"Geto Suguru, your words are as sharp as ever. No wonder you and Gojo Satoru parted ways."
Jogo's expression darkened as he shot back with bitter sarcasm.
His concerns had been laid bare—this was exactly what worried him.
He had agreed to work with Kenjaku because, while strong, Kenjaku didn't exceed what Jogo believed he could handle.
As long as he guarded against Kenjaku's Cursed Spirit Manipulation, he was confident he could deal with him if they ever turned on each other.
But Roy was different.
Roy's strength far surpassed Kenjaku's.
Last night's battle had proven that even Jogo's strongest techniques—Maximum: Meteor and Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain—couldn't so much as scratch Roy.
Even if he teamed up with Hanami and Mahito, the most likely outcome was all three of them being annihilated by Roy.
And now Mahito had been captured by Roy.
How could he possibly feel at ease cooperating with Roy?
"Hah, Gojo's tongue is far more poisonous than mine."
Kenjaku chuckled dismissively. Seeing his foot was nearly dry, he put his socks and shoes back on and rose from the hot spring.
"No matter what you think, if we can't even get through the current crisis, what's the point of talking about the future? Right now, the best way to rescue Jogo is to win over that human from last night. Even if you don't want to, I'll still do it for my own goals."
Jogo lowered his head and remained silent.
"...Notify us when you have results. If there's nothing else, get lost."
In the end, Jogo chose to relent.
Kenjaku was right—rescuing Jogo was the top priority now. Everything else could wait.
"You made the right choice."
Kenjaku smiled, affirming his decision.
But in a corner no one noticed, a faint, sinister grin flickered across his face.
'These cursed spirits really think too highly of themselves, picking and choosing despite their meager abilities.'
Still, they were useful for now, so he'd let them live.
Hanami aside, Jogo's offensive power was exceptional.
Once everything was over, he'd add him to his collection too.
"Then prepare to hear good news from me."
Kenjaku's smile remained unchanged as he turned and headed down the mountain, intending to leave and find a compliant puppet to make contact with that human from last night.
If that human truly possessed multiple cursed techniques—including one even stronger than Cursed Spirit Manipulation against cursed spirits—he wouldn't mind switching bodies again.
'Of course, only after using this body to defeat Gojo Satoru first.'
Ding-ding-ding~!
Just then, his phone rang.
Kenjaku pulled it out and raised an eyebrow at the caller ID before answering.
"Yes, it's me. What is it?"
A moment later.
Kenjaku's expression froze abruptly.
"Did something happen?"
Hanami had been watching him closely, noting the shift in his demeanor. It didn't seem like he was preparing to fight—more like he'd just received bad news.
"...That human from last night has joined Jujutsu High."
Kenjaku hung up, his face darkening like a storm cloud ready to unleash lightning.
"What?!"
Jogo exploded, flames erupting from the crater on his head as he glared at Kenjaku with bloodshot eyes, fury etched across his face.
"You said he wasn't aligned with Japan's jujutsu society!"
"I didn't expect this either."
Kenjaku didn't retaliate against Jogo's outburst, but his own expression turned grim.
"Overseas sorcerers should have no vested interest in Japan. Logically, he wouldn't join them so easily. There must be a reason—did Jujutsu High offer him something? Or did the higher-ups promise him benefits?"
That had to be it!
That human last night had single-handedly overpowered three special-grade cursed spirits—Jogo among them—while a dozen semi-first-grade or stronger curses couldn't even scratch him. His strength was undoubtedly at the level of a special-grade sorcerer!
A sorcerer like that couldn't possibly be an idiot swayed into joining Jujutsu High for no reason. It had to be about benefits—something the jujutsu world or Jujutsu High offered that he couldn't refuse.
There's no way he's some naive "hero of justice" who saw Japan's cursed spirit problem and decided to recklessly charge in, right?
"I'll go gather the intel. You all wait for news!"
Kenjaku coldly finished speaking and quickly strode down the mountain.
In no time, his figure vanished from Hanami and Jogo's sight.
"What a pain. Before we've even dealt with Gojo Satoru, now this Roy guy shows up!"
Kenjaku was in a terrible mood, his expression dark.
This Roy—though certainly not on Gojo Satoru's level—was undeniably a monster in his own right.
Gojo's strength lay primarily in his cursed technique.
His technique was complicated to explain, but at its core, it was space-time manipulation—one of the most troublesome types of techniques. Whether attacking or defending, it was flawless, leaving no openings, so overpowering that everyone considered him in a league of his own.
Roy's strength, on the other hand, was more about his sheer combat prowess. He was like a steamroller, violently dismantling every obstacle in his path, crushing all enemies head-on.
In terms of raw power, this Roy might rank just below Gojo, even surpassing Okkotsu Yuta.
If he truly joined Jujutsu High, he would undoubtedly become a major thorn in their side!
"Damn it, those two white-haired bastards!"
Kenjaku inwardly cursed with vulgar frustration.
"On one side, we've lost Mahito, and on the other, another damn white-haired guy shows up. With losses here and gains there, my plans are falling apart… I need to find a way to recruit more people!"
"Most sorcerers in this era are useless! Obedient and capable ones are few and far between. I have no choice but to seek help from the past!"
...
"We're here. This is Tokyo Jujutsu High."
The pitch-black car came to a stop at the foot of the mountain.
Roy opened the door, and what greeted him was an expansive mountain range of unknown breadth.
The mountain wasn't tall, nor were there any roars of wild beasts. It was eerily quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds breaking the silence. Thick forests covered the slopes, as if concealing some hidden secret.
With Roy's vision, even from the base of the mountain, he could make out several traditional pavilion-style buildings nestled within the dense woods, all constructed from wood and tiles. The forest provided natural camouflage, making them difficult to detect.
"Well then, Principal, I'll take my leave."
The middle-parted man stepped out of the car, bowed respectfully to Yaga Masamichi and Roy, then got back in and drove off.
"Let's go. I'll show you the way."
Yaga, his face as expressionless as a poker player, spoke first and began ascending the stone steps.
Roy followed closely behind as the two made their way up the stairs.
Yaga remained silent, simply walking ahead without a word.
Seeing this, Roy waved a hand and took the initiative to ask, "From what you said earlier, you're inviting me to be a teacher at Jujutsu High?"
"...How old are you?"
After a brief silence, Yaga suddenly countered with a question.
"...You really had to ask that now?"
Roy was caught off guard.
Seriously, man.
Do you always have to answer a question with another question?
This is the second time!
"What if I said I'm eight? Would you believe me?"
"..."
Even though Yaga's expression didn't change,
Roy could practically hear the unspoken response: That joke wasn't funny.
"Just consider me close to thirty."
Roy himself couldn't remember the exact age.
Counting both his previous life and current one, he should be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine.
"Then there's no problem. The purpose of my invitation to Jujutsu High is indeed for you to become a teacher."
Hearing this, Yaga Masamichi nodded calmly.
"So what's the point of asking my age?"
"Of course there's a point."
After a pause, Masamichi Yaga continued.
"You look very young on the outside, as young as the students. If you were still a student yourself, I couldn't let you become a teacher."
"Oh? Underestimating my experience?"
Roy's gaze turned playful.
"That's not what I meant."
Masamichi Yaga remained expressionless, shaking his head.
"It's just that if you were a student, you should be enjoying your youth to the fullest, not bearing the burdens of adulthood at an unnecessary age—robbing young people of their youth is unforgivable."
The words made Roy pause for a moment.
In other words, Masamichi Yaga didn't distrust Roy's experience—he simply believed that people should do what's appropriate for their age. The young should enjoy their youth, while burdens should be shouldered by adults.
"Pretty words. If you practice what you preach, I'd say you're a good teacher."
Roy nodded with a smile, praising Masamichi Yaga outright.
Masamichi Yaga didn't respond.
Instead, he led Roy up the final step, arriving before a massive stone-brick platform.
Ahead stood a towering torii gate several people high, and beyond it lay the cluster of buildings that made up Jujutsu High.
"We're here. This is the main entrance to Jujutsu High."
"Next, we'll test your sorcerer grade, register your cursed technique, and evaluate your overall strengths."
At this point, Masamichi Yaga stopped walking.
He turned around, his gaze—hidden behind sunglasses—locking onto Roy with a hint of sharpness.
"Now, care to tell me? What was this 'condition for joining Jujutsu High' you mentioned?"