"Old men…? If we're the old guys, then what does that make the higher-ups?"
Hearing Akira Zenin say that so casually, Satoru Gojo straightened up and shot him a sideways smile—at least, you could tell he was smiling even with the blindfold on.
"You're asking even though you already know~~"
"Um…"
A pink-haired head suddenly popped up between the three of them. Yuji Itadori had clearly overheard Megumi Fushiguro and that gloomy-looking senior addressing the two in front as "teacher."
"Hello, Senseis! My name is Yuji Itadori, and my type is—"
"Stop, stop, stop. Just get to the point. What do you want?"
Akira Zenin quickly cut him off.
He knew exactly what Yuji Itadori wanted to say.
But the truth was, Akira Zenin didn't want Yuji Itadori to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
This bright, open-hearted kid belonged in a normal sports anime, playing the kind-hearted protagonist, backed by shy admirers too nervous to confess, making it all the way to the national baseball championships.
Not standing shoulder to shoulder with people he'd just met, facing death at any moment.
The Jujutsu world was too cruel for someone like him.
"I think… I can become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, right?"
Satoru Gojo nodded without sugarcoating it.
"Yeah, you can. You can already see Cursed Spirits. Even without using Cursed Energy, with your physical ability and some Cursed Tools, you could exorcise them."
"In that case, please let me learn Jujutsu!"
Yuji Itadori bowed deeply to the two of them.
"I didn't know what this world was really like before. But now I do.
From now on, when I go home to eat, take a bath, or read manga… if I let my guard down for even a moment, I'll think about how someone out there might be killed by a curse.
And maybe… maybe I could have saved them.
Can I really keep pretending it has nothing to do with me?
I don't know what my death will look like… but I don't want to regret the way I chose to live!"
Akira Zenin didn't stop him.
In the end, the road you walk is your own choice.
He turned to leave.
"Satoru, I'll leave this to you. This kid looks loud already. I'm heading back to Kyoto to 'retire.'
Megumi, spend more time training in Taijutsu with Suguru Geto. Don't rely entirely on your Shikigami like you did this time."
Satoru Gojo gave a small nod.
For some reason, Yuji Itadori's personality fit his tastes rather well.
"Then come with me. Whether you can become a student at Tokyo Jujutsu High depends on your performance~"
...
By noon the next day, Akira Zenin had returned to school with Nue's help.
The leaves here seemed to carry a deeper shade of green, a color steeped in time.
Compared to Tokyo, where everything changed at breakneck speed, the ancient capital of Kyoto felt heavier, more layered.
The older the place, the more its atmosphere blended together—washed over by the long river of time, where good and bad alike had fused into something inseparable.
Tradition. Clans. The new generation. Stubbornness. Jujutsu Sorcerers. Curses.
Akira Zenin gave a small shake of his head and let out a quiet laugh.
[Am I not part of all that too?]
...
"Ah! Akira Zenin-sensei!"
Hearing a voice far too lively for Kyoto's usual atmosphere, Akira Zenin turned and saw a blue-haired girl jogging over.
"Miwa? Still practicing your sword at this hour?"
Kasumi Miwa quickly sheathed her blade.
"We're heading out on a mission soon, so I thought I'd train a bit more. Maybe I can be more useful when the time comes…"
"What mission? Can you tell me?"
"Sure! We're clearing out some flyheads inside a school building, plus a Grade 3 Cursed Spirits.
Mai and Momo are going with me."
"Isn't Momo Nishimiya a third-year? Why's she assigned to go with you?"
Akira Zenin attempted to raise an eyebrow… but only managed halfway.
Too tiring. Forget it.
In ordinary schools, the divide between grades was strict.
But Jujutsu High had very few students to begin with, and female Jujutsu Sorcerers were rarer still.
Kyoto Jujutsu High, being more conservative than the Tokyo campus, carried even heavier pressure from traditional families and rigid rules. It was only natural for the female Jujutsu Sorcerers to stick together.
Even so, missions were usually assigned based on both grade and rank. That way, resources weren't wasted, and underclassmen wouldn't be sent into situations beyond their ability.
Kasumi Miwa seemed a little worried that Momo Nishimiya might get called out for it. She lowered her head, looking embarrassed.
"We're close, so… so I asked Momo to come along with us…"
Since it was technically a minor rule violation, Kasumi Miwa instinctively framed herself as the one who initiated it, quietly removing any responsibility from Nishimiya Momo.
But to her surprise, Akira Zenin didn't mention the issue at all.
He simply stepped forward and lightly patted her on the head.
"No need to be so nervous. You're already doing great. Go get some rest.
If you've got a mission coming up, that's exactly why you should recover properly and be at your best."
"Hehe… yes, sir!"
...
Stare—— (¬_¬)
A subtle gaze drifted over from a nearby patch of grass.
Akira Zenin didn't even need to guess.
Other than that person, who else would have the time to plant so many surveillance devices in the bushes around Jujutsu High?