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

He was still wearing that black college uniform, and the strange wisp of hair on his forehead swayed gently in the night breeze.

His gaze fell on the armor in the center of the arena, and almost the instant their eyes met, Xia Youjie's eyes froze slightly.

There were no obvious traces of cursed power, which was something strange that had been noticed before.

But now that the distance has closed, the scorching aura emanating from the other party, so out of place with the surrounding environment, is subtly clashing with the power that instantly annihilated his two cursed spirits earlier.

"I see." Xia Youjie spoke, his voice calm and gentle, without any hint of hostility. "You were the one who took care of my two little pets in the alley to the east, weren't you?"

"That's... a very efficient technique. And, as expected, I can't sense any ordinary magical power. How interesting."

Just then, a cry of undisguised amazement rang out almost right behind Duanmu Yan!

Wow!

Alarm bells rang in Duanmu Yan's mind, his body tensed instantly beneath his armor, and he whirled around!

Wu Tiao Wu suddenly appeared less than half a meter behind him! His handsome, flawless face was almost touching the armor, and his six blue eyes, which seemed to contain endless starry sky, were looking Duanmu Yan up and down.

"So cool! That's an incredibly cool suit of armor!"

Gojo Satoru completely ignored any potential hostility or awkwardness. He even wanted to reach out and poke the Nava armor, but when he got close enough, the high temperature field emanating from the armor slightly blocked his way, which only made him more interested.

"What is this? A shikigami tool? A barrier tool? Or some new type of cursed tool? The texture is amazing! The energy reaction is also strange, it's warm, but it doesn't feel like fire-type cursed magic..."

He spoke rapidly, as if to himself, yet also to Duanmu Yan and Xia Youjie: "There is absolutely no trace of leaking spell power. The energy circulation is self-contained and its sealing is ridiculously high... The defensive structure is incomprehensible, but the joint linkages look incredibly flexible!"

"Hey Jay, have you ever seen this kind of technique before? I've never seen it before! Is it some ancient family's secret technique that they're keeping hidden away? But wait, if such a cool technique really existed, it would have been famous by now, right?"

He bombarded him with a barrage of exclamations and questions, and finally, his azure eyes fixed intently on the position of Duanmu Yan's glasses, a radiant smile spreading across his face:

"Hey, I said—is there more? This armor! Can I take it off and see what's underneath? Or... are there any other colors? Like white? Blue? They'd definitely look cool too! Can I borrow it and try it on?"

Xia Youjie seemed to be used to his partner's behavior. He just sighed helplessly and took two steps forward, forming a subtle angle with Gojo Satoru. Although his posture was still relaxed, his aura had already taken control of the possible escape route of Duanmu Yan.

"Wu, don't be so rude."

Xia Youjie gave a casual reminder, then looked at Duanmu Yan with his usual smile.

"I apologize, my companion was a bit... a little too enthusiastic. But, this... Mr. Armor? To be able to so cleanly eliminate a quasi-Special Grade Spell Spirit is truly admirable. May I ask your name? And why are you here?"

Duanmu Yan calmly looked at the two future "strongest" figures before him.

Wu Tiao Wu, Xia Youjie.

He certainly knew those two people.

But at this moment, he can only be an ordinary high school student who has just awakened his abilities, lost both parents, and is filled with hatred as he hunts down monsters.

Because of his connections, it would be easy to find out his identity.

The identity of the transmigrated soul is a top secret. Even the slightest hint of the transmigrator being revealed would have unimaginable consequences in this world filled with all sorts of strange techniques and powers.

"Does cleaning up trash need a reason?"

"But you guys, shouldn't you introduce yourselves before asking others' names?"

"Huh?!" Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru's handsome face displayed an extremely exaggerated expression. "You don't recognize me? Really? I'm that famous!"

Duanmu Yan shook his head, "I don't know him."

Wow~

Gojo Satoru seemed to have discovered some rare species, circling around Duanmu Yan halfway again.

"There really are sorcerers who don't recognize me! Interesting, very interesting! Listen up, I am the strongest sorcerer in the world, the once-in-a-century genius of the Gojo family, destined to change the world! My height is..."

"I understand." Xia Youjie interrupted his partner's long-winded speech at the opportune moment.

“Excuse me. I am Natsuyu Jie and he is Gojo Satoru. As you can see, we are students at the Jujutsu High School, which means we are responsible for dealing with... well, the 'monsters', or rather 'curses' or 'spirits' you mentioned. You can rest assured that we are not enemies.”

Duanmu Yan understood immediately. Following the other person's words, he said in a voice that deliberately suppressed a certain emotion, "...Cursed spirits? So those monsters have names."

"My name is Duanmu Yan, an ordinary high school student. A few days ago, my parents... were killed by that kind of monster. And then, I got this armor."

He raised his hand and pointed to his body, "It told me that its name was Nava. After that, I kept searching for and hunting these monsters."

"Waaaaah... So that's how it is? What a tragic story! An orphan boy who lost both his parents unexpectedly gains mysterious powers and embarks on a path of revenge! It's the quintessential Shonen Jump story! So touching!"

Gojo Satoru, standing to the side, pulled out a pure white handkerchief from somewhere and pretended to press it against the corner of his eye, which had no tears at all, while his shoulders twitched in unison.

"Wu, you're overacting." Xia Youjie sighed helplessly, feeling a headache coming on from his partner's tendency to add scenes at any time.

But his gaze toward Duanmu Yan did not relax.

Could a high school student who has just awakened his powers use such abilities so skillfully? Moreover, he had never heard of the name "Nawa" in any records or rumors in the world of sorcery.

However, just as he was about to test the waters further, a slightly abrupt ringing sound came from Gojo Satoru's pants pocket.

"Beep beep beep beep—!"

"Moshi moshi~" Gojo Satoru answered without even looking at the caller ID, his tone casual, "Night Moth Morise? What's up? We're at... um, a pretty interesting place. Yeah, that noisy giant bat is done for. But we didn't do it!"

"He's a really interesting kid! Hmm, looks about our age, right? Super cool! Wearing a red armor that can shoot fire, he took down that guy, who was crippled by me but was still a near-Special Grade fighter, in no time!"

"Yes, yes, it's the one I mentioned to you before, the one who casually wiped out Jay's two little cuties in the east! The one with super clean traces of curse power!"

Chapter 11 Joining the Higher Vocational School

On the other end of the phone, in the faculty office of Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Masamichi Yagami, with a serious expression, held his phone with a slight raised eyebrow.

The fact that Gojo Satoru described him as "super interesting" and "super cool," and that he could independently defeat a near-Special Grade Spell Spirit that Satoru had severely injured, even with the injury factor, is something that no ordinary sorcerer could do.

"Wu, don't use such frivolous terms," ​​Moth said in a deep voice, but there was little reproach in her tone. "Is the person you're talking about right next to you?"

"Yes, yes! And it's super tragic. His parents were just killed by a cursed spirit, he's homeless, and he's embarking on a lonely journey of revenge!"

Without any hesitation, Gojo Satoru recounted the "tragic story" he had just heard, then suddenly, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up, and he said to the person on the other end of the phone:

"Hey, Teacher Moth! The college dorm's empty anyway, and this kid has nowhere to go, plus he's such a good fighter, how about we bring him to the college? Food and lodging included! We can also take a look at his super cool armor!"

Xia Youjie listened from the side without uttering a word of objection, but looked at Duanmu Yan thoughtfully.

That's really good.

Wu Tiao Wu mumbled a few "uh-huhs" into the phone, then hung up with a grin, turning to Duanmu Yan with a dazzlingly bright smile:

"Hey, Yan, right? The person who just called was our teacher, Master Yamo Masamichi, who specializes in sorcery. He's a super reliable adult!"

He completely ignored his earlier embellishment, "You just said your parents were killed by a cursed spirit and now you have nowhere to live? It's dangerous to be out there alone, especially for someone like you who has just awakened. You're easily targeted by strange guys."

He stepped forward, as if to pat Duanmu Yan on the shoulder like two brothers, but the high temperature emanating from the armor kept them apart, though he didn't mind.

"Why don't you come back to the high school with us? Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Higher Vocational School, a place that specializes in training jujutsu masters. It includes room and board, you'll have classmates and teachers, and you can systematically learn how to kill cursed spirits more efficiently! What do you think? Consider it?"

Xia Youjie also spoke up at the right time, his voice gentle, "Duanmu-jun, we regret what happened to you, but there are indeed risks in acting alone. The world of cursed spirits may be more complicated than you imagine."

"The college can provide you with shelter, systematic knowledge, and... a more effective way to take revenge on the cursed spirits. At least, you can go and see for yourself before making a decision."

The two worked in tandem, one passionate and direct, the other rational and persuasive, but their goal was clear: to lure Duanmu Yan back to the vocational college.

Duanmu Yan pondered in a deep voice.

A vocational college... is indeed an option.

Having a relatively stable foothold allows them to grow faster by leveraging the resources of higher vocational colleges.

He paused for a few seconds, seemingly making a difficult decision, then nodded: "...Okay."

"Yay! Done!" Gojo Satoru immediately gave a victory sign, his smile widening. "Then it's settled! Let's go, let's go back to the vocational high school! Professor Yagura must be getting impatient! Oh, right, can you transform on the way so I can get a good look? Just once!"

“Enlightenment…” Xia Youjie felt a headache for the nth time.

The crimson armor swayed slightly in the night, and the blue light from the goggles swept over the two of them. Finally, Duanmu Yan deactivated his transformation.

The red light faded, the armor turned into specks of light and dissipated, revealing the figure of an ordinary-looking black-haired boy beneath it.

"Let's go."

Gojo Satoru whistled, showing renewed interest in the way the armor disappeared, but thankfully didn't ask to study it on the spot again.

The three of them left the abandoned water treatment plant, which was filled with the smell of charred remains, and headed towards the Tokyo Jujutsu Academy.

……

Two hours later, in the depths of the mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Masamichi Nobi had already received the news and was waiting in front of the iconic torii gate of the college, like a guardian deity.

"Is this the High School of Pyromancy?"

Duanmu Yan got out of the car and looked around at the almost primitive mountain environment and the ancient-style buildings that were faintly visible in the distance.

"It feels... even more remote than where I live."

"Right, right! Yan, you think so too, don't you!"

Gojo Satoru immediately seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and instinctively tried to put his arm around Duanmu Yan's shoulder, but Duanmu Yan calmly stepped aside to avoid it.

He didn't care and continued to complain loudly, "Honestly, what are those old men thinking? They're so rich, why do they have to build schools in this godforsaken mountain valley!"

"They say it's far from the hustle and bustle, making it easier to set up the barrier... I think they just want to line their own pockets! And then build this kind of shabby-looking structure..."

“Satoru.” Masamichi Yagami’s deep, serious voice rang out, interrupting Gojo Satoru’s increasingly outrageous accusations.

He stepped forward, his gaze first sweeping over his two problem students, who were clearly unharmed but had excess energy, before settling on Duanmu Yan.

The boy looked somewhat tired, with lingering wariness and a hint of deep sorrow in his eyes. His clothes were ordinary and even a little disheveled, typical of an ordinary person who had just experienced a tragedy.

But Moth could sense that within this seemingly frail body lay a sharpness completely different from its appearance, as well as a warm and intense power.

"You must be Duanmu Yan." Yamo Masamichi's tone softened as he introduced himself, "Hello, I am Yamo Masamichi, one of the current heads of the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Higher Specialized School. You can call me Teacher Yamo."

“Teacher Night Moth.” Duanmu Yan nodded slightly.

“Wu and Jie have already given me a general overview of your situation over the phone.”

Moth-like righteousness gets straight to the point; he speaks directly and doesn't like beating around the bush. "I deeply regret what happened to your parents. The cursed spirits causing havoc are a dereliction of duty on our part as sorcerers."

He paused for a moment, then said, “I heard from Wu that you single-handedly exorcised a severely injured near-Special Grade Curse Spirit, which is remarkable, but also extremely dangerous.”

"The world of cursed spirits is far more complex and treacherous than you have yet encountered. A solitary path of revenge is not only inefficient, but may also lead you to pay an unnecessary price before you achieve your goal, or even... fall into the wrong path."

Duanmu Yan listened quietly without interrupting.

"Tokyo Spellcasting Academy is one of only two schools in Japan that specialize in training spellcasters. Here you can be provided with systematic spellcasting knowledge, combat training, reliable logistical support, and a relatively safe environment."