Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

The next day at noon, the playground was warm and cozy under the early winter sun.

Rito sat on the bench, the bandage on her left shoulder still in place, but she could raise her hand to drink water without any problem.

At the other end of the field, Huzhang was dragging baseball equipment out of the equipment room, the bottom of the boxes scraping against the track with a hissing sound.

"Baseball?" Kugizaki walked over from the direction of the dormitory building, his right hand hanging in front of his chest, his brows furrowed.

"Who came up with this idea? The arm hasn't even fully healed yet."

"Gojo-sensei," Fushiguro said calmly, following behind.

His left hand was bandaged thicker than a normal person's, but his right hand could move normally.

"They said everyone was in poor form, so they used this method to decide yesterday's outcome."

"That damn white-haired guy..." Kugizaki muttered, bending down to pull the baseball bat out of the box, weighing it in one hand, "I should be able to hit it with my left hand too."

"No, no, you can't hit it far with just one hand." Itari made a big X with both hands in front of his chest.

"Whom do you think you're underestimating?"

"This is based on scientific evidence!"

Rito watched the two bickering and a smile crept onto his face.

Gojo Satoru stood in the center of the playground, hands in his pockets, looking nonchalant.

The panda followed behind Principal Moth, its chest hole stitched up, making a clattering sound as it walked.

The dog, with a white bandage wrapped around its neck, gave Rito a thumbs-up when it saw him.

His throat was injured in the battle against Moxu Luo, and he needs time to recover.

But as long as you can still hold the stick, that's enough.

Just then, footsteps came from the direction of the school gate.

Dongtang walked at the front, still with a robust physique, and looked like he had almost fully recovered.

Kamo, Miwa, and Nishimiya followed behind him.

The tricycle was carrying an insulated box with its two arms, and a "gift" note was crookedly pasted on the box.

"My dearest friend!" Toudou strode up to Itajō, his voice louder than usual, "Kyoto Academy is here to provide support!"

Huzhang glanced at his bandaged right hand, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Dongtang was stunned, tears welling up in his eyes. "The concern of a close friend is truly touching!"

The group assignments were released quickly.

Team 1: Itadori, Kugizaki, Fushiguro, Panda, and Rito.

Team 1: Toudou, Mai, Kamo, Miwa, and Nishimiya.

Maki was dragged in by Gojo Satoru to be the referee, her naginata resting on her lap, her face full of "I'll beat you so I can go back to training" expression.

The match began with the Tiger Staff team attacking first.

Kugizaki stood in the batter's box with one hand, his posture crooked and awkward.

Kamo rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, and clearly reduced the force of his first shot.

Seizing the opportunity, Kugisaki twisted his waist forcefully and swung his left hand out.

boom!

The bat struck the sweet spot and flew in an arc towards the left outfield.

Nishimiya caught the ball steadily in mid-air while riding a broom, and after landing, he threw the ball back into the field and laughed loudly.

"Haha, out!"

"She's cheating! Cheating! Isn't the referee going to do anything about it?"

Kugizaki stood in front of first base, one hand on his hip, looking displeased.

"This is her technique, it's not cheating," Maki said expressionlessly, then stopped looking at it.

Huzhang squatted on the sidelines, covering his face with his hands, laughing so hard he was almost out of breath.

Soon, it was Itadori's turn to bat, and Todo stepped onto the pitcher's mound.

The two stared at each other across the distance, as if sparks were flying in the air.

"I really miss the times I spent with my best friends back in school."

Dongtang weighed the ball in his left hand, looking at Itadori in the distance, poised to pounce, and non-existent memories began to surface in his mind.

Second round.

On the first ball, Itsuki missed.

The second ball went out of bounds.

The third ball finally hit the target, the bat made a crisp popping sound, and the ball flew like a cannonball towards the center field.

Dongtang looked up at the light that was flying further and further away, grinned, and his voice drowned out all the noise in the room.

"Truly a worthy friend of mine!"

But soon, the ball was caught by Nishimiya at the edge of the midfield, and the broom tail dragged a long arc across the grass.

She landed gracefully, held the ball high in the air, and couldn't hide her triumph.

"Out, two innings already."

At this moment, Rito stood up from the bench, bent down and placed the empty beverage bottle next to the foot of the bench.

It was his turn to appear.

"Hey, Rito." Fushiguro looked up, his left hand bandaged and resting on his knee. "It's your turn."

"I know." Rito picked up the bat with one hand and walked towards the center of the field.

"Tuna yolk." Dog Roll squatted on the sidelines and gave Rito a thumbs up.

On the field, Kamo stood at the pitcher's position, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking up at Rito.

"Your temperature control technique is useless here."

"I don't need any magic to deal with you." Rito rested the bat on his right shoulder, his left hand loosely resting on the end of the bat.

Miwa crouched behind home plate, glanced at Rito through his mask, and swung his gloves forward.

She recalled the look Rito gave her in the forest, and a surge of anger welled up inside her.

"How dare they look down on me! It's outrageous!"

However, Rito didn't look at her; instead, he focused his attention on Kamo.

Soon, Kamo threw the first ball.

Rito stood still, the baseball grazing his body as it flew away.

"Rito, are you going to fight or not?!" In the audience, Kugizaki slammed his left hand on the railing, looking annoyed.

"What's the rush?" Rito said without turning his head.

Then came Kamo's second shot.

Li Ren failed again.

Before Kugizaki could speak, Maki on the referee's stand said, "Don't rush, he's waiting for his chance."

Waiting for an opportunity?

Maki didn't explain, but continued to stare at the court.

Three rounds were seen tossing the ball back and putting the gloves back in place.

Kamo took a deep breath, bent over, and threw it with all his might.

The ball transformed into a blur and flew away in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Rito chuckled: "You really think I can't?"

Before he finished speaking, he had already swung his bat and struck the ball hard.

boom!

The next instant, the ball flew out, soaring high and far, passing over everyone's heads.

Rito rested the bat on his right shoulder and watched the ball fly over the center field, past Nishimiya's desperately outstretched arm, and crash into the ginkgo bushes at the edge of the field.

The entire room fell silent for a second.

"Home run!" Itajimaru was the first to jump up, his voice so loud it sounded like he was cheering himself on.

Kugizaki stood with one hand on his hip, staring blankly in the direction of the ginkgo tree.

"You rascal, you're actually quite good at fighting?"

The ball hits, and Rito slowly runs from home plate to first base, then over second base.

He walked slowly, but a smile he couldn't hide lingered on his lips.

The panda waved its paw at him from next to third base, as if clapping.

Dog Roll squatted on the sidelines, his right hand raised high, his thumb pointing straight up.

As Rito ran past third base, he saw Fushiguro standing on the sidelines.

He didn't wave, he just nodded slightly.

On home plate, Miwa stood still, holding his gloves.

As Rito stepped on it, she glanced down at the scoreboard and then looked up at him.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only managed to squeeze out one sentence:

I won't lose next time.

Li Ren smiled but did not answer.

Dongtang stood on the pitcher's mound, his right hand still wrapped in bandages.

He looked at Rihito, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly raised his voice.

"Rito, what kind of woman do you like?"

Huzhang squatted on the sidelines, covering his face with his hands, laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.

A breeze blew from the end of the playground, and ginkgo leaves fell to the ground in a flurry.

The sunlight cast long shadows on everyone. Kugizaki picked up the baseball bat with his left hand and slung it over his shoulder. Fukuro bent down to gather the scattered equipment, and Panda picked up the empty beverage bottles one by one and threw them into the trash can.

Rito stood on home plate for a moment, then walked toward the sidelines.

Maki, carrying her naginata, stood up from the referee's stand, glanced at him, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"You played well," she said.

Rito nodded and sat down on the bench.

His left shoulder was slightly sore from the bandage, so he rested his hands on his knees and watched people come and go on the playground.

The gray-blue light of the sky filled the entire playground.