"Why did you enroll in Jujutsu High?"
"Um... to breeze through a medical license?"
"To have an awesome school life!"
"To save people as a sorcerer."
"I'm sick of the old farts in my clan breathing down my neck."
"Whew... goddamn."
Inside the faculty office of Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School.
Masamichi Yaga, the first-year homeroom teacher, massaged his throbbing temples as he flipped through the interview files of this year's incoming freshmen.
Two scions from the prestigious Big Three Families in one year?
What the hell were those stubborn elders thinking? Usually, they hoarded their precious bloodlines like gold, terrified of any outside influence. What changed for them to dump their prize jewels at Jujutsu High?
Yaga glared irritably at the first application.
[ Satoru Gojo ]
Special Remarks: Possessor of the Six Eyes and Limitless Cursed Technique.
"This is insane. He's basically the walking Head of the Gojo Clan already."
As Yaga picked up the next file, the crease between his eyebrows deepened further.
[ Hachiro Zenin / Hachiro Kuroda ]
The name was listed twice. Seeing a surname written like that, Yaga would have assumed he was a discarded member of a branch family, but the special remark written in bold red at the bottom made him doubt his own eyes.
Special Remarks: 1st in Line of Succession for Head of the Zenin Clan. Special care and treatment strictly required.
"Motherfucker!"
Yaga couldn't help himself and slammed his fist onto the desk.
The main family had essentially tossed their next clan head into Tokyo like a hostage—no, like a ticking time bomb.
The gears of the two peak families of the Jujutsu world were about to mesh in a single classroom.
"Phew, stay calm. Next is... Suguru Geto."
This one, fortunately, came from a mundane family of non-sorcerers. Yaga read on, praying for at least one normal student.
[ Suguru Geto ]
Innate Technique: Cursed Spirit Manipulation
Experience: Numerous records of freelance sorcerer activity. Currently evaluated at Grade 1 level.
"...-dam."
A mutation born from a family of non-sorcerers. He was a monster who already possessed Grade 1 skill even before official enrollment. He was a kid with potential that wouldn't lose to the two young masters—in fact, he might even be more dangerous.
The last remaining application belonged to a female student.
[ Shoko Ieiri ]
Background: Ordinary family. Future goal: Medical Doctor.
Up to this point, she seemed like an exemplary, normal student. Until he reached the Special Remarks section.
Innate Technique: None. However, possesses the innate ability to use Reverse Cursed Technique. Capable of outputting it to heal others.
"Ha."
Yaga let out a hollow laugh. A talent capable of using Reverse Cursed Technique on others was an ultra-rare treasure that appeared maybe once every fifty years in the history of the Jujutsu world.
In any normal year, she would have received undisputed VIP treatment... but unfortunately, the specs of the three boys preceding her were just too damn abnormal.
"This generation... they're all absolute legends."
Tossing his sunglasses aside, Yaga buried himself deep into his padded chair and let out a heavy sigh.
"I wonder if I'll even be able to lead these damn kids properly..."
Terrified of the upcoming semester, Masamichi Yaga felt a sudden urge to escape reality. He poked the belly of a wool Cursed Corpse lying on his desk.
Ring-ring-ring—!
The sharp sound of an alarm clock echoed through the dormitory room.
I pushed myself out of bed and irritably slapped the alarm button off.
After a quick face wash, I slipped into the crisp, black uniform of Tokyo Jujutsu High. Then, I slung the large baseball bag containing the Cursed Blade Muramasa over my shoulder.
"Still got some time before homeroom. Maybe I'll grab a quick smoke."
Leaving the dorm room, I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.
Back at the Zenin Clan, I had occasionally swiped the old man's booze, but smoking was always a bit too conspicuous. Moving to Tokyo brought a strange sense of liberation.
I inhaled the smoke deep into my lungs, let out a long exhale, then ground the butt out on the floor before flicking it into a trash can.
Slide—
With a light step, I slid open the door to the first-year classroom. Three other classmates had already taken their spots in the spacious room.
In the back row sat a white-haired beanpole and a guy with long bangs covering his forehead. In the front sat a girl with short hair.
"Oh, look who's late. Here he comes."
Shoko Ieiri, the girl in the front, greeted me nonchalantly while resting her chin in her hand.
The two guys in the back, however, were already engaged in a murderous staring contest, barely acknowledging my entrance.
"Like I said, that whole 'sorcerers must protect the weak' spiel is outdated as hell. Caring about the weak is just a pain in the ass, don't you think?"
"Satoru. Jujutsu exists to protect non-sorcerers. That's the basic principle."
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were already sparks-flying over their clashing values before even finishing their self-introductions.
I ignored the heavy atmosphere and, with a grin, flopped down into the seat right next to Shoko.
"Homeroom hasn't even started. How am I late?"
Just as Shoko was about to offer a wry laugh to my cheeky response, her nose twitched slightly.
"Wait... you..."
The sharp radar unique to smokers kicked in. Shoko's eyes went wide as she caught the scent on my collar.
"You smoke?"
"Guilty. Had a refreshing one before heading in."
I mimicked the gesture of holding a cigarette between my index and middle fingers, waving it in the air—the secret signal shared only by smokers. A look of deep solidarity and a satisfied smile spread across Shoko's face at the gesture.
While we were building a bond of tobacco in the front row, Satoru Gojo finally cut his argument short and turned his gaze toward me.
"Heh. So you're the one from the Zenin Clan?"
Glowering blue Six Eyes shone behind his sunglasses. Gojo stood up, strode over, and offered a handshake with his characteristic arrogant smirk.
"Good to meet ya. The old guys in my family won't stop yapping about you, so I was curious."
"And I've heard enough rumors about you to make my ears bleed. Young Master Six Eyes."
I readily accepted the handshake, clasping his hand.
The rebel of the Zenin Clan and the future head of the Gojo Clan. Beyond their backgrounds, it was a moment of mutual respect between two individuals who could sense each other's sheer power.
That's when Suguru Geto, who had been watching from behind, joined the conversation with an intrigued expression.
"I've heard some of the rumors floating around the Jujutsu world too. Hachiro Kuroda, was it?"
"Yeah. I heard you came from a non-sorcerer family, but your intel network is pretty broad. How'd you hear about me?"
"Well, it was quite a famous incident."
Geto nodded solemnly, bringing up the story of the day I first entered the Zenin estate a year ago.
"Word is you smashed the Zenin main gate with your bare hands, walked in, and bellowed at the top of your lungs: 'ZENIN! YOUR SON HAS RETURNED!!'"
"..."
"..."
For a moment, a dead silence fell over the classroom.
That insane, Kratos-style rumor that sounded like it belonged to a Spartan warrior had just come out of Geto's mouth.
"...Pffft!"
"BWAA-HAHAHAHA!!"
Satoru Gojo and I clutched our stomachs simultaneously, erupting into fitful laughter.
"Oh, shit! That's killing me! When the hell would I ever say some cringey psycho line like that?!"
"Hahaha! S-Suguru! Where in the back-alley hell did you pick up a B-movie rumor like that?! Pwahahaha!"
I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, and Gojo was slamming his desk, nearly losing his breath.
In the middle of the chaos, only Suguru Geto stood there with a bewildered face, looking completely lost.
"Uh...? Was it... not true? The informant I heard it from said you shouted it with such solemnity..."
"Oh, my stomach..."
Gojo wiped a tear from his eye, still snickering.
"This is golden. When rumors leak out from isolated pits like the Big Three families, I guess the freelance sorcerers distort the info into some macho bullshit? That's actually fascinating."
Geto's face flushed slightly red. His perfect facade of having a superior information network had just been exposed as being fueled by tabloid trash upon the very first meeting.
I managed to suppress the remaining giggles and looked up at these two problem children while sitting next to Shoko.
'I've really ended up with the best bunch. Is this the start of my youth?'
With these crazy classmates around, I had a strong feeling that the next three years would be anything but smooth sailing.
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