Jujutsu Kaisen: Wheel Of Time

Chapter 13: Exchange Event

"Mission accomplished!"

After completing the handover with the Police and the cleanup crew, Kamihara Hajime had nothing more to do there.

Considering that he had been training at Tokyo Jujutsu High or going on missions for a while and hadn't been out much, Kamihara Hajime decided to explore for a bit before heading back, and also to bring back some gifts for them.

By the time he returned, Maki and Panda had also completed their missions, though Maki had a slight accident and sustained a minor injury during combat, but fortunately, it was nothing serious.

And it was said that Yuta Okkotsu's girlfriend, Rika, had revealed her full form, overwhelmingly tearing apart the Curse in the mission.

Moreover, according to Maki, who had returned, Yuta Okkotsu's rating was actually Special Grade! It's important to know that currently, there are only three known Special Grade Sorcerers: the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, Gojo Satoru, Yuki Tsukumo, who is often overseas, and Suguru Geto, who has already been classified as a Curse Master.

Does that mean Yuta Okkotsu is the fourth Special Grade Sorcerer? But considering the terrifying... powerful aura of Yuta Okkotsu's little girlfriend, it doesn't seem impossible to understand.

"N-no, not at all." Yuta Okkotsu found it a bit overwhelming to be surrounded by so many gazes. Panda continuously exclaimed in surprise from the side, and Inumaki Toge also expressed his amazement with his rice ball language.

Maki stood to the side with her arms crossed, pouting. This bean sprout hardly looked like a Special Grade. Without that Curse, he was practically a pushover.

However... at that time, he was the one who saved her and those two children, right? Although he was still quite weak, as long as he had the conviction to strive for improvement, that was enough.

"Let's go, training starts now."

Maki was the first to head towards the training ground. Panda patted Yuta Okkotsu's shoulder and said with great enthusiasm, "Let's go! Let's advance on the path to becoming stronger together!"

Yuta Okkotsu nodded heavily, revealing a smile. The group then followed behind Maki down the corridor, with warm sunlight streaming through the windowpanes onto their smiling faces.

...

"Hoo... hoo..."

Yuta Okkotsu leaned on his training wooden sword, panting heavily. His limbs felt numb, as if they didn't belong to him. Across from him stood Maki, full of fighting spirit.

"Hurry up! Get up with your sword, you've rested for five minutes already," Maki urged, looking impatient.

Panda, on the nearby lawn, said sympathetically, "Yuta Okkotsu is really strong. Maki and Hajime are taking turns sparring with him. This must be the seventh time already. It's amazing he can still endure it."

"Salmon."

After Yuta Okkotsu volunteered to quickly become stronger, Maki, with a cold smirk, set up this training plan, where she and Hajime would take turns putting Yuta Okkotsu through high-intensity training.

Although his progress was obvious, it truly tested Yuta Okkotsu's willpower and physical endurance. The goal was to push his physical limits. As for physical injuries, with Ieiri Shoko from Tokyo Jujutsu High, who has mastered Reverse Cursed Technique, it was no problem at all.

Only after Yuta Okkotsu stood up again and assumed his stance did Maki reveal a satisfied smile: "Are you ready to face the storm?"

Kamihara Hajime, who had just finished his turn, was about to watch when he suddenly saw Principal Yaga approaching, accompanied by another figure. Kamihara Hajime, feeling a surge of energy, immediately got up and ran over.

The figure in front of Yaga Masamichi also joyfully ran towards Kamihara Hajime. As it got closer, it was clearly Bailang, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Bailang, who seemed to have grown a bit larger, swiftly darted in front of him, then lunged, tackling Kamihara Hajime to the ground, who was caught off guard. It then frantically nudged and licked him.

After giving the dog's head a good hug and a thorough petting, Bailang finally settled down, crouching somewhat obediently on the ground. Only then did Kamihara Hajime have time to examine Bailang, who had changed a bit.

Firstly, its size had increased. Now, when it crouched, it almost reached his waist, and its strength had also grown considerably. Just a moment ago, he was easily tackled by this guy when he wasn't paying attention.

There was also more black fur mixed in its coat. Besides these external changes, the Cursed Energy contained within Bailang's body had also significantly thickened. To use a somewhat inappropriate comparison, Bailang is now estimated to be comparable to an ordinary Second Grade Curse.

Of course, this refers to its combat state. Although Bailang is also a Curse Technique/Cursed Corpse created by Principal Yaga, it is completely different from Panda. After all, Panda is Yaga Masamichi's greatest masterpiece—a suddenly mutated Curse Technique/Cursed Corpse.

Even if you asked him to try to create it again, such a miracle could not be replicated. However, Bailang could also be considered one of Principal Yaga's masterpieces.

The Cursed Energy it consumes during normal activities is not much; it can basically self-circulate. However, for combat, Kamihara Hajime, as its master, needs to replenish it as needed.

Shortly after Kamihara Hajime arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Principal Yaga had taken Bailang, saying that his technique had greatly improved and he wanted to "upgrade" Bailang.

It's probably mainly about combat improvements. Just then, Yaga Masamichi walked over. Kamihara Hajime turned back, smiling as he greeted him, then asked, "Principal Yaga, what did you upgrade on Bailang?"

Yaga Masamichi subtly revealed a hint of pride: "Firstly, of course, it's an overall improvement. If it has enough Cursed Energy, it might even be able to exorcise some less troublesome Second Grade Curses on its own."

"Secondly, I also enhanced its tracking ability. Now it can track Cursed Energy traces more accurately and over a wider range."

After listening, Kamihara Hajime thanked Yaga Masamichi again. Over there, Panda and the others noticed the situation, came over to greet Yaga Masamichi, and then their attention was drawn to Bailang.

Indeed, who doesn't love a friendly, silly dog? Even just a quick pet would do. Surprisingly, Maki also seemed quite willing to get close to the dog. Her initially disdainful expression finally broke down when the silly dog approached her, playing a bit of "hard to get," and she couldn't resist petting it.

Yuta Okkotsu, who had a brief respite, looked at Bailang with emotion: "What a good dog."

Then Kamihara Hajime also had Bailang demonstrate its combat form. Upon releasing its Cursed Energy, Bailang's body visibly expanded at a rapid pace, becoming almost a full size larger than usual, with one paw as large as Kamihara Hajime's face.

Its claws and fangs also became more aggressive, and its powerful, muscular body, which its fur could no longer conceal, looked even more majestic. However, this silly dog couldn't even maintain it for two seconds before coming back to beg for pets.

But don't let its current silly appearance fool you; if it were truly involved in combat, with Kamihara Hajime's command, it could handle quite a lot.

Its excellent tracking ability alone is very useful. If Bailang had been with them last time, tracking down that culprit wouldn't have been so difficult.

After a short break, Yuta Okkotsu was pulled back into training by Maki. Yaga Masamichi had also left long ago; as principal, he had many responsibilities.

The following days were typical Tokyo Jujutsu High life. In addition to daily training, Yuta Okkotsu had to learn various knowledge about the Jujutsu World, as he had virtually no prior understanding of it.

Kamihara Hajime and the others would occasionally be assigned missions, especially him and Inumaki Toge. Because they were Second Grade Sorcerers, they could both undertake missions independently.

Inumaki Toge's Zouge was incredibly effective against Second Grade and lower Curses, while Kamihara Hajime took the opportunity during missions to further hone his coordination with Bailang.

Days passed, and Yuta Okkotsu made rapid progress through various rounds of "torture." In terms of pure physical combat and weapon skills, he could now go head-to-head with Maki and Kamihara Hajime.

After finishing his morning physical training, Kamihara Hajime, who was practicing his Technique, heard Panda's distant shout.

"Hajime, the exchange event with Kyoto Jujutsu High is about to begin."

Kamihara Hajime paused, he seemed to have some impression of this. Oh right! It was a competition between another school, he remembered.

Seeing him in thought, Panda assumed Kamihara Hajime wasn't familiar with the exchange event and continued to explain, "It's a competition between us and Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High, with the format decided by both principals."

"Originally, it was for second and third-year students, but most of them aren't at Tokyo Jujutsu High. Plus, with Yuta Okkotsu being a Special Grade, and considering the idea of training the first-years, they decided to have us participate along with Kyoto Jujutsu High's first-years."

Kamihara Hajime followed Panda towards the vending machine. As for the snacks and drinks he brought, they had long been devoured. Kamihara Hajime walked along, asking, "With us plus Yuta Okkotsu, won't we definitely win?"

Panda inserted coins and retrieved two cold drinks, handing one to Kamihara Hajime, then said, "Can't say 100%, after all, it's just an exchange event, Rika definitely can't appear. However, Yuta Okkotsu is already very strong, and Cursed Energy and Technique can be used in the exchange event, so our chances of winning are still very high."

"What's the content of the exchange event?"

Although Kamihara Hajime had a general idea, he still asked Panda. Panda scratched his head: "It's probably group and individual battles. We'll know soon enough."

Arriving at the sports ground, Inumaki Toge was running laps, with Bailang running right behind him. On the lawn, Maki was fighting Yuta Okkotsu.

The two seemed to have been sparring for a while. Shortly after Kamihara Hajime and Panda arrived, a winner was decided between them. In terms of just martial arts and physical combat, Maki still had the upper hand.

Maki stopped her hands. Seeing Panda and Kamihara Hajime walk over, she said, "You already know, right? The time is probably set for next week. We need to intensify our training during this period."

Inumaki Toge and Bailang, who had finished their training, also came over and expressed their agreement with Maki. Panda immediately raised his hand and said with great enthusiasm, "That's right! Let's all work hard together!"

"Hi, hi! My lovely students, seeing you all so energetic makes me, your teacher, very pleased!"

Everyone turned to look. Gojo Satoru, in casual clothes and wearing sunglasses, stood not far away. After they greeted him, Maki said somewhat unhappily, "Why is this unreliable blindfold here?"

Gojo Satoru walked over with his hands clasped behind his head, lazily saying, "I, your teacher, came to see my lovely students! Seeing you all so energetic makes my blood boil too! It's decided, before the exchange event, I'll give you all some special training!"

Maki and Panda didn't think much of it, but Kamihara Hajime's face darkened when he heard Gojo Satoru's words. Gojo Satoru's "special training" was, to put it plainly, true hellish training.

It was training personally conducted by Gojo Satoru, pushing them to their objective limits, not just what they perceived as their limits. Kamihara Hajime had experienced that feeling before and could only describe it as "being in ecstasy and agony."

Kamihara Hajime, who had chugged his drink, said calmly, "'Hell' is about to descend..."

Panda, still smiling, asked curiously, "Hajime, what were you just saying?"