Tokyo — Jujutsu High.
It was noon, the sun blazing overhead. Across the campus, students from all grades were fully immersed in intense training.
The reason was simple: they were preparing for the upcoming Inter-School Exchange Event.
Kyoto Jujutsu High and Tokyo Jujutsu High, as the two primary institutions nurturing young jujutsu sorcerers, naturally shared a degree of rivalry. When students from the two schools met, it was never going to be just sitting down for tea and polite conversation.
They were young, hot-blooded sorcerers. When they met, they had to see who was stronger—in other words, they were going to fight.
That was the true purpose of the so-called exchange event: to gather the young sorcerers from both schools and let them engage in a "friendly" sparring match and competition.
And if one wanted to shine during the exchange event, the bare minimum was ensuring they wouldn't get completely schooled by students from the other school. Naturally, that required real strength.
"I—I can't do this anymore… I seriously feel like I'm about to die from exhaustion…"
"Break… I need a break!"
Watching Itadori Yuji and Kugisaki Nobara from the first-year trio sprawled on the ground without any concern for appearances, Panda—who was supervising the juniors—scratched his head helplessly.
"Even if you say that, hard training is normal. The more tired you are now, the less dangerous it'll be when you're facing stronger cursed spirits in the future."
Maki Zenin and Toge Inumaki beside him both nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Sweat more during training so you bleed less in real fights. Getting stronger was never supposed to be easy—stop daydreaming."
"Salmon."
Just then, a voice came from not far away.
"Yo, everyone looks pretty energetic. So much motivation—this teacher is very pleased."
"Gojo-sensei?"
Seeing Gojo Satoru approach them with his usual grin, students from all grades couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Didn't you say you were going on a business trip? Why are you back already?"
Gojo waved his hand casually.
"That stuff was taken care of ages ago. I heard something happened recently over here in Tokyo, so I made a special trip back."
"What kind of situation would make Gojo-sensei rush back? Don't tell me another Special Grade cursed spirit showed up?"
Itadori Yuji, who had been lying on the ground, sat up and asked curiously.
"It's not about cursed spirits," Gojo replied lightly.
"The jujutsu world recently promoted a new high-ranking official here in Tokyo."
"Just promoting a new higher-up needs you to come back personally?"
"Normally, no. But this time is different."
Gojo spoke in an unhurried tone.
"The newly promoted high-ranking official is not only very young, but she's also been given full authority over the management of most jujutsu-related affairs in Tokyo. Even within the Headquarters, that level of power is extremely significant."
"Huh?! Full authority over most of Tokyo's jujutsu affairs? Doesn't that mean even Gojo-sensei and Principal Yaga have to listen to her?"
Managing most of Tokyo's jujutsu affairs was already a terrifying amount of power. And considering that the Headquarters were also located in Tokyo, it meant that in most cases, even a large portion of Headquarters operations might fall under her jurisdiction.
Just what kind of bigshot had suddenly appeared above their heads without them knowing?
And judging from Gojo-sensei's words—she was young?!
Looking at the students' expressions of existential doubt, Gojo wasn't surprised at all. In fact, when he first heard the news, he himself had been stunned for quite a while.
No one understood better than him what the jujutsu higher-ups were like. Those stubborn, decadent old men treated giving up even a fraction of their power to younger people as if it were a death sentence.
Could such a group suddenly have a change of heart and decide to promote young blood into the higher ranks?
Gojo's first reaction at the time had been: Have they all collectively developed senile dementia?
So the moment he returned to Tokyo, he went straight to visit the various jujutsu higher-ups stationed there. Yet to his surprise, every single one of them behaved perfectly normally.
Their speech and demeanor were exactly the same as always. Even with his Six Eyes, Gojo couldn't detect anything unusual.
In other words, this promotion really did seem to be their own decision?
At that point, even with Gojo's years of experience, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Had these old geezers truly grown a conscience? Had they finally realized how stagnant the jujutsu world had become and decided to make room for the younger generation?
Was the new era he had long hoped for—and worked toward—finally showing signs of arriving?
Unconsciously, Gojo became interested in the person who had been promoted.
Makima, was it?
He vaguely remembered her—a sharp, capable female Grade 1 sorcerer, clearly not one of those rotten jujutsu higher-ups.
Now that she had been elevated to the position of a new high-ranking official, regardless of what the old guard was thinking, the end result would likely bring fresh vitality to the jujutsu world.
Perhaps he could even try cooperating with her to change the current state of the jujutsu world.
That said, Gojo wasn't in a hurry to meet her.
After all, he had heard that Makima intended to attend the upcoming Inter-School Exchange Event to inspect the strength of the new generation. There would be plenty of opportunities to talk then.
...
Tokyo — Jujutsu Headquarters, inside an office.
"Lady Makima, it's already lunchtime."
A secretary pushed open the office door and spoke to Makima, who was buried in work.
Hearing this, Makima set aside a stack of completed documents and glanced at the time.
"Is it already that late? You've worked hard as well. Go take your lunch break."
After dismissing the secretary, Makima stood up and walked out.
Along the way, many people greeted her respectfully, their eyes filled with admiration and longing as they watched her leave.
It had been a full week since Makima's promotion to the jujutsu world's higher ranks.
In just that single week, through her astonishing competence and earnest, responsible attitude, Makima had completely won over every staff member at Headquarters.
There was no helping it—when the previous higher-ups had been that awful, someone like Makima stood out all the more.
She managed the Headquarters' operations and the affairs of all Tokyo-based sorcerers with flawless organization. She understood how to care for her subordinates. And on top of that, her looks were undeniably exceptional.
In an extremely short time, she had become the ideal superior in everyone's eyes.
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