Chapter 38: Passionate Kinji Hakari, and the Androgynous Hoshi Kirara
The next day.
By the time Shinsuke Zen'in arrived at Jujutsu High, two students had already been waiting in the classroom for quite a while.
The spacious room was nearly empty—just those two newcomers and an increasingly impatient Gojo Satoru.
"Finally! Onii-san, ever heard of punctuality?" Gojo complained.
"You never gave me an exact time." Shinsuke shot back casually.
He was, in his own way, always punctual. If the instruction was "morning," then showing up at eleven o'clock still counted as morning… didn't it?
Gojo was left speechless. He sighed and waved the matter away.
"Fine, my bad. Anyway, you two, come here. Starting today, this guy is your homeroom teacher. Any problems, take them to him.
Of course, if you've got questions about jujutsu techniques, you can come to me—or other instructors."
He herded the two bewildered students toward Shinsuke, then straightened up.
"Get acquainted. I've got things to handle."
With that, Gojo vanished, leaving the students in the care of a man who looked far too relaxed for the role.
Shinsuke ignored Gojo's exit and studied the pair in front of him—one male, and… one effeminate boy.
"Introduce yourselves."
The more mature-looking young man stepped up first.
"Kinji Hakari. Male. I like doing things with passion."
Then the other chimed in, looking like a delicate girl with lip piercings.
"Hoshi Kirara. Female. I don't really have any special hobbies."
Shinsuke frowned. "You think I can't tell you're a guy?"
A trap is still a trap. Nothing shameful about that.
"…You saw through me, huh. Fine." Kirara stuck his tongue out playfully. He'd hoped to slip by unnoticed.
"I'm Zen'in Shinsuke. Call me Zen'in-sensei or Shinsuke-sensei, either works. I don't care much for rules—but I do have one requirement: by graduation, you'd better reach at least Grade 1 sorcerer level."
That was his only demand. And honestly, he believed both of them could achieve it. With a little luck, Hakari might even push into Special Grade territory—though the old fossils on the higher-ups' council would sooner die than recognize him as such.
"Sensei, are you from the Zen'in clan?" Hakari asked.
"Yes and no. Not something you need to worry about."
Shinsuke gave them both a long look.
"From now on, if you've got problems with techniques, go to Gojo. If it's missions or emergencies, call me."
He handed over his contact info, then dusted off his hands like he'd finished his job.
"That's it for today. Train hard at the school, aim for Grade 1. I've got things to do, so I'm leaving. Call if you need me."
And just like that, he walked out, leaving the two rookies staring at the empty classroom in stunned silence.
"…Doesn't this teacher seem a bit unreliable?" Hakari muttered.
Gojo himself hadn't exactly inspired confidence either. For two students just stepping into the jujutsu world, it felt like they'd drawn the short straw.
Kirara chewed his gum thoughtfully.
"Before coming, I did some digging. That white-haired guy? He's the strongest sorcerer alive, bar none.
As for Zen'in-sensei… he's technically a Grade 1 in terms of ability, but he can't use jujutsu techniques. Doesn't even have cursed energy."
Kirara smirked. "He's from the Zen'in clan, but rumor is he's not on good terms with them."
"…So what do we do now?" Kirara asked, blowing a bubble.
"How the hell should I know?" Hakari rubbed his temple. Is this school even reliable?
"At the very least, we should ask other teachers what we're supposed to do."
So the two of them wandered around the campus like headless flies.
And thus began their lives as jujutsu sorcerers.
For several months, their so-called homeroom teacher might as well have vanished. Zen'in Shinsuke never showed up, happily pocketing his inflated salary while leaving them to their own devices.
But good things never last.
One day, his phone rang.
"Moshi moshi, is this Zen'in-sensei?"
The voice sounded familiar. Shinsuke paused, then remembered.
"Hakari Kinji?"
"Yeah, it's me, Sensei. So… here's the thing. Kirara and I took on a promotion mission to advance to Grade 2. Problem is, we're required to have a teacher accompany us…"
Hakari quickly explained the situation.
Normally, they'd never bother disturbing their absentee teacher. Honestly, they'd enjoyed the freedom of being left alone.
But this time, they had no choice.
"…Grade 2 promotion, huh."
Shinsuke exhaled, realizing his vacation days were officially over.
Shinsuke thought it over. So it's already been a few months, huh…
Talent really was different. In just a handful of months, these two were already qualified to attempt the Grade 2 sorcerer promotion exam.
"Alright, I got it."
For a Grade 2 exam, the requirement was simple: exorcise at least a Grade 2 curse.
But with prodigies, things were rarely so simple. If they ran into an accident—say, a Grade 1 showing up—well, Shinsuke could take care of that himself.
He strapped a plain long sword, a serviceable cursed tool, at his side and headed for Jujutsu High. Time to accompany his so-called students on their test.
When he arrived, Kinji Hakari and Hoshi Kirara weren't alone. Standing with them was an irritated young girl with hands on her hips: Amanai Riko.
"Oi, old man. You call yourself their teacher? Do you even realize I've been the one teaching them these past few months?"
Her tone dripped with outrage.
Gojo had been too busy dealing with Suguru Geto's growing mess, so Riko had been roped in to cover—teaching Hakari and Kirara the basics of cursed energy and techniques.
For free.
The paycheck, of course, still went into Shinsuke's pocket.
She did the work. He took the money.
"…Ah. That explains it," Shinsuke muttered. No wonder the two hadn't come looking for him—Amanai had been filling in.
"Want me to transfer you a month's salary?" he offered after scratching his head. Any more than that, though, and he wasn't budging.
"Forget it," Riko waved dismissively. "I only squeezed out a bit of time each week anyway. I'll just crash at your place for dinner a few more times."
She wasn't actually after money. She just wanted to vent at this deadbeat "sensei."
"Fine by me. You're always welcome."
"Good. Then I'll leave these two brats to you. Don't screw up their promotion test."
"Got it." Shinsuke smiled faintly.
Riko made a hand gesture and added, "They're talented. Maybe try putting a little effort into being a teacher, huh?"
Shinsuke's grin widened. He had his own philosophy. Talents are best when left alone—they'll carve out their own paths.
He turned to Hakari and Kirara.
"Let's go, little geniuses. Time for your first real mission."
"…."
Both students twitched at the title.
Yep. Our homeroom teacher is definitely unreliable.
Still, both were confident in themselves.
It was only a Grade 2 exam. Piece of cake.