"Who should she go after?" someone asked.
"Of course she goes to Toge."
"Huh?"
Panda froze. Toge and Maki Zenin also looked confused, clearly not understanding why Akira had chosen him.
Among the people watching, Satoru Gojo was the first to understand.
"I see. Because of Cursed Energy, differences in body size and physical ability don't matter as much as they normally would. And Toge certainly doesn't lack Cursed Energy."
"Exactly." Akira nodded. "Cursed Speech is a very powerful technique, but its weaknesses are just as obvious. In my opinion, it's a technique that forces you into a direct contest of strength with your opponent."
He looked at Toge and continued.
"Against weaker enemies, it's extremely convenient. You can finish them with a single command. But against someone stronger than you, the backlash becomes much worse. Am I right?"
"Salmon."
Toge nodded, confirming his words.
He then made a running motion with his arms.
Panda understood what he meant and explained, "Toge is actually a very fast runner. He's trained his speed so he can dodge attacks and reposition himself whenever he's at a disadvantage."
"Very good. But it's still not enough."
Akira gave the same evaluation as before. This was also one of the biggest problems he had noticed among the first-year students.
"You have such a convenient technique, yet you're only thinking about using it to escape. Don't you think that's a waste?"
Toge tilted his head slightly.
"Think about what happened when you chased Maki Zenin just now," Akira continued. "If you had been close enough to me, you could have landed a powerful attack during the instant I was frozen."
Toge's eyes changed.
Maki Zenin and Panda also straightened up. Both had realized what Akira was suggesting.
"Looks like you've figured it out."
Akira smiled slightly.
"Toge has everything he needs to become a close-combat killer."
In high-intensity, high-frequency close combat, even the smallest mistake could be fatal.
A moment of hesitation, a movement interrupted halfway, or an attack delayed by a fraction of a second could decide the outcome of a fight.
And Cursed Speech could force those mistakes to happen.
There was no need to completely overpower an opponent with a command. As long as Toge could make his enemy stop moving for an instant, he could use that opening to deliver a decisive blow.
Maki Zenin thought about it for a moment before raising an objection.
"But Toge's technique isn't that easy to use. Controlling the spread of Cursed Energy, selecting targets, and adjusting the precision of his commands all require a lot of practice. People like us who specialize in close combat can't easily do those things while fighting."
She understood the idea, but putting it into practice was another matter.
"Then specialize in one part, or use tools to make up for what you lack."
Akira answered without hesitation.
"Jujutsu Sorcerers are still human. There's no reason we shouldn't take advantage of the things humans have developed."
He paused briefly before giving an example.
"If we're only talking about fighting humans, guns and grenades are actually among the best weapons an individual can carry. Make your opponent stop for a moment, then put a bullet through his head. Simple and effective."
"Wow, you're pretty evil."
Satoru Gojo burst out laughing.
"But I like it!"
Akira smiled as well.
"Only dead enemies are good enemies."
Maki Zenin and Panda exchanged glances.
Then, almost at the same time, they quietly took a step away from the two of them.
What was wrong with these people?
One was supposed to be their teacher, while the other had only just become their classmate. Yet the two of them were happily discussing how to kill their enemies as efficiently as possible.
The atmosphere around them had suddenly become rather frightening.
For some reason, Maki and Panda couldn't shake the feeling that if they stayed around these two for too long, they might eventually get sold out without even realizing it.
Having briefly demonstrated an adult-level optimization method, Akira quickly returned to his usual manner.
"Of course, Cursed Spirits are a different matter. Considering their special nature, it's better to choose weapons made from materials that can conduct and store Cursed Energy. Or you can simply use cursed tools."
Cursed tools were objects imbued with curses, somewhat similar to Cursed Corpses.
The main difference was that cursed tools couldn't act independently. However, because they contained Cursed Energy, they could be used to injure and exorcise Cursed Spirits.
"That's easy enough."
Satoru Gojo immediately made the decision.
"Maki, take Toge to the cursed tool storage this afternoon and help him choose something suitable. Prioritize weapons that are easy to carry and use, especially ones that work at long range."
Cursed tools were rare, just like Cursed Corpses.
However, Tokyo Jujutsu High was one of only two institutions in Japan responsible for training Jujutsu Sorcerers. Naturally, the school had accumulated a decent collection of cursed tools over the years.
Finding a few suitable weapons for Toge wouldn't be too difficult.
"The same principle applies to Panda," Akira added, turning toward him.
"Even if you don't need weapons, you can still carry smoke bombs, flashbangs, or concussion grenades. They're all useful for creating openings or escaping dangerous situations."
Panda nodded thoughtfully.
"Some people believe that relying on external tools means you aren't truly strong. But I think they're confusing two completely different things."
Akira looked at the three students.
"Training is one thing. Actual combat is another."
"When you're training, you can focus on improving your own abilities. But when you're fighting an enemy who wants to kill you, why would you deliberately give up an advantage?"
He continued in the same calm tone.
"I said it from the beginning. We're weak people. Just trying to win against stronger opponents already takes everything we have. If a weapon or a tool can improve our chances, then we should use it."
"As for style, grace, and fighting beautifully, you can worry about those things after you've become strong enough."
"Understood!"
Panda immediately straightened his back and bowed respectfully.
He had originally thought Akira was simply pointing out their weaknesses after the sparring session. Now, however, he was beginning to understand that Akira was approaching combat from a completely different direction.
And although some of his suggestions sounded rather ruthless, Panda couldn't deny that they made sense.
"Finally."
Akira turned toward the last person.
"Me?"
Maki Zenin pushed up her glasses.
She had already guessed that her turn was coming.
"That's right. Of the three of you, you're the one with the most problems. Both in terms of hardware and software."
"Hey, couldn't you at least put that a little more nicely?"
Akira ignored her complaint.
"Your greatest advantage is your physical ability. Your strength, speed, and reflexes are far beyond those of ordinary people. In some areas, you've even surpassed what a normal Jujutsu Sorcerer can achieve through Cursed Energy reinforcement."
He looked at her carefully.
"But your weakness is just as obvious. If I'm not mistaken, you don't have usable Cursed Energy, right?"
"That's right."
Maki admitted it without hesitation.
She pushed up her glasses again and said, "Without Cursed Energy, I can't even see Cursed Spirits with my own eyes."
That was Maki Zenin's greatest problem.
Strictly speaking, someone in her situation shouldn't even have been able to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Maki Zenin was born into the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Clans of the Jujutsu world.
Under normal circumstances, being born into such a family should have given her a considerable advantage.
Unfortunately, her circumstances were even worse than those Noritsuna Kamo had experienced in his previous life.
At least Noritsuna Kamo had enjoyed eight relatively peaceful years before his situation changed.
Maki, on the other hand, had never known what it felt like to be treated well by her family.
From the moment she could remember, she had been looked down upon.
The reason was simple.
She had no usable Cursed Energy.
She couldn't use an innate technique, and she couldn't even see Cursed Spirits without special glasses.
For someone born into a family of Jujutsu Sorcerers, those shortcomings were more than enough to ruin her future.
And among the Three Great Clans, the Zenin Clan was particularly extreme when it came to worshiping Jujutsu and inherited techniques.
Strength determined status. Those without talent were considered worthless.
One could easily imagine what kind of treatment Maki received while growing up in such an environment.
Among the two members of the Zenin Clan whom Akira regarded as important benchmarks, Maki was one of them.
According to the traditions of the Zenin Clan, someone like her should have spent her entire life being suppressed, never daring to raise her head.
Eventually, she would have been crushed under that pressure.
But Maki refused to accept it.
Who decided that someone without Cursed Energy couldn't become a Jujutsu Sorcerer?
Who decided that someone without an innate technique couldn't fight Cursed Spirits?
And who decided that someone who couldn't even see Cursed Spirits had no right to stand among Jujutsu Sorcerers?
If she couldn't see them, she would wear special glasses.
If she couldn't damage them with her own Cursed Energy, she would use cursed tools.
If the Zenin Clan refused to acknowledge her, she would leave the clan and prove herself somewhere else.
She would become a powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer through her own efforts.
And one day, she would return to the Zenin Clan as its head.
She would change its rotten traditions, make everyone who had looked down on her acknowledge her strength, and finally settle the resentment she had carried all these years.
That was Maki Zenin's goal.
Akira knew how difficult it would be to accomplish.
In fact, he had to admit that her determination was something even he couldn't compare with.
From his usual way of thinking, Maki's choice was terribly inefficient.
She had chosen a path filled with disadvantages, one where she would have to put in several times more effort than everyone else just to reach the same starting line.
It wasn't the safest choice, nor was it the most effective.
One could even call it foolish.
But Akira also understood something.
Throughout history, many people who had accomplished great things possessed this same kind of foolish stubbornness.
They refused to give up even when everyone around them believed they should.
And sometimes, that stubbornness was exactly what allowed them to go further than anyone expected.
"You've chosen the hardest road."
Akira couldn't help saying those words with some emotion.
"No."
Maki shook her head.
"At least it's better than giving up without even trying."
As she spoke, she casually picked up the long wooden shaft that Akira had broken during their earlier sparring session.
She snapped off the damaged front section and threw it straight toward him.
Whoosh!
The broken piece shot through the air.
Akira raised his hand and caught it smoothly. With a practiced movement, he dispersed the remaining force before gripping the wooden shaft firmly.
"Then you should understand something."
He looked directly at Maki.
"You need to work harder than everyone else, and you have much less room for error. A mistake that another Jujutsu Sorcerer can survive might cost you your life."
Maki's expression became serious.
"First of all, stop using toys like this."
Crack!
Akira twisted his hands.
The remaining wooden shaft snapped cleanly in two.
Maki looked at the broken pieces without saying anything.
"The problem isn't the weapon's shape," Akira explained. "A long-handled blade has plenty of advantages. Greater reach means you can attack from farther away, which gives you more room to control the distance between yourself and your opponent."
"Using wood for the shaft isn't necessarily wrong either. It helps control the weight while providing a reasonable balance between hardness and flexibility."
For ordinary martial artists, it was a perfectly sensible design.
In fact, such weapons had been used for a very long time. Their balance of reach, weight, and flexibility was more than enough to justify their reputation as the Thief of a Hundred Weapons.
Unfortunately, that reasoning only applied when the people fighting were ordinary humans.
Jujutsu Sorcerers were different.
A skilled Jujutsu Sorcerer could produce physical force measured in tons.
Even without considering their various Cursed Techniques, the raw strength they could release through Cursed Energy reinforcement was already far beyond normal human limits.
Ordinary materials simply weren't designed to withstand that kind of force.
During a high-intensity fight, the tremendous load produced by repeated strikes would quickly exceed what a wooden shaft could endure.
The result was exactly what had happened during their sparring session.
The weapon would break before its user reached their limit.
And for someone like Maki, who depended on her weapon to damage Cursed Spirits, having it break in the middle of a fight could be disastrous.
"I understand."
Maki nodded.
"The master who taught me martial arts wasn't a Jujutsu Sorcerer, so I never considered that problem from this angle."
She had always placed great importance on improving her physical abilities and martial skills.
Naturally, she had also learned how to use different types of weapons.
However, the principles she had learned were mostly based on fighting ordinary humans.
Those principles weren't completely wrong, but they didn't account for the abnormal strength and durability of Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Thinking back to her earlier defeat, Maki finally understood why Akira had been able to destroy her weapon so easily.
It wasn't simply because her martial arts were inferior.
The weapon itself had been unable to withstand the level of force involved in their fight.
That was a weakness she had overlooked.
"Is there anything else?" Maki asked.
"Of course."
Akira looked at her and nodded.
"Quite a lot, actually."