Miwa Chisei wore a childlike expression as she fiddled with her new phone.
She looked quite happy.
Satoru Gojo gave a soft huff, marveling at what a little money grubber this kid was.
Then he snatched her phone, punched in a string of numbers, and saved it.
"My number. But late-night chats cost extra."
Miwa Chisei took her phone back and saw [The most handsome big brother Gojo] in the name field. She looked at it as though she were looking at dog shit.
"If you don't like it, give the phone back."
He made the demand with a smug air.
"What a wonderful name."
Miwa Chisei nodded and put the phone away before he could take it.
The sun was setting now, and Jujutsu High had grown even quieter. Miwa Chisei's wooden sandals tapped out quaint notes on the stone path, somehow perfectly suited to their surroundings.
Satoru Gojo had already messaged Masamichi Yaga, so he was still waiting in his office.
This looked like another problem child, but thankfully, she was a first-year and wouldn't be in his class.
Masamichi Yaga quietly breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear the office door yanked open. The person entering neither knocked nor offered a greeting, simply strolling inside.
"Teacher, I brought her."
With that, Satoru Gojo casually pulled out some other teacher's chair and lounged in it.
Masamichi Yaga chose to ignore him for the sake of his peace of mind.
Miwa Chisei studied the adult before her. He wore rather unusual glasses, had his hair shaved short on both sides, and sported a distinctly masculine beard.
He looked reliable.
"Hello, I'm Miwa Chisei."
Miwa Chisei removed her sunglasses as she greeted him. The sunset streaming through the window lit her blood-red eyes with fire, making her look all the more otherworldly.
"I'm Satoru Gojo's teacher, Masamichi Yaga. The higher-ups assigned Satoru Gojo the task of bringing you here to enroll. Welcome to Jujutsu High."
He had thought it would take another few days, but things had progressed faster than expected.
Just as Masamichi Yaga was reflecting on that, Satoru Gojo spoke.
"Oh, right, teacher. Miwa almost got killed yesterday."
Masamichi Yaga's heart tightened. He should have known it wouldn't be that simple...
"Was it a bounty?"
"A bounty to capture her alive. Weird, right?"
Bounties usually called for the target's death. Even the bounty placed on Satoru Gojo as a child had been a kill order. But after he joined Jujutsu High and demonstrated his abilities, that bounty had expired and ceased to exist.
Masamichi Yaga considered this for a moment, then turned his gaze to the silent Miwa Chisei.
"Miwa, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Miwa Chisei lowered her eyes, staring intently at the wooden floor as she shook her head.
"I'm not sure what the person who posted the bounty wants."
"I see."
Masamichi Yaga felt he would have to report this matter to the higher-ups.
There were actually some things Masamichi Yaga hadn't told Satoru Gojo or Miwa Chisei. Regarding Miwa Chisei's enrollment, half the higher-ups had supported it, while the other half had opposed it. It had taken a heated discussion to reach a decision.
He had initially thought they were targeting the Miwa family, but another new student from the Miwa family had enrolled without any trouble. Clearly, they were targeting Miwa Chisei herself.
Masamichi Yaga said nothing more. He didn't want to place too much pressure on a new student.
"These are your enrollment forms. Just hand them to me tomorrow. Satoru will take you to the dormitory in a moment, and the manager will give you your key."
Masamichi Yaga handed Miwa Chisei several forms, handling everything with remarkable efficiency.
Miwa Chisei, however, felt as if she were applying for a job. Perhaps that wasn't an unreasonable way to look at it.
There was only one student dormitory building, with boys and girls on different floors and plenty of empty rooms. The dorm manager was a gentle middle-aged woman who grew happy and chatty whenever she saw a new student. She was also generous with the student supplies she provided Miwa Chisei.
Miwa Chisei's opinion of Jujutsu High improved a little more.
Satoru Gojo's room was on the third floor, while Miwa Chisei's was on the fourth, so they parted on the third floor.
Miwa Chisei felt a little dazed. Apparently, Jujutsu High didn't charge tuition, and the dormitory was free too. She would be able to save quite a bit of money.
The bedding given to Miwa Chisei had a pleasant, sun-warmed scent, so she slept soundly that night.
She knew everything was only just beginning.
The next morning, Miwa Chisei handed her enrollment forms to Masamichi Yaga before heading to the first-year classroom.
Three first-year students were already seated inside, one of whom was a familiar face.
Her custom-made uniform wouldn't arrive until three days after her enrollment application, so Miwa Chisei was still wearing the dark kimono that made her feel at ease.
A shadow crossed Miwa Riona's face before she put on a smile and greeted her. "Lady Qianxing, welcome to the school."
One of the boys, who had a black bowl cut, was very friendly. He raised a hand to greet Miwa Chisei.
"Hello, I'm Yu Haibara! Wow, are you Riona's relative from the same family?"
He was a straightforward, sunny boy. Miwa Chisei didn't dislike him.
The other boy, whose deep-set eyes were long and narrow, appeared to be of mixed heritage. His lovely blond hair was neatly combed, and he gave Miwa Chisei a slight nod.
"Hello, I'm Kento Nanami."
He seemed like a decent person too, so Miwa Chisei greeted them both politely.
"Hello, I'm Miwa Chisei. You can just call me Qianxing."
Only then did she turn her gaze to Miwa Riona.
"Don't address me like that at school. You prefer calling me Miwa Chisei, don't you? You can keep doing that."
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Miwa Riona's face, but she concealed it well.
Yu Haibara leaned closer to study her curiously and spoke without any ill intent.
"Riona and Qianxing, your hair colors are completely different. I never would've guessed you were cousins."
Hearing this, Kento Nanami also looked over. Indeed, this new student's hair color was very much like that of a certain unreliable second-year upperclassman...
Yu Haibara might not have noticed, but Kento Nanami could clearly sense that these two supposed cousins didn't get along.
And those feelings seemed to originate with Miwa Riona.
He had no desire to get caught in a battle between girls, so he reminded Yu Haibara as well.
"Haibara, the teacher will be here soon. Let's sit down."
Yu Haibara nodded and immediately returned to his seat.
Miwa Chisei also took the only empty seat. With just four desks and chairs in the entire classroom, it felt very spacious.
At nine o'clock, the first-year homeroom teacher, Eikura Yohei, arrived in the classroom right on time.
He was a bespectacled man who looked somewhat frail, with slightly sunken cheeks.
"Our new student is here. I take it you've all introduced yourselves?"
"Yes, Mr. Eikura. We've all met."
Miwa Riona answered sweetly and obediently, in stark contrast to Miwa Chisei's subdued demeanor.
Eikura Yohei looked at the girl in sunglasses before him and thought of the second-years who gave his senior colleague Yaga such headaches...
He felt quite lucky. At least this year's first-years all seemed relatively normal.
Mr. Eikura would soon realize he had been far too naive.
Before you continue