The drawback was obvious as well. If Satoru Gojo ever ran into serious trouble, the people under his protection would be in a dangerous position.
However, now that Akira was here, he had no intention of letting that happen.
Gojo had offered them protection, and Akira would make sure he could continue doing so. At the very least, he wanted to repay the favor.
"Well then, let me officially welcome you to Tokyo Jujutsu High."
Satoru Gojo smiled and extended his hand.
"There's still a small test before you can enroll, but I don't think you'll have any problems passing it."
"I think so too."
Akira reached out and shook his hand.
"Please take care of me from now on, Teacher Gojo."
"Call me Editor Gojo."
Gojo immediately corrected him.
"Oh, right. Before I forget, you need to sign the authorization agreement first. I've already read your work, by the way. It uses quite a few familiar setups, but it's surprisingly interesting."
His enthusiasm suddenly increased.
"A world where women are stronger than men, and then you throw a man into an all-girls school? How did you even come up with that? Speaking of which, I once went undercover at a girls' school during a mission. Ah, those were some good memories."
"..."
And just like that, Gojo started talking about his past experiences.
One topic led to another, and there was no telling when he would stop.
Watching the white-haired man talk nonstop, Akira could already imagine what his future school life would be like.
Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about getting bored.
***
There was something Akira had noticed back when he watched Jujutsu Kaisen in his previous life.
For some reason, Jujutsu Sorcerers seemed to have a strange relationship with their eyes.
Some had unusual eyes. Some possessed special abilities related to their eyes. Others had perfectly normal eyes but insisted on covering them with blindfolds, sunglasses, or something equally strange.
When ordinary people looked each other in the eye, nothing happened. Yet whenever these people made eye contact, the atmosphere somehow became different.
Akira had complained about this more than once while watching the anime.
And now that he was experiencing it in person, he found the whole thing even stranger.
First, there was a pair of dark sunglasses staring at a blindfold.
Then, there was a pair of dark sunglasses staring at two heavy black circles.
The owner of those black circles was naturally Pancham, who had accompanied Akira to Tokyo Jujutsu High.
As for the man wearing the sunglasses, he was none other than the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga.
Today was the third day since Satoru Gojo's visit.
The admission notice had arrived the very next day, and on the third day, Akira had already come to register.
Even Akira had to admit that the efficiency was impressive.
Of course, whether the school normally handled admissions this quickly was another matter.
At the moment, the principal was sitting in front of them.
Masamichi Yaga was a large, broad-shouldered man with a strong build. Compared to the tall and slender Satoru Gojo, he was almost twice as wide.
His dark uniform, sunglasses, and stern expression only made him look more intimidating.
If Akira hadn't known his identity beforehand, he might have mistaken him for the boss of some criminal organization.
No matter how he looked at it, the man seemed more suited to collecting protection money than running a school.
And the moment he opened his mouth, that impression only became stronger.
"You're late again, Satoru!"
His deep voice filled the room.
"Half an hour! You kept us waiting for half an hour! When are you going to fix that bad habit of yours?"
"Probably never in this lifetime."
Gojo answered without the slightest hesitation.
"..."
Yaga's expression darkened.
Unfortunately, Gojo didn't seem to notice. Or rather, he noticed and simply didn't care.
"But don't worry, Principal. I brought you a present today, so how about letting it go this once?"
"A present?"
"Yep. I'm sure you'll love it."
With that, Gojo reached down, grabbed Pancham by the scruff of its neck, and casually tossed it toward Yaga.
"Take a look!"
"Waaan?!"
Pancham had been minding its own business when it suddenly found itself flying through the air.
Before it could understand what was happening, it had already landed in front of the principal.
And so, the strange scene began.
Two pairs of dark circles stared at each other.
One belonged to a large, intimidating man wearing sunglasses.
The other belonged to a small panda-like Pokémon with round ears and short limbs.
"Wan!"
Pancham narrowed its eyes and tried its hardest to look threatening.
Unfortunately, with its small body and naturally round face, the attempt only made it look cuter.
Yaga stared at it for a moment.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The stern expression on his face gradually softened.
Even through his sunglasses, the change in his eyes was obvious.
"Oh? What do we have here?"
His voice became noticeably gentler.
"Little fellow, what's your name?"
"Wan?"
"Pancham? I see. That's a good name."
"Wan! Wan!"
Pancham happily waved its short arms.
Akira blinked.
Wait a minute.
Had they just had a conversation?
He knew Pancham better than anyone. After spending so much time together, he could usually understand what the little guy wanted to say.
Even so, that understanding had come from experience.
Most Pokémon could only repeat a few sounds, and Pancham was no exception.
Yet Yaga had somehow understood its name immediately.
Was he seriously able to understand Pokémon?
"Principal Yaga is Panda's father, you know."
Gojo leaned toward Akira and explained with a grin.
"If you're looking for someone who understands pandas, you won't find anyone better than him in Tokyo. And when it comes to loving pandas, he's definitely number one."
Akira already knew about Yaga's relationship with Panda.
After all, Panda was a special cursed corpse created by Yaga himself.
Still, knowing that was one thing. Seeing the man's behavior in person was another.
If love alone was enough to understand what a Pokémon was saying, then Principal Yaga's love for pandas must have reached an unbelievable level.
And what happened next only made Akira more convinced.
Pancham was an extremely naughty Pokémon.
At home, it was always running around, climbing on things, or causing trouble whenever nobody was watching.
Sometimes, a single moment of carelessness was enough to keep Akemi Aki busy for the rest of the day.
Even Akira occasionally had trouble controlling it.
But now?
The same little troublemaker was sitting obediently on Yaga's lap.
It didn't struggle.
It didn't run around.
It didn't even try to bite anything.
Instead, when Yaga reached down and scratched its belly, Pancham immediately relaxed.
"Waaan~"
Its eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
Then, as though that wasn't enough, it rolled onto its back and exposed its round belly.
"..."
Akira was genuinely surprised.
There was no Psychic Power involved.
Gardevoir hadn't done anything to restrain Pancham, either.
The little guy was simply enjoying itself.
Normally, Pancham would only behave like this after eating its fill and getting ready for bed.
Yet Yaga had managed to make it comfortable in less than a few minutes.
As expected of Panda's father.
Akira had to admit defeat on this one.
"Wow, impressive!"
Even Gojo sounded surprised.
"I was only joking around earlier. I didn't think it'd actually work on something that isn't a cursed corpse."
"..."
Yaga's hand stopped.
Akira slowly turned toward Gojo.
So he'd just been messing around from the beginning?
Walking behind them, Akemi Aki looked at the white-haired man with a strange expression.
She had heard plenty of things about Satoru Gojo before.
The strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer.
The head of the Gojo Clan.
A man whose existence alone was enough to influence the entire Jujutsu world.
Given all those titles, she had naturally imagined him as someone dignified and serious.
But after spending some time with him, she was beginning to question that impression.
Was the head of the Gojo Clan really supposed to act like this?
Akira, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all.
After all, he knew exactly what kind of person Satoru Gojo was.
If there was one thing that ruined Gojo's image as a perfect man, it was undoubtedly his personality.
He was powerful, handsome, talented, and reliable when it mattered.
Unfortunately, he also had a mouth that made people want to punch him.
Anyone familiar with him would understand why so many people disliked him despite everything he had done.
As for Akira, he didn't particularly care whether Yaga could help look after Pancham in the future.
It would certainly be convenient, but that wasn't why he had come here.
"Satoru, you little..."
Yaga's voice suddenly became dangerous.
The muscles in his face tightened, and he slowly raised his head.
Clearly, he had just realized that he'd been used as part of another one of Gojo's jokes.
Unfortunately for him, Gojo wasn't the least bit frightened.
Instead, he smiled and casually pointed toward Yaga's lap.
More precisely, toward Pancham, who was still lying there comfortably.
"..."
Yaga froze.
He lowered his head and looked at the little Pokémon.
"Wan~"
Pancham stretched its short arms and continued enjoying the attention.
"...Ahem!"
Yaga immediately swallowed his anger.
He cleared his throat, straightened his back, and put on his usual serious expression.
"Enough fooling around. Let's get down to business."
Gojo's smile grew wider.
Yaga ignored him and turned toward Akira.
"Satoru has already told me about your circumstances."
His voice became deep and serious again.
"But before I accept you as a student, there's something I need to ask."
Akira looked at him.
Yaga stared directly at the boy.
"Akira, why did you come to Tokyo Jujutsu High?"
The atmosphere became quiet.
At least, that was what Yaga intended.
Unfortunately, someone had no intention of cooperating.
"Here we go again."
Gojo sighed loudly.
"Principal, I already told you, didn't I? This kid isn't like the others. That routine of yours isn't going to work on him."
Yaga's eyebrow twitched.
"And honestly, you're not scary at all right now."
Gojo pointed at Pancham again.
"How is anyone supposed to take you seriously when you've got a cute little panda lying on your lap?"
"Satoru!"
Yaga gritted his teeth.
"What? Am I wrong?"
Gojo spread his hands and gave him an innocent look.
His expression practically said, *What are you going to do about it?*
And the worst part was that he knew Yaga wouldn't hit him while Pancham was resting there.
Yaga knew it too.
For a moment, the principal could only glare at his former student.
Then, just as Gojo was preparing to continue teasing him, Akira suddenly clapped his hands.
"Alright, Pancham!"
"Hm?"
Gojo turned toward him.
Akira smiled.
"Use Tackle!"
"Wan!"
Pancham immediately opened its eyes.
A moment ago, it had been lying on Yaga's lap like a spoiled pet.
Now, it sprang to its feet without hesitation.
Playing was playing, but when Akira gave a command, Pancham knew it was time to act.
After all, Akira was its Trainer.
And when its Trainer told it to attack, Pancham would never hesitate.
"Waaan!"
With a loud cry, the little Pokémon launched itself straight toward Satoru Gojo.
Its meaning was obvious.
*Take this!*
Gojo watched the small black-and-white figure rush toward him.
"Huh?"
The next instant, Pancham slammed straight into him.
Of course, the attack didn't actually hurt him.
Against Satoru Gojo, a Tackle from Pancham was never going to accomplish much.
However, the little Pokémon had done exactly what Akira wanted.
It had left Yaga's lap.
And without Pancham resting on him anymore, the principal finally had nothing holding him back.
"SATORU!"
Before Gojo could make another joke, Yaga lunged forward.
He grabbed his former student and twisted him into a strange wrestling hold.
"Ow, ow, ow! Principal, wait!"
"Who told you to keep running your mouth?!"
"Hey, isn't this a little too violent for a school principal?"
"SHUT UP!"
Yaga tightened his grip.
Gojo's body was bent at an awkward angle, and with his neck caught in the hold, his face gradually turned pale.
Even so, he still found the strength to turn toward Akira.
"You!"
His voice was full of disbelief.
"Whose side are you on?!"
Akira blinked innocently.
"Mine?"
"..."
"Besides, you're the teacher, and he's the principal. Who do you think I should support?"
Akira spread his hands.
His expression was so innocent that Gojo almost wanted to believe him.
Almost.
Because the next words immediately exposed his true intentions.
"Oh, right. Pancham, don't stop."
"WHAT?!"
"Use Scratch. Behind his knee."
"Waaan!"
Pancham immediately obeyed.
Its little paws reached toward the back of Gojo's knee and began scratching.
"Ah! Hey! Wait!"
Gojo tried to move his leg, but Yaga's hold made that difficult.
"Ahahaha! Stop! That's cheating!"
Unfortunately, neither of his attackers showed any intention of letting him go.
Yaga held him in place while Pancham continued its attack.
One large man and one small Pokémon were working together with surprising coordination.
Their opponent was none other than Satoru Gojo, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of the modern era.
And at this moment, the strongest sorcerer was being thoroughly bullied by a school principal and a panda cub.
Akira watched the scene with great interest.
He had to admit that it was quite entertaining.
Who would have thought that the mighty Satoru Gojo would end up in such a ridiculous situation?
"Akira..."
A soft voice suddenly came from beside him.
He turned and found Akemi Aki looking at the scene with a worried expression.
"Is this really alright?"
Her concern was understandable.
The person currently being twisted into strange positions was the head of the Gojo Clan.
More importantly, he was someone they would have to rely on for protection in the future.
If Gojo took offense at what had happened, the consequences could be troublesome.
After all, offending the head of one of the Three Great Sorcerer Families was hardly a small matter.
Akira understood what his mother was worried about.
However, he only waved his hand.
"Relax, Mom. It'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
Akira looked back at the struggling Gojo.
"If it were the heads of the Zenin or Kamo Clans, I definitely wouldn't try something like this."
With those people, even a small offense could turn into a serious problem.
Their position and authority mattered too much to them.
Satoru Gojo, however, was different.
Despite being the head of the Gojo Clan, he didn't care much about formalities or rank.
He could joke around with people regardless of their status, and he had no problem making a fool of himself.
Of course, that was also why his personality annoyed so many people.
More importantly, Masamichi Yaga had been his teacher back when Gojo was a student.
Gojo had already experienced plenty of punishment from him in those days.
Something like this was hardly going to damage their relationship.
And as far as Akira knew, Gojo wasn't the kind of person who would hold a grudge over a harmless joke.
Even if they messed with him a little, he wouldn't suddenly start acting like an arrogant clan head.
That was one of the reasons Akira felt comfortable dealing with him.
Meanwhile, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer had finally reached his limit.
"Alright! Alright!"
Gojo struggled for another moment before raising his hand.
"I give up!"
Yaga didn't release him.
Gojo immediately changed his tone.
"I surrender! I admit defeat!"
He even managed to make a formal surrendering gesture despite the awkward position he was trapped in.
Only then did Yaga finally loosen his grip.
Akira watched the scene and nodded with satisfaction.
As expected, coming to Tokyo Jujutsu High had been the right decision.
With Satoru Gojo around, school life was definitely going to be interesting.