A few days later.
Satoru returned from his business trip.
It was about a month before the interschool exchange event, time for the regular meeting between the two school principals.
Location, Tokyo Jujutsu High reception room.
"Why isn't Yaga here yet? An old man like me has very precious time…"
Gakuganji, the principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, sat on the sofa. Both hands rested on his cane planted in front of him as he muttered in displeasure.
"Eh? Fushiguro-sensei!"
Suddenly, the door slid open to the side.
The person who entered was not the expected Principal Yaga, but the duo with hands in their pockets, Mukuro and Satoru.
Miwa, who had been trying her best to keep a serious expression, froze on the spot.
Even at Kyoto Jujutsu High, Fushiguro-sensei only came by more often during the time he was putting Todo and the others through hell. Why would she run into him here today?
On the surface, she only looked a little confused by their appearance.
But inside…
'Unbelievable! That's a real, living Satoru Gojo! And Fushiguro-sensei too! Two legendary figures standing right in front of me, Miwa!'
Her heart was already celebrating wildly.
"Miwa, go help us buy some cold drinks. As for the money, have Principal Gakuganji reimburse you later."
The two sat down on the sofa opposite Gakuganji. Mukuro waved his hand casually, sending the cute student off to run an errand.
"Um…"
Even though she really wanted to follow her teacher's instructions, her gaze still drifted toward the white-haired old man.
After all, hardworking Miwa's duty today was to stay by Principal Gakuganji's side.
"Go."
After receiving his nod, she excused herself softly. As she left, she gently closed the door behind her.
"So then, where is Yaga? And what exactly do you two want to discuss with an old man like me?"
Gakuganji stroked his white beard and looked at the two so-called strongest men in front of him with a serious expression.
He did not believe they came here just to chat at a time like this.
"Principal Yaga will arrive two hours later, because I told him the wrong meeting time."
Satoru leaned back on the sofa proudly, crossing his legs as he spoke.
"You crossed the line with the Sukuna matter."
Mukuro sat with his legs crossed as well. The cold look on his face was the complete opposite of Satoru's careless attitude.
"Sukuna? Did something happen? I'm not quite sure what you mean."
Gakuganji's face remained calm, as if he knew nothing about what happened a few days ago.
"Don't play dumb, old man. You, the leader of the conservative faction, were involved in Yuji's case too, right? Afraid to admit it because you think we'll come after you?"
Seeing the old man stubbornly pretend ignorance, Satoru's tone turned mocking.
Respecting elders had never been part of his dictionary.
"Sigh. Young people these days don't even know how to speak politely to the elderly."
Gakuganji only sighed. He did not admit anything, but he also stopped pretending to know nothing.
"The times are changing. Sukuna's era is long over. Our era will pass one day too, but the younger generation is catching up fast. Clinging only to the present and trying to preserve the old ways will only get you left behind by the new era."
Mukuro's tone was calm.
But the contempt in his words toward the jujutsu higher-ups pressed down on Gakuganji without restraint.
The only reason Mukuro bothered saying this much was because his name was still registered under Kyoto Jujutsu High after graduation.
Although he usually found Gakuganji unpleasant, the old man had indeed offered him some help in terms of authority, sparing him from a lot of annoying chores.
"To put it more plainly, if you keep using those rotten ideas and that outdated way of looking at things to judge the new generation, you're going to suffer for it, old man." Satoru added, even more bluntly.
Knock, knock.
"Um. I bought the drinks."
Just as Gakuganji was about to respond, Miwa returned with cold drinks from the nearest vending machine.
"That's enough then. This was only a warning, after all you're Principal Yaga's friend."
Satoru slapped his thighs and stood up.
"Oh right. A few nights ago, I was attacked on the road by two unregistered special grade curses. They even managed to escape from me, so you might want to look into that too."
He suddenly remembered something and casually mentioned it before leaving.
Those two curses were strong, and rare ones that already had intelligence.
Their appearance after the Sukuna incident made Satoru feel uneasy, as if something shady was brewing.
Still, no matter what scheme was coming, with two different "strongest" around, the sky was not going to fall.
"Thanks for the trouble."
Mukuro said this to Miwa, then took two bottles from the bag in her hands. The two of them left the room directly.
"See them off, Miwa."
Gakuganji swallowed the words he was about to say.
As he glanced toward the doorway, he seemed to catch a glimpse of the expectation hidden in the girl's eyes.
He lightly tapped his cane on the floor and spoke in his role as principal.
"Understood."
Miwa forced down the smile trying to creep onto her face. After placing the remaining drinks beside Gakuganji, she gently closed the door.
'I should chase after them and ask for a three-person photo.'
With that thought, she suddenly burst into motion and hurried after them.
Inside the reception room, Gakuganji picked up a drink and examined it. A trace of confusion slipped into his voice, one he did not even notice himself.
"Kids these days don't like drinking tea anymore, huh…"
* * *
Elsewhere.
"Are you sure this is really fine? Leaving him alone with that blindfold guy?"
After complaining about the limited selection in the school vending machines, Nobara suddenly thought of Yuji, who was now officially declared "dead."
"It's fine. And my uncle is around too."
Megumi was not worried at all.
Not only was Mukuro staying in Tokyo lately, Megumi had known Satoru for ten years. Even though he looked unreliable, he was a good person overall.
"Your uncle… who is that?"
Nobara had been sent to the hospital back then and did not know what happened afterward.
She thought their teacher had arrived in time and handled everything.
This was also the first time she heard Megumi mention his family, so she grew a little curious.
"Well—"
"Hey. You're Megumi Fushiguro, right? You two are the first-years replacing Okkotsu?"
Right as Megumi hesitated on how to explain, a rough voice suddenly came from nearby, cutting him off.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!