Yaga's secret

[You discussed the situation with Masamichi Yaga. After giving it some thought, he had no particularly good solution either.]

[However, he offered you a suggestion: prioritize learning "Puppet Manipulation" from him.]

[This was because "Puppet Manipulation" actually consisted of two parts: the puppets to be controlled, and the Cursed Technique used to operate them.]

[This meant that even after "Phantom Parade" stopped running, it would not actually affect your ability to copy Puppet Manipulation a second time to control the puppets.]

[After thinking it over, you agreed with Masamichi Yaga.]

[Indeed, in terms of improving your combat abilities, "Puppet Manipulation" was undoubtedly the most effective option at this point. Moreover, thanks to your analysis of two "Puppet Manipulation" users, your rate of mastering "Puppet Manipulation" surpassed even "Reverse Cursed Technique," putting it in first place.]

[From then on, you had an additional class taught privately by Masamichi Yaga that Satoru Gojo and the other two did not.]

[Masamichi Yaga not only taught you techniques for using "Puppet Manipulation," but also deliberately taught you techniques for creating Cursed Corpses.]

[During your studies, however, you noticed a problem: rather than creating Cursed Corpses for use with "Puppet Manipulation," Masamichi Yaga seemed to be creating Cursed Corpses that relied as little as possible on "Puppet Manipulation" to move.]

[As your studies progressed, the more you learned from Masamichi Yaga about creating Cursed Corpses, the stronger this impression became.]

[Finally, during a private lesson one day, you could not help asking Masamichi Yaga about the question on your mind.]

["Teacher, the techniques you've taught me aren't just for making Cursed Corpses to use with 'Puppet Manipulation,' are they?"]

[Masamichi Yaga made no attempt to hide it and readily admitted it to you.]

["Yeah. I saw how talented you were in this area, so I couldn't help teaching you a little extra."]

["Teacher, is your ultimate goal in researching these techniques to create Cursed Corpses that are completely independent of 'Puppet Manipulation' and can fight entirely on their own?"]

[Faced with your further question, Masamichi Yaga fell silent, which was rare for him. Only after a long while did he speak again and ask you a question.]

["Do you think fighting is the only thing Cursed Corpses can be used for?"]

["Fighting is the only thing Cursed Corpses can be used for...?"]

[You repeated Masamichi Yaga's question in confusion, not quite understanding why he had asked it, and blurted out an answer.]

["But teacher, isn't that why you're teaching me to make Cursed Corpses?"]

[Masamichi Yaga did not answer your question. Through his sunglasses, you could faintly make out his conflicted expression, as though he were hesitating over whether to tell you certain things.]

[But in the end, Masamichi Yaga seemed to decide against telling you. He simply left in a hurry, ending that day's lesson early.]

[Because of this incident, the two of you tacitly avoided the subject afterward, but the question planted a seed in your mind.]

[Before you entered your second year, another incident of some significance occurred.]

[As first-years at Tokyo Jujutsu High, you participated in the Goodwill Event with Kyoto Jujutsu High.]

[But with the two Special Grades, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, on your side, everything seemed so unnecessary.]

[The competition had originally been scheduled to last half a day, but Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto took only half an hour to beat everyone from Kyoto Jujutsu High until they could no longer fight.]

[In fact, the only reason it took half an hour was that Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto argued over their dissatisfaction with how the opponents had been divided between them.]

[Everyone from Kyoto Jujutsu High even had time to catch the afternoon bus back to Kyoto, which infuriated Gakuganji, Kyoto Jujutsu High's principal.]

[Time then advanced to the second year.]

[Card draw commenced.]

[Overachiever [R]: Always determined to excel, you liked to work hard in secret. As long as no outsiders noticed you, your stamina and energy recovery received a 50% boost.]

[Just as you knew they would, Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara enrolled at Tokyo Jujutsu High as first-years.]

[One day, Shoko had been unable to contact her senior Utahime from Kyoto Jujutsu High for two days, and it was confirmed that Utahime had lost contact while on a mission.]

[You were therefore dispatched to Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, to confirm her situation and provide reinforcements.]

[You arrived at the scene in the Assistant Supervisor's car, and Satoru Gojo eagerly rushed out.]

[Rather than being anxious to save anyone, he was eager to admire Utahime's pathetic state.]

[The Assistant Supervisor hurriedly rolled down the window and shouted to Satoru Gojo, who was almost out of sight.]

["Please wait, Gojo!"]

[But all that came back was Satoru Gojo's excited voice from the distance.]

["You don't need to follow me. I can put up a 'Curtain' myself."]

[Then he disappeared from your sight.]

[As someone who had once spent three years as Satoru Gojo's Assistant Supervisor, you did not believe a single word of that promise.]

[*He'll definitely forget,* you thought.]

[After all, you had once been an Assistant Supervisor yourself and understood the awkwardness and difficulties of the position, so you remembered to say something to the Assistant Supervisor as you got out.]

["It's all right. I'll handle the 'Curtain.'"]

[The supervisor immediately looked grateful. After all, compared with Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, you had quite a good reputation among the Assistant Supervisors.]

[As you followed Suguru Geto and Shoko to catch up with Satoru Gojo, you thought that it seemed you were gradually approaching the time of the "Star Plasma Vessel" protection mission, which you had not personally participated in during the previous simulation.]

[You were very curious whether you would experience this incident firsthand this time and fill that enormous gap in your information.]