A/N: Don't forget to check out my original novel: Can I Magic Please. It's like really good. đ
ANYWHOOO. ENJOY THE CHAPTER
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The training grounds of Tokyo Jujutsu High were in ruins.
Again.
Dust drifted lazily through the morning air.
The wooden practice arena had long since ceased resembling anything that could reasonably be called a building.
Deep craters scarred the earth.
Splintered beams lay scattered in every direction.
The atmosphere itself trembled.
At the center of the devastation stood two boys.
Oden Uzumaki.
Yuta Okkotsu.
Both held wooden practice swords.
Both stood in silence.
Both were wrapped in so much cursed energy that the air around them visibly distorted.
Their presence alone was enough to make the ground groan.
Panda sat cross-legged on a large boulder at the edge of the training field.
Maki stood beside him, arms folded tightly across her chest.
Inumaki sat nearby, quietly observing.
Panda let out a low whistle.
"This is supposed to be a swordsmanship spar."
Maki snorted.
"It stopped being a spar about twenty minutes ago."
Panda nodded.
"And they're both still holding back."
He shook his head slowly.
"Honestly, it's ridiculous."
Maki raised an eyebrow.
"What is?"
Panda pointed toward the battlefield.
"One special grade was already absurd."
He gestured toward Yuta.
"Now there are two."
His ears drooped slightly.
"And both of them have enough cursed energy to make normal sorcerers cry."
Maki watched the two boys silently.
Even after seeing Oden defeat a Grade 1 curse effortlessly, she still found it difficult to process.
The amount of cursed energy radiating from him was monstrous.
And Yutaâ
Yuta was no better.
The two of them looked less like students and more like natural disasters learning how to hold swords.
At the center of the field, Oden adjusted his stance.
His blindfold remained firmly in place.
His bokken rested loosely at his side.
Across from him, Yuta exhaled slowly.
His own wooden sword trembled slightly in his grip.
Oden tilted his head.
"You're getting better."
Yuta smiled modestly.
"That's because you keep beating me."
"That is usually how training works."
Yuta chuckled.
Then his expression sharpened.
The cursed energy around him intensified.
The grass beneath his feet flattened.
Oden's posture shifted subtly.
The laziness vanished from his stance.
His body lowered.
Like a predator preparing to spring.
For one brief moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Thenâ
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath them.
They disappeared simultaneously.
CRACK!
Wooden swords collided with enough force to create a shockwave.
The air screamed.
The surrounding trees bent violently backward.
Yuta pressed forward.
Oden met him head-on.
Their movements were too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.
Clack.
Crack.
BOOM.
Each strike carried enough reinforced cursed energy to split stone.
Each step left spiderweb fractures across the ground.
Yuta swung downward.
Oden parried and twisted.
Their swords slid against one another in a shower of sparks.
Yuta pivoted and struck again.
Oden ducked beneath the blow.
His bokken flashed upward.
THUD!
The strike slammed into Yuta's ribs and launched him across the field.
Yuta skidded through the dirt.
But before he could recoverâ
Oden was already there.
Yuta barely raised his sword in time.
CRACK!
The impact split the training platform beneath him.
Maki narrowed her eyes.
"He's cornering Yuta."
Panda nodded.
"Oden's swordsmanship is sharper."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Yuta has the power, but Oden's instincts and speed are terrifying."
On the battlefield, Yuta staggered backward.
His breathing grew heavier.
Oden advanced relentlessly.
Every strike was precise.
Efficient.
Merciless.
Yuta blocked high.
Low.
High again.
Each impact numbed his arms further.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Oden's movements were fluid, almost impossibly smooth.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
A final strike slipped through Yuta's defense.
THUD!
The wooden sword struck Yuta's shoulder.
He stumbled to one knee.
His grip tightened.
Something in his expression changed.
The uncertainty vanished.
His eyes sharpened.
The cursed energy erupting from his body doubled instantly.
The earth beneath him cracked.
Yuta slowly stood.
A fierce determination burned in his eyes.
Oden sensed it immediately.
A smile spread across his face.
"That's more like it."
Yuta raised his sword.
The air around him vibrated.
At that exact momentâ
A monstrous presence descended.
The temperature dropped.
The sunlight dimmed.
Maki stiffened.
Panda's ears shot upright.
Inumaki leaned forward sharply.
Behind Yuta, an enormous figure materialized.
Rika.
The Queen of Curses.
Her grotesque form loomed over the battlefield like a nightmare given shape.
Her massive hand shot forward.
Before Oden could reactâ
GRAB!
He was seized entirely.
His body froze.
For the first time in the match, genuine fear crossed his face.
Beneath the blindfold, his serpent eyes contracted to thin slits.
'What... is this?'
The cursed energy surrounding him was beyond reason.
Beyond logic.
Beyond anything he had ever felt.
It was not merely immense.
It was overwhelming.
Oppressive.
Monstrous.
For a fleeting moment, Oden experienced a terrifying certainty.
'I might die.'
Rika growled possessively, her enormous eye fixed on him.
Yuta blinked.
Then his fierce expression melted into embarrassment.
"Ah."
He rubbed the back of his head.
"It's okay, Rika."
He smiled warmly.
"We're just playing."
Rika paused.
The hostility disappeared immediately.
Her grip loosened.
Then she carefully set Oden back onto the ground.
Oden remained motionless for a moment.
Then he slowly turned toward Yuta.
"Oi."
Yuta looked up.
"Yes?"
Oden pointed at the towering curse.
"What the hell is that?"
Yuta laughed awkwardly.
"That's Rika."
Oden stared.
"That explains nothing."
Before Yuta could answer, a cheerful voice echoed across the destroyed training ground.
"Good morning, my adorable problem children!"
Everyone turned.
Satoru Gojo stood at the edge of the arena, smiling brightly and waving enthusiastically.
He took one look at the utterly demolished training grounds.
"Wow."
He nodded in approval.
"You two really went all out."
Maki's eyebrow twitched.
"That was supposed to be a spar."
Gojo ignored her completely.
He clapped his hands together.
"Anyway!"
His grin widened.
"I have something important to discuss with all of you."
Oden kept staring at Rika.
Yuta smiled sheepishly.
Panda shook his head.
"Two special grades."
He sighed dramatically.
"And this is only our first year."
Maki stared at the ruined battlefield.
At Yuta.
At Oden.
Then she clicked her tongue.
"Monsters."
And neither boy could honestly argue with that.
The Sister School Exchange Event
Rika's enormous form dissolved into motes of cursed energy.
The oppressive atmosphere that had blanketed the training grounds vanished with her.
In her place remained only Yuta, standing sheepishly with his wooden sword in hand.
Oden adjusted his blindfold.
He continued staring at the spot where the Queen of Curses had disappeared.
'That thing is absurd.'
Even now, his heartbeat had not fully settled.
For the first time since arriving at Jujutsu High, Oden had encountered a shikigami that made his instincts scream in genuine fear.
And Yuta casually referred to it as "Rika."
Oden glanced at the black-haired boy.
'This guy is definitely a monster.'
As if sensing his thoughts, Panda folded his arms and nodded sagely.
"I've been saying that."
Gojo clapped his hands together.
"Alright, everyone gather around!"
The students slowly approached.
Maki brushed dust from her uniform.
Panda ambled over cheerfully.
Inumaki stepped forward quietly.
Yuta leaned his wooden sword against his shoulder.
Oden followed while still eyeing Yuta suspiciously.
Gojo stood at the center of the ruined training grounds, hands on his hips, grinning as if he were about to announce free snacks.
"I have exciting news."
No one reacted.
Gojo placed a dramatic hand over his chest.
"You four have been selected to represent Tokyo Jujutsu High in the upcoming Tokyo-Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event."
He paused for effect.
"It is a tremendous honor."
Maki crossed her arms.
"I don't believe you."
Inumaki nodded once.
"Salmon."
Gojo sighed theatrically.
"Fine."
His shoulders slumped.
"The truth is we don't have anyone else."
Panda burst into laughter.
"I knew it!"
Gojo began counting on his fingers.
"The third years are busy."
"The second years Hakari and Kirara stormed off in a blaze of youthful rebellion and are no longer attending."
He spread his hands dramatically.
"Which means..."
He pointed at the first years.
"You are all I have."
Maki rubbed her forehead.
"So this isn't an honor."
"Oh, no, it still is."
"It really doesn't sound like it."
Oden raised his hand.
"What is the Sister School Exchange Event?"
Yuta lifted his hand as well.
"I'd like to know too."
Gojo stared at them for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Fair point."
He clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing.
"Every year, Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High hold a joint event."
"There are competitions."
"Sparring matches."
"Team battles."
"And various activities designed to foster cooperation and mutual understanding."
Panda leaned toward Oden and whispered, "Mostly they just try to beat each other up."
Oden nodded.
"That sounds more honest."
Gojo gave Panda a thumbs-up.
"Exactly!"
Yuta looked thoughtful.
"So we'll be fighting students from Kyoto?"
"Among other things."
Gojo's grin widened.
"And they're strong."
That simple statement sharpened the mood.
Maki's expression hardened.
A fierce determination ignited in her eyes.
For someone like her, the event represented more than a school competition.
It was an opportunity.
A stage.
A chance to prove to everyone, especially the Zenin Clan that she did not need their approval to stand among the strongest.
Her fists clenched unconsciously.
'This time, they won't be able to look down on me.'
"Those Zenin."
Oden tilted his head.
"Zenin?"
Maki blinked.
"Yes."
Oden frowned.
"That sounds familiar."
Gojo suddenly froze.
Then his smile broadened into a mischievous grin.
"Oh."
He snapped his fingers.
"Right."
He turned toward Maki.
"I forgot to mention."
Maki narrowed her eyes.
"Forgot to mention what?"
Gojo slung an arm around Oden's shoulders.
"Your family tried to kill him."
Maki stared.
Gojo continued brightly.
"And Oden quite literally beat your entire family."
There was a beat of complete silence.
Maki's glasses reflected the sunlight ominously.
"Huh?"
She slowly turned toward Oden.
"HUH?!"
Panda's jaw dropped.
Yuta blinked several times.
Inumaki stiffened.
"Salmon?!"
Oden scratched the back of his head.
"To be fair, they attacked me first."
Maki pointed at him with a trembling finger.
"You fought the Zenin Clan?"
Oden nodded.
"They were annoying."
Maki's eye twitched violently.
"You fought the Hei?!"
Oden thought for a moment.
"Maybe."
Maki grabbed him by the front of his uniform.
"AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO MENTION THIS?!"
Oden looked genuinely confused.
"You didn't ask."
Panda collapsed onto the ground laughing.
Yuta covered his mouth, trying not to smile.
Even Inumaki seemed stunned beyond words.
Gojo wiped tears from beneath his blindfold.
"This is going to be the best Exchange Event ever."
Maki released Oden and took several deep breaths.
Her mind was still struggling to process the revelation.
This socially awkward idiot.
This blindfolded glutton.
This infuriating piece of work.
Had fought and survived against the full might of her clan.
A faint grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Then she pushed her glasses up firmly.
"Good."
Everyone turned toward her.
Maki's eyes burned with determination.
"Then Kyoto won't stand a chance."
Oden tilted his head.
"Do they also have food?"
Gojo beamed.
"That's the spirit."
Panda groaned.
"We are so doomed."
And under the bright afternoon sun, Tokyo Jujutsu High's first years prepared to step onto a much larger stage.
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