“What part of what you just taught has anything to do with psychology?” Geto Suguru couldn’t help asking.
This kind of question was old hat to Minamoto Habu, who smoothly replied, “The details.”
Observing the content that interested them, creating a classroom environment that allowed students to be sufficiently relaxed without being prone to distraction, and grasping their psychological limits to cover necessary teaching content these were all forms of assistance that psychology could provide.
However, there was no need to voice all of that out loud.
Minamoto Habu glanced at his phone, picked up his teacup, and said, “You guys still have things to attend to next, right? I won’t hold you up any further.”
With that, he left the classroom.
“So, what are your thoughts on him now?” As soon as Minamoto Habu left, Gojo Satoru strode over to sit on top of the desk, asking carelessly.
Ieiri Shoko slumped over her desk, resting her head on her arms, and answered lazily, “Pretty good. I thought you had already accepted him.”
“How is that possible?” Gojo Satoru curled his lip. “He was sent by those rotten oranges in the first place, and those rotten oranges are masters of deception.”
Geto Suguru still sat upright in his chair, though one leg was propped up on the table as he tilted his head and asked, “I remember your attitude clearly softened yesterday, yet this morning you planned to give Teacher Habu a hard time right off the bat. Why?”
Minamoto Habu might not have noticed it, but Geto Suguru was well aware. Although Gojo Satoru indeed enjoyed being late, skipping class, and leaving early, if he truly took something seriously, he wouldn’t stir up unnecessary trouble during the very first session.
Yet when he called out to him that morning, the guy clearly had no intention of coming over. That was a deliberate show of force directed at Minamoto Habu.
Gojo Satoru ruffled his white hair irritably, looking somewhat vexed. “Yesterday, right after we finished talking with Yaga-teacher about the special-grade cursed spirit, the Gojo family reached out to ask me about it.”
“Tell me, how do you think they found out?”
Everyone knew the answer to that question; obviously, Minamoto Habu had reported it. This made the three of them who had briefly wondered if they were misunderstanding something feel slightly awkward and guarded again.
Ieiri Shoko sighed. “At least his lectures are good. He’s fully qualified as a teacher.”
Gojo Satoru puffed out his cheeks. “I don’t care. Just the thought of those rotten oranges planting a spy right here at Jujutsu High makes me uncomfortable.”
“Then what do you want to do?” Geto Suguru asked. “Just to be clear, I don’t plan on making trouble in class, nor do I want to chase the teacher away.”
He wasn’t a fool; he knew what was beneficial to him. Minamoto Habu’s lessons could teach him a lot of knowledge, and he saw no reason to pick a fight with knowledge.
Besides, even if Minamoto Habu was sent by the higher-ups, it didn’t deny the fact that the man genuinely gave off the impression of a good teacher. Privately, Geto Suguru hoped Teacher Habu wouldn’t leave.
Ieiri Shoko raised a hand. “Seconded.”
Though her impression of Minamoto Habu was decent, she thoroughly disliked the rotten oranges. If her fellow classmates wanted to stir up trouble, the most she would do was keep it a secret from Minamoto Habu, with no intention of getting personally involved.
Still, going too far wouldn’t do; she was quite looking forward to Minamoto Habu’s classes after all. Moreover, even if Teacher Habu stopped her from smoking and drinking, it didn’t stop Shoko from liking him.
Gojo Satoru snorted. “No making trouble in class.” He actually liked the man’s lectures too. “We can just scare him during missions or in everyday life!”
Though he spoke of rejection, since Gojo Satoru had already started calling Minamoto Habu their teacher, he had naturally acknowledged him to some extent.
As long as that Minamoto Habu apologized to them or came clean, he would forgive him and stop targeting him.
A mature adult, huh? Hmph, he wanted to see just how mature the guy really was.
Gojo Satoru glanced at his two peers. “You guys want to see Teacher Habu lose his composure too, right?”
Geto Suguru and Shoko let out a couple of coughs, tacitly approving his plan.
Meanwhile, the reason Minamoto Habu had hurried out was because he had seen a message sent to him by Masamichi Yaga on his phone, stating that there was something he wanted to discuss.
“Yaga-teacher, did you need something from me?” Minamoto Habu arrived at Masamichi Yaga’s office. The door was open, so he gave a symbolic knock before stepping inside.
Seeing him arrive, Masamichi Yaga proactively pulled out a chair for Minamoto Habu, signaling him to sit. “Teacher Habu, I asked to see you mainly to discuss yesterday’s mission.”
That must be referring to the special-grade cursed spirit incident. Minamoto Habu understandingly nodded. “Please go ahead, I will answer truthfully.”
Instead of jumping straight into the topic, Masamichi Yaga asked first, “You should have already reported to the higher-ups, correct?”
Minamoto Habu nodded; he had already submitted his report that very night.
At that, Masamichi Yaga’s expression turned complicated. He had actually slipped in to listen to a bit of Minamoto Habu’s class today.
He had to admit, the man’s proficiency was exceptional.
He had begun to view Minamoto Habu in a slightly different light, but the moment he remembered the man was sent by the higher-ups, he found it impossible to completely lower his guard.
Minamoto Habu easily caught the change in Masamichi Yaga’s expression. With a brief thought, he understood what the other man was agonizing over it was simply the fact that he had immediately reported the situation to the higher-ups.
In truth, Minamoto Habu had done so because he knew Gojo Satoru and the others would undoubtedly report today’s events to Masamichi Yaga.
And once Masamichi Yaga knew, it meant the higher-ups would know too. After all, he could tell that while Masamichi Yaga disliked the higher-ups, he ultimately obeyed them.
That being the case, reporting it himself earlier would save him from the tedious interrogations of those “rotten oranges” Gojo Satoru kept mentioning.
Why not?
As for causing a misunderstanding… Minamoto Habu felt no need to explain.
He only wanted to stay here long enough to avoid being cornered by Osamu Dazai. Let them misunderstand; Minamoto Habu didn’t believe these people could come up with any way to force him out anyway.
Having finished asking his previous question, Masamichi Yaga finally moved to the main point. “I want to know if Teacher Habu saw any suspicious individuals, even if they were just outside the ‘veil’.”
Minamoto Habu shook his head. “No, I truly didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.”
“Then did you witness any abnormalities at all?”
This question made Minamoto Habu’s gaze drift slightly before he shook his head. “I didn’t see anything unusual outside.”
He had only seen the special-grade cursed spirit inside the unfinished building.
He hadn’t seen anything outside? Masamichi Yaga suddenly thought of an unlikely possibility. “Then might I ask if you happened to en—”
Before he could finish, he heard Minamoto Habu let out a soft sigh.
Masamichi Yaga paused, looking at him with mild perplexity, only to see Minamoto Habu tilt his head in confusion. “I apologize, as an ordinary person, I really might not have noticed much. Is there anything else you wish to ask?”
“No, there is nothing else.” Masamichi Yaga suddenly lost all desire to continue asking; the question that had been lingering on the tip of his tongue suddenly felt meaningless to voice.
He felt somewhat ridiculous himself. How could Minamoto Habu, a mere ordinary person, enter an unfinished building containing a cursed spirit all by himself? He must have been overthinking things.
Minamoto Habu curved the corners of his lips. “If your questions are finished, then I will take my leave.”
Masamichi Yaga stood up to see him off. “See you tomorrow, Teacher Habu. By the way, your lecturing was wonderful.”
“Thank you for the praise. Your instruction in cursed energy must be quite exceptional as well, given how outstanding your students are,” Minamoto Habu replied politely.
Turning around, the smile on his face instantly faded, returning to an expressionless state. He disliked lying, so occasionally utilizing a few minor tactics should be considered normal, right?
Tomorrow he had classes with the third-years Iori Utahime and Mei Mei, so he needed to head back and prepare his lesson plans promptly.
However, before preparing those lessons…
Minamoto Habu strolled casually around the Jujutsu High campus. He walked very freely, looking as though he had no destination and was merely familiarizing himself with the grounds. Yet only Minamoto Habu knew that he was moving along the pull of a specific energy current.
A faint reservoir of energy seemed to be buried deep beneath the entire grounds of Jujutsu High, and Minamoto Habu was certain that something was concealed underneath the school. He wasn’t an excessively curious person, but when it came to his own safety, investigating ahead of time was the wiser choice.
Perhaps because it was built on a mountain, the pathways of Jujutsu High were somewhat uneven and rugged, dotted with various secluded trails that few people frequented.
Following the energy signature, Minamoto Habu walked with familiar ease. On occasion, however, he would deliberately take detours to leave false trails, preventing others from discovering his true objective.
Finally, upon reaching a sparsely populated grove of trees, Minamoto Habu sensed the most intense concentration of energy. Whatever that nameless entity was, it should be right beneath this spot.
Judging by how the energy concentration was only massive in this specific area, it shouldn’t be spread out beneath the entire school; something was hidden solely in this patch.
Naturally, Minamoto Habu had no intention of digging up the earth himself; he simply memorized the location quietly, planning to investigate thoroughly once he returned.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…
Suddenly, Minamoto Habu heard footsteps behind him. His brows knit slightly, and with a swift pivot, he slipped behind a nearby tree. Grasping a low-hanging branch, he kicked off the ground and hoisted himself up into the foliage, concealing his form among the leaves. The entire process took barely two seconds and didn’t even make a sound clearly the work of someone well-trained.
Peering through a gap in the leaves, Minamoto Habu saw the newcomer was an elderly man with graying hair and a black kimono.
—It was the principal of Jujutsu High!
This principal left a very thin impression on Minamoto Habu. He didn’t seem much like the head of a supernatural academy, looking more like a graveyard keeper.
Toward Minamoto Habu who ostensibly came as an appointee of the higher-ups, but in reality had been forcefully wedged in by an even higher authority the old man maintained an attitude of complete indifference. He neither buttered up nor pushed away, showing no curiosity about his identity or what he intended to do.
Reflecting on the current state of Jujutsu High and the jujutsu world at large, Minamoto Habu figured this elderly principal could be considered a smart man.
Why would the man come here at this hour, though? Could it be related to the energy beneath the earth?
He watched as the old man turned his back to him and seemed to operate something. Suddenly, with a deep rumble, the giant tree in front of the principal split open down the middle to reveal a dark, indistinct doorway, vaguely outlining the shape of an elevator shaft.
The old man softly murmured, “Tengen-sama, your subordinate has come to see you.”
With that, he hunched his back and slowly stepped inside. The door closed right behind him, leaving not a trace of an opening.
Minamoto Habu sat cross-legged above, waiting a moment longer before dropping lightly down from the tree.
“Tengen-sama?” He raised an eyebrow, not expecting this to yield an unexpected bonus.
This was clearly a person, and from the looks of it, someone who lived in the depths of Jujutsu High year-round, holding a status even higher than the school principal.
Minamoto Habu vaguely recalled hearing that name during his investigations before coming to the Jujutsu High. He would have to look into it further upon returning; perhaps he could dig up some surprising details.
Just as he turned to leave, a voice suddenly called out from behind him, “Teacher Habu? What are you doing here?”