I spent the rest of the morning lecture trying incredibly hard to stare at the chalkboard and absolutely nowhere else.
If I let my gaze drift out the window toward the gymnasium, my *Spirit Vision* would catch the pulsing, grotesque mass of the Grade 3 curse clinging to the brickwork.
Ignorance was my only defense mechanism.
To distract myself from the looming dread, I discreetly opened my system panel. I needed to understand my baseline before doing anything else.
[ATTRIBUTES]
Constitution: 4 (Physical durability, stamina, resilience, recovery)
Dexterity: 4 (Agility, reflexes, and movement speed)
Perception: 4 (Sensory awareness and spiritual detection)
Spirituality: 5 (Capacity and output of Cursed Energy. Dormant. Requires Level 6 for physical manifestation)
Charm: 7
I sighed quietly, jotting down notes from the lecture to look busy.
A rating of 5 was clearly the benchmark for a fully grown, healthy adult. My 4 in Dexterity and Constitution was perfectly fine for a normal teenager.
But as I looked further down the panel, my eyes snagged on the terminology. Specifically, under Spirituality, the term 'Cursed Energy'.
A cold chill slowly crept up my spine, completely freezing my blood. This wasn't just a generic supernatural setting.
This was the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.
The realization hit me like a physical blow.
The air in my lungs suddenly felt too thin.
If this was the JJK universe, then the monsters outside weren't just random ghosts.
They were manifestations of human negativity. And worse, it meant 'they' existed.
Ryomen Sukuna. Mahito. Kenjaku.
My heart started hammering against my ribs again. I didn't know the timeline. I didn't know what year it was in the grand scheme of the jujutsu world. Was Yuji Itadori a normal middle schooler right now? Had he already eaten the finger? Was the Shibuya Incident going to happen next week, or in three years?
If a Special Grade curse decided to drop a domain expansion in the middle of Tokyo, my 7 Charm wouldn't mean a damn thing. I would be wiped out instantly, just another faceless civilian casualty in a war fought by monsters.
I needed Evo Points to get stronger, which meant I needed to find a way to safely hunt the weakest 5th Grade curses—the pathetic, insect-like ones—without drawing the attention of the bigger threats.
The chime of the lunch bell snapped me out of my survival planning. Shizuku-sensei gathered her materials, gave me a brief nod, and slid the door shut behind her.
Almost immediately, the quiet tension in the room broke into the lively chatter of the first week of school. I packed away my textbook, preparing to slip out unnoticed, but before I could even stand up, my desk was approached by a splash of bright, nervous energy.
"Yahallo! Ichijou-kun, right?"
I looked up. Standing in front of my desk was a girl with shoulder-length peach hair, a loosely worn uniform blazer, and a bright, entirely disarming smile. Standing slightly behind her, looking incredibly nervous, was a delicate, silver-haired student who looked more like a woodland fairy than a high school boy.
My past-life anime knowledge kicked in immediately. Yui Yuigahama and Saika Totsuka.
"I'm Yui Yuigahama!" the girl beamed, leaning forward slightly. "And this is Saika Totsuka! You know, you are really different from the rumors. Everyone in the halls was whispering about the Shuei-gumi, saying Raku-kun was this terrifying gang heir, so we assumed his older brother would be even scarier. But you just seem like a quiet, normal guy!"
"I-It's nice to meet you, Ichijou-kun," Totsuka added, offering a soft, angelic smile that could probably bring about world peace.
I blinked, staring at Totsuka as if I had just seen an angel descended from heaven. The wise words of an internet master echoed in my mind: 'It takes a real man to be the best girl.'
*Cough.*
"Ahem... It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said, breaking out of my stupor and offering a polite, relaxed smile. "And please, just Ren is fine. The rumors about my family tend to run a little wild, mostly because of Raku's position. I'm just trying to get through the syllabus without catching another fever."
"See? I told you he wasn't scary, Saika!" Yuigahama laughed, turning to her friend.
As they chatted, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Sitting a few rows over, Kaguya Shinomiya hadn't left her desk yet. She was elegantly packing her bag, but her crimson eyes flicked toward me.
I gave her a polite, completely neutral nod. Her eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch in calculation before she stood up and walked gracefully out the door, her aura demanding the hallway part for her.
"Well," I sighed quietly, standing up and grabbing my wallet. "I'm going to grab something from the cafeteria. It was nice meeting you both."
The Shuchiin Academy cafeteria was less of a lunchroom and more of a five-star food court. With the influence of Totsuki Culinary Academy graduates consulting on the menu, the sheer scale of the food was intimidating.
I skipped the extravagant lunch sets that cost more than a normal student's weekly allowance and opted for a standard, heavily portioned tonkatsu bento.
The dining hall was packed to the brim with elite students. Finding a quiet place to eat and mentally review my system panel was proving difficult. I scanned the massive room until I spotted a small table tucked away in the back corner, right by the courtyard windows.
There was only one person sitting there.
She had long, striking red hair pinned back by two distinctive star-shaped hair clips. But what truly stood out wasn't her appearance—it was the sheer volume of food on her table. She had a deluxe hamburger steak set, a large side of udon, two meat buns, and a slice of strawberry shortcake. And she was dismantling the meal with focused, methodical intensity.
Itsuki Nakano.
I walked over, my tray in hand. "Excuse me," I said smoothly.
Itsuki jolted slightly, a piece of hamburger steak stopping halfway to her mouth. She looked up at me, her blue eyes wide, quickly dabbing her mouth with a napkin to regain her composure. She sat up straight, projecting an aura of stubborn pride.
"Yes? Can I help you?" she asked, her tone formal and slightly defensive, as if she fully expected me to make a snide comment about the mountain of calories in front of her.
"The rest of the tables are full, and I'd rather not eat standing up," I said, keeping my expression entirely neutral. I didn't glance at her massive lunch. I just looked at the empty chair across from her. "Do you mind if I share this table? I promise I'm a quiet eater."
Itsuki blinked, clearly thrown off by my lack of judgment. She scrutinized me for a second, perhaps recognizing my face from Class 1-A's late introduction earlier that morning.
"I... suppose that is acceptable," Itsuki said, adjusting her posture. "As long as you don't disturb my meal. I take my lunch period very seriously."
"Understood," I replied, pulling out the chair and taking the seat opposite her. "Ren Ichijou. We're in the same homeroom."
"Itsuki Nakano," she nodded politely before immediately returning her unwavering attention to her udon.
I unwrapped my chopsticks and snapped them apart. Sitting across from a girl eating enough for three grown men was absurd, but as I took my first bite of the tonkatsu, I realized something incredibly important.
Itsuki was so fiercely, positively focused on her food that the heavy, suffocating atmosphere of the curses outside felt completely muted at this table. It was a perfect, bizarre little sanctuary.