"I'll be a good big brother..."
Back in reality, Choso slowly closed his eyes. A happy smile spread across his face.
He murmured those words, as if making a promise to the mother who had died so tragically a hundred and fifty years ago, or maybe he was simply swearing it to himself.
"Something about you guys feels kind of weird..."
Yuji couldn't shake the feeling that these sudden brothers of his didn't seem very reliable.
"Choso, this is the student I mentioned earlier. I'll leave him to you."
Mukuro patted Choso on the shoulder. Then he hooked his thumb toward Noritoshi, breaking the former out of his sweet daydream.
"Me?" Noritoshi opened his narrow eyes and pointed at his own face. He looked completely confused.
"I hate to admit it, but the bastard's blood really does run in me. Since I became human through incarnation as a cursed object, in some ways I should understand Blood Manipulation better than you do."
Choso recalled one of the things Mukuro had told him earlier. He reached out and clenched his hand in the air. Blood formed from cursed energy gathered in his palm.
The Blood Manipulation used by the Death Painting brothers didn't need their own blood as a medium. As long as they still had cursed energy, they could keep producing blood endlessly.
Even if there were differences in how their abilities worked, he could still teach Noritoshi a lot.
"Fushiguro-sensei..."
Noritoshi's eyes trembled. He wanted to say something, but Mukuro cut him off first.
"Don't say anything emotional. I just feel like being a decent teacher once in a while."
He was only a honorary instructor at Kyoto Jujutsu High. He barely taught at all. That wasn't just because they paid him, or because he didn't like working by the book. There was another reason.
Maybe it was because things had peaked and started to fall. When four special grade sorcerers appeared around the same era, including him, the jujutsu world seemed to weaken afterward.
Starting from Ijichi, most of the students who came later could only end up as assistant managers, doing support work.
Meanwhile, curses kept getting stronger. Only in recent years did things start to improve. Perhaps it was because Sukuna was close to awakening, and because disaster-level curses kept being born one after another.
That was when students like Kinji Hakari, Yuta Okkotsu, Aoi Todo, and now Megumi and Yuji started showing up.
In the years before that, most of them were just average students. No matter how hard they tried, they would never reach the level of a grade 1 sorcerer.
For students like that, Utahime and Kusakabe were more than enough.
Mukuro's role was different. He stood at the very top of Jujutsu High, and the jujutsu world itself. He was the one backing them up.
"But for now, Jujutsu High will probably need grade 1 sorcerers, or someone even higher, to keep an eye on them. We need to make sure they can truly live as humans."
Gakuganji spoke up at the right time, offering a reminder. Still, he didn't say it too bluntly in front of the three brothers.
"Grade 1 sorcerers? Easy."
Mukuro smiled slightly. He walked to his nephew and draped an arm over his shoulder.
"Right now, as a special grade sorcerer, I recommend every Tokyo Jujutsu High participant from today's team battle, except Junpei Yoshino, to be promoted to grade 1. How about that?"
Normally, a sorcerer's promotion worked through recommendations. And reaching grade 1 was especially important. Special grade sorcerers were too rare and too abnormal. In reality, grade 1 was the level seen as leading the jujutsu world.
To be promoted, someone needed at least two current grade 1 sorcerers, or two people with grade 1-level strength, to recommend them.
After that, they had to complete multiple missions with another grade 1 sorcerer, someone who wasn't their recommender. Once they were acknowledged as having grade 1 strength, they became semi-grade 1.
Then, only after one could handle a grade 1 incident alone, would they truly become grade 1.
Of course, special grade standards didn't apply here.
"Then I'll recommend Nishimiya from Kyoto to become grade 1 too." Satoru followed Mukuro's words with a lazy grin.
He had already planned to push his students for promotion after the exchange event. Since his old friend had started it, he might as well return the favor.
But he only recommended one person.
After the team battle, both sides had a clear picture of everyone's strength.
Overall, Kyoto Jujutsu High wasn't as strong as Tokyo.
In Tokyo's case, Inumaki was already semi-grade 1, so he didn't need a recommendation. Maki, Panda, and Megumi were already grade 2.
Nobara and Yuji were only low-ranked because they hadn't been around long enough. Their actual level was already above grade 2.
Junpei... still needed more training.
Kyoto was different.
Todo was already grade 1. Noritoshi and Mechamaru were semi-grade 1. The only one Satoru could seriously recommend was Nishimiya.
As for Mai and Miwa, they weren't ready for grade 1 yet.
"Even if you two recommend them, it'll still take time before they officially become grade 1 sorcerers. During that time..." Gakuganji tried to argue again.
Talking promotions with these two was pointless. Once special grade sorcerers spoke, other grade 1 sorcerers would naturally agree.
The real issue was this.
As curses, the Death Painting brothers were already special grade level. Jujutsu High didn't have extra grade 1 sorcerers to spare just to watch them.
That problem still needed an answer.
"Itadori, you'll keep an eye on your brothers. No problem, right?"
Mukuro raised a finger and cut Gakuganji off. Simultaneously, he pointed out his choice.
"I can do it," Yuji answered without hesitation.
Brother or not, if they treated him like family, then he had to make sure they didn't do anything wrong.
He couldn't let the people Fushiguro's uncle saved go on to hurt others.
"We'll never do anything bad!"
Choso quickly spoke up, afraid their existence would bring trouble to Yuji. For his sake, they had to learn how to live like humans.
"Next comes the matter of getting them human identities. That won't be done overnight. For now, they should stay at Jujutsu High with Sukuna's vessel…"
Gakuganji let out a tired sigh. He honestly didn't know how Masamichi had taught these students ten years ago.
Special grade sorcerers sounded impressive, but every single one of them refused to listen properly.
At the same time, he threw out another problem. Even if he handled things with the higher-ups, they probably wouldn't allow Kechizu to show his face in public. His appearance was simply too horrifying.
Nobody could explain his looks in any normal way. And jujutsu matters were meant to be hidden from ordinary people. If someone like that went outside, he would probably be reported as a monster every day.
People would also question whether he was even human at all.
"Hey, what are you saying? Yuji has a name. It's not some 'Sukuna's vessel!'"
Before Mukuro could respond, Choso stepped forward and stared straight into Gakuganji's eyes.
His gaze was filled with anger.
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