"Hello, everyone!"
Looking at the colorful streamers floating in the air, Haibara grinned and waved at the people in the classroom.
"Nice energy! I like that! Alright, why don't our new first-years give a quick self-introduction? Who wants to start~?"
The boy holding the microphone was over 180 centimeters tall, with white hair and sunglasses. He paced back and forth before the three of them, a grin on his youthful face that practically screamed "goofball."
"I'll go first! I'm Yu Haibara, a new first-year student. Please take care of me!"
Naturally, the cheerful and outgoing one spoke up first.
"I'm Kento Nanami. I look forward to studying with everyone."
Next came Nanami, calm and proper as always, completely out of place beside the two more relaxed figures, and the playful white-haired upperclassman standing in front of them.
Then came the last one.
"I'm Mukuro. Mukuro Fushiguro."
His words were short and to the point. As he spoke, he raised his hand and casually waved toward Suguru, who was seated among the others.
"Satoru, Shoko, he's the best friend I told you about before, the one from Kyoto." Suguru smiled and waved back, then introduced him to his two classmates of the same year.
"Shoko, you should stay away from him. If he's Geto's best friend, that means he's just as much of a jerk!" Behind them, a girl in a shrine maiden outfit with twin ponytails quickly grabbed the short-haired girl beside Suguru and whispered in her ear.
"Utahime-senpai, you're exaggerating. A jerk's friend can still be a good person." Shoko let out a small sigh and smiled helplessly, trying to calm the nervous upperclassman who was clearly traumatized by the teasing of those two "jerks."
"Kyoto, huh? I feel like I've seen him somewhere before..." Satoru muttered from the side of the stage. Though he still wore his usual carefree grin, something about Mukuro's face caught his attention the moment he heard his name.
"Satoru Gojo, I know who you are. Do you recognize me?"
Just as Satoru scratched his head, ready to dismiss the thought, Mukuro suddenly spoke.
"Oh, what a shame. I don't bother to remember men's names." Satoru blinked, then chuckled.
That line confirmed it, they had met before, though briefly. It must've been years ago, just a passing moment. But the fact that Mukuro felt so familiar meant he had left an impression.
Not that it mattered now. Right now, he was still just a first-year student.
"No worries. You'll remember soon enough." Mukuro patted his shoulder and said nothing more.
"By the way, Mukuro, did you go through the evaluation yet? What grade are you now?" Suguru stood up, finally asking the question he'd been curious about for years. In nearly a decade of knowing him, he had never once seen his friend fight seriously.
"I can answer that."
The classroom door opened again. Masamichi, who had planned to find somewhere cool to rest, walked in holding a few documents.
At once, everyone found a seat, waiting quietly.
"Yu Haibara," Masamichi began, "a year ago assisted Jujutsu High personnel in exorcising a semi-grade 2 cursed spirit. Based on the report, the school has classified him as a semi-grade 2 sorcerer."
He took out several small cards, looked through them, and handed one over.
It was Haibara's student ID, clearly marked: Semi-Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
"So this is my student ID? The photo's not bad!" Haibara took it proudly and immediately ran around the room, showing it off to everyone like a kid with a new toy.
"Kento Nanami," Masamichi continued. "Successfully handled a grade 2-level cursed spirit alone. After review, he is certified as a grade 2 jujutsu sorcerer."
"Thank you."
Nanami accepted the ID calmly. His polite tone and composed manner made Masamichi smile approvingly.
"Grade 2..."
The rest of the class weren't particularly surprised. After all, being talented enough to be recruited by Jujutsu High already spoke for itself.
People like Suguru and Satoru, for instance, had been promoted to grade 1 sorcerers not long after enrollment.
And thus, the "world where Utahime suffers" was born.
Her junior, Shoko, was a healer by profession, so she didn't care much about rankings or grades.
But Utahime was already in her third year and still only at grade 2. Watching her new juniors reach her level so easily made her feel like life had grown even darker.
"Next, Mukuro Fushiguro... He's been active in the jujutsu world as a freelance sorcerer alongside his older brother for the past nine years. The two are commonly known among sorcerers as the 'Twin Tyrants.'"
Masamichi glanced down at the papers in his hand. Compared to the previous two, Mukuro's record was shockingly impressive, so he had to summarize only the highlights.
"Records show that the two once exorcised a special-grade cursed spirit known as the 'Shokushin.' Along with his continued activity over the years, his rating is—"
Before he could finish, Shoko raised her hand, unable to hold back.
"Wait! He's one of those two? The Twin Tyrants?! And hold on, teacher, did you just say 'Shokushin'? Wasn't that one listed as a grade 1 curse?"
Her voice carried both shock and concern. The brothers were famous across the jujutsu world, their name almost legendary. Seeing one of them here, and realizing he was younger than her, left her stunned.
Still, as someone deeply familiar with the registry of cursed spirits, she quickly caught the discrepancy in Masamichi's statement.
From what she knew, Mukuro's grade would surely surpass hers, but that wasn't what bothered her. What mattered was preventing the higher-ups from misclassifying either curses or sorcerers.
If a grade 2 sorcerer were mistakenly labeled grade 1 and sent on a grade 1 mission, it could end in tragedy.
And tragedies like that, caused by faulty evaluations, happen several times every year in the jujutsu world.
"You're right," Masamichi said with a nod. "'Shokushin' was originally a grade 1 curse. But the one they exorcised had devoured one of Sukuna's fingers, so it was reclassified as special grade."
"Sukuna… as in that Ryomen Sukuna?"
Everyone except Satoru and Mukuro froze at the name. The King of Curses, the monster from legend, was far too infamous to mistake.
"Exactly. And since Mukuro has also handled several solo exorcisms in recent years, Jujutsu High has made an exception for him. Without needing any recommendation, he's been directly ranked as a grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer."
Masamichi handed over the student ID. The rank was clearly printed on the card: Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
The peak of the current jujutsu world.
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