Thanks to Gojo Satoru's eccentric behavior, Fushiguro Megumi's hard-fought decision to attend Jujutsu High was once again thrown into doubt.
Before, Megumi had been fine seeing Gojo only once a week when Gojo was in Tokyo, and Megumi was in Saitama. It was a good break from his usual routine.
But the thought of living on the same campus with Gojo every day? Megumi wasn't sure he could last until his sister, Tsumiki, woke up. He might pass out from sheer exhaustion before that.
In the end, it was Akira who stepped in with his "true teacher" aura, driving away the "false teacher" (Gojo) and explaining in detail how said "false teacher" loved to be late, lazy, and disappear for days on end, leaving the actual teaching to others.
Only then did Megumi reluctantly agree to at least give it a try—he'd start by auditing classes at Tokyo Jujutsu High without officially transferring, keeping his enrollment in Saitama while attending classes in Tokyo part-time.
To be honest, Megumi's reluctance wasn't entirely because of Gojo. That was just a surface-level excuse. The deeper reason was that he wanted to transition smoothly and avoid unnecessary complications.
Megumi and his sister Tsumiki were well-known figures at their current school—top tier, in fact. Tsumiki's sudden coma and Megumi's abrupt transfer could easily cause a stir if not handled properly.
Although Gojo could resolve things easily by pulling some strings, Megumi's upbringing made him fiercely independent. He avoided troubling others whenever possible, even his legal guardian.
It's worth noting that all of Megumi and Tsumiki's living expenses so far had come from Jujutsu High's scholarships, which were contingent on Megumi's future as a jujutsu sorcerer—essentially, a kind of financial aid with strings attached.
It wasn't that Gojo wasn't willing to provide; rather, Megumi wasn't willing to accept.
With Tsumiki's care, curse removal, and hunting down the perpetrator all left to Gojo, if he handed off this small task too, Megumi would feel like he had lost a piece of himself.
Gojo, knowing Megumi's personality after nearly ten years of living together, didn't push the issue further. He simply patted Megumi's shoulder and said to Akira, "I'll leave him to you. With someone like you teaching, even the Ten Shadows Technique will be in good hands."
Akira caught the underlying message and replied quietly, "Have you already figured out where I came from?"
"With so many obvious clues, if I hadn't, the Gojo family might as well be kicked out of the Three Great Families," Gojo said confidently with a grin. "Who knows? Maybe my ideal of change could really happen with you guys."
"I'm not interested in doing anything about the Kamo family," Akira replied.
"It's all connected. Your very existence is a catalyst for change."
After saying that, Gojo turned and left, continuing his role as the ever-absent "hands-off supervisor."
"Akira-senpai—?"
Megumi couldn't deny he was curious, watching as two seemingly deep and unreadable men exchanged quiet words.
But Akira didn't satisfy his curiosity. "Nothing important. Gojo-sensei has his own work to handle. What we need to focus on is what we should be doing. Any ideas?"
"Training?" Megumi replied automatically.
"Nope. I didn't tell you to calm down so you could swing from one extreme to the other."
Akira sighed. Students like Megumi were all too intense.
Being wild and battle-crazy was good in combat, but in daily life, Akira hoped they'd at least act somewhat normal.
"You haven't eaten dinner, you're injured, and if you don't want to shorten your lifespan, you'd better take it easy. First, eat. Then bathe. Finally, sleep. Tomorrow, take care of your school arrangements. Do I really need to walk you through that?"
"No need, thank you, Akira-senpai."
Megumi's attitude was respectful. That was just the kind of person he was. Once he acknowledged someone, he would genuinely treat them as a senior or mentor and show them proper respect.
And Akira had undoubtedly earned Megumi's respect.
He was strong, and what he said made sense—far more reasonable than the nonsense most others spouted.
Once Megumi left, Akira turned to Maki. "So, what should we do next—?"
"Obviously, continue fighting! I didn't get enough out of sparring with Megumi. So, you're up. I expect you to go all out." The fire in Maki's eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest.
"I thought we were on vacation to relax?" Akira raised an eyebrow.
"This is relaxing for me. There's no better way to unwind than this. Afterward, we can soak in a hot spring."
"I don't recall hearing about any hot springs around here," Akira muttered, but seeing the gleam in Maki's eyes, he knew he'd have to knock her out before getting a moment's peace.
Fine. Looks like you'll be spending tonight in a hospital bed. Don't ruin my plans for a nice night out in Saitama with Gardevoir.
Meanwhile, Maki resolved to go all out as well. Perhaps due to her sensory training showing results, Maki had a feeling that Akira was planning something less than wholesome.
As a result, Maki did end up in a hospital bed, but Akira's night out in Saitama also didn't go as planned. He, too, was injured—especially his legs, which had taken several solid hits.
Without relying on tricks, Akira didn't have a huge advantage over Maki in terms of raw power. Despite her injuries, Maki had only grown more reckless with every blow. In the end, she enjoyed herself, while Akira didn't.
Luckily, Akira had his well-behaved and considerate companion Gardevoir with him. Although their night out didn't happen as intended, they did find a nice observation deck nearby and spent time admiring the city lights together, salvaging the trip a bit.
The next day, when the group reconvened at the hospital, every one of them—students and teacher alike—looked like they'd been in a brawl, bruises and all.
Gojo, seizing the opportunity, took a barrage of photos, mirroring what Akira had done the previous night.
Even when they returned to Jujutsu High, the marks of their battle were still visible.
Panda and Inumaki stared in disbelief.
"So… this was your vacation?"
"Salmon?" (You okay?)
After Maki proudly boasted about her victories, Panda covered his face with one paw.
"Even a panda like me can't bear to watch this mess."
The only one excited was the childlike Pangoro, thrilled by all the new black eyes. He was swinging his tiny fists in joy before Gardevoir quietly levitated him away with psychic energy.
Then, naturally, Panda and Maki started bickering again.
Panda had been pushing things lately, constantly asking Maki what kind of guys she liked, or whether Akira preferred girls with bigger or smaller chests.
Such things were not meant to be asked in front of so many people. Damn gossiping panda!
As for the training sessions at Jujutsu High, most fights ended in chaotic brawls, and even Megumi wasn't spared. This time, it was Inumaki Toge who stood victorious.
No surprise—bearing the name "Inumaki," he fully embodied a survival-focused fighting style. Swift on his feet, quiet, and hard to notice, he waited until the right moment to unleash a massive curse speech, securing the win.
After a period of training, his timing with curse speech had significantly improved—he only spoke when necessary, and when he did, the results were guaranteed.
As the brawl ended, the students (and the panda) lay on the training field, recovering while Akira and Gojo stood nearby, analyzing and breaking down the fight.
For the first-years, it was the usual commentary—old lessons they were accustomed to hearing. It would take time and effort to master those fundamentals.
What was more notable was the new addition—Fushiguro Megumi.
"For the next phase, you need to focus on improving your close combat skills—hand-to-hand fighting, using tools, and coordinating with your shikigami." This was Akira's initial plan for him.
"Not the taming of the shikigami?" Megumi asked, confused. In his mind, mastering as many shikigami as possible was the fastest way to increase his strength.
"That's important too. Everyone here will help you with that."
"Appreciate the offer, but the taming ritual doesn't allow outside interference. If there's any external help, the ritual is deemed invalid."
If that were possible, Megumi would have long since brought all ten shikigami under his control, especially considering his "invincible" guardian was by his side.
Akira merely waved his finger. "You're thinking too small. Narrow, limited thinking. What do you define as outside interference? How is it determined? Once you understand the trigger mechanisms, there's always a way around it."
Megumi's biggest flaw was his conservative thinking, allowing himself to be boxed in by rigid ideas.
He was like a model student—someone who only knew how to study hard, solve problems seriously, and ace tests the conventional way.
But Akira planned to teach him something Megumi had never considered before—how to cheat the system.
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