Chapter 109 : Spar

Chapter 109: Chapter 109 : Spar

Satomi didn’t even bother letting go of Mark. She simply tilted her head, acting as if there was nothing unusual about hanging off her new coworker like a backpack.

"Oh, you guys are back?" she said brightly, smiling behind her blindfold.

Maki’s eye twitched. Seeing Gojo-sensei, the strongest sorcerer in the school, behave like this was already enough to give her a headache.

"Well, it’s good that you’re all here," Satomi continued, ignoring their expressions completely. "Get prepared for the Kyoto Sister-School Exchange Event!"

That got everyone’s attention.

"Kyoto Exchange Event?" Yuji asked, looking between them. "What’s that? Like a field trip? Do we get to buy souvenirs?"

Megumi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "No, Itadori. It’s an annual competition between Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High."

Panda folded his arms. "Normally it’s mainly for the students actually participating from both schools. But with Hakari suspended, are the first-years filling in?"

"Bingo!" Satomi said, giving Mark’s shoulders a small squeeze. "So you guys better start training hard. Mark and I are going to Akihabara to buy some merch. Bye!"

Before anyone could respond, she happily steered him toward the exit. Mark let out another tired sigh but didn’t resist, letting her drag him along.

The six students watched them disappear.

Nobara crossed her arms. "I don’t know what’s worse, fighting the Kyoto students or watching those two."

"Salmon," Toge agreed.

Maki slammed the butt of her spear into the dirt, making Yuji jump. "Forget those two idiots. If they’re going to skip training and go shopping, we’ll handle you three. And you’re going to need it."

Yuji rubbed the back of his neck. "Are the Kyoto students really that tough?"

Megumi’s expression turned more serious. "It’s not just about how strong they are. The Kyoto principal, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, is one of the conservative higher-ups. And he doesn’t exactly see you as a normal student, Itadori."

Panda looked at Yuji with sudden interest. "So you’re the Sukuna vessel we’ve been hearing about?"

"Hello."

Maki studied him a moment. "So you’re the one?"

Yuji pointed at himself. "Am I famous?"

Panda gave him a sympathetic look. "Kinda. Just not in a good way."

His smile faded slightly. "Oh."

"So, how about a friendly spar between us?" Maki said, a dangerous smirk forming as she spun her spear through her hands. She glanced past Yuji toward Megumi and Nobara.

"Three on three. First-years against second-years."

Panda cracked his knuckles with a grin. Toge pulled his collar down slightly. "Salmon."

Megumi sighed and brought his hands together, summoning the Divine Dogs. Nobara pulled out her hammer and several nails, ready. Yuji grinned and knocked his fists together.

"Alright then! Please take care of us!"

The moment he finished speaking, the training ground erupted.

Megumi moved first, sending the Divine Dogs to flank the second-years. Toge stepped into their path. "Stop."

The cursed command froze Megumi for a moment, and Panda took the opening to charge Nobara.

At the same time, Yuji went straight for Maki.

She didn’t hesitate — years fighting curses and training with weapons had taught her not to underestimate anyone just because he was a first-year.

She brought the shaft of her spear across her body, planning to catch his punch, sweep his legs, and drop him before he could build momentum.

Yuji closed the distance faster than she expected. Then he was gone from her line of sight.

Maki’s eyes widened. Fast.

Before she could turn properly, he was already at her side, right fist driving toward her stomach. She reacted on instinct, twisting and bringing the reinforced wooden shaft across just in time.

CRACK!

The impact shook the entire spear. Maki’s feet tore two deep grooves through the dirt as she was shoved backward, the force traveling up both arms and setting her shoulders stinging.

She gritted her teeth and steadied herself. What the hell is this kid? That punch hadn’t felt like a normal first-year’s attack — even with her physical abilities, she’d struggled to stop it.

Yuji was already moving again. She tightened her grip and met him head-on.

The spar continued across the grounds. Megumi and Toge traded openings while Panda kept Nobara on the move, forcing her to rely on nails and positioning instead of standing her ground.

Yuji kept pressing Maki, and she gradually stopped treating him like an inexperienced first-year.

Twenty minutes later, all six finally called it.

Everyone was breathing hard. The first-years were covered in dirt and bruises. Panda rubbed his jaw. Toge coughed after pushing his Cursed Speech too far.

Megumi had one hand on his knee catching his breath, and Nobara sat on the ground with her hammer beside her.

Maki leaned against her spear, wiping sweat from her forehead, looking at the three first-years with newfound respect.

"Well... you guys aren’t bad," she admitted, eyes settling on Yuji. "Especially you, Itadori. I wasn’t expecting that kind of strength."

Nobara lay flat on her back, staring at the sky, trying to recover enough energy to move. "That’s because we spend every day getting beaten up by that guy" — meaning Mark.

Maki looked at her.

Nobara gave a tired laugh and pointed weakly toward the second-years. "Honestly... compared to him, you guys are easy."

Silence settled over the training ground.

Maki, Panda, and Toge looked at each other, then back at the three battered first-years — bruised, panting, and apparently still calling this "easy."

If surviving whatever hellish training Mark put them through made fighting second-years feel light, just what kind of monster was that lazy foreigner hiding under his sleepy exterior?