“The Benefits at Tokyo Jujutsu High is very good,” Satoru Gojo continued. “Tuition is free, food and lodging are covered, and you can choose any higher education credential in all of Japan. There is also a large personal insurance policy with a designated beneficiary, and during the internship period the base pay matches the quasi professional group of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, with bonuses settled and paid immediately by mission level. With your ability, the income will definitely be much higher than writing a Light Novel, though I still suggest you keep writing.”

  “Because income is proportional to risk?”

  Life money was never cheap.

  “No, because human dreams never stop.”

  Satoru Gojo folded his hands together, his voice low and unusually magnetic.

  Then he caught sight of the look of disdain on Akira’s face.

  “So it is not Konoha, it is One Piece.”

  “All right, I admit it, I am the strongest man in the world, white… hair.”

  “I have to admit, you are the stronger one,” Akira said as he raised his hands in surrender. “It takes skill to say something this embarrassing out loud.”

  “Because I really am the strongest.”

  “Yes, yes, I know,” Akira replied. “But you being the strongest does not mean I am, and the risks I have to bear will not disappear.” He rubbed his fingers together, the meaning obvious.

  “So you want to talk conditions. I am not good at that, so just say what you want,” Satoru Gojo said as he scratched his head. “As long as I can satisfy it, I will try, whether in terms of Jujutsu or other aspects.”

  When he had listened to his students report a few days ago, he had already realized this teenager was unusual, and meeting him today only raised that evaluation further. He did not mind paying more, since being rich and capable meant you could afford it.

  “I do not even know what you actually have,” Akira said, tossing the ball back. Naming a price first as the seller was always risky.

  Back then, there had been a story about a wealthy oil magnate in the Middle East who offered to pay party dues, and the party grit its teeth and quoted a high price of one hundred million. The magnate accepted happily, so the party wondered if it had asked for too little and added that it was in US dollars. The magnate then asked if they were looking down on him, saying his quotes were always in dollars, and even raised it to one hundred and twenty million, opening a whole new world for the party.

  It was clear that Satoru Gojo really was not good at negotiation. After holding his chin and thinking for a long while, he suddenly blurted out to Pancham that they had experience related to raising Panda.

  Akira knew he meant Panda. If it was about real animals called Panda, Akira actually had more experience than Satoru Gojo, since he had even visited the large breeding base in Sichuan.

  He reached out and poked Pancham’s soft cheek. “How about I take you to see other Panda?”

  “Play, play,” Pancham shouted, waving its arms around.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  For Pancham, the word play meant exactly that, wanting to play.

  “If you want to play, then go play.”

  Pancham was naturally mischievous, far more lively than the reserved Gardevoir. In a school full of Jujutsu Sorcerer, it would also be able to play more freely.

  “Ari, are you really going?” Akemi Aki asked at last.

  She had always handed the initiative to her child, but now she spoke up, unconsciously gripping the corner of her clothes. It was clear she had concerns.

  Akira gave a low acknowledgment. Everything he had done before was just to secure as many benefits as possible.

  Whether for financial reasons or the needs of the System, Tokyo Jujutsu High was unavoidable, and beyond that there was one more crucial consideration.

  “Not only am I going, you are going too, Mom,” Akira said calmly. “I want my mother to live directly at the school. That is my condition.”

  “I have never even heard of such a request,” Satoru Gojo said, once again entering a state of shock that could last a year.

  “It does not matter whether you have heard of it,” Akira replied. “What matters is whether you agree.”

  “Ari…” Akemi Aki finally understood his intentions and the care behind them.

  Satoru Gojo could tell there was something deeper going on. “Can you tell me the reason?”

  “No,” Akira said as he shook his head. “We are bound by strict agreements not to disclose information. You can only investigate it yourself. All I can tell you is that if you agree, you may face considerable pressure in the future, and it might even put you in an awkward position.”

  “That makes it even more interesting.”

  Even though Akira had not explained anything, a few key words had already given Satoru Gojo a direction. The confident smile returned to his face.

  “Pressure is nothing. Every day there are people who want to put pressure on me, but it never works,” Satoru Gojo said lightly. “If they have the guts, they can come fight me.”

  “That is true. No one would be foolish enough to make you an enemy,” Akira replied, having waited for exactly that line.

  If Akira wanted to operate in the world of Jujutsu, it was only a matter of time before the Kamo Clan noticed him. He was not afraid of the Kamo Clan, but clashing with such an old clan was troublesome, especially when they liked to interfere in secret through all kinds of methods, and he also had to consider Akemi Aki’s feelings and safety.

  The best solution was to find a backer who could withstand pressure from the Kamo Clan in every way, someone who would make them hesitate to act rashly.

  That person was Satoru Gojo.

  His personal strength, the influence of the Gojo family, and most importantly his habit of doing exactly this kind of thing all made him ideal. Akira already knew of at least four people whom Satoru Gojo had protected from traditional Jujutsu forces, all of them his students, and there were even more with no names or backgrounds.

  The drawback was obvious as well. If Satoru Gojo ever ran into trouble, the situation of those people would become precarious.

  But now Akira was here, and risks like that would not be allowed to exist. It was a form of returning the favor to this towering tree.

  “Then let me welcome you to Tokyo Jujutsu High,” Satoru Gojo said as he extended his hand to Akira. “There will be a small test before enrollment, but you will be fine.”

  “I think so too. Please take care of me, Teacher Gojo,” Akira said as he reached out and shook his hand.

  “Call me Editor Gojo,” Satoru Gojo said immediately. “Sign the authorization agreement first. I have read your work, and although it uses many familiar setups, it is unexpectedly interesting. A world where women are strong and men are weak, throwing a man into a girls’ school, how did you come up with that? It reminds me of the time I went undercover in a girls’ school on a mission. Good memories.”

  Watching Satoru Gojo open the floodgates and talk nonstop, Akira knew that the days ahead would definitely not be boring.

  There was a curious pattern in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen: the eyes of Jujutsu Sorcerer were often not normal. Some looked strange, some had strange abilities, and some looked fine but were covered or folded away in odd ways. When normal people made eye contact, nothing happened, but when these people did, it always felt different.

  Akira had complained about this while watching anime in his past life, and seeing it up close made the feeling stronger. First came eye contact between dark sunglasses and a blindfold, then between sunglasses and heavy dark circles. The latter belonged to Pancham, who had followed Akira here.

  The man wearing the dark sunglasses was the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Masamichi Yaga. This was the third day after Satoru Gojo came to visit, with the admission notice sent the next day and registration on the third. The speed was impressive.