Chapter 108 : Spring

Chapter 108: Chapter 108 : Spring

Jujutsu High was nothing like an ordinary Japanese school, so there wasn’t much of a fixed routine.

Students spent most of their time moving between training, missions, and whatever free time they could scrape together around the grounds.

Maki, Panda, and Toge were catching their breath near the track when they spotted the first-years meandering toward the dorms.

Maki rested the butt of her practice spear against the dirt, called out, and closed the distance.

"Fushiguro," she said, adjusting her glasses with a critical eye. "Do you know anything about that weird, blonde American guy wandering around? He sticks out like a sore thumb."

Megumi paused, his usual stoic expression shifting slightly as he worked out who she meant. "You mean Foster-sensei?"

"Wait... sensei?" Maki’s brow twitched. "You’ve got to be kidding me. That guy actually teaches?"

"Salmon," Toge offered, tilting his head in agreement with her skepticism.

Panda lumbered over, crossing his thick arms. "So he’s really leading your classes? Gojo actually put him in charge of you three?"

"Yeah," Megumi sighed, tone making it clear he still couldn’t quite believe it either. "Gojo-sensei assigned him to us."

Panda rubbed his chin. "Well, that explains why he’s here. If she brought him in, Principal Yaga must have signed off on it... eventually."

Maki scoffed, hands on her hips. "I figured he was just some foreign sorcerer crashing here on business. He doesn’t exactly scream ’educator.’"

Yuji leaned forward, hands clasped behind his head, beaming. "He’s our teacher! He’s been helping us out with cursed energy manipulation and our techniques."

Nobara crossed her arms and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Whether he’s actually competent at teaching is up for debate. He’s annoying, totally reckless, and has zero business being in a classroom."

"You still listen to him, though," Yuji pointed out innocently.

"Because I don’t have a choice, idiot!" Nobara snapped.

Panda chuckled, thoroughly entertained by the first-years’ bickering. "Sounds about right for her associates."

Ignoring the noise, Maki kept her focus on Megumi — the most level-headed judge of character among the new students, as far as she was concerned.

"Be honest," she said, voice dropping. "How strong is this guy?"

Something shifted in Megumi’s posture. The faint annoyance in his eyes vanished, replaced by dead seriousness. He let the silence hang a moment in the air, already knowing exactly how the second-years would react.

"He’s Special Grade."

The relaxed atmosphere evaporated.

Maki froze. Panda’s permanent grin seemed to stiffen. Toge’s eyes widened above his high collar.

"Tuna mayo...?" Toge murmured, disbelieving.

"Special Grade?" Maki repeated, shock lacing her voice.

Megumi gave a single grim nod. "Yeah. That guy."

Maki looked away, her mind flashing back to the infuriatingly laid-back man she’d bumped into the day before.

A Special Grade? Those sorcerers were walking anomalies — monsters capable of overthrowing entire cities, so rare you could count them on one hand.

That goofy, out-of-place foreigner standing on the same level as Gojo was almost impossible to swallow.

A loud, obnoxious yawn broke the tension.

Mark came shuffling toward the group, dragging his feet through the dirt.

His blonde hair stuck up in every direction, eyes half-closed with sleep. He stretched both arms overhead, cracking his joints, then rubbed one eye.

"Hi, guys," he mumbled. He looked at the first-years and seemed to remember something.

"You know, I’m finally caught up on my anime backlog. Anyone want to come to Akihabara with me? I heard they’ve got some god-tier merch right now."

Maki stared at him. Panda blinked. Toge stayed silent.

All three looked between Mark and Megumi, clearly struggling to reconcile this sleepy idiot with the Special Grade sorcerer they’d just been told about.

Maki tightened her grip on her spear, about to ask if this was some kind of joke.

Before she could, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"If you want company, I’ll go with you. Why don’t we make it a date?"

Gojo Satomi appeared behind Mark and jumped straight onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking her legs around his waist, settling in without a shred of hesitation.

Her dark glasses was still on, but the grin on her face made it obvious she was enjoying this.

She rested her chin on his shoulder.

Mark didn’t even stumble. He let out a long sigh and just stood there with her hanging off his back like this happened every day.

Maki’s jaw dropped. Panda stared. Toge lowered his collar and said nothing.

Megumi immediately looked away, expression making clear he wanted absolutely no part of this. Nobara looked like she might be sick.

Maki stared at Satomi. What the hell am I looking at?

Gojo-sensei was their teacher, the strongest sorcerer any of them knew, someone who normally acted like nothing in the world could touch her. And yet here she was, clinging to Mark like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Panda glanced at Maki. Maki glanced back. Neither said anything.

The rumors Mark had mentioned the day before suddenly didn’t sound so ridiculous.

Nobara turned her face away. "Seriously..."

Megumi kept staring somewhere else entirely.

Satomi only tightened her arms around Mark and smiled. He closed his eyes and sighed again.

Maki couldn’t look away.

Did spring finally come to Gojo-sensei’s life?