"No surprise there. Mukuro joined and is already on the same level as us. You better watch out, Satoru, or he might surpass you."
Suguru paused for a moment, then smiled. He always knew his friend was at least grade 1 level, but he hadn't expected the school to promote him right away upon entry.
"Impressive, sure," Satoru replied lazily, leaning against the desk behind him. "But we're still the strongest."
To him, this so-called prodigy didn't mean much. Every genius was just another stepping stone under his feet. In this long race of jujutsu, he had already been waiting at the finish line from the start.
"Grade 1…"
Behind him, Utahime, who normally found Satoru insufferable, looked dazed. His head was practically resting on her desk, yet she didn't react. She just kept muttering the same words, "grade 1 sorcerer."
She had guessed it might be the case after hearing Mukuro's feats, but when Masamichi actually said it out loud, something inside her broke.
"Alright, even though you're all new, you've each got some real experience in the jujutsu world. So now, I'll be assigning your first mission as students."
Masamichi clapped his hand on the podium, and an assistant manager carrying files entered the classroom.
"What? We just enrolled!" Nanami groaned and covered his face, unable to hide his pain. He had hoped to take a stroll around Tokyo, maybe see what the city was like. But before his luggage was even unpacked, he was already being sent out to work.
"So this is what being a real jujutsu sorcerer feels like? I'm fired up already!" Haibara was the complete opposite. His eyes shone with excitement, the perfect image of teenage enthusiasm.
"This mission shouldn't be too difficult," Masamichi continued. "But since you're all newcomers, Suguru, Satoru, you'll go with them. Don't let me down."
After giving brief instructions to the assistant manager, he waved his hand and left, once again pushing all the work onto his students.
"Huh? I don't wanna babysit…" Satoru complained, but the assistant manager had already handed out the mission files.
"Come on," Suguru said, taking the papers with his usual gentle smile. "Think of it as their welcome party."
"What a pain," Satoru muttered. Then he reached out and grabbed Shoko by the collar before she could sneak off. "You're coming too, just in case anything happens."
"You guys go ahead," Mei Mei said softly, leaning down between Mukuro and Nanami. "I'm not doing unpaid work."
With that, she swished her sleeves dramatically and left.
"Wait for me!" Utahime called out, hurrying after her before those two "troublemakers" could rope her in.
"That's just mean…"
* * *
And so, the second-year trio led the three new first-years, along with two assistant managers, to the mission site.
"This is where the curse activity was detected," one assistant manager explained as two black sedans stopped before an abandoned school building. "The government wants to reclaim this land, so they've asked us to resolve the issue quickly. The area is swarming with low-level curses and at least one grade 2 curse inside."
"Fine, fine, no need for all that briefing." Satoru spoke up. "They're just low-level curses. Perfect warm-up for the newbies. Besides, with me and Suguru here, nothing can go wrong."
In his eyes, if first-years this talented needed complete intel before handling such weak curses, they'd be a disappointment. He was also curious to see how strong this younger grade 1 prodigy really was.
"Don't forget me," Shoko added with a sigh, lighting a cigarette as she leaned against the car.
"Then…"
"Just put up the barrier," Mukuro said calmly.
As the natural leader of the first-years, he met the other two's firm eyes and nodded.
"Okay. Good luck, everyone," another assistant responded.
Chanting began, and the sky dimmed as a curtain descended over the area, enclosing the entire abandoned school in a heavy, invisible shroud.
"Incredible! They set up a barrier that easily?"
Unlike the others who stayed calm, Haibara looked like an excited child who had just seen something new. He reached out to touch the edge of the curtain and found it solid like a wall.
"Haibara, let's finish this fast and head back," Nanami reminded, untying his tie and wrapping it around his fist with practiced ease. "It's our first day, and I don't plan to waste all of it here."
"Let's go."
Mukuro spoke and walked straight toward the area where the cursed energy felt strongest. The other two followed.
The second-years trailed a short distance behind, walking as if on a stroll, close enough to step in if needed.
"I hate studying…"
"So much homework…"
Whispers echoed the moment they pushed the school doors open. Tiny, hand-sized curses floated through the air like fish in water, completely ignoring the intruders.
There were so many that the hallway looked packed with them.
"Let me handle this. I'm in a hurry." Nanami stepped forward before Haibara, who looked eager to try, could move.
"Ratio Technique: Collapse!"
Dividing the space before him into ten equal parts, he struck the weak point with a single, powerful punch.
Crack!
The air itself shattered like glass. The blast of cursed energy swept through the corridor, tearing through the swarm of curses before they even realized what had happened. The ground buckled under the impact, and the walls splintered as the force tore through several layers before finally fading.
"Whoa! That was awesome, Nanami!"
Although it was just a bunch of low-level curses, Haibara couldn't help but rush forward and praise loudly.
"It's not bad," he replied modestly.
"I can't lose to you, then!"
With a grin, Haibara charged upstairs, his fists glowing with cursed energy. Compared to Nanami's explosive technique, his approach was straightforward: pure cursed energy reinforcement. He punched each curse out of existence one by one.
"What about you?" Shoko asked, twirling her cigarette between her lips like a lollipop. "Aren't you going to help?"
Mukuro glanced at her. "Always best to take down the boss first."
Boom!
Almost on cue, the ground outside trembled. From the open yard beside the school, a massive curse emerged. Drool dripped from its enormous mouth as it lunged toward them.
"That aura…" Satoru narrowed his eyes. Though he hadn't moved, cursed energy was already gathering in his palm. That cursed spirit was at least semi-grade 1, maybe even grade 1.
"Watch closely, Satoru. You're in for a surprise," Suguru said, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder with a knowing grin.
The next second, Mukuro moved.
"So fast!"
Amid the exclamation of several people, he appeared above the curse's head in a blink, trident in hand.
A sharp sound split the air. Greenish blood sprayed into the sky as the cursed spirit's huge body shuddered, then began to dissolve.
"So that's the rumored ultimate body resulting from Heavenly Restriction," Satoru murmured, finally serious. "But that weapon… when did he even draw it?"
Even with Six Eyes, he hadn't seen the moment Mukuro pulled out his weapon or how he'd moved.
Meanwhile, Mukuro landed lightly on the ground and looked at the group.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Mukuro." He gave a faint smile.
"Six Paths Mukuro."
Under the fading rain of blood, the two future apexes of the jujutsu world met officially.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!