"Roy-sensei, the third student has arrived at Jujutsu High."
A few more days passed.
That morning, Megumi sent an email.
Roy yawned as he made his way to the school's sports field.
Three figures were already gathered there.
Two of them were Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yuji.
Both were dressed in Jujutsu High's uniform—a full set of dark blue, nearly black high-collared jackets and wide-legged pants, paired with brown leather shoes. The jacket buttons were adorned with golden circular metal badges featuring a spiral pattern.
The third was a girl with short orange hair. Her uniform was the female version, with the lower half replaced by a pleated skirt of the same color. She wore stockings beneath the skirt and had a belt around her waist to hang her hammer and nails at the small of her back.
"Wait, so there are only three of us in the first year?" Yuji's exclamation could be heard from afar.
"Originally, there were only two. You're the transfer student," came Megumi's voice, so calm it sounded almost devoid of energy.
"Why are all my classmates rough-looking guys? Aren't there any girls?" The third person, the orange-haired girl, complained loudly, sounding quite displeased.
She seemed like a very straightforward person.
"There's a Zenin senpai in the second year who's a girl, but that's it. Right now, the entire second year is out on missions and not at school," Megumi replied, completely unfazed by her complaints.
Excluding the fourth years, Tokyo Jujutsu High currently had only nine students in total. Two from the third year were on leave, the four second-years were on missions, leaving only the three first-year newcomers at school.
The vast campus felt eerily quiet.
"Sorry I'm late."
Roy arrived at the sports field, yawning again as he approached the trio, his face still heavy with sleep.
"Roy-sensei, did you not sleep well last night?" Megumi asked, noticing Roy's lack of energy and sounding slightly concerned.
"Did you stay up late? Watching movies?" Yuji asked curiously.
"Late on the first day of class? Is a teacher like this really okay?" The orange-haired girl couldn't help but voice her concerns about the future.
"I was up all night experimenting with my cursed technique. I made some positive progress and got a little too absorbed in it. Didn't sleep until dawn," Roy explained, rubbing his temples.
Physical fatigue could be alleviated through body modifications, but mental fatigue was unavoidable—it just had to be endured.
Cursed technique experiments?
Megumi's expression shifted slightly.
Even now, he still didn't know what Roy's cursed technique was.
After all, Roy was a newcomer to Japan's jujutsu society, and his mission completion speed was terrifyingly fast. No information about his abilities had leaked yet.
A cursed technique was each sorcerer's secret. Aside from revealing it during battles to form binding vows and enhance its effects, jujutsu sorcerers rarely disclosed details about their techniques.
If Roy didn't bring it up, they couldn't very well press him.
The orange-haired girl beside him seemed to share the same understanding, wisely refraining from asking.
"So, Sensei, what's your cursed technique?"
At this point, Yuji naturally raised his hand and asked with unabashed curiosity.
"I heard the teacher is a Special Grade sorcerer! His technique must be incredibly powerful!"
This kid actually asked it out loud!
Megumi and the orange-haired girl stared at Itadori Yuji in shock.
Is he really this dense?
His brain must be made of mush!
"My technique is omnipotent."
Upon hearing this, Roy immediately flashed his trademark gentle smile.
"It's similar to words. Think about it—when you combine words, don't they form sentences with various meanings? My technique works much the same way. I call it 'True Words.' You can just think of it like that."
Megumi and the orange-haired girl listened intently.
This was a Special Grade sorcerer's technique—it had to be amazing!
But when they heard the last part, both of them couldn't hold back.
"What do you mean, 'think of it like that'?!"
"If it's not, then just say it's not!"
"How sneaky!"
Even Yuji looked unimpressed as he voiced his complaint.
"Hahaha, don't worry about the small details."
Roy waved his hand dismissively, ignoring all three of their protests.
Then, his gaze settled on the orange-haired girl.
"You must be the third new student. Your name is Kugisaki Nobara, right?"
"Yes, Roy-sensei!"
The orange-haired girl, Kugisaki Nobara, straightened up. Though she found Roy's cryptic mannerisms frustrating—not to mention he was late on the first day—she still maintained a respectful attitude toward her teacher.
And besides.
This teacher is seriously handsome!
Nobara cheered inwardly, feeling like she'd hit the jackpot.
Unlike that airhead Yuji or that gloomy-looking Megumi, this guy had a refreshing, warm presence!
As for his cryptic behavior, it must just be because he's a mischievous but kind-hearted hottie!
"Hmm, full of energy."
Roy smiled at Nobara's serious expression, completely unaware of her thoughts.
"Since it's our first lesson, let's start by assessing your abilities. Then, I can tailor your training to your strengths and weaknesses..."
Despite it being the first day, Roy had prepared thoroughly.
"He's young, but he seems like a reliable teacher!"
Nobara listened to Roy's plans and inwardly sighed in relief.
And since he's so young... does he have a girlfriend?
She couldn't help but wonder.
"Assess our abilities? How?" Megumi raised his hand.
"Isn't it obvious? For sorcerers, the answer is always exorcising curses!"
Roy cheerfully pulled out his phone and dialed an assistant supervisor's number.
"We're going out? I haven't explored Tokyo yet!"
Yuji suddenly perked up excitedly.
"Downtown! We have to go downtown!"
Nobara pumped her fists, her eyes gleaming with excitement for the city's glamour.
Where did this kid even come from?
"We're heading to the Okubo area."
Roy answered while contacting the assistant supervisor.
"Okubo?"
"That's Shinjuku!"
"Awesome!"
Yuji and Nobara cheered.
"These two are so loud..."
Megumi kept his usual deadpan expression, clearly annoyed by his teammates.
...
Ohkubo, located in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, is situated in the heart of the bustling city center.
For the past two months, the cursed spirits in this area have become increasingly active, far exceeding their usual seasonal intensity. Incidents caused by cursed spirits have more than doubled compared to last year.
Although the Jujutsu Department immediately dispatched personnel to exorcise them, even now, two months later, some still slip through the cracks.
"Don't worry, most of them are just Grade 3 cursed spirits. Even semi-Grade 2 ones are rare. As long as you're careful, they shouldn't pose much danger to you."
Besides, I'm here with you, Roy added from the car, yawning again.
Megumi's expression remained calm.
As a Grade 2 sorcerer himself, he wouldn't lose even against a Grade 2 cursed spirit.
Nobara let out a small sigh of relief. She was only rated as a Grade 3 sorcerer by the Jujutsu Department. While she could handle semi-Grade 2 cursed spirits, facing a full Grade 2 would be troublesome.
Only Yuji raised his hand with a look of pure, clueless innocence.
"Teacher, how exactly are these Grade 2 and Grade 3 rankings determined?"
He asked the most basic question imaginable.
You don't even know that?
Nobara shot him a look full of disdain.
"Yuji only recently entered this world. Until a few days ago, he had no connection to the jujutsu society. Fushiguro, Kugisaki, make sure to look after him. Everyone starts somewhere."
Roy observed the reactions of the three in the backseat through the rearview mirror, especially Nobara's, and offered this gentle reminder with a smile.
"I know," Megumi nodded calmly.
"Haha, me too..."
Nobara suddenly met Roy's gaze in the rearview mirror. Her shoulders, which had been sprawled out taking up space, immediately shrank back as she forced an awkward smile.
Damn it, she'd given the teacher a completely unladylike impression!
If only she'd known the teacher was such a handsome and kind man, she would've behaved better!
Squeezed between them like the filling in a sandwich, Itadori seized the chance to stretch his hunched back.
"To answer Yuji's question—how are cursed spirits graded?"
"Let's assume physical attacks work on cursed spirits for argument's sake. The weakest, ungraded cursed spirits are self-explanatory. The weakest Grade 4 can be taken out with a baseball bat. For Grade 3, a handgun would suffice. Against semi-Grade 2 and Grade 2, a shotgun might barely work. For semi-Grade 1 and Grade 1, even a tank wouldn't be reassuring. And if you're facing a Special Grade, you'd probably need cluster bombs for carpet bombing."
"Of course, physical attacks are ineffective against cursed spirits. Only attacks imbued with cursed energy can harm them. Additionally, cursed tools infused with cursed energy can also damage them. Yuji, since you haven't mastered cursed energy yet, you can start by using a cursed tool."
Roy reached out and pulled a thin silver thread from the space before him.
Under the watchful eyes of the three in the backseat, he retrieved a short knife and tossed it to Yuji.
It was a rune-inscribed blade he'd made—sufficient for ordinary cursed spirits.
Fushiguro watched him retrieve the knife, lost in thought.
"This ability is somewhat similar to my shadows. Could I use my shadows to do the same thing?"
"That's so convenient! If I had this technique while shopping, I could store everything and not have to carry it all. I could shop to my heart's content!"
This was Nobara's thought.
"Are the classifications the same for sorcerers?" Yuji continued asking, as if wanting to resolve all the accumulated questions from the past few days in one go after receiving the knife.
"No, sorcerers are generally stronger than cursed spirits of the same grade. For example, Megumi is a Grade 2 sorcerer, so he can usually exorcise Grade 2 cursed spirits accurately. Similarly, Grade 1 sorcerers are stronger than Grade 1 cursed spirits. As for Special Grades, it's hard to say—Special Grade cursed spirits might only have the strength of a Grade 1 sorcerer, or they might rival Special Grade sorcerers. In any case, if you encounter cursed spirits of that level, try to contact me immediately. If you can't reach me, run away as fast as you can. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Good, very spirited. We're here."
Near Okubo Park, the assistant supervisor stopped the car.
"Whoa, what the hell is that?!" Nobara was startled the moment she got out of the car by the enormous rock in the middle of the street ahead, as tall as a building.
It looked more like a meteorite than a rock.
The surrounding ground was completely shattered, as if struck by a falling meteorite, and nearby shops were affected, with scorch marks everywhere. There were far fewer pedestrians on the street than usual.
"That's the technique of a Special Grade cursed spirit," Roy said, suddenly understanding as he saw the massive rock embedded in the ground.
"Two months ago, I fought three Special Grade cursed spirits here, and one of them suddenly dropped a meteorite like this."
"No way?!" Nobara looked at Roy with admiration akin to that reserved for great figures.
At this moment, Roy probably loomed impressively large in her mind.
"Even I know about this. It was all over the internet back then. I never thought it was you who did it, Nobara. Which countryside are you from?" Yuji glanced at Roy, then at Nobara.
A smug, mischievous smile suddenly appeared on his face as he chuckled, his eyes filled with mockery directed at Nobara.
Nobara's lips twitched—was this payback for earlier?
"It wasn't me who did it—it was the enemy. Get your facts straight, Yuji," Roy said, smacking Yuji on the back of the head so hard his vision went black for a moment.
"Alright, Yuji, Nobara, split up and search for cursed spirits. Try heading into the alleys—there should be more remnants there, and they'll be weaker. Megumi, you're excused."
"Got it!"
"Roger!"
Yuji and Nobara quickly disappeared into the alleys.
Roy watched this scene, a contemplative glint flashing in his eyes.
The sudden increase in cursed spirit activity around Okubo had begun two months ago.
Coincidentally, he had arrived in this world around two months ago.
Connecting the dots—the three cursed spirits, Mahito, who had attacked him immediately upon his arrival, and Kenjaku lurking in the shadows.
"These leftover weak cursed spirits must have been released by Kenjaku back then," Roy gradually realized.
After returning from the Type-Moon world, Mahito suspected Roy might pursue him from the same place, so he sought out Jogo and Hanami to wait here.
But simply waiting risked missing him or allowing him to sense their presence and escape.
So, he enlisted Kenjaku to release a batch of weak cursed spirits to serve as an alarm system.
Roy emerged from the alley back then, only to find himself surrounded by so many cursed spirits. At the time, he had assumed cursed spirits were just that rampant in this world.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case—those cursed spirits were likely released by Kenjaku to scout for enemies.
Roy had immediately killed two of them, which must have acted like a signal, letting Mahito and the others know he had arrived. Sure enough, they showed up right after.
Once everything was over, the weaker cursed spirits left behind were abandoned by Kenjaku, which explained why this area had such frequent cursed spirit activity—and why they were all so weak.
"Teacher, are we just going to stay here?"
Megumi watched as Yuji and Nobara walked farther away, then turned to Roy with the question.
Even if this place was mostly populated by weak cursed spirits now, if they ran into something slightly stronger—even just a semi-grade 2—both Yuji and Nobara would be in danger.
But when he turned his head, he saw Roy already walking toward the roadside.
Ahead of him were two girls performing an impromptu guitar session on the street.
"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on them. They'll be fine."
Roy waved a hand dismissively, not even looking back as he headed toward the busking girls.
His tone sounded oddly cheerful.
Megumi's lips twitched.
He wasn't just saying that because he wanted to watch the street performance, was he?
Could he really trust him on this?