This time, the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event was held in Kyoto.
However, Satoru, who usually looked forward to having fun after the event, hadn't made any plans this time.
"I'm heading out first."
Satoru turned back to say goodbye, then disappeared into the woods.
"He rushed out without preparing anything. Is that guy going to be okay?"
It was Utahime who spoke. She had already recognized Satoru's scummy nature from Shoko.
She also categorized Eichi and Suguru, who got along well with Satoru, into the same scummy group.
"It's fine. Gojo is very strong."
"Instead of worrying about Gojo, you should be worrying about the Kyoto School students."
To Utahime's question, everyone answered in surprisingly similar tones.
"I'm going to look for Cursed Spirits now."
With that, Suguru also left the group.
For this Exchange Event, the Kyoto School had released many Grade 3 Cursed Spirits and a few Grade 2 Cursed Spirits into the forest. The final victory would be determined by which side exorcised more.
"Should we find a place for a picnic?"
Eichi suggested.
"Huh? Aren't we going to exorcise Cursed Spirits?"
"With Suguru and Satoru already taking action, I doubt there'll be much left for us."
Shoko announced that she was a non-combatant and wouldn't participate. Artoria clearly sided with Eichi, leaving Utahime to cast a pleading glance at Mei Mei.
"Leave it to me to find a picnic spot."
Mei Mei smiled and closed her eyes.
Caw, caw.
Black Bird Manipulation activated.
The surrounding crows scattered in all directions.
Mei Mei searched for a suitable picnic spot by sharing the crows' vision.
"Even Mei Mei…"
Utahime looked at her classmate, whom she had always considered reliable, with disbelief.
"Am I the only one taking the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event seriously and losing sleep over it?"
Utahime felt deeply hurt.
"Pfft."
Eichi couldn't help but laugh.
"Wait, don't laugh."
Utahime instantly realized she'd said that out loud.
"My apologies. I just thought Utahime-senpai is very cute. Ah, I said it out loud again."
Eichi smiled and covered his mouth.
"Show some respect to your senpai!"
Utahime's fair face flushed red, either from embarrassment or anger.
A sky-blue picnic blanket, a basket filled with vegetable and ham sandwiches, several bags of fruit, and various juices and teas.
"What a convenient technique."
Mei Mei couldn't help but comment.
Though her eyes remained closed due to Black Bird Manipulation, she could still see through the crows' shared vision that Eichi was continuously pulling items from his shadow.
"Mm-hmm."
Utahime, next to her, nodded eagerly.
If her shadow could do that, she could find a restroom to change when her clothes got dirty, carry all her shopping with ease, ditch her heavy cosmetic bag, and... the more she thought about it, the more envious she became.
"I've found the Kyoto School students."
Mei Mei's voice interrupted Utahime's fantasy.
"How many? Where are they?"
"Three Jujutsu Sorcerers from the Kamo Family. They're still some distance away."
Mei Mei pointed west.
"As long as they don't disturb our picnic, we don't need to worry about them."
Eichi replied casually.
For this Exchange Event, Kyoto School had sent nine Jujutsu Sorcerers from first to third year.
Five of them came from the Kamo Family and the Zen'in Family.
They truly were families capable of producing Jujutsu Sorcerers steadily.
The Zen'in Family's success in producing sorcerers was tied to their ideology.
A family that worshipped power, the Zen'in had always recruited powerful Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Because capable sorcerers could attain high status and excellent treatment within the family, many from outside were happy to join and leave their bloodline behind.
All those individuals eventually took the Zen'in surname.
This was why the Zen'in Family had such a variety of inherited techniques.
Projection Sorcery.
Heavenly Restriction.
Ten Shadows Technique.
And others.
These were all legacies accumulated from generations of absorbing external sorcerers.
The Kamo Family was different.
Due to the past prestige and honor of their ancestors, they prided themselves on being the "orthodoxy" of Jujutsu.
So rather than continuously absorbing outsiders like the Zen'in, the Kamo Family developed a complete internal system for cultivating their own sorcerers.
This system had consistently produced capable Jujutsu Sorcerers.
However, when Eichi observed the Kamo Family more closely, he realized something.
The Kamo Family's long-standing prestige, along with their attitude of exclusivity, might all stem from one person.
Kenjaku.
The Kamo Family had achieved many breakthroughs in Jujutsu history. They also possessed numerous cursed tools, cursed objects, and hidden trump cards.
But from the perspective of someone who knew the full story, Eichi could see that many of those achievements might have been Kenjaku's doing.
Think about what Kenjaku did.
Two events connect everything.
1. Kenjaku once possessed Noritoshi Kamo's body and cruelly created the Cursed Womb: Death Painting.
2. Kenjaku, later possessing Suguru's body, easily became head of the Kamo Family.
The first point showed his skill in research.
The second point revealed something deeper.
It's not that the Kamo Family kneels to any strong person. After all, they didn't kneel when Satoru came.
Some elders in the family had always known the Kamo Family was protected by a mysterious "ancestor" or similar figure.
And this elder's most distinct feature was the stitching on his forehead, left behind by a binding vow.
So when Kenjaku, in Suguru's body, appeared before them, they knelt immediately.
This makes the Kamo Family's foundation easier to understand.
In the Culling Game, Kenjaku created and released a thousand players, and later an absurd ten million Cursed Spirits.
It's impossible for him to have gathered ten million Cursed Spirits in the single year after taking Suguru's body.
Those were clearly assets accumulated over a millennium.
It's only reasonable that part of them were hidden within the Kamo Family.
Finally, there was the Gojo Family, the flashiest but also most detached among the Big Three Families.
Like the Kamo Family, they didn't absorb external sorcerers.
The Gojo Family's reality could be summed up in one sentence: those who are favored have nothing to fear.
The Six Eyes is the Gojo Family's greatest secret.
It first appeared 500 years ago when Tengen assimilated a star plasma vessel.
It appeared again 400 years ago, leading to a martial arts battle so fierce that the head of the Zen'in Family dragged it into mutual destruction.
So the gap between the births of Six Eyes users isn't long.
Which is why the Gojo Family has a pattern.
When the Six Eyes is born, the Gojo Family rules over the Jujutsu World.
When the Six Eyes is not born, they relax, sip tea, and watch the world unfold at a distance.
(To be continued.)