Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High stood nearly a thousand meters apart. Each side gathered inside their respective wooden lodges.
Before the competition officially began, both teams had half an hour to plan their strategy.
Tokyo Jujutsu High — Command Room
Panda explained the rules of the competition to the first-years, including Itadori and the others.
"The highest grade of cursed spirits in the area will be Grade 2. There will also be Grade 3 spirits roaming along the way."
"Before sunset, whichever team exorcises the most cursed spirits within the designated area wins."
"Other than that… there are no rules."
"Panda-senpai!"
Itadori raised his hand.
"So if there are no rules, that means interfering with the other team is allowed, right?"
Panda nodded.
"That's right—as long as you don't kill or seriously injure them."
"Interference and attacking the opposing team are both permitted."
"Megumi? Nobara?"
Maki looked at them suspiciously.
"What's with you two?"
"You've both looked gloomy ever since the gathering earlier."
After spending more than half a month together, Maki had come to understand Kugisaki's personality.
Fushiguro was one thing—but Kugisaki wasn't the type to tolerate provocation.
Yet earlier, when the Kyoto students mocked them, she hadn't said a word. Even now, facing a companion who had come back from the dead, she seemed distracted.
"Maki… sis."
"I didn't sleep well last night. Insomnia."
Kugisaki casually made up an excuse, then pretended to listen attentively.
Under Maki's scrutinizing gaze, Fushiguro quickly straightened up and focused on Panda's explanation.
Kyoto Jujutsu High — Command Room
Unlike Tokyo, Kyoto had no first-years, and this wasn't their first time participating.
Kamo Noritoshi skipped the rules and directly assigned roles.
"Todo."
"Since you prefer working alone, head straight for the enemy base as soon as the match starts."
Looking at Aoi Todo, who stood by the door with his upper body bare, Kamo said calmly:
"Your role is to create disruption. We'll eliminate the cursed spirits as quickly as possible."
Todo frowned, hands in his pockets.
"Don't order me around!"
"Even if you didn't say it, I was already planning to do that!"
"I'm not interested in some cursed spirit-clearing game. What I want is a battle that gets my blood pumping!"
Kamo nodded.
"Fine. Just go and cause chaos however you like."
Then he turned to the white-browed old man seated above.
"Principal, do you have any further instructions?"
Gakuganji's deep gaze swept across the group before stopping on Mai.
He spoke lightly:
"Nothing else. I'll be waiting for good news in the control room."
After the principal left, Mai crossed her arms and said in a low voice:
"I don't care about that brat who swallowed a cursed object."
"But about that Grade 4 cursed spirit called Baijue—be careful when you deal with him."
Miwa Kasumi and Nishimiya Momo, who were close to Mai, both nodded. They knew her past—and had heard about White Zetsu and Zenin Mirai from her.
Todo spoke up immediately:
"I don't care about his identity. But I don't like that cursed spirit's taste."
"If I don't go after him, consider that me giving you face."
"But if he picks a fight with me first, I won't hold back!"
With that, Todo kicked the door open and headed toward Tokyo's base as the timer ticked down.
Mai wasn't surprised by his refusal. She had known from the start that this madman wouldn't listen.
"Mechamaru. Kamo."
"I'm not asking you to hold back because I'm close to White Zetsu."
She looked at them seriously.
"If you accidentally kill him… you'll die."
Kamo turned to her.
"Is that a threat, Mai?"
"No. It's a warning."
She knew Todo wouldn't listen—but she understood Mirai even better.
Even though she had seen his gentle side a few days ago, Mai knew just how terrifying the consequences would be if someone angered her older brother.
Kamo fell silent, recalling how respectfully the Zenin household staff had treated Zenin Mirai during training not long ago.
He didn't respond—effectively accepting her warning.
Mechamaru, meanwhile, remained unusually quiet, as if preoccupied with something.
Five Minutes Before the Match — Control Room
The control room resembled a small private theater.
Three rows of leather seats. Warm tea sat on the tables. On the large screen, over a dozen moving camera feeds captured every participant's movements.
The principals of both schools—Yaga Masamichi and Gakuganji Yoshinobu—sat quietly at the back.
Utahime and Gojo Satoru sat in the front, bickering while sipping tea.
In the middle row, Mirai narrowed his eyes, observing both sides.
As in the original setup, Mei Mei used her technique to monitor the battlefield, providing shifting viewpoints.
Turning slightly, Mirai glanced at Nanami Kento, who sat upright with a stern expression.
Strange…
Resting his head on one hand, Mirai already sensed something was off about this exchange event.
"Hey, fake-smile guy."
Gojo suddenly leaned back and grinned at Mirai.
"That special grade cursed spirit you ran into recently… you didn't create it, did you?"
"A high-intelligence cursed spirit like White Zetsu—one that can even use Domain Expansion…"
"You're not secretly conducting some shady experiments, are you?"
Mirai looked at him calmly.
"If they were cursed spirits under my control, why would I let them appear in front of Jujutsu High?"
"Wouldn't it make more sense to keep them hidden and let them grow—away from a walking disaster like you?"
Gojo grinned.
"Fair point."
"A few ants I can crush at will aren't worth creating anyway."
No one in the room found his arrogance strange.
Because he truly had the power to back it up.
"Gojo, it's time," Utahime reminded him softly.
Without another word, Gojo picked up the microphone connected to the speakers and said:
"The Sister School Exchange Event… officially begins!"
He set the mic down and looked back.
"Mei Mei, adjust the camera angles."
"I'm curious how that White Zetsu guy is going to show off."
Mei Mei glanced at the composed Mirai and smiled.
"Of course~"
On the Field
"Pink-haired gorilla, looks like you've grown quite a bit lately."
White Zetsu patted Itadori's shoulder with a satisfied expression, acting every bit like a boss caring for his underling.
Itadori scratched his head.
"Huh? I haven't even done anything yet—how can you tell?"
After fighting Mahito alongside Nanami, Itadori had indeed improved significantly in cursed energy control.
White Zetsu pointed to his eyes.
"I'm not talking about strength. I mean your mindset."
"There's less… innocence in there now."
"As Mirai would put it—you've lost that 'pure, stupid clarity.'"
"Is that so…"
Itadori lowered his head, murmuring softly. His mood grew heavier.
During that battle with the stitched-face cursed spirit, he had killed three transfigured humans.
Not cursed spirits…
But humans.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access advance (100+) chapters at
Patreon: NanamiTL