"Panda!"
Not far away, a tall, bipedal panda waved enthusiastically. Despite his size, he looked downright huggable.
"Hame~!" he called.
Kamihara Hajime dropped his luggage and ran to hug the fluffy creature, barely reaching Panda's chest.
After catching up a bit, Panda slung a bag over his shoulder and patted Hajime's. "Gojo-sensei was supposed to pick you up, but you know how he is. I'll show you to the dorms first—then you can meet your first-year classmates. They're super interesting!"
Hajime picked up the rest of his bags and followed alongside. "Really? Sounds fun. Got anything new to play?"
"All the latest stuff! I can't wait!"
Their voices faded as they walked through the school. Once Hajime settled into his room, Panda brought him to a classroom and pushed the sliding door open.
"Yo! Maki, Inumaki—the new guy's here!"
Inside, two students in Jujutsu High uniforms looked up. One was a girl with dark green hair tied into a sharp ponytail, her features half-obscured by old-fashioned glasses. The other was a boy with short silver hair, his lower face hidden behind a high collar.
Maki Zen'in and Inumaki Toge turned toward the door, studying the white-haired boy beside Panda. He wore dark, stylish sunglasses and carried himself with a gentle smile—but there was something oddly familiar about him.
"This is Hajime," Panda introduced. "You've probably heard of him already."
They had—mostly because of his connection to Gojo-sensei.
Maki narrowed her eyes. "Adopted. Definitely adopted," she thought to herself. "That smug face really is a smaller version of that idiotic white-haired guy."
But... slightly more tolerable, she admitted, watching Hajime remove his sunglasses and greet them politely.
"Kelp," Inumaki responded with a polite nod.
Panda went on, "Maki here doesn't like being called by her last name. She's insanely good at close combat. Inumaki uses the Cursed Speech Technique, so he mostly speaks in rice ball ingredients."
Among them, Panda was Hajime's longtime friend. Inumaki was quiet but easy to get along with. Maki's cool, aloof demeanor quickly gave way to an unexpectedly kind personality.
While they were chatting, the door slid open again. Gojo Satoru strolled in, white hair falling over his eyes, hands buried in his pockets.
"Everyone getting along?" he asked cheerfully.
Panda and Inumaki waved. Maki, on the other hand, had a familiar black line forming on her forehead. Her impression of Gojo-sensei had already shattered and been rebuilt countless times.
As for Hajime, he didn't even flinch. He'd long grown used to Gojo's nonsense. The man had two modes: "utterly eccentric" and "somehow still the strongest."
"Alright, quick intros: Maki's from the Zen'in clan, Panda's Yaga-sensei's pride and joy, Inumaki's got his inherited Technique, and Hajime's been training since forever. So! No need to go over the basics. Instead, I've got a welcome gift for you all—two fun little missions!"
"Huh?" Maki's expression darkened. "Are you serious?"
Gojo raised a finger like a game show host. "Maki and Hajime will team up. Panda and Inumaki, you're the second pair. Get to know each other more these next few days."
"Salmon."
"Why am I not with Hajime?" Panda grumbled.
"Because both you and Maki are close-range fighters," Gojo said. "Team balance, y'know? It's like party comp in a video game."
"This isn't a game!" Panda protested.
Hajime didn't complain. If anything, he was looking forward to real combat. All the training and sparring was fine, but nothing beat the real thing.
"Great! Let's get to training! Your favorite teacher is free today and graciously offering his guidance."
---
Training Grounds
The four warmed up. Maki stood opposite Hajime, twirling her staff with casual ease. He held a wooden sword in return.
"So, I heard you're not great at martial arts?" Maki asked.
"Kind of," Hajime replied, spinning the sword in his hands. "My Technique is acceleration. I'm decent at reinforcing my body, but I haven't learned many moves. It's hard to learn anything when your sparring partner's always Gojo-sensei—he's too damn strong."
"Let's test that, then," she said, cracking her neck.
"Looking forward to it!" Hajime grinned.
The sparring match began. After only a few exchanges, Maki was already frowning. "Not good at martial arts, huh?" she thought. "Then what the hell is this power and speed?"
Though neither of them fought seriously, Hajime's defense and pressure-handling stood out. He wasn't flashy, but he was sharp—and reactive.
Maki was a powerhouse, but Hajime's technique wasn't bad either. He lacked form, but not instinct.
When the match ended, Hajime politely asked her for pointers. Maki, impressed by his attitude, softened toward him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Panda and Inumaki just fooled around. Sparring wasn't really possible with Inumaki's Technique. Still, they got along quickly, even if most of their conversation was in "rice ball code."
Then came Gojo's "guidance." In reality, he was just using them all as entertainment.
He let them attack him in turns, dodging lazily and occasionally countering with just enough force to knock them around—without doing any real harm.
Panda tried to slack off, but Gojo's attention quickly set him straight. Inumaki, wisely, didn't even try to use Cursed Speech. It'd just hurt him more than it'd hurt Gojo.
Hajime, now wielding the Special Grade cursed tool Extermination—a lacquer-red bow gifted by Gojo—provided long-range support during the chaos. Whenever he infused it with Cursed Energy, a shimmering bowstring would form, and with further effort, a dark blue arrow.
His shots exploded on contact, each one powerful, though thankfully controllable. After a few near-misses, he carefully adjusted the power output to avoid friendly fire.
Eventually, Maki and the others tapped out, leaving Hajime to face Gojo in close range. It was... instructive.
After thoroughly beating his students, Gojo stretched with a satisfied smile and waved. "Today's guidance was enlightening! Teacher's out. You all can train however you like!"
As soon as he disappeared—
"Finally~!"
"Salmon."
Panda and Inumaki collapsed on the ground. Maki, on the other hand, was already calculating combat formations.
Their duo—Maki up front, Hajime in support—made sense. Hajime could snipe from a distance, adapt on the fly, and step into melee when needed. If any Cursed Spirit tried to get close to him, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.
"You look like you're planning something," Hajime said, eyeing her expression warily.
"I'm getting drinks. Want anything?"
"Coke! The colder, the better!"
"Bonito flakes!"
Panda translated, "That's water. Room temp. Gotta protect his throat."
Maki nodded. "Green tea. Anything's fine."
Hajime nodded and jogged off. He returned a few minutes later with cold drinks from his mini-fridge. They sprawled in the shade, sipping and chatting—more relaxed now after their shared beatdown.
Panda was already conspiring with Hajime for future pranks. Inumaki, while quiet, clearly enjoyed the mischief too. Maki didn't join in, but she didn't mind watching them cause chaos—as long as she wasn't the target.
And behind her cool exterior, she was already thinking:
This team might actually work.
---