The gates of Jujutsu High

The journey to Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High was unusually quiet.

The black sedan drove smoothly past the increasingly sparse streetscape. The faint hum of its air conditioner only accentuated the silence inside.

Assistant supervisor Kiyotaka Ijichi kept both hands steady on the wheel, but his eyes occasionally flicked to the rearview mirror as he discreetly observed his three passengers.

Yuta Okkotsu sat upright in the front passenger seat.

But the worry he could not hide in his eyes made him glance into the rearview mirror from time to time, looking at the unfamiliar boy in the back.

Maki Zenin and the boy sat on opposite sides of the back seat.

Maki leaned against the right-hand door, her naginata beside her. Her arms were folded across her chest and her eyes were closed, but her taut jawline betrayed that she had not let her guard down.

The black-haired boy sat close against the left-hand door, his body turned almost entirely toward the window, leaving only a silent profile visible to those inside the car.

There was enough space between them for another person, as though an invisible barrier separated them.

The boy held the dog in his arms.

The dog seemed to have finally exhausted all its fear and strength, falling asleep curled up in Madara's not particularly warm embrace.

Only occasionally did its legs twitch unconsciously in its sleep, accompanied by a faint whimper.

One of Madara's hands rested on the dog's back, his fingers intermittently combing through its somewhat coarse fur. The movement could hardly be called gentle.

Against the scenery flashing past the window, his profile looked exceptionally calm.

Ijichi cleared his throat, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

He looked at Madara through the rearview mirror, keeping his tone as gentle as possible. "Uchiha... is that right? Things were rushed earlier, so I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Kiyotaka Ijichi, an assistant supervisor at Jujutsu High."

Without taking his eyes off the view outside, Madara gave a nod in acknowledgment.

"Your name is... Madara Uchiha, correct?" Ijichi confirmed. The name sounded rather unusual.

"Yes." The boy finally answered, his voice flat.

"I see." Ijichi nodded, but inwardly he wondered.

What a strange child...

As an experienced assistant supervisor, he had encountered plenty of young jujutsu sorcerers who had just awakened their abilities during their first cursed spirit incident.

Those children usually displayed one of two extreme reactions: either excessive excitement following an adrenaline surge, talking nonstop about their experiences or showing off their abilities.

Or post-traumatic numbness, fear, and reticence, requiring a long period of psychological intervention.

But he had almost never seen anyone like Madara Uchiha.

He was too calm.

More importantly, judging by Window's preliminary observations and the cursed residue at the scene, it had been at least a semi-grade 1 cursed spirit.

And this boy, who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, had exorcised it alone inside an enclosed room.

Whatever method he had used, that alone was highly unusual.

The car passed the last convenience store and houses, entering the mountain roads beyond the city.

The woods on either side grew denser. Afternoon sunlight filtered through overlapping branches and leaves, breaking into tiny flecks that danced and flowed across the windows, making light and shadow flicker inside the car.

"We're almost there," Ijichi spoke again, trying to prepare the unfamiliar boy for what lay ahead.

"Uchiha, Jujutsu High is a school dedicated to training people like you, who possess cursed energy and can fight cursed spirits. Here, you'll receive systematic training, learn to control your power, and be safe.

"Principal Yaga and... er, the other teachers are all very reliable." He had instinctively wanted to mention Satoru Gojo, but remembered the man's usual behavior and swallowed the words.

Madara continued watching the greenery race backward outside, offering only a quiet "Mm."

Maki opened her eyes, glanced at Madara, and pushed up her glasses before suddenly speaking in a blunt tone.

"You said your parents had both passed away. What about other family? Uncles on either side, or distant relatives?"

"None." Madara answered quickly, almost without thinking.

"And a guardian...?" Maki pressed.

"None."

"Then how were you living before? What did you live on?" Maki's gaze was sharp, as though she meant to pierce that calm exterior.

Madara finally turned his head, meeting Maki's scrutinizing gaze directly for the first time.

His eyes were pure black and deep, like an ancient well with no visible bottom, reflecting little emotion.

"Part-time jobs," he said succinctly. "Convenience stores, restaurants, handing out flyers. Enough for rent and food."

Maki fell silent for several seconds. She recalled how, after resolutely leaving the Zenin Clan, she too had spent a period having to watch every penny.

But at least she had known she was going to Jujutsu High. She had a clear goal and somewhere to go.

This boy, though... seemed to truly have nothing, drifting like duckweed.

No, wait.

Maki suppressed the inexplicable stir in her heart and returned her attention to the central question.

She stared at Madara, watching for even the slightest change in his expression.

"Then how did you do it? Before this... had you received any training?"

The air inside the car seemed to freeze for an instant.

Ijichi's fingers tightened slightly around the wheel.

Yuta Okkotsu also turned slightly, quietly waiting for an answer, concern and curiosity in his eyes.

Madara lowered his head and looked at his left hand, spread open on his knee.

It was a clean hand, with long fingers and clearly defined knuckles.

He studied it for a few seconds, then raised his eyes, his calm gaze passing over Maki and Ijichi, who was watching through the rearview mirror.

"No training." His voice remained steady. "It was my instinct."

"None?" Maki's brows drew together. "Then how did you..."

"Maki." Ijichi hurriedly intervened to smooth things over, his tone soothing.

"When many jujutsu sorcerers first awaken their abilities, they do unleash their power through an instinctive drive to survive. Only afterward do they gradually learn systematic methods of control.

"Although Uchiha's situation is... rather unusual, and the power he displayed was quite strong, it isn't entirely without precedent..." His voice grew quieter as he spoke. Clearly, he was not entirely confident himself.

"Instinct can exorcise a semi-grade 1 cursed spirit?" Maki countered, her gaze still fixed on Madara.

"Mr. Ijichi, have you ever seen a precedent like that?"

Ijichi was at a loss for words.

He truly had never seen anyone fight and exorcise a semi-grade 1 cursed spirit upon first awakening.

Either the boy was gifted beyond belief, or... there was more to it.

Yuta Okkotsu, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke, his voice gentle yet carrying a certain quiet strength.

"Maybe it was an explosive surge from a cursed technique suddenly awakening in a life-or-death situation.

"I've heard of cases where sorcerers in extreme circumstances unleashed power far beyond their usual limits, or even displayed entirely new forms of their cursed techniques... and..."

As he spoke, his gaze wandered slightly.

He knew all too well that feeling of power pouring out uncontrollably when pushed to the brink.

Maki glanced at Okkotsu and stopped pressing.

She knew what Okkotsu meant, and understood that she had been somewhat overbearing.

But her intuition told her that this boy named Madara Uchiha was shrouded in too much mystery.

She withdrew her gaze and looked out the window again, saying nothing more, but the tension in her posture did not ease.

The car rounded a sharp bend, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A long flight of stone steps wound upward, disappearing into the lush mountain woods.

At the top of the steps, a vermilion torii and a dark wooden school gate were faintly visible.

"We're here." Ijichi brought the car to a steady stop in the clearing before the steps and let out a breath of relief.

The group got out.

The mountain air was fresh and slightly cool, carrying the scent of earth and vegetation, utterly different from the city.

Holding the still-sleeping dog, Madara stood before the school gate and looked up at the long stone stairway that seemed to lead into the clouds.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting shifting, dappled light across the gray-green steps. The stillness held a solemnity secluded from the world.

"Let's go." Maki stepped onto the stairs first, her naginata resting on her shoulder. "The principal's office is in the main building over there."

The three of them climbed the stone steps.

Dense woods lined both sides, with the occasional birdsong only making the surroundings feel quieter.

The Jujutsu High campus was more open and quiet than expected.

As they approached a broad courtyard, a strange, furry black-and-white figure ambled out of the woods.

It was a... panda.

Slightly larger than an ordinary panda, he had lively eyes and was scratching his belly with a paw.

Madara's steps paused briefly, his gaze settling on Panda for two seconds.

"Aren't pandas protected animals?"

Walking ahead, Yuta Okkotsu stumbled and nearly missed a step.

The corner of Maki's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

"...He's an exception." Maki pushed up her glasses and explained flatly, offering nothing more.

"I see." Madara looked away, seemingly accepting the explanation, and continued upward.

They reached a building and followed the corridor to a room farther inside.

Maki knocked on the door.

"Come in." A deep, resonant male voice came from within.

They pushed open the door and entered a spacious, bright room with simple furnishings.

Behind a large desk, Principal Masamichi Yaga sat upright in his chair, holding a needle and thread and a piece of dark cloth.

He was intently sewing a somewhat oddly shaped stuffed doll.

He was tall and powerfully built, wearing sunglasses and a stern expression, yet the delicate needlework in his hands created a peculiar contrast.

"You're back. Thank you for your hard work." Yaga raised his head, his gaze passing over the three of them and pausing briefly on Madara before returning to the doll in his hands.

"It was nothing. We were just doing our job," Yuta Okkotsu replied respectfully.

"Do you need us to stay?" Maki asked.

"No." Yaga set down his needle and thread, carefully placing the unfinished doll on the desk.

"I'll have a proper talk with him. Take that with you," he said, pointing at the dog in Madara's arms.

"Find it a suitable home, or contact somewhere that can take it in. Staying with a jujutsu sorcerer won't do it any good."

"All right, understood." Maki nodded, walked up to Madara, and held out her hands.

Madara looked down at the dog sleeping soundly in his arms. After a moment of silence, he gently handed it to Maki.

The dog stirred uneasily during the transfer, but soon settled down in Maki's somewhat awkward yet reasonably steady embrace.

Yuta Okkotsu nodded to Madara and gave him an encouraging smile, then left the room with Maki, gently closing the door behind them.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Masamichi Yaga stood, walked over to a low table, and picked up a kettle and a teacup. "Would you like some tea?"

Madara's gaze swept over the variously shaped stuffed dolls on the desk.

"Sorry for the trouble," he replied calmly, his voice especially clear in the spacious room.