Some said it was an antimatter space, others said it was the realm of the dead, and some claimed it was the reverse side of the world. No matter how it was described, it was considered one of the most dangerous places in Pokemon World. Even though the trainer System showed no reaction and Akira could not be sure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him, this was not the kind of risk one ignored.

  If what he saw really was that Distortion World, or even if it only possessed part of Distortion World’s traits, then everyone except Satoru Gojo could easily die here. That was enough to justify extreme caution.

  “Teacher, since things have gone beyond expectations, we should retreat first and plan carefully,” Akira said. Satoru Gojo withdrew his gaze and nodded. “Let’s do that.”

  With Six Eyes, he could see deeper, farther, and more clearly the danger of this “Nightmare Domain].” In a sense, it had already surpassed the scope of Domain Expansion and evolved into a small world, a level even Satoru Gojo himself could not reach. With the two most influential people present in agreement, no one else raised objections.

  As usual, Darkrai opened a passage, and they retreated in order. Yuta Okkotsu went first, Satoru Gojo second to last, and Akira brought up the rear. Before leaving, Akira cast one last glance at the “wound” that was about to fully heal.

  It was not that he lacked curiosity, but he was not ready to explore it, nor did he have the strength to do so. That curiosity, forcibly suppressed, would eventually turn into his motivation to grow stronger. One day, he would go to that strange world, regardless of whether Rika Orimoto had mastered Curse Removal or not.

  Akira had a feeling that Rika Orimoto’s dream was like Darkrai’s passage, just a doorway and a transition. The day he was qualified to pass through it would mean he stood at the peak of the world, with the right to challenge the top-tier legendary beasts of Pokemon World. A mythical Pokémon, the ruler of the underworld, Giratina.

  If he could successfully capture it, then Satoru Gojo’s “Infinity” might finally have a solution. With that scenery firmly engraved in his mind, Akira left the dream world before the “white blood cells” arrived. This dungeon run was short once again, but it gave him even greater motivation.

  After a brief distortion of space, Akira returned to reality. The first thing he saw was still Satoru Gojo with a twisted expression, clearly troubled by Rika Orimoto’s nightmare. The others kept silent in tacit agreement, afraid of interrupting his thoughts.

  After about a minute, the man often teased as a “fake teacher,” despite how much work he actually did, clicked his tongue. “I really don’t want to involve the people over at Kyoto.”

  “What are you planning to do?” Akira asked.

  “To break through Rika Orimoto’s nightmare dungeon, you need to be skilled at dealing with Domain Expansion. Besides clashing Domains directly with Domain Expansion, there’s another very efficient technique that everyone can learn: Simple Domain Expansion.”

  “A simplified version of Domain Expansion?” Yuta Okkotsu guessed from the name.

  “More or less. It doesn’t attach a Cursed Technique, but by condensing a small area of high-density Cursed Energy, it can temporarily neutralize the guaranteed-hit effect of Domain Expansion within a limited range. It seems to have other uses too, though I’m not entirely sure.”

  “Seems?” Maki Zenin frowned. “You can use Domain Expansion yourself. There’s no reason for you not to understand Simple Domain Expansion.”

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  Panda analyzed calmly, “Probably because there’s no need. If you already master a complete Domain Expansion, there’s no reason to care about the simplified version.”

  “That’s exactly it. Simple Domain Expansion was created by sorcerers who couldn’t use Domain Expansion as a way to protect themselves inside one. It was originally developed not to fight Jujutsu Sorcerer but Cursed Spirit. Here’s a bit of trivia: there are four officially registered Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer. Then how many known Special Grade Cursed Spirit are there?”

  “Sixteen,” Akira answered instantly.

  “Correct. Curses are extremely stubborn things. Even if they’re exorcised for a time, as long as humans continue to fear certain concepts, similar Cursed Spirit will be born again after a century or two. To defeat them, Jujutsu Sorcerer have suffered through countless battles, some of which have become part of myth. Question: in legend, which monsters inspire the most fear?”

  “Eight-Headed Great Serpent, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Shuten-Doji,” Yuta Okkotsu finally had something he knew. These were household names in Japan. “Were they actually Cursed Spirit?”

  “That’s right. Their initial birth may have been accidental, but once they caused upheaval and were recorded by humans, their images became fixed. Human fear gathered around those images, granting them physical form. This type of Cursed Spirit is collectively called Imaginary Cursed Spirit, and most of them possess Domain Expansion. To truly exorcise them, Simple Domain Expansion was created and even became the foundation of certain schools.”

  “The most famous of these is the New Shadow Style,” he continued. “Unfortunately, that school has closer ties with Kyoto. Tokyo does have New Shadow Style practitioners too, but well…”

  If possible, Satoru Gojo did not want to deal with conservatives or their associates. For the sake of his students, though, he did not mind swallowing his pride.

  “In short, I’ll figure out the Simple Domain Expansion issue. You focus on training. Rika Orimoto’s nightmare dungeon is a great proving ground, and as long as you don’t go too deep, the risk isn’t that high. If you can handle the final wave of monsters, I’ll feel comfortable taking you to the ‘Kyoto sister school exchange event.’”

  Another unfamiliar term to remember.

  Sister School Exchange Event.

  As the name suggests, it refers to an exchange event between the only two Tokyo Jujutsu High in Japan. It is held once a year and lasts two days. Because the profession of a Jujutsu Sorcerer involves fighting Cursed Spirit and Curse User, the theme of the exchange is combat.

  The first day is a team battle. Participants form school-based teams to exorcise Cursed Spirit and compete on speed and total numbers cleared. The second day is an individual match, the most common flag-grab style duel.

  The process is very simple and easy to understand. The only problem is manpower.

  “Isn’t the workforce for Jujutsu Sorcerer always stretched thin?” someone asked. “Pulling out so many people at once, is Makoto really okay with that?”

  Before Yuta Okkotsu enrolled at Tokyo Jujutsu High, no one would have dared to ask that. Part of it was because of Rika Orimoto, and part of it was the usual Japanese school atmosphere. Fortunately, Tokyo Jujutsu High does not have that concern, and everyone is used to speaking plainly.

  You have to speak plainly here. If you do not, Maki Zenin will push you until you say what you really mean. The line Akira said before enrolling, “everyone here is talented and talks nicely,” was not just a joke.

  “That’s a good question,” Satoru Gojo said. “Scientific research shows that human emotions change with the seasons, and curse activity is closely tied to emotional shifts. In other words, the work of a Jujutsu Sorcerer has off seasons and peak seasons.”

  As Satoru Gojo explained, spring brings renewal, and humans also experience discomfort from environmental changes. Physically, this shows up as colds, outbreaks, and autonomic imbalance. On the mental side, the gloom built up during winter is released as temperatures rise.

  There is also Japan’s unique “May Blues.” The new fiscal year and school year start in April, and after newcomers push hard for a month, they immediately hit the week-long Golden Week holiday at the end of April and start of May. When the break ends, motivation has faded, goals cannot be reached at once, relationships are not as expected, and fatigue sets in.

  Under all these factors, curses surge after early summer, and the work of Jujutsu Sorcerer becomes busy. Once the curses are dealt with and emotions settle, a calmer off season follows. Some Jujutsu Sorcerer take leave to recover, and the two Tokyo Jujutsu High finally have time for exchange and cooperation.