Akira first gave an order to the still-weak Pokémon, then raised his own hand as well. “Please instruct me, Principal.”

  With a wave of Masamichi Yaga’s large hand, the various dolls placed around him began to move. Wolves, tigers, birds, beasts, insects, fish, humanoid shapes, and animal shapes were all present, yet the style was oddly unified. At first glance they were ugly, but on closer look they were strangely cute, which did not match the principal’s rough appearance at all.

  However, whether it was Jujutsu or a Jujutsu Sorcerer, appearances had never been reliable. “As you can see, I am a Cursed Corpse Master. I can give inorganic objects curses and make them act on their own.”

  This was a standard case of Revealing One's Hand. By revealing information, he gained a further boost to the Cursed Corpse’s Cursed Energy and movement. As soon as he finished speaking, two short, green, carrot-like dolls suddenly accelerated and charged at Akira.

  Akira did not dare to be careless. The man in front of him was the top puppet technique user in Japan, famous for group combat, and far beyond any wild Cursed Spirit. The two dolls looked unremarkable, and their Cursed Energy was not obvious, but their speed and strength were no joke.

  He threw punches with both hands, using his height and reach to knock the dolls away first. Yet there was no joy on Akira’s face. The bodies of these Cursed Corpse were specially made dolls, with soft and elastic padding that greatly reduced the force of blows and Cursed Energy.

  Combined with an overwhelming numbers advantage, Akira knew that fighting alone was far too thin. Masamichi Yaga’s group tactics were on a completely different level from the tide of female ghosts at Yoshiwara Shrine. Fortunately, he was not fighting alone.

  After repelling the first wave, during the brief gap before the second, a figure in white drifted in. The Psychic Queen Gardevoir made a swift entrance. Psychic Power surged like a crashing wave, slamming the approaching Cursed Corpse into the walls and leaving a large pit in the center of the reception room.

  The Cursed Corpse once again showed their excellent durability. They shook themselves and continued attacking, their movements simple but backed by sheer numbers and toughness. Gardevoir tried several times and quickly realized the effect was limited, so she changed tactics and twisted the nearest snake doll into a tight spiral.

  This method worked wonders against Cursed Spirit, but the effect here was still poor. These were dolls, with soft bodies, gaining strength only through curses and Cursed Energy. A perfect example of hardness and softness combined, Akira judged silently.

  “Sha?”

  After failing twice, Gardevoir instinctively looked at her master. Akira rotated a finger lightly at his temple and said softly, “Keep going. You can do it.”

  “Sha.”

  Even without a direct order, her master’s trust lifted her spirits. She changed strategy again, giving up the fast crushing style of Psychic Power and instead condensing it into a protective barrier. Dozens of Cursed Corpse struck it again and again with loud thuds, yet she remained unmoved.

  This was not giving up or taking hits without fighting back. She was observing and searching for the weakness of the Cursed Corpse. Watching closely, she did notice something.

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  Inside each of these Cursed Corpse was a spot that made her deeply uncomfortable, like lumps of filthy garbage stuck together. She recalled what her master had taught her. Jujutsu Sorcerer, Cursed Spirit, cursed tools, all of them were built on curses, which were collections of negative emotions and the things she hated most. Without that, none of them could exist.

  She decided to try. The red pendant on Gardevoir’s chest shone as her psychic power further condensed and focused. With a raised hand, it pierced the spot she hated most like an invisible nail.

  In the next instant, the Cursed Corpse pounding on the barrier stiffened and collapsed limply, unable to move. “Well done,” Akira praised.

  Artificial Cursed Corpse had a core like a human heart that served as the source of Cursed Energy. Once the heart was destroyed, they became ordinary dolls. For Gardevoir to find this weakness through observation without direct command meant her understanding of combat had risen another level.

  If this were not a fight, Akira would have used his ultimate move of hugging and lifting her up. Encouraged by her master’s praise, Gardevoir grew even more spirited.

  “Sha, sha.”

  With each raised hand came a kill, each strike a nail through the core. In just a few minutes, all the surrounding Cursed Corpse fell. Seeing this, Masamichi Yaga waved his hand again, and the dolls on the outer ring also stopped moving.

  “Let us stop here.”

  “Thank you for holding back, Principal. You did not use your full strength,” Akira said. He knew the dolls in the room were made casually, and the true masterpieces had not been brought out. The principal himself had not fought personally either, and with that muscular build and condensed Cursed Energy, Akira did not believe he was bad at close combat.

  Masamichi Yaga tugged at the flesh on his face. “You are the same. You were guarding against me the whole time.”

  As he said, that was the real reason Akira did not act personally or directly command Gardevoir. This was a test, not a life-and-death fight. When both sides relied on companions, the one who did more would lose.

  “So, am I qualified?” Akira asked.

  “You are qualified,” Masamichi Yaga nodded slightly. “If not for what Satoru said about your lack in Jujutsu, I would have hired you as a teacher here.”

  Akira’s face remained calm, but his hands quietly clenched. Those words were both recognition and the first official evaluation of his strength from the Jujutsu Society. Eight years of restraint and eight years of effort had been worth it.

  After steadying himself, Akira said, “How about a compromise. Student as my main role, teaching assistant as a part-time job?”

  “So that is your move. Please do it that way,” Masamichi Yaga said readily. “Then I can officially dump a lot of work on you.”

  The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Satoru Gojo felt like he was back in form. This time, however, neither Masamichi Yaga nor Akira objected.

  That was because Jujutsu World was severely understaffed. There were not enough students, and even fewer teachers, which was why first-year students were sent straight into real combat. Tokyo’s school had only two teachers besides the principal, and counting students on internships, on leave, or overseas, there were barely more than ten.

  As the strongest, Satoru Gojo was as busy as his strength implied. Teaching, missions, managing the Gojo family, planning reforms for Jujutsu World, and recruiting students kept him constantly occupied. Without his special Jujutsu and natural talent, he would have collapsed from overwork long ago.

  “Then it is settled,” Masamichi Yaga concluded. “Satoru will mainly handle the lower grades. You will start with the first years. When Satoru is away, you take charge, mainly practical combat and physical skills. As for Jujutsu, leave that to Satoru.”

  “If you do not mind, I can help as well.”

  An unexpected voice spoke up.

  Akira was stunned. He was used to shocking his mother all year round, but this time it was reversed, and his mother shocked him instead. The feeling lingered on his face, and he could not hide it even if he tried.

  Masamichi Yaga was also a little surprised. He looked at Ms. Mei and started to speak, but she raised a hand to stop him.

  “I am also a graduate of Tokyo Jujutsu High. It was over twenty years ago, but a Jujutsu Sorcerer does not forget the knowledge that matters.” Akemi Aki replied calmly, glancing at Akira now and then, clearly satisfied with his expression.

  Satoru Gojo let out a light chuckle. Over the past two days, he had people check information on the Ake Clan mother and son, but in a place like Japan, it was not easy. Now that he had this lead, the range could be narrowed a lot, since there were only so many graduates of Tokyo Jujutsu High over the years.