Tōru Azuma didn’t need to hesitate or think about this question at all.
His answer was exactly the same as when Masamichi Yaga had asked him before.
For the sake of the characters he loved and the stories he wanted to change, and to avoid that nightmare and the inevitable end awaiting him, there was only one answer he could give.
“I’m willing.”
After saying those words, he stopped paying much attention to what was happening in the room.
It wasn’t because the phrase sounded suspiciously like some kind of vow made during a strange ceremony and left him feeling embarrassed.
Though, admittedly…
that was part of it.
The main reason was that he had already said almost everything he could say.
Right now, his fate was entirely in someone else’s hands.
There was nothing more he could do except wait for the result.
This time, the middle-aged man in the corner barely needed any time before nodding toward the elderly man seated at the head of the room.
Silence descended over the room once again.
Tōru Azuma might not have understood what it meant, but everyone else knew exactly what those three exchanged glances and three nods signified.
The old man at the head of the room also fell silent.
His fingertips tapped against the tabletop again and again, as though the repetitive motion helped him concentrate while he considered something important.
After a little over ten seconds, he stopped and looked at the boy standing before him.
“We have your answers.
Please step outside for a while.
We need to discuss how you should be handled and what arrangements will be made for you.
And remember, don’t even think about running.”
Tōru Azuma paused and instinctively glanced toward Masamichi Yaga.
After receiving a subtle signal from him, Tōru Azuma suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, nodded, opened the door, and stepped outside.
The moment the door closed behind him, the silence inside the room vanished.
An elderly voice immediately rang out from behind the long table on the left.
“So all three?
All three answers were truthful?”
The speaker sat near the center of the left-hand table.
The family crest on the back of his kimono depicted a coiling serpent.
His voice wasn’t loud, yet everyone in the room could hear him clearly.
“An ordinary person of unknown origin possesses an enormous amount of Cursed Energy and even managed to unleash Black Flash in his very first battle.
He isn’t a Curse User, he isn’t a spy planted by an outside faction, and he genuinely wants to join us.
Do you really think that’s believable?”
The slightly plump old man seated opposite him gave a cold snort.
“What?
Are you questioning the True Word Scroll?”
I’m saying that if there’s nothing wrong with the scroll, then the problem must be with that boy!”
The serpent-crested elder’s tone remained unchanged, but the plump old man across from him seemed determined to argue the point.
“You’ve covered every possibility yourself.
The scroll is fine, and the boy is fine.
So what exactly is supposed to be wrong?”
“You…”
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, a middle-aged man seated at the far end of the left table quickly interjected, though his own tone was somewhat complicated.
“All right, that’s enough.
There’s no need to argue.
This situation is certainly strange, but I’m sure the principal had his reasons.
After all, that third question wasn’t as simple as it sounded, was it?”
At those words, everyone who had either been watching the argument or lost in thought turned toward the elderly man seated at the head of the room.
The old man opened his eyes.
He had kept them closed ever since Tōru Azuma left.
“That’s correct.
Compared to the first two questions, the third was more of a trap.”
Relieved that he had managed to prevent an argument, the middle-aged man continued.
“Would you mind explaining?
I honestly can’t see what was wrong with the question.”
“I asked whether he was willing to join Jujutsu High.
There are three possible outcomes based on what he says and what he truly feels.”
“The first two are saying yes while actually being unwilling, or saying no while actually wanting to join.”
After a brief pause, the old man continued.
“I group those two together because either one would mean he was hiding something from us.
Otherwise, he could simply answer yes or no and mean it.”
Several of the slower people in the room clicked their tongues once they understood the deeper implication behind the question.
Even the middle-aged man who had asked for an explanation seemed to have overlooked that point.
Surprise crossed his face before he asked uncertainly.
“Then what if he says he doesn’t want to join and genuinely means it?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the elderly man at the head of the room fixed him with a cold, stern gaze.
His voice carried a trace of ruthlessness.
“He possesses an enormous amount of Cursed Energy, his origins are unknown, and he refuses to accept supervision.
What options would he have besides being sealed away or executed?”
The room fell silent.
By now, everyone understood.
The question might have sounded lenient, but the moment it was asked, the boy had only two paths left.
Join Jujutsu High, or accept whatever fate they chose for him.
After a moment, someone finally broke the silence. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“So, have you made your decision?”
The middle-aged man who had previously remained hidden in the corner now stood up.
His complexion was noticeably pale, as though he had just endured some tremendous strain.
He had already put away the True Word Scroll and now took the vacant seat to the right of the old man at the head.
“All three questions have been asked, and we have our answers.
Are you going to make use of him, or dispose of him immediately?”
The elderly man at the head stared at the wooden door for more than ten seconds before finally speaking.
“Observe him for now.
Create an identity for him and allow him to enroll.
Then assign someone to supervise him and report his condition to us regularly.”
The serpent-crested elder on the left frowned.
“That’s it?”
“Since he passed the test, he deserves one chance.
Besides…
hasn’t there always been a saying that the strength of Jujutsu Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits remains in balance?
Perhaps one day, he’ll become a very useful blade.”
Once the old man delivered his final decision, the people seated behind the two long tables stopped talking.
It was as though they had all silently accepted his judgment.
The serpent-crested elder still seemed to have something to say, but after thinking of something, he swallowed his words.
Seeing that no one objected, the elderly man at the head turned toward the people standing beside the wall.
“Yaga.”
Masamichi Yaga had remained silent the entire time.
Only when his name was called did he step forward.
“Yes.”
“You heard everything that was just discussed.
I’ll leave Tōru Azuma’s supervision arrangements, including who will be responsible for him, to you.
Once you’ve decided on a plan, report it to me.”
Masamichi Yaga nodded without any change in expression and offered no unnecessary words.
The old man withdrew his gaze and rested his hands in front of himself again.
“Go.”
Masamichi Yaga nodded once more, turned around, opened the wooden door, and left the suffocating Japanese-style room.
When he saw Tōru Azuma waiting beside the door and Utahime Iori standing a short distance away watching them, he thought for a moment before speaking.
“You two, follow me.”
As Masamichi Yaga immediately turned and walked away, most of the tension in Tōru Azuma’s heart finally eased.
If they had decided to execute or seal him away, there definitely wouldn’t have been only one person coming out to deal with him.
It seemed he had passed this hurdle, at least for now.
Thinking that, Tōru Azuma followed Masamichi Yaga.
Utahime Iori hesitated briefly before following as well.