While Shinkuro was worrying, Satoru opened the door without the slightest hesitation.
The loud creak of the old wood echoed down the silent hallway, as if the building itself were warning against the intrusion. Inside that enormous space was, in truth, quite simple: the walls, made of old, dark wood, gave off the characteristic scent of dried resin and time. They were covered with calligraphy scrolls, with bold and elegant strokes that seemed to watch visitors with invisible eyes. The lighting was soft and golden, coming from traditional lanterns hanging from rusted iron brackets, casting long shadows around the room.
At the other end of the rectangular room—which felt like a mix between a temple and a war chamber—there was a plain wooden desk and chair, both marked by years of use. Sitting there, a man was examining something with great seriousness. The floorboards creaked faintly beneath each step, and the air felt dense, as if it carried expectations too ancient to be spoken aloud.
"Satoru, I already told you not to barge into my office like that." a deep, unfamiliar male voice echoed.
The man was seated, massive and stern, examining an old, brown stuffed toy. The plushie, with button eyes and a stitched-on smile, looked fragile in his wide, calloused hands. But he didn't hold it with care. His fingers pressed and twisted the fabric with strange precision, as if testing a mechanism, not a toy. The contrast was disturbing: such an imposing man handling something so simple with such focused seriousness.
A stuffed toy? The headmaster of the school is a weirdo too?
Suddenly, Shinkuro was grabbed by the shoulders and spun into the air like a trophy being displayed. Too stunned, he didn't even react out of sheer nervousness.
"Look what I found!" Satoru said cheerfully, lifting the boy up.
The man's face seemed tired of the antics, yet he still maintained his seriousness and authority.
"What about the homeless guy, Satoru?" said the headmaster loudly while Satoru held up Shinkuro like a doll.
"A jujutsu sorcerer that appeared out of nowhere! And not just any, he's a shikigami user! But not an ordinary one, a talking shikigami!" announced the white-haired man like he was selling a product on a commercial.
Is he seriously not going to stop shaking me?
Shinkuro was too nervous to say anything and remained silent, being displayed by Satoru. The man's bizarre behavior was something Shinkuro was absolutely unprepared for.
The supposed headmaster said nothing, but his gaze sharpened slightly. He seemed to be waiting for Satoru to continue.
"Let's accept him into the school, Director. Come on, let's, please?" the blue-eyed adult made his best puppy face and nudged Shinkuro until the boy mimicked it.
Someone please get me out of this man's hands.
While Shinkuro prayed, the older man in the room seemed to ponder the situation.
"Very well, young man. Do you wish to become a jujutsu sorcerer?" asked the headmaster.
As the man stared seriously at Shinkuro after that question, the boy had one lingering doubt.
"Uhm, what exactly is a jujutsu sorcerer?" asked Shinkuro, confused.
I remember the anime's name was Jujutsu Kaisen, but I don't really recall how things work here. Also, no one has explained anything to me, so it wouldn't make sense to act like I know.
"Satoru! You brought him here without explaining anything?!" the man fiddling with the doll seemed genuinely irritated for a moment.
"Uh, well, actually... yeah, I forgot" the white-haired man tried to find an excuse before giving up and confidently admitting he forgot.
Sighing, the older man seemed to calm down.
"I see. In that case, I'll explain while I run a test for the boy." the headmaster said, as if that were standard procedure.
Wait, test—
Before Shinkuro could finish the thought, the stuffed toy in the director's hands was thrown straight at him.
As the plush approached, Shinkuro got a clearer view of the toy that had previously been far away.
A dark brown torso. A body shape that resembled an avocado with limbs of the same color, and button eyes coming at him, one arm drawn back, and the torso tilted as if preparing to punch.
"You see, young man, the first thing about being a jujutsu sorcerer is dealing with the unexpected."
As the man spoke, the toy reached Shinkuro and hit him with a punch that was blocked by the boy's forearm.
Holy shit! Why does a stuffed animal hit that hard?!
The punch would definitely leave at least a bruise. Shinkuro was pushed back a few steps before Venom, sensing the danger, completely covered his body.
Suddenly, right in front of Gojo and Yaga, the boy doubled in size. His head grew with massive white eyes and a lipless mouth full of sharp teeth. His entire body was coated in a semi-solid, black liquid acting like enormous muscles.
"That's awesome! He really got covered by the shikigami!" Satoru wiggled with excitement.
Shinkuro, now merged with Venom in combat mode, assumed the best boxing stance he could remember.
"The stance is clumsy. He clearly knows nothing about fighting." the director said.
For a moment, Shinkuro, now standing at 2.56 meters tall, froze in embarrassment at the older man's comment.
And that was more than enough for the little stuffed creature in front of him to leap up and land a hit on his face.
"Never let your guard down!" the director shouted at Shinkuro.
Shinkuro felt the little thing strike the front of his suit without causing damage, but that alone filled him with rage.
Clumsy stance? Fine, then I'll fight like a beast!
Shinkuro leapt forward in an animalistic motion, completely covering the doll with his much larger body.
Opening his mouth as the small one tried to resist, Shinkuro tore off the toy's head with a single bite!
Grinning in triumph with his grotesque teeth, Shinkuro tried to swallow… before spitting frantically, finally remembering that what was in his mouth was cotton.
While Shinkuro spat on the floor, Satoru and the older man kept talking.
"So, he did pretty well, right?" asked Satoru with a confident look.
"His combat technique was mediocre, he's spitting cotton soaked in saliva on my floor, I didn't even get to finish my explanation, and looking like that, he's likely to be attacked by allied sorcerers" explained the older man calmly.
"But he looks crazy enough to be one of us, doesn't he?" the white-haired man grinned.
'Hmm… you're right" the older man admitted.
"Very well, boy. I am Director Masamichi Yaga" the man finally revealed his name.
Shinkuro, who had just finished spitting all over the floor, stared at him, waiting for the result of the test.
"You passed." Yaga revealed with a smile.
Hell yeah! But there was one thing I did kind of forgot to ask...
"Is there a salary?" Shinkuro asked, still in his Venom form, his bizarre eyes and mouth somehow expressing sincerity.
"Yes?" Yaga answered simply.
"And accommodation?"
"Also."
"Health plan?"
"Almost every benefit possible."
Suddenly, Shinkuro paused before letting out a roar in his Venom form that shook the entire Jujutsu school.
"HELL YEAH!" the 2.56-meter-tall abomination with a beast's voice shouted in front of Satoru and Yaga.