New student entrance ceremony

After leaving the confinement room, Yuta Okkotsu could barely open his eyes in the sunlight after spending so long in the dark.

Satoru Gojo led him and Akutagawa Shang slowly toward the main entrance. Gojo nodded to the guards at the entrance, and they soon opened the gate.

It was plain to see that when Yuta Okkotsu passed them, they instinctively took two steps back. Clearly, his feat of killing several executioners sent to kill him had left these two guards with considerable psychological scars.

They did little to stop them and were even rather eager to see Yuta Okkotsu off. After all, why risk their lives for such paltry pay?

"Get in. Time to head back to Jujutsu High."

Satoru Gojo opened the car door and gestured for the two of them to get in.

A wave of unpleasant memories immediately flooded Akutagawa Shang's mind. Just over ten minutes ago, he had been standing right here, holding on to the car door and dry heaving.

He shuddered.

"Uh... I still have something to do, so I'll head off first. Gojo-sensei, take Yuta back without me. I'll get a taxi back later."

Akutagawa Shang decisively made his escape, vanishing from their sight at the speed of light while Satoru Gojo was still staring blankly.

"Gojo-sensei, why did Akutagawa-kun suddenly run off?" Yuta Okkotsu turned to Satoru Gojo beside him in confusion.

"No idea, meow~. Maybe he really has something urgent to do. It's fine, he'll catch up in a taxi later anyway. Never mind him for now. Get in, and I'll take you back to Jujutsu High." Satoru Gojo tilted his head.

"Oh, okay." And just like that, Yuta Okkotsu unwittingly climbed into Satoru Gojo's car of doom.

"Yuta~~~ have you buckled your seat belt?" Satoru Gojo's voice came from the driver's seat.

"Yes." Yuta Okkotsu fastened his seat belt and sat upright in the back seat like a model student, even resting both hands on his knees.

"Since you're buckled in, your teacher is ready for takeoff." Satoru Gojo slammed on the accelerator. With a roar of the engine, the car launched forward.

"Aaaah-!"

Yuta Okkotsu's scream came from the back seat, only to quickly fade into the fierce wind.

By the time Akutagawa Shang returned to Jujutsu High in a taxi, Satoru Gojo's car was already parked securely outside the entrance.

"That fast?" Akutagawa Shang silently broke into a nervous sweat for Yuta Okkotsu, who had endured the entire ride in Satoru Gojo's flying car.

"You're so slow, Akutagawa-kun. We've been waiting ages." Satoru Gojo's unhurried voice came from nearby.

Yuta Okkotsu, his lips purple and his face deathly pale, was tucked under one of Gojo's arms at his waist, his trembling mouth continually spilling a few fragmented words.

"You were the one speeding!"

"No, I just drove a tiny bit fast." Satoru Gojo pinched his thumb and index finger together.

"Is Yuta okay? His eyes are already spinning." Akutagawa Shang crouched in front of Yuta Okkotsu, whose eyes had turned into spirals.

"Oh, he's fine. I was perfectly healthy at your age. He's probably just a little carsick," Satoru Gojo said carelessly.

Yuta Okkotsu struggled to focus his gaze on Akutagawa Shang, his eyes full of reproach, as though asking, "Why didn't you take me with you when you ran?"

"I still have something to do, so I'll head off first. Take Yuta to the dorms to rest for a while, then take him to the classroom afterward. Yuta, can you walk?"

"I can... probably?" Yuta said somewhat weakly.

Hearing Yuta Okkotsu say he could walk, Satoru Gojo slowly set him down.

"Hey... aren't you the homeroom teacher? Shouldn't taking the new student to the classroom be your job?" But Satoru Gojo had already driven away.

"Oh, forget it. You've had it rough, Yuta." Akutagawa Shang patted Yuta Okkotsu on the shoulder.

"Can you walk on your own?" Despite asking this, he still supported Yuta as they made their way to the dorms step by step.

"This is your dorm room. Satoru Gojo should have left your uniform and student ID on the bed. Rest for a while and call me when you're ready. I'll take you to the classroom."

About an hour later, Yuta Okkotsu emerged from his room, already dressed in his uniform and looking noticeably better.

"Let's go, then."

Their footsteps creaked against Jujutsu High's wooden floors.

"Wow, so this is the classroom? It looks so historic." Yuta Okkotsu looked around, apparently quite interested.

"Uh, historic isn't wrong. This classroom might've been built before those two landed and stayed here ever since." Akutagawa Shang felt a little sheepish.

"Here we are. This is where you'll be having classes from now on. Go in and say hello to your new classmates."

But Yuta Okkotsu stood at the door, hesitating endlessly and not daring to enter. It seemed his previous experiences transferring schools had left him with considerable psychological scars.

"Come on, it's fine. Don't be scared. They're all really friendly. Trust me-I've already tested the waters for you. You can do it." Akutagawa Shang first patted his shoulder in encouragement, then pushed with his hand, opening the door and shoving him into the classroom.

"Huh?" Before Yuta Okkotsu could react, Akutagawa Shang slammed the door shut.

"No need to thank me. I'm just a helpful citizen passing by." Having done all this, Akutagawa Shang leaned against the door, admiring his handiwork with satisfaction.

"My name is Yuta Okkotsu. It's nice to meet you." Having been forcibly pushed inside, Yuta Okkotsu timidly introduced himself.

However, the situation inside was not quite what he had imagined.

Then-

"A curse has broken in! Get it!"

"Bang-!" A shout came from inside the classroom, followed by a tremendous crash.

Akutagawa Shang hurriedly pushed the door open.

Inside the classroom, Panda and the other two were fully armed and had Yuta Okkotsu pinned against the wall, their expressions highly wary, as though facing an enemy.

Yuta, meanwhile, looked terrified as he was trapped in the middle. Clearly, being cornered by his new classmates on his very first visit to the classroom was hardly the mark of a respectable school.

The moment Yuta entered, the cursed aura around him, so dense it was visible to the naked eye, had sent all three into a panic.

"Help me-Akutagawa-san, didn't you say they were friendly?" Yuta Okkotsu cried out to him for help.

"This is an accident, an accident. They really are friendly most of the time." As he spoke, Akutagawa Shang hurriedly rushed between them.

"Hey, hey, hey! This is the new transfer student. What are you doing? As his seniors, how could you bully a new classmate?"

"You're saying this guy carrying a curse is the new student?" Maki's face was full of suspicion. A curse of this level looked like an enemy invasion no matter how she looked at it.

"Yes, really. I picked him up myself this morning. Also, I suggest you hurry up and get away from them." Clearly, seeing her beloved Yuta being attacked had pushed Rika inside him to the brink of losing control.

A huge shadow suddenly appeared behind him. Two enormous hands reached out of it, one seizing Maki's long blade and wrenching it straight out of her grip with tremendous strength.

"Stop, Rika-chan-don't hurt them!"

But the other enormous hand had already slammed toward the four of them, sending all four flying along with the classroom's desks and chairs.

Just then, the tardy Satoru Gojo finally arrived, flying into the classroom and blocking Rika's next attack.

"Teach, you're finally here."

"Yuta, hurry and call Rika back!" Satoru Gojo shouted from the side.

"Rika-chan, my new classmates were just playing around with me. There's no danger. Come back." Yuta Okkotsu kept soothing Rika.

"O~kay~, Yuta. Rika will go back now. Don't be angry." And so Rika slowly disappeared behind Yuta Okkotsu.

"Rika really does like Yuta." Watching this, Akutagawa Shang could not help but sigh.

"Not bad. You barely got hurt. Looks like the past few days of training to take hits have been effective. We'll need new desks and chairs, though." Satoru Gojo patted Akutagawa Shang.

"Uh, you're right. Looks like I only got a few minor injuries. How's everyone else?"

Fortunately, the three had immediately dodged at his warning. Although they had still not escaped completely, they had avoided most of the damage.

"I'm okay." Panda sniffed back his nosebleed.

"Good, as long as you're okay. Ah..." Before Akutagawa Shang could finish, Maki suddenly sprang into action beside him, clamping his head tightly in a deadly leg-scissor hold. Akutagawa Shang promptly hit the floor.

Maki pinned him firmly to the floor and wrapped both arms tightly around his head, holding it against her chest as she demanded, "What the hell did you bring back? Explain yourself right now, or don't even think about getting free today. I'll hang off your neck all day."

"Hey, let me go first! I can't breathe-I'll talk, I'll talk!"

"They seem really close." Looking at Akutagawa Shang trapped in the deadly leg-scissor hold, Yuta Okkotsu chuckled and joked with Satoru Gojo beside him.

"All right-Maki, let Akutagawa go. He can't talk with you doing that." Satoru Gojo also smiled as he spoke to the two tangled up on the floor.

"Ugh-I nearly suffocated."

"Hurry up and talk."

"This is Yuta Okkotsu. Due to certain special circumstances, a powerful curse resides in him. Its strength is probably above Special Grade. The higher-ups had already sentenced him to death, but thanks to our teacher's efforts, he became a transfer student instead."

"Special Grade? No wonder it's so strong," Maki muttered.

"My name is Yuta Okkotsu. It's nice to meet you." Yuta Okkotsu bowed deeply once again.

Akutagawa Shang also introduced Panda and the others to him one by one. After the explanation, the earlier tense atmosphere disappeared, and everyone greeted Yuta Okkotsu.

This farce of a welcome for the new student finally came to an end.

"Now that you're enrolled, it's time for class. Next is the practical combat class everyone knows so well. Akutagawa-kun, you're paired with Yuta." Satoru Gojo pressed his palms together and shouted.

"Akutagawa-san, the person you've been hoping would join you in getting beaten up is finally here."

"What? Again? I'm just an ordinary Grade 4 Sorcerer. I think we need another person. Can Maki join us?"

"No. If Maki joins too, once you two unleash your combination move, it won't serve as practical combat training anymore. Besides, Yuta is Special Grade. There's absolutely no problem with pairing him with you." Satoru Gojo rejected his request.

"Maki, I have another task for you."

"All right. Good luck, then. I'm off." Maki walked over beside him, patted Akutagawa Shang, and nodded, then opened the classroom door and left.

"Nooo (╥ω╥`)" Akutagawa Shang watched Maki's retreating figure grow more distant.

"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of missions for you two to go on together," Satoru Gojo said with a smile. "Since everything's settled, let's head out."