I stared at the mysterious girl who was currently rubbing her head against my chest and asked the obvious question.
"Satoru? Is that really you?"
"Mhm! It's me, Touya. I've missed you so, so much!"
"Don't lie to me. The Satoru I remember was a boy."
"Ugh... well about that!"
Satoru poked her head out from my embrace and pouted.
"The clan elders forced me to do it. They said if it got out that the holder of the Six Eyes was a girl, the assassination attempts would only get more frequent and intense."
'I suppose that makes sense, but...'
Even so, a lingering sense of disappointment remained.
"Couldn't you have at least told me?"
"The elders forbade that, too. The reason I stopped visiting your house was because they were afraid I'd hit puberty and you'd figure out I was a girl."
"So that's why you disappeared. If they're that paranoid, how did they let you enroll at Jujutsu High?"
"I told them if they didn't let me go, I'd pack my bags and run away for good. Hehe."
As we stood there, staring into each other's eyes while still locked in an embrace, Shoko clicked her tongue in distaste.
"What is this? Did you come to Jujutsu High to start a romance? You said you were childhood friends, but this looks like a full-blown couple to me."
Geto added his own observation.
"Quite. My side is feeling a bit chilly just watching this."
Only then did I realize how our posture must look to outsiders. I tried to set Satoru down.
"Aww, no! Why are you trying to pull away? It's been ages since we've seen each other, can't we just stay like this for a bit? Shoko, are you jealous or something?"
Shoko let out a scoffing snort.
"Jealous? We just met today. Why would I be jealous of you?"
"Then it doesn't matter. I'm staying right here."
"Sure. Suit yourself. Though your precious Touya looks incredibly uncomfortable."
Satoru noticed my stiff expression and jumped back, startled. She began to watch my face tentatively.
"Um... Touya? Are you mad? Because I'm being selfish?"
"No, I'm not mad. But acting like this in front of our new classmates isn't the best first impression. We have plenty to catch up on when we're alone, right? Let's talk then."
Relief washed over Satoru, and she nodded with a bright, radiant smile.
"Okay! I'm not letting you go for hours once we're alone."
Seeing the situation finally settle, Shoko let out a long sigh.
"Good grief. I'd think you two were lovers reuniting after ten years."
"Haha... it's not like that. Don't misunderstand. She's just excited because it's been a while."
"For 'not like that,' there was certainly a lot of clinging and hugging going on."
"I'm telling you, it's not that. I've never even thought of her that way. Honestly, I only found out she was a girl today."
"Fine, fine. Why are you explaining yourself to me? It's not like I get anything out of your excuses."
Shoko shrugged with a smirk, but I felt a strange prickle of discomfort in my chest.
'Why am I acting like this? It's... I don't even know.'
"Well, now that all four of us are here, shall we do proper introductions? We only shared names earlier, so let's be a bit more thorough this time."
Suguru clapped his hands to draw our attention, speaking with a quiet but commanding charisma.
"Since I brought it up, I'll go first. I'm Suguru Geto. I was born into a family of non-sorcerers. My Cursed Technique is Cursed Spirit Manipulation. I can consume and control Curses. I'm 186cm tall and my hobby is martial arts. Looking forward to working with you all."
"Long."
"A bit much."
"Way too long."
"Ack... I volunteered to go first to set the tone, and this is the reaction I get?"
Feeling a bit bad for the teased Suguru, I stepped up next.
"I'll go next. I'm Touya Zenin, the Young Master of the Zenin clan. My innate technique is the Ten Shadows Technique. I'm 190cm tall and as for hobbies... well, I don't really have any. If I had to pick, I suppose it's playing with my younger siblings? Satoru and I are childhood friends. I look forward to our time together."
Satoru immediately began to clap. I looked over at Shoko, who was clapping begrudgingly, and Suguru, who was smiling as he joined in.
"Thanks, Satoru. Who's next?"
Satoru raised her hand high.
"Me! Me! I'll go after Touya. I am Satoru Gojo, the Head of the Gojo clan. My technique is Limitless. You can basically think of it as telekinesis. It's a technique that's impossible to use without my Six Eyes, so you all better worship me. I don't have hobbies either. I'm so good at everything that nothing is ever fun."
"How arrogant."
"Right?"
"Accurate assessment."
"What! You guys want to die? Touya, even you..."
Shoko ignored Satoru's whining and began her own introduction.
"I'm Shoko Ieiri. I don't have an innate technique per se, but I can output Reverse Cursed Technique. My hobby is dissecting... I mean, medical studies. If any of you ever want to become a high-quality anatomical specimen for me, feel free to visit anytime."
"She basically just said she wants to use us as lab rats, right?"
"Terrifying girl."
"..."
I found myself staring at Shoko in a daze. Her lethargic voice, the seductive slant of her eyes, and even the cigarette she held—it all radiated a strangely mature, alluring atmosphere.
'What on earth am I thinking? Pull yourself together.'
I shook my head and clapped for Shoko. She gave me a quizzical look, but before she could speak, the classroom door slid open and Yaga-sensei walked in.
"I take it you've finished your introductions? Everyone, take your seats."
As we moved, I naturally ended up sitting next to Shoko, placing some distance between myself, Suguru, and Satoru. Satoru gave me a longing look, but she couldn't exactly change the seating chart now.
"I'll keep this brief. Jujutsu High doesn't bother with theoretical classes. 'Class' here usually consists of sparring between students. Most of your time will be spent handling requests brokered by the school. Over the next five years, your primary objective is to gain experience exorcising Curses and get accustomed to mission work."
'Makes sense. There isn't much to teach sorcerers who all possess different innate techniques.'
"So, there's nothing for us to learn here?"
"Correct. When there are no missions, it is free time. However, if anyone wishes to study general academic subjects, let me know. You can receive lessons from the assistant supervisors."
'Skip the studying... that means the schedule is pretty loose. As long as I finish missions quickly, I can rest.'
A sudden curiosity struck me, so I whispered to Shoko.
"Then what do you usually do, Shoko?"
"Me? I'll probably be stationed here at the school, treating sorcerers who get carried back in after being injured."
"Ah, that's right. Only you can output Reverse Cursed Technique to heal others..."
"Since there are no missions today, you're on free time. Go out and spar or go to your rooms and rest, I don't care. For housing, pick any vacant room in the dormitory building."
"Yes, Sensei."
Yaga-sensei left immediately. I turned to Suguru with a proposal.
"Suguru. Do you want to go out and spar? It'll be a good way to gauge each other's levels."
"Oh. I was actually curious to see what you could do."
Satoru raised both hands, her eyes gleaming.
"That sounds fun! I want to watch. I wonder if Suguru can even land a hit on Touya?"
Shoko shook her head with a sigh.
"Just remember, I'm the one who has to patch you up if you get hurt..."
"Haha... Shoko, though I don't use it directly on myself, I can also heal others using Reverse Cursed Technique."
"Wait, really? Your technique is such a cheat. You can use RCT too? My job security is in danger..."
Sharing those lighthearted jokes, we made our way to the training field, where I stood facing Suguru.
-------
Touya and Suguru began to warm up while facing each other.
"Suguru. Let's start with hand-to-hand combat without techniques. We both use shikigami-type techniques, so I assume you've trained your own body as well?"
"Hoh. So you've trained in martial arts too? I like you more and more by the second. Very well. Cursed energy for physical reinforcement only. Shall we?"
Seeing Satoru and Shoko sitting in the stands to watch, Touya waved and smiled at them.
"Go Touya! Kill him!"
"Just keep it to where I can still heal him~"
Touya chuckled at Satoru's bloodthirsty cheering and Shoko's lethargic drawl, then locked eyes with Suguru.
"Let's go, Suguru. Come at me."
"Don't mind if I do."
Suguru finished his stretches and lunged forward with explosive speed, throwing a heavy punch. Touya slipped the punch with a simple head movement and countered with a low kick. Suguru rolled forward to evade the kick and tried to drive a fist into Touya's solar plexus, but Touya's hand snapped out and caught it.
"Caught you."
'What... damn it, how is he so strong? I've never been overpowered in raw strength before.'
Just as a bewildered Suguru tried to tear his hand away, Touya delivered a sharp headbutt that blurred Suguru's vision. Following through instantly, Touya swung a fist with the speed of a thunderbolt, striking Suguru squarely in the face. The blow was shockingly heavy; Suguru took another hit before he could finally twist his hand free and leap back to create distance.
"Wow... why is your punch so heavy? I thought I was going to lose a tooth."
"Haha. I pulled my punch. Don't worry, I'll make sure your teeth stay perfectly aligned."
Watching the exchange, Satoru and Shoko began to offer their commentary.
"Hey, Gojo. Does he always fight like a delinquent? He's like a total street thug. He's got such a pretty face, but the moment he starts fighting, it's like a switch flips?"
'Is that what they call... gap moe? Does that apply here? Hmm... well, I don't hate it.'
Satoru searched through her memories.
"He was much more refined when we were younger... he didn't used to fight like a thug."
Standing at a distance to catch his breath, Touya smiled wryly as their conversation reached his ears.
'Haha... well, you try sparring with Toji for ten years and see how you turn out.'
"You haven't studied formal martial arts, have you? You're a total instinctual fighter."
"More or less. My master was so powerful that conventional methods were useless against him. I had to learn how to hit him by any means necessary."
"Master? Is he still stronger than you?"
"In terms of pure physical combat, I'm certain he's the strongest in the world. Nobody can beat him."
"Woah... sounds like a monster. I'd love to meet him sometime. But first... let's get back to it."
Suguru closed the distance and suddenly dropped his center of gravity. Touya tensed at the shift.
"Oh? Jiu-jitsu? Going for a tackle?"
"Oh, you recognized it? Let's see how you handle technical skills."
As soon as the words left his lips, Suguru lunged low and fast, attempting a takedown. Touya dropped his own stance to defend, but a smirk played on his lips.
"You fell for it, Suguru."
"What...?"
Suguru, already in mid-dash and mere inches away, had no way to stop his momentum as Touya's knee drove upward like a piston. The knee strike slammed directly into Suguru's face with bone-rattling force. His eyes rolled back as his consciousness slipped away, catchng one last glimpse of Touya's smiling face before he hit the ground.
'Tch. He looks so elegant, why is he such a brutal fighter...'
Touya gave a bright grin and flashed a V-sign to the watching Satoru and Shoko.
"Pecking order: established."
Not that Suguru was awake to hear it.
Shoko stared at the scene with a blank expression and sighed.
"He's a complete psycho, isn't he?"
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 42
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T