Chapter 14 — Fourteen Punch
"What the heck is this…?"
After finishing his part-time job in Chiba, picking up the new transfer student Nobara Kugisaki, and then having conveyor-belt sushi with everyone, Saitama stood blankly on the road home, staring at his surroundings in confusion.
"I haven't been around for two days—how did the area near my house get burned like this…? Did some kids sneak in and start a fire or something?" Saitama muttered to himself as he walked forward, glancing around. "It's seriously wrecked. Even the gym where I sparred with Sukuna got burned down…"
"My place…"
Saitama quickened his pace toward his apartment building, then let out a sigh of relief.
"My place is still here."
He went upstairs as usual, took out his key, unlocked the door, and went inside. Sitting down at the small table, he placed the envelope containing his wages on top, then turned to look out at the night sky through the window.
"I thought Genos would've finished up and come by already. Guess he's still busy with whatever he's doing." Saitama muttered. "But tomorrow I will officially start at Jujutsu High. Anyway, I'll just see how things go tomorrow."
…
At the same time, in a secret laboratory somewhere in Tokyo.
"The damaged parts are mostly repaired for now," said Dr. Kuseno, standing beside the workbench and speaking to Genos, who lay on top of it. "This time the damage was pretty severe. You were practically torn in half. If your body weren't mechanical, an ordinary person would've died instantly."
"Genos, you need to be careful not to push yourself too hard in battle," Dr. Kuseno reminded him gently.
"I'm sorry, Doctor… This time it was because I encountered an enemy I'd never seen before."
Genos recalled the battle in the abandoned city against Jogo and spoke softly:
"It was an enemy with a volcano-shaped head. My internal sensors could detect its form, but it was invisible to the naked eye—similar to some of the enemies Sensei defeated before."
"The volcano-headed enemy attacked using flames and extreme heat. At first, I was able to fight it evenly. But then it did something and suddenly dragged me into a strange space."
"That space was like the inside of a volcano, with temperatures of at least several hundred degrees Celsius. Lava and molten rock were everywhere. Strangely, inside that space, every attack from that volcano-headed enemy hit me with perfect accuracy. No matter how I tried to dodge, it was useless. That's why I lost. …Though I didn't make it easy for him either."
"Dr. Kuseno, please upgrade my body with more heat-resistant materials and improve my defenses," Genos said firmly. "Ever since meeting Sensei, I've admired the power of his punches and focused too much on increasing my offensive strength. I neglected my defenses instead. That volcano-headed enemy reminded me of that mistake."
Dr. Kuseno looked at the serious Genos and smiled kindly, nodding.
"Alright."
---
The next day, inside the first-year classroom at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"On the first day of class, we'll start with roll call!"
Satoru Gojo stood at the podium holding a slip of paper with only four names written on it. After clearing his throat, he began:
"Megumi Fushiguro."
"Here." Megumi replied calmly.
"Yuji Itadori."
"Yes!" Yuji immediately straightened up and answered energetically.
"Nobara Kugisaki."
"Right here." Nobara lifted her chin proudly with a confident smile.
"Saitama."
"Can I get a cup of coffee?" Saitama asked blankly.
For a moment, everyone—including Gojo—turned to stare at him in silence.
After two seconds, Gojo kept staring at Saitama as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, holding it to his ear.
"Hey, Ijichi, go buy five bottles of coffee and bring them over. Oh, you're asking why? Obviously it's for me and my adorable students. Ask again and I'll slap you."
Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara slowly turned their heads back, now staring at Gojo with even more speechless expressions.
"Hey now, why are you looking at your teacher like he's trash? That really hurts my feelings," Gojo said in a cutesy tone after hanging up.
"A grown man who's 190 centimeters tall acting cute is just embarrassing," Nobara commented.
Megumi nodded in strong agreement.
"…"
Gojo fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned serious and changed the subject.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin."
"First…" He took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Today's content is simple—combat ability testing. This includes physical fitness tests, cursed energy tests, and a written exam. After finishing everything, you'll wait in the classroom for an hour. Once you receive your results, you're dismissed."
"As students of Jujutsu High, you'll be facing a lot of field training in the future. You'll also have many assignments involving group exorcisms of cursed spirits. You'll spend far more time outside than in school. Only when your teacher understands your abilities—and when you clearly understand your own strengths and weaknesses—can field training proceed smoothly."
"These tests will be held regularly in the future so you can keep track of your progress."
"Ooh—"
Everyone murmured in mild surprise, except Saitama, who continued staring blankly at Gojo.
"Oh right!" Gojo suddenly clapped his hands. "For Saitama in particular, this test is especially important. If he reaches second-year level in this test, he'll be allowed to advance to a higher grade."
"By the way, if the average score across all three categories is above 60, Saitama will be promoted to second year," Gojo added with a smile.
Saitama froze for a moment, then suddenly became serious. Clenching his fists, he declared energetically:
"Oh, then hurry up and take us there."
…
Inside the gymnasium.
After buying five drinks, Kiyotaka Ijichi carefully handed them out one by one. When he reached Saitama, he looked at the familiar bald head and couldn't help but speak cautiously:
"So… you've enrolled at Jujutsu High too."
"Ah, yeah," Saitama replied, taking the coffee. He paused and looked up at Ijichi. "Huh…"
Ijichi grew nervous under Saitama's stare and took a small step back.
"Um… what are you looking at? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no," Saitama said quickly, waving his hand. Then he hesitated. "Who are you again?"
Ijichi's glasses slid slightly down his nose.
"Huh?"
"You know… like, I feel like I've seen you before, but maybe not…" Saitama said, stroking his chin as he stared at Ijichi and thought hard.
"I see… so you've already forgotten me…" Ijichi said uneasily, rubbing his hands together. "Actually, about a week ago in front of the supermarket…"
"Ijichi—"
Gojo's voice snapped him out of it. Turning around, he saw Gojo waving at him.
"I'll leave the job of recording scores to you. You'll be going on missions with these students in the future, so this is a good chance to get used to them."
"O-Okay!"
Gojo had a point. Even though he treated people like a tyrant at work, he really was a thoughtful senior.
With that in mind, Ijichi looked away from Saitama, who was drinking tea, and glanced at the others: the stoic Megumi, the energetic athlete Yuji, and the queenly Nobara.
…No matter how you looked at it, they didn't seem easy to manage.
Ijichi sighed, took out his tablet, and prepared to record the results.
Gojo theatrically picked up a whistle and announced:
"First test—side-to-side jumps for thirty seconds. First group: Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki!"
"On your marks—three, two, one, start!"
Nobara jumped side to side at the typical pace of a high school girl. Behind her, Yuji dashed left and right at incredible speed. In the time it took Nobara to jump back and forth once, Yuji managed three full cycles.
"Time's up!" Gojo announced loudly.
"Nobara Kugisaki: 18 times. Yuji Itadori: 48 times," Ijichi recorded.
"Whoa, Yuji, you're pretty fast!" Nobara said, slightly out of breath, nudging him with her elbow.
"Haha, I've always been good at sports," Yuji said shyly. Then he hesitated and added quietly, "But Saitama might be even stronger than me."
"…" Remembering how Saitama had one-punched a semi-grade-two curse at the lockers, Nobara fell silent.
"Alright, second group—Megumi Fushiguro and Saitama!" Gojo announced enthusiastically. "Ready?"
Saitama bent slightly into a starting stance, his expression suddenly serious.
"Start!"
With a sharp crack, the floor beneath Saitama's feet shattered from the force of his step.
Bang bang bang bang bang—
The rapid sounds echoed as Saitama jumped back and forth at incredible speed, leaving behind a row of afterimages. At the same time, the floor beneath his feet shattered continuously, causing Megumi—jumping right in front of him—to stumble and nearly fall.
"Time's up!"
"Megumi Fushiguro: 17 times. Saitama…" Ijichi's hand trembled as he held the tablet. "Sorry, I couldn't count clearly…"
"1333 times," Gojo said as he walked over. "I counted."
A stunned silence filled the gym.
Gojo pointed at Megumi. "Megumi's score dropped because his rhythm got disrupted when Saitama broke the floor."
"Let me do it again," Megumi said with a frown, stepping forward.
"Nope," Gojo replied cheerfully. "Each test only gets one attempt. If you want another try, you'll have to wait until next month. Enjoy having the lowest score in first year until then."
As Yuji and Nobara tried to suppress their laughter, Megumi's face darkened.
And just like that, every test that followed went the same way…