"This is the friendliest cursed energy control training there is. You'll get used to it!"
Roy remained unfazed, grinning as he grabbed Bocchi-chan and tossed her back into the haunted house.
Bocchi-chan's negative emotions surged, and with a plop, the slug-like cursed spirit materialized.
After several false starts, it was finally born.
Though it didn't look very intimidating.
Roy glanced at the cursed spirit.
The slug lay on the ground, barely a foot long—about the size of a cat or dog. Its antennae drooped limply, and its round eyes stared blankly with a dazed expression, as if thinking, Wait, did I really just get born?
It looked just as easy to bully as Bocchi-chan.
Kinda cute.
But also kinda gross.
And completely harmless.
Had he misjudged?
Roy suddenly felt uneasy.
Had he really made a mistake?
Was tricking Bocchi-chan into this too cruel?
Just as Roy was grappling with his conscience—
The slug-like cursed spirit began inching toward Bocchi-chan.
What happened next made Roy's eyes widen in shock as he stared at the girl and the cursed spirit.
"...Seriously?"
This was unbelievable.
He might have just created a monster with his own hands!
...
Time passed steadily day by day.
The sweltering months of July and August vanished in a blink, and September arrived.
The date of the Kyoto Sister-School Exchange Event drew closer.
Japan's jujutsu society had two main schools: Tokyo Jujutsu High, where Roy was stationed, and Kyoto Jujutsu High—one in Tokyo, the other in Kyoto, as the names suggested.
The exchange event between the two schools, involving only students, was called the Kyoto Sister-School Exchange Event.
"In simple terms, it's a cursed technique battle where anything goes—except killing!"
On the Jujutsu High sports field.
Maki swung her naginata, slashing toward Yuji as he charged straight at her. The force was so immense that the sound of the blade cutting through air became piercingly sharp.
Yuji lowered his stance, springing forward like an agile monkey to dodge the strike, then followed up with a sliding tackle aimed at Maki's legs.
"Originally, it was mainly an event for second and third-years, but this year is special. Those two third-year slackers are still suspended, so to make up the numbers, they dragged you first-years in!"
Maki executed a perfectly controlled low jump, barely lifting off the ground. Her well-trained core tensed as she arched backward, narrowly avoiding a pair of batons striking from the other side.
Megumi clicked his tongue, gripping his police batons tightly as he and Yuji coordinated their relentless assault on Maki.
"The exchange event lasts two days, with one competition each day chosen by the principals. But it's always a team battle on the first day and individual matches on the second! You'd better be prepared!"
Yuji and Megumi's attacks were undeniably sharp, their coordination seamless, yet Maki always seemed to anticipate their moves and evade at the last moment.
Just as the two refused to back down and pressed their assault, a figure suddenly darted from the side, thrusting a palm toward Maki's back.
Cursed energy surged in her palm, forming nail-like protrusions that could pierce dozens of tiny bloody holes with a single strike!
Maki's ears twitched. With a twist of her naginata, she drove the hilt like a staff straight behind her, striking Nobara's abdomen with pinpoint accuracy. Nobara's eyes bulged as she was sent flying backward.
In the same motion, Maki spun her naginata like a speeding wheel, dazzling Megumi's vision before sending him flying with another staff strike.
Finally, after several more exchanges, Yuji too was caught off guard and knocked flat with a well-placed strike.
"That's enough for today!"
Maki opened her eyes.
Surveying the three juniors she'd taken down in different directions, a deeply satisfied smile spread across her face—as if a long-standing knot in her heart had suddenly unraveled.
"Unbelievable..."
"You beat us effortlessly with your eyes closed? That's just unfair, Maki-senpai. Are you sure you're not cheating?"
"We survived two months of Roy-sensei's hellish training! We were so confident, and now it's all gone!"
The trio got up from the ground, grumbling while shooting Maki incredulous looks.
"What kind of training did you do, Maki-senpai?"
"If I remember right, you've been visiting Roy-sensei's dorm a lot lately."
"Don't tell me Roy-sensei gave you special coaching?"
"Well... that's not something you need to know."
Maki coughed awkwardly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Boys, go buy drinks!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
Megumi and Yuji exchanged glances before trudging resignedly toward the school building where the vending machines were located.
Unlike them, who had trained hard for two months, she had become so strong all at once thanks to Roy giving her special coaching.
Over those two months, she had visited Roy's dormitory about a dozen times intermittently.
Each time she came out, she would feel an invincible power surging within her body, even giving her a sense of being unmatched in the world.
But she didn't lose herself in the surge of power. She was acutely aware that she was far from invincible. Setting aside Gojo Satoru, who hadn't been seen for half a year, even her teacher Roy gave her an unfathomable feeling, constantly reminding her not to get carried away.
Finally, yesterday, her "surgery" came to an end.
"Your body has reached the same level as Toji's Heavenly Restriction. You don't need to come to my dorm anymore," Roy had said at the time. "But all you've gained is physical strength. I'll teach you how to effectively harness this body's power, but in the end, it'll depend on your own efforts."
Lately, though, Roy seemed busy—no one knew what he was up to—and rarely had time to spare.
So Maki had no choice but to ask the trio—Megumi and the others—to help her train.
She hadn't realized just how much stronger she'd become until she started training, and the results shocked her.
Her enhanced physical abilities allowed her to easily repel Yuji without even using 30% of her strength. Her terrifying senses let her pinpoint the source of attacks even with her eyes closed. Her reflexes granted her an almost monstrous agility, far surpassing human limits!
Sorcerers often reinforced their bodies with cursed energy in battle, and over time, their bodies became tougher and stronger than ordinary people's—one of the reasons the Zenin clan looked down on Heavenly Restrictions. But even the strongest, Gojo Satoru, didn't possess a body this resilient!
The chains that had bound her heart for so long were now melting away like the first snow after rain.
For the first time in her life, Maki felt truly free.
And all of this—was given to her by Roy.
She would never forget that.
"By the way, where's Roy-sensei?" Maki sheathed her naginata and scanned the gymnasium, but there was no sign of him.
"Today's Bocchi-chan's first mission," Nobara replied casually, rotating her stiff wrist. "Sensei was worried, so he went with her."
Ah.
Maki nodded in understanding.
"Bocchi-chan's only been enrolled for two months, and she's already going on missions?"
"Can't be helped. Her mentality's a real problem," Nobara sighed, spreading her hands helplessly.
Over the past two months, as the senior first-year, Nobara had been the one helping Bocchi-chan with school matters—even knowing about her band activities outside of school. She'd come to deeply understand just how… amusing—no, how socially anxious Bocchi-chan was, and she took great pleasure in teasing—no, in looking after her.
"Bocchi-chan's technique is strong, but her mentality's too unstable. She needs to get used to sorcerer combat to fully unleash its potential," Nobara added after a moment's thought. "Also, I think it might have something to do with the exchange event."
"Bocchi-chan's participating too?"
"She's part of the first-years. Can't really make an exception for her."
"Well, it's not like it's impossible… but it's up to Roy-sensei's arrangements."
"Wait, it actually is possible…?" Nobara's lips twitched speechlessly.
She licked her lips, her throat dry from the intense training, and glanced toward the school building in confusion.
"Why haven't those two boys come back yet? They can't be that slow, can they?"
"...Today's supposed to be the day the Kyoto students arrive."
As soon as Maki said this, she and Nobara exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"Will they pick a fight?"
"They lost last year, so it's hard to say—"
Before she could finish.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion, like walls being shattered, came from the direction of the school building not far away.
Their expressions tightened, and without another word, they quickly got up and rushed toward the school building.
...
Unlike the clear weather in the suburbs, the city center was gloomy.
Dark clouds drifted ambiguously across the sky, and a light drizzle fell intermittently, like the rainy season.
Walking on the sidewalk, Roy didn't bother with an umbrella.
Above his head, a rune formed a barrier that diverted all raindrops to either side, leaving him completely dry from head to toe.
"Um, sensei..."
Trailing behind him, taking hesitant steps, was a girl with long pink hair.
She wore the female uniform of Jujutsu High, the skirt reaching her knees, her slender legs clad in stockings. The buttons on her chest bore a spiral emblem, marking her as a student of Jujutsu High to anyone in the know.
In her arms, she cradled a slug-like cursed spirit the size of a cat, trembling as she stared at Roy's back, mustering the courage to argue with him.
"Isn't rainy weather... not ideal for missions? Look, there's barely anyone on the streets..."
She tried her hardest, summoning her most resolute tone, to make her case to Roy.
Roy, walking ahead, didn't even turn his head, unmoved as he replied.
"We're here to find cursed spirits. What does that have to do with people? Fewer people is better—less risk of collateral damage."
"B-but..."
"Any other excuses?"
"Sorry, I can't think of any... Wait, no, I mean, I don't have any other reasons."
Roy was speechless.
In the past two months, he'd been left speechless more times than in his entire life combined!
Bocchi's cursed technique was incredibly strong.
How strong?
Roy believed it might even rival Gojo Satoru's!
The problem was, Bocchi's mentality was far too weak to support such a technique.
With that mindset, she couldn't even unleash the technique's full potential. In a real fight, if the enemy realized the threat of her technique, they'd take her out before she could use it properly.
She needed to experience a real battle to build her confidence.
Not wanting her to return empty-handed, Roy softened his tone to reassure her.
"Don't you want people to praise you? If you succeed this time, the next one will be much easier! How about I film your heroic moments and send them to Kita and the others?"
"P-please don't!!"
Bocchi stared at Roy's back in horror, her eyes wide as if he were the devil himself.
"You just know my first fight will be pathetic, and you want to record it to mock me later, right? After two months, I've figured you out—you devil teacher!"
To make her control cursed energy, he threw her into a haunted house!
To get her used to cursed spirits, he locked her in a basement full of low-level curses!
A devil!
He was absolutely a devil!
Actually, low-level cursed spirits like the Flyhead were practically harmless, no more threatening than common flies. Not to mention, she was carrying the Slug cursed spirit she had created. Although the Slug might look utterly unimpressive, its cursed energy was at least on par with a Grade 2 cursed spirit, so the Flyhead wouldn't dare get close.
"This approach might actually work."
Roy nodded thoughtfully.
If shame could fuel Bocchi-chan's cursed technique, then perhaps he could take a different approach—letting her embarrass herself repeatedly might not be a bad idea... though it could also inflict severe psychological damage, leaving her completely demoralized.
Better not.
"Perfect, there's a cursed spirit up ahead."
At that moment, Roy suddenly stopped walking.
Bocchi-chan instantly forgot about Roy's misdeeds, shrinking back in fear.
F-Fight?
Me? Against a cursed spirit?!
Are you kidding me?!
Not far away, about a hundred meters from them, stood a bus stop.
In front of it, a cursed spirit taller than a human was loitering. Its entire body was covered in chestnut-brown fur, with multiple arms of varying lengths protruding from different parts of its body. On its head sat a lantern-like appendage, its mouth filled with jagged teeth.
"Just a Grade 3 cursed spirit—perfect for your opponent this time."
Roy grabbed Bocchi-chan's shoulder as she tried to sneak away and shoved her forward.
But the next moment, Roy's expression froze.
On the bus stop bench sat a girl, seemingly taking shelter from the rain.
"Someone's there?"