Utahime could tell the girl was trying to defuse their argument. She'd let herself get carried away—knowing full well how easily Gojo Satoru could spike her blood pressure, she'd still taken the bait.
Once she realized this, Utahime simply ignored Gojo and focused on the exchange event.
Still, remembering how the girl had helped save her from embarrassment earlier, she glanced toward the young woman behind him.
"You're Seele, right? I heard you recently became a Special Grade jujutsu sorcerer—congratulations."
"Thanks to Seele here, the proportion of scumbags among Special Grades has dropped," she added, shooting a glare in Gojo's direction.
The three of them were lined up in a row. Gojo chimed in casually, "How scary—giving such a fierce look to one of your students."
"I was looking at you!" Utahime snapped, correcting him irritably before turning back to Amber.
"Anyway, Seele, make sure you stay on the right path. Don't grow up into someone like him."
From what Amber had seen during her time here, Gojo had actually taken pretty good care of her. Aside from occasionally teasing her like he just did, he was a decent teacher.
But Utahime and Gojo went way back.
On the surface, they seemed like oil and water, but their relationship was solid enough that they could trade barbs and personal attacks without it affecting their underlying friendship.
So Amber didn't side with Utahime, but she didn't contradict her either. Instead, she said, "Gojo-sensei is pretty reliable most of the time."
"Hmph. The only thing he's got going for him is his raw power," Utahime snorted coldly.
Outwardly, she remained composed, but inwardly, she couldn't help a twinge of envy.
Last year, Tokyo had gained a Special Grade student. And now, this year, they'd gotten another…
As envious as she was, she knew it was only because Gojo had the influence to protect such talents. He could pull strings she couldn't—he had the strength to stand up to the higher-ups' pressure, while she did not.
Ughhh, but still! She wanted a student like that too—someone kind, gentle, incredibly powerful, and even capable of using a healing technique! It defied all common sense!
As everyone knew, jujutsu techniques came in three forms.
The first was the neutral form—using the technique without channeling cursed energy. Such cases were extremely rare.
The second, and most common, was the forward application or Lapse: channeling cursed energy to activate the technique normally.
Cursed energy was negative by nature. In theory, it should only cause destruction. That's why one had to apply "negative × negative = positive" reasoning, converting negative cursed energy into positive—the Reverse Cursed Technique.
Once someone mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique, they could infuse that positive energy into their innate technique—this was the third form: Technique Reversal.
This form was even rarer. As far as anyone knew, Gojo Satoru was the only one alive who could use it.
But according to Gojo, Seele's technique—Creation and Withering—wasn't a case of forward and reversed forms.
Instead, it consisted of a neutral technique and a forward technique. After all, Seele herself couldn't use Reverse Cursed Technique, so she certainly couldn't perform Technique Reversal.
Using negative cursed energy to heal the human body was like trying to suture a wound by slicing it with a scalpel—it went completely against common sense.
As the three of them spoke, they suddenly noticed that one of the screens had gone black. Gojo focused on the display, his Six Eyes instantly gathering all the information.
It hadn't been long since Yūji Itadori and Aoi Todō had begun their fight, and now the feed from their area was lost.
Strangely, all the remaining screens showed only Tokyo students—the Kyoto students were nowhere to be seen.
Even with the blacked-out screen blocking the view, the situation wasn't hard to figure out.
"Yūji's still alive. Must be a real disappointment for you, huh?" Gojo grinned at Gakuganji.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden? You insolent brat."
The higher-ups' targeting of Yūji was no secret. Trying to cover it up would only make things more obvious. Gakuganji didn't deny any ill intent—he simply pretended not to understand Gojo's remark, acting as though he had no idea what he was referring to.
"Ms. Mei, any idea what's going on?"
Hearing that, Gojo wasn't surprised. He turned to Mei Mei. "The screens seem to be malfunctioning."
"Well, animals can be quite capricious. Sharing their vision can tire them out," Mei Mei replied, playing along.
But Gojo wasn't that patient. A smile still played on his lips, but it carried a cold edge. "Oh, really? Let's be honest, Ms. Mei—whose side are you on?"
As someone who loved money, of course she'd side with whoever paid the most.
Still, Mei Mei understood the principle of "no point in earning it if you're not alive to spend it."
Even knowing Gojo wouldn't actually harm her, she smiled and offered a vague hint: "Which side? You know the answer—I'm on the side of money."
The fact that she didn't play dumb said it all.
Gojo looked back at Gakuganji, his tone flippant. "So, how much have you saved up?"
He was pushing for an answer. Just as Gakuganji prepared to play ignorant again, all the screens in front of them went black.
At the same time, the talismans on the wall burst into flames.
Gojo's brow furrowed instantly. Something was wrong.
Amber wasn't too worried. She knew exactly who'd shown up—if it was just Hanami, Yūji and Aoi Todō, who were stronger than in the original storyline, could handle it. Still, she had no intention of letting Hanami escape. She stood up abruptly. "Seele will go check it out!"
"Outsiders are not permitted to interfere with the exchange event," Gakuganji said coldly.
"Principal…!?" Utahime stared at him in disbelief. Their earlier conversation had already clued her in—there were things the principal and the students had discussed behind her back.
But now wasn't the time for scheming. "The talismans just turned red, but it's not just exorcised curses from Tokyo that can trigger that. It could also be…"
"...an unregistered cursed energy signature," Gojo finished. He knew the capabilities of everyone at the school well enough—they couldn't have exorcised all the curses simultaneously.
"If it's an outsider, the school's barrier should have blocked them, or at least given a warning," Mei Mei added, lifting her eyes.
In the end, Yaga, the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, stood up. "Gojo, Seele, Utahime, and Principal Gakuganji—head to the forest. I'll go check on Lord Tengen. Mei Mei, do what you can to restore our visual of the battlefield."
As the host of this event, his words carried weight. Even Gakuganji, though his equal in rank, couldn't easily object.
As for whether there really was an intruder—they'd find out soon enough once they stepped outside.
But the moment they exited the building, a dark curtain descended over the forest. Utahime immediately shouted, "Gojo! Get in before the curtain fully drops!"
"No can do," Gojo shrugged. "It might look like it's still falling, but the curtain's already in place."
Behind his black blindfold, his eyes gleamed with danger. "They've got some nerve, causing trouble here… these unknown curse users."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.