BOOM—!!
A deafening crash resounded.
Todo felt himself being slammed violently, his brain rattling from the impact.
When he regained his senses, he found himself lying in a crater.
The ground beneath him was shattered beyond recognition, concrete broken into gravel, the entire surface sunken several centimeters. His entire body burned with pain, especially his back.
"As a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High, I shouldn't interfere with Kyoto students."
Roy stood over Todo, looking down at him with a chillingly cold smile.
"If you have time to think about what kind of women you like, it means you're not busy enough. When you're truly overwhelmed, you won't even have the desire to sleep, let alone ponder preferences. The fact that you can leisurely think about such things proves you've been living in a greenhouse."
"Have you ever experienced real suffering? Those who have and those who haven't—their perspectives are worlds apart. Yet here you are, a sheltered flower, judging others. Don't you find that amusing?"
"Consider this a lesson from me, in place of your teacher. Engrave this moment into your memory."
A deathly silence fell over the area.
Yuji, Megumi, and Mai stood frozen, not uttering a word.
Yuji and Megumi exchanged glances, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.
To them, Roy had always been a responsible teacher—flawless, aside from occasional mischief. He cared for his students' lives and spared no effort in their education.
But it seemed they had never truly understood the real Roy.
"...You're a teacher?"
Todo fought through the dizziness, staring at Roy in disbelief.
With that face, you look like a student!
Wait—
He knew all the teachers at Jujutsu High. He'd met them during last year's exchange event, even if reluctantly.
If Tokyo had a new teacher this year, it could only be… that rumored figure?
"You don't recognize a Special Grade? Is your brain defective, or is it your attitude?"
Roy scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at Todo on the ground.
"...I see. My mistake."
Todo gritted his teeth and slowly pushed himself up.
His clothes were torn to shreds, especially on his back, which looked like a zebra-striped outfit with strips of fabric ripped apart by shattered stones, soaked in the blood seeping from his wounds.
"Though I don't quite understand what you're saying, it seems to make some sense... Come on!"
Aoi took a deep breath, held it, bent his knees, and spread his arms wide, his entire body tensing with muscle.
"You still want to fight?"
Roy narrowed his eyes again.
Hadn't he suffered enough?
Was he really this stubborn?
"I, Todo Aoi, am not some coward who disrespects his teacher!"
A wild grin spread across Aoi's face, his eyes filled with unyielding determination.
"That throw earlier was just the result I deserved, but you haven't punished me yet for throwing a punch at my teacher! As a student, striking a teacher must be punished! Come on, hit me right here!"
He pointed at his chest, where his muscles coiled like steel cables, as if ready to take the blow.
"Well said!"
Roy curled his lips into a pleased smirk.
Immediately after, he drove his fist straight into Aoi's chest!
"Boom!"
A black shadow shot backward like a missile.
Not only did it crash through the school building, but in the blink of an eye, it vanished into the distant forest, toppling countless towering trees and sending up a billowing cloud of dust.
A long time passed before the forest finally settled into silence.
Aoi lay beneath a tree so thick it would take two people to embrace it.
His entire body ached as if he'd been run over by a truck, especially his chest—he wasn't sure how many ribs were broken. A metallic taste filled his mouth, and he spat out several mouthfuls of blood, staining the front of his clothes crimson.
"Ah, these injuries... cough... I wonder if I'll even be able to compete tomorrow... No, even if I have to crawl, I'll make it there—but before that!"
With trembling hands, he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket. Despite the pain turning his face ashen, he stubbornly pulled out a stack of papers.
"Takada-chan's handshake tickets... Thank goodness they're not damaged..."
As soon as he finished speaking, his head lolled to the side, and with a satisfied smile, he passed out.
Anyone who didn't know better might have thought he'd died happy.
Not long after, Roy emerged from the forest and stood before him.
"A bit foolish, but overall, a real man."
"Let's forget about what happened earlier. I'll heal you now—but my healing isn't free. There's a price to pay. If you refuse, just say so. Good, I'll take your silence as agreement!"
A wicked grin spread across Roy's face.
He crouched down, fingers moving deftly as he inscribed several runes onto Aoi's body.
...
"Wow, the entire school building is gone!"
Nobara stood before the ruins of the building, clicking her tongue in shock.
Destroying buildings like it's nothing!
How are ordinary sorcerers like her supposed to keep up?
Does Kyoto High have monsters like this too?
Well, leave them for the boys to handle!
"Sensei, you're back?"
Just then, Roy walked out from the forest behind her.
Seeing Roy's figure, Nobara secretly sighed in relief, as if she'd found her anchor, and a cheerful smile spread across her face.
"Sensei, were you fighting someone just now?"
"Yeah, an idiot from Kyoto High."
"Ooooh! Did you cripple him?"
Nobara stared at Roy with starry eyes, her gaze brimming with anticipation.
What's with all this violence from you guys?
"Pretty much."
Roy recalled how Todo Aoi had looked earlier and figured that qualified as crippled.
"Awesome! That's one down for us!"
Nobara jumped up excitedly.
Megumi stood nearby, rolling his eyes at her words.
Sure, they provoked us first, but hoping to win through underhanded tactics is pretty despicable!
"I gave him some treatment. It shouldn't affect tomorrow's match."
Watching the jubilant Nobara, Roy cracked a sardonic smile.
"What's wrong, Nobara? Don't have confidence in winning fair and square?"
Nobara's celebratory movements froze instantly.
Her joyful expression suddenly turned horrified.
"Good. Then after the exchange event, your training will be doubled."
"Heh."
Megumi smirked, letting out a gleeful chuckle from the sidelines.
Nobara instantly flushed red, simultaneously regretting her carelessness in giving Roy leverage and kicking out at Megumi in frustration.
Yuji and Bocchi stood before the forest, facing the hollowed-out path of trees created when Aoi crashed through.
This was Yuji's first time witnessing the aftermath of a Special Grade sorcerer's destruction, leaving him utterly awestruck.
Bocchi stood there with a numb expression.
Yeah... I'll submit my withdrawal request to Roy-sensei later.
Whoever wants to be a jujutsu sorcerer can have at it!
Meanwhile.
Mai Zenin and Maki Zenin stood on opposite sides of the hallway.
Mai glared at Maki with eyes darker and more complicated than when she'd looked at Roy earlier.
Maki's expression remained perfectly calm—not forced, but genuinely serene, as if she'd seen through worldly attachments and let go of all past burdens.
"Mai, you shot at Megumi earlier?"
"What's it to you?"
Faced with Maki's question, Mai sneered.
She turned away as if even looking at or listening to Maki was beneath her.
"Apologize to Megumi."
Maki's tone stayed perfectly even.
Calmly demanding Mai apologize to Fushiguro Megumi.
This very composure made Mai's chest ache with resentment.
She whirled back, glaring at Maki with barely contained fury.
"I told you, it's none of your business!"
"He's my junior and my cousin. You know that too, don't you?"
Seeing Maki's persistently indifferent attitude, Mai felt an inexplicable rage surge from her core. She bit her lip hard enough to nearly draw blood from the soft flesh, face twisted in frustration.
"A year apart and you've become even more detached, huh? That's exactly what I hate most about you!"
As if you've completely moved on from the past!
Doesn't that just make me—still shackled by those chains, unable to move forward—look like a complete fool?!
"Oh, so you shot at Megumi?"
Another voice suddenly cut between them.
Mai froze for a brief moment before seeming to realize something, her delicate frame trembling uncontrollably from shock and fear.
Roy approached the two sisters, his expression mirroring Maki's calm demeanor—completely unreadable, showing neither joy nor anger.
"I'm someone who dotes on my students excessively. Attacking them outside of exchange events without reason gives me the urge to return the favor in kind."
"Out of respect for Maki, I'll let it slide if you can get Megumi's forgiveness right now. How about that?"
Maki's face remained expressionless.
Yet a knot of tension had been coiled in her chest all this time.
Only after Roy delivered those words did that suffocating weight finally lift.
She turned to Mai, her gaze still devoid of any emotion—no concern, no care.
"Apologize to Megumi, Mai."
Mai clenched her jaw so tightly it seemed her teeth might shatter. Her fists were balled up, nails digging into her palms as if to pierce flesh.
After what felt like an eternity—
As though all the strength had drained from her body at once, she let out a deep sigh, her stubbornly straight spine finally bending.
She walked up to Megumi and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"I was wrong earlier. Please forgive me, Fushiguro."