College Dormitory.
In a spacious room, Hatoyama Tsukasa, fully armed with a broom, was happily cleaning the doghouse where he would live for the next three years.
You could hardly imagine how ridiculous it looked for someone so noble and composed to be doing housework.
After much effort, the once-dusty room was completely renewed. The breeze blowing in from outside smelled so fresh.
"I love you, Mom. I'll call you again tonight to let you know I'm safe. I hope you won't blame your son for leaving without saying goodbye."
"Mwah~"
Hatoyama Tsukasa kissed the photo of his mother tenderly, then carefully placed it next to his bed, afraid it might get damaged by accident.
As for the photo of his father, he simply stuffed it under his pillow—using the image of his stern, yet powerless, father to ward off evil spirits.
This obvious favoritism made the bun-haired boy who had just knocked on the door stop in his tracks. A doubtful idea formed in his mind.
Could this new student be... a mama's boy?
While sorting through his daily necessities, Hatoyama paused, sensing something. He turned and made eye contact with the bun-haired... delinquent-looking boy outside the door.
Seeing each other—with the cross pendants and earbuds—they both hesitated for a second, thoughts swirling in their heads:
Is he... a bad person?
But Hatoyama soon dismissed the idea. The person outside the door was none other than Suguru Geto—a character doomed to tragedy.
He'd been killed by his best friend in life, and after death, his body was occupied by a cursed spirit. If this were a romance novel, he'd be the miserable supporting character.
"Do you... want to come in and sit?"
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hatoyama took the initiative to break the ice.
Geto's mind worked quickly. In the end, he bowed slightly, apologized for disturbing him, took off his shoes, and stepped inside.
But as he approached Hatoyama, the cursed spirit within him trembled violently, as if facing its natural predator.
How is this possible?
Suguru Geto was deeply shocked. He quickly suppressed the cursed spirit using his cursed energy and looked seriously at the bad boy squatting nearby.
From the countryside to the city, never once had the cursed spirit reacted like this. This suffocating fear from deep within its soul was unprecedented.
As expected, Jujutsu High is full of hidden talents!
If this boy in front of him already felt this threatening, then the remaining two classmates must also be troublesome.
Hatoyama, confused, stared back at Geto's serious expression.
Did I offend him somehow?
Could it be... that Geto is hungry and came to visit for food, but he's too proud to say so, so he's just staring?
Yes, that must be it!
Hatoyama found this reasoning plausible. He put down the Cleaning brush and hurriedly pulled out a bunch of snacks his mom had packed.
He divided them in half, then handed one portion to Geto.
Unexpectedly, Geto suddenly took a step back, raising his hands defensively.
Hatoyama stood frozen, then awkwardly said, "I just wanted to share some snacks. No need to get so excited."
He shook the snacks in his hand, worried Geto had misunderstood.
"I see..."
Geto awkwardly lowered his arms and—ashamed—quickly left the room, grabbing his shoes on the way out.
Hatoyama stared at the now-empty room until the loud slam of the neighboring door snapped him out of it.
He smiled to himself, bewildered.
He hadn't expected Geto Suguru—so different from his manga counterpart who kept calling people monkeys—to be this awkward.
The current timeline was Gojo Satoru's high school era—thirteen years before the main story begins.
Now, Gojo and Geto were both fifteen, just like him, freshmen at Jujutsu High.
That night, in the first-year classroom.
Hatoyama slowly pushed open the classroom door. Despite its size, there were only four desks inside. The sight left a lonely impression.
But he didn't mind. He chose a seat by the window, rested his pale cheek on his palm, and opened his system panel.
The panel was simple—completely red, like a floating tablet.
[Name: Hatoyama Tsukasa]
[Gender: Look down at yourself]
[Age: 15]
[Cursed Energy: One Tailed Beast]
[Technique: Void of the Great Snake - Orochi (with side effects)]
[Domain: Unknown]
[Special Ability: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]
[Special Item: Hōgyoku (No Autonomous Consciousness)]
[Abilities: Close Combat (Superb), Blade Mastery (Superb),... way too many to be here]
Hatoyama scanned the information, nodding in satisfaction. His strength, as shown on the panel, had clearly reached the top.
A unique dual-special grade sorcerer—the first in history.
In truth, the Orochi's "Void" wasn't a natural technique, but a system transplant that engraved the ability into his flesh.
The former user of this ability was none other than Orochi—the King of Fighters' ancient god born of the Earth's will.
Any KOF fan knows how broken Orochi's abilities were. That rebound shield alone could make opponents rage quit.
But great power often came at a cost.
Maybe it was because the snake had been sealed too long, but its cursed energy was like poison, making him fall into deep monthly sleeps.
As a child, this scared his parents half to death. But hospital tests showed nothing.
Over time, people believed it was an ancestral spirit blessing the family—bringing prosperity through divine slumber.
Thankfully, the Hōgyoku mitigated the side effects. The once month-long comas had now shortened to half a month.
Speaking of the Hōgyoku, it deserved its own chapter.
It provided him with endless cursed energy, refining and evolving constantly like a cheat code.
The abilities shown in his panel were all crafted to fit this world's rules. For instance, the Lushan Rising Dragon Tyrant originally required "cosmic power," but here it drew from cursed energy and martial will.
And immortality—both body and soul—was just one of its many overpowered features.
In late-game scenarios, even Ryomen Sukuna's Spatial Slash wouldn't kill him. That's how busted the Hōgyoku was.
Just as Hatoyama sank deep into his thoughts, a girl walked into the classroom.
She wore a standard JK uniform for tech colleges and had a cigarette lazily dangling from her lips.
Her expression was dull. She sat at a desk near the door and slumped forward, tapping away on her old cell phone.
The click-clack of her fingers filled the quiet room—evidently chatting with someone.
Then, Geto Suguru entered, wearing a perfect honor student smile and holding two bottles of soda.
When he saw Hatoyama leaning by the window, dazed, he twitched slightly.
The awkward events from earlier played back in his head like a cursed flashback.
Trying to suppress his irritation, Geto quickly turned his eyes away.
But just as he did, his gaze landed on the girl smoking in the corner. His forced smile twitched again.
Compared to the mama's boy with a cross, this girl looked more like a delinquent.
Noticing Geto's glance, the girl raised her head.
She saw a strange-looking fringe, then earbuds, and finally a twitching handsome face.
Ieiri Shoko pulled the cigarette from her lips and gave a lazy nod toward the odd new student.
Then she slumped back down, returning her attention to her phone.
Geto didn't react further. From his cursed energy perception, he could tell she was weak—couldn't even beat a Grade 4 Cursed Spirit.
This delinquent girl... is very weak.
Though he always wore a gentle smile, Geto Suguru was prideful and firm in his belief:
I'm not weaker than anyone.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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Please comment if there is any problem with the chapter.