Sister-School Goodwill Event

Akutagawa Shang slowly walked out of Satoru Gojo's office, putting Suguru Geto and everything related to him completely out of his mind.

After all, if the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. Besides, Satoru Gojo had said he would handle this.

Since The Strongest of the Modern Era had spoken, a small fry like him had no need to worry about it.

He shook his head with a smile and headed toward the field.

Everyone on the field was training. Yuta Okkotsu gripped his katana tightly, repeatedly trying to channel cursed energy into it. Not far away, Toge Inumaki and Panda were engaged in intense physical sparring with Maki.

Maki turned her head and saw Akutagawa Shang strolling over, apparently still chewing something. Her eyebrows immediately rose slightly.

"I heard that white-haired bastard sent you out shopping for him? You were gone all morning. Well, did you finish the mission?"

"Of course! A little shopping errand? Piece of cake." Akutagawa Shang smiled, deliberately skipping over his encounter with Suguru Geto.

He knew that telling Maki now would accomplish nothing except needlessly worrying her. Better to simply wait and let Satoru Gojo handle it.

"Akutagawa-senpai!!!" Hearing his voice, Yuta Okkotsu stopped what he was doing and walked toward him, sounding pleasantly surprised.

"I can channel cursed energy into my sword now."

"Not bad. You're improving. Keep it up." Akutagawa Shang patted his shoulder in encouragement.

"Yeah!" Yuta Okkotsu nodded vigorously, then went off to the side to resume training.

"All right, enough chatting. Now that you're back, it's time to train." Maki tossed the Shinai to Akutagawa Shang.

"You're still much more useful. Sparring with Panda is no fun at all." As she spoke, she reached out and lightly poked Panda, who lay sprawled nearby, panting.

"Akutagawa-san, you're finally back! Maki's inhuman! She's abusing a panda!" Panda suddenly began rolling around on the ground, wailing.

Akutagawa Shang watched Panda rolling around with some embarrassment.

"You're the only one who can handle Maki now. It's all on you." Panda huddled behind Akutagawa Shang as he spoke.

"Panda, what's with that look?" Maki stared at Panda, getting a little heated.

But Panda simply hid behind Akutagawa and whistled to himself.

"Okay, okay, I'm back now, aren't I?" Akutagawa Shang hurriedly raised a hand and rubbed the top of her head, soothing Maki, who was already getting rather riled up.

"Hmph. Fine, let's train."

"You got it." Akutagawa Shang grabbed the Shinai and clashed with Maki's staff.

Several days had passed since the encounter with Suguru Geto. Everything remained peaceful, and life at Jujutsu High gradually returned to normal.

Akutagawa Shang continued sparring with Maki every day, while Yuta Okkotsu's control over cursed energy steadily improved through his relentless daily training.

One day, as everyone trained together on the field as usual, Satoru Gojo, who was watching from the side with his arms folded, suddenly called them over.

"Hey, everyone, come over here a second."

At his call, everyone gathered in front of Satoru Gojo.

"Sensei, is something the matter?" Yuta Okkotsu asked Satoru Gojo.

"Well, here's the thing. Looking at the calendar, Jujutsu High's annual Sister Goodwill Event is coming up soon," Satoru Gojo told them, rubbing his chin.

"What's the Sister Goodwill Event?" Yuta Okkotsu raised his hand and asked first.

Akutagawa Shang turned to look at Maki beside him.

"What are you looking at me for? I don't know either." Maki shook her head blankly. Although she came from the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Families, her status had been so low that she knew virtually nothing about the outside world.

The only two who knew were Panda and Inumaki, but since Inumaki couldn't speak normally, the task of answering everyone's questions fell to Panda, the principal's son.

"There are actually two Jujutsu High schools in Jujutsu Society: Tokyo Jujutsu High, where we are now, and Kyoto Jujutsu High, which is in Kyoto.

Panda straightened up and kept gesturing at a blackboard he had produced from who knew where, earnestly explaining things to everyone.

"These two schools share the same roots and are Jujutsu Society's only two institutions for formally training sorcerers, so they're called sister schools. They hold an open Goodwill Event every year, hence the Sister-School Goodwill Event!"

"Uh, so there are only two schools in all of Jujutsu Society?" Yuta Okkotsu asked, scratching his head.

"Correct, Yuta." Panda held up a sign bearing a check mark, which he had produced from who knew where, in front of Yuta Okkotsu.

"Then what do we do at the Sister Goodwill Event? Socialize?" Yuta Okkotsu promptly asked, apparently recalling the various social mixers his previous school had held.

"No, no, no." Panda wagged a finger in front of Yuta Okkotsu.

"The Goodwill Event is an official competition between the two Jujutsu High schools, divided into team battles and individual battles. A barrier-enclosed arena is used throughout. The rules are simple: exorcise cursed spirits and defeat your opponents. Getting knocked down, going out of bounds, or running out of cursed energy means elimination."

"They call it a Goodwill Event, but it actually looks more like an annual fighting tournament. Every year, Kyoto Jujutsu High goes all out trying to get one over on our Tokyo Jujutsu High. The competition between the two sides is super intense!" Panda pushed up a nonexistent pair of glasses and offered his earnest analysis.

"Uh, do we get anything for winning?" Akutagawa Shang suddenly raised his hand and asked tentatively.

"Uh, officially, there aren't any material rewards, but you can show Jujutsu Society your strength and talent," Satoru Gojo spoke up.

"So that's a no."

After hearing that, Akutagawa Shang instantly understood and began summing it up. "I get it. Basically, it's a work trip on the school's dime plus an intense overtime fighting tournament. You get no reward whatsoever for winning, and double training if you lose, right?"

At those words, everyone instantly fell silent.

"Can I sit it out? I just got promoted to Grade 2. I could make quite a bit of money doing a few more missions with that time." Once again, Akutagawa Shang was the first to break the silence.

Everyone stared at Akutagawa Shang in speechless exasperation.

Satoru Gojo couldn't hold it in. His whole body shook as he clutched his stomach and laughed like Nailong. Clearly, he had never heard such an incisive summary before.

"I can't take it. Technically speaking, you're absolutely right."

Maki pressed a hand to her forehead, speechless, then poked his head irritably. "Can you be serious for once? This is a major annual event in Jujutsu Society. Pretty much all the higher-ups will be watching. It's the best opportunity to prove your strength."

Akutagawa Shang's expression did not change in the slightest. He pressed his palms together, looking utterly resigned to slacking off. "Proving my strength sounds exhausting. I've never participated in boring, voluntary school activities like this. Besides, there's no reward for the overtime. Isn't slacking off better?"

"But Akutagawa-kun, technically speaking, you aren't allowed to skip the Sister Goodwill Event," Satoru Gojo helpfully reminded him.

"Crap. I forgot this is Jujutsu High, not a junior college." Akutagawa Shang's face instantly fell, and he let out a long groan, the sort of sound he usually made when he was unhappy.

"No, you have to participate. Who's going to buff me if you don't come?" Maki hooked an arm around his neck, locking him firmly in place, her tone forceful.

"I don't care. If you don't come, I'll go to your dorm every morning from now on, climb right onto your bed, and drag you out to train."

"Not even a dog would go to the Sister Goodwill Event," Akutagawa Shang declared firmly.

"Still, if Akutagawa-kun wants a reward that badly, it's not impossible. I'll take it upon myself as your teacher to award everyone three million yen if Tokyo Jujutsu High wins this time. And if you perform well, there'll be an additional performance bonus depending on the specifics, plus seven days off after the Goodwill Event." Looking at the unmotivated Akutagawa Shang, Satoru Gojo smiled and dropped a bombshell.

At the mention of three million, Akutagawa Shang's dull, lifeless eyes instantly blazed with light.

"I'm going. I have to go. The Sister Goodwill Event is exactly where I'm going." He turned his head, his shining eyes meeting Maki's stunned expression.

He took both of Maki's hands, his tone sincere and his attitude earnest, and spoke in a resonant vocal fry. "Don't worry, Maki~ I'll be your professional escort for this competition."

His sudden, heartfelt declaration stunned Maki. She hadn't expected him to change his tune so quickly.

"Didn't you just say not even a dog would go?"

Akutagawa Shang raised a hand to interrupt her. "Hey, you can't put it like that. As a member of Tokyo Jujutsu High, bringing glory to the school and defending our home turf's honor is what really matters! As for being a dog, hmph. A mere Goodwill Event? I'll crush it in one blow!"

"All right, all right, I acknowledge your resolve. Do your best." Satoru Gojo laughed heartily and patted Akutagawa Shang on the shoulder.

"Fine. As long as you're willing to go, I won't come bother you in the mornings anymore." Maki also gave Akutagawa Shang's head, still tucked under her arm, a satisfied pat.

With that, Tokyo Jujutsu High's preparations for the competition officially began.