Hello, Classmate

New chapter is live.

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"Why is it so hard for you to behave?"

Itsuki walked slowly up to the group and looked down at Haruta, who was curled on the floor. His eyes were smiling.

"S-s-sorry."

In that instant, tears flooded Haruta's face.

Itsuki slowly crouched in front of him. His tone held a trace of curiosity.

"Don't you like the feeling of torturing people to death?"

"I gave you twenty hours a day to enjoy yourself. I even included food and lodging."

"For someone like you, this place should have been heaven."

"I truly don't understand. Why insist on running away?"

"S-sorry, sorry..."

Haruta shook all over, keeping his head pressed low while he repeated apologies under his breath.

"Hisashi, from now on, you'll handle the work at the Bath."

Hearing that, Hisashi Zenin nodded and turned toward the Bath without hesitation.

"There. Isn't that worse?"

Itsuki sighed and shook his head.

"Even the work you liked has been taken by someone else."

"Sorry!"

"Clan Head, my lord!"

"Please give me one more chance! I'll work properly this time!"

Haruta pointed at Hisashi's back, his eyes full of venom.

"My lord, that guy only has one hand. There's no way he can take bodies apart faster than I can!"

"From now on, I'll work twenty-three hours a day. I swear I won't make another mistake."

Haruta lifted his head and pleaded desperately.

He even forced down his terror and squeezed out a weeping smile for Itsuki.

"Hmm..."

Itsuki slowly reached one hand toward Haruta's chest and asked with a soft laugh, "Twenty-three hours a day..."

"Wouldn't that be a little exhausting?"

Haruta watched Itsuki's intangible palm pass through his chest. He did not dare move at all.

Tears fell in a flood. His voice grew more frantic.

"No, no! It won't!"

"If my lord still isn't satisfied, I can work twenty-four hours a day!"

The tears passed straight through Itsuki's forearm and struck the floor.

On the quiet second underground floor, the violent beat of Haruta's heart became clearer and clearer.

Looking into those blood-red eyes, calm and utterly unmoved, Haruta slowly raised the fingers hanging at his side.

Whoosh!

The cursed tool floating silently in the air shot straight toward Itsuki's head.

Clang!

Naobito's sudden flash of a blade knocked away Haruta's last hope.

"You..."

Crunch!

Haruta, just about to say something, went rigid. The hatred in his eyes was swallowed by a deep darkness.

Itsuki pulled a pure white handkerchief from the Kamui Dimension and wiped the blood from his hand.

In a low murmur, he said, "If White Zetsu hadn't wanted your body, I really might have tried seeing what it feels like to torture a human to death."

The muffled sound of Haruta's crushed heart still seemed to echo in Juzo's ears. He swallowed again and again, cold sweat pouring down his face.

When Itsuki's blood-red gaze swept toward him, Juzo dropped to both knees with a thud.

Itsuki looked at the black cloak with red clouds Juzo was wearing and spoke indifferently.

"White Zetsu's cursed-tool uniform is finished?"

"Y-yes."

Still kneeling, Juzo explained, "It can defend against the attacks of Grade 2 cursed spirits or sorcerers. Against Grade 1 attacks, it should hold for a while."

"As you ordered, my lord, I also added the function to conceal his aura."

As he spoke, Juzo carefully watched Itsuki's reaction.

Because the uniform could conceal cursed energy, Juzo had extinguished every light before the fight began.

He simply had not expected the one-armed sorcerer's attacks to all have area coverage.

"Fine."

Itsuki nodded and said softly, "Go back later and clean the uniform. As for crippling one of your own limbs, we can set that aside for now."

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

Juzo let out a long breath.

"I'll behave from now on. I'll forge honestly and work overtime if I have to!"

"Go."

Juzo tried to rise in delight, then collapsed forward again.

Meeting Itsuki's indifferent eyes, Juzo smiled awkwardly.

"I kneeled a little too hard just now. I think my kneecaps shattered..."

After explaining, Juzo braced himself on both hands and crawled away, looking more like a cursed spirit than a man.

Like a cursed spirit, he vanished into the depths of the darkness.

Itsuki turned to the last person huddled in the corner and narrowed his eyes.

"Go back. This is your final warning."

"If there is a next time, you can move into the Bath permanently."

The figure froze, then hurriedly retreated into the dark. The chains on his feet clinked with every step.

...

Seven days later.

Tokyo Jujutsu High, classroom.

Panda looked at the cursed spirit goofing around nearby and asked curiously, "White Zetsu, where is Itsuki-sensei?"

"Didn't you both come back to Jujutsu High days ago? Why do you look like you never have class?"

White Zetsu, who had been messing around with Maki, paused. Then he waved a hand, speechless.

"That brat came back and buried himself in books in the dorm every day. At this point, he looks more like a student than I do."

Maki rolled her eyes and said mockingly, "Itsuki-nii is that strong and he's still studying. Meanwhile, you're a Grade 4 cursed spirit and all you do every day is clown around and brag."

"What's wrong with Grade 4?!"

"Why are you attacking Grade 4 like it insulted your family?!"

White Zetsu jumped, instantly bristling, and snapped back at Maki.

Then he pointed at Yuta, who was watching the show from the side.

"Okkotsu is only Grade 4 right now too. Why don't you say that to him?"

Maki said, "Didn't you hear Blindfold Guy?"

"Okkotsu's cursed energy dropped because Rika was released. In a few months, he'll be back at special grade."

"Can you even compare yourself to him?"

White Zetsu split his mouth wide, so angry he laughed.

"Heh. Maki, my dear niece, just you wait!"

"Give me one year at most and I'll become special grade. Then I'll show you who the real king is."

Maki pushed up her glasses. Her tone turned teasing.

"Maybe stop bragging first."

"If you keep playing around like this, you might become the first student in Jujutsu High history to repeat a year."

Because White Zetsu was a cursed spirit, Jujutsu High had not given him the corresponding sorcerer certification.

But whether it was raising a sorcerer's grade or graduating from first year, the lowest possible requirement was to exorcise a Grade 3 cursed spirit alone.

Obviously, even for such a simple requirement, Maki did not think White Zetsu could manage it.

"Repeat a year?"

"You're underestimating me way too much."

White Zetsu gave a disdainful huff, his expression smug.

"If I want to, I can skip grades any time and become your senior."

"Huh?"

It sounded like another bluff, but White Zetsu looked so serious that Yuta could not help being pulled in.

"Jujutsu High lets students skip grades?"

'Then should I ask Gojo-sensei not to give me the special grade evaluation?'

Yuta did not want to graduate so quickly and be separated from Maki, Toge, and the others.

"Don't listen to White Zetsu's nonsense. In all these years, I've never seen a student skip a grade or graduate early."

"Even a sorcerer as strong as Gojo-sensei honestly spent three full years at Jujutsu High."

Panda explained to Yuta with perfect certainty.

"No, no, no."

White Zetsu raised a finger and wagged it. Then he split his mouth into a confident smile.

"Out here, background matters."

"When I get back, I'll talk to that brat Itsuki. Skipping a grade is nothing."

Heh.

Everyone looked at White Zetsu's confident face and had no idea how many times they had already felt embarrassed on his behalf.

"You're hopeless. Just repeat the year quietly."

Maki crossed one leg over the other, her expression completely certain.

"Just wait until you have to call me senpai."

"Repeating a year? Absolutely impossible!"

White Zetsu answered with absolute confidence.

...

Half a year slipped by in a hurry.

"Hello, classmate. I'm Yuji Itadori, the new first-year student at Jujutsu High."

White Zetsu stared blankly at the pink-haired boy in front of him and fell into deep thought.

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