"Hah? The Goodwill Event?"
Satoru, wearing round sunglasses, let out a massive yawn.
"Who would want to go to such a boring event?"
Masamichi Yaga's eye twitched. "Be serious! This is the exchange meeting between Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High!"
Suguru Geto looked puzzled. "Do we all have to go? Is the other side that strong?"
Yaga's face went dark.
"Not exactly. Although it's rude to say... the other side isn't that strong. Any one of you three could probably handle them alone."
Even though they were only first-years, their outstanding performance had already earned them the title of the "Strongest Trio."
Conservatively estimated, each of them was likely on par with, if not stronger than, the "Supreme Grade 1" Naobito Zenin.
Sending all three felt a bit like bullying.
"Ha? Then why go? I'm not interested in crushing noobs," Satoru and Geto said in unison, faces full of disgust.
Yaga clenched his fists.
He turned to look at Souma, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, silent as a statue.
"Can't you two brats learn from Souma? Look how steady and composed he is!"
Shoko leaned over and poked Souma's cheek.
"Sensei, Souma fell asleep."
Yaga: "..."
"SOUMA!!!"
Souma jolted awake. "Huh? What is it, Yaga-sensei? Is lunch ready?"
Yaga facepalmed. "In short, you three must go to this exchange event. The higher-ups want to assess your abilities!"
"Hai~"
The three answered weakly.
Shoko raised her hand. "Um, Sensei! Utahime-senpai invited me to do some research on Reverse Cursed Technique. Can I skip this?"
Yaga thought about it. Shoko was a healer, and frankly, these three idiots were unlikely to get hurt.
He nodded. "I'll apply for permission from the higher-ups."
...
The Jujutsu High Exchange Event, also known as the Sister School Goodwill Event, was an annual competition between the Tokyo and Kyoto schools.
But this year was special.
Kyoto High had deployed their first, second, and third years—over twenty students in total.
Tokyo High had only sent three first-years.
The Kyoto students were confused, even a little insulted.
What does this mean? Are they handing us the victory?
Of course, in the eyes of the higher-ups, the result was already decided.
Contrary to the students' beliefs, the executives estimated that it would take the Tokyo trio about ten minutes to wipe the floor with Kyoto.
To put it bluntly, this event was just an excuse to observe Souma, Satoru, and Suguru up close.
And to test a few... new things.
...
"Wow! Is this Kyoto High? It looks way fancier than our school!"
Satoru stared at the towering pagodas and traditional architecture, eyes sparkling.
Smack.
Souma slapped the back of his head. "Satoru! Don't look like a country bumpkin. The Kyoto people will look down on us."
Geto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Satoru. You're embarrassing us."
"Ha? What did you say? You two wanna fight?"
Geto scratched his ear casually. "I won last time, Satoru."
"Shut up! I won the time before that!"
"Both of you shut up. The time before that, I beat both of you."
Satoru and Geto fell silent, pouting and looking away.
Damn it. They couldn't refute that.
Among the three, Souma was undeniably the strongest. Even though he had the same abilities as Satoru, Souma's cursed energy reserves, control, and basic taijutsu were simply a cut above.
Souma stepped forward, taking the center position. "In that case, I'll be the team leader for this operation!"
"Ha? Just because you're the strongest makes you the leader?"
"Obviously."
"A leader needs composure! Being strong just makes you a good vanguard!"
"Shut up, Satoru. Out of the three of us, you are the least composed person here."
"Suguru! You wanna go?!"
"Bring it on!"
Bonk! Bonk!
Satoru and Geto squatted on the ground, clutching fresh, steaming bumps on their heads.
Souma smiled, though his eyes weren't smiling at all. "Satoru! Burn the virtue of 'respecting your older brother' into your brain!"
"And you, Suguru! You still haven't paid off the five hundred million for Playful Cloud. Believe it or not, I'll start charging interest!"
"Bastard! Suguru, let's get him!"
"With pleasure!"
Satoru and Geto tackled Souma's legs simultaneously.
Souma didn't back down. He grabbed Satoru's white hair with one hand and put Geto in a leg lock with the other.
But very quickly, the "high-level sorcerer battle" devolved into a dirty, childish brawl.
Pinching love handles, poking nostrils, pulling ears. Souma even opened his mouth and bit Geto's bun!
The art style seemed to shift into Chibi mode as they rolled around in a dust cloud of "Strongest" chaotic violence.
...
Inside the Kyoto High main building.
The twenty-plus Kyoto students stood in formation, chests puffed out, ready for battle.
Behind them stood the higher-ups of the Three Families and the faculty of both schools.
And among them was a special guest.
The only Special Grade Sorcerer currently active: Yuki Tsukumo.
"Hey, old man. You called me back from overseas for this? Is there something special going on?"
Yuki asked Yoshinobu Gakuganji, her tone completely lacking respect for the elderly principal.
Gakuganji didn't get angry. His eyes, usually hidden in wrinkles, glinted sharply.
"This Goodwill Event features three special students. If anything unexpected happens, we need you to control the situation."
"Ha?"
Yuki scoffed. "You old geezers really are getting senile. What kind of trouble can three students cause?"
However, Gakuganji's expression remained grim.
"Yuki, these three are different. Two are the Six Eyes Twins of the Gojo clan. The third possesses Cursed Spirit Manipulation, potentially the strongest technique for controlling curses."
"They are only first-years, but they are already called the 'Strongest Trio.' Becoming Special Grade is only a matter of time."
Hearing this, Yuki's expression turned serious.
"Six Eyes Twins? Cursed Spirit Manipulation? Three geniuses in one generation?"
The other higher-ups nodded.
The Gojo clan executives puffed out their chests with pride. The Zenin and Kamo executives looked like they had swallowed lemons.
"Speaking of which, these are Yaga's students, right?"
Yaga, standing in the back, scratched his head humbly. "It's just luck. It is my honor to be their teacher."
"We're here."
The group arrived at the main entrance of the building.
Gakuganji chuckled dryly. "Come. Let us meet these three genius youths."
With surprising strength for his age, he pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
The sunlight flooded in.
Whether it was the Kyoto students or the high-ranking officials, everyone stretched their necks, eager to see the majestic bearing of the legendary "Strongest Trio."
But in the next second, everyone froze.
They saw the legendary "Strongest Trio"...
Rolling on the ground in a tangle of limbs, screaming and fighting like toddlers in a sandbox.
Their faces were bruised and swollen. Their noses were bleeding. There were distinct shoe prints on their uniforms.
"Owww! Let go of my hair!"
"Bite him, Suguru!"
"Take this! Millennium Kill!"
In that moment, Yaga felt his face burning so hot he could fry an egg on it. He wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it to die.
He knew that from today on, his reputation as an educator was ruined forever.