After everything was settled, Sōjun Minamoto returned to Jujutsu High, and the Fly Head was finally freed. It could now continue devouring its own kind to grow stronger.
At first, staying at the Church of the Stars had been fine. Surrounded by praise and indulgence, all its whims were met. But its restless nature soon took over. Within a few days, it grew impatient and began to secretly express its desire to leave.
Still, since Sōjun Minamoto needed it to remain there, he never responded. With no choice, it stayed put.
Now that it was finally released, it didn't follow him back—it went even farther away. The nearby Fly Heads had already been eaten.
With its current Grade 1 strength, and by its own standards, it was more than capable of protecting itself. As long as it stayed cautious, it could practically move around without a care.
Sōjun Minamoto no longer concerned himself with it. Walking alone through Jujutsu High, he greeted the passing staff with a smile in response to their greetings.
No one would've guessed that this relaxed, easygoing man—seemingly no different than usual—had just pulled off something major. Something the narrow-minded sorcerers of the Jujutsu world would struggle to understand.
But to him, it was just going with the flow. Like heading to the cafeteria when hungry—it was that natural.
Back to normal life.
Sōjun Minamoto slipped back into his daily training routine. These habits were ingrained—if he skipped even a day, he'd feel off.
Truthfully, they no longer brought any major improvement. But habits were habits. Like refining Cursed Energy every morning—he still did it.
Even though there were now many other ways to obtain Cursed Energy, this method was slower and less efficient. Still, it served an emotional purpose.
He also kept up with Taijutsu practice every day…
At his current level, progress was subtle—almost nonexistent—but he never stopped. Keeping a good mood was more important than anything else.
That day, he was in the courtyard guiding a three-person team through a friendly spar.
Haibara's younger sister sat nearby.
While sparring, part of Sōjun Minamoto's mind was on her current condition.
She'd mostly recovered. Her technique had indeed suffered damage—a small part was missing, and now its activation was inconsistent.
Still, Yu Haibara didn't seem to mind. He protected her well and clearly didn't expect her to fight curses. As long as she could defend herself, that was enough.
But Sōjun Minamoto was different. He frequently encouraged her to use her technique.
He'd noticed that, with continued use, there were faint signs of the technique repairing itself. Even more interesting—this restoration appeared to be directional and subject to manipulation.
In other words, if the technique truly could be restored, it might evolve into something different than its original form. Whether it turned out better or worse, under his guidance, the outcome would be for the better.
At that thought, a faint smile tugged at his lips. A unique case like this held great research value. He was very interested.
"It's over."
Pulling his focus back, Sōjun Minamoto effortlessly chained a few fluid moves together, taking down all three who had rushed at him—one punch each.
They landed half-sprawled on the ground.
He'd used Cursed Energy at their level, no techniques—just Taijutsu. The three weren't limited in the same way.
Yet they still lost. They got back up, each with a different look on their face: Kento Nanami didn't care, looking like it was only natural; Yu Haibara quietly encouraged himself; and Riko Amanai… her face was full of frustration.
She'd lost again!
"When will I finally beat you!?" Riko Amanai shouted.
"Still a few hundred years too early," Sōjun Minamoto smiled at her.
"That's all for today."
The three visibly relaxed. Training with him was intense—even if they learned a lot, the pressure he exerted was no joke.
Painful, but satisfying.
After finishing the day's training, Riko Amanai stepped into the living room. The others followed and sat around the coffee table.
Sōjun Minamoto raised an eyebrow and walked in last—into his own dormitory.
He looked over at the one leading the group—Riko Amanai. His expression made it clear: "Something else?"
She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, half sprawled across the coffee table with her arms stretched out, palms flat, like she was in her own home. Her face was pressed against the table, and her voice came out muffled.
"I'm improving really slowly. I have barely any Cursed Energy, and I'm clumsy with techniques…"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm getting promoted to Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer." She propped her chin on her hands and looked up, following Sōjun Minamoto as he moved.
He brought over some tea, set it down for them, and sat across from her.
Her hands crept forward, reaching for the gold rings on his wrist—but he pulled back.
They weren't Cursed Tools, but something more like organs—linked to his evolutionary authority and built to improve adaptability. Similar to the head spike from his earlier flesh armor.
That, too, had fully fused with his body. These Mahoraga Rings probably would as well, eventually.
Sōjun Minamoto understood what she was getting at. She was reminding him to write her a recommendation.
"Already got the others?"
"Tsk…"
Riko clicked her tongue lightly, puffed out her cheeks, then gave a smug grin.
"Of course. I've got plenty of friends. Getting a few letters was a piece of cake."
She stopped eyeing the gold rings and locked eyes with him.
"Now I just need yours."
Sōjun Minamoto stood up, walked over to a drawer, and pulled out the recommendation letter he'd already prepared. He handed it to her.
Riko took it and opened it, glancing inside as she asked, "What about the other one?"
"There isn't another. A few days ago, Shiko was applying for Grade 1. I gave her the other spot," he said, shrugging.
Shiko Mishima had come to him not long ago to pursue her Grade 1 promotion. It was something he'd promised her earlier—he'd just been waiting for her to bring it up so he could follow through.
Their faction now held considerable influence at Jujutsu High. No one would dare make things difficult for Shiko Mishima. She'd thrown herself fully into improving her strength and, unexpectedly, had reached the required level quickly.
So he gave her the recommendation letter—and also prepared Riko Amanai's at the same time.
The three had been training under his watch the entire time. Their progress couldn't escape his eyes.
Only sorcerers ranked Grade 1 or higher could issue recommendations, and each was limited to two per year. This year, his quota was already used up.
Doing the math, he realized—he was going to come up short.
All three members of the team were looking to be promoted. Add Shiko Mishima, himself, Satoru Gojo, and Masamichi Yaga, and they'd need one more from Kyoto Campus.
That almost never happened at Jujutsu High. There were usually more recommendation spots than applicants—not the other way around.
Still, he was prepared. Looking to the other two, he said, "We're still one short. I'll ask Tsukumo for help."
Sōjun Minamoto wasn't too bothered. What did trouble him, though, was that the three had already met the standards he'd set for Grade 2. Their abilities were already top-tier—they could've been promoted long ago.
But recently, their growth had slowed significantly. It wasn't just them—the whole Jujutsu world was hitting a wall...
Even with his support, gaining strength was becoming harder and harder.
Sōjun Minamoto fell into thought.
Riko Amanai suddenly cheered, snapping him out of it.
"That means we can all get promoted together!"
Even Kento Nanami and the others, usually composed, showed rare signs of excitement.
Grade 2 was a milestone. It meant they could handle things on their own in the Jujutsu world.
The biggest shift? They wouldn't be treated as students anymore, and they could freely accept missions.
"We've been training all morning. Let's grab lunch together?" Riko Amanai suggested again.
Sōjun Minamoto glanced at the sky. It was about that time. The group packed up and headed for the cafeteria.
He closed the door behind him, but as they walked, he suddenly tripped—barely catching himself after stumbling a step.
Everyone turned in surprise. Sōjun Minamoto looked back in confusion. The ground was completely flat. Nothing there.
Did he really just trip on nothing?
With his level of bodily control, a fall like that shouldn't even be possible.
He grew more cautious and made it to the cafeteria without further issue.
They grabbed their food and sat down at the same table.
Riko Amanai pointed at his plate and burst out laughing.
"Pfft—your stir-fried pork with chili is just... all chili!"
Sōjun Minamoto had already noticed. His heart sank a little. This wasn't just a case of the lunch lady's usual habits.
Mid-meal, he suddenly stopped chewing.
"What's wrong?" Riko Amanai asked, puzzled.
"Nothing…"
…Just bit into a small rock.
He lifted his cup for water, took a sip—then coughed as it went down the wrong pipe.
Things didn't stop there.
A chair leg suddenly snapped under him. A puddle on the floor appeared just in time for him to step into. The faucet he used to rinse his tray inexplicably broke…
He managed to avoid disaster each time, but something wasn't right.
He'd always been confident in his bad luck.
But this wasn't about confidence anymore. This was…
Targeted, wasn't it?
The meal turned into a series of obstacles. After saying a few quick goodbyes, he made his way straight to the White Bone Tree and entered the Shrine Domain. His other clones began arriving one by one.
The same misfortunes had struck almost all his clones. Only the special one had been spared.
Sōjun Minamoto already had his answer.
So… it's finally begun.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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