Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer

Qingxiao had just tidied himself up and changed clothes, and was about to take his time getting familiar with Jujutsu High when the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated twice.

He took it out. A message had popped up on the screen, with Masamichi Yaga listed as the sender.

The message was brief: [Come to the Training Ground behind the Main Building immediately. Everyone is to assemble. Officially join the ranks.]

Qingxiao did not dare delay after reading it.

He knew this was his first step toward officially becoming part of Jujutsu High and beginning his training.

"I'm about to meet the future strongest in Jujutsu. Just thinking about it is a little exciting."

He followed the shaded path straight ahead, passing scattered buildings and lush trees, and soon arrived at the Outdoor Training Ground at the rear.

Several figures were already waiting in the middle of the spacious, level Training Ground.

Masamichi Yaga stood straight at the front, his dark uniform lending him a solemn, steady air, his expression serious and composed. His calm gaze swept over the grounds as he waited for the last new student to join them.

Beside him, Satoru Gojo stood relaxed with one hand in his pocket, his signature short, snow-white hair particularly dazzling in the sunlight. He had put on a pair of black sunglasses to cover his eyes, making his face look all the more refined and striking. His whole manner was flippant, utterly lacking the solemnity of a top Sorcerer, and he exuded a carefree, casual, handsome irreverence.

"This guy really is handsome. Did he design his own character model?"

Suguru Geto beside him had a completely different air. His long black hair was tied into a neat bun at the back of his head, with only a small lock of bangs hanging over his forehead, softening his steadiness with a touch of casualness. He stood properly, a faint smile on his lips, his bearing gentle and refined.

Shoko Ieiri leaned lazily against a nearby tree, a white coat draped casually over her shoulders and one hand in her pocket. Her eyes looked weary and relaxed, and she had the thoroughly bored air of someone slacking off.

She had rushed to treat Qingxiao when she arrived at school yesterday and had only briefly met everyone to put faces to names. She was not familiar with Satoru Gojo or Suguru Geto.

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were a pair of kindred troublemakers, and in just one day they had become thoroughly acquainted. Standing together, they had the easy familiarity of people who knew each other well.

When Shoko spotted Qingxiao, the last to arrive, a trace of curiosity quietly flickered in her eyes as her gaze fell on him, and she also recalled the slightly awkward follow-up examination in the hospital room earlier.

Qingxiao walked steadily forward and bowed slightly to Masamichi Yaga, his manner respectful and proper. "Mr. Yaga, I'm here."

Masamichi Yaga nodded slightly, his expression softening a little. He was just about to speak when Satoru Gojo, who was bored out of his mind beside him, approached first.

He had already become familiar with Suguru Geto, but Qingxiao was still a stranger to him. He circled him now, looking him up and down, taking in his firm, streamlined figure without an ounce of excess fat, his voice full of fresh, teasing interest. "Oh-the last of our new students has finally arrived. I heard you landed a Black Flash yesterday. How did it feel?"

"Those muscles-have you been eating Jinkela?" As he spoke, he even reached out and gave them a squeeze.

Qingxiao's mouth twitched. His image of the one honored throughout heaven and earth shattered completely. Looking at the incessantly chattering Satoru Gojo before him, he could not help snarking, "Is that mouth on loan?"

Satoru Gojo adjusted his sunglasses and laughed, raising his voice. "Huh? You've got some nerve, muscle freak, talking back to your senior."

Qingxiao was speechless. "You damn white-hair, didn't you only get here a day before me?"

"That still makes me your senior!"

Seeing the two start trading barbs the moment they met, Suguru Geto helplessly stepped forward to mediate.

He and Satoru Gojo had gotten along well yesterday and were already familiar with each other. Knowing that this was simply how flippant Gojo was, he did not want their first assembly to become too noisy. "All right, all right, don't start fighting right away. We're all classmates from now on. We need to get along."

He had meant well, trying to stop the argument and quiet them down, but the moment he finished, Satoru Gojo redirected the attack toward him.

Satoru Gojo immediately switched targets, tilting his head to stare at the lone lock of bangs hanging over Suguru Geto's forehead, his disgust exaggerated. "And you, Geto! Stop playing the nice guy. That lock of bangs is way too out of place, like weeds stuck to a piece of jade. Your taste is a disaster. It looks completely wrong."

The unexpected teasing instantly froze the gentle smile on Suguru Geto's face.

He instinctively raised a hand and lightly brushed the soft lock over his forehead with his fingertips, his eyes filled with helpless, bemused exasperation.

"There's no talking to someone with no sense of aesthetics." Suguru Geto shook his head lightly, abandoning any attempt to reason with Satoru Gojo.

"You're the one with weird taste, okay?" Satoru Gojo immediately retorted, his playful enthusiasm undiminished.

Watching from the side, Shoko's eyes curved with amusement. She lazily straightened and walked out of the shade. She had only just met Gojo and Geto and had little to chat about with them, so she simply turned her attention to Qingxiao, whom she knew better. With the playful amusement of someone enjoying the show, she casually called out, "Hey, muscle freak, come here a second."

Her tone was lazy and casual, with a light touch of teasing. The two had only met briefly once in the hospital room yesterday.

Yet hearing it still made Qingxiao's heart tighten slightly. He had been perfectly at ease talking back to Satoru Gojo, but he felt uncomfortable all over when facing Shoko.

He had not yet noticed it himself, but the faint, budding affection quietly growing in his heart made him instinctively care especially about Shoko's gaze. The awkward scene from yesterday flashed through his mind, his steps briefly faltered, and his relaxed manner faded.

Qingxiao stepped forward with a faint smile. "Miss Ieiri."

Shoko looked him up and down, her gaze deliberately passing over his sharply defined waist without a trace of excess fat. "You look like you're doing pretty well. Anyway, if you feel unwell at all, just come see me."

Qingxiao nodded lightly and changed the subject stiffly. "Speaking of which, Miss Ieiri, what hobbies do you have?"

"You really aren't very good at changing the subject, Gu Yue."

"I usually like reading or drinking, things like that."

"What about your favorite foods?"

"Oh, are you really checking my household registration, Gu Yue?" Shoko teased with a faint smile, without the slightest impatience.

"So... can you tell me?"

"Probably lighter food. I don't like sweets."

"Understood. I'll remember it for the rest of my life." Qingxiao pretended to be serious, putting on a solemn face as though he were committing a classified document to memory.

"There's really no need for that."

Not far away, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto occasionally glanced toward the other side of the shade as they chatted. They saw Qingxiao laughing and talking with Shoko the whole time, with no intention of coming over to speak to them.

With one hand in his pocket, Satoru Gojo raised the other to push up the sunglasses on his nose. "Hey, hey, muscle freak. Ignoring the two living, breathing people over here and focusing entirely on chatting with Ieiri-isn't that a little too biased?"

Suguru Geto's voice held a hint of teasing. "Looks like those two are really hitting it off. They've left us completely out in the cold."

"That's just cruel." Satoru Gojo deliberately put on a wounded expression and shouted, "Gu Yue! You've practically forgotten your two companions over here! Putting romance before friendship isn't a good habit!"

Shoko looked up at the sound and glanced over, tossing out a flat reply. "Go bother someone else. Stop stirring things up."

Qingxiao turned toward them and smiled helplessly. Suguru Geto smiled and waved at him, his eyes full of amusement at the spectacle. Satoru Gojo went even further, winking and making faces at them, looking eager to stir up more trouble.

Seeing that the idle chatter was threatening to go on forever, Masamichi Yaga, who had been silently watching all this time, finally spoke. His steady voice instantly quelled the noise across the grounds. "Enough. That's all for now. We have serious matters to discuss."

The Training Ground fell silent at once.

Masamichi Yaga's gaze settled solemnly on Qingxiao as he formally introduced them. "Qingxiao, starting today, you are officially part of Jujutsu High's first-year class. Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, and Shoko Ieiri are all new students this year, just like you.

"From now on, the four of you are classmates. You'll learn to work together from scratch, train together, and grow together."

"I understand, Mr. Yaga." Qingxiao nodded in acknowledgment.

"One more thing. This is for you." Masamichi Yaga handed Qingxiao a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer certificate and formally informed him of the higher-ups' assessment.

Qingxiao brushed his fingertips over the neat lettering on the certificate. His expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he understood perfectly. He knew very well that, for a newly enrolled student with only a single battle to his name, the higher-ups' rigid, sluggish procedures could never have settled his grade and issued a certificate this quickly.

Most likely, Mr. Yaga had gone to considerable trouble behind the scenes, taking the initiative to arrange this for him.

He accepted the certificate with both hands and thanked him earnestly. "Thank you, Mr. Yaga."

"No need to thank me." Yaga's expression was serious. "Your strength already met the requirements. All I did was report the facts and help you through the process. You're a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer now. That will make taking on missions more convenient."

"I'll remember this. I won't let your kindness go to waste." Qingxiao spoke sincerely, silently taking this consideration to heart.

During a pause in their conversation, Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, and Shoko also slowly walked over.

"Got your Grade 2 certificate? I'm Grade 1, you know. You've still got work to do, little bro." Satoru Gojo bobbed his head teasingly.

"Has nobody ever thrown a sack over your head and beaten you up?" Qingxiao was speechless. This guy really knew how to ruin a moment.

Suguru Geto smiled gently. "You exorcised a Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit alone. With that ability right in front of us, a Grade 2 certification is only natural."

Shoko leaned against a corridor pillar, her eyelids half lowered, her voice soft and relaxed. "How impressive. You're already a Grade 2 Sorcerer."

Qingxiao smiled at the two in response while casting Satoru Gojo a look of disdain.