Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

"Oh, everyone's here!"

Chapter 43 Exchange Meeting

"Oh, everyone's here!"

Everyone turned their heads and saw Gojo Satoru walking leisurely out from another side road with his hands in his pockets, his white hair somewhat dazzling in the morning light.

He pushed his sunglasses up to his forehead, a slightly smug smile on his face, and his clothes were spotless, without a speck of dust in sight.

"Wu, what's the situation on your end?" Night Moth Masamichi asked.

"Utterly boring~" Gojo Satoru yawned. "All that's scurrying around on these paths are giant ants, maybe just a few level one, very weak, I could crush them with a flick of my wrist. At the end of the path is an empty warehouse, nothing there, so I turned back. Looks like Duanmu won, and he was lucky enough to pick the grand prize."

He looked at Duanmu Yan and raised an eyebrow.

Almost simultaneously, Xia Youjie also emerged from the middle path.

"Looks like I'm the slowest. I encountered some ambushes and traps, and it took me a while to clear them. At the end is an area that looks like an incubation chamber, with many unhatched cocoons and guardian spirits, which have already been dealt with."

"Okay, it's good that everyone is alright." Yemo Masamichi looked at the three students in front of him, who had very different styles but were equally troublesome, and rubbed his temples.

"Leave the finishing touches to Window. You all get in the car and rest before heading back. We'll write the detailed mission report when we get back."

"Yes~" Gojo Satoru drawled out, and was the first to climb into the car, finding the most comfortable spot to slump down.

Xia Youjie nodded to Noctua Masakazu and Shoko, and got into the car as well.

Duanmu Yan glanced at the two cars and naturally walked towards the one that Wutiao Wu and Xia Youjie were in.

As soon as I opened the car door, I heard Gojo Satoru yelling inside, "I'm starving! I'm starving! When we get back, I'm going to eat the limited-edition strawberry cream soufflé! Duanmu, it's your treat! To celebrate you taking down a near-Special Grade single-handedly!"

Xia Youjie's gentle voice rang out: "Wu, Duanmu just went through a tough battle, let him rest. Besides, Teacher Ye'e said the mission report..."

"You can just write a report casually~ The important thing is to celebrate!"

Duanmu Yan got into the car, closed the door, shutting out the outside noise and the cool morning air. Inside the car, there was the familiar, vibrant atmosphere of youth, and Gojo Satoru's incessant ramblings about desserts.

The car started and slowly drove away from the abandoned industrial area that had just experienced a fierce battle.

Outside the window, the figures of the assistant supervisors busied themselves in the morning light, gradually becoming smaller.

Duanmu Yan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The battle is over, but the road to becoming stronger is still long.

And on this road, it seems... he is not alone.

He opened his eyes, glanced at Gojo Satoru who was still arguing with Xia Youjie about what to eat for their first meal after returning home, and then looked at the street scene rushing past the window.

A slight smile appeared on his lips.

It feels great to grow stronger with friends.

……

Tokyo Jujutsu High School, first-year classroom.

Gojo Satoru propped his legs up on the desk, leaned back in his chair at a dangerous angle, and slumped like he had no bones, complaining, "Eh~ are we really going to have to go together? Those guys from Kyoto School across the way... are they even enough for me to warm up? This is so boring."

Xia Youjie sat next to him, flipping through a book that looked very profound. "Wu, don't say that. Although it's true, saying it to someone's face can easily hurt the self-esteem of the weak. It's an exchange meeting, the important thing is participation, and friendship comes first."

At the podium, the veins on Nocturnal Elephant's forehead throbbed twice.

How did he end up with these two brilliant and talented individuals? Not only are they incredibly strong, but their personalities are also wicked. One wears arrogance on his sleeve, while the other hides his mockery in politeness. They even work together quite well!

His gaze unconsciously shifted to the other side of the classroom.

By the window, Duanmu Yan sat upright, focused, and with proper posture.

Look! This is what students should be like!

The anger that the first two guys had stirred up in Moth's heart had subsided somewhat.

Thankfully, there's still one that's normal... well, relatively normal.

"This is the rule of every exchange meeting; all first-year students usually participate." Masamichi Noi cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound serious and proper.

"However, you also know that compared to the students from Kyoto School, their strength is indeed somewhat lacking. You guys, be careful with your attacks and don't make things too ugly. In the future, you will all be colleagues in the world of sorcery. Competition is secondary, and communication is primary."

He glanced at Duanmu Yan, signaling him to remember to mention that he was the only person he could trust.

Duanmu Yan closed his notebook, looked up, met the gaze of Ye'e Zhengdao, thought seriously for two seconds, and then nodded solemnly.

"Yes, Teacher Moth, we understand. Don't worry, during the competition, we will try our best to control the situation and will not kill our opponents immediately. We will give them a chance to perform."

Night Moth said rightly: "..."

No, that's not what I meant!

And can someone really say something like "instant kill" so casually?! This kid's seriousness is sometimes more terrifying than those two's blunt sarcasm! How could he say such hurtful things with such a serious expression?!

Moth Masamichi felt his temples throbbing again.

He gave up on communication, wearily waving his hand as if shooing away flies: "Alright, alright, that's it. The exchange meeting starts in two days at the Kyoto campus. Go back and prepare yourselves, get into the right mindset, and remember, don't cause trouble, but don't embarrass the Tokyo campus either!"

"Yes!" Gojo Satoru drawled out, becoming the first to spring up from his chair and stretch out in a big yawn.

"Understood." Xia Youjie closed his book and stood up.

"Yes." Duanmu Yan put away his notebook.

The three of them walked out of the classroom one after the other.

In the corridor, Gojo Satoru immediately stretched out his arm and hooked it around Duanmu Yan's shoulder, asking with a grin, "Hey, Duanmu, were you serious about what you just said? Giving them a chance to show off? That's too much trouble. If you ask me, we should just start fighting and finish this quickly. After we're done, we'll go eat at that super famous matcha parfait in Kyoto!"

Xia Youjie walked on the other side and said slowly, "Wu, don't always think about food. Teacher Ye'e said we should be mindful of our influence. However..." He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Appropriate displays of strength, letting the other party recognize the gap, are also a form of communication."

Duanmu Yan, being hooked by Gojo Satoru, said, "What I mean is, if we go all out to kill them instantly from the start, the match time won't be long enough to meet the minimum time requirement for 'communication,' and we might be penalized for violating the rules. So we need to control the pace of our attacks."

Gojo Satoru was taken aback for a moment, then burst into even louder laughter: "Hahaha! That's great! Duanmu, you're even better at talking than Jie! It's against the rules! Yes, yes, we have to follow the rules of the game!"

Xia Youjie couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

The three chatted and laughed as they disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

In the classroom, Moth Masamichi listened to the infuriating conversation, sighed helplessly, and shook his head.

Oh well, let them be. Anyway... nothing serious is likely to happen.

Chapter 44 Assimilated

Two days later, in Kyoto, at the High School of Curses.

The ancient buildings are nestled among green pines and cypresses, and the wind chimes on the eaves make a clear, cool sound in the afternoon breeze. Unlike the Tokyo campus, this place is quiet and slightly old-fashioned.

Principal Rakuganji personally received the delegation from the Tokyo campus in the reception room.

His gaze first fell on Gojo Satoru, who was leading the group.

Leyan Temple's white eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly before he looked away, skipping even the most basic pleasantries and simply humming in acknowledgment.

Regarding the six-eyed man from the Gojo family, a genius and troublemaker known throughout the jutsu world, Rakuganji's attitude was clear: don't provoke him, don't talk to him in depth, and it's best to treat him as if he doesn't exist.

No matter what you say to this kid, he can always steer the conversation off to the sidelines.

Then, his gaze swept over Xia Youjie, noticing her tied-up bun, gentle and polite smile, and proper demeanor.

Leyan Temple nodded slightly, showing a little more attention to them.

He had naturally heard of Xia Youjie's name. He was a rare holder of the Cursed Spirit Manipulation Technique, a commoner genius, and a man of great strength.

But what lies beneath this facade is something that an old fox like Leyan Temple can see right through.

He listened to the brief introduction by Yae Seikyou, nodding occasionally in response. However, when his gaze fell on the black-haired boy standing upright on the other side of Yae Seikyou, with his eyes fixed straight ahead, a clear look of surprise, or even... doubt, flashed in Rakuganji's eyes.

Duanmu Yan, he had of course received the report as well. A first-year student, newly promoted to the first level, he was suspected of possessing a special armor-type technique and had performed outstandingly in the previous special-grade incident and the Shibuya mission.

The report focused on describing its strength, but what Leyan Temple saw with his own eyes at that moment completely drew his attention in another direction.

This child...

This...this is really a student trained by that guy, Night Moth Righteous Path?!

Rakuganji couldn't help but glance again at Gojo Satoru, who was already boredly playing with the legs of his sunglasses, and Natsuyu Jie, who had a smile on his face but whose eyes were already drifting out the window.

A crane emerged from a flock of chickens?

Leyan Temple was filled with awe.

He has been teaching for decades and has seen many geniuses and freaks, but it is rare to find someone like Duanmu Yan, whose strength report is astonishing, yet who himself appears unusually normal and even well-behaved.

What kind of luck did Moth have? Or is this child's obedience just another kind of trouble?

Suppressing his surprise, Leyan Temple led everyone to the prepared meeting room.

The room was a traditional Japanese-style room, spacious and bright, and there were already five people sitting inside.

Duanmu Yan's gaze swept over, and both Angehime and Kamiki Kawaiichi were there. As soon as Angehime saw Ieiri Shoko, her eyes lit up, and she immediately ran over, grabbed Shoko's hand, and whispered something to her.

Kamiki Kawaiichi nodded somewhat reservedly but warmly to Gojo Satoru, Natsuyuki, and Duanmu Yan.

The other two were third-year students, a boy and a girl. They both had rather indifferent expressions and simply nodded slightly to the Tokyo school students as a greeting.

Then, Duanmu Yan's gaze fell on a young man in the corner who looked somewhat listless.

He was wearing the teacher's uniform from the Kyoto school. I vaguely remember him... I think I've seen this name in a report about the Shibuya incident, Kusakabe Atsuya?

He was later hailed as the "strongest level one mage." However, he doesn't seem to have the composed and commanding presence he would later possess. Having just been promoted to level one, he doesn't seem to have fully adapted to his new role yet.

Once everyone had arrived, the principal of Leyan Temple cleared his throat and began explaining the rules of the exchange meeting.

The rules are very simple, even straightforward.

The competition venue was a special area shrouded in a barrier on the back mountain of Kyoto School. A total of thirteen level-two cursed spirits were deployed in advance, as well as a larger number of level-three cursed spirits used to interfere with and create obstacles.

The competition lasts for six hours, with both sides free to act as they see fit. The winner is determined by the number of Level 2 cursed spirits successfully removed. The removal method is unrestricted; either exorcism or sealing is acceptable, but confirmation must be made with a specific incantation mark.

"Oh?" Gojo Satoru was the first to raise his hand, asking in a light tone, "Headmaster, if we're in the process of removing a Level 2 student, and the students from Kyoto School come and try to take it away, or vice versa, can we take the one they're about to finish?"

Moth Master said in a deep voice, "According to the rules, confrontation and competition are not prohibited, but intentionally causing serious injury or killing an opponent is strictly prohibited. Safety is the premise of everything, especially for you, Wu. Be careful."

"Huh?" Gojo Satoru looked innocent and aggrieved. "Yoga-sensei, you've got it wrong, haven't you? How could someone as peace-loving and respectful of opponents as me do such a thing? Shouldn't you be worried about whether we'll scare them into not daring to make a move?"

"You're the biggest danger, aren't you?!" The songstress couldn't help but mutter under her breath, earning her a smug grin from Gojo Satoru.