On the dust-swirling grounds, while Naoya Zen'in was being buried, taunted, and was secretly committing seppuku using an application of Falling Blossom Emotion so no one would find out, the beginner tag team of Nanami and Haibara was nominated as the next opponents.
"Please treat us well, Sensei!"
"Please treat us well."
Rather, it was Toji who was taken aback by the attitude of the two who greeted him so properly. Sadly, for him, whose family home was full of nothing but scum, the existence of honest and serious sorcerers was in itself a cause for discomfort.
"O-Oh. ...Being treated with such reverence feels weird in its own right, but well, you guys are that, right? Until recently, you were just ordinary middle schoolers. Just to ask, have you guys ever been in a fight?"
"If it's from when I was small, yes! As for cursed spirits, only the small ones that occasionally drift by!"
"I have no recollection of fighting people. However, I have some experience with cursed spirits."
"Gah, are you goody-two-shoes... Then, I'll teach you thinking of you as rank amateurs starting now. First, the Japanese-style one."
"I'm Haibara!"
"O-Oh. ...So, what was it. Er, Haibara. About your stance... First, as a major premise, your fist grip is crazy. If you tuck your thumb inside, you'll break your thumb and hurt your wrist when you punch. Put your thumb outside, next to the index finger."
"I see!"
"Then, the Western-style one."
"It's Nanami-kun!"
"You're the one answering... So, that thing. Nanami. Is your weapon that cleaver? It's not bad but... that ain't a cursed tool. You haven't used it enough, have you? There are a few patterns for cursed tools, but they can be broadly divided into those that were cursed tools from the start, and those forcibly made into cursed tools through a 'Bath'. Yours is on the verge of becoming the latter. Let your cursed energy soak into it more every day. ...So with that said, yeah, you guys go run a hundred laps around the grounds while reinforcing your whole body and weapons with cursed energy. Combat is still too early for you."
Against the two who were starting from the absolute basics, what Toji ordered was simple physical conditioning. There were no objections to that unexpectedly decent instruction, and after venting an unreasonable complaint that "Those guys are too honest, it throws me off," at the two who obediently started running, Toji turned his eyes to the last student, Shoko Ieiri.
"Then lastly, Ieiri. It's you."
"Ehh, Sensei, I'm in charge of treatment though."
"If I have to choose between a mere doctor and a doctor who can fight, obviously the doctor who can fight is better. Don't complain. ...Though, well, if you're standing on the front lines, the situation is already checkmated anyway. So, here."
Saying that, Toji took a 'dangerous object' out of the shed in the corner of the grounds and forcibly pressed it onto Shoko.
"Here. It's a custom-made item ordered through connections between me and the old man Yaga. Use it gratefully, yeah?"
"No, no, no... I've never held something like this... It's heavy!?"
What was in the hands of Shoko, who staggered instinctively as she spoke, was a so-called rifle. To be more precise, a 'bolt-action rifle'. However, even if someone knowledgeable about guns looked at it, guessing its model would be a feat of extreme difficulty. After all, this gun was an unexpected full custom order.
"No, no, no, impossible, impossible, impossible..."
"Don't lie. There's no reason a sorcerer can't use something even a civilian woman can use if she trains. Since you can use Reverse Cursed Technique, there's no logic that says you can't reinforce your body with cursed energy."
"Well, that's true, but... I mean, Sensei, this is a cursed tool."
"Yeah. The iron used for its barrel and such was originally rails from the Chuo Line, and the stock was a sleeper from the same Chuo Line. It's a splendid cursed object that's sucked up plenty of blood and grudges from suicides. Good for you, huh?"
"Ugh..."
Shoko had 'fed up' written all over her face, but no matter what she said, as long as it was incorporated into the curriculum, there was no room for resistance.
In the end, Shoko, who ended up learning how to handle a small arm under Toji's polite guidance, was subsequently sentenced to run a hundred laps around the grounds, mixing in with her juniors.
"Whew, what a bad day."
"Let's do our best together, Ieiri-senpai!"
"You're energetic, Haibara. Can I ask you to run for me?"
"Ieiri-san, I think you'll just get caught."
"Right~. How many more laps?"
"Nanami and I have 71 left, and you have 97 laps left, Ieiri-senpai!"
"Eek That's brutal!"
"Gyahaha, Shoko's face is bright red."
"Satoru-kun? Ieiri-san is runnin' her hardest. Ain't that rude?"
"That's right, you idiot white-hair. You do a thousand laps."
"Geh, seriously?"
"Seriously. ...Geto, Naoya, you guys do a hundred laps. Go show the beginners an example."
"...Yes."
"Got it. Well, might be a good opportunity. I might imply run seriously for a bit."
In this manner, the students who ended up doing 'physical conditioning' that was somewhat typical of PE were made to run round and round for about an hour after that.
Furthermore, it is a complete side note that for the sake of Gojo, who was imposed a quota ten times that of a single person, the kind Fushiguro-sensei chased him around at full speed with the Black Rope in hand, saying "If you use your technique I'll kill you, even if I just catch up to you I'll kill you," properly ensuring he ran the thousand laps.
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