted, and one youth and six old men were transported outside by the cursed technique. Seeing everyone sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, Tsukasa Hatayama felt a wave of embarrassment.

I might have... gone a little overboard...

"I'm deeply sorry for what happened in the loft. I never intended to cause such a commotion. Please forgive me, teachers and upperclassmen."

To keep the Kyoto teachers and students from confronting him together, Tsukasa Hatayama took the initiative and bowed deeply in apology. Without waiting for their reactions, he carried Yaga away on his back.

Behind him, Yoshinobu Gakuganji raised a hand in frustration and feebly tried to stop him. "Don't... don't go... stay... stay and give me an expla..."

Before he could finish, a club came down from above and knocked him unconscious on the spot.

The sudden turn of events left everyone else staring in astonishment, for the attacker was none other than the senior Higher-Up, looking thoroughly annoyed.

He said irritably, "I finally managed to persuade him to let this slide, and you, Gakuganji, decided to throw your weight around and demand that he stay to explain himself?"

"When Gakuganji wakes up, tell him to come to the loft and explain himself to me. Now disperse. What kind of spectacle is this, with the entire school gathered here?"

With the senior Higher-Up having spoken, everyone could only leave despite their doubts. The unconscious Yoshinobu Gakuganji was also carried to the support office.

Tokyo Jujutsu High.

After a half-hour journey, Tsukasa Hatayama returned to Jujutsu High. Along the way, he had explained to Yaga what had caused the incident in the loft.

After hearing his explanation, Yaga finally relaxed. As his mentor, he had genuinely feared that his beloved student might take an extreme path.

Though Jujutsu Society was currently corrupt and dark, as long as one protected ordinary people with justice in one's heart, one would have a clear conscience in the end.

Fortunately, his beloved student had done nothing irreversible. What had happened in the loft was merely a minor incident involving feeding cursed energy to the Demon Blade.

The first thing Tsukasa Hatayama did upon returning to school was rush back to his dorm, eager to show off Kitetsu to his two best friends.

Once they learned what Kitetsu could do, they'd be green with envy, wouldn't they?

Unfortunately, things rarely went as planned. Neither of his best friends was in the dorm. It seemed their teacher had given them a day off while he was in Kyoto.

Perhaps they were playing Street Fighter at an arcade somewhere, or perhaps Satoru had gotten restless and dragged Geto out to capture cursed spirits.

Looking at Kitetsu in his hand, Tsukasa Hatayama found himself at a loss. He murmured, "My best friends aren't here. Who am I supposed to share this with?"

"What a pain..."

Then, suddenly.

As he fretted over having no one to share his joy with, a slender figure, both elegant and beautiful, surfaced unbidden in his mind.

Somewhat distracted, Tsukasa Hatayama murmured, "Senior Mei Mei... she sent me an email while I was asleep."

"I think she asked whether I wanted to take on Grade 3 and Grade 4 Curse Missions, but because of the aftereffects, I only replied after waking up fifteen days later."

After thinking it over several times, Tsukasa Hatayama followed his heart. With a smile tugging at his lips, he left the dorm carrying Kitetsu and the cash box.

On his way to the girls' dorm, he inexplicably made a detour to the cafeteria and bought a limited-serving portion of his senior's favorite Bak Kut Teh from the serving window.

Just as he was about to enter the girls' dorm, Tsukasa Hatayama inexplicably stopped again, standing blankly at the entrance as he looked down the long corridor.

He did not know which room Senior Mei Mei lived in. Knocking on every door would disrupt the other girls' rest, and that would be deeply disrespectful.

Raised in a family with strict standards of etiquette, he could not permit himself to behave so rudely.

Left with no choice, Tsukasa Hatayama turned around and headed to Jujutsu High's support office, planning to ask Shoko Ieiri whether she knew.

Little did he know that several crows circling overhead watched him turn and leave.

At Jujutsu High's support office, Tsukasa Hatayama awkwardly obtained the answer he wanted under Shoko Ieiri's languid, peculiar gaze.

Walking down the girls' dorm corridor, Tsukasa Hatayama belatedly slapped his forehead and muttered with a rueful smile, "I could've just asked her on my phone."

"Oh well, I'll call it exercise. For now, I'd better hurry up and find Senior Mei Mei's room, 109."

Suppressing the urge to laugh at himself, Tsukasa Hatayama checked the room numbers. Although there were few female sorcerers, he passed quickly to respect their privacy.

After persevering, he finally found his senior's room, 109.

Feeling inexplicably nervous, Tsukasa Hatayama raised his hand to knock. Before it could fall, however, the person inside opened the door.

The delicate fragrance unique to his senior drifted into his nose like a gentle breeze. Before he could react, Senior Mei Mei appeared before him in casual clothes.

At first glance... so beautiful...

Tsukasa Hatayama stared in a daze. Senior Mei Mei's hair was no longer tied into a neat ponytail; instead, it flowed down her back like the Milky Way spilling across the night sky.

Her slender figure was clad in a simple pale-purple T-shirt and black shorts, leaving her smooth, fair arms and creamy white legs exposed...

Hah...

The sight of her casual outfit turned Tsukasa Hatayama's earlobes red and set his heart pounding. In short, it sent ripples through him.

Mei Mei's red lips curved slightly. Seeing the boy after so long, she could not resist teasing him. "Oh, if it isn't the famous Jujutsu Professor. What brings you to the room of your humble Grade 2 Sorcerer senior?"

Tsukasa Hatayama's face immediately heated up. Lowering his head, he murmured, "That's just a title people gave me. My abilities don't warrant such an honor."

"And... I brought a little something to share with you."

"Share?"

Mei Mei murmured the word, her beautiful eyes narrowing like a shrewd fox's as she looked him over. When she spotted the blade in his hand, she understood.

Her eyes shimmered as she asked suspiciously, "Don't people usually share things with close friends? What made you think of your senior for once?"

Tsukasa Hatayama gave a sheepish chuckle. "My two best friends went out to have fun. Neither was in the dorm, so I thought of you, Senior Mei Mei."

"You only thought of me because your best friends weren't around? Are you trying to get your pay docked?" Mei Mei rolled her eyes at him, the gesture full of charm, though she felt especially disgruntled.

She had actually been looking forward to a few sweet words. Instead, he had only come because he had no one else to share with. How infuriating. His pay absolutely had to be docked.

"N-no, no, that's not it."

Tsukasa Hatayama hurried to explain. "Even if I'd shared it with my best friends, I still would've come to see you afterward, Senior Mei Mei. I have something to give you."

"Look."

Tsukasa Hatayama lifted the cash box in his hand. "This is what I brought you. I'm sure you'll like it."

Mei Mei's displeasure eased a little. "Come inside and talk," she said with lingering irritation. "We shouldn't disturb the girl next door."

Tsukasa Hatayama nodded, took off his shoes, and stepped inside, feeling strangely nervous. It was his first time entering a woman's room other than his mother's, so staying calm was difficult.

Once he stepped inside, the fragrance in the air grew richer, so rich that it almost felt as though he had fallen into Senior Mei Mei's arms.

As that absurd thought crossed his mind, the redness of Tsukasa Hatayama's earlobes spread down his neck. He berated himself inwardly:

She kindly invited you in, and you started having such wicked thoughts. You're utterly disrespectful. You might as well drop dead!

"You can sit anywhere except the bed." As he scolded himself inwardly, Senior Mei Mei's alluring voice reached him.

Tsukasa Hatayama suppressed his thoughts and sat rather stiffly on the chair at the study desk, making sure he was very far from the bed.