As soon as this absurd question was asked, the students from Kyoto all collectively widened their eyes and took a step back.
Todo Aoi's brain works similarly to Gojo Satoru's—both are wired in a peculiar way. Todo's oddest quirk is asking everyone about their preferences.
From the old monk at the top, to Mechamaru at the bottom, Todo has asked every man this question—excluding the women, of course.
Thus, Todo Aoi embarked on a life where his only virtue was his strength.
The Tokyo school had never seen anything like this before, leaving many of them dumbfounded.
Hakari Kinji was the first to speak: "Why do we even need to answer such a stupid question? This is ridiculous."
Okkotsu Yuta, Inumaki Toge, Fushiguro Megumi, and even Panda all nodded in agreement.
Todo Aoi grinned widely, somehow managing to look a bit comical: "XP reflects everything about a person. If someone has boring tastes, then they themselves are boring. And I hate boring men. The exchange event is a stage for the soul where blood boils and bodies cheer. If you're boring, get out! Hurry up and answer, even if your answer is a guy!"
Tokyo students: "…"
Tokyo girls: "…"
Gojo Satoru chimed in: "Just answer him, it's fine. By the way, I like idols."
"Who cares what you like!" Utahime Iori was practically seething.
(Note: Absolutely not flirting, Utahime genuinely despises him.)
"No one asked you, idiot teacher," the students all collectively groaned.
Gojo was used to this treatment, casually continuing, "If we're not counting me, Akira should be the one with the most authority to answer this question."
Hearing this, the students felt like they'd found their pillar of support.
"Akira, we're counting on you!"
"Captain, this is your moment."
"Akira, you've got this."
"Salmon."
Even Hakari Kinji from a higher grade joined in, "Akira, go for it."
Akira: "You're all hopeless."
But, in reality, Akira had thought about this question before.
If it were only Fushiguro Megumi in the spotlight today, he'd probably get beaten up by Todo Aoi. But with both Akira and Okkotsu Yuta around...
"Senior Todo, I don't think your preference is entirely wrong. But asking this question depends on the situation and the person. Some people you can ask directly, and some you can't—especially men who already have women by their side."
"Garde~"
As soon as Akira finished speaking, a Gardevoir in a flowing white dress floated out from behind Akira, her large eyes glaring unblinkingly at Todo Aoi, who suddenly felt an oppressive aura he hadn't felt in a long time.
Akira patted Gardevoir on the shoulder, signaling her not to steal the show. After all, the real star here wasn't her, but rather—
"Rika, someone's asking what kind of women Yuta likes. What do you think?"
As soon as Akira said this, the Tokyo students scattered immediately. Calling out Rika like that was akin to lighting a fuse.
Sure enough, a massive white head emerged from the void.
"Yuuuu-taaaaa loves Rika! We'll always be together!!!"
The special-grade cursed spirit, Orimoto Rika, fully manifested.
The thick aura of the curse swept across the entire area, leaving the Kyoto students pale.
"No way."
"A curse of this magnitude…"
"Special grade doesn't even begin to describe it."
Seeing the Kyoto students' terrified faces, Gojo Satoru burst out laughing, giving Akira a thumbs up. "Nice job."
Akira returned the gesture with a smile.
Without his interference, this exchange event might have ended instantly—with Todo Aoi angering Rika and the entire Kyoto team being wiped out.
In that sense, Akira had done Kyoto a favor by holding back.
"Gojo Satoru, this is all your fault!" Zenin Yoshinobu, who had been holding back this whole time, finally exploded. "You promised Rika wouldn't cause any trouble."
"Don't worry, Rika is a good girl, very obedient," Gojo said with a smug expression. "Unless, of course, she scares some elderly people with heart problems or high blood pressure."
Zenin Yoshinobu was so angry his eyes bulged, but there was nothing he could do. If it came down to a fight, both Gojo and Rika could easily crush the entire Kyoto team.
"Don't glare at me like that. I said it's fine. Yuta, control your little girlfriend," Gojo casually waved his hand.
"Rika, Todo-senpai was just asking a random question. It's okay."
With just one sentence from Yuta, Rika calmed down and reverted to her half-manifested state, much less intimidating.
"Sorry about that, Todo-senpai. Rika usually isn't like this. It's only when something involves me that she, uh... Todo-senpai?"
At this point, Todo Aoi's eyes had glazed over, and he stared blankly ahead.
Just when everyone thought he was scared stiff, Todo suddenly blurted out:
"Girl, you are strong."
Then, in a flash, he rushed over to Akira and Yuta, grabbing both their hands:
"First-years, what are your names?"
"Akira."
"Okkotsu Yuta."
"I see. Akira and Okkotsu Yuta. I'll remember that. I like tall women with big butts, and I thought I was already pretty amazing, but it turns out you two are even stronger. Let's work hard together for our preferences!"
Akira and Yuta exchanged silent glances.
Who the hell wants to work hard for preferences? Damn.
Even if we did, it's not something to openly discuss. Saying it out loud just invites awkwardness.
Gardevoir and Rika, on the other hand, seemed pleased. They could feel Todo's sincerity and his blessing toward them.
Surprisingly, he's not a bad guy—just a bit ugly.
The farce came to an end with Todo Aoi's one-sided agreement, much to everyone's relief—or at least, that's how it seemed.
But just as both sides were about to disband, Zenin Yoshinobu suddenly spoke:
"Yaga, both Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High are allies in the fight against curses, right?"
"That's correct," Principal Yaga responded, somewhat puzzled by the question.
"The purpose of the exchange event is to understand one another and ourselves through competition, not to curse each other…"
"Quit beating around the bush. Just say what you mean. It's obviously about Yuta and Rika," Gojo cut in bluntly, clearly fed up with all the excuses.
"As you said, the existence of a special-grade cursed spirit like Orimoto Rika is far too dangerous. Even if Yuta can somewhat control her, that doesn't mean complete domination."
"Complete domination? You mean like turning her into a mindless puppet? If that's the case, I doubt our Mechamaru over there would be very happy," Gojo retorted.
"Safety must be ensured," Zenin insisted, his face serious. "What if Rika causes irreversible harm to our students? Surely, you wouldn't want that."
Gojo, now bored, picked his ear. "That's not going to happen. But since you clearly won't believe me, just tell me what you want."
"Ban Okkotsu Yuta from competing."
"Not a chance."
Gojo brought Yuta to Kyoto specifically to rub it in the elders' faces, to prove that Rika, under Yuta's control, is safe, and to show that the old ways of handling things were wrong. To prove that Yuta's special-grade title is well-deserved.
Even if Akira was switched out, Yuta still had to compete and make a showing.
"Then put a restriction on Yuta. At most, allow Rika to only manifest partially."
"No need," Todo Aoi interrupted, disagreeing before Gojo could respond. "You're too scared, old man. A victory earned by restricting your opponent is meaningless."
"I'm just looking out for your safety," Zenin Yoshinobu said, trying to maintain his moral high ground.
"When has fighting curses ever been safe? Or are you saying everyone in Kyoto Jujutsu High is just a bunch of cowards?" Todo mocked as he scanned the room, but no one dared to respond.
Instead, it was Yuta who said, "It's okay, Todo-senpai. I'm also worried that Rika might overdo it. I'm willing to accept the restrictions. If I go too far, just disqualify me."
"You don't have to—"
Halfway through his sentence, Todo caught sight of Yuta's determined gaze and swallowed his words. He glanced at Yuta, then at Gojo.
"Is that alright?"
Gojo looked at Yuta, then at Akira. "What do you think?"
"No problem. I never intended for Yuta to overly rely on Rika's power. Either way, the victory is already in our hands."
Akira smiled slightly, and naturally, the first-year students gathered around him. In that moment, the aura they exuded was comparable to Rika's full manifestation.
A competition?
No.
We're just here to absolutely crush our opponents. Simple as that.