In a way, Masamichi Yaga was like a mutated version of Akira. The longer he developed, the stronger his foundation became. More importantly, he possessed a trump card that Jujutsu Society had coveted for years.
"If he were willing to reveal it, he would become the fifth Special Grade. No, more accurately, the fourth, since he would have qualified even before Yuta Okkotsu."
Akira shook his head.
"That's not how you should look at it," his mother replied. "To the principal, Cursed Corpses are more like his own children. What parent would willingly send their children onto a battlefield? Don't bring this up again. You wouldn't like it if someone said you treated Little Sha as a tool, would you?"
"That's my fault."
Akira admitted his mistake immediately.
If his mother really thought that way, Panda would probably be the first to come after him. After all, Panda knew better than anyone how Masamichi Yaga treated his Cursed Corpses.
Akira hesitated for a moment before changing the subject.
"Then, Mom, about your second spring..."
"Don't bring that up either."
His mother cut him off before he could finish.
"You might think it's suitable, but that doesn't mean the other person feels the same way. Besides, I've never thought about those things. Seeing you and Noritoshi Kamo grow up well is already enough for me."
Those were her honest feelings.
From the moment she left the Kamo Clan, half of her heart had already died. Everything she had left was devoted to her two children. As long as they could grow up safely and live good lives, she had nothing more to ask for.
"Then you have even more reason to go," Akira insisted. "Don't you want to see how Noritoshi Kamo is doing with your own eyes?"
"Of course I do."
She answered without hesitation, but her expression soon became troubled.
"I'm just afraid that going there will bring him trouble. The worse our relationship with the Kamo Clan becomes, the harder things will be for him. Don't forget, he's still the heir of the Kamo Clan."
She finally revealed what had been troubling her.
Akira and Satoru Gojo could protect her. With the two of them around, the Kamo Clan would have a difficult time touching her.
However, Noritoshi Kamo was different.
They might be able to protect Noritoshi himself, but protecting his position as the future clan head was another matter. His standing within the clan depended on many things, and her appearance could easily become another excuse for the clan elders to make trouble.
In the end, she was still thinking about her children's future.
As for herself, she had never cared much about what happened to her.
She had also kept these worries from Akira for another reason. She was afraid that he, as a discarded child of the Kamo Clan, might come to resent Noritoshi, who had been chosen as its heir.
After understanding what his mother was thinking, Akira could only sigh.
"Mom, you're really too kind. That's exactly why my cheap birth mother was able to bully you."
"Is being kind a bad thing?" she asked.
"Of course not. It's just..."
Akira opened his mouth, then stopped.
There were some things he really didn't know how to explain to her.
His mother had already suffered enough because of the Kamo Clan, yet she was still worrying about whether her actions might cause trouble for someone else.
He wanted her to think about herself for once.
Unfortunately, judging from her expression, persuading her would be difficult.
"Fine. Since you've already put it that way, I can't exactly tie you up and drag you there."
He gave up on the idea for the time being.
"Is there anything you want me to tell Noritoshi Kamo?"
His mother hesitated.
After thinking for a while, she finally shook her head.
"There's no need to say anything. As long as he's doing well, that's enough. If you get the chance, just take a few photos of him for me."
"That's easy."
Akira agreed without hesitation.
Then he seemed to remember something.
"Actually, Mom, there's one thing I should tell you in advance."
"What is it?"
"If Noritoshi Kamo forgets his original intentions and turns into someone as annoying as my cheap dad, don't blame me for beating him until even you can't recognize him."
His tone was completely serious.
Akira considered himself a good person, and he was usually willing to reason with others. However, that didn't mean he had inherited his mother's habit of enduring everything without complaint.
Especially when it came to people he considered family.
If Noritoshi Kamo eventually became another one of those stubborn old men from the Kamo Clan, Akira would have no problem teaching him a lesson personally.
His mother looked at him helplessly.
"At least be gentle. You're both still my children."
"That depends on how he behaves."
Seeing that Akira had already made up his mind, she could only let the matter go.
Then she remembered something else.
"Speaking of which, you've been talking about all these things. Are you fully prepared?"
"Almost."
Akira thought about the arrangements at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"The second-year still hasn't shown up. If this keeps going, I'll have no choice but to throw him out and let him work alone."
The first-years had spent so much time living and training together for a reason.
They were preparing for team battles.
Everyone had gradually become familiar with the others' strengths, weaknesses, and fighting habits. Even without discussing tactics beforehand, they could already cooperate reasonably well.
How were they supposed to suddenly rely on a newcomer they had never even met?
And this newcomer was supposed to be their senior.
Akira was starting to wonder whether Tokyo Jujutsu High had some strange tradition of unreliable upperclassmen.
However, sometimes things really did happen the moment someone complained about them.
The very next day, the second-year student who had been missing all this time finally appeared.
He stood in front of the first-years with a smile on his face.
"I'm Kinji Hakari, a second-year student. That makes me your senior. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. I'll kindly explain it to you."
He finally arrived.
Kinji Hakari.
The senior who, all by himself, made up the entire second year of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Just hearing that description sounded rather impressive.
Unfortunately, his first impression was somewhat disappointing.
Tokyo Jujutsu High had always been famous for having good-looking students.
Akira had once thought that the school's average appearance was unusually high.
Now, with Kinji Hakari's arrival, he felt that the average had dropped quite a bit.
Perhaps it was time to revise that evaluation.
After thinking about it carefully, Akira realized that Tokyo Jujutsu High's students seemed to fall into two extremes.
They were either handsome and pretty, or they were built like gorillas.
And this newly arrived senior clearly belonged to the second category.
Kinji Hakari was tall and broad, following the same general path as Principal Masamichi Yaga.
If someone ignored their faces and only compared their builds and the way they carried themselves, it wouldn't be surprising if they mistook the two for father and son.
Of course, their overall impressions were slightly different.
Masamichi Yaga looked like a gang boss.
Kinji Hakari looked like a delinquent.
Even after taking a closer look at his face, that delinquent impression didn't disappear.
His hair was messy, his uniform was wrinkled, and his eyes rarely looked directly at the person he was speaking to.
His facial features weren't as broad or intimidating as Yaga's, but there was always a trace of irritation on his face, as though everyone around him owed him money.
With that appearance, hearing him introduce himself as a friendly and helpful senior was rather suspicious.
Akira couldn't help wondering whether the explanation he offered would come from his mouth or his fists.
Maki Zenin apparently had similar thoughts.
Her eyebrows rose almost immediately.
The fact that she hadn't already swung her staff at him showed how much restraint she had learned after following Akira for so long.
She stepped forward and snorted.
"Maki Zenin. My specialty is beating people up. And don't get the wrong idea. I don't want people using my family name to..."
Before she could finish introducing herself, Kinji Hakari's expression changed.
"Boring."
"Huh?"
"With that attitude, you think you can beat Kyoto Jujutsu High?"
Maki's face darkened.
*Is this guy asking for a beating?*
She had barely finished saying her name, and this fellow was already picking a fight.
Just as the atmosphere between the two started turning unpleasant, a figure with white, broom-like hair suddenly appeared between them.
"Oh? Kinji, you're finally back."
Satoru Gojo appeared so casually that it was almost like he had been there the entire time.
Kinji Hakari glanced at him.
"Look who's talking. You're late again, delinquent teacher."
"You're one to talk."
Satoru Gojo immediately fired back.
"You showed up even later than I did. I sent messages to you and Atsuya three weeks ago. What took you so long? And where's Atsuya?"
"Teacher Kusakabe is on vacation."
Kinji Hakari answered as though that explained everything.
Strictly speaking, Tokyo Jujutsu High wasn't short on teachers.
Even though there was only one second-year student, the staff had still been fully assigned.
The problem was that the teachers themselves weren't particularly reliable.
"You know what Teacher Kusakabe is like," Kinji Hakari continued. "If he can lie down, he won't sit. If he can sit, he won't stand."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Thinking about it, that description really did sound like Atsuya Kusakabe.
And when they considered the rest of the teaching staff, the situation became even stranger.
Satoru Gojo was a problem teacher who spent more time causing trouble than behaving like an ordinary instructor.
Atsuya Kusakabe had practically mastered the art of slacking off.
And Shoko Ieiri seemed to spend her days in a constant haze of alcohol and cigarettes.
Was this really the teaching staff of Tokyo Jujutsu High?
Akira suddenly felt that the school was quite impressive in its own way.
With teachers like these, the fact that the students were still growing normally was already something worth celebrating.
Even Maki Zenin's irritation toward Kinji Hakari faded a little after hearing their conversation.
"I actually needed Atsuya for something important," Satoru Gojo said with a shrug. "Forget it. Once that guy goes on vacation, he never answers his phone or checks his mail anyway. I'll deal with it after the event."
Then he turned his attention back to Kinji Hakari.
"By the way, what's wrong with you? You look terrible."
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
Kinji Hakari clicked his tongue.
"I'm in a bad mood."
Satoru Gojo looked at him for a moment.
"Lost a bet?"
"You already know the answer."
"Scum."
The exchange was short and natural.
Apparently, the two of them were already quite familiar with each other's habits.
Unfortunately, someone listening nearby wasn't nearly as calm.
Maki Zenin's blood pressure shot straight back up.
*This bastard...*
Gambling?
He had actually been gambling?
Although Japan had become more open after developing into a modern country, there were still certain lines that minors weren't supposed to cross.
Drinking, smoking, gambling, and similar activities could easily get someone labeled a delinquent.
Depending on the circumstances, getting caught could lead to punishment, suspension, or even more serious consequences.
And Kinji Hakari was a student.
A second-year student, at that.
Despite her sharp tongue and quick temper, Maki Zenin had always lived a surprisingly clean life.
She didn't have those kinds of bad habits.
Akira had once told her that she would probably be quite popular if she fixed the way she spoke to people.
Maki had rejected that suggestion without even thinking about it.
According to her, changing the way she talked was too troublesome.
Training was already exhausting enough. If she couldn't even speak her mind, where was she supposed to vent her frustration?
And right now, there was someone standing in front of her who seemed perfectly suited for that purpose.
"Hey, delinquent teacher."
Maki turned toward Satoru Gojo.
"Don't bring this waste along. We can win even without him."
"Hah?"
Kinji Hakari immediately turned his head.
His expression, which had already been unpleasant because of his gambling loss, became even worse.
"What did you just say?"
"I said we don't need you."
Maki didn't bother hiding her disdain.
Kinji Hakari's temper flared.
"You want to fight, woman?"
Maki raised her chin.
"And if I say yes?"
She had never been the type to back down from a fight.
Whether she could actually win was one thing. When it came to attitude, Maki Zenin had never been afraid of anyone.
Unfortunately, Kinji Hakari was much the same.
The two stared at each other.
Neither showed any intention of backing down.
"I'll warn you first," Kinji Hakari said coldly. "When I'm at the gambling table, I don't hold back. Being a woman won't save you."
"Perfect."
Maki didn't waste another word.
She stepped forward and swung the long staff in her hands.
The weapon had no blade, but its weight and the force behind her swing were more than enough.
Kinji Hakari had barely finished speaking when the staff came crashing toward him.
**Bang!**
One strike.
That was all it took.
Kinji Hakari was sent straight to the ground.
The second-year senior who had only just arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High was already lying flat on his back.
One strike.
Just one strike.