After a minor incident, Masamichi finally spoke, "First-year students, congratulations. After a two-month vacation, you will become second-years, and a new batch of students will arrive at Jujutsu High."
Renji had enrolled mid-term, having spent just over two months at Jujutsu High before following Satoru and the others into the ranks of second-years.
"Sensei, can we get someone else to teach us in second year?" Satoru raised his hand.
BANG!
Satoru, supporting himself with his right hand, looked out the window. On top of his head were two swollen bumps stacked on top of each other.
"Anyway, enjoy these two months. Go home if you need to or go out and have fun. After the break, I better not see anyone missing any limbs," Masamichi chuckled, then took four different stuffed toys from his pocket and tossed one to each of the four.
The toys weren't large, just small ornaments that could fit perfectly in a chest pocket. Satoru received a panda, Suguru got a white fox, Shoko got a koala, and Renji got a penguin.
Wait, why is this penguin wearing sunglasses?
It looks so sophisticated.
"These aren't ordinary toys. They are..."
Masamichi was about to proudly show off when he saw Suguru and Satoru already using the toys to have a mock battle.
"Taste my Kungfu Panda's Lion's Fang." The panda in Satoru's hand flew forward.
"Shut up. We can't lose either, Nine-Tails." Suguru cooperatively threw out his fox.
Bam! Bam!
A light breeze blew in through the window.
Suguru, sporting one swollen bump, looked out the window. Satoru's three bumps were now neatly arranged on his head in order of size.
"Honestly..." Masamichi raised his fist.
"Ahem. These are not ordinary toys. They are Cursed Corpses activated by Cursed Energy." Masamichi explained.
Cursed Corpses typically refer to artificial cursed beings or objects formed by infusing objects with Cursed Energy. Low-grade Cursed Corpses only require Cursed Energy to operate, while high-grade ones need a human soul to possess self-awareness and emotions.
Of course, using souls to create Cursed Corpses is a taboo in the Jujutsu World. The higher-ups consider it a desecration of the soul. In the original story, Masamichi was executed by the Jujutsu World after Satoru's death, precisely because of this.
Incidentally, in the original story, Yuji's second-year senior, Panda, is a Cursed Corpse, Masamichi's proudest creation.
For Masamichi, creating Cursed Corpses wasn't just for combat. It was also to help people overcome grief. He would often infuse the souls of the deceased into Cursed Corpses to comfort their surviving loved ones.
"These Cursed Corpses will monitor the Cursed Energy around you, serving as an early warning system of sorts." Masamichi said.
"So what's the use?" Satoru asked, holding the motionless panda toy in one hand and looking into Masamichi's eyes.
"When the Cursed Energy becomes very dense, they will come to life. They're my creations, a souvenir for you, not very useful." Masamichi said with a somewhat shy smile.
After all, he couldn't appear immature in front of his stude... Holy crap?!
Satoru threw the panda toy out the window.
"Sensei, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"The rest of you can leave."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Satoru watched as Renji and the others left, his eyes behind his sunglasses wide open.
"It means you're not going anywhere, Satoru. Taste my fist!"
In the hallway.
"Geto, Shoko-san, where are you going for the break?" Renji asked.
Suguru stroked his chin. "I'll go back to my hometown in Iwate to visit my parents. They're both non-sorcerers. They don't know I'm a Jujutsu Sorcerer, they just think I'm a student who's already earning money."
"As for me, I don't have any plans yet. If I don't think of anything to do, I'll probably just sleep in the Jujutsu High dorm the whole time." Shoko yawned, then took a cigarette from her pocket to perk herself up.
"What about you, Okkotsu? Where are you planning to go? As for money, sensei will deposit the Jujutsu Sorcerer stipend into your card, so no need to worry about that." Suguru asked.
Renji fell silent for a moment.
Yeah. What to eat?
Wait... Where to go?
"I haven't decided yet. How about I go visit your hometown with you, Geto? After all, I've never been there." Renji said.
Suguru was born into an ordinary family. He was discovered by people from Jujutsu High just before entering high school and became a Jujutsu Sorcerer. He displayed remarkable talent upon enrollment and was good friends with Satoru. He was also one of only two First-Grade Sorcerers in Jujutsu High's first-year class.
In the original story, after Suguru witnessed the people of the Star Religious Group not only remain indifferent but happily applaud after Riko's death, his world began to crumble.
After seeing the brutally torn-apart body of his beloved junior, Haibara Yu, and having a conversation with Yuki...
In short, he had to save Suguru if at all possible.
"Sure, you're welcome. In that case, Shoko, you come too. My parents won't mind." Suguru said with a gentle smile.
"Okay."
Not long after the group left, Satoru finally pushed open the wooden classroom door and walked out, the bumps still prominent on his head.
"Bastard sensei."
Satoru clicked his tongue, then looked down the hallway. It was empty.
Because it was vacation time, the teachers had returned to their residences, and the students were either in their dorms, at home, or out having fun.
Ring–––
A phone rang from Satoru's pocket.
"Hello, this is Gojo Satoru. Who is this?" Satoru asked bluntly.
On the other end of the line, a man's voice was indistinct.
Satoru's expression instantly turned cold.
"What kind of trash family dares to lay a hand on my friends?"
His Cursed Energy unconsciously leaked out, the terrifying power faintly distorting the air nearby.
"Get me a car, right now. I'm heading to Iwate Prefecture too. I want to see what those guys are trying to do."
...
The main house of the Sakurai Clan.
"This is... the inherited technique. It's so beautiful!"
A hunched-back old man, tears in his eyes, caressed the shikigami standing roughly three meters tall before him.
The shikigami had a blood-red halo above its head, six broken wings on its back, and two crimson arms radiating Cursed Energy roughly equivalent to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Its face was covered with eyes of varying sizes.
"What is this shikigami called, Kunikage?" The old man asked, mesmerized by the shikigami, not turning his head.
"Clan Head, this is the Okkotsu Clan's inherited Cursed Technique – Twelve Torii Technique: Formless Angel." Kunikage replied with his head bowed.
"Tsk." The old man made a dissatisfied sound.
"Now, it is our Sakurai clan's technique."