"HAHAHAHA!"
Aoi Todo burst into hearty laughter. His massive frame clashed relentlessly with the agile figure across from him—Tokiya Shingen—fists and kicks colliding in rapid succession. Every strike tore through the air with a sharp whistle. It was obvious that Todo was thoroughly enjoying himself… though the bruises on his face and the cuts across his body somewhat ruined the picture.
Of course, Shingen wasn't in much better shape. A dull ache lingered between his ribs, and a trace of blood still stained the corner of his mouth. Earlier, Todo had realized that feints and trickery were useless against Shingen—so he'd decisively switched tactics, choosing to trade blows head-on.
Amid the flurry of strikes, Shingen's sudden uppercut landed cleanly on Todo's chin. Todo's head snapped back—but in the next instant, he blocked the follow-up elbow and was driven back by a straight punch to the chest, creating distance between them.
Todo inhaled deeply, like a whale drawing in air, his face filled with pure exhilaration. His eyes burned with intensity as he spoke:
"Tokiya Shingen! To show you my respect, I'm going all out now! No techniques—just raw, flesh-to-flesh combat! This is what makes battle thrilling!"
Shingen raised an eyebrow, already beginning to regret things slightly. He was even considering whether to just activate his technique and end it quickly.
"You got one thing wrong earlier," Shingen replied. "Cursed energy reinforcement may have limits—but everyone's limits are different. And so is their cursed energy. Let's settle this."
Todo's grin widened, his cursed energy surging along with his excitement.
Shingen's figure blurred—then appeared right in front of him.
His right leg rose high, then came crashing down like a blade.
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath the impact. Dust and debris erupted, obscuring the battlefield.
Todo had already dodged, his eyes scanning the swirling dust.
Airflow changes the dust… track the movement… that reveals his position!
In a split-second calculation, Todo locked onto the shifting currents.
There—
The dust moved toward him.
Attack!
Todo pulled his fist back like a drawn bowstring, then unleashed a full-force punch into the cloud. The shockwave blasted the dust aside—and revealed a figure within.
At the same time, Shingen's hands shot forward.
He slipped past the punch, locking onto Todo's joint. His other hand followed, gripping his upper arm. Then, driving his whole body forward—
Twist. Turn. Power from the ground, strength from the waist—
Todo's massive body was lifted and hurled forward.
He barely managed to brace midair before crashing into the ground with a thunderous impact, cracks spiderwebbing beneath him.
Shingen immediately closed the distance and stomped down—but Todo rolled aside, swept low to force Shingen back, and sprang to his feet.
Without a word, Todo kicked up a chunk of rubble and sent it flying toward Shingen, then charged forward like a launched missile.
Shingen simply raised his arm to shield his face, letting the debris strike him without reaction.
Todo exhaled sharply and threw everything into his next punch.
The cursed energy around his fist twisted—
Then, black light erupted.
"Now that's more like it…"
Shingen's eyes lit up. That same sensation—the unity between himself and cursed energy—surged within him.
Black light flared from his own fist.
The air around them warped.
Spectators—students and teachers alike—stared wide-eyed as both fighters unleashed Black Flash at the same moment.
Todo's excitement reached its peak.
"Tokiya Shingen! Even if we aren't best friends—there is still a bond between us! This is fate!"
Nearby, Shoko Ieiri smiled faintly.
"These kids are something else… Gojo, your student still isn't using his technique, right?"
Gojo Satoru lounged casually, as if watching a movie.
"Of course. He's my student, after all. It's just an exchange event—if he wants to enjoy the fight without techniques, that's fine. Otherwise, it'd be boring."
Then—
The fists collided.
Black Flash vs. Black Flash.
The resulting shockwave was devastating.
The ground collapsed in a wide radius, shattering instantly.
And the outcome—
Was decided in that instant.
The one sent flying was Aoi Todo.
In the end, Shingen's superior cursed energy gave him the edge.
Todo lay on the ground, battered and bruised—but smiling in complete satisfaction.
"No regrets… none at all…"
With the final match decided, Shingen simply grabbed Todo by the leg and dragged him back toward the resting area for treatment.
Masamichi Yaga stepped forward and announced:
"Winner: Tokiya Shingen. Final score—6 to 0. Tokyo Jujutsu High wins this exchange event."
"Nice!"
Shingen returned, his injuries already healed thanks to Shoko Ieiri.
He was immediately greeted by his classmates.
With a smug grin, he brushed his hair back dramatically.
"Not worth mentioning… not worth mentioning. I didn't even go all out."
Panda crouched beside him, striking ridiculous poses in sync.
Toge Inumaki gave two thumbs up."Salmon!"
Yuta Okkotsu simply offered a quiet congratulations.
Maki Zenin, who had been smiling, froze—then scowled.
"Did those two catch Gojo's idiocy or something…?"
And just like that, the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event came to an end.
Tokyo Jujutsu High claimed victory once again—meaning the next event would also be hosted there.
After several busy days, the five first-years followed Gojo Satoru to Shinjuku for some well-earned downtime.
Naturally, everything was paid for by their beloved teacher.
They dined at a high-end restaurant, enjoying premium wagyu and a wide variety of luxurious dishes. The place had been fully reserved—otherwise Panda would have drawn far too much attention.
As for how Panda got there?
Ridiculously simple.
He wore a fake zipper decoration—and suddenly, everyone just saw him as a giant mascot.
Even though it was suspiciously warm for such a bulky costume, no one questioned it for long.
Inside, with the restaurant fully booked out by Gojo, there were no outsiders anyway. As Gojo casually mentioned, the place was apparently one of the Gojo family's properties.
Absolutely absurd wealth.
Next, they visited Gojo's favorite dessert shop, sampling all kinds of sweets. He packed up some extras, claimed he had something to do, and left—after tossing Shingen a card.
"Spend whatever you want."
Shingen didn't hesitate.
The group then wandered through bustling Shinjuku. Compared to the truly eccentric people around, Panda didn't even stand out. In fact, his cuteness attracted requests for photos from passersby.
At first, Panda agreed. Eventually, he got tired of it and started refusing.
They didn't really need to buy anything, though. Maki wasn't much for shopping.
In the end, Shingen dragged everyone along to pick up some seasonal clothes. He also bought a bunch of popular game discs and cartridges—whether he had time to play them or not didn't matter.
At night, under the city lights, he grabbed street food along the way.
Later, they stopped at a massive electronics store. While Maki and the others tried VR equipment, Shingen found an old arcade machine and indulged in nostalgia.
Then—
Footsteps.
He looked up—and froze.
All six Kyoto students were there.
"Well, what a coincidence."
They were dressed casually too, clearly out enjoying themselves.
Noritoshi Kamo nodded."We were out as well. Saw you here and came to say hello."
Nearby, Mai Zenin watched Maki trying VR, smirking—though she couldn't help feeling a little tempted herself.
Soon, Shingen invited them to play.
The first to accept?
Of course—Aoi Todo.
"I've got time before Takada-chan's handshake event. Let's do this!"
He got completely crushed.
Then Kasumi Miwa and Noritoshi Kamo tried.
Also crushed.
Shingen leaned back smugly.
"Invincible… how lonely…"
Then Maki and Yuta challenged him.
They got crushed too.
Even as they improved quickly out of sheer stubbornness, Shingen still dominated—laughing all the while.
"Too weak! Too weak!"
Eventually, no one wanted to play anymore.
After leaving the arcade, the Kyoto group said their goodbyes. Todo headed off for his idol event, while the others returned.
Shingen and his group wrapped up their night soon after.
Life returned to normal.
More missions. More work.
Shingen often took solo assignments.
At first, completing tasks quickly only resulted in being assigned even more. Eventually, he slowed down deliberately.
Money could wait.
Even a machine would break if it kept going nonstop.
So he adopted a new rhythm:
Complete a mission—then relax.
And so, life became manageable again.
One day, during a rare break—
Gojo Satoru appeared.
"Shingen, I've got a mission for you."
Shingen looked at him curiously.What kind of mission required Gojo to come personally?
Gojo smiled slightly.
"You might be getting a new classmate."