"Wait—hold on."
Leon blinked in surprise. For once, he was the one caught off guard.
Yaga Masamichi also looked slightly stunned. "Ms. Kamo, you…?"
"I graduated from Jujutsu High as well," Kamo Mayumi replied calmly. "It was over twenty years ago, but I still remember everything a sorcerer is supposed to know."
She glanced at Leon with a faint smile, clearly pleased by the rare sight of him being speechless.
Gojo chuckled quietly. Over the past two days he had already begun investigating the mother and son's background. Japan had too many people to search easily, but knowing she was a former graduate narrowed things considerably.
Yaga pushed his sunglasses up thoughtfully. "In that case, there's no issue. Ms. Kamo, I'll leave the theoretical instruction assistance to you."
"Mom—"
Before Leon could object, Mayumi spoke first.
"My son is working so hard. A mother can't just sit at home drinking tea and tending flowers forever. Don't worry—this is Jujutsu High. I'll be fine."
Leon thought for a moment, then nodded. She was right. With proper protection in place, the campus was safer than most places in the sorcerer world. Besides, the more support they had, the better.
Yaga turned to Gojo. "Satoru, take them to complete the enrollment procedures and introduce the security systems."
"Alright, the grand campus tour begins!" Gojo raised his hand theatrically—only to be immediately cut off.
"Bring some boards and nails on your way back," Yaga added flatly. "You still need to fix the damage to my office floor."
"…Why am I fixing it?"
"Because I said so."
"…Yes, sir."
Leon learned something new in that moment: even the so-called strongest sorcerer had someone who could boss him around.
The campus itself was massive. Despite the small number of students, Jujutsu High had never reduced its scale. Traditional buildings, shrine-like halls, long wooden corridors, and training grounds stretched across the grounds. To ordinary civilians, the academy appeared to be a specialized religious institution—an excellent disguise funded by the seemingly endless resources of the Jujutsu world.
By the time Gojo finally brought Leon to the training field, it was nearly noon.
Waiting there were three familiar faces: Zenin Maki, Inumaki Toge, and Panda. Even without a teacher present, they were already deep into physical training.
"Gather up," Gojo called.
The three students stopped immediately.
Pancham, perched on Leon's shoulder, tilted its head.
"Panda, is that your little brother?" Maki asked jokingly.
"No," Panda said automatically. "That's not—"
Before he could finish, Pancham leapt over and hugged him enthusiastically, shouting, "Pan! Pan!"
Panda sighed. "Fine, fine. Pandas of the world are one family. I guess I'm your big brother now."
Satisfied, Pancham ran back to Leon, dug a piece of bamboo from the backpack, and offered it to Panda.
"…I don't eat bamboo," Panda said helplessly.
"Pan~!"
"Really, I don't…"
"Pancham, behave," Leon said. "Your big brother won't play with you if you keep forcing him."
The little Pokémon immediately quieted, standing obediently beside Panda while holding the bamboo in its mouth.
Leon couldn't help imagining the future—two panda fighters battling side by side. The image alone was worth looking forward to.
Maki noticed Leon's new uniform. "So what's this? New transfer student?"
"For the record," Gojo said, finally acting like a proper teacher, "Leon joins you as a classmate starting today. Also, the school has hired two new teaching assistants. Leon will assist with combat training, and Ms. Kamo will assist with theory instruction."
None of the students reacted the way he expected.
"You showed up this close to noon?" Maki said dryly.
"Usually we'd expect you to arrive after lunch and claim you got lost overseas," Panda added.
"Salmon," Inumaki agreed.
"This time it's not my fault!" Gojo protested. "He wrecked half the principal's office floor. I've been repairing it all morning."
"Well done," Maki said approvingly.
"Also," Leon added calmly, "I'll mainly assist with practical combat training. To be honest, Gojo-sensei isn't particularly suited to teaching beginners."
"Hey," Gojo said, hand on his chest, "that hurts."
"It's simple," Leon continued. "What do you think about the advanced technique Black Flash?"
Gojo shrugged. "I just use it occasionally. Not that difficult."
"And Domain Expansion?"
"Hardly complicated. You just need time to reach the right level."
Leon gestured toward the stunned first-years. "That's the problem. Your starting point is already beyond what most sorcerers struggle their entire lives to reach. Techniques we have to fight desperately to master come naturally to you. That makes it difficult for you to explain them step by step."
Gojo thought for a moment, then asked sincerely, "So… having talent is a bad thing?"
Leon stared at him silently.
Even for someone with his own advantages, that level of natural genius was still infuriating.
Alright, Leon thought. New life goal: figure out a way to beat Gojo Satoru someday.