"Principal," Satoru Gojo lazily waved his hand.
Masamichi Yaga nodded in the middle of the square, his gaze falling on the three of them. His eyes swept over their faces and finally stopped beside Eriri—though he couldn't see it, his cursed energy perception sensed something there.
"Sawamura Eriri, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kato Megumi," Yaga spoke correctly, his voice low and rich. "I am the principal of the Tokyo Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga. Nice to meet you."
"N-Nice to meet you," Eriri hurriedly bowed. Utaha and Megumi Kato also politely greeted him.
"The procedures for the exchange students are complete," Yaga took three folders from his document bag and handed them to them. "These are the curriculum, school rules, and safety instructions. Your cultural classes will still be at Toyonoki Academy. You will come to the college every Wednesday, Friday afternoon, and all day Saturday to study the basics of jujutsu and practical training. Participation in missions is not mandatory, but observation is recommended."
Eriri took the folder and opened the first page. The class schedule was very packed: Basic Cursed Energy Theory, Cursed Spirit Ecology, Introduction to Barriers, Fundamentals of Acquired Techniques, Practical Training…
Her gaze lingered on "Practical Training" for a few seconds.
"Don't worry," Yaga seemed to notice her anxiety. "Practical training will be assessed according to each person's level. You are exchange students, starting from the very basics. And…"
He paused and looked at Satoru Gojo.
Satoru Gojo smiled and said, "And I'll be here. Don't worry, you won't get beaten to death by a cursed spirit—probably."
"Yaga," the principal frowned.
"Just kidding," Satoru Gojo waved his hand and turned toward the training ground. "By the way, the students are already waiting on the training ground. Do you want to go say hello first?"
Eriri's heart jumped again. She looked at the training ground, where she could vaguely see several moving figures.
"Alright," Yaga nodded. "Let them meet their classmates first. Gojo, you take them."
"Roger that~" Satoru Gojo turned and waved to the three of them. "Come on, I'll introduce you to your future classmates—though you might only be together for a few months."
The three followed Satoru Gojo to the training ground.
Along the way, Eriri felt countless eyes on her from all directions—from the windows of the main building, from the shadows of the warehouses, even from the gaps in the forest. These eyes were curious, scrutinizing, inquisitive, and there was also a hint of… excitement?
"What are they looking at…" Eriri muttered quietly.
"Looking at you," Satoru Gojo said as a matter of fact. "To be precise, at 'Eriri Sawamura, who can summon Lord Zen'in Genji.' You know? The hottest topic in the college right now is you."
"Why?"
"Because it's interesting," Satoru Gojo smiled. "An ordinary high school girl suddenly able to summon a thousand-year-old God of Curses. That kind of thing is big news in any era. And…"
He paused, his tone subtle:
"Some people want to know if you're worthy of that 'honor.'"
---
The door to the training ground was open.
The sounds of fists and feet colliding, the hum of cursed energy fluctuations, and a boy's shouts could be heard.
Satoru Gojo entered first and clapped his hands.
"Alright, time for a break. Come and meet your new classmates."
The sounds on the training ground stopped instantly.
Eriri stood at the door, took a deep breath, and walked in.
Then she saw those people.
In the center of the hall, a pink-haired boy was sweating on the ground, breathing heavily. Beside him stood a girl with short orange hair, holding a hammer and nails. Leaning against the wall was a black-haired boy with a hedgehog hairstyle, his hands in his pockets, his expression calm. Further away, a panda—an actual panda—was talking to another teenager who had the lower part of his face covered by his collar.
On the other side of the training ground, a girl with a ponytail in a sports vest was practicing swinging a long staff. She heard the sound, stopped, and turned her head.
Zen'in Maki's gaze fell directly on Eriri.
At that moment, Eriri felt an extremely sharp stare—not malicious, but an almost instinctive gaze, like a blade assessing the hardness of its prey.
"This is Eriri Sawamura," Satoru Gojo introduced, his voice as relaxed as if he were introducing a transfer student. "First year at Toyonoki Academy. From today, she'll be studying at the Technical College as an exchange student. The two next to her are her classmates—Utaha Kasumigaoka and Megumi Kato."
He paused and added:
"Oh, and Eriri's special ability is summoning Lord Zen'in Genji. The 'god' from a thousand years ago."
Dead silence fell over the training ground.
After a few seconds, the pink-haired boy—Yuji Itadori—suddenly jumped up, his eyes wide:
"Huh?! Is that for real?! You can summon that Zen'in Genji?! The one Gojo-sensei talked about—"
"It's real," Satoru Gojo nodded, then looked at Eriri, the corners of his mouth beneath the black blindfold curving into a narrow arc. "So, Eriri, do you want to show everyone? After all, everyone is curious."
All eyes instantly turned to Eriri.
The pressure was like a mountain.
Eriri felt her palms sweating. She opened her mouth to say something, but her throat was dry.
Show them? How? Summon Genji in front of all these strange sorcerers? Isn't that too showy? Will it cause trouble?
But if she didn't show them… would these people think she was lying? Would they look down on her even more?
"Eriri."
Genji's voice sounded in her ear, very calm.
"Do you want me to come out?"
Eriri bit her lower lip.
Then she looked up, a stubborn glint in her blue eyes.
"No," she whispered, then raised her voice and looked at Satoru Gojo. "Gojo-sensei, Zen'in Genji is not something to 'show off.' He… he is my friend."
The statement was a little shaky, but very firm.
Satoru Gojo raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Not bad," he said, approval in his voice. "Got some spine. Forget it. Anyway, there will be chances to meet in the future."
He turned to the other students. "Alright, time to introduce yourselves. On the left—"
"I'm Yuji Itadori! First year!" The pink-haired boy took the initiative, raising his hand, his smile dazzling. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nobara Kugisaki, first year," the short orange-haired girl held her hammer and looked Eriri up and down. "You… can you really summon that lord?"
"Megumi Fushiguro, first year," the black-haired boy nodded calmly.
"Panda, second year!" The panda waved his paw. "This is Toge Inumaki, second year. He can only speak in rice ball ingredient names, so I'll translate."
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