"Let's go." Maki turned and walked away with her sword over her shoulder. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would lose control and swing her sword hard at Mai.
The others from Tokyo Jujutsu High followed her into the distance. Satoru Gojo brought up the rear, giving Principal Gakuganji a meaningful look before leaving.
Gakuganji's hand jerked on his cane, and he nearly cracked his dentures.
"All right, since they've left, we should get going too. I still have a task for you," Principal Gakuganji said hoarsely. Then he led the Kyoto Jujutsu High students toward their lounge, leaning on his cane.
When they reached the lounge, Maki kicked the door.
Creak-
It didn't open.
She kicked it again.
Creak-
It still didn't open.
Maki's face darkened. Refusing to give up, she raised her foot for a third kick.
"Maki, it's a pull door..." Akutagawa Shang reminded her quietly from behind, his voice so soft it was as if he feared both that she would hear him and that she wouldn't.
Maki fell silent for a second. Then she murmured an acknowledgment, reached out, and pulled the door open.
"Everyone, come in."
They filed inside. Panda, who came in last, closed the door behind him, cutting them off completely from the outside.
"All right, the match is about to start. Let's all think about how we're going to fight." Akutagawa Shang spoke first, asking everyone for ideas.
"I'll go first. My idea is, screw the rules. Let's just beat up everyone from Kyoto Jujutsu High." Maki offered her suggestion without a moment's thought. After that earlier encounter, she was furious.
"I second that. If those dipshit higher-ups on their side can so openly rig things behind the scenes and make life hard for us, then we might as well forget fighting fair. Use whatever we've got and just go for it." Kinji Hakari immediately joined in. He had never been a well-behaved student who followed the rules. What he liked best was this kind of no-holds-barred fighting, where he could do whatever he wanted. Just talking about it got him excited.
"I agree with Kin." Kirara Hoshi nodded beside him.
Although the other Tokyo Jujutsu High students said nothing, they privately considered whether it could work. After all, what Kyoto Jujutsu High had just done had infuriated them too.
"Isn't that a bit..." Yuta Okkotsu said worriedly. He still counted as a good student, more or less, and his thinking clearly hadn't caught up with this bunch of troublemakers.
"Ah, no, no, Yuta. We never said we'd break the rules. The essence of no-holds-barred combat is using every available means within the rules. Back in the day, Master Chen Hegao, the great sage of no-holds-barred combat, dominated the martial world for decades with his Limitless Restriction Mad Dog Fist, earning such a fearsome reputation that no one dared challenge his school. We just want to teach those sneaky old bastards a proper lesson. Relax, relax." Akutagawa Shang patted Yuta Okkotsu's shoulder, signaling him not to worry.
"Exactly, Yuta. They broke the rules first. This is our righteous counterattack." Panda raised a furry fist too, encouraging Yuta Okkotsu.
"Salmon."
"No-holds-barred combat... That sounds amazing."
"All right, if we're not breaking the rules, I'm in too. Let's show them what we're made of." Yuta Okkotsu clenched his fists, his gaze gradually becoming resolute.
"Good. Now that we've settled on no-holds-barred combat as our overall approach, we need to discuss exactly how we'll fight." Akutagawa Shang clapped his hands together and held them before his chest.
"If they're playing dirty, we'll have to play even dirtier to really make them pay. Heh heh heh." Suddenly lowering his voice, Akutagawa Shang gave a sinister chuckle and offered his proposal.
"Yuta, I have a feeling. Since they've already made rules restricting you, that means those old bastards at the top never intended to let you off. I have a feeling they might try to target you during this Goodwill Event too, just like they did at the hospital last time. I can't say exactly what they'll do, though." Akutagawa Shang spoke seriously to Yuta Okkotsu.
"Huh? Target me? Then what should we do?" Yuta Okkotsu asked timidly.
"If they want to play dirty, let's turn their scheme against them." Akutagawa Shang flashed a smile just like Logger Vick's. Clearly, a complete plan was already taking shape in his head.
"Stop grinning like an idiot. Can you just talk normally?" Maki rapped him on the head, forcibly putting an end to his wise smile.
"Hey, cut it out. Let me talk. Since they want to deal with Yuta, let's hand Yuta over to them."
"What do you mean? We're not abandoning any of our friends," Maki immediately protested.
"Exactly. Selling out a teammate is boring as hell. Charging in and beating them up would be way more fun." Kinji Hakari waved a hand.
"Salmon." Clearly, Inumaki also held the idea of selling out a teammate in deep contempt.
"Hold on, let me finish. I'm not saying we send Yuta out to get killed. I want to use him as bait, so they think they have an opening."
"What do you mean?" Panda couldn't quite follow.
"First, think back. What are the rules for the team battle?" Akutagawa Shang asked everyone.
"Uh, something about exorcising cursed spirits..." Kinji Hakari said slowly, recalling the rules.
"Exactly. Our task is to exorcise cursed spirits. So what's theirs? Officially, it's exorcising cursed spirits, but behind the scenes, they also have to deal with Yuta."
"Isn't the team match just a competition for points? If they all go after Yuta, won't all the remaining cursed spirits be ours? We can exorcise as many as we like. By the time they catch on, we'll have left them in the dust."
"It's a diversion masking the real attack. In plain English, Yuta leads them around by the nose while we raid their base."
Everyone rubbed their chins, carefully considering the feasibility of Akutagawa Shang's proposal.
Suddenly, Panda looked up and raised a question:
"That does sound workable, but there's one major problem. Yuta will have to face everyone from Kyoto Jujutsu High alone."
"Can this kid really do it?" Kinji Hakari was also doubtful about Yuta Okkotsu facing the entire Kyoto Jujutsu High team alone.
"That brings us to another plan."
"Yuta," Akutagawa Shang called.
"Yes, Akutagawa, I'm here!" Yuta Okkotsu hurriedly answered his senior.
"How's your cursed energy reinforcement practice been going lately?"
"Uh, I'm pretty proficient now."
"Good. Let's analyze the other side's lineup and strength."
Hearing this, everyone gathered around him, pricking up their ears to hear his analysis.
"Their lineup consists of Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer Kasumi Miwa, Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer Mai Zenin, Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer Momo Nishimiya, Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer Mechamaru, Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer Noritoshi Kamo, and Semi-Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer Aoi Todo."
"Our Yuta is a Special Grade Sorcerer, after all. He may not have been enrolled for long, but his total cursed energy speaks for itself. He's got more than enough raw stats."
"Huh? You're saying this kid's a Special Grade Sorcerer?" Kinji Hakari looked astonished, his expression saying, You've got to be kidding me.
"That's not important. Anyway, based on what I know, barring any surprises, Yuta can turn himself into an iron-shelled turtle of a super tank just by reinforcing his defense with cursed energy. Momo Nishimiya's cursed technique has practically no offensive power, and Mai's and Kasumi Miwa's destructive power is almost negligible too. The only two who can barely get through Yuta's defenses are Noritoshi Kamo with Blood Manipulation and Mechamaru with his cursed energy cannon."
"But remember what I said our goal was? Yuta leads them around while we raid their base. He doesn't need to fight them head-on at all. He just needs to crank his cursed energy reinforcement all the way up and run. They'll chase him on their own. As for cursed energy, well, unfortunately for them, that's the last thing Yuta's short on."
"As for the forces in this battle, it'll be Yuta alone against all six of them. The advantage is ours." Akutagawa Shang raised his chin slightly, clearly brimming with confidence.
"Damn, brilliant! You've got something going on, kid. Next time I go gambling, I've got to bring you along." Kinji Hakari was delighted with his plan and laughed as he patted his shoulder.
"Huh? If you dare take him somewhere like that, I'll beat you up even if you are my senior." The smile instantly vanished from Maki's face. Her expression twisted as she gave Kinji Hakari a dangerous look.
"Aren't we forgetting someone? Aoi Todo. He doesn't look like an easy opponent." Panda spotted the crucial point.
"Salmon."
"No need to worry about him. From what I know of him, since he's already acknowledged Yuta, he won't let Tokyo Jujutsu High gang up on him. He might even help Yuta beat up everyone from Kyoto Jujutsu High first, then drag him into a real man-to-man showdown," Akutagawa Shang said with a smile.
"I see. No more questions from me. What about you guys?" Panda thought for a moment, then nodded.
"No objections." Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi raised their hands.
"None from me either." Maki also voiced her agreement.
"Salmon." Inumaki raised his hand in agreement too.
"Good. Since the plan passed unanimously, it's settled. Yuta, we're counting on you this afternoon. Just keep running and leave the rest to us." Akutagawa Shang solemnly patted Yuta Okkotsu, as though entrusting him with some important mission.
Yuta Okkotsu nodded too, like a soldier undergoing inspection.
"As for your final suggestion of beating up everyone on the other side, I have an idea for that too."
"Since we win by eliminating all the Grade 2 cursed spirits, once we've whittled them down to the last one, we just need to capture it. Then control of the situation will be firmly in our hands."
"At that point, they'll definitely come to take that cursed spirit, so we'll have a perfectly legitimate reason to 'spar' with them. I know Reverse Cursed Technique anyway. Whenever you get tired of fighting, I can press my hand against the cursed spirit and end the battle on the spot. In the end, we'll not only win, we'll have a blast. They'll not only lose, they'll have been played." As Akutagawa Shang spoke, his smile grew more and more brazen.
When Akutagawa Shang finished, a strange silence fell over the room. Then low chuckles rose all around at once, as though everyone had arranged it beforehand.
"Brilliant!" Panda clutched his stomach, laughing just like Briar. "Akutagawa, you're a genius. Why even hold the match? They should just declare us the winners."
"I'm liking you more and more, kid." Kinji Hakari grinned so broadly that his eyes narrowed to slits, revealing two rows of white teeth. He slung an arm around Akutagawa Shang's shoulders with enough force to nearly drive him into the ground.
"Not bad, kid. Sometimes I really wonder how that brain of yours works." Maki narrowed her eyes slightly, cupping Akutagawa Shang's face and smiling like a kitty. Just thinking about getting to thrash the other side left her unable to stop grinning.
"If only I'd met you sooner. Maybe I could've given those wretches back home a beating too." Her tone suddenly grew a little forlorn.
"It's not too late now." Akutagawa Shang took her hands and smiled.
"Whenever you actually take me home, I promise I'll give them a beating and help you vent."
"Oh? Really? It's a promise, then. No taking it back." Maki's eyes immediately lit up, and she hurried to seal the agreement.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"Haven't you lied to me plenty of times?"
"Uh, well, I won't this time."
"Okay, then. I'll hold you to that."
Before you continue