The Goodwill Event Begins

New chapter is live.

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Kento Nanami had never trusted Itsuki Zenin.

The man was too calm, too clean, too cold.

Nanami still remembered the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

Suguru Geto had gathered curse users and cursed spirits. Chaos had filled the city. People had died.

And in the middle of that disaster, Itsuki Zenin had appeared as if he had simply stepped into the wrong room.

A Grade 1 curse user had offered to cooperate with Geto.

Itsuki listened.

Then he killed him.

When one of the Zenin Clan's Grade 1 sorcerers tried to speak, Itsuki ordered him to cut off his own arm.

The man obeyed.

No hesitation.

No question.

That was the part Nanami remembered most clearly.

Power was dangerous.

Power that made people accept cruelty as routine was worse.

And then there had been that shikigami.

A vast shadow blotting out the battlefield.

Nanami had seen many ugly things as a sorcerer.

Itsuki Zenin remained one of the few he classified as dangerous even when standing still.

"Do not kill him without proof," Nanami said.

Satoru Gojo sat beside him, one finger hooked beneath the edge of his blindfold.

For a moment, blue light showed beneath the fabric.

"What about the special grade cursed spirit from last time?" Gojo asked. "If it was his?"

"Then prove it."

Gojo let the blindfold settle back into place.

"You're strict."

"I am employed."

The competition grounds were already crowded when the Tokyo and Kyoto students arrived.

Tokyo's team gathered on one side: Maki Zenin, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Toge Inumaki, Panda, and White Zetsu.

Kyoto's team stood opposite them: Aoi Todo, Momo Nishimiya, Ultimate Mechamaru, Noritoshi Kamo, Kasumi Miwa, and Mai Zenin.

Utahime Iori scanned the area with growing irritation.

"Where is that blindfolded idiot?"

"Right here!"

Satoru Gojo appeared with Yuji Itadori beside him.

"Ta-da!"

Silence fell.

Yuji raised both hands.

"Uh... sorry for surprising everyone."

White Zetsu staggered back dramatically.

"Pink gorilla? You're alive?"

Yuji bowed to him. "Sorry for worrying you."

"Do not apologize. It weakens the performance."

Megumi and Nobara did not look surprised.

Itsuki noticed.

His gaze moved from them to Gojo, then to Gakuganji, who stood too calmly at the edge of the gathering.

Yuji's reveal had changed.

Nobara and Megumi already knew.

The old man had no visible reaction to Yuji being alive.

Itsuki's expression remained mild, but his thoughts shifted.

Butterfly effect.

Or an unseen variable.

Maki crossed her arms and looked at Gojo.

"If Itadori is alive, does White Zetsu still need to participate?"

Gojo tilted his head.

"White Zetsu?"

White Zetsu placed a hand over his chest.

"I trained hard for this grand debut. Canceling it now would be an insult to my dignity."

"You have dignity?" Nobara asked.

"Selective dignity."

Gojo looked toward Itsuki.

Itsuki said calmly, "You can decide."

Noritoshi Kamo adjusted his sleeves.

"Tokyo having one additional first-year is not unfair. They lost a participant on paper, and the exchange event allows both schools to adjust their rosters."

Mai glanced at him but said nothing.

Gakuganji's face remained stern.

Yaga stepped forward.

"Then we will begin the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event. Day one is the team battle, a cursed spirit exorcism race. Each side will compete to exorcise the assigned cursed spirits within the time limit."

The students' attention sharpened.

"Take your positions."

White Zetsu stretched with exaggerated confidence.

Yuji looked around at his classmates, his grin a little nervous but bright.

Megumi's expression stayed guarded.

Nobara's hand brushed the hammer at her waist.

Maki rolled her shoulders.

From the side, Itsuki watched them all.

The board had begun to move.

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