Mai's pupils shrank, anger rushing up all at once. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly—"
Before finishing, a sudden rush of air blew her bangs and side hair aside, exposing her forehead and ears. A flash of yellow filled her vision in an instant, stopping just short of her face.
When it finally stopped, she saw the words printed on it. Tokyo BANANA. It was a sweet said to be a popular new specialty from Tokyo.
"Was I wrong?" Akira said lightly. "You feel like sisters who get along pretty well. Sorry about that, then. Please forgive me, for the sake of the souvenir."
The box lowered slowly, revealing Akira's familiar smiling eyes. Makoto Yi's pupils had not fully recovered, and it felt like she had just been dazzled.
So handsome. No, so fast.
A moment ago he had been ten meters away, greeting them. In a blink, he was right here. Was this a senior from Tokyo Jujutsu High?
In a daze, Mai felt the weight in her hands. It was the souvenir box. Someone who knew to bring gifts was unexpectedly nice.
Wait, what am I thinking?
Realizing the slip, Mai Zenin cleared her throat and steadied herself. She nodded to Akira and the rest from Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Apologies. By order of Principal Gakuganji, I'm here to welcome everyone from Tokyo Jujutsu High."
"Zenin—" Akira took two steps back.
"Call me Mai. Using the family name gets confusing with Maki Zenin," Mai replied, just as she had when first meeting her sister.
"Then, Mai—"
Akira seized the moment to wink at Maki Zenin. She clicked her tongue and looked away, clearly annoyed.
He found it amusing. Maki Zenin could speak plainly to anyone except her sister, and Makoto Yi was much the same. They both cared deeply, yet neither would say it out loud.
"Is it just you who came?" someone asked.
"No, there's one more," Mai said, looking around. "Kasumi, where did that girl run off to?"
"Is it that kid?" Satoru Gojo spoke up from the back of the group, pointing toward a nearby pillar.
In the shadow stood a blue-haired girl with long hair flowing down her back. She was about the same age as Mai, dressed plainly with only minimal grooming, giving off an unusually honest and reserved impression.
That kind of normalcy was fine among ordinary people. Among Jujutsu Sorcerer, where unstable personalities were common, it stood out as strange.
Makoto Yi spotted her and strode over, pulling the blue-haired girl out of the shadows. "Kasumi, what are you doing?"
"W-wait, Mai," the girl said in a panic. "G-Gojo is looking at me. Satoru Gojo is looking at me. He's so handsome. Let me stay like this a little longer…"
Makoto Yi fell silent.
My sister's teammates. My teammates.
What kind of karma is this supposed to be?
Mai Zenin looked helpless, the others were speechless, but Akira had a very good impression of the blue-haired girl.
Kasumi Miwa.
In the Jujutsu World, she was among the very few, perhaps the only normal person. She was gentle in nature, polite to others, and not fond of fighting.
She did not carry any tragic background, nor did she have outstanding talent. Like Akira, she had no Jujutsu, only Cursed Energy.
By chance, she became a disciple of the New Shadow Style and turned into a swordswoman of the New Shadow Style. Her reason for wielding a sword was simple and pure, to reduce her mother's burden, with the goal of standing on her own as soon as possible so she could earn money.
She owned a Katana that could carry Cursed Energy. Its level among Cursed Tools was not high, but it was something the girl had saved for a long time to buy.
Like other high school girls, she liked idols, and her idol was Satoru Gojo. Just being able to talk to her idol made her happy, to the point where, if the situation allowed, she would have dragged Akira to a corner to exchange fan gossip.
Why not just ask Satoru Gojo directly. How many fans could really ask their idol questions face to face.
Mai Zenin had no strength left even to pull people along. This silly girl was beyond saving.
With unreliable teammates, Mai Zenin had to handle things herself. She said, "The car is ready. Please come with me."
"Wait." Yuta Okkotsu raised his hand. "Isn't that also a student from Tokyo Jujutsu High over there?"
Everyone followed where he pointed and indeed saw another person wearing the Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform. He stood near the exit at the edge of the platform.
This was a tall man who could match Satoru Gojo in height, with a build even more solid than Masamichi Yaga and Kinji Hakari, like a mass of muscle. His looks followed the same style as Kinji Hakari but were rougher, with a clear scar near the bridge of his nose that added a fierce air.
His hairstyle was very distinctive, like a small sunflower about to bloom. When they saw this man, both Mai Zenin and Kasumi Miwa stiffened at the same time.
"Senior Todo…"
The students from Tokyo Jujutsu High also tensed. Panda had just mentioned the most anticipated rising star of Kyoto Jujutsu High, Aoi Todo.
"Ignore him, he's not with us," Mai Zenin said after a glance, quickly looking away. "Let's go."
"But, but is that really okay?" Kasumi Miwa hesitated.
"There's nothing wrong with it. If you want to greet him, go by yourself. I'd be too embarrassed."
Once Mai Zenin said that, Kasumi Miwa immediately shut up. The others wisely kept quiet as well.
Because Aoi Todo was not alone. He stood in the middle of a group of people wearing headbands or support shirts.
Relying on his height, he alone held the largest sign, with exaggerated letters reading "Takada-chan for life," followed by a huge heart. If they walked over, even if they did not die of embarrassment on the spot, they would be left with lasting trauma.
"Uh, then let's go."
"He'll come back when the exchange event starts anyway."
"Yeah."
The atmosphere, which had been full of undercurrents, instantly became friendly. It could only be said that it was indeed Aoi Todo, the eternal legend.
Like Tokyo Jujutsu High, Kyoto Jujutsu High was also built in the mountains far from the city, covering a vast area and hiding behind the guise of a religious school. Overall, it was rated slightly higher than Tokyo, mainly because Kyoto was said to have eight hundred shrines and three thousand temples, with an extremely strong atmosphere of faith, making Kyoto Jujutsu High blend in without any sense of discord.
Principal Yoshinobu Gakuganji fit the setting even more than Masamichi Yaga. He was a bald old man wearing traditional Japan clothing, giving off the air of an old monk, if one ignored the exaggerated four earrings and a nose ring.
Of course, Akira knew this was all a disguise. This old man was wild at heart and also a backbone of the conservative faction.
Along with Principal Gakuganji, Akira also met part of the staff from Kyoto Jujutsu High. There was the instructor, a near Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer, Utahime Iori.
She wore shrine maiden robes and had an elegant Eastern beauty. Her only flaw was a scar near the bridge of her nose, the same as Aoi Todo, said to be a wound left from subduing a powerful Cursed Spirit that even Reverse Cursed Technique could not heal.