"BOOM—!"
A massive roar erupted across the Jujutsu High training grounds.
In the midst of the billowing dust, a black figure was sent flying like a cannonball.
He slammed heavily into the reinforced wall a dozen meters away, spiderweb-like cracks blooming across the hard surface.
"Cough, cough..."
Yuta Okkotsu scrambled up from the ground, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth as he gasped for air.
Opposite him, Maki Zenin was resting her newly acquired cursed tool—a long blade—over her shoulder. Though her tone remained sharp, her eyes held a glimmer of respect that hadn't been there before.
"Hey, Yuta, get it together!"
"Where was that spirit you had back at the primary school?"
"If this is all you've got, you won't pass Instructor Yoru's next assessment!"
Yuta gave a bitter smile and tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
Ever since he had forcibly awakened Rika's fully manifested form at that abandoned school, his body had recovered, but Rika had entered a sort of dormant state.
He could no longer borrow her massive cursed energy at will as he had before.
As a result, he now had to rely on the basic breathing techniques taught by Yoru and his own immense but difficult-to-control cursed energy to engage in raw physical combat with Maki.
"Again!"
Yuta took a deep breath, his chest letting out a low, muffled rumble.
He kicked off, shattering the floor tiles beneath his feet, and turned into a blur as he charged at Maki once more!
"That's the spirit!"
Maki roared with excitement, meeting him head-on without a hint of hesitation.
Just as their wooden blades were about to collide—
"Dried bonito!"
A cool, slightly raspy voice suddenly drifted in from the edge of the training ground.
Immediately following it.
A wave of cursed energy carrying the weight of an absolute command instantly enveloped the entire training area!
"Vrrr—!"
Under the suppression of that power, Yuta and Maki's bodies simultaneously froze in place.
Even a split-second pause was enough to decide life or death in a real fight.
"Stop."
A youth with short silver hair and a high collar that covered his mouth stepped slowly out of the shadows.
It was Toge Inumaki.
He looked at the two, who were still stuck in their attacking stances, and shrugged somewhat helplessly.
"Kelp." (You two are fighting too fiercely; Instructor Yoru said we're having team training.)
Hearing Toge's voice, Maki rolled her eyes and lowered her long blade.
"Honestly, Toge, you always have to step in at the most critical moments."
Yuta let out a long sigh of relief, casting a grateful glance at Toge.
If they had really collided just now, his wooden sword would have definitely been trashed again given Maki's monstrous strength.
"Yo, are we done?"
Accompanied by a steady set of footsteps.
Yoru, dressed in his black Jujutsu High uniform with his hands in his pockets, walked slowly into the training ground.
"Instructor Yoru!"
Seeing Yoru appear, Maki immediately stood up straight, her attitude so respectful it was hard to link her to the battle maniac she had been seconds ago.
Yuta and Toge also straightened their posture.
Yoru walked up to the three of them, his gaze lingering on Toge for a moment as his brow twitched slightly.
"Toge, your throat is bleeding again, isn't it?"
Although Toge's collar covered his mouth, Yoru could clearly see the ruptured capillaries in his throat caused by the frequent use of Cursed Speech.
For a Cursed Speech User, words were weapons.
But such power was also a vicious curse.
The stronger the power of the words, the more horrific the backlash on the throat and vocal cords, carrying a constant risk of losing one's voice or even suffocating.
Hearing Yoru's words, Toge silently pulled down his collar slightly, revealing the signature Snake Eyes and Fangs seal at the corners of his mouth. He offered a strained smile.
"Katsuobushi." (It's fine, it's an old problem.)
Yoru sighed and stepped in front of Toge.
"Your technique is incredibly powerful. In a team battle, a single unexpected crowd control can turn the tide instantly."
"But your control over cursed energy is too rough. Every time you use Cursed Speech, you're needlessly straining and tearing your own vocal cords."
Yoru extended a finger, lightly touching Toge's throat.
"Feel the vibration frequency coming from my fingertip carefully."
"Deep breath."
"Let a large amount of oxygen enter your lungs, then circulate it through your blood to concentrate on your vocal cords and throat muscles."
"Use the physical vitality brought by the breathing technique to forcibly repair and offset the backlash from your Cursed Speech!"
Toge's eyes widened as he felt a strange rhythm emanating from Yoru's fingertip.
He tried to follow the frequency Yoru taught him, taking a deep, long breath.
"Hoo—!"
As oxygen flooded in, Toge found to his surprise that his throat, which had been throbbing with pain from the tears, actually felt a wave of cool comfort!
The feeling was like parched, cracked earth suddenly being nourished by a spring rain!
"Pollack roe?!" (This... what is this feeling?!)
Toge touched his throat in disbelief, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock.
He had never imagined that simply changing his breathing frequency could have such a miraculous healing effect on his body!
"This is just the most basic application of breathing techniques," Yoru said calmly, withdrawing his finger.
"As long as you master this rhythm, the pain of backlash when using low to mid-level Cursed Speech will be reduced by at least eighty percent."
"As for those high-level words with massive power, you'll still get hurt, but at least it'll save your life."
"Thank you... Instructor Yoru!"
This time, Toge didn't use his rice ball language. Instead, he bowed deeply to Yoru, speaking in a rare, normal voice.
His clear eyes were filled with absolute gratitude and respect.
For a Cursed Speech User who lived with the constant pain of backlash, Yoru's guidance was nothing short of a second lease on life.
"Alright, enough talk."
Yoru clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three.
"Starting today, you three are officially a team."
"Yuta will be responsible for the frontal assault, Maki for flanking and filling gaps, and Toge for crowd control and cover at key moments."
"You have only one objective."
A smile that could make one's blood run cold curled on Yoru's lips.
"In the next mock battle, try to make me take a single step back."
"If you can't..."
"Tomorrow's training volume will be doubled."
At the mention of the word "doubled," the faces of the three changed simultaneously, and a surge of unprecedented fighting spirit erupted in their eyes!
"HYAH!"
The sun began to set.
The grass at Jujutsu High was dyed a warm golden-red.
After finishing a mock battle that felt like hell itself, the trio lay scattered across the grass, panting heavily.
Though they ultimately failed to make Yoru move even half a step, their coordination had grown at an astonishing rate through the process of being repeatedly knocked back.
Toge sat up, pulled a rice ball from his pocket, and handed it to Yuta, who was also sprawled on the ground.
"Tuna mayo." (Have some food to get your strength back.)
"Thank you, Toge-kun."
Yuta accepted the rice ball, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He took a cautious bite, his eyes suddenly feeling a bit hot.
"Hey, hey, Yuta, you're going to cry over a rice ball?"
"Though this guy usually only talks in rice ball ingredients and seems like a weirdo, in this damn jujutsu world, meeting someone like Toge—"
Maki sat to the side, sipping a soda. She turned her head away awkwardly, her voice softening.
"—and someone like you who's willing to risk your life for your allies is rare. So, stop making that pathetic face."
"Since you survived, just get stronger. Next time, it'll be your turn to protect us."
"You hear me?"
Listening to Maki's sharp but caring tone and seeing Toge nodding at him with a smile.
Yuta gripped the rice ball tightly, tears finally spilling over.
'Is this... what it feels like to have comrades?'
He didn't have to be looked at as a monster anymore. He didn't have to hide in the dark alone.
There were people here willing to accept him, people willing to fight by his side, and people willing to hand him a warm rice ball after training.
This unprecedented sense of belonging made Yuta feel, for the first time, that he might actually have the right to keep living in this world.
"This is... really nice..."
Yuta looked up at the brilliant sunset, a genuine, bright smile spreading across his face.
However, behind this seemingly peaceful and warm daily life.
A massive storm capable of tearing this beauty to shreds was quietly gathering in the unseen corners of Tokyo.
The most evil curse user, who had been lurking in the shadows for ten years—the man about to ignite the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
He had already locked his greedy, frenzied gaze onto this boy who had only just begun to feel warmth.
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