The cursed body took three months to hatch.
On the surface, the Jujutsu world remained calm as always. With it being the off-season for curses, things seemed even more uneventful.
Peace was nice, but for some sorcerers, that peace felt like tasteless soup—life dulled into a stagnant pond with no change in sight...
In short, they wanted to stir things up.
Once again, they gathered in the Taiji Conference Room. This time, not many were present. The old man appeared, as did an unfamiliar, elderly principal, alongside representatives from the three major clans—and Masamichi Yaga.
Sōjun Minamoto was the last to arrive.
As he walked in, the others were in the midst of a mild argument.
They stopped when they saw him enter.
"What's going on?" he asked, though he already had a good idea. Within his field of vision, the group clearly split into three camps: Satoru Gojo and Masamichi Yaga; the old principal; and then the old man, Noriyuki Zenin, and the Kamo family.
A triangle—truly the most stable structure. The debate had been going on for a while, or rather, the disagreement was between Gojo and the old principal.
Yaga stood at the center of the dispute, while the rest maintained a neutral stance.
With Sōjun Minamoto's arrival, the number of people reached seven. A subtle shift in the room's atmosphere followed.
An aged voice spoke up. "There's been some disagreement about whether Masamichi Yaga meets the standards to be promoted to principal."
The old principal waved a hand, interrupting. "What disagreement?"
"Yaga performed well during his tenure as acting principal, but he also made some serious errors. For example, the Suguru Geto incident—there's still no resolution to that."
He turned his gaze to Sōjun Minamoto.
"There's also the matter of transferring critical items without authorization, lack of supervision, unauthorized intrusion into Jujutsu High by outsiders… the list goes on."
Then he paused.
What a load of nonsense. From the old principal's perspective, the acting principal existed solely to take the fall. Successes were thanks to his leadership; failures, all the acting principal's fault.
But in reality, these were his own failures.
The Suguru Geto incident had long been concluded, yet he was still using it against Yaga. Even earlier incidents involving multiple acting principals were now pinned on him.
It was no longer about fairness—it was straight-up deflection. They were talking about Masamichi Yaga, but the accusations pointed at Sōjun Minamoto too.
"In the end, Yaga-sensei was only a substitute," Gojo cut in. "And you—the actual principal—haven't shown your face at Jujutsu High in ages."
"The backlog was cleared, curse incidents in society were dealt with promptly, even the exchanges with the sister schools went smoothly…
Aren't all these your responsibilities?
It feels like Yaga-sensei's been cleaning up after you—and he's done a damn good job of it."
"What kind of talk is that? If you want to become principal, you need to have the awareness of one. How else can I confidently step down and hand over the title?"
The old principal scoffed.
"If I hadn't seen these good results, how could I believe that Masamichi Yaga is capable of leading Jujutsu High into the future?"
"If not for all the endorsements, he wouldn't have even made it this far. And even so, there's still something missing before he can officially step into the role..."
"Tch."
Gojo clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had no patience for this.
The old principal gave him a casual glance, sipped his tea, and looked smug. Young people really didn't know how to read between the lines. He had to spell everything out for them.
Dealing with the younger generation was always a chore. Like some clueless kid...
He set down his teacup, just about to continue—
"Oh?" Sōjun Minamoto suddenly let out a dry chuckle. He didn't bother arguing over the old principal's ridiculous points. Instead, he asked,
"Then what exactly is missing?"
"Sensei's performance during the acting period is plain for all to see. The sorcerer training rate at Jujutsu High has recently been excellent—no, far better than it used to be," he said calmly.
He never hesitated to call Masamichi Yaga "Sensei" in front of others. They were naturally on the same side, and it was clear the old principal had tried to shift the blame to Yaga.
Besides, they shared a closer bond—uncle and nephew.
He paused, lowered his gaze slightly toward the old principal, and repeated,
"What exactly do you think is lacking?"
Only one candidate had been nominated—Masamichi Yaga. That fact alone said a lot. Most people had likely assumed Yaga's appointment was a done deal. No one had expected the old principal to suddenly appear and throw a wrench into everything.
Sōjun Minamoto thought through the situation.
There were seven people in total. Three votes in favor. Three abstentions. But the old principal held significant sway—he could effectively cast two, maybe even three votes himself.
The others didn't want to offend him but also didn't want to go against him directly.
Yaga's election should've been set in stone. But unable to gauge the old principal's true intent, they chose to abstain.
But when the vote is framed as a yes-or-no choice, abstaining amounts to a no.
Even if Noriyuki Zenin stood up now and voted in favor, it would just lead to a tie—delaying the matter.
Then they'd have to bring in more people, dragging out the process again, opening it up to further complications.
Sōjun Minamoto found it troublesome. They'd already secured enough endorsements for Yaga. This move from the other side could only delay things, not actually stop them.
The old principal's sudden return to Jujutsu High likely wasn't just to make trouble for Masamichi Yaga.
He had another goal.
And sooner or later, he'd have to speak it aloud.
The old principal frowned, clearly displeased with Sōjun Minamoto's attitude. The boy hadn't even bothered with a respectful title. His discontent showed plainly on his face.
"I still have six months left in my term—plenty of time to assess the candidates properly," he said. "I've dedicated most of my life to Jujutsu High. I won't stand by and watch it decline. We need the most suitable person for the job."
He turned to Masamichi Yaga.
"But... if Yaga can make further contributions to the Jujutsu world, prove his worth, I'd have good reason to recommend him."
His gaze shifted.
"For example, by handing over the complete method for creating fully autonomous Cursed Corpses."
Then, turning to Sōjun Minamoto, he added, "Or you could help the Jujutsu Headquarters with a few tasks."
No pretense left.
It was never about the Jujutsu world, never about the department—it was about him.
His ambitions couldn't be clearer. String the events together, and his true motives were plain as day.
Ever since he started making frequent visits to the Jujutsu Headquarters—and hadn't even shown up to meet Sōjun Minamoto after his arrival—it was obvious his heart wasn't in the school anymore. All he cared about was climbing higher.
Those two so-called proposals? Sure, the department might've had similar interests, but not with this level of shamelessness.
He was just looking to steal some credit, ride the success, and use it to push himself up.
People like him—shameless opportunists—always seemed to find a way to rise.
"Contribute to the Jujutsu world? More like contribute to you," Sōjun Minamoto said coolly.
The room fell silent. Everyone knew, but no one had dared to say it out loud.
The old principal sighed internally. Still too young. Too blunt.
He opened his mouth to respond, but Sōjun Minamoto cut in again.
"Sure. I'll think about it."
The old principal's expression lit up. Even if he didn't get both demands fulfilled—and he had preferred the first—having a Special Grade like Sōjun Minamoto on board was still a major win.
"Good. Take your time to think it over. Then let's adjourn for today. Hopefully, Yaga can become principal soon."
The group began to disperse.
This was why the meeting had been kept small. Some things weren't meant for too many ears—not if they wanted to preserve the noble image of the Higher-Ups.
Soon, only the old principal and the old man remained.
As the old man passed him on his way out, he muttered,
"Disgraceful."
"What do you know?" the old principal scoffed. "When an opportunity shows up, you grab it. Who cares about appearances? Power's what matters."
The old man flicked his cane, tapping it lightly against the principal's throat before lowering it again.
"Just a reminder. That's not what Special Grade means."
Only then did the old principal take a slow half-step back, watching the other man walk away at an unhurried pace.
"Tch. I used to be stronger than you. Now I've surpassed you in power too. So what if you scored one cheap shot? You're still beneath me."
"They're just two brats. What, are you scared? Special Grade? Can that stand against the entire Jujutsu world...?"
His scowl vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Calm returned to his face.
He wasn't alone, after all. He'd brought along a few young sorcerers—unranked, but roughly Grade 1 in strength. Conveniently, the same level as the "kids."
...
Sōjun Minamoto walked out of the Taiji Conference Room alongside Masamichi Yaga and Satoru Gojo.
Even though the words behind him were whispered, he heard them clearly.
He glanced at the two beside him, folded his arms behind his head, and looked up at the ceiling as he strolled along, casual and unbothered.
It wasn't a good time to act. He quietly restrained his cursed energy.
Forget it. Let it go... for now.
...
BOOM!
A burst of black light blanketed the sky above Jujutsu High. The group hadn't even gotten far.
The rumble spread slowly, and by the time it reached them, the once-bright sky had dimmed into twilight.
They looked up—and everyone's expressions shifted. Sōjun Minamoto's changed as well as they regrouped.
A small Cursed Spirit stood atop the school's barrier. Its face resembled a starry sky, and its aura was strange—evoking unease, anger, sorrow...
But most striking of all, beside the sun, a second sun had appeared in the sky—black, its surface swirling with gathering cursed light, growing darker and deeper by the second.
The cursed energy oozed like tar, snuffing out the real sun's glow.
Suddenly, a black pillar of light shot downward, striking the barrier. The invisible shield let out a sharp crackling sound.
Then a second beam followed, and the barrier groaned like shattering glass.
It was on the brink.
A third black beam came crashing down. The barrier shattered—and the blast hit the old principal directly.
He vanished instantly, leaving only a frozen expression of terror.
He was gone.
No one had time to react. From the moment they regrouped to the moment the old principal was erased, only seconds had passed.
Sōjun Minamoto snapped his fingers at last, activating his cursed energy. The barrier reformed just in time to absorb the fourth beam.
The small Cursed Spirit glanced down at them, then shot skyward, ascending rapidly until it disappeared beyond sight.
Gojo watched its ascent until it exceeded even the range of the Six Eyes. His last glimpse still pointed skyward. Thoughtfully, he turned to Sōjun Minamoto.
Too convenient.
The others looked at him too.
"What are you staring at me for? I didn't have time to react either. That wasn't your average curse,"
He grinned.
"But hey—what a perfect death."
Their eyes lingered, uncertain. They had suspicions, sure. But no proof.
And even if there was, who was going to speak up for a dead man?
"Alright, move along. The barrier will be operating at reinforced strength for a while. No need to worry."
Sōjun Minamoto shook his head internally. No doubt the surveillance on him would be ramped up now—but it didn't matter. What Cursed Spirits did had nothing to do with him.
His human role had little left to do. Keeping things stable worked in his favor. Going forward, it would be the cursed side taking the spotlight.
He turned to leave.
"Wait—"
"Let's go together."
Masamichi Yaga and Satoru Gojo called out to him in unison.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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