“Where did Todo go, and why hasn’t he arrived yet?” he demanded.

  “Maybe he overslept?” Satoru Gojo cut in and was immediately put in a joint lock by Masamichi Yaga. Utahime Iori watched the scene with a smile and replied, “He did not come back last night, and his phone is off.”

  “Why didn’t you say this earlier?” The veins on the principal’s forehead twitched, and losing face in front of Satoru Gojo made it worse. “Because it is Todo, you know how he is,” Utahime Iori said, leaving the rest unsaid.

  Aoi Todo was the biggest troublemaker in Kyoto Jujutsu High. He did whatever he wanted, and if you tried to control him, he would hit back, backed by strength that made him nearly unbeatable in Kyoto. If not for his personality holding him back, he would have been a Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer long ago.

  “Todo was seen yesterday,” Mai Zenin added. “It looked like he went to some idol event.” Holding her broom, Momo Nishimiya joined the teachers after dismissal as a matter of course.

  “That should have been reported earlier,” Noritoshi Kamo frowned. “Even so, he should not stay out all night.” “He probably got lost, you know he has no sense of direction,” Momo said, making Noritoshi Kamo open his usually narrowed eyes a little.

  He knew this too well. Once he had let Todo lead the way, and they wandered the mountains until their phones died, only to be found later when Momo flew by overhead. The memory was still vivid.

  “If you are missing one person, you are allowed to use a substitute,” Satoru Gojo said, never missing a chance to provoke. “With Aoi’s level, let the three first years over there all join in. If that is not enough, we can even hold back a bit, right, Ari?”

  “I think that works,” said Akira, the Tokyo Jujutsu High team captain and commander, nodding seriously. “Or we can put Hakari-senpai on the bench, second year for second year, very fair.”

  “You brat,” Kinji Hakari said as he passed by and heard everything. “Picking a fight?” “No, it is the most reasonable arrangement,” Akira replied. “You did not join group battle training, and we never counted on you.”

  Even knowing that Kinji Hakari was not a bad person, a lone wolf like him was the first to be cut when needed. “If you do not accept it, let’s bet,” Akira continued. “Mahjong, cards, dice, your choice.”

  On the bus, I crushed you with just Darkrai. If I add Gardevoir, even Satoru Gojo might not be my opponent. Seeing the deep scheming behind Akira’s smile made Kinji Hakari burn with anger.

  Betting would mean losing to cheating he could not prove. Arguing made him clearly in the wrong, and he could not even blame Satoru Gojo. Fighting was worse, since the group match was about to start, and internal conflict was not his style.

  Besides, he might not even win. With his experience, Kinji Hakari instinctively knew that Akira and Yuta Okkotsu were the two most dangerous ones, second only to Satoru Gojo. They were the kind who could still beat you even if you rolled a perfect six.

  Fortunately, the stalemate did not last long. “There is no need for that,” Noritoshi Kamo said, refusing with pride shared by Kyoto Jujutsu High. “Mechamaru, rely on you. Find Todo.”

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  “Already doing so,” came the reply. Like Tokyo’s Panda, Mechamaru was known for being dependable. A phone being off did not mean it could not be tracked, and this was true technology combined with Jujutsu.

  “Aoi Todo’s location is… uh… the gate of Tokyo Jujutsu High?” Everyone looked down the stone steps and saw a bare chested, muscular man sprinting upward. When he reached the school plaza, he threw a bag printed with “Takada” and his jacket toward Momo Nishimiya.

  Letting out a breath, he said, “Good, I made it. Is the venue really that far from Tokyo Jujutsu High?” Before anyone could complain, he flexed, struck a dramatic pose, and roared, “Men of Tokyo, answer me one question. What kind of woman do you like?”

  The moment that strange question was asked, everyone from Kyoto Jujutsu High narrowed their eyes and stepped back at the same time. They clearly knew what kind of person had just spoken. Aoi Todo thought in the same odd way as Satoru Gojo, especially his habit of asking people about their XP as soon as they met, like some kind of XP System scanner.

  From the elderly Yoshinobu Gakuganji all the way down to Mechamaru, he had asked this question of every male he met, with the sole exception of women. Because of that, Aoi Todo went through life with only one praised trait, being strong. The students from Tokyo Jujutsu High had never seen anything like this and stared in confusion.

  Kinji Hakari was the first to speak up. “Why do we even have to answer something like that? This is ridiculous.” Yuta Okkotsu, Toge Inumaki, Megumi Fushiguro, and even Panda all nodded in agreement.

  Aoi Todo grinned, looking oddly cheerful. “XP reflects everything about a person. Someone with boring taste is boring themselves, and I hate boring men the most. The exchange event is a stage where blood boils and bodies cheer, so all boring people should get out. Answer quickly, even if your answer is men.”

  The boys from Tokyo fell silent. The girls from Tokyo also fell silent.

  “Just answer him, it is not so bad,” Satoru Gojo said casually. “By the way, I like Utahime. Bullying her, that is.” “Who wants you to like them,” Utahime Iori snapped, looking close to exploding.

  “No one asked you, idiot teacher,” the students complained in unison. Satoru Gojo was already used to enjoying these Benefits and continued on his own. “If we do not count me, the one most qualified to answer should be Ari.”

  With that reminder, the students immediately found their pillar of support. “We are counting on you, Ari.” “Captain, this is the critical moment.” “Ari, you can do it.” “Salmon.” Even Kinji Hakari joined in, saying, “Ari, good luck.”

  Akira sighed. “You are all a bunch of traitors.” Still, this was a question that both Akira and Makoto had thought about before.

  If it had been only Megumi Fushiguro here, he would have been beaten up by Aoi Todo today for sure. But with Akira and Yuta Okkotsu present, things were different. “Senior Todo, right? I think your XP theory is not entirely wrong. But this kind of question depends on the situation and the person. Some people can be asked directly, others cannot, especially men who already have a woman by their side.”

  “Shana~”

  As soon as Akira finished speaking, Gardevoir in a flowing white dress stepped out from behind him. She stared straight at Aoi Todo with wide eyes, making him feel a pressure he had not felt in a long time. Akira patted Gardevoir on the shoulder to signal her not to steal the spotlight, because this time the main character was someone else.

  “Rika Orimoto, someone is asking what kind of woman Yuta likes. What do you say?”

  As soon as those words fell, everyone on the Tokyo side scattered. Being called out by Akira was like lighting a fuse. Sure enough, a huge white head pushed out from the void.

  “Yu ta li kes Ri ka. We will be together forever.”

  The Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit, Rika Orimoto, fully manifested. Dense cursed energy swept across the field, making the entire Kyoto Jujutsu High pale in comparison.

  “No way.” “This scale of Cursed Spirit.” “It cannot even be described as Special Grade.”

  Seeing how shaken Kyoto Jujutsu High looked, Satoru Gojo laughed loudly and gave Akira a thumbs up. Akira returned the gesture with a calm smile.

  Without his interference, this exchange event might have ended in an instant. If Aoi Todo had angered Rika Orimoto, Kyoto Jujutsu High would have been wiped out. From that perspective, he had already been merciful to Kyoto Jujutsu High.