Chapter 122: Jujutsu High Meeting
After putting Sukuna firmly in his place, Rin felt much lighter.
He wiped the corner of his mouth, shouldered his backpack, and walked briskly toward Jujutsu High. The scheduled reporting time was running out, and he had no interest in being late.
Meanwhile, at Jujutsu High, the atmosphere inside a dim room was tense and ready to snap.
Six antique wooden doors were arranged in a circle, with vague silhouettes visible behind them. This was the exclusive remote meeting mode for the Higher-Ups of Jujutsu High, allowing leaders from various locations to gather virtually.
Principal Yaga was already sitting upright in front of one of the wooden doors, his expression heavy with gravity.
After a long while, casual footsteps finally arrived late, and the figure of Gojo Satoru appeared out of thin air in front of the last wooden door.
Wearing his signature black blindfold, a careless smile hung on his lips:
"Sorry, sorry, kept you all waiting! I was just preparing a welcome ceremony for the new student, so it took a bit of time~"
As soon as these words fell, it was like lighting a powder keg, instantly igniting the fury behind the wooden doors.
"Hey! Gojo Satoru!"
An aged voice came from behind a wooden door, carrying suppressed anger:
"We haven't decided whether or not to agree to let that kid Rin join Jujutsu High, have we? Are you making decisions on your own?"
Another voice immediately chimed in, filled with dissatisfaction:
"That's too high-handed! He's a dangerous element; how could you just assume he's enrolled?"
Facing the accusations from the Higher-Ups, Gojo Satoru didn't care in the least. With his hands in his pockets, his tone remained relaxed:
"Of course I know there's a process, otherwise why would I call everyone to a meeting~ But as for the result, it was actually decided a long time ago."
"Gojo, watch your attitude."
Principal Yaga's voice rang out, carrying a warning tone, attempting to ease the atmosphere.
But no sooner had he finished speaking than he was interrupted by another mocking voice:
"Enough, Yaga, don't play good cop, bad cop here. Who doesn't know that you and Gojo Satoru are in cahoots? Rin having a chance to enroll definitely involved your nod; why pretend to respect the deliberation?"
Principal Yaga was silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"Rin's situation is special, but I do respect everyone's opinion and will decide based on the outcome of the deliberation."
The response was a uniform cold snort from behind the circle of wooden doors; clearly, no one believed his words.
Just then, Principal Gakuganji of Kyoto Jujutsu High spoke, his voice serious and devoid of any ripples, yet carrying unquestionable resolve:
"Rin's enrollment is absolutely impossible."
He paused, his tone full of warning:
"Do you have any idea how dangerous this kid is? Has everyone forgotten what he's done? Capturing the entire Kyoto Jujutsu High single-handedly, escaping unscathed from Yuki Tsukumo, not to mention the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—the direct damage he caused amounted to billions. That money was all deducted from the Jujutsu High account!"
This sentence was like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing the noise in the room.
Everyone fell silent. Every incident Principal Gakuganji mentioned was enough to prove Rin's dangerous nature.
Putting everything else aside, just considering the failure of Kyoto Jujutsu High, Gakuganji would absolutely never agree to Rin's enrollment.
If Rin successfully enrolled, where would their school's face be left?
The smile on Gojo Satoru's face faded slightly, but he still showed no intention of backing down:
"So what if he's dangerous? His talent is one in a thousand years. Besides, keeping him under our noses is much better than letting him do whatever he wants outside, right?"
"You're gambling!" Principal Gakuganji countered, "Betting that he won't cause trouble at Jujutsu High, betting that he can be controlled—we can't afford to lose this kind of bet!"
"Furthermore, don't forget that Rin has been learning under Geto Suguru!"
Principal Gakuganji's voice rang out again, carrying a sharp warning:
"How can you be sure he hasn't been infected by Geto Suguru's dangerous ideology? Perhaps his current 'weakness' is only temporary. Once he truly grows to be invincible and reveals his true colors, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
This sentence was like a giant boulder, crashing heavily into everyone's hearts.
Geto Suguru's betrayal was a thorn in the hearts of all the Higher-Ups. That former one of "the strongest", precisely because of his twisted ideology, brought endless disaster to the Jujutsu World.
As Geto Suguru's "disciple," this connection alone was enough to make everyone wary.
The atmosphere in the room fell into dead silence again, and the silhouettes behind the six wooden doors grew even more silent.
Some furrowed their brows, clearly moved by Gakuganji's words; others had flickering eyes, full of hesitation.
Principal Yaga remained sitting upright and motionless, his gaze behind his sunglasses unfocused, and no one could see through his thoughts.
Facing these layers of accusations, the smile on Gojo Satoru's face completely faded, yet he still did not back down.
He trusted Rin. This trust stemmed partly from his lingering understanding of Geto Suguru; that former best friend perhaps never truly intended to lead Rin astray.
The other half stemmed from what he had seen with his own eyes on the Shinjuku battlefield.
But he could not say these things to the Higher-Ups in front of him.
In their eyes, Geto Suguru was nothing more than a treacherous Curse User; everything about him was devoid of credibility.
"Rin's attitude is completely trustworthy."
Gojo Satoru's voice deepened, but remained firm:
"Take the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, for instance. He held power capable of destroying the world, yet he didn't harm a single person's life. This is enough to prove that he and Geto Suguru are not cut from the same cloth."
He paused, then added:
"Furthermore, absorbing him into Jujutsu High is the most secure choice. His talent is one in a thousand years, and his joining will absolutely be a huge boost to Jujutsu High's strength."
"Hmph, a huge boost?"
A voice full of mockery came from behind a wooden door:
"Gojo Satoru, are you talking about boosting the strength of Jujutsu High, or boosting your own strength?"
Another voice immediately chimed in, its tone full of calculation:
"Exactly! You already have that monster Yuta Okkotsu under you; now you want to pull Rin in too? Are you trying to completely hollow out the influence of us Jujutsu families?"
"Besides, we don't need to go to all this trouble."
An aged voice carried cruelty:
"Just kill him directly, eliminate the root of the trouble once and for all; wouldn't that solve everything?"
These words revealed the true core of the Higher-Ups' opposition.
The Higher-Ups present were mostly heads of Jujutsu families, carrying a disdain for commoner Jujutsu Sorcerers in their bones.
Rin had no family background, yet possessed Special Grade strength at a young age; this in itself shattered their inherent class perceptions.
What made them even more wary was that if Rin threw his lot in with Gojo Satoru, combined with the already budding Yuta Okkotsu, Gojo Satoru's influence at Jujutsu High would completely crush all the families, and the balance they had worked so hard to maintain would collapse along with it.
They would rather take the risk of letting Rin wander outside, or even go so far as to kill him, than see Gojo Satoru's influence grow further. To them, "power balance" was more important than the "safety of the Jujutsu World."
When Gojo Satoru heard these words, the look in his eyes beneath the blindfold turned cold instantly.
He knew these old guys' minds best: selfish, stubborn, only staring at immediate benefits, yet unable to see the potential in Rin, let alone the risks of leaving him unchecked.
"Kill him?"
Gojo Satoru's voice carried a hint of a cold laugh:
"Do you think, relying on the people under you, you can do it?"
His tone was filled with absolute confidence, but also carried an unquestionable sense of oppression:
"I'll put it this way: Rin must enter Jujutsu High. Whether you agree or oppose, the result will not change."
"Gojo Satoru! You are too presumptuous!" Principal Gakuganji shouted angrily.
"Presumptuous?"
Gojo Satoru scoffed:
"I'm just doing what is truly beneficial for the Jujutsu World. Instead of worrying about Rin, you'd be better off thinking about how to deal with the more troublesome Curses that might appear next."
This sentence made the room fall into silence again.
The Higher-Ups behind the wooden doors each had their own thoughts; the argument paused temporarily, but no one was willing to relent and agree.
In the dim room, there was only the sound of breathing and the occasional rustle of clothing; the game of suspicion and trust, power and interest, continued.