"...I concede defeat."
A polite yet awkward smile appeared on Mei Mei's face.
Damn it!
She wouldn't be able to earn money from the school anymore!
Yaga Masamichi couldn't help but glance at Roy in surprise.
His ability truly lived up to its name—"omnipotent" in the most literal sense!
Had they known earlier, they wouldn't have wasted their budget hiring Mei Mei.
Gakuganji Yoshinobu's expression darkened heavily. This guy actually had the ability to monitor others?
Had he been monitored before?
What about the other elders in the higher-ups?
This guy was even more troublesome than he had initially imagined!
"It's starting!"
Roy pointed at the images on the blackboard.
As soon as the time arrived, students from both schools rushed into the forests on either side.
The perspectives in the images split to follow each student separately, every frame crystal clear. Unaware they were being watched, the students' every move was laid bare.
"So that's it. The reason he had Mei Mei withdraw her surveillance was probably to ensure the students' safety with his own monitoring method, right?"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu watched the scene unfold, his murky old eyes flashing with deep calculation.
"Hmph, no matter. In fact, this suits my purposes perfectly! Watch closely—better yet, scrutinize every move my Kyoto students make!"
To oppose a Special Grade alone was like throwing an egg against a rock!
Especially when that Special Grade was Roy—not only immensely powerful but also wielding the authority of the higher-ups.
Those who played politics against him had to consider whether he might go berserk and flip the table with sheer strength.
Those who relied on strength had to worry about him leveraging his political power to attack them.
Every aspect of him was a headache for his enemies.
In that case, there was only one way!
From the very beginning, they had to account for his potential to overturn the board and design a scheme to deal him the greatest possible blow!
"Even if it costs me my old bones, so be it!"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu's resolve was as unyielding as iron.
After all, Roy's apparent alignment with Yaga Masamichi's faction had already encroached upon the conservatives' interests.
Originally, if Gojo Satoru had truly been eliminated, he could have moved against Yaga's faction. But with Roy making his stance clear, the situation had become awkward again—he couldn't act now.
But Roy was no Gojo Satoru.
Gojo was invincible—Roy was not.
So even if he died here, he would deliver a crushing blow to Roy!
No matter how clever you are, you'll never see through this old man's scheme!
However.
What he hadn't anticipated was—
Roy watched the scenes in the footage with great interest, occasionally offering his own commentary.
Not a single thought about what Gakuganji was up to crossed his mind.
Not a trace of worry could be seen.
"Hmph, in the end, he's still just a kid—utterly transparent!"
Gakuganji sneered inwardly.
"Let's see how long you can keep your cool!"
Once the operation to corner Yuji Itadori begins, let's see what kind of expression you'll wear then!
On the screen.
After entering the forest, the movements of the students from both schools suddenly diverged completely.
For the first day of the exchange event, the group battle involved the schools placing a Grade 2 cursed spirit in the center of the forest, along with randomly scattering a number of lower-grade cursed spirits.
The school that exorcised the designated Grade 2 cursed spirit before nightfall would win the group battle. If the Grade 2 cursed spirit remained unexorcised by nightfall, victory would go to the side with the higher exorcism count.
This was the competition for the first day's group battle—the Cursed Spirit Extermination Race.
Normally, to maximize cursed spirit hunting, students from both sides should have rushed toward the central area after entering the forest from their respective zones.
But after entering the forest, the six students from Tokyo Jujutsu High scattered immediately, as if aiming to hunt down as many cursed spirits as possible.
The other side, however, did not follow suit.
"Inumaki Toge and Panda are paired up, heading straight for the central area—likely sending their strongest duo to handle the Grade 2 cursed spirit placed there. Nobara Kugisaki, Maki Zenin, and Megumi Fushiguro are hunting cursed spirits in the surrounding areas. Fushiguro has already summoned his Divine Dogs and is using them to track cursed spirits..."
Nishimiya Momo rode her broomstick, hovering mid-air, phone pressed to her ear as she relayed the intel she observed to her teammates.
Her technique was Doll Manipulation.
Literally, it was a technique for controlling tsukumogami—spirits that inhabited objects after prolonged use, turning them into supernatural beings in Japanese folklore.
In other words, her technique allowed her to manipulate objects she had used extensively over time.
The broom in her hands was her signature tool.
Regardless of its offensive power, the ability to ride it and take to the skies granted her aerial dominance—a massive advantage in itself.
Not only could she scout enemies from above, but she could also launch surprise attacks from the air. If outmatched, she could simply fly away. In every sense, it was an incredibly versatile ability.
For a sorcerer like her, scouting from the sky was the best way to maximize her strengths!
And yet—
"Who else is there in Kyoto Jujutsu High but me for reconnaissance?"
Nishimiya sighed helplessly.
Aside from her, whether it was Todo, Kamo, Mai, or even Mechamaru—everyone in Kyoto Jujutsu High was built for direct combat. She had no choice but to shoulder the burden alone.
"What about Yuji Itadori?"
"He's alone, fighting a frog-like cursed spirit!"
"That's way too obvious, isn't it?"
Kamo Noritoshi frowned, sensing something off.
"What do you mean?"
Miwa Kasumi looked at him blankly, her face the picture of naivety.
"In a group battle, students from both schools can interfere with each other. They should at least pair up in twos. Why are all of them scattered except for Inumaki and Panda?"
This was undeniably strange.
Did Tokyo Jujutsu High really lack any strategist-type roles this time?
In their second year, Inumaki, Panda, and Maki were not particularly known for their strategic thinking. Among the first-year students, Yuji and Nobara were also said to have straightforward personalities.
But Kamo had already gathered some information about Fushiguro Megumi beforehand.
Fushiguro Megumi was a sorcerer who excelled at strategizing before acting. Unlike Yuji and Maki, who preferred charging head-on, Fushiguro preferred weakening his opponents with tactics first before stepping in to finish them off with calculated precision.
Had Fushiguro lost his cool this time as well?
"This doesn't matter right now, Momo. Just tell me which direction Maki is in."
Just as Kamo was frowning in deep thought, Mai suddenly stepped forward from behind.
She paid no heed to Kamo's contemplation, rudely snatching the phone from his hand and coldly demanding from Momo on the other end.
"Maki is southwest..."
Once she got the location, Mai tossed the phone back to Kamo without a second thought and sprinted off alone toward the southwest.
"Uh… is this really okay?"
Miwa Kasumi glanced around nervously, seeing that no one else spoke up, and hesitantly asked Kamo.
"Mai just ran off by herself?"
"It's fine. Mai always loses it when it comes to Maki. We expected this from the start."
Kamo Noritoshi remained composed, his demeanor unshaken by Mai's departure.
His calm expression carried the poise of a seasoned leader, earning silent admiration from the observers in the monitoring room. Truly, he lived up to his reputation as the next head of the Kamo family—unflappable.
But the next second.
Kamo's composure shattered.
"Sorry, Kamo, but I have my own business to take care of. I won't be joining this encirclement mission."
This time, the one raising his hand to withdraw was none other than Mechamaru.
After apologizing to Kamo, Mechamaru didn't say another word, turning and dashing deep into the forest.
"Wait, Mechamaru! Why are you—?!"
Kamo's expression darkened as he reached out, trying to call him back.
But Mechamaru was too fast—by the time Kamo spoke, his dark figure had already vanished into the dense woods.
"Why would Mechamaru leave? He's always been the most reliable one on our team!"
Kamo's anxiety was now visibly apparent, his mood worsening.
Mai leaving was whatever—she was only a Grade 3 sorcerer, not particularly strong, and didn't contribute much in group battles.
But Mechamaru was different. He was a semi-Grade 1 sorcerer, on par with Kamo himself, second only to Todo Aoi. In terms of sheer firepower, he might even be the strongest among them. His presence took a huge load off the team!
BAM!
A sudden explosion of sound startled Kamo.
Looking up, he saw Aoi glaring at him impatiently, a massive tree beside him split in half and slowly toppling over.
With the words "I'm an idiot, laugh at me" still scrawled across his face, Todo raised his notebook.
"Hurry up and tell me which direction Yuji is in!"
He was in a terrible mood.
Why did that damn teacher Roy have to seal his ability to speak?
If he could talk, he would've snatched the phone immediately, demanded Yuji's location, and charged straight there!
"Todo, don't act recklessly. There might be traps over there—hey, my phone!"
Ignoring Kamo's lecture, Todo grabbed the phone from him.
Then, shoving his notebook toward Miwa Kasumi, he thrust the phone in her face with a menacing scowl.
"Um, uh, maybe we should listen to Kamo—"
Miwa Kasumi looked at Aoi, who was approaching with a menacing expression, swallowed hard, and forced a smile onto her face.
"Boom!"
Aoi's eyes widened as he stomped the ground, leaving a shallow crater.
Miwa immediately snapped to attention in fright.
"Momo, which direction is Itadori Yuji in?"
"Huh? He's wandering around near the entrance. Wait, are you guys heading over now?"
Before the voice on the phone could finish speaking.
Todo tossed the phone into the air, bent his knees, and with a thunderous leap, propelled himself with astonishing force toward the area where Tokyo Jujutsu High's entrance was located.
Kamo Noritoshi hurriedly caught the phone as it plummeted from the sky. Watching his teammates scatter within two minutes of the match starting, his face darkened completely.
In the blink of an eye, only Miwa Kasumi remained by his side!
Miwa's skills were somewhat commendable—she had mastered one of the three major techniques, the Simple Domain... Never mind, he couldn't even convince himself. Might as well discuss Momo Nishimiya flying in the sky instead!
"This team is impossible to lead!"
Kamo slammed the phone onto the ground, his face flushed with anger.
But after calming down, he picked the phone back up—thankfully, the dirt beneath his feet had cushioned the fall, and it wasn't broken.
"Fine. Miwa, Nishimiya, let's head to Itadori Yuji too. At this point, there's no turning back! Even if we have to forfeit the team battle, we must kill Itadori Yuji here!"
Miwa glanced around.
She was the only one left.
"O-okay!"
She could only muster a socially appropriate response.
To spare Kamo-senpai the embarrassment.
Meanwhile.
With a single leap, Aoi soared over ten meters into the air before crashing down like a meteor toward the opposite entrance.
The entrances of Kyoto Jujutsu High and Tokyo Jujutsu High were separated only by a main gate. Though the gate was quite wide, Toudou easily cleared it in one jump.
"Boom!"
Like a meteor striking the earth, Todo landed, carving a shallow crater into the dirt and sinking both feet into the ground.
He yanked his feet free and immediately dashed in a certain direction.
While airborne, he had already spotted Itadori's figure!
"He's here!"
Itadori Yuji's ears perked up as he caught the sound of rapidly approaching wind resistance. With a fierce punch, he obliterated the frog curse spirit he'd been tangling with and turned around, his expression grave.
Just in time to lock eyes with the charging Todo Aoi.
"Todo Aoi, so you're my first opponent... Good. I've been wanting to settle things with you too! Let's continue yesterday's fight right here!"
Itadori took his stance, legs spread in a fighting posture—left fist forward in defense, right fist drawn back for offense—his gaze intently fixed on Todo as he steadied himself.
Just as he was about to charge, Todo suddenly raised a hand in a halting gesture.
Itadori skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over his own momentum.
Regaining his balance, he glared at Todo in irritation.
"What now?"
Todo nodded as if it were obvious.
He held up a small notebook, flipping to a pre-written page, and displayed the sentence already written there.
"What kind of women do you like?"
Yuji nearly lost his balance again, almost stumbling.
"Are you still hung up on this?! Why does it even matter?!" Yuji couldn't help but shout in exasperation.
He'd been asking this same question since they met yesterday. After getting beaten half to death by Roy-sensei and being forced into silence for a week, he was still scribbling it down on a notepad?!
Are you really that obsessed with asking about people's fetishes?!
Aoi Todo shook his head vigorously, his expression screaming "I won't take no for an answer," stubbornly waving his notebook around.
His whole demeanor made it clear—if Yuji didn't answer, this fight wasn't happening.
"Fine, you win…"
Yuji was somewhat moved by his persistence.
Even after getting pummeled to near-disability and being forced into a week of silence, he was still this relentless. Yuji couldn't help but feel a little admiration.
Sure, the guy had a few screws loose, but at least he wasn't a bad person.
It wasn't like answering would hurt anything.
With that thought, Yuji gave his reply.
"If I had to pick, I like tall girls with big butts! There, happy? Now let's fight—Wait, why are you crying?!"