Chapter 70 — The Kyoto Sister-School Exchange Event
Inside the reception room, Gojo Satoru barged in without knocking, plopped himself down across from Yoshinobu Gakuganji, the Kyoto Jujutsu High principal, and crossed one leg over the other with blatant disrespect.
"Don't bother waiting," Gojo said lazily. "Principal Yaga won't be showing up. I may or may not have told him the wrong meeting time."
Today was the pre-event meeting for the upcoming Tokyo–Kyoto Exchange Event — a friendly competition between the two schools. Traditionally, both principals would meet beforehand to go over details.
Gakuganji's expression tightened, his gnarled hands gripping his cane. "Do all young people these days have no sense of manners?"
"Save the act, old man," Gojo replied, leaning back into the couch. "We both know you had a hand in the whole Itadori mess. You're one of the conservatives, right? Don't try to play saint with me. The only reason that guy didn't kill you on the spot is because you're still flexible enough to pretend you're not one of them."
Gakuganji's eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Gojo's smirk faded just a bit. "Yesterday, I was attacked by two Special Grade curses."
"Oh," Gakuganji said flatly. "That's… unfortunate."
"That's not the point." Gojo leaned forward. "Those two weren't mindless monsters — they talked. They coordinated. They understood human language. They were organized."
"And?" the old man replied dismissively. "We've seen that before. Decades ago, there was another intelligent Special Grade, wasn't there? You killed it easily enough."
Gojo's grin widened, but his tone dropped. "You still don't get it. Those two aren't the only ones. There are more out there with the same level of power. Haven't you noticed the pattern since last year's Night Parade of a Hundred Demons?"
He began ticking names off his fingers:
"Tokyo's Okkotsu Yuta. Hakari Kinji. Kyoto's Aoi Todo. The Vessel of Sukuna. The sudden emergence of a coordinated group of powerful curses... Tell me, old man—doesn't any of this ring alarm bells?"
He stood, hands in his pockets, and said with a cold smile, "The world of jujutsu is changing — fast. What you fear, what you try to suppress, is evolving beyond your control. Your 'rule' is crumbling. The old ways of ranking and control — Special Grade this, Grade One that — they don't mean anything anymore."
Gojo's voice carried a quiet conviction. "The jujutsu world is on the verge of something new. Whether you like it or not, the era of the old guard is ending."
Silence fell.
Gakuganji's face betrayed nothing.
"Well, that's all I had to say," Gojo finally said, stretching. "Principal Yaga should be here in about two hours. Try not to bore him to death."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked out, his white coat fluttering behind him — leaving behind a brooding Gakuganji and a flustered Miwa Kasumi, who had been eavesdropping by the door, blushing furiously.
---
Back at a small Tokyo apartment, Zen'in Shinsuke was lounging on the couch watching TV when his phone rang.
"Yeah?" he said lazily, answering. "If it's nonsense, make it quick."
"Can you not answer the phone like that?" Gojo's irritated voice came through the line.
"Please. Be polite to you? Don't make me laugh."
"…Fine, fine," Gojo sighed. "I just wanted to ask — are you interested in helping me build a new jujutsu world?"
Shinsuke blinked once, then hung up.
"Beep—beep—"
Gojo stared at the dead line, speechless. "…Yeah, should've seen that coming."
So much for that idea. He'd thought about recruiting Shinsuke to his side — the man was a monster when it came to fighting curses — but apparently, changing the world wasn't on his to-do list. Guess it was up to Gojo and the next generation.
Meanwhile, Shinsuke dropped the phone onto the table and sighed. "That guy's got something wrong with his head."
---
Moments later, a soft knock knock came at his door.
"Big brother, are you home?"
He turned toward the voice. When he opened the door, a familiar figure leaned in — Zen'in Mai, her hair tied back, her eyes full of mischief.
"There you are," she said, stepping right in and flopping onto the sofa.
Shinsuke raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you supposed to be at Kyoto High?"
"Hehe~ I was! But since the Kyoto team's coming to Tokyo for the Exchange Event, and your place's nearby, I figured I'd drop by."
She smiled sheepishly. Truth be told, Mai had been meaning to reconcile with her sister, but her pride got in the way. After a year apart, though, she couldn't resist coming back — even if just to peek.
"What, got yourself in trouble again?" Shinsuke asked. "Did Maki rough you up this time?"
"Wha—no!" Mai puffed out her cheeks. "We just came to say hi, that's all! And besides, I'm not the same as before. Don't tell me you still think I can't beat her?"
Shinsuke smirked. "Oh? Confident now, are we?"
He gave her a closer look — then frowned slightly. "You're different… wait, your cursed energy—it's stabilized?"
A quick check confirmed it. Mai's aura was far stronger than before — steadier, sharper.
"Of course!" she said proudly. "I'm not some deadweight anymore!"
Shinsuke chuckled, genuinely impressed. "Good. The Exchange Event'll be a perfect chance for you two to sort things out. Stop acting like enemies. You're sisters, not rivals to the death."
Mai looked away, her lips pursed — but she didn't argue.
For a brief moment, Zen'in Shinsuke was genuinely surprised — then quickly returned to his usual calm.
So what if Mai had become a "proper" jujutsu sorcerer? With her Construction Technique, he doubted she truly understood how to use it efficiently. Unless she also trained her body and mastered close-quarters combat, that technique would never reach its full potential.
Still, he had to admit — the Zen'in twins complemented each other perfectly. One was a weapon master, the other literally created weapons. Together, they could be unstoppable.
"Hmph! Unless my sister apologizes to me first, I'll crush her in front of everyone and prove who's stronger!" Mai raised a fist, cheeks puffed in defiant pride.
"Yeah, yeah," Shinsuke replied, waving her off. "You two sort your own drama. I'm not getting involved."
He stood and stretched. "You eaten yet? I'll cook something."
"I want your mapo tofu!" Mai shouted immediately, grinning like a child.
Shinsuke sighed — but he was smiling too.
---
One and a Half Months Later
The day of the Tokyo–Kyoto Sister-School Exchange Event had finally arrived.
This year, it would be hosted in Tokyo.
"Alright," announced Principal Yaga Masamichi, standing before the gathered students. "This year's event will officially begin at noon. Until then, everyone is free to prepare as they see fit."
After declaring the opening rules, Yaga and the other instructors left for the conference room to oversee the event's logistics.
"Ugh, seriously?" Kugisaki Nobara groaned, dragging her suitcase behind her. "They call it the Kyoto Sister-School Exchange, so I thought we were actually going to Kyoto! I even packed for a trip!"
Panda, ever patient, explained, "The hosting location alternates depending on who won the previous event. Last year, Okkotsu wiped the floor with Kyoto, so this time, it's Tokyo's turn."
Originally, first-years weren't even supposed to participate — but last year was unusual. Okkotsu Yuta, still a first-year at the time, had joined the battle because they were short on people. He singlehandedly annihilated Kyoto's team.
"Not exactly a fair fight," Panda continued. "When a Special Grade Sorcerer joins a school event, that's what we call… dimensional bullying."
"Wait, Yuta's not competing this time?" came a loud, disappointed voice from the Kyoto side.
It was Aoi Todo, standing tall among his teammates.
He scanned the Tokyo lineup, his face twisting with dissatisfaction. "No Yuta Okkotsu? What a waste of time. Guess I'll pass."
And with that, he turned on his heel and started to leave.
"I've got better things to do — Takada-chan's concert starts soon."
The Kyoto students collectively exchanged weary glances.
"Well… that's Todo for you," one of them muttered helplessly.
Even their teachers didn't bother trying to stop him — after all, Todo didn't even respect the principal's authority. If he didn't want to fight, nobody could make him.