"Panda!"
Not far away, a towering panda—standing upright and even taller than a human—was waving enthusiastically. Despite its massive size, it somehow still looked incredibly cute and endearing.
"Shingen~!"
Panda called out from a distance, waving both arms.
Tokiya Shingen dropped his luggage and rushed forward, pulling Panda into a big hug. Up close, Panda was noticeably taller than him.
After catching up, Panda picked up part of Shingen's luggage and casually slung an arm around his shoulder.
"Gojo-sensei was supposed to pick you up… but, well—you know how he is. I'll take you to your dorm first, then introduce you to the first-years. They're all super interesting!"
Shingen carried the rest of his bags as they walked side by side, chatting.
Panda kept letting out surprised exclamations.
"Seriously? Those are the latest models?! I can't wait to try them!"
Their voices gradually faded into the distance.
After settling his luggage in the dorm, Panda brought Shingen to a classroom.
Pushing open the door, Panda shouted:
"Alright! Maki, Toge—new classmate's here!"
Inside sat a boy and a girl, both wearing Jujutsu High uniforms.
The girl had a neat ponytail, her dark green hair tied back cleanly. Her features were sharp and attractive, though slightly hidden behind a pair of round glasses that looked a bit old-fashioned.
The boy had short silver-white hair, with the lower half of his face covered by his high collar, giving him a refined, almost delicate appearance.
They both looked toward the door.
A white-haired boy entered, smiling warmly. Even with stylish sunglasses on, it was obvious he was strikingly handsome.
Still…
Why did he feel somewhat familiar?
There was something about him they couldn't quite place.
Panda spread his arms dramatically.
"This is Tokiya Shingen—the one I've been telling you about!"
Both of them had heard his name before.
Between Panda mentioning him frequently and his connection to Gojo Satoru—
He wasn't exactly unknown.
Maki thought to herself:
He's basically Gojo's adopted kid, right? Definitely adopted.
…And yeah, that slightly annoying vibe is pretty similar.
But as she watched Shingen remove his sunglasses and politely greet them—
…Still, he's definitely more likable than that blindfolded idiot.
"Salmon."
Toge Inumaki responded politely.
Panda continued introducing:
"This is Maki—she doesn't like people using her surname. Her physical combat skills are incredible."
"And this is Toge Inumaki. He's a Cursed Speech user, so he can't speak normally. That's why he uses rice ball ingredients to communicate."
Out of the group:
Panda and Shingen were already close.
Toge, despite his speech limitation, was easy to get along with.
And Maki—
Though she seemed cold at first—
Was unexpectedly approachable.
They chatted for a while—
Until the classroom door slid open again.
A tall figure walked in, hands in his pockets.
It was Gojo Satoru.
Late, as usual.
Without the slightest hint of embarrassment, he clapped his hands cheerfully.
"Alright, everyone—have you all introduced yourselves?"
Panda and Toge responded immediately.
Maki, however, had a dark expression.
Her impression of the so-called "strongest sorcerer" had already shattered beyond repair.
As for Shingen—
He was long used to this.
Gojo's personality could best be described as:
Unpredictable.
Carefree.
And… slightly punchable.
Gojo continued:
"Maki's from the Zenin family, Panda's been trained by Principal Yaga, Toge has his family lineage… and Shingen's already been learning for a while."
"So I'll skip the basics!"
"To celebrate your enrollment, I've found some suitable missions for you. Wait for my good news!"
Then he added:
"Maki and Shingen will team up. Panda and Toge together. Spend the next few days getting used to each other."
"…What?"
Maki's face darkened.
It wasn't that she didn't want to exorcise curses—
But this was way too sudden.
Who sends first-years on missions immediately?!
Panda scratched his head.
"Uh… isn't that a bit abrupt? And why am I not paired with Shingen?"
"Salmon."
Gojo raised a finger.
"Because both you and Maki are close-range fighters! Team composition needs balance!"
Panda dragged out his tone.
"This isn't a video game, Gojo-sensei…"
Shingen, on the other hand, didn't mind at all.
Gojo acting recklessly was nothing new.
What he was excited about—
Was real combat.
After all—
He had trained for years.
Now he finally had a chance to use it.
"Alright, let's start training!" Gojo said.
"I'll personally guide you today."
Training Grounds
The four of them warmed up.
Standing opposite Shingen, Maki held a wooden staff.
"You're not good at close combat, right?" she asked.
Shingen spun his wooden sword casually.
"Not exactly. My technique is acceleration, and I can enhance my body with cursed energy decently. I just haven't learned many proper techniques."
"…And training with Gojo doesn't exactly teach you much. He's too strong."
Maki swung her staff, the air cracking under its force.
"Let's find out."
Shingen smiled brightly.
"Looking forward to it."
The spar began.
After just a few exchanges—
Maki was already shocked.
This is 'decent'?
His speed. His strength.
Even without going all out—
It was impressive.
She herself had exceptional physical strength—
Yet Shingen could match her.
Still—
He lacked refined technique.
But his defensive instincts and counterattacks were solid.
And more importantly—
He's a long-range fighter too.
After the spar, Shingen gained a deeper understanding of Maki's abilities.
Her relentless offense was like a storm—
Overwhelming.
Under his earnest requests, Maki even gave him pointers.
Meanwhile—
Panda and Toge didn't spar seriously.
Toge's ability made that difficult.
Still—
They seemed to communicate just fine.
(Somehow, Panda understood his "rice ball language" perfectly.)
Then came Gojo's "guidance."
Which—
Was really just him having fun.
"Come at me together!" he said cheerfully.
The result?
He dodged everything effortlessly.
Blocked everything.
And his counterattacks—
Just painful enough to be infuriating.
Maki grew more aggressive—
Still ineffective.
Panda tried to slack off—
Got targeted immediately.
Toge wisely stayed out of it.
Using Cursed Speech on Gojo would only backfire.
Meanwhile—
Shingen used his bow, Exterminator.
Providing ranged support.
And testing his new weapon.
Each time he infused it with cursed energy—
A glowing blue string formed.
Then—
A deep blue arrow materialized.
The power depended on his energy output.
And the results—
Were explosive.
Literally.
Missed shots detonated on impact—
Almost hitting Maki and Panda at first.
He had to tone it down.
Eventually—
Everyone else dropped out.
Leaving Shingen alone.
Once again—
Facing his "beloved" teacher.
After thoroughly defeating them—
Gojo stretched, looking refreshed.
"That was meaningful training! I'll be off now. Practice on your own!"
"…Finally," Panda groaned.
"Salmon."
Maki recovered quickly.
Now she understood—
Her pairing with Shingen made perfect sense.
She handled close combat.
He supported from range—
With devastating power.
And if enemies tried to target him—
They'd be in for a nasty surprise.
Shingen noticed Maki's expression and felt a bit uneasy.
"…I'll grab some drinks. Want anything?"
Panda sprang up instantly.
"Cola! Ice-cold!"
"Bonito flakes."
Panda translated:
"That means water. He's protecting his throat."
Maki added:
"Green tea's fine."
Shingen returned with drinks.
The four of them sat together—
Chatting.
Laughing.
After fighting side by side—
They had grown closer.
Panda was the type to scheme mischief with Shingen.
Toge was quiet—but quick to join in.
Maki didn't participate—
But enjoyed watching.
And—
She was someone you could rely on completely.
"Top-tier fighter, super reliable!" Panda declared.
Shingen watched Panda attempt to wink—
And felt an inexplicable urge to punch something.