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At that moment, Akiyama Ren smiled and shifted the topic. "By the way, why are there only two of you here at the school right now? Last time I came during that incident with Suguru Geto, I thought I saw another student."
He already knew it was Yuta Okkotsu and that Yuta had been sent abroad for training, but Ren played dumb. Even if he retained fragments of his memories from his past life—where he had watched Jujutsu Kaisen as fiction—he preferred to experience things anew in this world.
"You mean Yuta?" Panda responded. "Gojo-sensei sent him overseas to sharpen his skills and get some experience."
"Oh, that's too bad. I was hoping I'd get the chance to meet him," Ren said with a faint, wistful sigh. "He's got a powerful aura—someone I'd like to spar with someday."
"It's fine," Maki Zen'in added with a smirk. "He'll be back before long. I'll introduce you when the time comes."
Ren nodded, his expression light but thoughtful.
Just then, two distinct figures emerged from the entrance of the school building. One of them was tall—easily pushing past 190 centimeters—with silver-white hair and black bandages wrapped over his eyes, giving him an exaggeratedly theatrical appearance. The other was a solidly built man with a square jaw, short dark hair, a neatly kept beard, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Dressed in a crisp black suit, he radiated the stoic authority of someone used to commanding respect.
Ren recognized them immediately. Gojo Satoru and Principal Yaga Masamichi.
The two approached with casual strides. Yaga was the first to speak.
"You must be Akiyama Ren. On behalf of Jujutsu High, welcome," he said warmly, voice deep and steady.
Ren gave a small wave. "Thanks, but I'm just here with Maki to look around. No need for formalities."
Gojo laughed, clapping Maki on the shoulder. "Yo, Maki. You sure move fast. That target was supposed to be a challenge."
"Hands off, you blind freak," Maki snapped, swatting his hand away with practiced irritation.
Unbothered, Gojo teased, "Aw, don't be so fierce. Guys like girls who are a little gentler, you know. Especially in front of their crush."
"You absolute creep!" Maki barked, already drawing the Mist Splitter Reforged, the cursed tool Ren had upgraded and gifted her. Without hesitation, she slashed at Gojo.
But her blade stopped abruptly, hovering a few dozen centimeters from his skin as though frozen in midair. Ren watched as space itself seemed to distort—Gojo's signature technique, the Infinity, casually deflecting the blow.
"Ugh. That damned Limitless technique again," Maki grumbled, lowering her sword.
"Both of you, knock it off!" Yaga suddenly snapped, delivering a comically exaggerated punch to both Gojo and Maki's heads.
Turning to Ren, he sighed. "Apologies, Akiyama-kun. They're always like this."
Ren simply chuckled, folding his arms. "Honestly, I like this atmosphere. It feels... alive. Not the kind of rigid teacher-student structure you find elsewhere."
Gojo suddenly zipped behind Ren and hooked an arm around his shoulders, grinning like a kid about to suggest a prank.
"So, how about it, Ren? Ever consider joining Jujutsu High? Not as a student, though... as a teacher."
The others blinked in shock.
Panda and Maki had expected Gojo to recruit Ren as a student—after all, he looked barely older than them. But a teacher? That was another level.
Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Huh... a teaching role, huh? Well, I don't have much time. My training and... other matters take priority. But if it's just a few lessons a month, I could handle that."
"Perfect!" Gojo said immediately, as if he'd been expecting that exact answer.
Yaga's stern expression cracked into a pleased smile. Recruiting someone like Akiyama Ren—even part-time—was an incredible boon for the school. His spiritual signature alone hinted at a mastery of multiple supernatural systems, and the fact that he'd aided Maki during the Night Parade incident only added to his credibility.
"Wait... does that mean I have to call you Sensei now?" Maki asked, clearly disturbed by the thought.
Gojo leaned in again, smirking. "Little boyfriend's moving up in the world. Must be hard, Maki—dating a faculty member."
"You're dead!" Maki shouted, swinging her sword again.
This time, Gojo evaded easily, vanishing in a flicker of cursed energy and reappearing just out of reach. "Try again~!"
Yaga sighed heavily as the two began sparring again. "Children..."
Ren just laughed. This chaotic dynamic was exactly what he'd missed—a balance of power and humanity. A school like this, despite its dark purpose, still had warmth at its core.
He glanced around, taking it all in. Gojo might be an unconventional teacher, but his influence was clear. The students here—Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and the second-years like Maki, Yuta, Toge Inumaki, and Panda—each had their own quirks but shared one thing in common: strong convictions and good hearts.
Even third-years like Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi had gained reputations not just for their strength, but their individuality.
Gojo may not follow the rules... but he's damn good at raising the right kind of people, Ren thought.
Eventually, Maki and Gojo's bickering settled down. Yaga turned back to Ren.
"Since you've agreed to join our school, even part-time, you're one of us now. Stay for dinner tonight. Let's officially welcome you to Jujutsu High."
Ren nodded with a genuine smile. "Sounds good to me."
"I'm going to take a shower first. I'm covered in sweat and grime—I smell like a Grade 2," Maki Zen'in muttered, heading off with a towel draped over her shoulder.
"I'll help with dinner then," Yaga Masamichi said with a chuckle, stretching his arms.
"Huh? Why am I on kitchen duty too?" Gojo Satoru groaned, clearly unenthusiastic.
Before he could protest further, Yaga's fist found his head with a thud.
"Because if I leave you alone, you'll sneak off to eat sweets instead of helping," Yaga grumbled, dragging Gojo toward the cafeteria by the collar.
Watching the two teachers disappear around the corner, Panda sighed. "Yup… pretty sure the only person in the world who can actually keep Gojo Satoru in check is Principal Yaga."
But Toge Inumaki shook his head with a firm expression and said, "Bonito flakes." He pointed directly at Akiyama Ren.
"Oh, right!" Panda slapped his forehead dramatically. "How could I forget! The strongest person in Jujutsu Society now isn't Gojo-sensei—it's Ren!"
Akiyama Ren simply smiled, hands in his pockets. He didn't need that kind of praise—but it did remind him of something. The world he lived in was changing, expanding. Jujutsu wasn't the only spiritual system anymore. Onmyōji, Exorcists had their place in this mixed-up world.
He looked up at the fading skyline above Jujutsu High and asked out of genuine curiosity, "Do you think Gojo Satoru could have taken down Tsuchimikado Yakou?"
The courtyard went silent.
Panda and Toge exchanged glances, their playful mood gone.
Tsuchimikado Yakou.
The name alone was enough to silence most Onmyoji—and even jujutsu sorcerers acknowledged his legacy. He wasn't just the strongest Onmyoji in modern history; he redefined the very structure of spiritual warfare. Through synthesizing classical Onmyōdō, Shugendō, Esoteric Buddhism, and Shintō rituals, he created Modern-Style Onmyōdō—sleek, potent, and terrifyingly versatile.
Compared to today's general-use Onmyōdō, which was a heavily stripped-down system that deliberately omitted soul-based incantations for safety, Yakou's rituals touched the very foundation of life and death. Some whispered that his Taizan Fukun Ritual—long considered a taboo among even seasoned exorcists—had the power to raise the dead.
"...Tsuchimikado Yakou," Panda finally muttered. "As much as I want to say Gojo-sensei would win, Yakou's presence is just... different. He created an entire generation of Onmyoji from nothing. A true architect of spiritual warfare."
Toge squatted beside him and traced kanji into the gravel with his finger: Resurrection.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
The Taizan Fukun Ritual. A forbidden rite from an era when the boundaries between life, death, and karma were dangerously thin. Ren had read about it in the old archives—rituals conducted under lunar eclipses, offerings made to the King of the Underworld, prayers carved in divine ink onto human bones.
In truth, he had already begun experimenting with the fringes of Yakou's system. His innate ability to assimilate techniques let him touch spells from distant realities—runes from sorcery circles, cursed speech from ancient families, even the spellcraft of magical systems with origins beyond their world. But Yakou's legacy was still elusive—entrenched in mystery and sealed knowledge.
Panda broke the silence. "Still, it would've been one hell of a battle. Six Eyes versus Yakou's Sealed Sight, Limitless Cursed Technique versus Shikigami Legion Arrays... it's the kind of matchup you only get in manga."
Ren chuckled. "Too bad they weren't born in the same era."
Toge nodded solemnly. "Salmon."
A warm wind passed through the courtyard, rustling the sakura trees at the edge of the compound. Somewhere deeper within the school, the faint sounds of Gojo complaining about onions echoed down the hallway, followed by Yaga yelling at him to stop sneaking tofu.