“All right, you’ve even mastered several variations of the Curtain now.
How should I put this?
Saying you lack talent would obviously be a lie…
Seriously, how do you learn everything so fast?”
A few days later, on the training ground bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Utahime Iori watched her junior retract the irregularly shaped Curtain.
Even though she had long since realized just how terrifying his ability to learn was, she still couldn’t help complaining in exasperation.
After several days of training, Tōru Azuma had indeed mastered the use of the Curtain.
Not only could he maintain one steadily, he had even started altering its shape and expanding its range.
The largest one they had tested so far covered a distance of five hundred meters, and even then, he hadn’t felt that it was difficult to control or maintain.
That only convinced Utahime Iori even more that he was a monster.
“That’s only because you taught me so well, senpai.
If you hadn’t been guiding me, I probably would’ve taken plenty of wrong turns.”
Despite her praise, Tōru Azuma showed no pride whatsoever and remained remarkably modest, which only left the girl feeling even more frustrated and helpless.
Was she really that good at teaching?
Maybe that was part of it.
After all, aside from Cursed Techniques, Barrier Techniques were the one thing she could actually claim to be good at.
But at this point, his progress clearly had very little to do with her teaching ability.
Still, she understood that her junior was probably saying it so she wouldn’t lose confidence, so she sighed helplessly.
“Fine, you can keep saying that if you want.
Anyway, now that you’ve mastered the Curtain, we can officially begin your Barrier Techniques training afterward.”
At the mention of that, Tōru Azuma became more serious.
“Then should we start tomorrow?”
In his plans, many of the changes he wanted to make in the future were closely connected to Barrier Techniques.
He could, of course, tell Utahime some of his ideas and possible directions and have her research them in his place.
But this was his own responsibility.
He couldn’t stand on the sidelines and simply make someone else do all the work and bear all the responsibility.
For one thing, that would make the results unpredictable.
He might not even be able to tell whether the direction he had chosen was right.
For another, it went against his personal philosophy.
So he needed to seriously study and understand Barrier Techniques himself.
Utahime, however, didn’t eagerly agree.
Instead, she suddenly fell silent.
Under his questioning gaze, she hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.
“That probably won’t be possible for a while.
Do you remember what Yaga-sensei said before about rotating supervisors?”
At that, Tōru Azuma nodded.
A guess immediately formed in his mind, and what came next was exactly what he had expected.
“Mei Mei, my classmate, will be returning to the school tomorrow.
At the same time, I’m starting a mission tomorrow that’ll last several days.
I actually have to leave in a little while.”
Halfway through, she gave him a complicated look. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
“So our lessons will probably have to be put on hold for a while.
Mei Mei will be teaching you next.”
Seeing the faint disappointment on her face, Tōru Azuma was about to speak when she continued.
“But maybe that’s for the best.
I’ve never been particularly good at fighting anyway.
All I’ve been able to teach you lately are things like the basics and Barrier Techniques.
You’re probably tired of learning that stuff by now.
You don’t really need me anymore, right?”
Watching Utahime turn her face away as she spoke, he knew his senpai had fallen back into that familiar spiral of self-doubt.
After all, she had once spoken enviously about how strong Mei Mei was and how completely different the two of them were.
Tōru Azuma sighed.
“Senpai, haven’t I already told you that you need to have more confidence in yourself?”
Looking at her averted face, he spoke without putting any pressure on her, simply stating what he believed.
“Mei Mei-senpai might indeed be very strong, but I don’t think she would teach me how to control and use Cursed Energy from the very basics, step by step, patiently letting me try again and again.
I don’t think she’d stand up for me when someone looked down on me, either.”
Remembering what had happened before, he smiled and spoke with complete sincerity.
“To me, senpai, you’ll never be someone I can just discard once you’ve finished being useful to me.”
“Whether it’s Mei Mei-senpai or anyone else I meet in the future, I’ll always remember the time we spent together.”
“No one else will ever be able to take your place.”
By the time he finished, Utahime Iori’s ears were visibly turning red.
Touched and embarrassed at the same time, she whipped around and glared at him, her words coming out flustered and irritated.
“Y-You’re saying weird things again!
How long are you planning to keep teasing your senpai like this?!”
“I’m only telling the truth~”
Seeing how utterly sincere he looked, as though he genuinely hadn’t said a single false word, the girl’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
On the surface, however, she merely gave an annoyed snort.
“Fine, let’s just say you’re telling the truth.
But what I said earlier wasn’t entirely empty talk either.”
“Mei Mei really is better at fighting than I am, especially when it comes to close combat and using weapons.
Make sure you learn as much as you can from her while I’m gone.”
Then she deliberately emphasized her next words.
“Don’t let me come back only to hear from her that you’ve been slacking off!
If that happens, you’ll be making me look bad.
And don’t blame me for what happens afterward!”
Tōru Azuma was rather curious what exactly she meant by that threat, but he simply nodded.
“Don’t worry, senpai.”
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he added,
“By the way, could you bring me back a souvenir or some local specialty when you return?”
Utahime Iori gave him an exasperated look.
“I’m going on a mission, not a vacation.
Why would I be bringing back souvenirs or local specialties?”
She gave another little huff and turned her head away.
“We’ll see.
I’m leaving now.
Remember what we agreed on before, okay?”
“Okay.”
Tōru Azuma watched Utahime Iori turn and leave, gradually disappearing beyond the training ground.
He didn’t head back immediately.
Instead, he sat down on a nearby bench and began thinking about what would come next.
Starting tomorrow, Mei Mei would be the one supervising him and teaching him the basics.
Compared to Utahime, Mei Mei’s personality wasn’t nearly as obvious or easy to analyze.
From the original story, all he really knew was that she valued money and efficiency above everything else.
But no one had ever explained why she had become that way or what had shaped her into such a person.
He had made some guesses and thought about it before, but none of those guesses could be treated as actual evidence.
So he might need to change the way he interacted with her.
There was one thing he could be certain of, though.
Mei Mei would never arrive early at the training ground and wait for him the way Utahime did.
She was the kind of person who started work exactly on time, finished exactly on time, and refused to waste even the smallest fraction of her time.
As it turned out, he was right.
The next morning, Tōru Azuma arrived at the training ground several dozen minutes early.
He went through a few sets of warm-up exercises, then practiced several rounds of Cursed Energy control.
Only when the clock struck exactly eight did a figure slowly enter the training ground.
She was tall and slender, dressed in a sharply tailored black uniform.
Unlike the curtain-like hairstyle that many people would criticize her for in the future, her bangs were currently parted, revealing a little of her forehead.
Her hair, white with the faintest bluish sheen, was tied into a high ponytail behind her head.
Unlike Utahime’s still youthful and pretty features, Mei Mei already looked quite similar to her future self, mature and strikingly beautiful.
What stood out most, however, was the instinctive distance and scrutiny in her eyes.
Then came her voice, cool yet elegant.
“Tōru Azuma?”
“Yes.”
Tōru Azuma gave a simple reply and said nothing else.
As expected, Mei Mei nodded at his reaction.
After looking him up and down for a moment, she slowly spoke.
“My name is Mei Mei.
I’m a second-year student at Jujutsu High, and I’ll be your supervisor and instructor for the next few days.
Utahime and Yaga-sensei have already told me about the progress of your training.”
She paused, a flicker of curiosity appearing in her eyes.
“You’ve been progressing very quickly, so I think we can skip the unnecessary basic instruction and let you start experiencing something more substantial.”
Something more substantial?
Perhaps realizing what he was wondering, Mei Mei nodded, then pointed toward another exit from the training ground, the one leading toward the mountain behind Jujutsu High.
“Next, you’re going to fight Cursed Spirits directly.”