"Who do you think Principal Yaga will choose as our team's special value member?"
Just as Genji and Shoko were searching the forest for members of Kyoto Jujutsu High, Shoko suddenly asked Genji.
"I don't know. I hope it's not Senior Utahime; otherwise, we might lose the competition because the special value member gets accidentally eliminated by a teammate. If that happens, Principal Yaga will definitely not let us off easy."
"I think it might be you or me," Shoko said, blinking at Genji.
"Is it because Principal Yaga finds us more reliable than Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru?" Genji said, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration.
"Hehe," Shoko chuckled.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared and rushed toward Shoko at an extremely high speed.
"Watch out!" Genji immediately pulled Shoko away and kicked out, knocking the figure back. At the same time, several arrows imbued with Cursed Energy were shot at them.
Just as Genji was preparing to retreat with Shoko, he suddenly felt his body freeze. Although he quickly shook off the state, that split-second of paralysis caused him to miss the best opportunity to dodge.
"Tch," Genji clicked his tongue and activated his Cursed Technique. Deep blue flames rose from his body, and the arrows in the air suddenly disintegrated and self-combusted, turning into ash.
'There are three of them,' Genji estimated the number of attackers based on the previous assault. He then turned his gaze toward the attacker he had just repelled.
"Zenin Shi!" Genji read the name of the attacker in front of him.
"You really are persistent in asking for a beating. But it seems you guys have a Cursed Technique user capable of reconnaissance? To think you found us so quickly," Genji said to the guy in front of him.
"Genji, you're surrounded now and can't escape. But if you kneel and apologize to me, I might not go too hard on you. Same goes for Miss Ieiri; behave yourself, and I can forgive your rudeness," Zenin Shi laughed arrogantly.
"So, Shoko is your target. Why? Is Shoko our team's special value member? How did you know?" Genji suddenly interrupted Zenin Shi's delusions and asked.
"You're talking nonsense!" Genji's words made Zenin Shi's expression freeze, and he shouted, feigning strength.
"Cut the act," Genji said to Zenin Shi with disdain.
"You're really easy to read. Not to mention the two hiding in the woods, your target was focused on Shoko from the start. After yesterday's farce, the only explanation for you shifting your target away from me is that Shoko is the special value member, and you somehow obtained that intel."
"You!" Zenin Shi hadn't expected Genji to figure out the truth so easily.
"So what if you know? You two are going to be eliminated by yours truly right here."
"It's truly amazing. Although it was annoying when Gojo Satoru used that title at first, it later felt quite fitting for him. But coming from your mouth, it completely skips the 'annoying' phase and goes straight to 'revolting'," Genji said, eyeing the guy coldly.
'The two in the woods—one's Cursed Technique should be to enhance the power of arrows, and the other should be able to cause sudden, short-term paralysis. I just don't know the activation conditions,' Genji calculated internally. Dealing with these guys wasn't hard, but he had to protect Shoko. Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered what he had given Shoko before the match and felt completely relieved.
Meanwhile, in the monitoring room, there was an uproar after hearing the conversation between Genji and Zenin Shi.
"It seems someone isn't following the rules of the game," Tsukumo Yuki said, her face darkening.
"Principal Gakuganji, is this the school spirit of Kyoto Jujutsu High? Cheating when you can't win? The rules already gave you an advantage."
"Tsukumo! Watch your tone!" A man next to her suddenly stood up and said, "It's just the wild speculation of a student. Are you suspecting us?"
"What else? Only the people in this room know who the special value members are on both sides," Tsukumo Yuki retorted.
"By the way, I haven't even addressed you yet. You're the only one who left this room earlier, right? What's wrong? Feeling guilty?"
"You! Unreasonable!" The man lacked confidence, but he didn't dare to continue arguing with the woman in front of him.
"Alright, Teacher Hattori," Principal Gakuganji spoke up at this moment, "You should leave first."
"Principal!" The teacher named Hattori was clearly surprised by this.
"Leave," Gakuganji repeated. The man had no choice but to slink out of the monitoring room.
"This is no fun now," Tsukumo Yuki said, mocking Gakuganji as she saw through his attempt to smooth things over.
Gakuganji maintained his unshakeable demeanor, head slightly bowed with shadows obscuring his eyes, and said slowly:
"Since there is no evidence of an information leak at this time, it is best to continue watching the match."
"Tch, old man," Tsukumo Yuki cursed and sat back in her seat.
"Whatever, those losers won't be able to handle Genji and the others anyway. If they lose even after cheating, their faces will probably look even worse," Tsukumo Yuki thought gleefully.
Returning to the match, the situation remained at a stalemate.
Watching Zenin Shi, who kept spouting threats but hesitated to attack again, Genji grew impatient.
"Shoko, step back a bit," Genji whispered to Shoko, and she obediently stepped half a meter behind him. Then, the flames on Genji's body intensified sharply, forming jet flames at his shoulder blades and heels, while fire claws condensed on his hands.
"If you're not going to attack, then I won't be polite." After saying that, Genji used the recoil from the jet flames and, in the blink of an eye, rushed in front of Zenin Shi and swiped with his claw.
Zenin Shi didn't react to Genji's movement at all. Just then, one of the two hidden in the woods locked his gaze firmly on Genji and activated his Cursed Technique.
'This feeling of paralysis again.'
Taking advantage of the moment Genji's movement was halted, Zenin Shi finally reacted and hurriedly retreated, but he was still scratched on the chest by Genji, who had broken free from the technique.
"Bastard!" Zenin Shi grew even angrier upon realizing he was injured. Suddenly, he changed his tone.
"You two useless idiots, now!"
Although the two boys in the woods were unhappy with Zenin Shi's words, they understood this was a prime opportunity and immediately rushed out to attack Shoko.
But to everyone's surprise, Shoko didn't panic and instead threw out a few small orbs.
Just as the two caught sight of the orbs, they suddenly burst into deep blue flames, and the two were sent flying by the explosion.
"What!" Zenin Shi stared at the scene in shock.
"Just a little trick." Taking advantage of Zenin Shi's daze, Genji rushed forward again, but this time Zenin Shi finally reacted and immediately used his Cursed Technique to escape.
Missing the hit, Genji wasn't anxious and said leisurely:
"When I was experimenting with Geto Suguru on improving the taste of cursed spirit orbs, I accidentally discovered that objects made with shells infused with Cursed Energy could contain a certain amount of my flames. After many experiments, the final product is the one Shoko just used. By the way, Shoko should have at least a dozen more of these little orbs."
As if to verify Genji's words, Shoko took out a few more orbs from behind him and shook them at the group as if showing off.
"Despicable!" Zenin Shi was so angry he nearly ground his teeth to dust.
"Alright, let's have a proper match without any worries!" Genji sneered at Zenin Shi.
"In that case, I'll deal with you first, then go finish off that bitch. I'm going to torture her right in front of you!" Having lost all reason, Zenin Shi roared at Genji and activated his Cursed Technique again.
"Cursed Technique: Acceleration!"
But Genji no longer had the heart to keep playing, and Zenin Shi had disgusted him enough, so Genji got slightly serious.
Just as Zenin Shi rushed in front of Genji and threw a punch, he was surprised to find his attack blocked. Not only that, the flames burning on Genji's body were continuously scorching him.
Immediately after, Genji unleashed a storm of continuous attacks on Zenin Shi. Zenin Shi felt like a small boat about to capsize in a storm, and with the boost from his Cursed Technique, he couldn't even see Genji's movements clearly.
"Bang!" Genji punched Zenin Shi in the face again, sending him flying.
"Don't come any closer! I'm a member of the Zenin Family! Don't come over!" Battered and bruised, Zenin Shi saw that Genji had crushed him like this without even using a Cursed Technique, and he completely lost the will to continue fighting.
Looking at Genji in front of him, he suddenly remembered how he had been crushed by Gojo Satoru in an instant when he was a child. In his eyes at this moment, these two nightmarish figures gradually merged into one.
"Although I could just eliminate you directly, it's better to put you in the hospital for a few months. Remember not to harass the nurses then," Genji said, controlling his Cursed Technique flames to spread onto the scum at his feet.
"Ahhh! Please, spare me!"
A dozen seconds later, Genji withdrew his flames, and Zenin Shi was no longer recognizable.
"Shoko, heal him a little bit, just make sure he doesn't die," Genji said to Shoko.
"No problem," Shoko said. She stepped on Zenin Shi with disgust and activated her Reversal technique—she really didn't want to touch him with her hands.
"And you two," Genji turned his head to look at the two who had just been blown away by Shoko.
"Yes! We forfeit!" Seeing Genji looking at them, the two immediately surrendered honestly.
"Hmm, not bad. Remember to take this piece of trash with you when you withdraw. Alright, Shoko, that's it, let's go." With that, Genji and Shoko left the scene, leaving the two boys behind, looking at the humanoid charcoal in front of them with tears in their eyes.