The drawback was obvious as well. If Satoru Gojo ever ran into trouble, the situation of those people would become precarious.
But now Akira was here, and risks like that would not be allowed to exist. It was a form of returning the favor to this towering tree.
"Then let me welcome you to Tokyo Jujutsu High," Satoru Gojo said as he extended his hand to Akira. "There will be a small test before enrollment, but you will be fine."
"I think so too. Please take care of me, Teacher Gojo," Akira said as he reached out and shook his hand.
"Call me Editor Gojo," Satoru Gojo said immediately. "Sign the authorization agreement first. I have read your work, and although it uses many familiar setups, it is unexpectedly interesting. A world where women are strong and men are weak, throwing a man into a girls' school, how did you come up with that? It reminds me of the time I went undercover in a girls' school on a mission. Good memories."
Watching Satoru Gojo open the floodgates and talk nonstop, Akira knew that the days ahead would definitely not be boring.
There was a curious pattern in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen: the eyes of Jujutsu Sorcerer were often not normal. Some looked strange, some had strange abilities, and some looked fine but were covered or folded away in odd ways. When normal people made eye contact, nothing happened, but when these people did, it always felt different.
Akira had complained about this while watching anime in his past life, and seeing it up close made the feeling stronger. First came eye contact between dark sunglasses and a blindfold, then between sunglasses and heavy dark circles. The latter belonged to Pancham, who had followed Akira here.
The man wearing the dark sunglasses was the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga. This was the third day after Satoru Gojo came to visit, with the admission notice sent the next day and registration on the third. The speed was impressive.
From his looks alone, Masamichi Yaga did not seem friendly. He was broad and thickset, almost twice as wide as Satoru Gojo, with a hard face that matched the sunglasses and dark uniform as he sat squarely in the room. He looked more like a gang boss than a school principal.
He spoke right away in a deep, loud voice. "You are too slow, Satoru. You are half an hour late. When will you fix this bad habit?"
"Never in this life," Satoru Gojo replied calmly, saying something annoying with a straight face. "But since I brought you a gift today, forgive me. You are going to like it."
After speaking, he grabbed Pancham by the back of the neck and tossed it toward Masamichi Yaga's face. That was how the scene of two sets of dark circles staring at each other came to be.
"Wan~"
Pancham tried hard to glare, showing its displeasure, but it did not work. With that appearance, it only looked cute.
The hard lines on Masamichi Yaga's face softened at once, and the kindness in his eyes showed even through the thick sunglasses. He lowered his voice as he spoke to the small creature. "Little one, what is your name?"
"Wan~?"
"Pancham? That is a good name."
"Wan~ wan~" Pancham waved its short arms and looked very happy.
"Principal Yaga is Panda's father. In all of Tokyo, no one understands Panda better, and no one likes Panda more than him."
Satoru Gojo said something Akira already knew, but it did not stop Akira from feeling surprised. Most Pokémon could only make a few sounds, and even Akira relied on long experience to understand what they meant. Masamichi Yaga did it with ease, and if love were the explanation, then his love for Panda truly had no limit.
That was proven by what happened next. At home, Pancham was so naughty that a moment of carelessness could keep Akemi Aki busy all day. In Masamichi Yaga's hands, however, it was gentle and calm.
This was not Gardevoir using Psychic Power to restrain it. It was simply comfortable there, and with a casual scratch from Masamichi Yaga, Pancham lay down and showed its round belly. In the past, that only happened after it was full and ready to sleep.
Based on this alone, Masamichi Yaga fully deserved the title of someone who understood Panda best. "Impressive," Satoru Gojo said with new respect. "I was just joking. I did not expect it to work even if it is not a cursed corpse."
Walking at the back, Akemi Aki looked at Satoru Gojo with some surprise. She had not expected him to have this kind of personality. Akira did not find it strange at all, since the worst thing about Satoru Gojo was exactly his personality, which shattered his image as a perfect man.
Those who knew Satoru Gojo understood that he was reliable but not worthy of respect, and many people truly disliked him. Akira was not really concerned about the principal's role as a Panda caretaker anyway. It was nice to have, but not required.
"Satoru, you little—"
Masamichi Yaga was kind to Panda but not to Satoru Gojo. The flesh on his cheeks tightened as he was about to explode. Satoru Gojo was not afraid, and with a small smile, he pointed at his thigh where Pancham was resting lazily.
Not wanting to affect the little one, Masamichi Yaga lost his temper at once. He coughed and put on a serious face. "I have already heard the details from Satoru. Answer me one question, Akira. Why did you come here?"
"Here we go again," Satoru Gojo muttered. "I told you he is not like other students. This routine will not work. And you are not scary at all right now."
"Satoru!" Masamichi Yaga ground his teeth.
Satoru Gojo only pushed further, spreading his hands with a look that dared him to try something. It was clear he knew Masamichi Yaga would not actually hit him. Unexpectedly, Akira clapped his hands and called out, "Pancham, use Tackle!"
Pancham sprang up at once, shaking off its lazy state. Playing was playing, but when it was time to act, Akira never forgot he was a trainer. When a fight was called for, Pancham never hesitated.
"Wan~"
It meant, hit him hard. The target was Satoru Gojo. Of course it caused no damage, but it freed Masamichi Yaga to act as well.
After the hit, Masamichi Yaga followed up by twisting Satoru Gojo into a strange hold. Blood flow was cut off, and Satoru Gojo's face turned pale as he still tried to glare at Akira. "Whose side are you on?"
"You are the teacher, he is the principal. Who do you think I am on?" Akira spread his hands with an innocent look. "Pancham, do not stop. Scratch behind his knee."
"Wan~"
With Masamichi Yaga and Pancham working together, Satoru Gojo was bent over, letting out long cries. "Is this really okay?" Akemi Aki asked softly.
After all, Satoru Gojo was the head of the Gojo family, and the mother and son would rely on his protection in the future. "Relax," Akira said with a wave. The Zenin and Kamo heads would not do, but Satoru Gojo was fine.
No matter how much he was messed with, he would not act out of character. He had no airs and no sense of rank, and Masamichi Yaga had been his teacher in his student days, when he had taken plenty of punishment already. In the end, Satoru Gojo gave a formal salute. "I surrender. I admit defeat."