Seeing the composed demeanor of the three Kyoto team members, many of their supporters in the stands erupted into cheers.
The three bowed slightly to express their gratitude for the crowd's enthusiasm.
However, Gojo Satoshi had yet to arrive.
Even though the focus of this Sister School Goodwill Event was Satoru's younger brother, Satoshi, he and the others from Tokyo Jujutsu High still kept their attention on the Kyoto team.
For some reason, Satoru couldn't shake a faint sense of unease whenever he looked at Kamo Kenshin.
It puzzled him.
Kamo Kenshin had not awakened an advanced technique. He hadn't reached Special Grade either and likely had not mastered a Domain.
While Domain mastery doesn't automatically make one a top-tier sorcerer, ninety-nine percent of top-tier sorcerers have mastered one.
Satoru had yet to attain Domain Expansion, but with the power of the Six Eyes and his immense talent, his combat strength was already comparable to that of Domain users.
It was only a matter of time before he mastered a Domain himself.
So why did he feel a vague sense of danger from someone still at Grade 1?
Unable to get an answer from staring at Kamo Kenshin, Satoru shifted his gaze to the two girls next to him, only for Iori Utahime to glare at him fiercely.
Satoru: "?"
"Hey, Suguru, did we offend Utahime somehow? Why does it feel like she really hates me?" A confused look crossed Satoru's face.
"Honestly, her not liking you is totally normal," Suguru replied with a smirk.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Satoru asked again.
"Well," Suguru said, squinting and shaking his head, "if you think she'd like you at first sight, that's the real problem. Ever heard of the three great delusions in life?"
Satoru: "..."
"By the way, why hasn't Satoshi shown up yet? I'm itching to beat him up." Satoru quickly changed the subject.
"Are you sure you're not the one asking for a beating?" Shoko said, pulling out a few candies from her pocket and handing two to Satoru and Suguru.
"When you're bored, a little sugar helps." Satoru smiled. "But I still don't think Satoshi can beat us this time."
He wasn't alone anymore. He had both Shoko and Suguru at his side.
And for the past few days, he had personally been helping Satoshi train.
So even if he was facing his younger brother, Satoru felt confident.
"Now that I think about it, the three of us together really do have a shot," Suguru said, touching his chin. "Satoru, Shoko, how about we skip Kyoto for now? Just use your Six Eyes to find Satoshi directly. If we beat him with Kyoto's help, it won't feel satisfying."
"I was thinking the same thing."
Satoru looked up at the sky. Suguru thought Satoru would decline, but instead, he smiled triumphantly, patted Suguru on the shoulder, and said, "Suguru, you really are my best friend. I've been thinking the exact same thing!"
"If we're together, even Satoshi can't be underestimated."
Satoru's trembling body and flushed cheeks weren't from fear, but excitement. When Suguru suggested the idea, a competitive spark flared in his heart.
"Alright, let's show Satoshi what our strongest team looks like." Satoru grinned, wrapping his arm around Suguru's shoulder.
At the same time…
Two old men entered the plaza, drawing attention from the nearby graduates and faculty.
They were quickly greeted by surrounding staff and alumni.
The two were none other than the principals of the technical colleges—Gakuganji Yoshinobu and Sekiguchi Seiji.
"Good morning, everyone," Seiji greeted them with a pleasant smile.
Gakuganji simply nodded.
Satoshi's seat was still empty, indicating he had yet to arrive.
With some time still left before the event's official start, the two principals didn't linger and made their way to the platform.
On the high platform, Yaga Masamichi stepped forward as soon as he saw them and bowed respectfully. "Principal Sekiguchi. Principal Gakuganji."
Sekiguchi responded with a wide, satisfied smile, clearly pleased with the young instructor.
Gakuganji, however, looked slightly embarrassed.
His gaze turned to the blonde woman leaning lazily against the edge of the platform, looking out over the scenery.
She was none other than Yuki, the leading teacher from Kyoto Jujutsu High.
Unlike the others, she paid no mind to the principals' arrival, clearly not taking them seriously at all…
Gakuganji looked over at Yaga next to him and felt as if his chest was stabbed with a blunt blade. His face darkened.
Yuki slowly turned her head, completely unfazed by his tone.
Seeing Gakuganji glaring at her, she let out a small sigh and reluctantly greeted him. "Principal Gakuganji."
Sekiguchi chuckled beside them. "Yuki, as expected of a Special Grade. So carefree."
Yuki curled her lip.
It was simply her nature—and somewhat intentional. She hated this kind of suffocating formal atmosphere.
But due to her special status, Gakuganji couldn't really do anything about her.
Originally, she hadn't wanted to remain as a teacher at the technical college and had been planning to go abroad.
But in the end, because she was concerned about Satoshi, who was still dormant in the Tombs of the Star, she gave up studying overseas and decided to stay at Kyoto High... and slack off.
...
Just then, a young man slowly appeared at the edge of the plaza and began walking toward the waiting area.
He instantly drew everyone's attention.
People were momentarily stunned, then erupted into cheers.
It was Gojo Satoshi!
The moment Satoshi arrived, all eyes—both audience and participants—locked onto him.
His appearance was like the final shell detonating at the dam, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the entire event.
"Satoshi, you finally showed up!" Satoru's breathing grew heavy. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement as they locked onto his younger brother.
Satoshi, sensing his brother's rising spirit, responded without hesitation.
"Satoru, so... are you ready to lose to me again?"
"Satoshi, what nonsense are you saying? I'm not losing this time!" Satoru grinned, eyes sharp like a wolf stalking its prey. "You'd better be careful. We've improved a lot!"
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)