Once they were far enough away from the Japanese-style room, Masamichi Yaga’s shoulders visibly relaxed.
Noticing this, Tōru Azuma couldn’t help but wonder what had happened after he left and what Jujutsu High had ultimately decided to do with him.
He instinctively opened his mouth to ask.
But when he realized they were still in the hallway, he stopped himself.
Knowing Masamichi Yaga’s personality, there was no way he would discuss something this serious out in the open.
The man might have a gentle side hidden beneath his intimidating appearance, but when it came to official matters, he always kept things strictly professional.
Besides, they seemed to be heading toward his office anyway, so Tōru Azuma would get his answer soon enough.
With that thought, he stopped worrying about it.
Utahime Iori, however, kept glancing back and forth between the two of them, looking as though she wanted to ask something but couldn’t quite bring herself to speak.
And so, the three of them returned to the office.
Just as Tōru Azuma had expected, the moment Masamichi Yaga sat down, he got straight to the point.
“Tōru Azuma, Jujutsu High has decided how to handle your situation.”
Tōru Azuma immediately tensed.
“For the next few months, you’ll be classified as a Probationary Observation Student.
Jujutsu High will evaluate you during that period.
If you pass the evaluation, you’ll be formally enrolled and become a student of Jujutsu High.”
“Once the school confirms that there are no problems with you and that you’re capable of handling yourself independently, you’ll be allowed to become a fully independent Jujutsu Sorcerer.”
It was more or less the answer Tōru Azuma had expected, but hearing it confirmed still made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Utahime Iori also seemed to relax somewhat.
Watching their reactions, Masamichi Yaga considered something to himself and became even more certain about his choice of candidate for a certain arrangement.
His explanation, however, continued without pause.
“Of course, since you’ll be under observation during this period, your movements will generally be restricted to the Jujutsu High grounds.
A designated person will supervise and accompany you.”
“Even if special circumstances require you to leave the school, that person will remain with you.”
Tōru Azuma didn’t mind that very much.
The outside world was dangerous enough as it was.
Until he gained enough strength to protect himself, he had no intention of leaving Jujutsu High anyway.
And if he really did need to go out, having a supervisor beside him might actually provide an extra layer of protection.
Compared to being executed or spending the rest of his life locked in some moldy basement without ever seeing daylight, this restriction was already more than acceptable.
Masamichi Yaga’s next sentence, however, made his expression stiffen slightly.
“Utahime, you’ll be his supervisor for the time being.”
“Huh?
Me?”
Utahime Iori stared at him in confusion.
She had never imagined that the responsibility would fall to her.
Masamichi Yaga simply nodded.
“Yes.
You.”
“Wait, Yaga-sensei, why me?
If I’m his supervisor, doesn’t that mean I’ll barely be able to leave Jujutsu High?
How am I supposed to complete the missions required by the school?”
Jujutsu High does require students to complete a certain number of missions, but serving as a supervisor is itself considered a mission.”
“If you later have to leave for some special assignment, someone else will rotate in and take your place.”
“That’s a relief.”
Utahime Iori relaxed after hearing that, but then seemed to remember something and asked in confusion.
“But as far as I remember, all the senpai are busy with various things right now.
Who’s going to rotate with me?”
Tōru Azuma was curious as well.
After all, the Hidden Inventory arc of the original story had only shown information about Satoru Gojo’s group and the students who came after them.
Almost everything before that was a complete blank.
The only thing he knew for certain was that Utahime Iori was Satoru Gojo’s senpai.
As for the other one…
Wait.
Could it be?
“The other person is Mei Mei.
She’s currently away on a mission and won’t be able to return for a few days, so you’ll handle things by yourself for now.
Once she comes back, the two of you will officially begin rotating.”
Tōru Azuma’s eyebrow twitched slightly as a certain figure came to mind.
Utahime Iori, meanwhile, looked visibly relieved.
Being someone’s supervisor sounded exhausting.
There was no way she could handle it alone for several months straight, so having someone reliable to rotate with was a welcome arrangement.
Mei Mei was from the same class as her, and the two were quite close.
She was also extremely capable.
Aside from being rather obsessed with money, she had almost no particularly obvious flaws.
But before Utahime could enjoy her relief for long, Masamichi Yaga continued.
“However, in addition to supervising him, you’ll also be responsible for teaching him some basic knowledge, including Cursed Energy control, general Jujutsu knowledge, and Taijutsu training.”
Utahime frowned again.
“Wait.
I can understand teaching him Cursed Energy control and Taijutsu, but why do I have to specifically teach him general Jujutsu knowledge?
Won’t he learn all that after he officially enrolls?”
She paused, then added.
“Can’t he just learn those things in class?”
Masamichi Yaga shook his head.
“In the past, students who enrolled at Jujutsu High had already been exposed to a considerable amount of knowledge about the Jujutsu World before entering, regardless of whether they came from major families.”
He glanced at Tōru Azuma.
“But he’s different.
While everyone else is reinforcing what they already know in class, he’ll have to start from the very beginning.
That will inevitably slow his progress and leave him a step behind everyone else in every area.”
He paused, his expression and tone becoming more serious.
“And in the world we live in, I’m sure I don’t need to explain what being one step behind can mean.”
Utahime fell silent after hearing his explanation.
“I understand.
Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach him those things.”
Seeing that she had no further objections, Masamichi Yaga nodded.
“Good.
These are the results and data from the analysis of his body.
You can use them to decide what to teach him and how far his training should go.”
He handed Utahime Iori one of the two folders he had received from a staff member while passing through the hallway earlier.
When she opened it, she found a table filled with information.
“Name: Tōru Azuma
Total Cursed Energy: Extremely vast, approaching Special Grade
Cursed Technique: Unknown
Physical Strength: Far above that of an ordinary person, but has not yet reached its limit.
Evaluation: Possesses extremely high potential for development.”
Utahime stared at the impressive results for a moment, slightly dazed.
Masamichi Yaga then handed the other folder to Tōru Azuma.
“This is the identity Jujutsu High has prepared for you.
If you come into contact with Jujutsu Sorcerers from outside the school and they ask about your background, answer according to what’s written here.
Don’t tell anyone that you know nothing about this world.”
Tōru Azuma nodded, accepted the folder, and opened it.
“Tōru Azuma, a descendant of the Azuma Clan, a family that came from overseas, and of a branch of the Abe Clan.
His family lived in seclusion deep in the mountains for generations.”
“In recent years, he became the sole surviving member of the family and left the mountains to enter the city.”
“After becoming involved in an unexpected attack, he came to the attention of Jujutsu High and subsequently enrolled as a student in training.”
Tōru Azuma had to admit that the cover story was surprisingly thorough.
Making the Azuma Clan a family that had originally come from overseas and then lived in seclusion deep in the mountains neatly explained why he had never appeared in any public records before.
And connecting him to a branch of the Abe Clan explained why he possessed enough talent to quickly learn how to use Cursed Energy and even unleash Black Flash during his very first battle.
He nodded and put the folder away.
“I understand.”
Utahime Iori also returned her documents to their folder, though her expression remained somewhat complicated.
Looking at the two very different expressions before him, Masamichi Yaga folded his hands across his chest again.
“That’s enough for today.
Utahime, take him to the dormitory and show him around the school while you’re at it.
Formal training begins tomorrow.
Once Mei Mei returns, I’ll arrange for the two of you to meet.”
“Understood.
Follow me.”
Although her feelings were difficult to describe, Utahime simply nodded, bowed to Masamichi Yaga, then turned and left.
Tōru Azuma followed her example, bowing as well before leaving the office behind her.
Once the two of them were gone, Masamichi Yaga remained silent for a moment.
Then he opened a drawer, took out three more files, and placed them on the desk.
He stared at them, deep in thought.