From his looks alone, Masamichi Yaga did not seem friendly. He was broad and thickset, almost twice as wide as Satoru Gojo, with a hard face that matched the sunglasses and dark uniform as he sat squarely in the room. He looked more like a gang boss than a school principal.

  He spoke right away in a deep, loud voice. “You are too slow, Satoru. You are half an hour late. When will you fix this bad habit?”

  “Never in this life,” Satoru Gojo replied calmly, saying something annoying with a straight face. “But since I brought you a gift today, forgive me. You are going to like it.”

  After speaking, he grabbed Pancham by the back of the neck and tossed it toward Masamichi Yaga’s face. That was how the scene of two sets of dark circles staring at each other came to be.

  “Wan~”

  Pancham tried hard to glare, showing its displeasure, but it did not work. With that appearance, it only looked cute.

  The hard lines on Masamichi Yaga’s face softened at once, and the kindness in his eyes showed even through the thick sunglasses. He lowered his voice as he spoke to the small creature. “Little one, what is your name?”

  “Wan~?”

  “Pancham? That is a good name.”

  “Wan~ wan~” Pancham waved its short arms and looked very happy.

  “Principal Yaga is Panda’s father. In all of Tokyo, no one understands Panda better, and no one likes Panda more than him.”

  Satoru Gojo said something Akira already knew, but it did not stop Akira from feeling surprised. Most Pokémon could only make a few sounds, and even Akira relied on long experience to understand what they meant. Masamichi Yaga did it with ease, and if love were the explanation, then his love for Panda truly had no limit.

  That was proven by what happened next. At home, Pancham was so naughty that a moment of carelessness could keep Akemi Aki busy all day. In Masamichi Yaga’s hands, however, it was gentle and calm.

  This was not Gardevoir using Psychic Power to restrain it. It was simply comfortable there, and with a casual scratch from Masamichi Yaga, Pancham lay down and showed its round belly. In the past, that only happened after it was full and ready to sleep.

  Based on this alone, Masamichi Yaga fully deserved the title of someone who understood Panda best. “Impressive,” Satoru Gojo said with new respect. “I was just joking. I did not expect it to work even if it is not a cursed corpse.”

  Walking at the back, Akemi Aki looked at Satoru Gojo with some surprise. She had not expected him to have this kind of personality. Akira did not find it strange at all, since the worst thing about Satoru Gojo was exactly his personality, which shattered his image as a perfect man.

  Those who knew Satoru Gojo understood that he was reliable but not worthy of respect, and many people truly disliked him. Akira was not really concerned about the principal’s role as a Panda caretaker anyway. It was nice to have, but not required.

  “Satoru, you little—”

  Masamichi Yaga was kind to Panda but not to Satoru Gojo. The flesh on his cheeks tightened as he was about to explode. Satoru Gojo was not afraid, and with a small smile, he pointed at his thigh where Pancham was resting lazily.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Not wanting to affect the little one, Masamichi Yaga lost his temper at once. He coughed and put on a serious face. “I have already heard the details from Satoru. Answer me one question, Akira. Why did you come here?”

  “Here we go again,” Satoru Gojo muttered. “I told you he is not like other students. This routine will not work. And you are not scary at all right now.”

  “Satoru!” Masamichi Yaga ground his teeth.

  Satoru Gojo only pushed further, spreading his hands with a look that dared him to try something. It was clear he knew Masamichi Yaga would not actually hit him. Unexpectedly, Akira clapped his hands and called out, “Pancham, use Tackle!”

  Pancham sprang up at once, shaking off its lazy state. Playing was playing, but when it was time to act, Akira never forgot he was a trainer. When a fight was called for, Pancham never hesitated.

  “Wan~”

  It meant, hit him hard. The target was Satoru Gojo. Of course it caused no damage, but it freed Masamichi Yaga to act as well.

  After the hit, Masamichi Yaga followed up by twisting Satoru Gojo into a strange hold. Blood flow was cut off, and Satoru Gojo’s face turned pale as he still tried to glare at Akira. “Whose side are you on?”

  “You are the teacher, he is the principal. Who do you think I am on?” Akira spread his hands with an innocent look. “Pancham, do not stop. Scratch behind his knee.”

  “Wan~”

  With Masamichi Yaga and Pancham working together, Satoru Gojo was bent over, letting out long cries. “Is this really okay?” Akemi Aki asked softly.

  After all, Satoru Gojo was the head of the Gojo family, and the mother and son would rely on his protection in the future. “Relax,” Akira said with a wave. The Zenin and Kamo heads would not do, but Satoru Gojo was fine.

  No matter how much he was messed with, he would not act out of character. He had no airs and no sense of rank, and Masamichi Yaga had been his teacher in his student days, when he had taken plenty of punishment already. In the end, Satoru Gojo gave a formal salute. “I surrender. I admit defeat.”

  Satisfied, Masamichi Yaga let go and gave Akira a thumbs up, which Akira returned. Pancham looked at Yaga, then at Akira, and copied the thumbs up as well.

  The only injured one was Satoru Gojo, who bared his teeth and said, “If you have time for gestures, you should watch a few more episodes of Kuuga.”

  Seeing him still acting up, Pancham tried to intimidate him with a glare, but it had little effect. Then Masamichi Yaga and Akira both used a glare together, and this time it worked perfectly. Satoru Gojo shrank back and hid behind Akemi Aki, keeping his distance.

  With the mood breaker gone, Masamichi Yaga finally returned to the point. “Answer my question, Akira.”

  Akira thought for a moment. “Do you want the official version, or the Satoru version?”

  “I want both,” Yaga said, clenching his hand in the air.

  “Then I will start with the official one,” Akira said, clearing his throat. He crossed his arms, lifted his chin, and spoke with full dramatic flair. “To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect the peace of the world, to uphold love and truth…”

  “Stop, stop, stop.”

  Masamichi Yaga did not give Akira a chance to finish. The small goodwill gained from teaming up to beat Satoru Gojo dropped right away. He had thought this was a rare serious person, but it turned out he was not much different from Satoru Gojo, judging by how Satoru Gojo was already laughing and giving a thumbs-up.

  “You should talk about the Gojo version, um…”

  No, that was another trap. He had been careless and failed to dodge, giving Akira a second chance to perform.

  “The Gojo version is this. Being in Tokyo Jujutsu High feels way better than outside. The people here are all talented, and they speak so nicely. I really like it here.”

  “Hahahaha.” Satoru Gojo was laughing so hard he held his stomach. “That is exactly what I would say. My ideal Jujutsu World should be like this.”

  Unexpectedly, the very Gojo-like speech did not make Masamichi Yaga angry. Instead, he asked Akira seriously, “Do you really think that?”

  “Half and half,” Akira replied. “I really do not like the current Jujutsu World. As for the other half, it is a realistic choice. My personal strength is not enough, so I need the power of a group and an organization. Tokyo Jujutsu High is the place I trust the most and feel safest in. In return, I will contribute to the organization.”

  “Words alone cannot show resolve.”

  Masamichi Yaga raised one hand, and Cursed Energy flowed around his body.

  “Pancham, hide behind Teacher Gojo.”