The team battle ended abruptly. The Grade 2 Cursed Spirit hadn't even been exorcised in time. The final score was 10–4, with Tokyo Jujutsu High emerging victorious. Among those ten points, some were actually from when Rika lost control and tore enemies apart.
From the Kyoto side, Momo Nishimiya, Noritoshi Kamo, and Aoi Todo had all withdrawn mid-battle. On Tokyo's side, it was Panda and Yuta Okkotsu. Who knows how Gojo Satoru handled the aftermath, but it seemed as if Rika's temporary rampage had no lasting consequences.
After returning from Principal Yaga, Panda had pretty much recovered. With Shoko Ieiri around, the others were also up and lively again in no time.
Interestingly, Aoi Todo hadn't been scared off by Rika's outburst. Still full of fighting spirit, he told Yuta Okkotsu that their battle had been interrupted last time and that he was looking forward to finishing it. He also acknowledged Yuta's strength.
Yuta thought to himself, I'd rather not have this kind of recognition...
Then Todo turned to Kamizono Hajime. He hadn't seen the final battle firsthand, but he had heard a general rundown of what happened.
"I didn't expect what I thought would be a boring exchange event to introduce me to both you and Yuta. I'm already looking forward to the individual battles tomorrow!"
Aoi Todo tilted his head upward, seemingly lost in thought, and then asked Hajime the question he always asks:
"Kamizono Hajime… What type of women do you like?"
Hajime had just come to see Yuta and even brought two ice creams. But then Todo popped up out of nowhere and hit him with that question. Thinking of Yuta, and perhaps of Itadori's future…
Hajime seriously replied while holding onto the remaining popsicle stick:
"My type… is girls with white hair and beast ears! At least for now."
Todo blinked in surprise, then nodded solemnly.
"Ah… that's a shame. But I respect your taste. I look forward to seeing your strength tomorrow, Kamizono Hajime!"
Just then, Maki walked through the door. Clearly, she had overheard the conversation because the look she gave Hajime was one of utter disdain, like she was staring at trash.
"Principal Yaga's calling everyone over. It's about tomorrow's individual battles. You… never mind." She turned and left without finishing her sentence.
Hajime scratched his head. "What's up with Maki? Whatever. Let's go, Yuta."
Unbothered, Hajime headed to the meeting point with Yuta. Todo returned to the Kyoto side.
Both schools—students and instructors—were gathered. Hajime and Yuta were the last to arrive. Seeing everyone was present, Principal Yaga began speaking:
"For tomorrow's individual battles, we're considering two formats. We'd like to hear your thoughts."
"The first format is a gauntlet match. Each side sends in one fighter. The winner keeps going until a final victor is determined."
"The second format is head-to-head matches, with both sides taking turns selecting opponents. Each win earns a point, and the side with the most points wins."
"Principal Yaga," Maki raised her hand. "But we only have five people. The numbers are uneven—how would that work?"
Yaga nodded, as if he had anticipated the question.
"If we go with the second format, Tokyo Jujutsu High can have one student fight twice. In exchange, Kyoto will get the first pick. If the score ends in a 3–3 tie, the overall winner will be decided based on the team battle—meaning Tokyo wins."
"And what if we win the individual battle?" Noritoshi Kamo asked. "If each side wins once, how is the final victor determined?"
Gojo Satoru leapt forward, excited: "In that case, we'll have a final showdown! A tiebreaker match!"
Everyone instinctively sensed that Gojo's so-called "final showdown" might be… problematic. So they tacitly ignored him and moved on.
Both sides formed circles to discuss strategy.
Panda rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Honestly… that first format works in our favor. Hajime could probably wipe out their whole lineup by himself."
Maki adjusted her glasses. "The second format is like the 'Tian Ji horse racing' strategy. If Hajime fights twice, we're guaranteed at least one or two wins. Our chances are looking really good."
Over on the Kyoto side, things felt a bit more tense. Everyone had at least seen each other fight by now—some had even squared off directly. Hajime vs. Noritoshi Kamo had been decisive, while others like Maki's group hadn't resolved their matches.
At the very least, everyone had some sense of each other's strength. Kasumi Miwa, propping up her cheek, looked a little disheartened.
"If they go with the second format, they'll definitely have Kamizono Hajime fight twice… How do we even counter that?"
Noritoshi Kamo spoke up. "That guy's probably the strongest on their team. My fight with him ended fast. He's insanely fast—probably due to his technique."
"We have two options: either have our weakest two try to exhaust his battle slots—but they likely won't let us do that—or we use our first pick to fight him head-on. They'll probably respond with a top-tier vs. mid-tier matchup. And we'll have to win every other fight. It's going to be tough."
Aoi Todo added, "Those first-years are monsters. But don't worry—there's no way they'll go for such a methodical strategy. They'll go king vs. king, general vs. general. They want passion! They want real fights!"
Mai looked at him with suspicion. Had Todo overheard the Tokyo team's strategy? But she hadn't heard anything clearly herself.
"Why do you think that?" she asked.
Todo flashed a blinding smile. "Because our hearts are in sync!"
"…"
Everyone fell silent, tacitly skipping over Todo as they returned to serious strategy discussion. Todo didn't mind. After all, none of them were worthy of being his best friend… What a lonely world.
"I don't care," he said. "As long as it's Yuta or Kamizono Hajime, I'll be more than satisfied!"
Tokyo Jujutsu High had unanimously chosen the second format as well. Since the team battle ended so quickly, most students hadn't had a chance to settle the score. Only Hajime had taken out two opponents.
"So what if we're first-years? So what if we're low-ranked?" Maki said, eyes brimming with fighting spirit. "I'm gonna beat the crap out of them!"
Panda was fired up too. Toge Inumaki and Yuta nodded in agreement. All eyes turned to Hajime, who scratched his head and yawned—he'd stayed up all night gaming. He was holding up fine, but some reflexes couldn't be helped.
"We'd probably win for sure with the first format," he said, "but if you're all in, I don't mind. I assume I'll be fighting twice?"
Maki shrugged. "We have the advantage anyway. They'll send their weakest to burn one of your turns. We just need to decide on the order."
With both sides in agreement, the format was finalized. The individual battles would begin at 10 a.m. the next day in the school's dojo.
Principal Yaga announced, "Now let's determine the match order. Kyoto will pick first."
Noritoshi Kamo stepped forward. "Kasumi Miwa will challenge Kamizono Hajime."
No one seemed surprised. Miwa looked a bit nervous, but the rest took it in stride.
Tokyo's turn. Yuta stepped up.
"I'll face Noritoshi Kamo-senpai."
Then from Kyoto's side, Aoi Todo stepped forward.
"I'll fight Kamizono Hajime."
Kamo remained expressionless, but others looked disappointed. Their ideal scenario had been someone else challenging Hajime so Todo could fight Yuta. If not, maybe have Toge Inumaki face someone easier to exploit his Cursed Speech.
Hajime didn't mind. This way might be less boring. He hadn't seen Kamo's ace techniques, but the result wouldn't have changed anyway. If memory served, Todo's hand-to-hand combat was pretty strong—tomorrow could start with some martial arts fun.
Todo, as always, was impossible to stop once he'd made up his mind.
Next, Tokyo's side.
Panda, speaking on Toge's behalf, announced: "Toge Inumaki will fight Mechamaru."
"Tuna. Mayo."
Kyoto followed. Momo Nishimiya chose Maki.
And naturally, that left Panda vs. Mai.
With the matchups set, the meeting ended. Yaga dismissed everyone.
Hajime threw his arm around Panda. "Panda, let's game at my place tonight! I'm down a teammate for PUBG—we'll totally dominate!"
Maki, just about to leave, turned around and scolded them. "You two better not stay up all night again! You've got fights tomorrow!"
Hajime grinned. "C'mon, Maki, you know me. I'll be fine. We definitely won't stay up all night!"
Panda added with an innocent face, "I'm just a panda—I don't need much sleep!"
"Tch…"
Maki rolled her eyes and walked off. On the way out, she turned to Yuta. "Don't end up like those two, or you'll be doomed."
"Uh…" Yuta didn't know what to say. As he watched Maki leave, Inumaki chimed in with a "Tuna. Mayo." Was that… encouragement?
As for Hajime, he was already dragging Panda along. Seeing Maki gone, they even pulled Toge along too.
From the hallway, Hajime's voice echoed:
"I still haven't really gotten into Breath of the Wild even though I got it at launch. But I'll say it again—Zelda is GOAT!"
Moments later, Panda peeked around the corner and called out:
"Yuta, come on, you're joining too."
"Wait, but…"
Panda quickly slipped over and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Hard work is for normal days. Right before a big match? That's when you gotta relax
! Mindset and morale win battles too!"
And just like that,
Yuta was swept into the group, headed full steam toward their "battlefield."
(End of Chapter)
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