Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Times

The next morning, the individual battles began.

The venue was the largest dojo on campus. Teachers from both schools sat at opposite sides of the hall, leaving the center open for combat. Once all participants were present, Yoshinobu Gakuganji and Yaga Masamichi gave brief remarks, outlined the rules, and declared the matches underway.

"First match: Shingen Genichi versus Miwa Kasumi."

Despite having stayed up late gaming, Shingen Genichi strolled into the center of the arena looking chipper and refreshed. Miwa Kasumi, having taken a deep breath to steel her nerves, followed with a sword in hand.

They bowed. The duel began.

Both wielded curse-forged blades. Miwa was clearly tense, but she launched the first strike. Shingen Genichi didn't use any Technique; instead, he met her with blade against blade, calmly gauging her style.

Her movements were refined, but lacked intensity. Shingen Genichi quickly recognized the flow—New Shadow Style, a traditional system emphasizing blade fundamentals, often taught alongside Cursed Energy manipulation and the legendary Simple Domain technique.

'So she's a disciple of the same system as Kusakabe-sensei, he mused, recognizing the structured, textbook motions.'

He kept his own pace measured, parrying and countering lightly, all while analyzing. Miwa had skill—but no weight behind her strikes. No will to kill.

Even after a dozen exchanges, Shingen Genichi hadn't broken a sweat. Then, with a deft twist, he sidestepped one of her slower cuts, swept her legs from under her, and let her tumble to the ground.

As she picked herself up, he spoke—not mocking, but with clear-eyed candor:

"Your sword is too slow, lacks power… and no conviction."

Miwa blinked. "Huh?"

"Even if it's a wooden sword, what you hold is a weapon. A lethal one. That means when you raise it, your will must follow. If you're not ready to cut, you'll be the one who gets cut."

She hesitated. He continued, voice steady:

"Why are you here, Miwa? Why did you choose this life?"

She blinked again, breathless. Then, with quiet honesty:

"I… I'm poor. I have two younger brothers at home. I became a Jujutsu Sorcerer to support them."

Shingen Genichi absorbed this without judgment. Not everyone in the Jujutsu world had noble or tragic origins. Some were just trying to survive.

Still—

"Then you have even more reason to be strong. You fight not for honor, not for thrills—but for people who rely on you. So don't just think about earning. Think about surviving."

He raised his blade again and pointed.

"One strike. Show me your resolve."

Miwa Kasumi was stunned. But gradually, she stood. She exhaled. And then—something shifted.

Her blade slid back into its sheath. Her posture straightened.

New Shadow Style. Simple Domain: Iaijutsu.

A ripple of Cursed Energy formed a perimeter around her—her field of awareness, a mental boundary of the Simple Domain. As soon as an opponent stepped inside, her reflexes would activate automatically for a lightning draw.

Shingen Genichi grinned.

"Now we're talking."

He mirrored her stance.

Although he lacked the domain's automatic trigger, he could still match the speed—he wanted to. And so, he coiled his own energy, wrapping it around the sheathed blade, waiting…

Let's see how fast I can be… without my Technique.

Clang!

Steel roared. Both blades flashed.

Miwa's draw was clean, fast, and sharp. Her Simple Domain responded the moment Shingen Genichi breached the boundary.

But his sword bent mid-arc, altering its path. At the last second, he twisted it around hers—not clashing, but gliding past it.

Her blade went flying. She blinked—and saw it suspended in mid-air.

Shingen Genichi reached up, caught it by the hilt, and offered it back.

Miwa dropped to one knee and bowed.

"Thank you."

Yaga Masamichi rose.

"First match: Shingen Genichi wins. Tokyo Jujutsu High, one point."

Returning to his side, Shingen Genichi sat cross-legged—kneeling wasn't really his thing. He glanced toward Kyoto's side and caught Miwa's teammates quietly encouraging her.

Maki whistled beside him:

"So Kyoto does have a normal person after all."

Second Match: Panda vs. Mai Zen'in

Mai's Technique—Construction—was no secret, especially with her sister present. She could create matter out of nothing, though her daily limit was meager: roughly one bullet.

The match began. Panda immediately went on the offensive, using his large frame and raw power to close the distance.

Mai's strategy was centered on deception: hide the real Cursed Energy bullet among standard rounds. Her revolver fired clean shots, but Panda tanked through them, relying on durability and momentum.

Eventually, she landed a shot right on one of Panda's cores, staggering him. But then—

Gorilla Mode.

The shift was immediate and overwhelming. Panda's speed surged. One blow, and Mai was disarmed. Another, and she was on the ground.

"Second match: Panda wins. Tokyo, two points."

"Panda, saikou!"

"Tuna mayo!"

He scratched his head, bashful at the cheers. Mai returned to Kyoto's side, shaken. Momo and Miwa offered quiet comfort, while Kamo Noritoshi spoke evenly:

"You did well. Let's reset and focus on the next match."

Third Match: Inumaki Toge vs. Mechamaru

"I'm up." Mechamaru's synthetic voice echoed as he entered.

Inumaki bowed. "Kelp."

The moment the match began, Mechamaru launched dozens of small spheres at the ground. Smoke exploded from each one, masking the arena.

Inumaki immediately commanded:

"Blow away!"

A powerful wind burst forth, clearing some of the smoke—but not all. From the haze, a laser tore through, narrowly missing its mark.

Mechamaru used every trick—missiles, suppression fire, tactical smoke. He wanted to force Inumaki to overuse his voice.

But Inumaki held back. Silent, cautious. Waiting.

Minutes passed. Then—opportunity.

With Mechamaru's tools exhausted and his puppet visible, Inumaki took aim:

"Sleep."

The mechanical body locked in place.

Knowing the puppet was expensive and irreplaceable, Mechamaru quickly signaled his surrender.

"Third match: Inumaki Toge wins. Tokyo, three points."

He returned to warm applause—and some honey lemon tea.

At this point, Tokyo had secured victory.

Three wins out of six meant the worst-case was a tie. But they weren't done.

Fourth Match: Maki vs. Momo Nishimiya

Momo's broom gave her flight and wind-based attacks, launching sharp gusts from above.

But Maki wasn't fazed. She blocked everything with her naginata, and soon found an opportunity—springboarding off the wall and kicking Momo out of the air.

The rest wasn't pretty.

"Fourth match: Zen'in Maki wins. Tokyo, four points."

Shingen Genichi and Panda had stood up to cheer—then immediately sat back down under Maki's glare.

"Last time we cheer too soon," Genichi whispered.

"Agreed," Panda nodded.

"Next match: Okkotsu Yuta vs. Kamo Noritoshi."

The real fight was just beginning.

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