The Goodwill Event begins

"Still not tempted, Maki?"

Panda spoke anxiously, supposedly looking out for Maki. Who knew how a panda like him could have such a rich range of emotions?

"..."

Maki looked at the panda, who claimed to have her best interests at heart yet wore an excited expression.

If there hadn't been so many people around, she would have given him a good beating.

"Yuanfang sure is popular with women!"

Itadori looked at Yuanfang with envy. So many women around him, all fighting over him.

If only I could have that many women fighting over me before I died.

"Don't be jealous. Someday, you'll find someone you like too!"

Junpei comforted Itadori from beside him. He believed someone as kind as Itadori would surely find a wonderful girl.

After all, kind boys like Itadori were hard to come by!

And judging by Itadori's personality and the way he treated people, his future partner was sure to be very kind too.

At Junpei's words, Itadori smiled faintly.

"I hope so..."

Itadori could only entertain the thought. He knew his life wasn't his to decide.

After all, if they found all of Sukuna's Fingers the very next second, there would be no reason to keep him alive.

Even if he found a woman he liked, he would probably struggle to live a happy life with her.

Megumi Fushiguro had no interest in these chattering women. His sister was the only one in his heart.

As for Toge Inumaki, he simply stood quietly to one side, watching the show without a word.

Even if he spoke, the others might not understand his unique way of talking.

Clap, clap!

Just then, a pair of sharp claps interrupted the squabbling between Kugisaki and Maki.

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a soft-spoken woman in shrine maiden robes slowly ascending the stairs.

Her figure was graceful, her steps light, and she radiated elegance.

Unfortunately, a vicious scar marred her otherwise fair, rosy cheek, greatly detracting from her looks. This woman was Himeka Iori, a teacher from Kyoto Academy.

"All right, stop stirring things up. You kids are such a headache!"

Himeka felt helpless about Mai's personality. Her sense of humor was rather twisted.

Then she scanned the crowd. Seeing no sign of Satoru Gojo, she asked irritably:

"Where did that idiot go?"

The idiot she meant was, of course, Satoru Gojo.

He had often mocked her during their days at Jujutsu High, so Utahime utterly despised him.

"Miss me that much?"

Just then, Satoru Gojo suddenly appeared beside her like a ghost, grinning teasingly.

"Like hell I do, you bastard!"

Utahime immediately abandoned all decorum and roared in fury.

"Ah, that hurts!"

"Get as far away from me as you can!"

The sight of this grinning fool filled Utahime with disgust.

The Kyoto students knew Utahime's temper inside out, so her sudden change didn't bother them.

Maki and the others, however, were puzzled. Why did Utahime hate Satoru Gojo so much?

Just then, two people descended the stairs. One was Gakuganji, a bald old man leaning on a cane, his eyes rather gloomy.

The other was Masamichi Yaga, a stubbled middle-aged man wearing sunglasses.

Gakuganji ignored everyone else and fixed his gaze on Itadori. There was no telling what he was plotting behind those shadowed eyes.

Because of Yuanfang's influence, Itadori had revealed his identity early rather than continuing to hide it.

They had carefully planned an assassination to eliminate Itadori, but unfortunately for them, Satoru Gojo's protection was airtight, leaving them no opening whatsoever.

This competition, however, had presented Gakuganji and the others with a perfect opportunity, one they couldn't afford to miss.

"Principal Gakuganji, you seem to be plotting something rather unsavory!"

Satoru Gojo keenly noticed something amiss and leaned closer as he spoke.

"Heh... what ill intentions could an old man like me possibly have?"

Gakuganji forced a smile, hoping to bluff his way through without letting Satoru Gojo catch on.

"Mm, true. An old geezer like you already has one foot in the grave and can barely walk. You couldn't accomplish much anyway!"

Satoru Gojo showed no regard for the old man's dignity, mocking him with biting words.

Gakuganji's expression darkened alarmingly. If he could have beaten Satoru Gojo, he would already have attacked him.

"Don't push your luck!"

Masamichi Yaga locked an arm around Satoru Gojo to make him settle down before he truly infuriated Gakuganji and made the situation difficult to resolve.

Then he turned toward Yuanfang and the others, changing the subject.

"The Tokyo-Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event will last two days. The first day is a team battle!"

Masamichi Yaga paused, then continued enthusiastically.

"A thrilling cursed spirit extermination battle! The rules are simple: the team that exorcises the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit in the designated area wins. There are also cursed spirits below Grade 3 within the area.

If neither team has won by sunset, the team with more exorcisms wins..."

Once Masamichi Yaga finished explaining all the rules, everyone scattered to discuss their strategies before starting the exorcisms.

In the meeting room.

"With Yuanfang on our side, we'd have a hard time losing!"

Itadori declared smugly, certain they wouldn't lose this competition.

Over this past stretch of time, he had come to understand just how powerful Yuanfang was.

Even with his incredibly powerful physique, Itadori could only match Yuanfang physically. Add Yuanfang's special cursed technique, and the other side had practically no chance.

"Don't get cocky. They're strong too!"

Having exchanged just one blow with Todo, Megumi Fushiguro knew how powerful he was. Only Yuanfang could fight him to a draw.

"Megumi's right. We still need to be careful!"

Panda thought their side had the advantage, but they could still lose if they got careless.

"All right, we'll stick to the plan we discussed. Yuanfang will keep Todo occupied, and we'll handle everything else!"

Maki spoke with certainty. As long as Yuanfang tied Todo down, the other side would have no chance of winning.

"Let Itadori do it!"

Yuanfang decided to let the two buddies have their moment. He didn't want to split them up by getting in the way.

"Why?"

Everyone was puzzled. Hadn't they already agreed on everything? Why change the strategy now?

"Todo hardly ever uses his cursed technique, so with Itadori's physique, holding him off won't be a problem!

And if I join you against the others, it'll be easier and safer!"

"All right!"

Maki thought it over and decided it made sense. After all, Yuanfang had fought Todo and had a good grasp of Itadori's strength.

So there shouldn't be any problem letting Itadori handle Todo.