Chapter 28 — Twenty-eight (Bunos Punch)
The uneasy atmosphere lingered.
Todo Aoi stood frozen at the wide-open restroom door.
It looked like a high-end restroom with only a single toilet, but inside it had everything: sinks, a changing area, shelves, all spotless. Compared to an ordinary restroom, it resembled more a small washroom palace. Under normal circumstances, Todo Aoi might have been thrilled to experience such a luxurious facility.
But the problem was that on the sole throne of this miniature washroom palace sat Gojo Satoru—the strongest Special-Grade sorcerer in the jujutsu world.
Even with his eyes covered by the blindfold, Todo Aoi could feel Gojo's Six Eyes gazing at him through it.
Todo Aoi had always held deep respect for strong sorcerers he recognized, and Gojo Satoru was among them. The inheritor of the Six Eyes and Limitless Cursed Technique was universally acknowledged as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.
Todo Aoi had once dreamed that, when he reached his peak, he would have a friendly duel with Gojo Satoru. But he never imagined that, before that day, he would unexpectedly run into Gojo—sitting on a toilet.
In that instant, Todo Aoi's mind flashed back to the innocent-looking bald man who had pointed him the wrong way at the restroom door.
Damn that bald guy! He had sent him the wrong way!
For a moment, Todo Aoi's memory of that simple, goofy face twisted into something sinister. Maybe the bald man looked clueless and harmless on the surface, but in reality, he had deliberately misled him!
"…" Todo Aoi fell silent for a moment, lowered the leg he had used to kick the door, and said stiffly, "W-wrong way, I guess."
Gojo Satoru remained seated on the toilet, unmoving. The situation was far too awkward, and Todo Aoi didn't dare look closely—he had no idea if Gojo's pants were still on or if he had been interrupted mid-business. After speaking, he turned to leave.
Just as he lifted his heel, Gojo suddenly called out.
"You're from Kyoto's school, right?" Gojo asked. "Not a face from this school. I remember you're called Todo Aoi? Brought along for a visit when the elders were meeting with the sister school?"
Todo Aoi had to stop. Back to Gojo, sweat forming at his temple. "Ah, y-yes…"
What was going on? Why was Gojo sitting on the toilet talking to him? Did this guy have that kind of twisted sense of humor?
As Todo Aoi doubted Gojo's humanity, Gojo's voice came again from behind, carrying an edge that made Todo's heart skip a beat.
"Ah, perfect timing."
At that moment, the oppressive presence of a Special-Grade sorcerer sent a chill down Todo Aoi's spine. Even though he was one of the top talents of his generation, facing this absolute peak of the jujutsu world—Gojo, who was classified Special-Grade because nothing could surpass him—he knew he didn't stand a chance of winning.
But Todo Aoi was never one to back down simply because his opponent was strong. If Gojo wanted a fight, he would accept!
A surge of hot blood ran through Todo Aoi. He had never faced an opponent this powerful, and such a battle would be a tremendous opportunity to gain experience—even if he lost, he would not walk away empty-handed.
Just as Todo Aoi steeled himself for combat, he suddenly felt a hand pat his shoulder.
When had he gotten so close?
Startled, Todo Aoi almost instinctively brought his hands together to use his Cursed Technique, Unjust Game. But the next second, Gojo's cheerful voice sounded from behind.
"Since you're a student visiting Tokyo School, I'll be your tour guide!" Gojo raised a hand and gave Todo a thumbs-up. "It's my duty as a teacher to lead a student around!"
Todo Aoi remained silent for a long moment, then froze in dumbfounded shock. "Ah?"
"No need to thank me! The principals' meeting won't end for a while, so Kyoto School students can freely explore in the meantime," Gojo said, pushing the much larger Todo forward. "Come on, let me show you Tokyo School's Gojo-selected highlights."
"First, we'll check out the weirdest rock in the campus…"
Todo Aoi was numbly pushed along as Gojo jabbered nonstop.
At that moment, his only thought was: wait—I don't remember hearing Gojo flush the toilet.
Todo Aoi's eyes slowly drifted toward his right shoulder.
Which meant—the hand resting on his shoulder right now was…
…
Meanwhile, back at Tokyo School, the three second-years—Zenin Maki, Inumaki Toge, and Panda—were sprinting across the campus, searching for the first-year students.
"Hopefully we'll make it in time," Zenin Maki muttered anxiously as she ran. "Just hang in there until we arrive!"
"Ogami?" Inumaki asked.
"The first-years shouldn't be finished yet. By routine, Wednesday mornings are for field exercises, and afternoons are free training. So if we check near the training grounds, it should be easier to find them…" Panda explained, then suddenly froze. "Huh?"
Turning down a small path, the three suddenly spotted three familiar figures up ahead. It was Fushiguro Megumi, Itadori Yuji, and Kugisaki Nobara—already dressed in their sports uniforms.
"Oh, senpais!" Nobara exclaimed, pointing at the rushing second-years. "What's going on? Why are you running so urgently?"
"Huh?" The second-years stopped in front of the first-years. Panda blinked in confusion. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, what happened?" Nobara asked, equally puzzled.
"Well… has anyone come looking for you who's tall and bulky, has a scarred face, and sports a weird topknot—like a gorilla with super strength?" Zenin Maki asked.
"No one like that," Nobara replied, briefly picturing the description in her mind. "That's a strange way to dress. Why would someone like that come after us?"
The second-years exchanged glances, clearly seeing the same confusion reflected in each other's eyes.
"Well, as long as nothing bad happened, that's good," Panda said with a sigh. Then suddenly he remembered something. "Wait—what about that legendary trainee? Why isn't he here? Classes aren't over yet. He couldn't have gone off to grab discounted groceries at the supermarket, right?"
Mentioning this immediately put the second-years on edge again.
"Saitama?" Fushiguro interjected. "He asked me some questions about Gojo-sensei's private restroom earlier, and then ran off while muttering 'Uh-oh.'"
"Huh? That doesn't make sense."
Zenin Maki muttered in exasperation, then grew concerned again. "But if he wanders around alone and runs into Todo…"
Fushiguro's eyes sharpened at the key word. "Todo? You mean Todo Aoi from Kyoto School? He's here?"
"Yep," Inumaki nodded, his nose almost buried in his high collar.
A tense silence fell.
From the start of the conversation, Itadori Yuji had been completely lost. Raising his hand, he asked, "Wait! Who is this Todo Aoi you're talking about?"
"He's a tough guy from Kyoto School," Zenin Maki sighed. "Very strong. Even though he's only a third-year, he's already a Grade 1 sorcerer. During last year's Kyoto Hyakki Yakou event, he single-handedly defeated five Grade 1 curses and even one Special-Grade curse."
"And apparently, when fighting curses, he didn't even use his cursed techniques—just his martial arts and brute strength, with a touch of cursed energy," Panda added.
"…Seriously?" Itadori Yuji was dumbfounded. "Special-Grade… like the ones in the juvenile facility… And there's also Sukuna in me, who's Special-Grade…"
Fushiguro nodded gravely.
Even though he had seen Saitama single-handedly take down a Special-Grade curse in the juvenile facility, Todo Aoi was likewise capable of handling Special-Grade threats alone. If the two met, whether Saitama could win remained uncertain.
Besides, Saitama's combat style was purely punching—he had no cursed energy, no jujutsu. Todo Aoi, on the other hand, was already a Grade 1 sorcerer. Although he had refrained from using cursed techniques against the Hyakki Yakou curses, that was because his opponents were weak. If he used his techniques, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Realizing this, Fushiguro's tension spiked.
Saitama… might be in danger!
"Let's go find Saitama immediately!" Fushiguro decided. "Split into two groups of three. That way, if Kyoto School students show up to stir trouble, even if they encounter a pair from their side, we won't be overwhelmed."
The second-years nodded. "Alright, let's do as Fushiguro said. We'll meet back at the dorm later. Forget about the afternoon free training for now."
The six quickly split into two teams.
Ten minutes later, Genos appeared at the end of the school path. He walked into the sports field, scanning the empty space, sinking into silence.
"Where is everyone?"
…
Two hours later.
All six first- and second-years gathered in front of the dormitory. They looked at one another, wordless.
"Couldn't find them…"
…
Meanwhile, after being shown Tokyo School's strangest rock, the largest tree, the smokestack with the funniest shape, the fattest koi in the pond, and the greenest frog, Todo Aoi mechanically bid farewell to Gojo Satoru and headed toward the school gate.
The strongest Special-Grade sorcerer really… was like this? Could he really be called the strongest? Todo Aoi questioned silently.
But there was no doubt—the sense of pressure he had felt in the restroom was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Could that have been the legendary Six Eyes in action?
Still concerned about the uniform jacket Gojo had touched, Todo Aoi took it off and folded it under his arm. When he returned to the spot near the vending machine where he had previously separated from Zenin Mai, the area was empty.
He wasn't sure if the prior meeting had ended yet.
Todo Aoi lingered by the vending machine for a moment, then shook his head and decided to leave. After all, he had agreed to accompany Principal Rakuya Kaji on a visit to Tokyo, not for the meeting or the tour.
This visit to Tokyo School wasn't just about gauging the first-years' abilities—Todo Aoi had another purpose. He was here to attend Takada-chan's Tokyo handshake event. To ensure he could make it, he even booked a different return ticket to Kyoto than everyone else.
Tomorrow was the handshake event, and he couldn't help but feel excited.
Thinking this, Todo Aoi pulled out from his pocket the carefully preserved, hand-written letter from Takada-chan and the accompanying handshake ticket, his cheeks flushing red.
This time, he would boldly confess to Takada-chan.
After carefully putting the letter and ticket away, Todo Aoi was about to continue forward when his steps suddenly halted.
At the top of the steps at the end of the road, a familiar bald figure appeared.
—Wasn't that the same bald guy who had earlier misled him?
Seeing the bald figure casually climbing the steps, completely oblivious to his presence, Todo Aoi recalled the two hours of his youth wasted being dragged around by Gojo Satoru to look at rocks, fish, and frogs. Anger surged within him, and he shouted, "Stop right there!"
"Huh?"
Saitama jumped in surprise and turned around. Seeing Todo Aoi, a few beads of sweat appeared on his bald head.
He hadn't expected to be caught red-handed. He had been hiding for two hours, even instructing Genos to come looking later. Just moments ago, he thought Todo had already left, so he stepped out. What a coincidence…
"You just gave me the wrong directions, didn't you!" Todo Aoi roared, advancing toward Saitama.
"…Yes." Saitama froze in place, speaking quietly.
"What's your name!?" Todo shouted.
"Saitama," he murmured.
"Hmph, Saitama," Todo Aoi said darkly, full of anger. "Because you gave me the wrong directions, I wasted two hours of my youth!"
He recalled that he had originally planned to use this opportunity to check on the first-years, only to be forcibly dragged by Gojo Satoru to sit by the pond for an hour, watching fish and frogs. Even during that time, he had involuntarily grown a small expectation, but in the end, the fish and frogs weren't anything special at all. His spirit had felt crushed, and his respect for Gojo was utterly gone. Remembering that, his anger burned even more fiercely.
"What's so interesting about boring fish and frogs!" he yelled under his breath. "I'm completely disillusioned!"
Standing on the steps, Saitama grew more and more nervous. Todo's words made him feel like he really had done something terrible…
Maybe he should apologize quickly…
Todo Aoi stepped onto the first step. The sole of his shoe landed on the stone, creating a brief silence, then radiating from the point of contact, tiny web-like cracks spread across the step.
Step by step, he climbed the stairs, slowly closing the distance to Saitama. With each step, the stone beneath him fractured a little more.
Finally, Todo Aoi was only four steps away from Saitama, who was already sweating profusely.
Upon seeing Saitama again, Todo confirmed that the bald man truly had no cursed energy. Although Todo had come to Tokyo School to hunt weaklings and disrupt the exchange event, acting against a genuinely ordinary person with no cursed energy went against his principles.
What he despised wasn't weakness itself, but mediocrity—those who had resources but didn't strive, neither high nor low.
Thus, Todo had no intention of harming Saitama. He just wanted a proper apology.
Stepping onto another stone, he said in a low voice, "You should be prepared… you must apologize to me—"
"I'm very sorry!"
Before Todo could finish, Saitama, overwhelmed by guilt, suddenly blurted out an apology and bowed deeply.
In that instant, his shiny bald head collided with Todo Aoi's, who was three steps below.
The two skulls met with a brief silence, then a sudden circular shockwave radiated outward. The stone steps beneath Todo exploded with a loud crash, shattering into irregular fragments under the force.
"Gah…"
Todo Aoi, who had been clenching his fists and ready to strike, felt a sharp pain shoot from the top of his head down to his heels. His joints cracked, his legs went weak, and he sank slightly as the broken steps beneath him gave way.
What… just happened? His rock-hard body… was actually overpowered by this bald guy…
With a final gasp, Todo Aoi's eyes rolled back. With a "thud," he collapsed unconscious among the shattered stones at the base of the steps.
"…"
Saitama remained in his bowing posture, eyes fixed on Todo Aoi's collapsed form, a drop of sweat rolling down his nose.
"Oops… messed up again…"