"You tell me, if there's someone who's sidered the stro in modern times, wouldn't there have been someone like that in aimes too?"

  "Even if there was, so what? You don't actually think people from aimes could still be alive today!"

  "That's true!"

  Young people nowadays are quip to clusions.

  In no time, the versation had already shifted to other topics.

  Ryuji, listening from the side, couldn't help but chuckle.

  So, people still have such a shallow uanding of sorcerers.

  Ignorance breeds arrogance.

  After this live broadcast, I believe no one will dare to casually talk about such topiymore.

  Some will be too intimidated by the very idea of sorcerers.

  Of course, there may be envy or jealousy too, no surprise there.

  "Ha~"

  Ryuji watched all of this with quiet amusement, choosing not to interrupt.

  Let things unfold naturally.

  During the lunch break, the atmosphere was noticeably different from usual. Everyone was uncharacteristically quiet, each person silently glued to their phones. Some looked curious, others excited, and some just seemed to be along for the ride.

  But that didn't stop most people from being curious about the live broadcast.

  Seeing this, Ryuji wasn't surprised.

  He simply smirked and led Yumiko and the others to the Service Club.

  The live broadcast was worth watg, but there was o do it in the .

  When they arrived, they found the room dimly lit, with the curtains drawn. Mai was setting up a projector, aimed at a bnk wall.

  "Ryuji! You're here!"

  Notig him walk in, she greeted him with a smile.

  "What are you doing?"

  Ryuji closed the door and looked over at the projector, intrigued.

  "Hehe! I thought, since we're all watg together, it'd be better on a projector than crowding around a phone!"

  This wasn't something Mai had bought just for today. As a former child star, she wasn't short on money and had previously bought a projector for watg movies at home during her downtime.

  Today, she figured it'd be perfect t it to the club.

  The irls seemed to agree with her idea.

  "Alright then!"

  Ryuji just smiled.

  "Better hurry, though. The live broadcast is set for noon, and it's almost twelve now!"

  "Don't worry!" Mai made an OK gesture fidently. "It's just a quick setup. Won't take more than a few minutes!"

  "Hmm."

  Ryuji didn't say any more. He settled into ay seat, surrounded by the girls, curious to see how this live broadcast would py out.

  He had a feeling something iing might happen. He was looking forward to it.

  "Oh, it's my first live broadcast! I'm a little nervous!"

  Meanwhile, Gojo made a big show of pretending to be anxious.

  The other staff at Jujutsu High just looked at him ftly.

  They were clearly used to his antics by now.

  Seeing ion, Gojo looked exasperated. He was being serious!

  "I'm not kidding, I'm really nervous!"

  "Alright, Gojo."

  Finally, the principal, Masamichi, stepped in to cut off Gojo's theatrics.

  "You knoe chose you to be the first sorcerer to go live, right?"

  Everyone present uood the reason for this arra.

  "Yeah, yeah, of course I know!"

  Gojo dropped the act, waving his hand dismissively.

  "Obviously, it's because those uptight higher-ups are worried that people will freak out after learning about sorcerers. So, they need me, the stro of our time, to show my pout the masses at ease!"

  …

  Though Gojo's words were ced with disdain for the higher-ups, he wasn't wrong. Even Masamichi couldn't deny it.

  Ultimately, he could only shake his head in resignation.

  "It's to prevent public order from falling apart."

  No one else could aplish this like Gojo.

  Only he owerful enough to pull it off.

  "I get it, I get it."

  Gojo's demeanor was flippant, but he wasn't ignorant.

  Though he rarely talked about grand ideals, he uood them well enough.

  "Otherwise, why do you think I'd cooperate? Those uptight fools think they boss me around?"

  If he didn't see the potential be, he'd never have agreed to the higher-ups' orders.

  Arying to trol him would have found themselves in serious trouble.

  "Good, as long as you uand."

  Masamichi didn't push further. Although he shared Gojo's distaste for the higher-ups, only Gojo had the strength to express such ses openly.

  "It's almost time."

  "Alright, alright!"

  Not wanting t it out, Gojo waved his hand dismissively.

  "Rex, I'm on it!"

  And with that, he prepared to cast his teique, vanishing in an instant.

  "Be careful. This time, your target is a special-grade cursed spirit, not some..."

  Not some weakling.

  To showcase Gojo's power, they needed a cursed spirit of signifit strength, not just any random creature.

  But before Masamichi could finish, Gojo had already vanished.

  …

  Masamichi stood there silently.

  Though he was used to Gojo's antics, it was still a bit exasperating.

  "Huh!"

  He decided to let it go. If he argued with Gojo, he'd just end up frustrated.

  With a sigh, Masamichi turo the other staff members.

  "Let's go bad watch the broadcast."

  This broadcast could shape the future era.

  Naturally, they were all ied.

  "So cool! I wonder when I'll get to do something like that!"

  Yuji, a new recruit at Jujutsu High, was still full of youthful enthusiasm.

  He imagined himself standing up to protect others a excited just thinking about it.

  His cssmates, Nobara and Megumi, looked unphased. Clearly, they didn't share his boundless energy.

  "True."

  The timeline had shifted. Although Yuta had lost his power after the special-grade cursed spirit, Rika, departed, he had since left for training abroad.

  But Maki, Inumaki, and the others were still students at Jujutsu High at this time.

  Suddenly, Maki turo Masamichi with a thought.

  "We've said before that Ryuji is a powerful special-grade sorcerer too. If more cursed spirits appear, wouldn't he also step in?"

  "Hmm? Maki, that's unusual for you!"

  Panda, a cursed corpse created by Masamichi, looked at her with a smirk.

  "It seems like ever since he saved you, you've been ag strange. Even on missions, you seem distracted. Could it be… you've got a thing for Ryuji?"

  "Salmon! (Hmm.)"

  Inumaki, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.

  After all, he'd beeoo when Zenin was rescued, so he knew what was going on.

  "Oh my! Maki, in love? This is a first! I thought you'd never fall for anyone, let alone a guy! You're always so focused on training…"

  Maki used to think about nothing but honing her skills.

  She was the definition of a martial arts fanatic.

  It was hard to imagine someone like her developing feelings for anyone.

  Panda, of course, couldn't resist teasing her, and the others couldn't help but look over.

  …

  Maki said nothing, refusing to react. Her fists just ched tighter.

  Inumaki, notig this, wao stop Panda, but it was too te.

  Bang!

  In a fsh, Maki's fist nded on Panda's head.

  The room fell silent.

  "Ahem!"

  Masamichi cleared his throat, ign the scuffle.

  In his view, bonds were fed through such banter and sparring.

  Instead, he answered Maki's earlier question.

  "Ryuji isn't officially part of Jujutsu High, nor has he joined us as a formal member. At most, we have a business retionship. We provide information and rewards for cursed spirits, aakes care of them."

  Masamichi had tried to recruit Ryuji, but he couldn't force the issue. Offending such a powerful sorcerer would be a loss.

  Masamichi knew better than to push too hard.

  "But even if he's not one of us, we still work with him iure if the opportunity arises."

  For some of the students who hadn't met Ryuji, curiosity sparked.

  "Although I've never spoken to him directly, I think Ryuji is genuinely passionate about what he does. Holy, he's exorcised more special-grade cursed spirits on his own than we have as a school."

  Just retly, Ryuji had been actively taking missions from the sorcery world, effitly exorg cursed spirits.

  Masamichi had never seen anyone else who could handle cursed spirits at such a pace.

  It was why he viewed Ryuji as a truly dedicated sorcerer.

  Otherwise, who would go out of their way to deal with cursed spirits just for fun?

  Of course, Ryuji himself might not see it that way. He was just using these cursed spirits to make himself stronger.

  But Masamichi mistook it for a strong sense of justice.

  "So that's why."

  The others nodded, feeling a newfound respect for this sorcerer they'd yet to meet.

  "I've decided. I'm going to bee a sorcerer like him!"

  Yuji decred with enthusiasm.

  But Sukuna, the a curse dwelling within Yuji, scoffed at the notion.

  "Justice? Only fools care about that."

  As the cursed king from a thousand years ago, Sukuna had taken tless lives. cepts like "justice" were meanio him, something he held in plete disdain.

  To him, only the strong ruled, and only power mattered.