In the early morning, a gentle breeze blew, and the towering Tokyo Tower gleamed in the sunlight.
April 5, 2006, Tokyo.
Inside an office at Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High School.
Warm sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, scattering golden flecks across the desk.
A man with an upright face was poring troubledly over several dozen pages of intelligence on his desk.
"Ah, why is it another problem child?"
New student information. Name: Igarashi Amaha Age: 16 Height: 1.86 meters Place of birth: unknown Method of admission to Jujutsu High: self-recommendation Cursed technique: "Way of Resentment, Free of Worry" Currently known abilities: can freely manipulate an extremely hot purple-white flame; spatial jumps resembling teleportation; unknown high-powered cursed energy cannon; immense, seemingly bottomless cursed energy; unknown cloning ability, with only two clones discovered so far, provisionally assessed at 90 percent of the original's strength; Provisional grade assessment: Special Grade Detailed information: born in Japan in 1990, but did not appear in society until 2000. His whereabouts and activities during those ten years remain unknown; Appeared at Tokyo Narita Airport on August 17, 2000, and traveled to Yang City in Hua Capital under a false identity; Traveled to Malaga, Spain, in 2004; in September of that year, he single-handedly went to a local jujutsu gang and wiped it out, leaving no survivors; in November of that year, Malaga's higher-ups in Spain sent assassins to snipe Igarashi Amaha, only to be killed by him instead; At noon in late November of that year, Igarashi Amaha launched a ferocious attack on the Malaga Jujutsu Higher-Ups' building with a cursed energy cannon, leaving four dead and eleven injured. He then boldly declared to all of Malaga's higher-ups: "Right now, I'm giving you a chance to challenge me. Don't worry, I definitely won't use my full strength." This act completely broke international convention, making Igarashi Amaha the only jujutsu sorcerer in a hundred years to directly challenge the Jujutsu Higher-Ups! In December of that year, the enraged Malaga higher-ups sent Malaga's current sole Special Grade Sorcerer, Juan Guerrero Sanvala, along with five Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerers, to encircle and eliminate Igarashi Amaha. The local higher-ups have suppressed information about the battle's outcome. No one except those involved knows what happened. Lacks sympathy for people without cursed energy, but is extremely bloodthirsty toward cursed spirits. Recommendation from Kyoto's higher-ups: eliminate. Summary: a genius youth seen once in a century, with no weaknesses apart from his domain. Unruly in temperament, but extremely rational. Usable.
Masamichi Yaga sighed, took off his sunglasses, and rubbed his eyes hard before getting up and heading outside.
Along the same corridor, inside a classroom with a second-year sign on its door, there were only a few scattered desks and three people, unlike the other classrooms.
"Hey, Satoru, didn't you say a new classmate was coming today? Why isn't he here yet?" asked a handsome boy with black hair tied in a bun, an odd-looking lock of bangs over his forehead, and ear gauges.
"Ah, who knows? Maybe he was too scared to face yours truly and ran away," the boy called Satoru said arrogantly, sprawled lazily over his desk. He wore round sunglasses, but even more eye-catching was his head of seemingly sacred white hair.
Suguru Geto shook his head speechlessly, then turned toward the cute girl beside him, who had a lollipop in her mouth and was rapidly tapping on her phone. "Shoko, aren't you curious who's coming? Someone joining the second year directly might be some impressive guy from the Three Great Families."
Before Shoko could speak, Satoru Gojo laughed. "Hahahaha, Geto, what are you talking about? Isn't the most impressive person in the entire Three Great Families right in front of you? As for the rest of that trash, forget it."
Shoko nodded in agreement. "True. We all know what those guys from the Three Great Families are like. They've always looked down on our Kyoto Jujutsu High, never mind joining it. Besides, Mr. Yaga wouldn't just let them in here. He hates those people more than anyone."
Having said that, Shoko, who was also somewhat curious about their new classmate, picked up her phone and started sending an email.
"Utahime, do you know anything about the transfer student suddenly joining us?"
Ding!
Only a few seconds later, her phone chimed with an incoming email.
"All I know is that he's strong. I don't know much else, but Principal Gakuganji doesn't seem all that fond of your new classmate. His face darkens every time he comes up, hahaha."
Shoko considered the message for a moment, then glanced at Satoru Gojo bobbing his head and replied with a mischievous streak.
"Strong? Stronger than Satoru? (expectant.jpg)"
Ding!
"That would be perfect. Let that bastard learn there's always someone better out there. (angry.jpg)"
"Oh my, you really do hold a grudge against Satoru, Utahime~ (snickering.jpg)"
Ding!
"Of course. That bastard calls everyone weak every other breath. Just mentioning him makes me angry (angry.jpg)."
Clatter!
Just as their conversation was heating up, the classroom door slid open.
Masamichi Yaga entered the classroom, clapped his hands, and said loudly, "All right, quiet down. I'm sure you've already heard that a new classmate is joining us. Now, let's welcome him!"
With that, he swept his arm toward the classroom door, and the three followed his gesture with their eyes.
Silence...
The three stared blankly, then all turned toward Masamichi Yaga, who was himself somewhat bewildered.
What's going on? We just agreed on this. Why isn't he coming in?
Clatter!
The sliding door sounded, and all four looked over, only to discover that the arrival was not their new classmate, but a breathless Mr. Ijichi.
"Mr. Yaga, Igarashi said he forgot something and needed to go get it," Ijichi said, panting heavily.
"Uh..." They stared blankly.
"That bastard..." A vein on Masamichi Yaga's forehead began twitching involuntarily. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Did he say when he'd be back?"
Yaga's question seemed to remind Ijichi of something. He slapped his thigh, took an old-fashioned kerosene lighter engraved with a special marking from his pocket, and handed it to Masamichi Yaga. "He said to ask you to light this for him."
Masamichi Yaga took a deep breath, soothed the anger bottled up inside him, and accepted the lighter. He turned it over in his palm, examined it, then flipped open the lid and began striking it.
The three seated students were equally bewildered. This new classmate didn't seem like someone who took things seriously either.
Click!
Space froze for an instant. The others saw only a flash before a tall figure appeared inside the classroom, a cigarette between his lips and a dying cursed spirit clutched in one hand.
Igarashi Amaha lit his cigarette with the flame Masamichi Yaga had struck, took a deep drag, and exhaled a wisp of white smoke.
"Yo, hello, everyone."