“Huh?” The nonsensical question left Yuta Okkotsu completely floored.
Yuta froze in place, his brain failing to process the sudden curveball.
His eyes began to wander before instinctively landing on Arata, silently pleading for help.
“Ha?” Aoi Todo knit his brows, looking down at Yuta with a looming intensity.
“Is that a difficult question to answer?”
“I…
well…” The color rose to Yuta’s ears at a visible pace.
“Alright, Todo, stop scaring the poor guy.” A somewhat helpless voice rang out from the Kyoto ranks.
Noritoshi Kamo stepped forward and gave Arata a small nod.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, long time no see.” Arata pulled the lollipop stick from his mouth.
“But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Kamo replied, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
Just then, a petite girl with her hair tied up like a broomstick floated out from the Kyoto group.
Riding a literal broom, she hovered above the Tokyo students, looking them over with blatant disdain.
“So this is Tokyo’s lineup this year?
Doesn’t look like much.”
“Nishimiya,” Kamo warned in a low voice.
“I’m just stating facts,” Momo Nishimiya scoffed.
“One with no cursed energy, one who can’t even speak, a panda, one who looks like he’s about to faint…
and another one…” She glanced at Arata.
“With a lollipop in his mouth.
Is this an exchange event or a field trip?”
Faced with her aggressiveness, Maki and the others remained expressionless.
Only Arata looked a bit puzzled–*Is Nishimiya usually this prickly?* He decided to poke back.
“Are you even an adult?
Are minors allowed in the Goodwill Event?
Or is this just as tall as you’re ever going to get?”
Nishimiya’s face flushed red instantly.
She glared down at Arata from her broom, her eyes nearly sparking with fury.
“You!
What did you just say?!”
“I said,” Arata removed his lollipop and enunciated every word, “Are–you–an–adult?
You–little–squirt!”
“Pfft.”
Someone failed to stifle a laugh.
Realizing she’d been caught, the blue-haired girl immediately covered her mouth, her face turning crimson as she waved her hands frantically.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!
I didn’t mean to!”
“Miwa!” Nishimiya stomped her feet mid-air in frustration.
“Arata,” Maki’s voice came from beside him, laced with a bit of exasperation.
“Don’t bully the kid.”
“I’m not bullying a kid,” Arata blinked innocently.
“I’m just verifying her eligibility.
If she’s a minor, it wouldn’t be a fair win, would it?”
“You–!”
“Enough,” Kamo interjected, cutting off the pointless bickering.
“Nishimiya, back in line.”
“You just wait!
Tomorrow during the team battle, I’m coming for you first!” Nishimiya shot Arata a final glare before reluctantly lowering her broom and following her team back.
“Looking forward to it,” Arata popped his lollipop back in, responding with total nonchalance.
Once the Kyoto team had departed, the Tokyo group was led to the resting area by Utahime Iori.
Gojo had vanished at some point–supposedly to “catch up with old friends,” though Arata guessed he was actually looking for a way to prank Utahime.
Meanwhile, in the Kyoto briefing room, Kamo and the others had begun their tactical deployment.
“Who the hell is that guy with the lollipop?
How dare he call me a squirt!” Nishimiya sat cross-legged on the floor, her voice dripping with irritation.
“Nishimiya,” Kamo looked up, his tone flat.
“If you can’t keep a level head around him, you’ll lose in tomorrow’s battle.”
“I won’t–”
“You will,” Kamo cut her off.
“He was baiting you, and you took it hook, line, and sinker.”
Nishimiya opened her mouth to argue but ended up just huffing and turning her head away.
“Kamo is right,” a synthesized, metallic voice droned from the corner.
“Arata Hoshino.
Suddenly appeared at the gates of Jujutsu High a year ago and was taken in by Satoru Gojo.
His technique is ‘Perfect Copy,’ though the exact conditions are unknown.” Mechamaru’s head rotated slightly, his mechanical eye blinking green.
“This man killed a Grade 1 curse in thirty seconds during his last outing.
The only reason he hasn’t been promoted to Grade 1 is because no one has written his recommendation letter yet.”
“Does that mean…” Miwa sat on the tatami, tilting her head in confusion.
“Unknown.
I only know he has copied Blood Manipulation,” Kamo shook his head.
“But he is classmates with Toge Inumaki; we cannot rule out Cursed Speech.
However, Cursed Speech is easy to counter–just cover your ear canals with cursed energy.”
Mai Zenin sat next to Miwa, fiddling with a revolver.
She looked up with a mocking smirk.
“Heh, can a copycat really be better than the original?
You–”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Kamo interrupted, his voice more stern than usual.
“The first time he used Blood Manipulation, he was arguably more proficient with it than I am now.”
Principal Gakuganji finally spoke, his voice sounding like dry branches snapping.
“Satoru Gojo has changed the next two days into team battles.
Regardless, Kyoto must win.
As for this Arata Hoshino…”
He paused, a cold light flickering in his cloudy eyes.
“If the opportunity arises, he can be ‘accidentally’ severely injured.
On the path of a sorcerer, certain accidents are unavoidable.”
Todo sat in the corner, silent throughout the discussion.
He only opened his eyes when Gakuganji spoke, looked at the old man for a second, and then closed them again.
“Fine, fine,” Nishimiya waved her hand impatiently.
“Leave that Arata guy to me.
I’m going to teach him a lesson in manners today.”
“You have no chance of winning against him,” Mechamaru’s voice came from the corner, devoid of emotion.
“Of us, perhaps only Todo can suppress him.”
“Boring.” Todo stood up, threw out that single word, and walked straight out the door.
After the door slammed shut, silence hung in the room for a few seconds.
Kamo sighed.
“Continue.”
On the other side, Arata–who was currently brainstorming tactics–suddenly sneezed.
“Catching a cold?” Maki asked, handing him a tissue.
“No, just felt like someone was talking trash behind my back.” Arata wiped his nose.
He figured it was probably Nishimiya, but the thought of that old fossil Gakuganji plotting something seemed more likely.
*That old geezer is probably thinking of ways to backstab me.*
“Alright everyone,” Arata said, turning to his team.
“Let’s talk strategy.”
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