"Well, you probably think you're the unluckiest guy in the world. But in this line of work, you're at a level we see every once in a while."
"Um... I understand that there are people who can stop Rika Orimoto, but... are you okay...?"
"Naoya Zen'in, could you stop trying to have a serious conversation with a serious face while Rika Orimoto has you in a camel clutch? Satoru Gojo's about to have a cramp in his abs from laughing. Also, at least try to resist her."
"Pffft! Hahaha!"
"Nah, it's just a hunch, but I think this Rika Orimoto girl is still a little kid at heart."
"...Ah, could it be?"
"That's right. She's a target for my binding vow."
"...So even as a human soul turned into a curse, she still counts as a woman or child?"
"Besides, it's only natural to punish a moron who hits his girlfriend, right? It seems I'm not being judged as a 'villain' by her."
"I mean, I heard they were crammed into lockers with serious injuries."
"Suguru Geto, what would you do if there was some idiot hitting your three daughters?"
"I see. Well, stuffing them in lockers is safe enough, then. Yeah."
"...Am I perhaps in a very dangerous place...?"
"Well, it's dangerous enough that there are people saying, 'Let's execute him in secret.' You were so depressed and eager for death that you didn't seem to notice."
"...Oh, right."
"Well, you're at a sensitive age. It's only natural to get tunnel vision when bad things happen. ...Now, the guy laughing over there and I have a proposal. Why don't you try attending this Jujutsu High? With Rika Orimoto too. You aren't alone. Your fellow 'Jujutsu Sorcerers' who handle curses will surely become your friends."
Taking the hand that Suguru Geto reached out to him was surely because he felt something in those words. After being spared from execution and even then trying to end his own life, the young Yuta Okkotsu finally stepped back into a world where the sun shines.
---
A few days later.
"And with that, let me introduce the transfer student! Everyone, get excited!"
"Seriously, Satoru Gojo, you're the assistant teacher. Where's Atsuya Kusakabe?"
"You're no fun, Panda. Well, Mr. Kusakabe is on a business trip to the Kyoto school for a while starting today."
"Ugh. So Satoru Gojo is teaching the class?"
"Squid tempura..."
"Eh, am I hated? Why?"
"It's not that we hate you, but Satoru Gojo, you always get bored of teaching and turn it into a practical session immediately..."
"Mackerel in miso."
"No, Toge Inumaki, it's not skipping. The Great Teacher Satoru Gojo is just a believer in practical learning!"
"...Hey, Great Bad Example, where's the transfer student?"
"...Ah! My bad, my bad!"
A classroom where such a comedy-like exchange could be heard. As soon as the door was swung open and Yuta Okkotsu was prompted to enter, he stepped into the room only to feel the weight of curious gazes.
In response, Yuta Okkotsu timidly looked around at the members of the class, only to see a group of incredibly eccentric characters.
First, the one who seemed most normal was a silver-haired boy with spiky hair. However, since he was waving his hand while saying, "Salmon. Rolled omelet," his personality seemed like it might be quite intense as well.
Next, the one who was still relatively normal in the sense of being human was a magical girl with a ponytail. She had a magic wand leaning against her desk, her clothes were all frilly, and her body looked like it had jumped straight out of an anime. No matter how you looked at it, she was a vivid character.
And finally, a panda. A giant panda. Just... why?
Yuta Okkotsu's brain, which was so confused it almost looped back into being calm, settled into a strange state—half-lucid, half-feverish. At Satoru Gojo's invitation, he stood with his back to the blackboard and somehow managed to squeeze out his voice.
"Um... Ni-nice to meet you. I'm Yuta Okkotsu..."
"Salmon, salmon."
"Yeah, nice to meet you. ...I heard from Naoya Zen'in, but you really are cursed. Still, you're way too plain. I heard you physically folded four punks, so I thought you'd be a tougher-looking guy."
"Hey, Maki Zen'in! Sorry, Yuta Okkotsu! This one doesn't mean any harm, she just has a habit of saying exactly what she's thinking! Also, the guy who's been talking in food ingredients is Toge Inumaki. He has a constitution that puts curses into his words, so he can only say words that have no meaning, but he's a good guy! And I'm Panda! Nice to meet you!"
"Ah, yeah, nice to meet you..."
'What do I do? First impressions are completely useless here.'
While he was thinking that, the classroom door opened again, and two figures entered.
"Sorry, am I late? Forgive me!"
"Naoya Zen'in, you should apologize properly when you're saying sorry."
"Have mercy, it was just a light joke. Forgive me. There were some curses on the way. I ended up being late because I was exorcising them."
"Oh, they're here. So, acting as Yuta Okkotsu's guardians in place of Mr. Kusakabe, we have Special Grade Naoya Zen'in and Grade 1 Mai Zen'in! Applause!"
"Eh? Huh? Wait...?"
"What is it, Yuta Okkotsu? Looking back and forth between me and Mai Zen'in won't change anything; we have the same face."
"Yuta Okkotsu, Maki Zen'in and Mai Zen'in are twins. It's not a clone technique or anything, so don't worry! By the way, they're both 171 centimeters tall, with a 60-centimeter waist and 98-centimeter hips, so they have almost the same body type, but Maki Zen'in is a 97 G-cup while Mai Zen'in is a 107 K-cup, so you can tell them apart by—"
"I'm gonna wreck you, Panda. Yuta Okkotsu, don't go comparing our chests the moment he says that. It's totally obvious."
"She's already wrecking me! Maki Zen'in's serious punch is lethal! Also, Mai Zen'in, stop throwing your Magical Mai-chan Pilum without hesitation! It was just a witty joke from a childhood friend!"
"Bonito flakes... Salmon jerky and belly, pollock roe."
"Exactly. It's just like Toge Inumaki says, that's blatant sexual harassment. Doing that to a married woman, honestly..."
"Huh?! A married woman?!"
"Ah, I guess Yuta Okkotsu didn't know. Mai Zen'in and I are married to Naoya Zen'in over there."
"Whaaa?!"
"Maki Zen'in, you're using yourself and us as bait just to see the real Yuta Okkotsu, aren't you?"
"You caught me. Well, whatever. I can't spend all my time in a class with a guy who has 'I'm not a bad kid' and 'please don't bully me' written all over his face."
"Well, I suppose so. By the way, is today just for introductions, Satoru Gojo?"
"Nope! I'm planning on jumping straight into practical training with Yuta Okkotsu!"
"I knew you were skipping class."
"Salmon, salmon."
"Satoru Gojo, what kind of training?"
"I thought about exorcising curses right away, but since Naoya Zen'in is here and we have the numbers, let's head to the field! First, let's just see what Yuta Okkotsu can do!"
Saying that, Satoru Gojo gave Yuta Okkotsu a double thumbs-up. In a classroom far too lively for anything he had experienced in his life, Yuta Okkotsu, still unable to fit in, could only manage a strained laugh in return.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]