"Stop, stop—hold it right there."
Principal Yaga Masamichi raised a hand before Leon could finish his theatrical speech. The brief goodwill earned from jointly roughing up Gojo vanished instantly.
"So you're that kind of person too," Yaga muttered, glancing between Leon and the now-laughing Gojo, who was enthusiastically giving a thumbs-up.
"You'd better give the Gojo-style version… actually, no—that's a trap."
Leon smiled faintly. "Then the Gojo-style answer is simple: Life at Jujutsu High feels a lot better than the outside world. Everyone here is talented, friendly, and easy to work with. I like it here."
Gojo burst out laughing. "Exactly! That's what the ideal sorcerer world should sound like."
Unexpectedly, Yaga didn't react with anger. Instead, he asked seriously,"Do you really think so?"
"Half and half," Leon replied. "I genuinely dislike the current state of the sorcerer world. The other half is practical. An individual alone isn't strong enough—sooner or later, everyone needs the support of an organization. Jujutsu High is the most reliable place I can think of. And in return, I intend to contribute."
"Words alone aren't proof."
Cursed energy surged faintly around Yaga's body.
"Pancham, stay behind Gojo-sensei," Leon said calmly, raising his own hand. "Principal, please—go ahead."
With a casual wave, the many dolls scattered around the room suddenly sprang to life.
Animal-shaped dolls. Humanoid dolls. Tiny stitched creatures of every kind. At first glance they looked clumsy, even cute—but each radiated the presence of a cursed puppet.
"As you can see," Yaga said, "my technique allows me to imbue inanimate objects with cursed energy and give them autonomous movement."
The moment he finished speaking, two squat carrot-shaped puppets shot forward at blinding speed.
Leon stepped in without hesitation, striking them aside with both fists. The impact was solid—but his expression didn't relax.
Yaga's puppets were specially constructed. Their elastic interiors absorbed both physical force and cursed energy, minimizing damage. And there were dozens of them.
Fighting alone in close combat would be pointless.
Fortunately, Leon wasn't alone.
A white figure drifted forward—Gardevoir.
Psychic power surged like a tidal wave, slamming the incoming puppets into the walls and blasting a crater into the floor. Yet despite the damage, the cursed puppets staggered back to their feet and charged again.
Gardevoir changed tactics, twisting one puppet into a spiral—but the flexible bodies resisted even that.
She glanced back at Leon.
Leon pressed two fingers lightly to his temple. "You've got this."
"Sha."
Encouraged, Gardevoir shifted strategy again. Instead of attacking directly, she condensed her psychic power into a defensive barrier and allowed the swarm to strike it repeatedly—observing carefully.
Then she noticed it.
Inside each puppet was a concentrated knot of cursed energy—a core that felt distinctly unpleasant.
Leon's earlier teachings surfaced in her mind: Every cursed construct is driven by a central curse. Destroy the core, and the rest collapses.
Light flared from the red crest on her chest. Psychic energy condensed into a precise spike and pierced directly into the first puppet's core.
The puppet froze—and dropped lifelessly.
"Well done," Leon said.
The artificial cursed puppets had "hearts" that served as their energy sources. Destroying that point instantly neutralized them.
Gardevoir's eyes brightened.
"Sha—sha!"
One strike. One puppet down.Another gesture—another collapse.
Within minutes, every puppet in the room had fallen motionless.
Yaga finally raised his hand again, halting the test.
"That's enough."
"With respect, Principal," Leon said, "you were holding back."
"And so were you," Yaga replied. "You've been cautious the entire time."
It was true. This wasn't a real battle—it was an evaluation. Neither side had used their full strength.
"So," Leon asked quietly, "am I qualified?"
"You pass." Yaga nodded. "If Satoru hadn't said your cursed techniques were limited, I might have hired you as an instructor immediately."
Leon's hands tightened slightly at his sides. Eight years of quiet preparation—finally acknowledged.
"Then how about a compromise?" he said. "I enroll as a student—and work part-time as a teaching assistant."
Yaga gave a short laugh. "Interesting. Very well. That arrangement would actually help us a great deal."
Gojo clapped loudly. "See? I knew this would work out."
No one objected. The sorcerer world was severely understaffed—both students and instructors were in short supply. Even first-years were regularly sent into real combat missions simply because there weren't enough experienced personnel.
"Then it's settled," Yaga said. "Satoru will handle most lower-grade instruction. You'll begin assisting with first-year training. Combat practice, physical conditioning, and technique instruction will mostly remain under Satoru—"
"If you don't mind," another voice suddenly spoke from the doorway,"I can help with that too."