Time quickly passed, and it was already 2007. In April, as always, new students enrolled in the Jujutsu High.
What was unusual this year was that there was only one new student.
"My name is Kiyotaka Ijichi. P-please take care of me…!"
Ijichi, looking evidently nervous, bowed deeply. Zoro frowned slightly at the sight.
"He looks too weak."
Gojo, who was sitting with his legs up on the desk, said bluntly. Ijichi's face fell. Geto tried to intervene.
"Satoru, be careful with your words. You might hurt the new student."
"I'm just stating the facts. At best, he's a Grade 4 sorcerer, more like assistant director material."
It was questionable if he could handle a Grade 3 curse. Gojo, looking disapproving, put on his sunglasses after scrutinizing Ijichi with his azure eyes.
Ijichi, looking dejected, said, "I'll… try my best."
"Sorry, but effort doesn't matter much for sorcerers. Talent is much more important."
Gojo spoke coldly.
Having a lot of cursed energy and good techniques is talent.
Having the talent to use that cursed energy in reverse techniques, physical enhancement, or barrier techniques.
Having the talent to fight disgusting curses without batting an eye.
Even unique cases like Ten Shadows Technique are a kind of talent. Though the Zenin family, a bunch of fools, never considered it as such.
In the jujutsu world, a person without talent who works hard can never catch up with a naturally talented person who doesn't put in any effort. It might be different if the levels of talent were similar, but when the gap is significant, effort becomes meaningless.
Zoro, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
"There's more than one way to get stronger, not just through jujutsu."
There's Haki and other methods besides Haki.
"For example, guns."
When dealing with curses, guns are often useless, but against curse users, firearms work.
Frankly, Zoro couldn't understand why the higher-ups didn't try to combine jujutsu with modern weapons.
Even in his previous life, where firearms were much less powerful than in this era, ordinary navy soldiers often used guns.
"Grade 3 and 4 curses can be handled by non-sorcerers with firearms as long as they can land hits."
Ijichi glanced at Zoro, who seemed deep in thought, then cautiously asked Geto, who looked the most normal among them.
"…Why is this child here?"
"Oh, introduce yourself. He's your senior."
"Whaaat?!"
After the introductions with Ijichi (or rather, after a horrified Ijichi fled the classroom upon learning that a seven-year-old was going on the most dangerous missions in the jujutsu world), Zoro walked down the hallway, talking to Gojo and Geto.
"I don't think that guy should be sent on curse exorcism or curse user elimination missions."
It's no different from throwing a greenhorn from East Blue straight into the Grand Line. He'd be dead meat the moment he encounters a slightly stronger enemy.
"Agreed~ One wrong mission assignment and he's dead meat."
Satoru agreed with Zoro's assessment. Geto nodded.
"Misgrading mission difficulty happens quite often."
Sometimes it's deliberate, like when the higher-ups give a mission far above the actual grade out of spite, as in the case of Toji Zenin. But there are also plenty of cases where it's simply due to incompetence or overwork.
The problem is, unless it's a high-grade sorcerer or one with high potential, misgrading missions can be deadly for the sorcerer.
It must be stopped, no matter what.
Gojo asked, "Zoro~ Want to join me on a mission later?"
"No."
"Eh? Why not?"
"Something seems to have come up."
Zoro stared out the window. Following his gaze, Gojo and Geto turned their heads. Zenin Naoya, Nanami Kento, and Haibara Yu, all scratched and battered, were trudging toward them.
"What's up with them?"
Behind them, Toji, the only one unscathed, was walking. Zoro narrowed his eyes. Something must have happened.
"…Mission grading error?"
"Yeah. The first-year… no, second-year now. Those three took on a mission that was misgraded."
Toji cracked his stiff neck as he answered Geto's question.
Originally, it was supposed to be an unremarkable Grade 2 curse exorcism mission. With a Grade 3, Semi-Grade 2, and Grade 2 sorcerer, it should have been more than enough to handle the mission.
Or so it should have been.
"It wasn't just a regular Grade 2 curse. It was a land god."
Ubusunagami faith. The belief in a god that protects the land or village.
The curse, situated in a nameless small village, had consumed the fervent wishes and curses of the residents for hundreds of years.
The curse deliberately caused unfortunate events to gather curses from the residents, then bestowed small blessings upon specific individuals among them to keep the faith and curses directed at it ongoing.
The increasing fear and terror towards it, the sense of superiority and gratitude of those chosen by it, the betrayal, and jealousy continued to grow.
Gojo spoke in a cold tone, "A land god… that would be a special-grade curse."
"Right. It needed at least a Grade 1 sorcerer."
It's absolutely not the kind of curse that students, especially not ungraded sorcerers, should be facing.
Moreover, all three second-years specialize in close combat techniques. This curse would release highly acidic bodily fluids when struck, which could potentially dissolve the attacker's body.
Despite this, all three managed to escape with only minor injuries, thanks to the training they received from Zoro and Toji. Toji then dealt with the special-grade curse.
"How did you know to go there?"
"Naoya called me."
"You actually gave him your number?"
"I didn't. He found it himself."
Naoya had stolen Toji's number from Haibara's phone.
Of course, they caught him immediately, and he had to buy Haibara dinner and give Toji a Grade 1 cursed tool as punishment.
"Do you think the higher-ups were behind this?"
"Who knows. It could just be a simple mistake."
The higher-ups would find it risky to deliberately endanger the Zenin family heir, even if they're corrupt.
Toji spoke while absentmindedly looking at his hand.
When Naoya had called him, urgently saying that a special-grade curse had appeared at their mission site, Toji was already in a taxi heading to the location.
It was only after boarding the taxi that he wondered why he hadn't hesitated.
It wasn't due to a sense of justice, duty, or sympathy for them. It would be hard for Toji to feel any attachment to Naoya, given he was a Zenin.
After thinking it over, Toji concluded that it was simply because he was used to it.
It was a habit.
Not just on missions but in daily life, Toji often helped others. He had to. If he stood by idly while someone needed help, his eldest son, who couldn't navigate well and never complained even while bleeding, would step in.
After years of such a life, Toji had developed a habit.
Toji saved a Zenin due to a habit born from his son.
It felt strange.
Toji didn't have much time to dwell on it, as he was assigned to the next mission immediately. He gently stroked Zoro's hair and said, "I might not be back early today, so stay with your siblings."
"Okay. Don't push yourself."
"You too."
Toji turned and disappeared down the hallway in the blink of an eye.
Beep. Geto's phone rang. He frowned after reading the message.
"I've been assigned a mission too. Satoru, didn't you have a mission coming up? Looks like you might already be late."
"There's still some time left. And if I'm late, the assistant director will contact—"
"♬♪♩♫"
"Damn."
Gojo's phone rang, and Geto smirked wryly.
"Bad timing for both of us. Zoro, look after the second-years, please."
"Got it."
"Zoro, take care of Nanamin and Haibara too!"
…Nanami would probably hate it if you called him that while taking care of him.
Zoro watched Gojo, who kept calling out "Nanamin, Nanamin," even as he walked away, much to Nanami Kento's annoyance.
Bang, the door to the infirmary opened, and Shoko stepped out.
"Treatment's done. Huh, where did everyone go?"
"They had missions. That was quick."
"The injuries were just minor scratches."
Disinfecting and applying ointment would have sufficed.
'Though it would've been troublesome if the curse's poison seeped in later, so I used the reverse technique.'
They were students who had to go on missions in a couple of days, so Shoko lit a cigarette.
'Given that they faced a special-grade curse, it's a miracle.'
Even if one or two had died or been seriously injured… No, it wouldn't have been surprising if they were all wiped out. It was a special-grade curse.
Sorcerers encountering a special-grade curse for the first time often couldn't resist and were simply killed. They were overwhelmed by its ferocity and strength. The difference in grade was that vast.
The reason the second-years weren't like that was that they had faced much more ferocious and powerful opponents many times.
Shoko gazed at Zoro intently. Zoro, wondering why Shoko was staring at him, tilted his head and then asked, "Can I go in?"
"Go ahead."
Zoro entered the infirmary. Haibara, sitting on a bed, waved brightly.
"Senpai!"
"How's everyone feeling?"
"We're perfectly fine! Ieiri-senpai even used the reverse technique on us."
Haibara spoke energetically as always. Unlike him, Nanami looked a bit downcast.
"Nanamin, how's your body?"
"Who's Nanamin? It's Nanami."
Nanami snapped. He hated the new nickname Gojo had started using recently, which only added to his stress when both Geto and Zoro also began calling him that.
Unable to truly get mad at a much younger senior who had helped them so much, Nanami sighed deeply and said, "I wasn't seriously hurt. We were lucky."
"That's good. But why the face?"
"I still have a long way to go."
Nanami was still graded as Semi-Grade 2, but both Zoro and Gojo, even Toji, repeatedly said he was at least Grade 2.
'I must have gotten overconfident.'
He thought he could at least stand up to a special-grade curse, not win, but at least resist.
'It was useless.'
All they could do was escape without serious injuries.
He now fully understood why Zoro and Toji had been so relentless in their training.
When the curse's body spilled highly acidic fluid, Nanami's body instinctively dodged before he even thought about it. Just as he did when Toji mercilessly swung his sword at him.
'The oppressive presence of a special-grade curse wasn't as overwhelming.'
Despite being special-grade, it wasn't as intense as Zoro's killing intent.
During sword training, Nanami had struck the curse once, just as he had practiced thousands of times with a bamboo sword. Though the damage was minimal.
After all, it was a miracle they even managed to escape from a special-grade curse.
Seeing Toji arrive and instantly tear apart the special-grade curse with his endless chains and brutal swordplay, the three could only gape in awe.
The difference was immense.
Nanami finally realized the true extent of the prowess of those who casually laughed and talked beside him.
"Can I really become strong enough to face that curse?"
Without hesitation, Zoro nodded at Nanami's question.
"You came back alive, didn't you?"
As long as you're alive, nothing is impossible. Zoro spoke calmly.
"..."
Naoya, who had been silent and staring at Zoro, finally lowered his head.
Zoro observed him carefully.
...
[Author's Note]
Vote with your power stones, it motivates me to keep posting chapters.
If you're interested, you can read 20 advance chapters on my Patréon.
patréon.com/fumiaki