"That's the new Special Grade!"
"The sheer oppressive aura is beyond imagination!"
"Feels even more terrifying than last year's Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto combined!"
The exchange event competition was scheduled to begin at noon.
Before that, the Kyoto students were arranged to rest in a cleaned-out vacant attic.
Led by an assistant supervisor, the eight members of Kyoto High made their way toward the designated attic.
Along the path, the six Kyoto students huddled together, whispering among themselves with a mix of fear and admiration for Roy in their voices.
Only Aoi remained silent, his head hanging low in frustration.
"You lot."
Gakuganji Yoshinobu, walking at the front, suddenly halted upon hearing the excited chatter behind him. His icy gaze swept over the students.
The group immediately froze, falling into a tense silence.
"Even if that man possesses considerable strength, appearances can be deceiving. He undoubtedly has some scheme, aiming to exploit Japan's jujutsu world in some way... Do not engage with him lightly. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Understood."
The students nodded obediently to the reprimand.
But their thoughts varied greatly.
Aoi paid no heed to Gakuganji's words—he had always done as he pleased, and even the principal couldn't lecture him.
Mai sneered inwardly. The old man probably suffered a setback earlier and was now letting his personal frustrations affect his work.
The Zenin clan had already struck a deal with Roy, placing themselves partially in his camp. How could they avoid contact?
She herself was here on a mission from her family—to get close to Roy. If she failed, what punishment awaited her? Would Gakuganji take responsibility for that?
Special Grade sorcerers were beings capable of annihilating small nations single-handedly, highly coveted throughout Japan. Only a fool wouldn't want to associate with them.
Kasumi Miwa and Momo Nishimiya didn't care much—they weren't in any position to interact with a Special Grade anyway. Just catching a glimpse would be a blessing.
Ultimate Mechamaru's metallic face gave nothing away as he complied outwardly.
But no one knew what truly went on in his mind.
Among them, the only one who took Gakuganji's warning to heart was Noritoshi Kamo.
"That Special Grade has designs on Japan's jujutsu world? What could his goal be?"
Noritoshi grew wary.
He didn't believe Gakuganji was the type to let personal feelings interfere with duty. Though rigid, the principal was merely conservative—never irrational in important matters.
Moreover, Gakuganji led the conservative faction, while the Kamo clan was its backbone. Bound by shared interests, Noritoshi, as the next clan head, often followed Gakuganji's lead.
Meanwhile, their guide, Ijichi Kiyotaka, wore an expression of utter despair.
Could you guys not say these things in front of me?
This makes me feel like I know too much to live long!
Under the guidance of assistant supervisor Kiyotaka, the Kyoto school group arrived in front of a pavilion.
After leading them there, Ijichi hastily fled the scene.
Mai stepped forward to open the pavilion door, allowing everyone to enter.
"That being said, dealing with a Special Grade requires extreme caution!"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu was deeply anxious. A Special Grade with unknown intentions had infiltrated Japan's jujutsu society with malicious plans—how could he not be worried?
Yet, even though his heart burned with urgency, his mind remained ice-cold, not losing rationality but calmly analyzing the situation.
Even if the Special Grade had ill intentions, outright confrontation would be the worst strategy. Not only was there a high chance he could be killed, but the opponent could also slaughter all the sorcerers at the school and leave unhurriedly. Afterward, they could join the ranks of curse users, gathering their forces to achieve their goals. In that case, there would be nothing but harm and no benefit.
Ultimately, it was the opponent's overwhelming strength that forced them to tread carefully.
They could only confront them if they had concrete evidence of their hostility toward Japan's jujutsu society and at least one Special Grade sorcerer by their side.
Until then, they had no choice but to turn a blind eye to their actions. Otherwise, alerting them prematurely would be disastrous.
"Principal, about Tokyo School's Yuji Itadori..."
After entering the pavilion, in the main hall, Noritoshi Kamo turned to Gakuganji Yoshinobu with a questioning expression.
"How should we handle him? Should we use this exchange event as an excuse to eliminate him here?"
The group, who had been about to disperse and rest, suddenly halted in their tracks at these words.
They exchanged glances, unsure whether they should leave or stay.
Were they really going to move against Yuji Itadori?
Indeed, if they were to do so, taking advantage of this exchange event would be the best opportunity.
After all, sorcerers were a profession that risked their lives in battle. Even if someone died due to a training accident, it wouldn't be impossible. If Yuji Itadori were to perish during the exchange, they could only express deep regret—after all, the event itself involved combat. At most, the one who accidentally killed him would be punished with confinement for a while.
Even Roy, as a Special Grade, wouldn't be able to say much about it.
Logically, that should be the case.
As a teacher, he shouldn't act too biased in such matters, like seeking revenge for his student.
But Gakuganji felt that Roy wasn't that kind of conventional sorcerer.
He had a record of removing an elder from the higher-ups just to stand up for his student. If something really happened to Yuji Itadori, would he immediately seek vengeance? That was truly hard to say!
Gakuganji remained silent for a long time.
No one disturbed him, waiting patiently in their respective spots.
Only Aoi left without a word, his disdainful expression making it clear he couldn't even be bothered to spare them a glance.
No one commented on it—they knew Todo's personality all too well. Even if Gakuganji gave an order, he wouldn't obey. He was simply that kind of person, utterly indifferent to others' thoughts and opinions.
Several long minutes later.
Gakuganji finally opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them as if he had made up his mind.
"He must die! He absolutely must die!"
"You will kill that curse, Yuji Itadori, during this exchange event! And don't try to hide it—make as big a scene as possible!"
"Not just kill him, but make it a spectacle?"
Even Noritoshi Kamo couldn't help but gape at these words.
He had no objections to dealing with Yuji Itadori. In the eyes of conservative sorcerers, a vessel was no longer human—it could be considered a type of curse, something to be exorcised upon discovery. The only reason Yuji Itadori was still alive was because Roy, a Special Grade, had protected him. Otherwise, he would have been killed long ago.
But now, not only do you want to kill him, you want to make a scene out of it? Are you afraid his Special Grade teacher won't find out?
What if he goes berserk on the spot or rushes in to stop us?
Will you be the one to block him?
Can you even block him?
Won't that just put us in danger?
"This is ridiculous. Count me out!"
Mai laughed mockingly, as if amused, then turned and walked out of the hall.
"Mai...!"
"Let her go."
Gakuganji stopped Momo Nishimiya from calling Mai back. His expression was solemn, as if he could face death with equanimity.
"Now, let's discuss our tactics for later..."
...
"When the team battle begins at noon, there's an 80% chance Kyoto High will try to gang up on Yuji."
Meanwhile, under Roy's orders, the Tokyo High students had also gathered.
In the sealed room, Roy's first words shocked everyone.
"Gang up on Yuji? Seriously?!"
"What did I do to deserve this?"
"If that's true, this is serious..."
"Gakuganji and Kamo are both conservatives. They can't stand curses coexisting with humans. It's entirely possible."
Maki leaned on her chin, frowning slightly.
Not out of concern, but because she found this kind of underhanded tactic during an exchange event utterly despicable.
Seeing that even Maki, who was most familiar with clan politics, agreed, the others had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.
"Anyway, I called you here to warn you about this so you won't be caught off guard and picked off one by one. As for how to handle it, figure it out yourselves. I have full faith in your abilities. I've got something else to take care of, so I'll leave you to it~!"
With that, Roy smiled and left the room.
"This guy just drops the problem on us and walks away!"
"Wait, why do they want to kill me? Why?"
Yuji Itadori's face was grim. Even now, he couldn't understand the situation.
He was naturally optimistic, but being targeted for death by his own allies for no apparent reason was too much even for him. His mood was utterly ruined.
"Ugh, I wanna go home..."
Bocchi-chan lay on the tatami, facing the corner and muttering to herself, her entire body radiating tangible negativity.
The world of sorcerers was nothing like what she'd imagined!
She thought becoming a sorcerer would bring admiration and love from everyone. How could there be so much scheming and intrigue? She couldn't even discern the hidden motives of her classmates—how was she supposed to compete with these genuine old monsters? This was a problem she couldn't solve!
"Oh, right, right!"
At that moment, Roy suddenly poked his head through the doorway, smiling as he looked at Bocchi-chan in the corner.
"Bocchi-chan, I've already spoken to the principal about you. To ensure fairness in the competition numbers, you won't be required to participate in this exchange event. Once the matches begin, you're free to move around as you please!"
With that, he withdrew his head and vanished from sight once more.
"Does he really not care at all whether we can protect Yuji or not?"
Panda stared at Roy's disappearing figure, unable to hold back his stunned remark.
"There's no way Roy-sensei is that kind of person."
Megumi shook his head firmly, dismissing Panda's comment outright.
"Let's treat this as an in-class test. After all, during the exchange event, only students can engage in combat—it's still fundamentally a clash between students. We'll just do our best to pass this test."
"Even if something unexpected happens, I'm sure Roy-sensei won't just stand by and watch. Don't forget what happened at the juvenile detention center last time!"
"The juvenile detention center… That's right!"
At Megumi's reminder, Yuji immediately recalled the incident two months ago at the detention center.
Back then, Roy-sensei had actually arrived long before, quietly observing them and evaluating their reactions and responses. Only when they were each in dire straits did he appear at the critical moment, swiftly driving back the enemy.
He was the type to use dangerous situations as training tools for his students whenever possible. This time was likely no different—if their lives were truly in danger, he would probably show up at the last possible moment.
"Last time, we all failed. We can't embarrass ourselves like that again!"
Kugisaki cracked her knuckles, brimming with enthusiasm.
The three first-years exchanged glances, each wearing a confident expression.
Having someone reliable backing them up really boosted their morale!
Panda and Inumaki exchanged looks.
Roy-sensei's prestige in their hearts was so high, and they trusted him deeply.
If only Kusakabe-sensei were this dependable…
Meanwhile, Bocchi-chan squirmed out of the room like a caterpillar, unnoticed by anyone.
"Perfect! No need to compete, and I can run around freely! Plus, there are so few people in the mountains—this is heaven, here I come!"
Bocchi-chan laughed wildly, strutting with an exaggerated swagger as she carried the sleeping Slug Curse Spirit on her back, sprinting through the mountains like a hyperactive husky.
Elsewhere.
After leaving the room, Roy pulled several bird-shaped familiars from his imaginary pocket and scattered them into the sky, sending them flying in different directions.
Then, he set off toward the pavilion where the Kyoto students were gathered.
"Hm?"
As Roy approached the pavilion, he unexpectedly ran into someone.
Dressed in Kyoto School's summer sleeveless top with loose, activity-friendly trousers below, the tied waistband accentuating her slender waist and long legs, her dark green short hair swaying in the wind.
"Ah."
Mai bumped into Roy head-on and froze momentarily.
At the sight of Mai, Roy recalled yesterday's conversation with Maki and her request to him.
He sighed imperceptibly before turning to take a detour.
"Wait! I need to talk to you!"
Seeing Roy about to leave, Mai grew flustered and hurried forward to block his path.
"What is it?"
"Principal Gakuganji is conspiring to kill Yuji Itadori during the exchange event. I don't know what he's thinking, but he's serious. You should prepare early!"
"I already know about this."
"Eh?"
Mai was stunned.
She'd risked potential punishment from Principal Gakuganji to warn Roy.
Yet he already knew?
His completely calm expression showed no surprise whatsoever—he must have known for a while.
Then why was she even here?
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Seeing Mai frozen in place, Roy rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
"Wait... um, could I have your phone number?"
Snapping back to reality, Mai urgently reached out to grab the rolled-up sleeve of Roy's shirt at his elbow.
Roy stopped and turned his gaze to her hand clutching his sleeve.
"...Sorry."