"Satoru! You bastard, did you forget to put up the Curtain again?!"
A roar echoed outside the abandoned building.
The burly Masamichi Yaga, wearing sunglasses and sporting a buzz cut, jumped out of a black car in a fit of rage.
Although the assistant supervisor had already reported that a Curtain was in place, Yaga couldn't help but roar at the sight of the teetering building.
"Are you two the reincarnation of a demolition crew?! The commotion is so loud the Curtain can barely contain it!"
As the homeroom teacher for these two problem children...
He spent every day either writing apology letters or on the way to write another one.
And this time, they had caused such a massive scene right next to the bustling commercial district of Shibuya!
Even the load-bearing columns were broken, and the entire unfinished building was on the verge of collapse. How much would the compensation even cost?
However, when Masamichi Yaga charged onto the scene with a head of steam...
The sight before him made him swallow his next curse mid-breath.
There was no desperate battle in the ruins as he had imagined, nor were his two students injured as he had feared.
Instead, there was a bizarrely peaceful picnic scene.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
The only two candidates for Special Grade (or Semi-Special Grade) in all of Japan.
Right now, they were squatting unceremoniously on concrete blocks, their mouths stuffed with limited-edition Kikufuku bought from a convenience store.
And between them...
Sat a strange young man in a black uniform carrying a guitar case.
The three of them were laughing and chatting.
The stranger even thoughtfully handed Satoru Gojo a tissue.
"Wipe your mouth. You're the Divine Child of the Gojo family; looking like a messy cat is unbecoming."
"None of your business! It's called being informal! ...Mmm, the edamame whipped cream flavor really is the best!"
Suguru Geto sighed helplessly beside him.
"Satoru, don't eat so fast. You'll choke."
Masamichi Yaga adjusted his sunglasses.
He took a deep breath.
"What are the three of you..."
"...DOING?!"
This shout, full of vigor, startled Satoru Gojo so much he let out a loud hiccup.
"Cough, cough... Yaga-sensei! Can't you walk more loudly?!"
Satoru complained while patting his chest.
Masamichi Yaga's gaze instantly locked onto Yoru, who sat in the middle. His long-honed sorcerer's intuition told him one thing.
The black-haired, red-eyed youth before him was extremely dangerous!
Although he couldn't sense even a trace of cursed energy, the faint pressure the boy emitted was like that of a slumbering prehistoric beast.
And who was this person?
Why was he hanging out with Satoru and Suguru?
"Satoru, Suguru. Who is this?"
Yaga's voice dropped an octave, and his hand reached for a Cursed Corpse at his waist.
Sensing Yaga's hostility, Suguru Geto immediately stood up and shielded Yoru.
"Yaga-sensei, please don't misunderstand."
"The Semi-Special Grade Cursed Spirit suddenly went berserk. It was this gentleman... Mr. Yoru, who helped us, allowing us to finish the battle quickly."
"Yoru?"
Yaga's frown deepened.
"No cursed energy at all, yet he participated in a Semi-Special Grade battle?"
"Are you joking?"
It was an iron law of the jujutsu world: only a curse can exorcise a curse.
A normal person without cursed energy shouldn't even be able to see a cursed spirit, let alone fight one.
"Oh, Yaga-sensei, you're just too old-fashioned!"
Satoru Gojo pushed Suguru aside, leaned in close to Yaga, and pointed excitedly at Yoru.
"This guy is no ordinary person!"
"He's my newly discovered... uh, physical combat genius!"
"You didn't see it, but he shattered that ugly monster's shell with a single swing of his bat!"
"Pure physical damage! It's even more ridiculous than a Heavenly Restriction!"
At the mention of a "Heavenly Restriction,"
Yaga's expression shifted slightly. He thought of that man from the Zenin family known as the 'Sorcerer Killer.'
Could this youth be a monster of that same caliber?
Yoru slowly stood up.
He did not take offense at Masamichi Yaga's suspicion.
On the contrary.
He knew exactly what kind of man Yaga was—a true teacher who cared for his students like his own children.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yaga."
Yoru bowed slightly, his tone polite yet firm.
"My name is Yoru."
"As Satoru said, I indeed have no cursed energy."
"But exorcising curses doesn't strictly require cursed energy."
"Furthermore..."
Yoru paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"I'm not some newly recruited lackey."
"I am... a passing physical combat instructor."
"A combat instructor?"
Yaga was stunned.
Satoru Gojo immediately chimed in, "Exactly! This guy is incredibly cocky. He just said he wanted to teach us physical combat!"
"Yaga-sensei, haven't you always complained that our physical skills aren't solid enough?"
"Perfect timing. Let's recruit him to Jujutsu High as a sparring partner!"
"I want to keep him around and beat him... I mean, I want to learn from him with an open mind!"
Suguru Geto added his support:
"Yaga-sensei, Mr. Yoru's breathing and power generation techniques are indeed unique."
"If we can integrate these techniques into jujutsu combat, it would be a huge boost to Satoru's and my strength."
Seeing his two best students vouching for a stranger at the same time...
Masamichi Yaga felt a headache coming on and rubbed his temples.
These two problem children were usually so arrogant they didn't even care about the 'Rotten Oranges' at General Headquarters.
What was wrong with them today?
Had they taken the wrong medicine? Or were they bewitched by this Yoru fellow?
"Jujutsu High isn't a place just anyone can enter," Yaga said sternly.
"Especially an outsider like you... with an unknown identity and no cursed energy."
"If the General Headquarters investigates..."
"Who cares about the General Headquarters?!" Satoru interrupted dismissively.
"With me here, would those Rotten Oranges dare say a word?"
"Yaga-sensei, just say yes or no!"
"If you say no, I'll cause a scene in your office every single day!"
Faced with Satoru's shameless tactics, Yaga took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch him.
He took a long look at Yoru.
The boy was too calm. Faced with his interrogation and Satoru's antics...
He maintained a detached air, as if he saw through everything.
That look didn't belong to a teenager; it belonged to a wise man who had weathered many storms.
"Since Satoru and Suguru recommend you so highly..."
Yaga finally relented.
"I can take you back to the school."
"HOWEVER!"
His tone shifted, and his eyes grew sharp.
"I must test you personally."
"If you cannot prove you are qualified to stay at Jujutsu High..."
"I will personally kick you out!"
Yoru nodded with a smile.
"As it should be."
A test?
That was the thing he feared least.
After all, in 2018, he was the man who had thoroughly disgraced those old fossils at General Headquarters.
"Get in the car!"
Yaga waved his hand grumpily.
The four of them got into the black car and headed toward Jujutsu High on the outskirts of Tokyo.
As the car drove onto the mountain road, Yoru looked out at the passing trees. The system prompt sounded in his mind again.
[SYSTEM: DING!]
[SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST FOR SUCCESSFULLY CONTACTING A KEY CHARACTER: MASAMICHI YAGA.]
[SYSTEM: MAIN QUEST STAGE ONE: "INTEGRATE INTO JUJUTSU HIGH" HAS BEGUN!]
[SYSTEM: CURRENT PROGRESS: 10%.]
[SYSTEM: PLEASE COMPLETELY WIN OVER MASAMICHI YAGA IN THE UPCOMING TEST TO ACQUIRE A LEGAL IDENTITY AT JUJUTSU HIGH!]
"Jujutsu High, huh..."
Yoru leaned back and closed his eyes.
Within those barriers lay not only youth and laughter, but also Master Tengen, the Star Plasma Vessel, and the root of all future tragedies.
And he was the variable...
...who would break the stillness of that stagnant pond.
The car slowed to a halt before the barrier.
The gatekeeper verified Yaga's identity and let them through.
The moment Yoru stepped inside the Jujutsu High barrier...
Hum—
The entire cursed energy network beneath Jujutsu High seemed to tremble slightly, as if...
...some unspeakable, terrifying existence had descended!
Deep within the Tombs of the Star Corridor, Master Tengen snapped his clouded eyes open.
"This feeling..."
"It's not cursed energy, nor is it a Heavenly Restriction..."
"What strange thing has snuck into this world?"
Meanwhile, Yoru followed Yaga toward the underground training hall as if nothing had happened.
The show...
...had only just begun.