"Megumi!"
Between the two, Yuji was faster to react.
The instant Mai drew her gun, his expression shifted, and he lunged to shove Megumi aside.
Even with cursed energy reinforcing their bodies, sorcerers weren't impervious to bullets. A direct hit to a vital spot could still inflict serious damage.
But the moment Yuji moved—
"Whoosh!"
—the spiky-haired man sprang into action.
With blinding speed, he appeared before Yuji as if teleporting, his massive hand slicing through the air like a blade, aiming to strike Yuji's chest with enough force to shatter stone!
Yuji had no choice but to retract his arm, adopting a defensive stance with his fists crossed in front of him.
"Boom!"
A heavy blow struck like a dump truck crashing head-on.
Yuji's arms trembled violently as he was sent staggering back over a dozen steps. His limbs felt numb and tingly, as if he'd slept on them wrong all night.
"Hmm?"
The spiky-haired man suddenly let out a curious sound.
His previously indifferent eyes flickered with interest as he studied Yuji.
"Bang!"
Meanwhile, Mai pulled the trigger.
Megumi didn't even flinch, standing perfectly still as if he hadn't reacted.
Yuji saw it clearly—the bullet struck Megumi directly in the abdomen!
"Megumi!"
"What's your name?"
The spiky-haired man's eyes gleamed with newfound curiosity as he stared at Yuji.
"Wait no, I should introduce myself first before asking others!"
After a moment's realization, he pointed a thumb at his own chest.
"I'm Aoi Todo, third-year at Kyoto School. That palm strike just now wasn't holding back at all. Normally you'd be sent flying through the school building by now, yet here you stand completely unharmed. Impressive! Your name?"
"Who cares about that! My friend's in danger!"
Yuji glared fiercely at Todo before anxiously turning toward Megumi.
Just as he moved to rush over, Todo flashed into his path.
"Relax. Even angry, Mai knows her limits. She won't kill the sea urchin-head."
Todo stretched casually, rotating his neck and flexing his limbs as if preparing for serious combat.
"Honestly, I thought this year's exchange event would be boring without Yuta Okkotsu. But you first-years are interesting. Now answer me—what's your name?"
"You're so annoying! That girl already said my name! And not all dangers are life-threatening—getting hurt still sucks!"
Yuji couldn't take Todo's incessant chatter anymore.
He lunged forward instantly, driving a straight punch toward Todo's chest!
"I wasn't listening to her!"
Far from annoyed, Todo's eyes lit up with excitement as he deliberately intercepted the punch to gauge its power.
"Nice fist!"
Yuji had zero interest in fighting, only wanting to check on Megumi.
Gritting his teeth, he suddenly dropped his stance, lowering his center of gravity while rising slightly on the balls of his feet—reminiscent of his training on wooden stakes.
"I'm fine, Yuji!"
Megumi's voice suddenly called from behind Todo.
"I'm not hurt. You're the one who needs to be careful—Aoi Todo is Kyoto School's Grade 1 sorcerer! He's even taken down Special Grade curses before. Nobody matches his strength."
That strong?!
No wonder his punches feel like a truck!
Roy's voice came through loud and clear, confirming he was unharmed, which allowed Yuji to set aside his worries and focus entirely on the opponent before him—Aoi Todo.
The memory of that punch he'd taken moments ago replayed in his mind.
"No, it wasn't just raw power. Physically, he shouldn't be stronger than me. But the speed at which he channels cursed energy is terrifying—his reinforcement technique is on a whole other level!"
Faster cursed energy channeling meant being able to amplify attack power in the shortest possible time. The higher the reinforcement level, the greater the increase in striking force.
Combined, these factors created punches with devastating impact.
Yuji Itadori's greatest weakness wasn't his lack of innate techniques or limited combat experience—it was how recently he'd become a sorcerer. Just three short months.
His fundamentals were severely lacking. Even with intensive cramming, there were too many areas requiring training—things that should be learned systematically now had to be postponed.
Especially cursed energy manipulation—speed, frequency, amplitude—all aspects requiring extensive practice to master. But he simply hadn't had enough time to develop proficiency.
This left his current cursed energy control at a rudimentary level, comparable to an average Grade 3 sorcerer.
Actually, beyond systematic practice, there was one method that could rapidly improve a sorcerer's cursed energy manipulation.
Black Flash.
But that was purely luck-dependent, only occurring accidentally in battle.
Not even the legendary Satoru Gojo could perform Black Flash at will.
Though Yuji knew of Black Flash's existence, he'd never successfully executed it.
"Hah... My name is Yuji Itadori!"
Yuji took his stance, eyes locked warily on Aoi Todo before him.
His gaze burned with the intensity of a caged tiger set free.
A satisfied grin spread across Todo's face.
"Good eyes! Now for question two—what's your type of woman?"
"Huh?!"
Just as Yuji prepared to strike, the unexpected question caught him completely off guard, leaving him utterly bewildered.
In that moment of distraction, Todo's fist came crashing toward his face.
"BOOM!"
An overwhelming pressure filled the air.
Yuji barely managed to dodge, only for Todo to grab his arm and hurl him through the school building's wall like a human wrecking ball.
Concrete fragments exploded outward as dust clouds billowed.
Regaining his footing inside the building, Yuji kicked off the ground and launched himself back through the hole in the wall, delivering a flying kick toward Todo.
Todo's expression sharpened with approval—"Now we're talking!"—as he met the attack head-on without hesitation.
The two became a whirlwind of close-quarters combat.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Megumi slowly straightened up, exhaling deeply as relief flickered in his eyes.
"That was...?!"
Mai stared at his abdomen, her hands trembling so violently she could barely maintain grip on her pistol.
Megumi glanced down at his stomach.
No bullet wound.
Of course not.
His abdomen had been covered by shifting black shadows that now dissipated like ink in water.
"These past two months... I've been undergoing special training with Roy-sensei."
Megumi took a deep breath. His reflexes and speed were far inferior to Yuji's, leaving him no choice but to withstand the bullets this way.
"The special training not only covers compensating for my weakness in physical combat but also the development of my techniques. My Ten Shadows Technique isn't just about controlling ten shikigami—it also includes the powerful advantage of shadow space!"
Within his shadows existed an independent space.
Not only could it be used to store items, but by covering his body with shadows like this, he could redirect enemy attacks into the shadow space, allowing him to evade harm completely. However, this method only worked against physical attacks.
Beyond that, he could also use the shadow space to phase through walls, teleport, and more… All these abilities, which he had never mastered before, were developed over the past two months with the help of his teacher, Roy.
"Roy-sensei… That Roy you mentioned, could it be—"
Mai's expression changed the moment she heard Roy's name.
It became indescribably complex.
A mix of unwillingness and reluctant submission, defiance and strange obedience.
Contradictory emotions played out vividly across her face.
"Seems like he's already back."
Megumi suddenly raised his eyes, grinning as he pointed toward the sky beyond the school gate.
Mai stiffened at his words. Lowering her pistol, she turned her conflicted gaze in the direction he indicated.
A figure descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the field.
"You guys…"
Roy touched down lightly, as if weightless.
The ground beneath his feet remained completely undisturbed.
He set down Bocchi-chan, then looked up at the two before him.
His gaze swept briefly over Mai's face.
Identical to Maki's, though deliberately styled with different makeup—yet he recognized her instantly.
But why was she looking at him with such a complicated expression?
Anyone would think he'd played with her feelings.
At that moment, from within the billowing dust inside the school building, a figure with a pineapple-like hairstyle emerged, coinciding with Roy's arrival.