"So, you're telling me the execution was a lie?"
On the drive back, Yuta sat in the back seat, staring at the back of Satoru Gojo's head with a look of pure exasperation. That messy, spiky white hair of his always made people want to reach out and smooth it down.
Yuta had truly prepared himself for a noble death, only for Gojo to casually inform him that it was all just a ruse to help him see into his own heart.
"But you've accepted her now, haven't you? Controlling her should be much easier." Gojo leaned back with his hands behind his head, his tone as flippant as ever. "Aren't you happy you don't have to die, Yuta?"
"Well, when you put it like that..." Yuta looked down at the ring on his finger. "But I can't help feeling like I've wandered onto some dark path. I feel further away from actually breaking the curse than ever."
With the screech of tires, the two arrived back at Jujutsu High.
"Yo!" As soon as Yuta stepped into the classroom, a heavy hand slapped his shoulder. He turned to see the massive frame of Panda. "Yuta! I heard you went on a solo mission? How'd it go? What grade was the curse?"
Panda was a flurry of questions, but Yuta didn't have all the answers. "Yes, Panda-senpai. The mission went smoothly."
"And the grade?"
"Um..." Yuta stammered. Gojo hadn't actually told him what grade the cursed spirit was.
Maki, sitting nearby, grew impatient with their back-and-forth. She marched over and held out her hand. "Give me your student ID."
"...Okay." Yuta fumbled around for a while before finally producing the ID he'd been issued at enrollment. "Here it is."
"Yoink." Maki's patience was thin as usual; she snatched it before Yuta could even hold it out. "Freshmen are usually ranked as—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening at what was printed on the card. "You've got to be kidding me..."
"Let me see!" Curious about her reaction, Panda leaned over and squinted at the ID. "Whoa, you're that strong? You're Grade 1?"
"The Higher-Ups wanted to label him Special Grade right off the bat, since Rika Orimoto is a Special Grade curse herself," Gojo explained, strolling into the room. "But Gumo blocked it. That guy insists that a Domain Expansion is the 'standard equipment' for any Special Grade. So, until Yuta learns how to manifest a Domain, he's staying at Grade 1."
"Gumo-sensei is that strict?" Panda rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He always seemed so easygoing. Then again, the grade evaluations are handled by the sorcerer's association, aren't they?"
"Think of it as a personal obsession of his—he's always thought Domains were the coolest thing about jujutsu. Besides, the association takes a teacher's recommendation into account when grading." Gojo stepped up to the front of the room, preparing for a big announcement.
"Next week is the long-awaited..."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event!"
In the span of five seconds, Gojo managed to strike every single pose of the Ginyu Force by himself. It was a feat of flexibility and sheer lack of shame that one wouldn't expect from a thirty-year-old man.
The students stared at Gojo's abstract performance, genuinely concerned for their teacher's mental health.
"Has the work stress been getting to Gojo-sensei lately?" Yuta whispered to Panda.
"Maybe? Curse sightings have been spiking, so everyone's mission frequency has gone up," Panda replied earnestly.
"No way. The white-haired idiot is as leisurely as ever," Maki added, rolling her eyes.
"My precious students! To treat your venerable teacher like this... it breaks my heart!" Gojo, still half-squatting on the desk in a Ginyu pose, realized no one was going to play along. He slumped to the floor, clutching his chest dramatically. "And after I went to the trouble of designing a special entrance pose for you all."
"But it's not even cool," Yuta added, dealing the final blow. "Besides, there are only four of us."
"Are you serious? You're actually worried about the head-count?!" Panda complained. "And that was clearly the Ginyu Force from Dragon Ball!"
Toge Inumaki, having just finished his daily martial arts training, walked into the room and tilted his head at the commotion. "Natto on rice?"
"The event is being held at Kyoto Jujutsu High this year," Panda explained. "How's your training coming along?"
"Salmon!" Toge gave a thumbs up, indicating he'd made significant progress.
"Weird. Where's Gumo?" Gojo asked, looking around. He had wanted to discuss the event arrangements with Hasegumo, but he hadn't seen the man all day.
"Tuna..."
"He doesn't know either," Panda, the gold-standard translator, performed his duties flawlessly.
Time flew, and a week later, the Goodwill Event was set to begin. Gojo had already led the Tokyo first-years to the Kyoto school.
On the Tokyo side, the second-year class consisted of only two students. Kinji Hakari was currently at odds with the Higher-Ups because his Cursed Technique was deemed "too modern" and unrefined, and Kirara Hoshi was effectively his shadow. Both were currently on hiatus from school, so they were absent from the event.
The Kyoto side had a larger roster: freshmen Kasumi Miwa, Kokichi Muta, and Mai Zen'in; and second-years Aoi Todo, Noritoshi Kamo, and Momo Nishimiya—six students in total.
Despite the lopsided numbers, the competition was still set as a school-versus-school team battle. The reason for the confidence? The existence of the protagonist, Yuta Okkotsu.
"Hello, everyone!"
The new generation had undoubtedly become the pillars of the jujutsu world. The era of Gakuganji and Yaga was fading into the past. Satoru Gojo stood at the center of the podium as the Tokyo team leader.
Having been a student himself, Gojo knew exactly how much of a drag long-winded lectures were. He kept his briefing on the rules as concise as possible. The legacy of sorcery was being passed down, one generation at a time.
"I'm going to use my teleportation to move everyone to the vicinity of Hokkaido."
"The mission for this Goodwill Event was selected on short notice. Near Abashiri Prison, our scout Mr. Kumaya has observed a Cursed Womb that is about to manifest, along with a massive amount of accompanying cursed spirits."
The "Mr. Kumaya" Gojo mentioned was Kenshin Kumaya, a participant from the martial arts tournament years ago. Due to his weak technique and lack of innate talent, he had chosen to become an Assistant Director after witnessing the monstrous strength of top-tier sorcerers. Compared to average directors, however, Kenshin was actually quite capable—roughly between Grade 3 and Grade 2.
"Since there are Grade 1 sorcerers among you, we won't bother with further grade assessments for this task."
"The event will be broadcast live by Mei Mei. We will judge the winners based on your performance."
"Regarding the Cursed Womb: while exorcising the manifested spirit is worth massive points, knowing when to retreat is also a strategy. Know your limits."
"If you encounter an irregular opponent or find yourself in a life-threatening situation, find a location with birds nearby and raise your hand."
"Then the handsome Gojo-sensei will appear in a flash to save you~"
"Any questions?"
"I have one!" Kasumi Miwa, her blue hair short and neat, had stars in her eyes. Her blushing cheeks betrayed her excitement.
She used to think she admired Satoru Gojo because he was the strongest, but when Hasegumo burst onto the scene and took that title, Miwa realized she was simply a fan of good looks. Being "the strongest" was just a bonus.
Compared to Hasegumo's average appearance and his lack of "strongman" charisma, the white-haired, tall, mysterious, and dashing Gojo-sensei was the perfect idol for a teenage girl. Even though she'd seen him before, this was her first time speaking to him face-to-face, and that was enough to make her whole day.
"And you are...?"
"Kasumi Miwa!"
"Miwa-kun, what's your question?"
"Can I have your autograph, Gojo-sensei?!"
"Of course! No problem at all." Gojo looked at the girl in surprise. It was nice to know he still had fans, even if they weren't his own students.
"Hah?" Utahime Iori, now a teacher at the Kyoto school, sat nearby with her chin in her hand. She stared at Gojo's face with pure disgust, then looked at Miwa's fan-girling and scoffed, turning her gaze toward the window.
What she was actually thinking, no one could say.
Meanwhile, Hasegumo had actually arrived at Kyoto High a week early.
However, his visit had nothing to do with the Goodwill Event.
During a casual chat in the infirmary, Shoko Ieiri had mentioned that during the years Hasegumo spent obsessively practicing his punches, it was Ms. Hisazakuro Nagasawa who had been delivering his meals. She had taken the train every single morning, rain or shine, for ten years.
Even a blockhead like Hasegumo couldn't help but be moved by that kind of devotion.
No wonder the lunchboxes were always pink... Finally putting the pieces together, he had secretly planned a trip to Kyoto to see her and test the waters.
While he was dedicated heart and soul to martial arts, Hasegumo wasn't opposed to marriage or starting a family. Procreation was a part of the natural world, and creating new life was a way of giving back to the world he appreciated so much.
As the saying goes, a woman chasing a man is like a thin veil between them.
Though they hadn't fast-forwarded straight to marriage, the girl already had feelings for him. Once he arrived, they hit it off instantly, leading to a spontaneous, "on-the-road" trip.
They turned off their phones and cut contact with everyone else, wanting to immerse themselves fully in the beauty of the world. Their plan was to tour the country before eventually returning to Jujutsu High.
Although everyone at the school had lost contact with them, their simultaneous disappearance made it easy to guess what had happened. Trusting in Hasegumo's strength, both schools simply treated it as a sabbatical and didn't bother launching a search.
On this day, following a travel guide, Hasegumo and Hisazakuro arrived at the famous Abashiri Prison. They peered through the gates, and Hasegumo tilted his head. "So... what exactly is the appeal of looking at a prison?"
"I don't know either." Hisazakuro didn't understand why the travel guide listed this as a "must-see" in Hokkaido, either.
But as she scanned the surroundings, she seemed to find something better. She pointed toward the distance—a lush, primeval forest untainted by industrialization. In the depths of the trees, a lake shimmered under the sun, with countless birds circling above. She gave Hasegumo's arm a playful tug. "Let's go check out that area instead."