Cursed Pressure

"Sir."

The two approached Masamichi Yaga respectfully. He smiled without saying anything and patted each of their broad shoulders.

His gaze settled on Tsukasa Hatayama's face with satisfaction, and the longer he looked, the fonder he grew.

Compared with Satoru and Geto, Tsukasa seemed even more exceptional and mature.

He had none of the usual faults of a genius. He was powerful without being flashy, and although he rarely initiated conversations, that hardly mattered.

He was a genius, after all. It was only natural for him to have a little world of his own.

"Come here."

Masamichi Yaga brought the two before the group and introduced them with a faint smile. "These are all your seniors. Say hello."

Tsukasa Hatayama and Suguru Geto nodded, turning their gentle gazes toward the twelve seniors with complicated expressions.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Tsukasa Hatayama. I look forward to learning from you."

"Hello, everyone. I'm Suguru Geto. I look forward to learning from you."

Feeling positively elated, everyone volunteered their names. They liked these two far more than the unruly Satoru Gojo.

After all, who could resist being addressed respectfully by a genius? It made their hearts bloom with joy.

After their greetings, the two obediently stood behind Masamichi Yaga, prompting everyone to look at him with admiration.

Yaga really was amazing. He had those geniuses completely under control.

Masamichi Yaga felt immensely proud at that moment. He waved a large hand at his two beloved students. "No classes today. Go back to the dorm and get some sleep."

Delighted, they hurriedly bowed to Masamichi Yaga, then lifted the unconscious Satoru Gojo, one taking his arms and the other his legs.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the three gradually disappeared from sight.

"Mr. Yaga, your student left his wallet and Student ID behind," Mei Mei reminded him in a sultry voice, still holding her money.

"Did he?"

Masamichi Yaga looked over at her words. Sure enough, his beloved student's wallet and Student ID lay quietly on the stone steps, basking in the sunlight.

"What a careless boy."

Masamichi Yaga shook his head and bent down to pick them up.

"Yaga, Principal Tahara wants you to come to his office. He says there's something urgent he needs to discuss with you."

Another voice came from above the stone steps.

Masamichi Yaga furrowed his thick brows, puzzled by the old principal's sudden summons.

Could it be about his retirement?

Not daring to linger, Masamichi Yaga quickly held his student's belongings out to Mei Mei.

"Mei Mei."

"Since Tsukasa helped you make some money, do me a favor and give these back to him."

Mei Mei glanced at the bills in her arms, then at the Student ID and wallet being offered to her. She accepted them without refusing.

That afternoon.

The Jujutsu High dormitory.

"Satoru, Tsukasa's sleeping. Shouldn't we wait until he wakes up?"

"No way. I want to learn cursed pressure right now! I want to get stronger, surpass Tsukasa Hatayama, and be the one looking down on him!"

Two whispering figures opened the door and slipped furtively into a room.

At the sight of the familiar large bed, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto both blushed, sharing an unspoken understanding. The scene of them embracing naked that morning was still vivid in their minds.

Fortunately, Satoru Gojo was thick-skinned enough to approach the bed as though nothing had happened. At the sight of that handsome face lost in pleasant dreams, his jaw began to ache faintly.

Satoru Gojo curled his lip and muttered, "That was my first taste of defeat, and it'll be my last!"

As he muttered, a mischievous grin crept across his delicate face. He leaped high into the air and landed on Tsukasa Hatayama, still unwilling to accept his loss.

After considerable hesitation, Suguru Geto jumped onto the pile too, smiling.

Startled awake by two big guys suddenly piling onto him, Tsukasa Hatayama stared speechlessly at their grinning faces.

Satoru Gojo clamored, "Get up! Don't forget you promised to teach me cursed pressure! Get up, or I'll strip naked and crawl under your covers!"

Tsukasa Hatayama's mouth twitched. "You're both piled on top of me. How am I supposed to get up?"

At those words, Suguru Geto immediately pulled Satoru Gojo up, worried that they might crush their dear friend Tsukasa to death.

Freed from their weight, Tsukasa Hatayama threw back the covers and got out of bed. Before he could change into proper clothes, an impatient Satoru Gojo dragged him out of the room.

On the way.

Wearing SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas, Tsukasa Hatayama watched the two bizarre gaits ahead of him, his mouth twitching.

Satoru Gojo strutted arrogantly with his waist thrust forward and his arms swinging, his nose in the air as though he owned the place.

By comparison, Suguru Geto looked even stranger and more conspicuous.

With both hands tucked into his baggy trouser pockets, he walked with his back hunched and his neck craned forward...

Unable to bear the sight, Tsukasa Hatayama pulled up his hood and tried to make himself less noticeable behind them, lest any passing seniors on campus spot him.

As they passed a vending machine, Suguru Geto seemed to remember something. He stopped and turned toward his dear friend behind him, his head tucked between his shoulders.

"Tsukasa, you said you'd buy me a drink this morning. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Tsukasa Hatayama stopped and pointed at the vending machine beside the path. "I haven't. Does it still count if I make it up to you now?"

"Of course. As long as you remember, I don't mind how long I wait."

Suguru Geto waved a hand casually.

Satoru Gojo was displeased and cut in from beside them. "What the hell are you two talking about? What's all this about making it up to him?"

"Here's what happened..."

Suguru Geto patiently explained. Once Satoru Gojo learned the reason, he began whining and demanding the same treatment.

If Geto, the world's number three, got one, then of course the world's number two deserved one too!

Tsukasa Hatayama wasn't stingy. He waved grandly at them. "Young Master Hatayama is paying today. Take whatever you want."

Their eyes lit up, and they both ran over to fiddle with the vending machine.

Tsukasa Hatayama remained where he was, watching them with a soft chuckle. But when he reached into his pocket, his smile froze.

Wait, where's my wallet?

Did I leave it in the dorm?

Just as he was puzzling over it, a pair of delicate, sweetly scented hands suddenly appeared before him.

Tsukasa Hatayama blinked. Those hands were holding his wallet and Student ID.

Without stopping to think, Tsukasa Hatayama offered a heartfelt word of thanks and took them, then walked over to pay for his two dear friends.

As for who had brought them, Tsukasa Hatayama hadn't paid much attention. His only impression was the faint fragrance wafting from those delicate hands.

The rear garden at Jujutsu High.

Amid birdsong and fragrant flowers, the three sat close together on a public stone bench, with Satoru Gojo leaning affectionately against Tsukasa Hatayama's shoulder.

Suguru Geto pushed Satoru Gojo irritably, his expression jealous. "Satoru, get your head off Tsukasa's shoulder!"

I met Tsukasa first. Why should you get to take advantage of him, Satoru Gojo?

"Why should I? I'm staying right here!"

Satoru Gojo pushed back defiantly.

Suguru Geto's expression darkened, and he shoved back in irritation. The two were like ignited powder kegs, neither willing to give in.

"What's there to argue about? Can't you each take one shoulder?"

Still eating his ice pop, Tsukasa Hatayama resignedly pressed their heads onto his shoulders to keep them from fighting again.

"Hmph!"

They glared at each other irritably, then happily ate their ice pops and leaned against his shoulders to admire the garden scenery.

A few minutes later, Satoru Gojo held the wooden stick between his teeth and urged impatiently, "Tsukasa, hurry up and teach me cursed pressure. I can't wait anymore!"

"Yeah, yeah, I can't wait either!"

Suguru Geto chimed in from the other side, tilting his face up to gaze eagerly at Tsukasa Hatayama.

"Don't look at me with those pleading eyes!"

Tsukasa Hatayama quickly pushed their heads away, goosebumps all over him, and began explaining. "You know how cursed energy flows and how to use it, right?"

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto exchanged a glance. The latter raised his hand and answered, "Cursed energy starts at the navel, then flows through the chest to the rest of the body."

"Is using cursed pressure the exact opposite of that?"

"No, no, no."

Tsukasa Hatayama explained patiently, "The principles aren't contradictory. That's the only way people can use cursed energy. Cursed pressure works by compressing it beforehand."

Suguru Geto rubbed his chin and frowned, unable to figure it out. "Cursed pressure sounds useful, but cursed energy is extracted from people's negative emotions."

"Cursed spirits are also curses born from negative emotions, while we jujutsu sorcerers can perfectly control the negative emotions within us."

"If we suddenly release a burst of cursed energy, could we accidentally curse someone?"

Tsukasa Hatayama shook his head and patiently explained, "It won't curse anyone. A jujutsu sorcerer needs a medium and the right timing to curse someone."

"Besides, we're jujutsu sorcerers who can control our negative emotions. As long as you don't let your thoughts run wild, you generally won't curse anyone."

Hearing this, Suguru Geto gradually set aside his concerns.

"I've got it!"

Satoru Gojo, who had been deep in thought, suddenly sprang to his feet with a startled cry of realization. At the same time, powerful cursed energy gushed from his body.

Bees gathering nectar were knocked unconscious by the surge of cursed energy.

Suguru Geto's eyes widened as he stared incredulously at Satoru Gojo and his rampaging cursed energy.

He figured it out just like that?

Tsukasa Hatayama nodded in satisfaction. Using cursed pressure wasn't actually difficult. Anyone who had refined their cursed energy to sufficient purity could understand it.

The principle was to treat the cursed energy at the navel like a spring-a compressed spring storing force, which only needed to be released when required.

Once compressed, the cursed energy no longer flowed through the chest to the rest of the body. Instead, it spread directly from the navel and erupted through the pores.

After knocking the animals in the garden unconscious, Satoru Gojo kept nothing to himself and patiently taught Suguru Geto how to use cursed pressure.