The classroom at Tokyo Jujutsu High was unnervingly quiet. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, scattering across the polished floor and the rows of empty desks.
Kurotsuki Tenkai sat at the very back, elbows on the table, chin resting on one hand. His gaze wandered lazily across the chalkboard, now filled with nothing but old equations from the previous day's class.
Aion's voice hummed faintly in his mind.
"Temperature stable. Heart rate optimal. Mental focus at ninety-eight percent."
Tenkai smirked slightly. "You really treat every situation like an exam, huh?"
Before Aion could respond, the peace shattered—BANG!
The classroom door slammed open, and a booming theme blasted from a phone speaker. It wasn't just loud—it was dramatic, like Iron Man's entry music had been mixed by a hyperactive DJ.
Gojo Satoru marched in with all the energy of a one-man parade, sunglasses glinting, his white blindfold tied loosely around his neck.
"Behold!" he declared, raising his new blue-and-white Neura smartphone like a trophy. "The Gojo experience has gone digital!"
Tenkai pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's nine in the morning."
Gojo twirled the phone. "Exactly! The perfect hour for epic entrances!"
The music blared even louder—an unrecognizable BGMI remix with heroic trumpets and someone yelling "LIMITLESS DROP BEAT!"
Gojo pointed at the phone. "Little Gojo, volume down to twenty percent!"
A soft, obedient voice replied,
"Affirmative, Sensei Gojo. Lowering volume."
Tenkai blinked. "You named your AI… Little Gojo?"
Gojo grinned proudly. "Of course! It's like having a miniature me in my pocket. Every man's dream."
"Truly the pinnacle of narcissism."
Gojo placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "I prefer to call it self-appreciation at a quantum level."
The music faded at last, and Gojo clapped his hands. "Alright, genius boy. Today's topic: Curse Energy 101."
He leaned against the teacher's desk, spinning a marker like a sword."Curse Energy—CE, as the cool kids abbreviate it—is born from negative human emotions. To control it, you need emotional balance. Get too angry or too sad, and—"
He mimed an explosion. "Boom. You fry your circuits. Which is why we stay calm."
Tenkai listened quietly, his expression unreadable. Gojo's Six Eyes subtly activated, analyzing every micro-movement. His brows twitched in surprise.
"Well, that's interesting," Gojo murmured. "You're already regulating CE flow perfectly. Natural rhythm, stable output—no leakage."
Tenkai simply nodded. "I've already learned the basics."
Gojo froze. "Already… learned?"
Tenkai, without hesitation: "Yes. I acquired the knowledge through a certain… Ledger."
Gojo's smile stiffened. "Ah. One of those black-market info networks, huh?"
Tenkai tilted his head slightly, giving nothing away.
Gojo sighed. "You really are something else. You're like if Tony Stark and Sukuna had a baby—but the baby paid for college early."
Tenkai blinked. "That's a terrifying analogy."
"Good! You're catching on to my sense of humor."
Gojo straightened. "Alright, prodigy, let's move to the training field. I wanna see what the new kid can do."
Training Grounds — 10:00 AM
The sparring area was empty, the sky wide and clear. Gojo stood in the center, hands in pockets, smiling like a cat who had found a new toy.
"Alright, kid," he said. "Let's see that fancy CE control. Come at me."
Tenkai cracked his neck. "Understood."
Without warning—BAM!
Tenkai closed the distance in an instant, the air snapping from the pressure. His curse-enhanced fist shot toward Gojo's face——and stopped dead.
Gojo didn't even flinch. "Lesson one: Infinity. You can't touch me."
Tenkai lowered his hand slightly, analyzing the air distortion between them. "Spatial barrier of infinite division. So even CE can't bridge it."
Gojo's grin widened. "Correct! A+ for theory. F for optimism."
In the next instant, Gojo grabbed Tenkai's wrist and twisted, using a spinning centrifugal force to hurl him backward.
Tenkai hit the ground—but only for a second. His body blurred and vanished.
FLASH!
He reappeared mid-air, legs igniting with concentrated CE. The earth cracked beneath his next step as he launched forward at insane speed.
Gojo's eyes widened slightly. "Body Flicker, huh? You made that yourself?"
Tenkai appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, his fist coated with dense, vibrating cursed energy.
"Self-developed," he said calmly. "Precise CE output control from the lower limbs. Releasing energy in microbursts to propel forward motion."
Gojo caught his fist with ease, but his grin turned wolfish. "Oh-ho? You've got some moves, tech boy."
The ground beneath them cratered from the impact, dust exploding outward.
Gojo chuckled. "Alright, enough showing off." He released Tenkai's hand. "I've seen what I need to."
Tenkai stepped back, slightly winded. Gojo crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.
"That reaction speed," he muttered. "And that CE precision… you're terrifyingly efficient. No wasted movement, no emotional interference."
Tenkai tilted his head. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"For a student? It's horrifying," Gojo said, half-joking, half-serious. "You're built like a special-grade sorcerer already, without an innate technique. Your curse-enhanced punch alone could crush anyone below special grade."
He sighed dramatically. "You're making the rest of us look bad."
"I thought you were the strongest."
Gojo's grin returned. "And I still am. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a potential future headache."
Tenkai allowed a faint smile. "Flattery noted."
Gojo clapped his hands. "Alright! Next lesson—specialized physical training. You're strong, but strength fades. Control is eternal!"
Tenkai raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a quote you just made up."
"Of course! I'm full of wisdom. And caffeine."
"Mostly caffeine."
Gojo winked. "See? You're learning."
He turned, stretching his arms. "We'll start tomorrow. Same time, less music… maybe."
Tenkai exhaled softly. "I'll bring earplugs."
Gojo laughed as they walked back toward the main building, his phone suddenly blasting his own theme song again.
"Little Gojo! Play my exit music!"
"Affirmative, Sensei Gojo. Initiating Gojo the Great Remix in three… two…"
Tenkai sighed, expression flat. "I'm starting to regret giving him that phone."
Gojo shot him a grin over his shoulder. "Regret is just another form of love, kid!"
"Then I must adore you deeply," Tenkai deadpanned.
Their laughter echoed through the empty training grounds—teacher and prodigy, mentor and anomaly, two forces of the future walking side by side.
And somewhere in the sky above them, the air rippled faintly—as if the world itself sensed the beginning of something extraordinary.