"Tsk."

  Mei Mei sat with her arms crossed, her head lowered, saying nothing. Though she erfectly still, her irritation was clear.

  The truth was, she was frustrated—not with the meeting itself, but because it had been days since she'd st had a ce to "run into" Ryuji.

  Ever sihey'd met, Mei Mei had been w when she'd see him again, picturing different sarios and what kind of "tal" enter they might have.

  But she wasn't about to be the oo call a up a meeting, that would be far too direct. She was still a beautiful woman with her pride intact. She couldn't look too eager, after all.

  So, she'd e up with a pn.

  Since Ryuji was frequently out hunting special-grade cursed spirits, Mei Mei had thought she could figure out where he might be and "happen" to arrive first, creating a perfect actal meeting.

  It was fwless.

  But sometimes fate was a tricky thing. Before, she'd run into him by ce without even trying. But now, every time she set up the perfect opportunity to enter him, something would e up, and she'd miss him by just a hair.

  "Damn it," she muttered under her breath. How did I miss him again?

  Her pn was foolproof, so why did it keep failing?

  To top it off, there was a sting of annoyan her chest. Mei Mei was used to men pursuing her, not the other way around. Why hadn't Ryuji taken the initiative to seek her out?

  It was irritating. And it made her want him even more.

  "Yo!"

  A cheerful voice broke her train of thought.

  Gojo strolled into the feren, wearing his usual casual grin, not looking worried in the slightest. His id-back arrival immediately silehe room.

  Everyone's versations stopped in an instant. Gojo's presenatention. That was the resped fear the stro sorcerer of modern times inspired.

  "It's rare to see so many sorcerers gathered like this!" Gojo said with a smirk, greeting some of the attendees, many of whom he'd probably fought at some point in the past.

  "Alright, enough of that, Gojo. Let's get started," came the voice of Principal Yaga from behind him, interrupting his chatter.

  Gojo sighed, rolling his eyes but obediently finding a seat.

  Yaga looked around the room, addressing everyoh a serious expression. "Alright, everyone. I'm sure you're all aware of the ret surge in cursed spirits. And I'm sure you've also heard that the existence of curses o longer be hidden from the public. People are starting to talk about curses and sorcerers openly. This is a situation unlike anything we've ever faced."

  The room was silent. Everyone khat was why they'd been called here, but hearing it out loud still made the situation feel more urgent.

  "Okay, okay, enough with the build-up," Gojo interrupted, waving his hand impatiently. "What's the pn?"

  Yaga shot him an annoyed look but tinued, "The higher-ups have decided on a solution: live broadcasts."

  A few murmurs broke out in the room. Live broadcasts?

  Yaga expined, "The pn is to broadcast our battles with cursed spirits to the public. The goal is to use the strength of our sorcerers to reassure ordinary people, to show them that curses are not uable, that we're here to protect them."

  For the sorcerers, who had always worked behind the ses, this was a big shift. Some looked unfortable, while others seemed intrigued. They all uood the reasoning, though. It was a bold solution, and for now, it was the best option they had.

  "Well, would you look at that," Gojo said with a smirk. "Didn't think those crusty old higher-ups had it io e up with something like this. I thought they just sat around all day ting their money and bossing people around."

  Some of the other sorcerers might have wao ugh, but no one dared to join in. Only Gojo could get away with mog the higher-ups so openly. The others simply kept their eyes down, pretending they hadn't heard him.

  "Gojo." Yaga shot him a warning look. "Let's keep this professional."

  But then he added, "This pn wasn't devised by the higher-ups. It was Lord Tengen's idea."

  At that, Gojo burst out ughing. "Of course it was! Hahahaha!"

  Anyone could tell there was a bitter edge to his ughter.

  Even as the world was on the verge of being overrun by cursed spirits, the higher-ups had dohing to adapt. Instead of leading, they were still proteg their own is. It was Tehe one who rarely involved himself with the affairs of others, who had e up with the pn.

  Gojo's ughter faded, and his expression turned dangerous. "Rotten to the core," he muttered. "If it weren't for the fact that no one's ready to take their pce, I'd have wiped them out by now."

  Despite his pojo knew managing the world of sorcery was airely different skill from fighting. The old guard may have been corrupt, but they trolled a work of influend authority that couldn't simply be repced ht.

  Yaga saw Gojo's darkening mood and sighed. "Alright, enough of that. Since everyone agrees on the pn, we o start preparing. Soon, we'll be stepping out of the shadows and into the public eye. Get ready."

  The sorcerers in the room murmured in agreement, some looking uneasy at the thought of fighting in front of an audience. After a few moments, many of them began to file out, leaving just a handful behind, mostly from Jujutsu High and Kyoto High.

  "Gojo." Yaga looked at him, his tone firm. "You'll be the first to go on camera. We need a stro, so you'll be fag a special-grade curse. Make it t."

  Even Principal Gakuganji from Kyoto High, who often cshed with Gojo, didn't object. Everyone khat Gojo's power was unmatched. If anyone could make an impact, it was him.

  "Don't worry, don't worry." Gojo grinned, his tone more serious than his words suggested. "I'll make it a spectacle."

  It would be a perfect opportunity to showcase the strength of sorcerers and show the world that there was nothing to fear.

  "Oh, by the way," Gojo said, as if suddenly remembering something. "As far as special-grades go, we've got me, but then there's another one, right?"

  The room went quiet, with several people gng around in fusion.

  Gakuganji raised an eyebrow. "Another special-grade sorcerer? What are you talking about?"

  Gojo grinned. "I'm talking about Ryuji."

  At that name, reition sparked in the eyes of the Kyoto students, especially Miwa and Momo. Ryuji had saved them once, and his presence had left a strong impression.

  "Ah, Ryuji," Gakuganji said, nodding slowly. "Yes, I've heard rumors. They say you even sider him a genius, Gojo."

  "It's not just rumors." Nanami, who had been silent up until now, spoke up. "I saw him in a retly. Ryuji opened his domain aed a top-tier special-grade cursed spirit, ohat had opes own domain as well."

  The room went quiet at that. Sorcerers exged looks of astonishment. Opening a domain was a rare skill, even among special-grade sorcerers.

  "You're serious?" Gakuganji asked, clearly shocked. He had known Ryuji was talented, but this was on a different level.

  Nanami nodded. "He ha with ease. The cursed spirit didn't stand a ce. Ryuji's power is very real."

  Gojo smirked. "Told you, didn't I? He's the real deal."

  "Speaking of which," Nanami added with a slight smile, "his domain was the most beautiful I've ever seen. Sunshine, o, beach… it looked like a perfect vacation spot. It was almost surreal."

  The others looked at him in surprise. A beaain?

  Mei Mei's eyes narrowed slightly. She had seen Ryuji's domain before, and it hadn't been anything like what Nanami was describing. When she had wit, it had been dark and dangerous, a blood-red space filled with a sense of foreboding.

  Something wasn't adding up.

  "What's wrong, Mei Mei?" Nanami asked, notig her expression.

  She hesitated, then decided to speak up. "Are you sure? When I saw Ryuji's domain, it was… different. Dark red, almost oppressive. It felt dangerous, not beautiful."

  Nanami's eyebrows knit together. "Sunshine and o arely dark and oppressive, are they?"

  "Exactly," Mei Mei replied, still puzzled. She wasn't the type to misuand something like that.

  A few others began to murmur, realizing the implications. If Ryuji's domain could appear so drastically different depending on the viewer, that suggested he had an unusual level of trol over it, or maybe even multiple domains.

  Principal Yaga's gaze sharpened. "Mei Mei, you describe exactly what you saw?"

  Mei Mei hesitated, w if this was crossing some line of Ryuji's privacy. But then she recalled that Ryuji had ried to hide his strength. He had faced down curses openly and had never asked her to ceal his strength, so she stopped hesitating.

  ***

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