Daytime sunlight streamed through the bright windows, slanting into the first-year classroom of the Tokyo Jujutsu High. Tiny dust motes floated in the air, slowly dancing in the columns of light. The classroom held the unique aura of old books, wooden desks and chairs, and a faint hint of cursed energy. The arrangement of the desks and chairs was uneven, indicating few students and a free atmosphere.
By the window, Yuji Itadori sat upright, his short pink hair like a warm flame in the sunlight, his face wearing his usual sincere smile, his eyes looking forward with anticipation.
Beside him, Nobara Kugisaki propped her cheek with one hand, idly twirling a special cursed nail with the other. Her short orange hair swayed slightly with the movement, her expression a bit puzzled, her eyes occasionally darting to the podium.
Diagonally behind them sat Eriri, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Megumi Kato together. Eriri and Utaha each held a digital tablet or laptop, desperately chasing deadlines. And at the podium, there was no one at the moment.
This was supposed to be the time for a course on barrier theory or practical analysis. However, because the teaching staff at the Jujutsu College were always "in high demand," many basic first-year theory courses, especially those related to relatively "traditional" fields like the Ten Shadows Technique, Construction Technique, and Reverse Cursed Technique, were often explained and organized by Megumi Fushiguro, who possessed solid theoretical knowledge and an ancient technique lineage. This had almost become a standard convention—Principal Yaga was busy, Satoru Gojo was elusive, Shoko Ieiri was obsessed with treatment and research, and Panda-senpai and Inumaki-senpai also had their own training and missions.
Therefore, seeing Megumi Fushiguro not standing at the podium as usual, but sitting in an empty row in front of Itadori and Kugisaki with his arms crossed, his hedgehog head slightly bowed as if resting with his eyes closed, Kugisaki's doubts reached their peak.
"Hey, Fushiguro," Kugisaki nudged Megumi Fushiguro in front of her with her elbow, lowering her voice. "Are you sick today? Or did you finally realize your paralyzed face isn't suitable for teaching?"
Megumi Fushiguro didn't even lift his eyelids, but responded with three words: "Don't make noise."
"Huh? You..." Kugisaki was about to flare up.
At that moment—
BAM—!!
The classroom door suddenly burst open from the outside with a force that couldn't be called "gentle"! The door panel slammed against the wall, making a loud noise that made the window glass buzz and dust fall from the ceiling.
"Wah!" Kugisaki was so startled she almost dropped the nail in her hand. Eriri and Utaha also stopped working and looked up in surprise. Even Megumi Kato, with her faint presence, looked up from her tablet.
A tall figure in a student uniform (though loosely worn), with the signature dazzling white hair, as if carrying its own spotlight and background music, walked in with a swagger that six relatives wouldn't recognize. A pair of small round sunglasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose, revealing the blue Six Eyes behind them, which seemed to hold an endless sky and bright stars, and at that moment, they sparkled as if celebrating a successful prank.
It was Satoru Gojo.
"Good afternoon, everyone~ Miss me?" Satoru Gojo completely ignored the noise pollution he had just caused, his voice in high spirits. He casually "brushed" non-existent dust off the podium, then sat on its edge, crossing his long legs, his posture as relaxed as if it were his exclusive throne.
"Gojo-sensei?!" Itadori cried out in surprise. Kugisaki rolled her eyes and muttered, "Scared me to death." Eriri and the others also sat up straight.
"Today, I have a little surprise for everyone~" Satoru Gojo raised a finger, wiggled it, and his smile widened. "Our class is getting a new classmate! Everyone should give a warm welcome, show our enthusiasm and... the uniqueness of the Tokyo Jujutsu High? Eh, forget the uniqueness, enthusiasm is enough."
New classmate? Everyone except Itadori was stunned. The first-year class was normally sparsely populated, but suddenly adding someone was new.
Satoru Gojo turned to the door and waved. "Come in, Junpei, don't be shy~"
The light at the classroom door dimmed slightly, and a thin figure walked in hesitantly, slowly. He wore a brand new, slightly ill-fitting student uniform, his bangs a bit long, almost covering half his face. His face was pale from lack of sunlight, his eyes evasive, his hands nervously gripping the straps of his shoulder bag.
It was Junpei Yoshino.
His appearance subtly changed the atmosphere in the classroom.
Itadori's eyes immediately lit up, and he waved vigorously towards Junpei, silently mouthing "come on." Megumi Fushiguro also looked up, calmly observing the new classmate. Eriri and the others cast curious glances.
Junpei felt all eyes on him, his body tensing further, his head lowering even more, almost turning and running. But Itadori's encouraging eyes and Satoru Gojo's unreliable but seemingly not unkind smile gave him a bit of courage. He took a deep breath and murmured in a voice almost only he could hear:
"Hello... I, I'm Junpei Yoshino... I'm transferring here starting today... Please... please take care of me..." After speaking, he hurriedly bowed, his neck turning red.
A short pause.
Then, a clear, straightforward, and utterly unthinking comment burst from Kugisaki's mouth:
"Wow... he looks like the type who'd get bullied badly at school."
"…"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Junpei's body visibly trembled, his head lowered further, his nails digging deep into his bag straps.
"Kugisaki!!" Eriri reacted faster than anyone else. She knew her new best friend's personality well—not malicious, highly capable in combat, and uniquely perceptive, but her mouth was sometimes straighter than a hammer and completely unfiltered! She instantly jumped from her seat, darted over like an arrow, and clamped her hand over Kugisaki's mouth before she could say anything else!
"Mmph! Mmph!!" Kugisaki was caught off guard, her mouth tightly covered, only able to protest with muffled grunts, waving her arms and legs haphazardly.
While covering Kugisaki's mouth, Eriri offered Junpei a perfectly apologetic smile befitting a refined young lady and quickly said, "Junpei-san, please ignore her! Kugisaki... she speaks a bit directly, but she means no harm! She's a really good person! Welcome to the college!"
As she spoke, she frantically signaled Kugisaki to shut up. Kugisaki struggled twice, probably realizing she had said something inappropriate, pursed her lips, and stopped resisting, but her eyes still seemed to say, "I'm telling the truth."
This episode eased some of Junpei's nervousness. He watched the chaos before him... the lively scene, especially the helpless and amusing "I told you so" expressions, and the tight string in his heart relaxed a little.
"Alright, alright," Itadori stood up with a smile, walked over to Junpei, very naturally put his arm around his shoulders, led him to the center of the classroom, and enthusiastically began introducing:
"Junpei, don't be nervous! These are our classmates, and they're all really nice! Let me introduce you!"
He first pointed at Kugisaki, who was still being "restrained" by Eriri. "This one with the mouth faster than a hammer is Nobara Kugisaki. Her technique, the super-powerful 'Straw Doll Technique,' and she's also very fierce in close combat! She just needs to filter her words a bit... Ah, that hurts!" He was shot a venomous look by Kugisaki from across the room.
"This is Megumi Fushiguro," Itadori pointed at the hedgehog-headed boy who had settled back down. "A super reliable guy! His technique is the super cool 'Ten Shadows Technique.' He's our class's 'voice of reason' and 'temporary teacher,' though his face is a bit stinky, he's absolutely dependable!"
Megumi Fushiguro twitched the corners of his mouth almost imperceptibly, which counted as a greeting.
"This beautiful and strong young lady is Eriri Sawamura," Itadori pointed at the blonde twin-tailed girl who had finally released Kugisaki and was fixing her hair. "Her technique is 'Construction.' Even though she's a tsundere, she's super nice!"
Eriri bared her teeth and scolded angrily, "Who's a tsundere?!"
"This is Utaha Kasumigaoka-senpai," Itadori pointed at the black-haired senior exuding a mix of literary girl and calm scholar. "She has a wealth of theoretical knowledge and is a walking encyclopedia of jujutsu! Though she can be a bit sharp-tongued sometimes..."
Utaha Kasumigaoka pushed up imaginary glasses and gave Itadori a faint, sharp glance.
"Finally, this is Megumi Kato," Itadori pointed at the short-haired girl with a faint presence. "Kato-san is really strong, though I can't pinpoint exactly where... but she's just amazing! Yeah!"
Megumi Kato looked up, regarded Junpei with her big, calm eyes, said a soft "hello," and looked back down at her phone.
After introducing everyone, Itadori patted Junpei on the shoulder, turned to the students, and introduced Junpei in an unprecedentedly serious tone:
"And this is Junpei Yoshino! He's my good friend!"
"Junpei might seem a bit withdrawn, but he's very kind and considerate of others! He loves watching movies, especially the extremely unpopular but very profound 'The Worm' series! We had such a great chat about it!"
"Moreover, Junpei is really strong," Itadori's voice dropped slightly, but his eyes shone. "He's been through a lot of bad things, but he still chose to come here, to get stronger, to protect the people he cares about. That's just amazing!"
"So," Itadori looked around at everyone, showing a broad, cloudless smile. "From now on, let's all get along well! Junpei, this is your new school. We're all your classmates! If you don't understand something, just ask me, ask Fushiguro, ask anyone!"
Itadori's unconditional acceptance and enthusiastic introduction, like a warm ray of sunshine, completely dispelled the fog in Junpei's heart and his fear of his first appearance.
He looked up at Itadori's sincerely smiling face, then at the classmates around him, who had different personalities but seemed to hold no malice. Kugisaki was still holding her "wounded" mouth, but her eyes were less sharp, looking a bit more open. Junpei's pale face finally revealed an extremely small, but incomparably real and somewhat awkward...
smile.
"Mm... please... please take care of me," he repeated, his voice slightly calmer than before.
Satoru Gojo sat at the podium, propping his chin, the Six Eyes behind his sunglasses watching it all, the corners of his mouth curving into a meaningful arc.
"Alright, introductions are over~" He clapped his hands and jumped off the podium. "Then, Junpei, find a seat and sit down. As for today's lesson..." He drew out the word.
"Let's change it to a practical workshop on how to quickly get along with classmates who have unusual personalities! Teacher is very busy, so I'll take a step first~"
Before the words finished, the white-haired teacher's figure vanished at the door like a ghost, leaving only a breeze and a trailing word:
"I'll leave the rest to you youth"
Everyone: "…"
The classroom was quiet again, but the atmosphere was completely different from before. It seemed like another person held many unknown possibilities.
Junpei, guided by Itadori's enthusiasm, took his school bag and sat in the back. He raised his head and seriously looked at the place where he would study, live, and even fight for the first time.