On a bright spring morning, the voices chanting "Osu, Osu!" echoed in unison.
It was the same battlefield as yesterday, now just filled with freshly leveled ground.
At Jujutsu High, land is vast, people are few, and there are many buildings. Losing one building wasn't something they cared about.
With a wave of his hand, Gojo Satoru filled the crater, and Principal Yaga simply switched classrooms.
And so, the matter was brushed off, with the students gaining a new training field.
After the chaos of the first day, Yuta Okkotsu officially joined Jujutsu High, becoming the youngest student in the class.
That evening, Hayami hosted a dinner gathering to both welcome Yuta and provide some relaxation after the intense battle and training.
Having settled into life at the Tokyo branch of Jujutsu High, Hayami completely gave up on the idea of returning to the front lines of battle.
A Grade 3 Sorcerer was decent enough twenty years ago, but now? At Jujutsu High, she couldn't find a single sorcerer weaker than her.
Inumaki Toge, a Grade 2 Sorcerer, was on his way to becoming Grade 1.
The newly arrived Yuta Okkotsu, thanks to Rika's presence, started right at Special Grade.
Akira, Panda, and Maki were still officially Grade 4, but that's only because they hadn't been formally evaluated yet. In terms of actual combat strength, they were at least Grade 2. Akira, in particular, was seen by Gojo Satoru as a future Special Grade sorcerer, with official recognition being only a matter of time.
Times have certainly changed.
Hayami often found herself sighing at this. In the past, a Grade 2 Sorcerer could easily become a teacher at Jujutsu High.
It was odd enough that someone like Gojo, a Special Grade, had chosen to become a teacher.
To be precise, Inumaki Toge was the only one who adhered to traditional sorcery. The rest were all unorthodox oddballs.
There was Maki, who relied purely on physical combat, the uniquely mutated cursed corpse, Panda, and her own son, who was running around with Pokémon.
She really was getting old.
The day after Yuta joined the school, Akira kept his promise and dragged Yuta out of bed before dawn to begin training.
First, a light jog to warm up, followed by everyone practicing punches together.
Due to his physical limitations, Yuta didn't last long before feeling fatigued. At the same time, he couldn't quite understand the training.
Wasn't this supposed to be a school for learning how to use curses?
Weren't they supposed to teach him how to control his "Stand"?
So why were they punching?
Akira noticed Yuta's confusion and explained:
"That comes later. Right now, you need to focus on improving yourself. At this stage, you're not only unable to fully utilize Rika's power, but you're also becoming a burden to her."
Gojo couldn't exorcise Rika precisely because he couldn't harm Yuta.
If Yuta were to die, the curse born from love would be severed, and Rika would lose her anchor. Although she would likely go berserk and cause widespread destruction, her seemingly infinite health and regeneration would also be affected.
In fact, the higher-ups at the Jujutsu Alliance initially wanted to execute Yuta directly because Rika's existence was too dangerous, and the sooner she was eliminated, the better. It was only because Gojo Satoru intervened that Yuta was spared.
Akira had enjoyed the fight yesterday, but Gojo paid the price, being reprimanded by the higher-ups in a special meeting— "You allowed such a dangerous entity to fully manifest in such a crucial place like Jujutsu High."
But Gojo was strong and shameless enough to get away with it. If it had been anyone else, they would've been quietly plotting to eliminate Yuta Okkotsu from the shadows.
There are countless ways to kill a defenseless teenager, even with Rika protecting him, as hidden attacks are harder to dodge.
Akira hoped Yuta would improve quickly, just like he had.
When it came to physical training, there were plenty of hand-to-hand combat experts at Jujutsu High. As for sorcery, Gojo would personally take care of that.
While Gojo wasn't suitable to teach most students, he was perfect for guiding a fellow Special Grade like Yuta, someone who, like him, started out far beyond the finish line for most sorcerers. They also shared an unspoken connection.
Now that Akira himself was also approaching Special Grade, Gojo's role as "Special Grade Teacher" had real significance.
When Gojo took Yuta for specialized training, he said to Akira:
"You're ready to start learning 'Black Flash.'"
"I'm ready? I thought you said I was still a bit off."
"Black Flash," the pinnacle of martial techniques for sorcerers, marked an important transformation. Akira had long wanted to learn it but had never quite grasped how. Gojo had always said it wasn't the right time, until now.
"That was before. Now, after your battle with Rika, your cursed energy has undergone its final transformation, aligning perfectly with your body. You've met all the conditions."
It turned out that because of his "Super Rookie" physique, Akira's initially unremarkable cursed energy had seemed thin in comparison, insufficient to drive his powerful body.
However, after relentless training, Akira had become increasingly adept at controlling his cursed energy. As he grew older and practiced, his energy increased, finally reaching the ideal state during the battle with Rika, a change that Gojo's unique "Six Eyes" had observed.
"Well, that's fantastic news."
Akira cracked his knuckles, eager to begin. No wonder Gojo called Rika the "Queen of Curses" — the rewards from fighting her were no joke, far greater than what any other sorcerer's limits could provide.
"Are you going to teach me?"
"No problem. It's just two simple steps — feel it out. As long as you've got hands, you can do it."
Akira almost forgot Gojo was the master of humblebrags.
"Do you want Yuta and me to beat you up together?"
Akira's gaze turned dangerous. He seriously suspected the system hadn't collected enough data from Gojo because he hadn't had a chance to punch him yet.
"Come on, come on! Why not ask Rika to spar with you instead of me? Isn't it heartbreaking for poor Gojo-sensei? What, am I not good enough?" Gojo sniffed dramatically, though his blindfold covered any fake tears.
"Nope. Rika's way cuter than you." Akira wasn't holding back at all with Gojo.
"Is that so?" Gojo looked over to Yuta.
Caught between Akira's martial arts training and Gojo's offer of cursed energy instruction, Yuta was conflicted. After thinking for a moment, he relented: "How about we stick to talking about 'Black Flash' for now?"
"There's not much to say. If I can't teach you, you'll need someone better at it than me. I've already made arrangements. Today, you'll go meet them and take on a mission together."
When Gojo said that, Akira's mind immediately pictured a reliable adult sorcerer.
"Got it. But for someone better than you at Black Flash, and for me to team up with them, the enemy this time must be pretty intense."
"It's a group of Curse Users. You've never fought Curse Users before, right?"
"I understand," Akira nodded.
Battles between people and between people and curses are very different. Curses are mostly mindless, but Curse Users have strategy. Even if you're strong, underestimating them could lead to disaster.
"Since the enemy is Curse Users, can you give me a couple of extra days?"
The more cards in hand, the better.
"I can, but no more than three days."
"That's plenty."
Ralts took three days to hatch, and Pancham took just one. The third Pokémon should be about the same.
Just one "Black Flash" in advance wasn't exactly a grand giftpack.