Kamo Itsuki led the new students into the Jujutsu High classroom, greeting each of them with a casual high-five as they entered—a simple gesture that somehow put them at ease. Once settled, he had them introduce themselves one by one, letting the awkward silence of strangers gradually melt into tentative familiarity.
Afterward, he distributed freshly pressed uniforms and assigned dormitories. The first day ended smoothly, with the promise of tomorrow hanging in the air.
The second day arrived wrapped in soft morning light.
The new students, now crisp in their matching Jujutsu High attire, stood in a neat formation on the expansive training grounds. The grass beneath their feet was dewy, the air fresh with the scent of early summer.
Kamo Itsuki faced them, his expression shifting from yesterday's gentle warmth to something more serious—measured, expectant.
"You are all Sorcerers with a certain level of strength," he began, his voice carrying easily across the open space. "Jujutsu High has always prioritized practical combat. Today, we will test your abilities. Perform well."
"Practical combat?" Maki's brows drew together, sharp and immediate. "You mean we'll fight each other?"
Kamo's lips curved slightly. "Practical combat means exorcising Cursed Spirits."
Panda tilted his round head, genuinely puzzled. "But we're inside Jujutsu High. There aren't any Cursed Spirits here."
"There will be soon," Kamo said calmly. "Now, form a circle around me."
They obeyed, curiosity flickering across their faces.
Then—light.
Brilliant, consuming, disorienting. Vision blurred, senses scrambled. In one breath, they stood on the training ground. In the next—
Forest. Deep, ancient, untouched. Towering beech trees stretched toward a pale sky. The air was cool, heavy with the scent of moss and damp earth. Birdsong echoed in the distance.
Shock rippled through the group. Whispers broke out, eyes widening as they took in their surroundings.
Okkotsu Yuta recovered first, his arm instinctively drawing Rika closer. "Teacher Kamo," he asked, voice steady despite his racing thoughts, "where are we?"
Kamo smiled. "Shirakami-Sanchi—a Natural World Heritage Site. And your mission location."
Yuta's mind reeled. From Tokyo to northern Japan in an instant. Over four hundred kilometers. He glanced at Kamo, who stood casually, as if teleporting an entire class across the country was a trivial matter. 'I still have so far to go.'
"A mission?" Maki frowned, scanning the dense forest. "Why would Cursed Spirits be here? These are deep mountains, not exactly a hotspot for negative emotions."
Panda nodded vigorously. "Yeah, normally you'd find them near hospitals, cemeteries, places like that."
Inumaki Toge offered his characteristic two-word agreement: "Salmon."
Kanon, however, was wide-eyed with wonder, drinking in the unfamiliar landscape like a child in a fairy tale. Beside her, Nanako and Mimiko were still recovering from the teleportation, their faces slightly pale.
Kamo waited patiently for everyone to steady themselves. Then, with an almost casual elegance, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers toward the sky.
The effect was immediate—and terrifying.
Above them, the serene blue canvas of the sky tore. A massive, intricate Barrier Technique array unfolded like a mechanical flower, its patterns glowing with eerie, otherworldly light. It spun slowly, casting shifting shadows across the forest below.
Then came the rain.
Not water—Cursed Spirits.
Dozens of them, of all shapes and sizes, tumbled through the rift and plummeted toward the earth. Some twisted in midair, others flailed wildly, but all were guided—herded—into specific locations within the forest. They landed hard, scattering into the undergrowth, each one contained within an invisible cage.
The students watched, frozen, as the spirits began to move. They charged at the boundaries of their prisons, only to rebound off unseen walls. They clawed, shrieked, scrambled—but could not cross. Gradually, realization dawned. They began to retreat, to hide, to burrow into their designated territories like trapped animals seeking shelter.
The training ground was gone. The simulation was over.
This was real.
Kamo Itsuki turned to face his stunned students, his expression calm, almost serene.
"Your mission," he said, "is to hunt."
Kamo Itsuki observed the mixture of tension and excitement on his students' faces before speaking again, his tone calm and instructive.
"The Cursed Spirits you just witnessed represent approximately one-third of all such entities in neighboring Akita Prefecture." He paused, letting the scale sink in. "Your mission is to exorcise them—to the best of your ability."
He held up a finger, emphasizing his next words.
"Do not push yourselves beyond your limits. Remember this above all else: a mission is merely a mission. Your lives are what truly matter. That is your first lesson."
The students exchanged glances, the weight of his words settling over them.
Kamo then explained the Barrier's structure in detail. Sunlight filtered through the ancient canopy, casting shifting patterns across the forest floor. The safe zone they occupied—bathed in an almost reverent halo of light—was the Barrier's core, an absolute sanctuary.
The Barrier itself resembled an enormous, unfolded honeycomb. Each hexagonal cell contained a single Cursed Spirit, firmly confined within its boundaries. The students, as Sorcerers, could move freely between cells. Upon entering a new hexagon, information would automatically manifest in their minds: the exact location of the spirit within, its grade, and any other relevant details.
At each of the six corners of every hexagonal cell, small safe zones waited—havens where the injured could rest, the exhausted could recover, and the overwhelmed could retreat.
"That is all you need to know for now," Kamo concluded. "You are free to act. Form teams, or go alone—the choice is yours."
The students glanced at one another. Without conscious decision, they naturally gravitated into six groups—mirroring the hexagonal structure of the Barrier itself.
Okkotsu Yuta and Rika Orimoto stood together, an unspoken understanding between them. They would not be separated.
Nanako and Mimiko, the twin sisters, also chose solidarity, their bond evident in the way they stood shoulder to shoulder.
The others—Maki, Panda, Inumaki Toge, and Kanon—each decided to venture alone, trusting in their individual strength.
Kamo surveyed the formation with quiet approval. "Good fortune in battle. Depart."
At his command, the six groups moved.
Each stepped into a different hexagonal cell, their paths diverging into the unknown. The forest swallowed them one by one, leaving only Kamo Itsuki standing in the sunlit core, a silent observer to the first trial of his students.