Isn't this his...

Ze Zenin paid Utahime no further attention and headed straight for Kyoto Jujutsu High's main office.

Although Kyoto Jujutsu High and Tokyo Jujutsu High stood in cities with different atmospheres, the two schools had fairly similar layouts. Their teaching philosophies, however, were worlds apart.

In Tokyo, Satoru Gojo recruited talent from all walks of life. As long as someone had decent character and talent, he would take them in as a student...

Kyoto Jujutsu High, on the other hand, was full of students with connections. Aoi Todo went without saying-he was Yuki Tsukumo's student. Momo Nishimiya appeared to have American ancestry, so one of her parents probably had financial ties to the school. Kasumi Miwa had trained under the prestigious Shin'yū-ryū school, and Mai was the current Zenin Clan head's younger sister.

It really was an academy for aristocrats...

Ze Zenin mulled this over as he walked, then pushed open the meeting room door and saw the people inside.

The man at the head of the room was none other than Yoshinobu Gakuganji, the little old rocker whom Satoru Gojo had nearly driven to a heart attack at the Goodwill Event all those years ago.

On the other side sat an old friend Ze Zenin had met many times-someone he had known since childhood, in fact: Kamo Sheng.

There was also a thin man in a brown jacket, sitting upright on a couch with a samurai sword in his arms.

"Long time no see, Zenin... no, I suppose I should call you Clan Head Zenin now." Kamo Sheng reacted first, extending his right hand with a friendly smile.

"Long time no see." Ze Zenin politely offered his hand as well. "I didn't expect you to stay on as a teacher."

"That's right." Kamo Sheng admitted it freely, without any embarrassment. "I still don't really want to take over the family business. My nephew's cursed technique is Blood Manipulation too, so the Kamo Clan can keep going with him in the future. I decided to become a teacher and enjoy a little more freedom."

"He's my younger sister's son. He's part of the reason I stayed at Kyoto Jujutsu High."

"I see."

Ze Zenin was a little surprised. After all, not everyone could turn down the position of clan head. The one in his own family still hadn't given up.

"Well, I'll be counting on your support for the next three months..."

"No problem."

"What about you, old man?" Ze Zenin looked at Yoshinobu Gakuganji with a smile. "Aren't you going to greet me, Kyoto Jujutsu High's specially appointed adviser from Jujutsu Headquarters?"

"Hmph..." Yoshinobu Gakuganji snorted. "Spare me the pleasantries. There's no need to put on such a false front given our relationship."

"You really haven't changed." Ze Zenin's smile didn't reach his eyes.

Yoshinobu Gakuganji remained a staunch conservative, while Ze Zenin belonged to the radical reformist faction at Jujutsu Headquarters. The two factions had long since become utterly irreconcilable.

"Are you Atsuya Kusakabe?"

Ze Zenin turned to the thin man and asked with some uncertainty.

"Ah... hello, my name is Atsuya Kusakabe!" Atsuya Kusakabe hastily stood and bowed. "Adviser Zenin, I've heard so much about you!"

"You're too kind." Ze Zenin smiled. He was fairly familiar with this man.

After all, he still couldn't forget that line from the Shinjuku battlefield: "I'm fighting Sukuna... seriously?!" The man might complain about the trouble, but when something happened, he really did step up.

Ze Zenin glanced around, then sensed fluctuations of cursed energy from the hall below. Intrigued, he said, "There's a sparring match downstairs. Would you all care to watch with me?"

Kusakabe and Kamo Sheng looked at Yoshinobu Gakuganji. Once he nodded, they followed Ze Zenin.

Yoshinobu Gakuganji then slowly rose as well and walked to the window outside the meeting room, looking down at the two boys facing off below, one muscular and the other slender.

"I wonder if Yuta will find this familiar?" Watching Aoi Todo, Ze Zenin suddenly remembered his cursed technique, Boogie Woogie.

Down below, Aoi Todo was staring at Yuta Okkotsu with a grief-stricken expression.

"Okkotsu, you don't like tall women with big butts? I'm heartbroken!"

Yuta Okkotsu's expression darkened. Was he saying Rika had a bad figure?

He could say whatever he wanted about Yuta himself, but talking about his Rika... that was absolutely out of the question!

Yuta Okkotsu's eyes now burned with fighting spirit. Originally, he had only intended to spar with Kyoto's younger generation at his senior Zenin's request...

But now, he was going to settle the score for Rika!

"Come on, Okkotsu!"

Aoi Todo moved incredibly fast, his massive frame charging up to Yuta Okkotsu in an instant as he tried to clamp his thick arm around Yuta's neck.

Yuta Okkotsu remained calm. He simply pushed his left hand toward Aoi Todo, instantly redirecting the tremendous force before driving his fist toward his opponent's abdomen!

Aoi Todo was slightly surprised. This was his first proper fight with Yuta Okkotsu. He clenched both fists and slammed them down, forcefully knocking Yuta's fist aside.

"Don't move!"

As Yuta Okkotsu's quiet voice rang out, Aoi Todo froze as though rooted in place, unable to move for a moment.

Yuta Okkotsu instantly pulled free of Aoi Todo's fists and kicked him to the ground. At the same time, he took a reverse grip on his samurai sword and swung its blunt edge straight down at him.

Aoi Todo quickly recovered. "What was your cursed technique again? You can even use the Inumaki Clan's Cursed Speech?"

"You're the one who used a cursed technique first..." Watching Yuta Okkotsu rush toward him, Aoi Todo laughed heartily.

Aoi Todo instantly appeared beside Yuta Okkotsu. He moved so quickly that before Yuta could react, his iron fist was already hurtling toward him.

His cursed-energy-infused fist collided with Yuta Okkotsu's reinforced samurai sword. Their strength was evenly matched, leaving both of them locked in place for a moment.

Up above, Kamo Sheng turned to Ze Zenin and asked curiously, "That boy can use Cursed Speech... could he be?"

"He's not from the Inumaki Clan," Ze Zenin said evenly. "Yuta is my close friend's student. He's a Special Grade Sorcerer."

After all, Yuta had only become a Special Grade Sorcerer that year. Given his youth and low profile, he was currently well-known only in Tokyo.

"What?" Atsuya Kusakabe lost his composure. "At his age?"

Only four people before Yuta Okkotsu had become Special Grade Sorcerers at such a young age!

"Just watch. Gojo isn't the only one with high hopes for him." Ze Zenin offered no further explanation. He merely glanced at Yoshinobu Gakuganji, whose expression had soured again, with a smile tugging at his lips.

The old man probably couldn't understand why Special Grade Sorcerers were as common as cabbages in Tokyo, either. Kyoto was supposed to be the birthplace of Jujutsu Society...

Ze Zenin returned his attention to Yuta Okkotsu and Aoi Todo below.

"Not bad, Okkotsu." Aoi Todo effortlessly blocked Yuta Okkotsu's samurai sword and knocked it aside, laughing as he said, "I knew you were something special the first time we met!"

"Same here." Yuta Okkotsu smiled. "But Rika's a little angry, so I'll have to give you a proper beating."

As he spoke, Yuta Okkotsu used Cursed Speech on Aoi Todo again. "Fall!"

"!"

It was as though an immense weight had descended on the spot where Aoi Todo stood, crushing him downward. Even so, he struggled to bring his hands together, and everyone present heard the crisp clap clearly.

Yuta Okkotsu and Aoi Todo instantly switched places. The crushing weight now bore down on Yuta himself, but it vanished in less than a tenth of a second.

He finally understood. He looked up at Ze Zenin, only to see an inscrutable smile on his face.

Yuta Okkotsu was a little startled. Isn't this position swap my senior's cursed technique...?