"Exams on a weekend... the school must be out of its mind."
A thin, blond young man with his hair parted in a 7:3 ratio stood there, radiating an aura of pure annoyance. Dressed in the black Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform, he was surrounded by a visibly low-pressure system.
"Let this final assessment end quickly. I hate overtime."
Haibara briefly introduced him to Kenmei: his name was Kento Nanami, Haibara's classmate.
He was a quarter Danish and had enrolled via the Tokyo Jujutsu High talent recruitment program—a transfer student who joined mid-semester.
Most "new generation" sorcerers from prominent families chose to study within their clans rather than attend Jujutsu High. For instance, Kenmei's cousins, Mei and Yomi, never attended the school.
Generally, there were two ways to get into Jujutsu High: either through an internal recommendation (like Kenmei's case) or by being scouted for possessing innate talent. Usually, if the candidate agreed, they could enroll. However, it was normal for the school to struggle with recruitment.
Nanami had enrolled on a whim, never expecting the work of a Sorcerer to be far more grueling than he imagined.
He hadn't even graduated—he was just a first-year—but he already looked like a worn-out corporate drone.
"Even though Nanami enrolled late, he's the strongest in our class."
While ordinary students took over an hour to reach the final assessment point, Nanami had done it in thirty minutes. His efficiency was terrifying.
Haibara suddenly felt his own good grades weren't so impressive anymore. He leaned his chin on the railing, looking bored.
"Ah, ah... if the final boss is just a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit, Nanami will definitely one-shot it."
Hearing Haibara's praise, Kenmei grew slightly interested in this guy.
It was rare for someone outside the Jujutsu world to possess such high talent.
Jujutsu techniques are typically innate (often inherited through family bloodlines), meaning about 80% of a Sorcerer's strength is determined at birth.
To have this level of strength right after enrolling, without prior systematic training, meant that—just as Kenmei had predicted for Haibara—Nanami would likely be a Grade 1 Sorcerer upon graduation.
However, Kenmei could sense the Cursed Spirit sealed in the shipping container below. Nanami's final test wasn't a Grade 3 spirit as Haibara assumed; it was a special Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
If Kenmei's sensitivity to Cursed Spirits hadn't increased recently, he might not have accurately judged its grade.
Something seemed to be interfering with the spirit, suppressing its danger level to a certain extent.
---
At that moment, two people were arguing in the Chief Examiner's office.
SLAM!
A furious middle-aged man with a buzz cut slammed his hands on the desk, shouting at the person sitting in the chair with their back to him.
"Sending a first-year who just enrolled to face a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit? That's way out of the curriculum!"
The large screen nearby displayed Nanami's exam feed.
"Grade 2 spirits are supposed to be for second-year assessments!"
According to the rules, the final exam for all first-years was to exorcise a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit. They would adjust the difficulty within Grade 3 based on the student's performance—stronger spirits for "good students," weaker ones for the rest.
But Nanami's test was uniquely a genuine Grade 2.
"Yaga, is this why you're shouting in my office?"
The buzz-cut man was Masamichi Yaga, the one Azazel had asked to enroll Kenmei previously.
The executive chair spun around to reveal an arrogant old man with white hair, dressed in a black suit. He faced Yaga with disdain.
"A Grade 2 spirit? I had a collar installed to limit its Cursed Energy output. What are you worried about?"
"Students these days shouldn't be so delicate. In my generation, everyone crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood."
"Hah. If that knock-off product from who-knows-where can actually restrain a Cursed Spirit, I'll write my name backwards."
Yaga laughed in anger, his expression turning ugly and filled with contempt.
"You didn't take a kickback from them, did you?"
It was common for certain organizations to commission Jujutsu High to test new product performance, but prototypes were prone to accidents.
"Yaga, know your place!"
Being practically accused of corruption to his face, the old man couldn't sit still. He slammed the table in rage.
"Don't forget, I am still the Principal! What I say goes."
"Your appointment doesn't take effect until the end of August. You have no right to demand an explanation from me."
"Old fool."
Yaga cursed silently. It was a transition period for power, but this old geezer refused to let go.
"Besides, with Mei Mei watching, Nanami should be fine."
Since suffering unknown mental trauma during a previous mission, Mei Mei had been recuperating at Jujutsu High. The scenery was nice, and Master Tengen's barrier ensured she wouldn't see anything strange when she opened her eyes.
---
"Miss Mei, is your body okay?"
Seeing Mei Mei walk over slowly, Haibara immediately asked with concern.
"I'm much better. Thank you."
Mei Mei's voice was incredibly raspy, giving the illusion that she might drop dead any moment.
Hearing Haibara speak, Kenmei turned his head to see a young woman—probably not very old—dressed in a black corset and a black horse-face skirt. Her complexion was deathly pale.
She looked familiar. Her appearance and figure were remarkable, but her sickly complexion dragged her score down significantly.
Pale skin, heavy dark circles... she radiated the kind of mental exhaustion seen in corporate slaves working 24/7 schedules. Like a walking corpse.
Haibara whispered to Kenmei:
"That's Miss Mei Mei, a supervisor at Jujutsu High. She suffered mental damage during a mission last time and has been recovering here ever since."
Hearing the intro, Kenmei finally remembered. Wait, isn't this that unlucky person?
Kenmei didn't dare look directly at Blue Uncle (Space Marine) with his psychic eye for fear of frying his brain.
Yet this woman used crows to transmit visuals, effectively staring directly at that terror. Ignorance really is bliss.
She had no idea what she had faced.
Fortunately, while crows have the largest brain-to-body ratio among birds, they're still birds. The crow's brain fried first, buying her a split-second delay before the feedback hit her. Otherwise, she would definitely be a vegetable right now.
Meanwhile, the monster sealed inside the shipping container was released.
"A Grade 2 Cursed Spirit?"
Nanami frowned.
---