The expression on Megumi Fushiguro's face shifted from guarded to utter bewilderment.
Nobara Kugisaki's hammer nearly slipped from her hand, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
As for the man at the center of it all, Aoi Todo remained motionless in his pose, arms crossed over his chest.
Only two lines of crystalline tears slowly traced down his rugged face.
Drip.
The tears fell onto the concrete floor with a crisp sound.
"Uwaaaaaa..."
Aoi Todo suddenly threw his head back, letting out the sobbing wail of a crying tough guy.
That non-existent memory had taken root and sprouted in his mind, completely washing away his original violence and scrutiny.
'This...'
Aoi Todo's heart was roaring.
'Is this the peak I have always been chasing?'
Though he always claimed to like tall women with big butts and used that to judge the taste of others...
That was merely the surface!
Behind those seemingly crude preferences lay a soul yearning to be understood!
Boom—!
A violent surge of cursed energy erupted from Aoi Todo, sending the surrounding dust flying into the air.
He took a sudden step forward and opened his arms wide as if to give Yoru a suffocating hug.
"My best friend!!!"
"I knew it! I knew if it was you, you would understand!"
"Even if we've never met before, on a spiritual level, we've known each other for ten thousand years!"
"We are brothers from different mothers!"
Megumi Fushiguro: "..."
Nobara Kugisaki: "..."
The two of them glanced at each other, seeing the same profound speechlessness in each other's eyes.
'Is there something seriously wrong with this guy's head?'
'One second he was trying to kill us, and the next he's a long-lost brother?'
'This is the ace of the Kyoto School? He's a total basket case, isn't he?'
However, faced with Aoi Todo's sudden outburst of passion, Yoru's expression remained as calm as still water.
He simply shifted his body slightly, moving as lightly as a falling leaf to avoid Todo's bear hug that reeked of sweat.
"I don't know you."
Yoru said calmly, his voice cool and detached.
There was no mockery in his tone; he was simply stating a fact.
"It doesn't matter!"
Todo lunged into empty air but didn't feel the slightest bit of embarrassment.
Instead, he excitedly pounded his chest, making a dull thumping sound.
"Today's stranger is just the foundation for a deeper bond tomorrow!"
"I am Aoi Todo! A third-year at Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School!"
"From this day forward, you are my, Aoi Todo's, best brother!"
As he spoke, the tears in Todo's eyes evaporated instantly, replaced by a fanatical battle intent.
With a loud rip, he tore off the remaining shreds of his shirt, fully revealing his lean, powerful muscles.
"Though we are best friends..."
"A man's friendship must be confirmed with his fists!"
Thump!
The ground shook violently as Todo's figure vanished from the spot.
'So fast!'
Megumi Fushiguro's pupils shrank.
This speed, generated purely from physical explosive power, was actually a hair faster than his own even when reinforced with cursed energy!
'This is the ace of the Kyoto School?'
"Come! My best friend! Let me see your mettle!"
With a thunderous roar, Todo's fist, the size of a sandbag and wreathed in blue cursed energy, crashed toward Yoru's face.
He didn't hold back at all.
To Todo, only giving his all was the greatest sign of respect for a best friend!
Faced with this heavy, powerful punch, Yoru did not draw his sword, nor did he even move his feet.
To an onlooker, it appeared as though he was paralyzed by Todo's momentum, standing frozen in place.
But only Yoru knew that in his perception, the world had slowed down.
Facing Todo's heavy, brute force, the explosive nature of Sun Breathing wasn't suited for this specific spar.
In Yoru's mind, countless principles regarding Breathing Styles evolved at lightning speed...
[DING!]
[Congratulations, Host, you have successfully comprehended a branched Breathing Style: Water Breathing!]
"Total Concentration: Water Breathing."
He simply raised his left hand slightly, the scabbard of Shiranui tracing a soft, wave-like arc through the air.
Just as the fist was about to graze the tip of Yoru's nose.
Clack.
A soft sound echoed.
The pitch-black scabbard landed with pinpoint accuracy on the joint of Todo's wrist.
There was no head-on collision, only a continuous, flowing clever force like running water.
Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance.
Yoru's figure moved like a floating leaf gliding on the surface of water. With a gentle flick of his wrist, that terrifying strength—enough to shatter boulders—was instantly guided aside.
"What?!"
Todo's expression changed.
He felt as if his punch had struck a rapid river; instead of hitting anything solid, he was pulled off-balance by the supple flow of the current.
Immediately after, using Todo's forward momentum against him, Yoru lightly poked the end of the scabbard into Todo's abdomen.
Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust.
Though the blade remained sheathed, a sharp force like water dripping through stone instantly bypassed Todo's thick abdominal muscles.
Bang!
Todo's massive frame lost all balance, and he was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
Boom!
A loud crash followed.
Todo slammed heavily into the roadside greenery, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The sound of breaking branches and flying soil filled the air.
"Todo-senpai!"
Mai Zenin, standing not far away, cried out in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.
'That monster Aoi Todo was actually sent flying in a single move?'
'And the opponent didn't even draw his sword! He just used the scabbard?'
The dust settled.
Todo climbed out of the bushes looking a bit disheveled.
A few withered leaves were stuck in his hair and his stomach throbbed with pain, but there was no anger on his face.
Quite the opposite.
His smile grew wider, even bordering on manic.
"Hahahaha!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Todo laughed as he brushed the dust off his body, his gaze toward Yoru filled with unmasked admiration.
"As expected of my best friend!"
"Not only do you have high-class taste, but your skills are also remarkable!"
"That move just now was pure technique, wasn't it? You didn't rely on an explosion of cursed energy, but perfectly utilized my own strength..."
"Fantastic!"
Todo stood tall again. Despite the dirt on his face, his intimidating aura had not diminished in the slightest.
He took a deep look at Yoru, who still stood in the same spot, looking as calm as a breeze.
That youth had not moved a single step from start to finish.
"Let's end today's greeting here."
Todo knew that if they truly wanted to determine a winner, it wouldn't be settled quickly.
Moreover, he glanced at his watch.
"If we keep fighting, I'll miss Takada-chan's handshake event."
That was an absolute priority that could not be missed!
Todo turned around and waved his hand with his back toward Yoru.
"Best friend! Be well prepared!"
"At the upcoming Sister School Goodwill Event, I'll be coming at you with everything I've got!"
"When that time comes, let's have a truly satisfying battle to the death! Hahahaha!"
With that heroic laughter, Aoi Todo strode away from the scene.
He came like a gale and left just as quickly.
He was like a sudden, passing tornado.
The scene was left in a mess, with the others staring at each other in confusion.
"What... what exactly did that guy come here for?"
Nobara Kugisaki's mouth twitched, feeling like her worldview had been shaken.
Megumi Fushiguro let out a sigh of relief and looked at Yoru with a complex gaze.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Yoru put away his scabbard, his eyes calmly watching Todo's retreating back.
That man...
He seemed crazy, but his heart was unexpectedly pure.
And...
Yoru looked down at the Shiranui in his hand.
During that brief moment of contact, he could feel the suppressed cursed energy within Todo.
Without using Sun Breathing, it wouldn't be easy to suppress that man using only physical techniques and swordsmanship.
"He's a decent opponent."
Yoru murmured softly, but he didn't dwell on it too much.
Because now, his sights were no longer set on these students.
His blade existed to sever the most evil of curses.
"Let's go."
Yoru turned to the two who were still dazed.
"It seems Maki-senpai's side has run into some trouble as well."
Just a moment ago, he had caught a hint of an unpleasant aura in the air.
It was malice directed at a comrade, followed by the sound of a round being chambered.
From the direction of Mai Zenin.
If he hadn't misheard, that gun was loaded with live ammunition.
Yoru's eyes turned slightly cold.
Though he was usually mild-mannered, if someone tried to harm the comrades he acknowledged...
Then that was a different story entirely.
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]