Warrior of pure love!

Satoru Gojo sprang up and lunged toward the door.

"Yo!"

"Chuan! You're finally here!!"

He reached Wangchuan in a few strides, his sunglasses askew, and leaned his handsome face in close.

Wangchuan tilted his head away from his gaze and reached out to take the coffee.

"Gojo."

"Stay away from me. Your breath stinks."

"No, it doesn't! I brushed my teeth this morning!"

"Then stay away from me. You have body odor."

"No, I don't! I use the body wash specially supplied by Jujutsu High."

"Then your body wash has body odor."

Satoru Gojo clutched his chest theatrically and staggered back a step. "That hurts! We haven't seen each other in half a lifetime, and the first thing you say hurts me!"

The others in the classroom watched the scene with varying expressions.

Panda tilted his head. "...Are those two always like this?"

Toge Inumaki said, "Salted roe."

That probably meant yes.

Maki Zenin ignored the pair's antics.

Her gaze was locked on Wangchuan's raised hand, his index finger slightly curled, its tip pointing down.

The gesture was as casual as if he were teasing a stray cat.

But along the line extending from that finger...

Rika Orimoto's massive, twisted mass of cursed energy was held firmly in midair by an invisible force.

All her tentacles and gaping maws had frozen, like an insect trapped in amber.

"...He's gotten stronger again."

"He can control a Special Grade with just one finger..."

She remembered their last fight, when Wangchuan had also raised just one finger.

Then she had ended up flat on the ground.

This time, it was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

What lay between seemed not to be time, but some level she still couldn't reach.

Beside them, Yuta Okkotsu was already so anxious he almost rushed forward.

His face went white, and his lips opened and closed.

He took half a step forward, then stopped, looking at Rika suspended in midair, his voice carrying unmistakable panic.

"W-wait, Mr. Wangchuan!"

"Rika didn't mean it! She just... she just..."

"Yuta..." Rika's voice came from midair, halting and somewhat distorted by the gravitational field.

"...Don't worry about me..."

"Rika!" Yuta Okkotsu took another step forward and turned to Wangchuan, his dark eyes full of pleading.

"Please, let her go. She really didn't mean it."

"I'll keep her under control. I'll..."

Watching him, Wangchuan's smile suddenly deepened.

Then he lowered his hand.

The invisible gravitational field receded like the tide.

Rika's enormous body paused briefly in the air, then slowly descended, floating back to Yuta Okkotsu's side.

Her twisted tentacles drew in a little, and most of her maws closed. Like a savage beast whose fur had been smoothed down, she hovered quietly behind the boy.

"Hahahaha..."

Wangchuan suddenly started laughing, his shoulders shaking.

"What are you so worked up about? I was joking."

Yuta Okkotsu froze.

"...Huh?"

"Gojo told me about your situation."

Wangchuan lifted his coffee and took a sip, his tone returning to its lazy casualness.

"I know you can more or less control her."

"I was just saying hello. You call that, what was it again, social etiquette?"

Satoru Gojo interjected from beside him.

"What kind of social etiquette involves suspending someone in midair?"

"You call that social etiquette?"

"I call it making an entrance on our first meeting," Wangchuan said without a trace of shame.

Yuta Okkotsu still hadn't quite recovered, but Rika had already quietly withdrawn.

Hearing Wangchuan's words and seeing his casual manner, he finally relaxed his tense shoulders and let out a long breath.

"Thank goodness!"

He spoke quietly, then added another sentence.

"Rika... she'll behave. I'll make sure she behaves."

"Don't be so nervous." Wangchuan waved a hand at him.

"It's not like I'd actually do anything to her."

"I've seen plenty of what you two have going on. Pure love, right? I get it, I get it."

Yuta Okkotsu's face reddened slightly, and he said nothing.

Only then did Wangchuan shift his gaze from Yuta Okkotsu to the other three people in the classroom.

He tilted his head, his smile taking on a familiar curve that made certain people want to punch him.

"Long time no see."

He lifted his chin at Maki Zenin.

"Tomboy."

The room fell silent for a second.

Something flashed behind Maki Zenin's glasses.

"...Say that again."

"Tomboy," Wangchuan repeated, his expression unchanged.

"What? It's been six months, but the name still fits."

"Haven't you always been... uh."

The rest of his sentence was cut off by a chair Maki kicked at him, legs first.

Wangchuan leaned slightly to one side. The chair flew past his shoulder and struck the wall with a dull thud.

He hadn't spilled so much as a drop of coffee.

"See? Still so hot-tempered."

Wangchuan nodded at Panda. "Wouldn't you say so, Panda?"

Panda spread his furry front paws. "I wouldn't dare answer that."

"Salmon." Toge Inumaki nodded beside him, his eyes crinkling, clearly enjoying the show.

"So you're on his side too, Inumaki." Maki pushed up her glasses and glared at Toge Inumaki.

"Spicy cod roe." Toge Inumaki's expression didn't change.

Satoru Gojo clapped his hands.

He was as cheerful as a kindergarten teacher announcing snack time.

"All right, all right, show's over. Time to get to work. Pair up, pair up!"

He casually pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, glanced over it, and announced the assignments.

"Inumaki and Panda, you're together. Head east..."

Toge Inumaki nodded. "Salmon."

Panda stood up and rolled his shoulders. "All right, let's go, let's go."

"Maki Zenin and Yuta Okkotsu, you're together."

Satoru Gojo paused, his gaze moving between the two.

"Go to that elementary school to the west..."

Maki pushed up her glasses and strode straight out. "Let's go. Don't dawdle."

Yuta Okkotsu paused, then hurried after her. "Ah, okay!"

The classroom fell quiet.

Wangchuan finished the last of his coffee, crushed the paper cup, and tossed it away.

It landed precisely in the trash can in the corner.

"Let's go watch the warrior of pure love's first battle."

"What's the rush?" Satoru Gojo leaned against the edge of a desk, idly twirling his sunglasses.

"Give them a few minutes' head start. We'll get there just in time by car."

The two walked out together.

The corridors of Jujutsu High had old wooden floors that creaked softly underfoot.

Once they got into the car, Wangchuan and Satoru Gojo sat in the back seat.

There were a few seconds of silence.

"Oh, right."

Wangchuan looked out the window.

"When I first arrived last night, I ran into someone near the ramen shop."

"Hmm?"

Satoru Gojo's tone didn't change. "Who?"

"He was wearing monk's robes, had his hair in a bun, and had a gloomy air about him."

"He watched me from across the street for a while, then left."

The air in the car went still for a moment.

Satoru Gojo's fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, then relaxed.

His expression barely changed, and his lips still held the same curve, but some of the flippancy left his voice, replaced by a flatter, fainter tone.

"...Geto, huh."