A/N: HEY GUYS. I'm kind of like copy and pasting this across all my novels. Please don't get mad. So I have come before you, my family to humbly ask for your help. I have entered the WebNovel SPIRITY AWARDS 2026 with my new original novel. ''Can I Magic Please.'' It is about magic and stuff and is inspired by Yūki Tabata's Black Clover. The synopsis explains everything.
The first chapter has been uploaded. You can find the novel on my profile.
My dream, as big as it may is to win this competition. And I know, with your support it will be possible. Read, comment, share and drop some powerstones on there. Thank you.
Enjoy the chapter.
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The silence didn't last.
It shattered.
Maki moved first.
A blur of motion. Fast, sharp, decisive.
By the time Oden registered the shift in the air, she was already in front of him. The wooden floor cracked slightly beneath her step as she drove forward, her weapon drawn in one smooth, practiced motion.
The blade stopped inches from his throat.
Dead still.
Dead precise.
Her eyes burned.
"What," Maki said, voice low and trembling with restrained fury, "are you doing here?"
The room tightened.
Yuta stood halfway out of his seat. Panda leaned forward. Even Inumaki straightened, tension coiling through the air.
Oden didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even raise a hand.
"…I live here now," he said simply.
That was the wrong answer.
Maki's grip tightened.
"You what?"
The blade pressed closer. Not enough to cut, but enough to make a point.
"You were with him," she snapped. "With Geto. You stood there while he attacked us. You were part of it."
Her voice rose, sharp and unfiltered.
"You're a traitor."
Oden tilted his head slightly, like he was actually considering that.
"…Yeah," he said after a second. "I guess."
A beat.
"…Sorry."
That was it.
Flat. Casual. Almost absent-minded.
Maki's expression twisted.
"Sorry?"
The word came out like an insult.
"Sorry?!"
Her weapon trembled. Not from weakness, but from how tightly she was holding it back from moving further.
"You think that's enough?" she demanded. "You think you can just walk in here and say sorry like nothing happened?!"
Yuta stepped in quickly.
"Maki, wait—"
"No!" she snapped, not even looking at him. "You saw what happened! He was with them!"
Panda raised his hands.
"Okay, okay, let's not stab the new classmate on day one—"
"He's not a classmate!" Maki shot back. "He's the enemy!"
Inumaki:
"Salmon! Salmon!"
"Exactly!" Panda added. "Salmon means calm down! Probably!"
"It does not mean that!" Maki barked.
Yuta moved closer, voice softer.
"Maki… we don't know the full situation yet."
"I don't need to," she said immediately. "I was there."
Her eyes never left Oden.
"And he was on the wrong side."
Oden scratched his cheek lightly.
"…I didn't really know what was going on," he said.
That didn't help.
Maki's aura spiked.
"You're seriously saying that right now?"
"I mean…" Oden shrugged slightly. "I just showed up."
There was no defensiveness.
No urgency.
Just… honesty.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Maki's hand flexed.
For a moment—
It really looked like she might swing.
"Alright, that's enough."
The voice cut cleanly through the tension.
Light.
Easy.
But absolute.
Gojo stepped forward, slipping between them like the situation had never been dangerous to begin with.
He gently nudged Maki's weapon aside with two fingers.
"Let's not redecorate the classroom with blood, okay?"
Maki clicked her tongue.
"…Move, sensei."
"Nope."
Gojo smiled, but there was something firm beneath it now.
"Oden's staying."
That landed.
Harder than anything else.
Maki's eyes snapped to him.
"…You're serious."
"Very."
Gojo slid his hands into his pockets.
"He's here under my supervision. Think of it as…" he paused, grinning slightly, "…a rehabilitation program."
"A what?" Panda muttered.
Yuta blinked.
"…You mean—"
"Probation," Gojo said casually. "Three months. If he behaves, he lives. If not…" he shrugged.
"I'll handle it."
The room went quiet again.
Not the same kind of silence as before.
Maki lowered her weapon slowly, but not because she wanted to.
Because she had to.
"…So that's it?" she said. "We just trust him?"
"No," Gojo replied immediately.
"You don't."
That caught her off guard.
Gojo's smile softened just a little.
"But you work with him."
Maki's jaw tightened.
Her eyes flicked back to Oden.
He stood exactly where he had been this whole time.
Unbothered.
Unapologetically calm.
That alone irritated her more than anything else.
"…Tch."
With a sharp motion, she pulled her weapon back and turned away.
"Fine."
A pause.
"But I'm not forgiving him."
She shot him one last look over her shoulder.
"Not now. Not ever."
Oden met her gaze.
Then gave a small nod.
"…Okay."
No argument.
No pushback.
Just acceptance.
---
The halls of Tokyo Jujutsu High were quieter than Oden expected.
Not empty, but calm in a way that felt… deliberate. Like the place itself understood what kind of people walked through it.
Oden followed Satoru Gojo down the corridor, hands in his pockets, steps slow.
"…This place is weird," Oden muttered.
Gojo glanced back at him.
"That's a compliment, right?"
"I don't know yet."
They walked a few more steps in silence.
Then—
"…Maybe this isn't a good idea."
Gojo didn't stop.
"Hmm?"
Oden scratched the back of his head.
"Me being here," he said. "As a sorcerer."
A pause.
"…Because of her."
He didn't need to say the name.
Gojo knew.
"Ah," Gojo said lightly. "Maki."
Oden nodded slightly.
"She hates me."
"Yeah," Gojo replied without hesitation. "She does."
"…You're not even going to deny it?"
"Nope."
Oden frowned.
"…Then why am I here?"
Gojo finally stopped walking.
He turned, hands still tucked into his pockets, blindfold hiding his eyes, but his presence sharp enough to make the air feel heavier.
"Because," he said simply, "you don't get to run away from things like that."
Oden didn't respond.
Gojo continued.
"Maki's not wrong to be angry. You were on the other side."
"…I said I was sorry."
"I know."
Gojo's tone didn't change.
"But you're not apologizing to fix her feelings."
A beat.
"You're here to fix yourself."
Oden clicked his tongue softly.
"…Sounds annoying."
"It is."
Gojo smiled.
"Welcome to character development."
Oden sighed.
"…Still feels like a bad idea."
Gojo turned and started walking again.
"Well," he said casually, "you could always quit."
Oden blinked.
"…Seriously?"
"Sure."
A step.
"Then you'd be executed immediately."
A pause.
"…Oh."
"Yeah."
Gojo shrugged.
"Higher-ups aren't exactly the forgiving type."
Oden stared at his back for a second.
"…Guess that's fair."
"Thought you'd say that."
They turned a corner.
Gojo stopped in front of a sliding door.
"This one's yours."
He opened it.
The room beyond was—
Spacious.
Clean.
Traditional, but comfortable. A low bed, neatly arranged. Storage space. A window letting in soft afternoon light.
Oden stepped inside.
"…Whoa."
He turned slowly, taking it all in.
"This is big."
Gojo leaned against the doorframe.
"Of course it is."
Oden walked further in, glancing around.
"…It's bigger than my place in Kenya."
"Again," Gojo said, smug, "of course it is."
Oden ignored him.
"…I like it."
"Good," Gojo replied. "You're living there."
A door nearby slid open.
"Oh—!"
Oden turned.
Yuta stepped out from the room next door, eyes lighting up immediately.
"It really is you!"
Oden blinked.
"…Oh. You."
Yuta walked closer, clearly excited.
"I didn't know you'd be staying here. We're neighbors!"
"…Neighbors," Oden repeated, like he was testing the word.
Gojo clapped his hands once.
"Isn't that adorable?"
"Sensei…" Yuta said, slightly embarrassed.
Gojo grinned.
"Did you know," he added casually, turning toward Yuta, "this guy picked a fight with me because he wanted to protect you?"
Silence.
Oden froze.
"…What?"
Yuta blinked.
"…Really?"
Gojo nodded enthusiastically.
"Mhm. Super dramatic. Very heroic. Lots of shouting."
"That's not what happened," Oden said immediately.
"It totally is," Gojo shot back.
"I didn't even know him like that," Oden added.
"You still tried to kill me," Gojo said.
"That's unrelated!"
Yuta smiled.
Genuinely.
"…Thank you."
Oden stopped.
"…For what?"
"For caring," Yuta said simply.
That—
That threw him off.
Oden looked away slightly.
"…I didn't—"
"Don't worry about it," Yuta said, still smiling. "I'm just glad you're here."
A small silence settled between them.
Then Yuta stepped forward and extended his hand.
"I'm looking forward to working with you."
Oden looked at it.
Paused.
Then—
He reached out.
And shook it.
"…Yeah," he said. "I guess."
Behind them—
Gojo clasped his hands together, practically glowing.
"Awww."
Both of them turned.
"Sensei…"
"That was so cute," Gojo continued, completely ignoring them. "I think I'm going to cry."
"You're not crying," Oden said flatly.
"Emotionally, I am."
"…You're weird."
"Thank you."
And just like that—
Something shifted.
---
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