Panda's secret mission

From a certain perspective, Satoru Gojo might have been a pretty good teacher.

Because Toge Inumaki had trouble communicating and looked rather aloof, Yuta Okkotsu did not know him very well and was even a little afraid of him.

Gojo had probably noticed that and deliberately arranged for them to go on a mission together!

Maybe he had also noticed how much Aikawa Kaze liked fluffy Panda and paired them up for that reason? That was pretty thoughtful.

Aikawa Kaze packed his luggage contentedly. In truth, he did not have much to bring.

Although he had previously told the world's consciousness that cooperation would benefit them both, over the past month or two, he had only performed one routine summoning and had not used his Cursed Technique again afterward.

For one thing, he believed ordinary summons were unlikely to produce a Heroic Spirit unless specific conditions were met or he was facing a particular enemy.

For another, although he did not reject his gacha ability, he did not want to rely on it completely. Besides, the world's consciousness had yet to offer any reward that satisfied him, so naturally, he refused to keep handing out favors.

His second summoning had still only yielded items.

Only three things satisfied Aikawa Kaze.

A Magic Meter Pocket Watch that could increase his Cursed Energy output, a modified Motorcycle: Armored Cavalry, and a Lion Plush that could restore the stamina of all allies present when destroyed.

But aside from those three, he had also received seven bottles of "Love Potion"-as the name suggested, a magical potion that increased the drinker's charm.

Although he did not mind boosting his looks and charm, the stuff was undoubtedly pretty useless. After all, he was already very confident in his face-far more confident than he was in his strength, at least.

Even when the system later explained that he could give it to other people to increase their affection for him, Aikawa Kaze promptly consigned the illicit, date-rape-drug-like stuff to oblivion.

Using it on people was out of the question. That was practically asking for jail time. And using it on Cursed Spirits... what, could he max out their affection for him and make them kill themselves?

After that, he never used his summoning technique again.

After some thought, he took only the Jewel Sword for a weapon, but brought all his other equipment and items. Just in case!

"Come to think of it, I'd almost forgotten I had these."

Looking at the Black Keys, an obscure weapon that could catch people off guard, Aikawa Kaze considered them for a moment, picked up three, and knocked on Maki Zenin's door nearby. She was also sorting out her equipment.

"Who is it?"

A rather irritated voice came from inside.

Maki's Cursed Energy was so low that she could not see Cursed Spirits, so she normally relied on Cursed Tools to exorcise them and had to bring plenty of weapons whenever she went out.

Maki often teamed up with Panda because she usually handed her Cursed Tools over to him to carry.

So when Panda was unavailable and she had to carry everything herself, choosing her Cursed Tools was particularly important. She was carefully selecting them right now!

Maki Zenin had assumed it was probably that annoying Satoru Gojo coming to hurry her along. She had not expected Aikawa Kaze.

"Need something?"

"I brought you some Cursed Tools."

"Huh?"

"I saw them while sorting through my weapons just now, so I brought them over."

Aikawa Kaze pushed the three Black Keys into her hands.

"The red-glowing Black Key boosts strength, the green-glowing one boosts speed, and the blue-glowing one increases Cursed Energy output... that's about it. Use them however you see fit."

"!!!"

Maki Zenin stared at the three Cursed Tools in her hands, stunned.

Judging by both their quality and their effects, these three Black Keys were exceptionally useful weapons. They had to be at least Grade 2 Cursed Tools, right?

Cursed Tools were extremely scarce and expensive resources. A Jujutsu Sorcerer from an ordinary background might never even get to touch one unless they sold themselves into the service of a traditional sorcerer family.

Although she came from the Zenin Clan, she was a woman, and her Heavenly Restriction had left her unable to see curses from birth, so the clan had offered her little support.

She had only acquired so many Cursed Tools by milking Jujutsu High and Satoru Gojo for all they were worth, then saving up her hard-earned mission pay to buy more.

Maki Zenin did indeed need plenty of Cursed Tools to expand her tactical options, but this unprovoked attempt to "win her over" instinctively put her on guard.

"What did you do behind my back? Or were you bad-mouthing me? Did you get yourself into trouble and need my help?"

"No. I'm not good at using these, and leaving them piled up would be a waste. I'd rather give them to you so you can get the most out of them."

Aikawa Kaze shook his head, speechless. Seeing that Maki still looked somewhat suspicious, he considered it and decided to tell her the truth outright.

"If you insist on looking for a motive, consider this an early investment in you and an attempt to build a good relationship. After all, I have high hopes for what you'll achieve in the future. Oh, and when I'm ready to overthrow this rotten order, I hope you'll lend me a hand."

"Huh? You've really got the guts to say that! But I like it!"

Maki Zenin froze, clearly not expecting that answer, but nodded in approval nonetheless.

As someone with Heavenly Restriction who had endured scorn at home since childhood, Maki was keenly sensitive to people's emotions. She could tell Aikawa Kaze was neither flattering her nor lying. Those words came straight from his heart.

And so the spirited girl broke into a grin and patted Aikawa Kaze on the shoulder.

She recalled that Aikawa Kaze had suffered the same unfair treatment as she had.

Their abilities clearly far exceeded those of a Grade 4 Sorcerer, yet those disgusting higher-ups simply refused to let them advance.

Maki came from the Zenin Clan and was regarded as a disgrace. Unwilling to see someone who had humiliated them advance, the clan obstructed her at every turn. In Aikawa Kaze's case... the higher-ups simply wanted to spite him and flaunt their authority.

But clearly, neither Maki nor Hefeng was the sort to surrender and bow their head over something like that. Such suppression would only make them fight harder.

"Anyway, I'll just take the red and green Black Keys. I don't have any Cursed Energy, so giving me the blue one would be a waste."

Without standing on ceremony, Maki took the two Black Keys glowing red and green and tossed the faintly blue-glowing one back into Aikawa Kaze's arms.

Ordinarily, Black Keys required an input of magical energy-Cursed Energy-to produce a blade from the hilt. But since these had been summoned as Cursed Tools, they could be used without supplying additional Cursed Energy and even came with extra enhancement effects.

"There's no harm in learning to use more weapons. Even if you don't use it yourself, you can keep it around for emergencies."

Maki glanced at Aikawa Kaze and lightly tapped his head.

"Didn't you say your Cursed Technique summons different Heroic Spirits to possess you? What if one of them happens to need this weapon? Besides, Jujutsu Sorcerers encounter all kinds of situations. What if your usual weapon gets destroyed or knocked away?"

"...You have a point."

Aikawa Kaze had originally thought that a person's time and energy were limited. He was no genius himself, so mastering even one weapon would be good enough.

Now that he thought about it, even his approach to learning swordsmanship seemed a little narrow-minded. He always used the Jewel Sword and had grown accustomed to its length and weight. Other swords felt awkward, and he did not want to use them.

If his sword broke or was not with him when something happened, that really would be a problem.

Aikawa Kaze took back the blue-glowing Black Key and thanked Maki for the reminder.

Just then, he heard Panda's voice from nearby.

"Eeeh?! Did Hefeng change his mind and decide to rejoin the love triangle?!"

Although the speaker had tried his best to lower his voice, the two of them had sharp senses and naturally heard him.

They looked up and saw that Panda had opened his Dormitory door a crack at some point and was peeking out furtively, muttering strange things under his breath.

"That Panda's spouting nonsense again."

As much of a gossip as ever!

Maki looked at Panda, speechless.

Perhaps because he was a Cursed Corpse, Panda loved observing human behavior and emotions and was especially interested in gossip. He had even reached the point of inventing entire scenarios in his head.

Aikawa Kaze shook his head and called out.

"Panda, if you're ready, it's time to go."

"Oh, right. Coming."

Panda chuckled, played cute under Maki's furious glare, and quickly dragged Aikawa Kaze away.

Maki shook her head, watching the two retreating figures in exasperation.

Although she had already realized that the seemingly well-behaved Aikawa Kaze was actually rather wild inside, even she had not expected her classmate's ambition to be overthrowing the entire Jujutsu Society.

Even she only wanted to prove herself, show the Zenin Clan what she could do, and give her younger sister Mai a place to belong.

But she did not dislike Aikawa Kaze for having such ambitions.

"I can't wait!"

After all, judging by the strength Aikawa Kaze had previously displayed, even a Special Grade ranking would not have been excessive. If those old bastards had not interfered...

"That day will come!"

Meanwhile, Panda and Aikawa Kaze arrived at their destination. Watching the people coming and going, Aikawa Kaze finally understood why Satoru Gojo had said this place was perfect for Panda.

"I never expected it to be an amusement park!"

"Yep. Even Panda doesn't stand out here."

Panda nodded.

His appearance made it difficult for him to blend into crowds and society, and most of the Cursed Spirits he was assigned to exorcise on short notice were out in the wilderness.

As a result, places like amusement parks, where mascot costumes were everywhere, became some of the few places where Panda could "relax" and mingle with people.

It was not as though Panda particularly enjoyed interacting with strangers, but only ever seeing people from school was still a little lonely.

"Still, amusement parks have always been synonymous with fun. I didn't expect we'd have to come here to exorcise curses."

Aikawa Kaze looked around curiously.

The prevailing mood here was cheerful, lively, and enthusiastic. It was not a school or a hospital, so he had not expected curses to gather here too.

"Amusement parks are actually similar to schools and hospitals. We come regularly to clear out and exorcise the curses."

Panda already knew the routine well. After all, he had always been responsible for this place.

"Lots of people come to amusement parks to let off steam, and that stress naturally forms curses. Plus, some rides are so intense that they frighten people, and that fear creates curses too."

Of course, amusement parks did not have as many curses, or ones as powerful, as schools and hospitals, but they were still places where curses regularly formed.

With practiced ease, Panda led Aikawa Kaze into the amusement park.

"Relax. Usually, this mission just means dealing with a few accumulated Grade 3 and Grade 4 curses. It's easy-practically half a vacation."

"...Honestly, saying things like that usually raises a flag. Still, I really don't sense any strong curses."

Aikawa Kaze checked and found that, just as Panda had said, there were no particularly high-grade curses. No wonder the assistant supervisor had simply dropped them off without giving them much further instruction.

He watched Panda perform a practiced martial arts routine where the curses had gathered, looking for all the world like a street performer.

What would have seemed strange coming from an ordinary person was readily accepted as a performance by an actor in a panda costume. It aroused no suspicion at all, and he even attracted a sizable audience while dealing with the curses.

Aikawa Kaze even heard plenty of visitors happily saying how lucky they were to have stumbled upon the park's surprise "Kung Fu Panda" performance, then eagerly approaching for photos.

Panda was truly in his element here!

"That so-called 'surprise performance'..."

"Hehe, that's the cover story the amusement park and Jujutsu Society came up with together!"

Panda scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Once, a particularly troublesome Cursed Spirit ran in during the day, and I had to exorcise it in front of everyone. The park's publicity department came up with that explanation."

Although it had started as nothing more than a cover story, pandas were so popular in Japan that it worked surprisingly well.

People not only believed the explanation, but even began hoping they would encounter "Panda" during their visits to the park.

The person in charge of the amusement park thought it was a good idea and decided to turn the cover story into a real attraction.

Normally, regularly clearing out the Cursed Spirits was enough to prevent any major problems, so the park simply hired Panda to exorcise them in broad daylight and serve as a mascot on the side.

"So Panda and Panda's friends get access to the VIP lanes here, and we can enjoy all the rides for free!"

Panda proudly puffed out his chest, declaring that joining him on this mission was a cushy assignment everyone coveted.

When visitors discovered they were on the same ride as "Kung Fu Panda," they would happily consider it a stroke of luck.

As Panda exorcised curses one after another, Aikawa Kaze found there was nothing he could help with, but he did not particularly mind. Perhaps this was also time deliberately set aside for Panda to get out and unwind?

When Panda invited him to enjoy the rides together, he readily joined him.

Bumper cars, carousels, and the Ferris wheel went without saying, but roller coasters and bungee jumping were definitely on the list too.

"Hefeng, if you're going on the roller coaster, you'll need to store your backpack and stuff."

Seeing Aikawa Kaze head straight for the queue, Panda could not help reminding him.

"And your coat doesn't have zippers, right? Things could easily fall out of it, so you'll need to store those beforehand too."

"Hm? Oh, you're right."

Aikawa Kaze paused and glanced around, noticing that everyone else had stored their glasses, hats, other accessories, and backpacks before joining the line.

"Huh? Don't tell me this is your first time, Hefeng?"

That seemed fairly unusual for a high schooler his age, especially since Aikawa Kaze did not appear afraid of heights.

Panda was a little surprised, but also excited. He felt as though he was about to learn a little more about Aikawa Kaze.

He could not help recalling his conversation with Gojo.

"Yuta's been fitting into the class really well lately, and everyone's gotten to know him. He and Toge aren't that close yet, but their next mission will definitely help them understand each other. Hefeng, on the other hand, isn't doing so well!"

"Huh? But we get along with Hefeng pretty well too! And I really like him."

Because Panda was a "mutated Cursed Corpse," other Jujutsu Sorcerers often treated him as an outsider rather than an equal person. Aikawa Kaze, however, showed no such prejudice at all.

"But Hefeng's too guarded! Think about it. You already know what Yuta likes, what he dislikes, and what his dreams and goals are. You even know the story about his childhood sweetheart. But you don't know anything about Hefeng, do you?"

"I guess... that's true?"

Whether it was Panda, Maki, Toge, or Yuta Okkotsu, they might not yet have been inseparably close, but they knew one another fairly well and had never concealed things about themselves.

Even Toge Inumaki, who seemed aloof and quiet, was actually quite happy to share things with his classmates if they made a sincere effort to communicate with him.

Everyone knew at least a little about Panda being a Cursed Corpse, Maki's past in the Zenin Clan, the troubles Toge Inumaki's Cursed Speech caused him, and Yuta Okkotsu's "pure love" romance.

By comparison, only Aikawa Kaze's past and personal interests...

He seemed gentle, always smiling, easy to talk to, and able to get along with everyone. In reality, though, that was another form of distance. No one had managed to get any closer to him.

That was precisely why Satoru Gojo said Aikawa Kaze resembled Suguru Geto in certain ways. He gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.

"...So, Panda, since Hefeng likes you best, I'm leaving the difficult task of bringing our unsociable Hefeng into the group to you!"

Satoru Gojo still harbored certain doubts about Aikawa Kaze.

Of course, given his personality, he would never make one of his students act as a "spy" over that. But he genuinely wanted Aikawa Kaze to open his heart and become part of the group.

Having noticed Aikawa Kaze's particular fondness and tolerance for all things fluffy, Satoru Gojo had sent Panda to "break the ice" without hesitation.

This amusement park mission was not merely Panda's regular chance to get out and unwind. It was also Gojo's "Secret High School Boy Bonding Operation: Affection UP UP"!