When Gojo Satoru returned with the second-year students, he witnessed the following scene:
Kama was leaning against the largest cherry blossom tree at the edge of the training ground. Her rose-red eyes were veiled by her eyelids, and her entire being radiated an aura of "strangers keep away, and acquaintances stay away too."
Meanwhile, Itadori Yuji and the other two were under another tree far away, their expressions looking somewhat unnatural. Itadori had his head in his hands, fingers buried in his short pink hair, his face a conflicted mess of "I really want to go strike up a conversation but I don't dare to."
Fushiguro Megumi was picking at the lawn with one hand absentmindly, his gaze vacant. As for Kugisaki Nobara, she had her entire face buried into her knees, the tips of her ears beet-red.
Secretly gossiping about someone behind their back only to be caught red-handed by the subject themselves was truly mortifying. The lethality was no less than venting about a teacher in a small group chat only to accidentally send it to the main class group, and then discovering the teacher had read it and replied.
That sense of social death rising from the soles of one's feet straight to the crown of the head was enough to make any carbon-based lifeform feel temporary discomfort with the Earth's environment.
They felt very uncomfortable right now. They even began to ponder existential questions like "Is it too late to apply for withdrawal now?" and "Is there a cursed technique in the jujutsu world that erases short-term memory?"
Fortunately, the savior—or rather, the new trouble-maker—arrived just in time.
"Eve—ry—one—!"
The voice was heard before the person was seen. That drawn-out, high-energy tone that was borderline noisy resounded across the entire field from the entrance of the training ground.
"Sorry to—keep—you—wait—ing—!"
But the three squatting under the tree looked as if they had received bail, turning their heads up in unison. Kama's gaze moved along with them. There, they spotted Gojo Satoru walking over with an arrogant, swaggering stride.
"Look at the good stuff I've brought~"
He deliberately elongated the end of his sentence before stepping aside, revealing several figures hidden behind him. Itadori Yuji squinted his eyes, shading the sunlight with his hand as he examined them:
"Those are... the second-year seniors!"
Kugisaki Nobara had already stood up and patted her pants:
"It really is them. That fellow Gojo... what on earth is he up to?"
Fushiguro Megumi didn't speak; he just looked at those seniors who had been forcibly dragged here by the unscrupulous teacher, his eyes showing sympathy as someone who has put up with Gojo's antics for so long.
The targets of that sympathy were clearly not in a great mood at the moment. Panda's head was drooping, his round ears having lost their springiness and hanging limp. He dragged his foot with heavy steps, and with a voice full of resentment:
"...Satoru is really too much; it's finally a day off! How could he suddenly dig people out of the dorms—"
Inumaki Toge, walking beside him, pulled at the collar of his high-necked uniform, then reached out and tugged at the soft fur on Panda's arm. Panda lowered his head a beat late, looking at his much shorter silver-haired best friend:
"Toge? What is it?"
Inumaki Toge didn't reply but simply raised his other hand and pointed at the silver figure under the tree not far away. His eyes widened slightly, his purple pupils looking very bright in the sunlight.
"Tuna mayo!" His tone was much higher than usual.
Panda followed the direction Inumaki Toge was pointing. His round black eyes locked onto the target, focused, and zoomed in. The next second—
"Oh—?!"
The decadent aura vanished instantly. His furry body was injected with new vitality, and his ears snapped upright.
"It's a very cute little lady!!"
Inumaki Toge nodded vigorously: "Salmon salmon!"
The two looked at each other, seeing the same intention in each other's eyes. Go say hello! The action-oriented cursed corpse and the action-oriented cursed speech user reached a consensus and almost simultaneously lifted their feet, about to run toward Kama under the cherry blossom tree.
Then—
Bang.
"Urgh."
Two dull thuds followed by short groans. Looking back, a black-faced Zen'in Maki was pulling Inumaki Toge's collar with one hand and pinching the back of Panda's neck with the other.
Zen'in Maki's eyes narrowed behind her lenses, and veins seemed to be throbbing at her temples.
"You two," Maki's voice seeped with killing intent, "stay right there!"
Panda: "Ma... Maki..."
Inumaki Toge: "...Bonito flakes."
"Don't embarrass yourselves any further!"
Zen'in Maki lowered her voice, "Rushing over just because you see a new classmate, what does that look like! Stand up straight!"
Panda and Inumaki Toge immediately stood at attention and nodded vigorously:
"Yes!"
"Salmon!"
Gojo Satoru watched from the sidelines with great interest, somehow producing a small bag of potato chips and munching on them with loud crunches, his face wearing the thoroughly satisfied expression of someone enjoying the show.
Only when Zen'in Maki let go of her hands, adjusted her uniform hem, pushed up her glasses, and stabbed him with a glare did Gojo Satoru crumple the empty chip bag and toss it into a distant trash can. He then clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Alright alright~ everyone is here!"
Kama leaned against the tree trunk, her gaze sweeping lightly over the three newcomers. It lingered on Inumaki Toge's face for half a second before falling on Gojo Satoru.
Gojo Satoru completely ignored the disdain in that gaze and sauntered into the middle of the training ground, opening his arms wide.
"As you can all see~ today the first-year group and the second-year seniors are rarely gathered together! How about it? Isn't it a pleasant surprise? Such precious time shouldn't be wasted on boring theory classes, should it?"
Kugisaki Nobara: "It's a surprise, but I don't feel any 'pleasant' in it. And clearly, it's just that you don't want to teach class yourself..."
Fushiguro Megumi sighed, already sensing that nothing good was coming next. Itadori Yuji, however, was supportive enough to applaud: "So Gojo-sensei, what are we going to do?"
"Great question, Yuji!"
Gojo Satoru gave him a thumbs-up and revealed the answer, "Today's course content is—practical combat practice!"
"Huh?" Kugisaki Nobara let out a dissatisfied sound. "Practical combat again? This is the third time this week!"
Panda also lowered his ears: "Satoru, I still want to go back and catch up on sleep..."
"Rejected~" Gojo Satoru wagged his index finger. "Today's practical combat class is very simple! You pick your own opponents and engage in one-on-one friendly sparring!"
Pick your own opponents?
As those words fell, a brief silence hung over the field. Almost simultaneously, everyone's gaze turned toward the girl under the cherry blossom tree.
Kama: "..."
They weren't fools. Gojo Satoru specifically called over the second-years and set up this "freely pick your opponent" scheme; his purpose was blatantly obvious. Wasn't it clearly a move to see the new student's strength?
Kama gave a light "heh." She raised one hand, crooked her index finger against her lower lip, and arched an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Gojo Satoru immediately acted as if he had received some signal, darting to Kama's side in a few steps. He leaned over naturally, placing an arm familiarly around Kama's shoulder. Then, before Kama's chilly gaze could sweep over him, he very tactfully let it rest loosely without actually pressing down.
"How about it, how about it, Kama-chan?"
He leaned in, his voice lowering slightly, "Want to give it a try? This is a great opportunity to interact deeply and strengthen bonds with your classmates!"
Kama slapped his hand away.
"Boring."
The smile on Gojo Satoru's face collapsed a little, and he made a "so disappointed" expression.
"Eh—how could you—"
"Teacher was really looking forward to seeing Kama-chan show off her skills..."
Gojo Satoru's shoulders slumped, and his entire person was shrouded in a layer of gloomy shadow. It seemed as if the mournful sound of an erhu was playing in the background.
Just as everyone thought Gojo Satoru was going to start his performance of throwing a tantrum—
Kama added another sentence:
"If you intend to insist no matter what..."
She paused, her rose-red eyes squinting over:
"...I don't mind either."
Gojo Satoru: "!"