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Rewind time to twenty minutes earlier, just as Bokue Keikain sat down in the reception room, the two black coffins at the school gate abruptly dissipated.
Two figures stumbled out, their inertia carrying them several steps forward before they barely regained their footing, gasping heavily as they caught their breath.
"Cough cough, Tōdō..."
"Ah... still alive, at least."
Utterly unlike his previously confident appearance—when he'd been eager to challenge Saeko Busujima—Aoi Tōdō now looked as if he'd been locked inside a sauna for five straight hours without a single drop of water.
His school uniform was completely soaked through with sweat, and his usually firm, bronze face was covered with evident exhaustion.
"Mai, did you see what happened back there? Before I could react, everything went pitch black. I couldn't see or hear anything—felt like I was sealed in some tiny, enclosed space."
Recalling the experience, Mai Zen'in bit her lip in frustration.
No chance to fight back—not even a moment to react—both had been subdued instantly.
"When you got sealed into that black coffin, I tried to fire at that guy. But before my finger even touched the trigger, another coffin just dropped over me too."
"A black coffin, huh... I see."
Tōdō pondered for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Extremely fast activation, incredibly durable and almost impossible to break from within. But there's no direct killing power—just a trap. It seems to last roughly... five minutes. Considering how solid it is, it must cost significant energy, meaning he probably can't use it consecutively in large quantities over a short period."
"You've already thought up a way to deal with him?" Mai Zen'in raised an eyebrow.
Tōdō slammed a fist into his palm, his rock-solid face regaining its usual confident grin.
"Since he came here with Saeko Busujima, he must be a Tokyo Jujutsu High student as well. And judging by his physique, he doesn't seem particularly strong physically. If he joins the upcoming exchange event, I'll pay him back double for that little greeting earlier."
Mai chuckled lightly.
Imagining the unlucky boy being mercilessly pummeled by Tōdō, Mai Zen'in smiled in amusement.
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Kamo and the others should have gathered already. Let's hurry." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⁂fire.net
"Yeah. Let's go see if that bastard shows up."
The meeting spot was on a tree-lined path within the school grounds. By the time Tōdō and Mai arrived, everyone else had already gathered.
Tokyo and Kyoto students alike—among them were Yūji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, as well as other unfamiliar faces Bokue hadn't encountered yet.
"Yo~ So everyone's already here."
Tōdō's loud voice carried clearly, making everyone assembled on the two opposing sides of the path turn towards him.
"You're late, Aoi, Mai."
The one speaking wore something resembling traditional Onmyōji garb, with hair styled into small braids at his temples. He habitually kept his eyes shut.
"Ah, sorry. We ran into a little situation earlier."
Tōdō's eyes swept over Tokyo's lineup carefully, eyebrows furrowing slightly when he didn't find the person he'd hoped for.
"Huh? That guy didn't come...? Hey, you Tokyo folks—don't you have a student who uses barrier techniques? Likes to trap people in black coffins, hangs around Saeko Busujima a lot. Isn't he joining today's event?"
Barrier techniques? Black coffins? Hanging around Busujima-senpai?
Did someone like that exist?
Everyone looked utterly baffled, except for Megumi Fushiguro, whose mind stirred slightly.
He immediately remembered about half a month ago, during that Juvenile Detention Center incident, encountering Bokue Keikain, who had indeed sealed Sukuna-controlled Itadori in a pitch-black coffin.
And according to Busujima-senpai's later description, that young Keikain acting-head from the Keikain family had effortlessly slain a Special Grade curse—one that had nearly toyed Megumi and Itadori to death—with a single strike of raw physical strength.
But wasn't that guy an Onmyōji? Could it be he was here today?
As Megumi mulled this over, a beautiful young woman with a scar on her face, dressed like a shrine maiden standing on the other side, cleared her throat softly.
"I'm not quite sure who you're referring to, Tōdō-kun, but since you're here, please quickly join your team. I'm about to explain the rules of the exchange event."
Tōdō responded indifferently, waving dismissively before returning to his spot.
The shrine maiden cleared her throat again.
"Now, I'll announce the rules. It's very simple: multiple Grade-3 curses and a single Grade-2 curse have been released into the area. The first team to eliminate the Grade-2 curse wins. If, at the end of the allotted time, the Grade-2 curse is still alive, victory will be determined by which team has eliminated the most Grade-3 curses."
And thus, in an unnoticed corner, the sister-school exchange between Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High officially began.
Now, back to the present—
About ten minutes had passed since the competition began. In the mountain forest within the event area, Tōdō had just shattered a Grade-3 curse with a punch and looked upwards.
"Hey... what's that?"
Mai Zen'in followed his gaze skyward, spotting a massive black dome rapidly expanding from the distant edge of the forest, rapidly closing in toward the center of their location.
Within half a breath, it had enveloped them entirely, forming a dome-shaped barrier overhead.
"A... barrier? Maybe it's meant to keep curses from escaping the area?" Mai guessed uncertainly.
"Yeah, sounds possible."
Tōdō hesitated, clicking his tongue with obvious distaste.
"Still, couldn't they have chosen another color? After what happened earlier, I've grown to really dislike these black barriers."
"Ew. Sounds even worse. Forget I asked."
Meanwhile, atop the high tower where Bokue and the others were seated—
A scorching heatwave, as if blasted straight from a steel furnace, rushed violently through the room.
A blazing figure wrapped in roaring flames appeared at the window, gazing down upon the five inside. Its breath alone radiated searing cursed energy, capable of melting steel.
"Which one of you is Gojo Satoru?!"
Silence filled the room. After a tense pause, Gojo cautiously raised a finger, pointing innocently at the old Gakuganji sitting across from him.
"ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!!"
After another brief silence, the blazing curse erupted in fury, flames surging violently upward, igniting the ceiling beams.
"I'LL JUST KILL YOU ALL THEN!!!"
Yet, the fierce murderous intent abruptly froze in place.
A gentle palm rested quietly atop the curse's head, accompanied by a casual voice—
"Oh? Think you can actually pull that off?"
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