“Oh?
Everyone seems unusually hardworking today.”
Gojo arrived at the training grounds and, seeing everyone sprawled out on the ground in utter exhaustion, completely devoid of any dignity, remarked with some surprise.
At this point, aside from Gojo, the only ones still standing on the field were Ritsuka and Jalter at her side.
Nobara replied weakly, “‘Hardworking’ doesn’t even cover it.
Today’s training volume went way over the limit.
All I want to do now is rest.”
The others nodded wordlessly in fervent agreement.
Ritsuka truly hadn’t lied.
The three shikigami—Spirit Origin Shadows—she had summoned made for unbelievably effective training partners.
Too effective!
Those three were not only each extraordinarily powerful, but also profoundly skilled in the art of training.
When sparring, they exuded an overwhelming pressure that screamed, “I won’t stop until every last drop of your potential has been wrung dry.” Time and again, they pushed everyone to their absolute limits—yet always without breaking them.
It was practically Spartan training!
Which only made sense, since one of the people training them was none other than Leonidas I, the King of Sparta himself.
Of course, for all the exhaustion, the results were undeniable.
After just a single session, everyone could tangibly feel the immense growth they’d gained from being driven to their limits over and over again.
So it was very much a case of pain mixed with pleasure.
On the other side, seeing the field strewn with groaning bodies, Ritsuka averted her gaze and did her best to look innocent.
Scáthach, Li Shuwen, and Leonidas I were all renowned for their strictness in training.
Although she had only summoned their Spirit Origin Shadows, their bone-deep insistence on the highest standards and harshest demands came through all the same.
For the Jujutsu High students experiencing this kind of training for the first time, it was indeed rather brutal.
Still, they had performed impressively well.
She, for one, had been trained to the point of wishing for death back then—to the extent that even her nightmares at night were about more training.
And now?
She’d gotten used to it.
Truly, the human capacity for adaptation was terrifying.
“In that case, you all rest up nicely.
I won’t disturb you any further.”
“Ritsuka, I’ll be borrowing you for a bit~”
“Huh?”
Hearing her name, Ritsuka looked toward Gojo in puzzlement.
The others also glanced over curiously.
“Gojo-sensei, did you need me for something?”
“Of course.
And it’s an important milestone that every Jujutsu High student must go through.”
Gojo drew out the suspense with a mysterious air, then grinned.
“A mission, of course!
A mission!”
“So, Ritsuka, this is your very first official assignment as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Feeling nervous?
Excited?”
“I wouldn’t say nervous,” Ritsuka replied, “but I am a little curious.”
Hearing that it was about taking Ritsuka out on a mission, everyone else peacefully lay back down.
For a novice sorcerer, the first mission was always the most dangerous.
Beyond raw strength, there were a host of other challenges—experience, mental fortitude, and so on.
Only after overcoming those hurdles could one truly be called a proper jujutsu sorcerer.
But since it was Ritsuka, there wasn’t much need for worry.
Having already witnessed her capabilities, no one was the least bit concerned for her safety.
If anything, the cursed spirits on the other end were the ones who should be worried.
The only thing worth paying attention to was probably the mental aspect.
But that was something Ritsuka would have to handle on her own.
There was little they could do to help.
Nobara lifted her right hand with great effort and gave her a small wave.
“Knock ’em dead!”
“Yeah, I will!”
In the car, Gojo and Ritsuka sat together in the back seat.
The driver was a man named Ijichi Kiyotaka, an auxiliary manager at Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.
He was a somewhat gaunt middle-aged man, the very picture of a standard corporate drone.
Auxiliary managers generally had no combat ability and were, as a rule, prohibited from participating in battle.
They typically provided support to sorcerers using simple barrier techniques like “Curtain” and shikigami, or handled miscellaneous affairs.
At the moment, he was driving them toward the destination of the current mission.
Jalter remained in spirit form at Ritsuka’s side, as Gojo had instructed that, aside from the Jujutsu High students, they should keep the existence of the Servants hidden from others for now, to avoid unnecessary complications.
Although Ijichi was an auxiliary manager for the college, he wasn’t fully on Gojo’s side.
Best to keep some secrets in front of him.
“You’re getting along with them pretty well, Ritsuka.
I didn’t expect you to be so adaptable,” Gojo remarked, making idle conversation.
“Well, adaptability is one of the few things I can actually take pride in,” Ritsuka replied with a smile.
“Besides, they’re all good people, so getting along is easy.”
“Hmmm, I won’t deny the ‘good people’ part.
But personality-wise, they’re all a bunch of problem children, aren’t they?”
Gojo teased.
“The fact that you can blend in so quickly with a group of problem children like that…
Ritsuka blinked in surprise.
“Eh?
Why does it lean in that direction?
Normally, you’d think it means I’m just good with people, right?”
“Because all jujutsu sorcerers are lunatics.
Being abnormal is normal here.
Haha!”
“But isn’t that a bit too extreme?
When it comes down to it, who gets to decide what’s normal and what’s abnormal?
Everyone has their own ideas about that.”
“Fair point.”
After chatting for a while, Gojo got down to business.
“This is your first mission, but I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I won’t be able to accompany you this time.
Sorry about that.”
“Still, with your abilities, there’s nothing to worry about.”
At this, his tone turned easygoing again.
“Of course, even though I can’t join you, I’ve called in a trustworthy junior to show you the ropes.
He’s also got a mysterious partner around your grade with him.
Look forward to it!”
He said to look forward to it, but after hearing his description, Ritsuka had already pretty much guessed what was coming.
“Gojo-san, we’ve arrived at the destination.”
A short while later, the car pulled to a stop.
Across from the car window, waves of people surged back and forth along the sidewalk.
And within that ceaseless, flowing tide of humanity, two figures stood waiting quietly by the roadside, looking somewhat out of place.
One was a blond middle-aged man in a white suit, wearing an odd pair of glasses.
He had a sharp, capable air about him, like a societal elite.
The other was a young man in a Jujutsu High uniform, sporting a spiky pink hairstyle.
He looked to be around her age.
Gojo rolled down the window and waved cheerfully at the pair.
“Oi, over here!”
“Gojo-sensei!”
Seeing Gojo, the pink-haired boy happily jogged over in greeting.
The blond middle-aged man also made his way over at a more measured pace.
Ritsuka followed Gojo out of the car and stood at his side, sizing up the two before her.
Gojo introduced them with great enthusiasm.
“This here is Fujimaru Ritsuka, first-year student at Jujutsu High, out on her very first mission.”
“And over here, we have Grade 1 sorcerer Nanami Kento, along with your fellow first-year Itadori Yuji.”
“I’ll be leaving this mission in your hands~!”