“Maybe by the time I contact you, I will have already beaten all the enemies flat.”

  Kinji Hakari smiled with confidence. The lower limit of his Cursed Technique was low, but the upper limit was even higher, and with good luck, clearing the field alone was not impossible unless the other side had a Special Grade. As he finished speaking, he shot forward, his speed rivaling even Maki Zenin and Toge Inumaki.

  In the observation room, teachers, special guests, and students without qualifications to participate watched quietly. Using synchronized crow perspectives and monitors, everything on the field was displayed clearly. The atmosphere was calm, but everyone’s eyes were fixed on the screens.

  The prep student with the most unique status, Megumi Fushiguro, muttered softly, “Kinji Hakari, is he really okay by himself?”

  “Being treated as a discarded piece or bait is never a good thing,” Mai Zenin chimed in casually, flashing a charming smile. “You are Fushiguro, right? I have heard your name for a long time. Do you have time later? A lot of people want to meet you.”

  “I am very sorry, Zenin-senpai, but I do not want to think about those things right now,” Megumi Fushiguro replied politely.

  Mai Zenin was about to speak when she noticed Satoru Gojo turn his head and “look” at her. She swallowed her words and only said, “That is mean, Fushiguro. Calling me that makes it hard to tell me apart from Maki Zenin. Just call me Mai Zenin.”

  However, in a place like Tokyo Jujutsu High, such gestures were usually wasted. Megumi Fushiguro did not respond at all and simply looked at Satoru Gojo. Satoru Gojo returned a confident smile and said, “It is fine. The other side’s Aoi will act alone too.”

  Just as he said, the moment Kinji Hakari left the group, Aoi Todo also charged out alone. Led by Noritoshi Kamo, the members of Kyoto Jujutsu High showed no intention of stopping him, clearly used to his style.

  “And you should know better than anyone how strong your seniors are, and how sharp their sense for team command really is,” Satoru Gojo added. Because of Yoshinobu Gakuganji’s presence, he deliberately left the rest unsaid.

  For Megumi Fushiguro, just that much was enough. “Yes, I know. He is one of the only two people I truly respect.”

  “The other one is definitely me,” Satoru Gojo said.

  “No.”

  “Do not be shy,” Satoru Gojo replied shamelessly.

  Megumi Fushiguro pushed off the ground and moved to another spot. Mai Zenin stayed where she was, lifting her head and focusing her gaze on the center position of the Tokyo Jujutsu High starting point.

  The black-haired Boy who gave off a strange feeling narrowed his eyes, the confidence on his face never fading. He called out, “Panda, can you sense it?”

  Panda scratched his ear with a paw. “I cannot pinpoint it, but someone on the Kyoto side has left the group alone. The others are moving together.”

  “Just as expected. Todo and Hakari are both solo players, so we will act according to plan as well,” he said calmly. “Toge, Panda, take Pancham as one team. Take a roundabout route. Your task is to clear as many minor enemies as possible and force their scouts out. If you encounter a second-grade Cursed Spirit, control it first and do not rush to kill it.”

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Remember, our goal is not just to win, but to give everyone a chance to show themselves.”

  “Salmon.”

  “Understood.”

  “Graah.”

  The entire Panda group moved out together.

  After that, he continued, “Yuta, you will be on your own. You carry the heaviest burden. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes,” Yuta Okkotsu nodded seriously. “I will do my best. I will put the results of my special training and everyone’s help to use. I want to win.”

  “That is the spirit,” Maki Zenin praised. “You are much better than when you first came. Good luck, and you too, Rika Orimoto.”

  “I will protect Yuta.”

  Rika Orimoto’s voice sounded out of nowhere, but she did not appear, giving the enemy no chance to locate her through Cursed Energy.

  “We are heading out.”

  Yuta Okkotsu advanced straight ahead, choosing the shortest path and the direction most likely to encounter enemies.

  “Then we will move too,” said Akira, exchanging a glance with Maki Zenin as he took the lead. Maki Zenin followed and added, “There are a few things I still do not understand. I get the grouping for Panda and Hakari, but what about Yuta? Why are you so sure Kyoto Jujutsu High will send everyone to surround him?”

  “Because in the eyes of Kyoto Jujutsu High, or more precisely, the conservative faction led by old man Yoshinobu Gakuganji, there is only Rika Orimoto,” Akira replied. “If I am not mistaken, they have never given up on executing Yuta. The so-called restrictions and all those righteous reasons are just to create an opportunity to take Yuta’s life.”

  Maki Zenin’s expression changed. “Why? Wasn’t Yuta’s previous proof enough?”

  Akira shook his head. “Not enough. No matter what Yuta does, it will never be enough. In the eyes of the Conservative Faction, Yuta Okkotsu will always be the one responsible for creating a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit, a dangerous element that must be removed.”

  “That’s hard to understand.”

  “No, it’s actually very easy to understand. Maki Zenin, you are strong. Below Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer, unless someone’s Cursed Technique directly counters you, no one can beat you. Do you think the people of the Zenin Clan do not know this about Makoto? With your personality, if you were treated with contempt, wouldn’t you have beaten them all up already?”

  Maki Zenin made a small sound and looked a little embarrassed, which was rare for her.

  “Let’s make a guess. If the Zenin Clan had given you enough respect, no, they wouldn’t even need respect, just fewer unfair Benefits and equal treatment, even if they never let you become head of the family, would you have run away from home? When the family needed you to do things, would you have refused?”

  “This…” It was a path Maki Zenin had never imagined, but she thought it over seriously. “Probably not. Even if I wanted to compete for the position, I wouldn’t have left home.”

  “Then why didn’t they do that? Your family isn’t seeing this kind of person for the first time. The previous one was strong enough to fight the head, Naobito Zenin, evenly.”

  “Because the Zenin Clan has traditions that are rotten to the core,” Maki Zenin said bluntly.

  “That’s only the surface, not the essence.”

  Akira shook his head again. This difference marked the line between maturity and immaturity, whether one could see past appearances to the truth.

  “Living beings instinctively seek stability, especially those who already hold benefits. To the Conservative Faction, not changing and maintaining the status quo is the greatest stability, so they try every way to remove unstable factors. Take you as an example again. What the ruling Jujutsu Sorcerer see is not just Maki Zenin alone, but many people in situations similar to hers.

  If I give Maki Zenin special treatment today, tomorrow others will use her as an example and demand similar Benefits.”

  Maki Zenin asked again, “Isn’t that good? Giving more capable people opportunities would also make the Zenin Clan stronger.”

  “For the Zenin Clan, yes, but not necessarily for the Jujutsu Sorcerer within it. If the Zenin Clan were not a major family, expansion would still be possible, so it wouldn’t matter. But the Zenin Clan is already one of the Three Great Clans, with nowhere higher to go. The cake is only so big, and the benefits are limited. If more people share it, the ones who already have benefits get less.

  Could they still order others around as they do now? Once people taste the sweetness of benefits, won’t they seek even more? Depending on how things change, it’s not impossible for all Jujutsu Sorcerer and Non-Sorcerer to turn against each other and cause internal conflict. So they won’t let you stand out, whether at home or after you ran away.”

  After hearing Akira’s explanation, Maki Zenin showed a cold smile. “Aren’t they afraid I’ll find a chance to overturn them?”