Surprise Visit

Megumi handed me the melon drink he bought from the vending machine. "Oh, Rey-kun, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Gojo?"

"Thank you." I popped open the soda and took a sip. "I told Gojo-sensei that I didn't want to go with him."

"Today's the day the Kyoto principal comes to talk about the exchange event, right?" Megumi asked.

"Mhm," I confirmed. "Though the old man probably won't cause a scene, it's better if I don't see him."

"Couldn't they put in a few more vending machines?" Nobara shouted as she kicked the side of one. I wasn't sure what the vending machine did to make Nobara mad, but luckily the metal was sturdy enough to take the blow.

"They can't. We're strict about who we do business with," Megumi informed.

Oh? Two unfamiliar auras? Who might they be? I turned to the entrance and saw two sorcerers coming our way. "Megumi-san."

Megumi's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here, Zenin-senpai?"

"Oh, she's one, too?" Nobara asked. "They have a similar vibe. Sisters?"

"Twins," Megumi answered. I caught the tension in his voice. Looks like those two aren't any good news.

"Don't call me that, Fushiguro-kun. It puts me on the same level as Maki," the female sorcerer complained. "Call me Mai."

"So these are the pinch hitters for Okkotsu and the third-year?" the male sorcerer next to Mai questioned. His gaze swept over me without pausing. He probably doesn't care enough to pay attention for a kid.

"That's Todo Aoi, he's a third-year," Megumi whispered. A grade 3 sorcerer and grade 1 sorcerer. The one called Todo is strong.

"We tagged along with the principal because we were worried about you. Your classmate died, right? Must've been rough," Mai teased. "Or maybe it wasn't?"

"What are you getting at?" Megumi spat. Nobara also tensed up beside him. I watched silently, interested in the direction the conversation was headed.

"It's okay. Some things are hard to put into words. So I'll do it for you," Mai continued. "Vessel makes it sound nice, but he was just a half-curse monster. Having such a vile façade of a human beside you brazenly calling himself a jujutsu sorcerer must have been revolting, right? Aren't you relieved now that he's dead?"

Megumi controlled himself against Mai's taunts as he shot a quick glance at me. I shook my head as I purposely examined the bubbles in my soda drink to show him that I wasn't bothered.

"Mai, stop talking nonsense. I just want to see if they're worthy replacements for Okkotsu." Todo stepped forward. "That's why I'm here."

"Fushiguro, is it?" Todo shouted. "What type of girls do you like?"

I almost spat out my melon drink at his question. What kind of question is that? Is he crazy?

"Depending on your answer, I might beat you half to death right here and drag Okkotsu, or at least the third-year, out to the exchange event. By the way, my type is a tall girl with a big ass."

Todo was actually being serious. I sighed internally. There's not a single normal person amongst the jujutsu sorcerers. I shouldn't even have hoped that there would be.

"Hurry up and answer. If you prefer men, that's fine too." Todo pushed. "A person's taste reveals everything about them. A person's taste reveals everything about them. Guys who have boring taste in women are boring themselves. And I hate boring men. Answer me, Fushiguro."

I glanced at Megumi and then at Nobara. Nobara was unarmed, and Megumi didn't fight well within closed spaces. It would be good to avoid confrontation, so Megumi didn't seem to have a choice.

"I don't have any particular preference. As long as the person has an unshakable character, I won't ask for more," Megumi finally answered.

Good answer. If he had something else, I'm pretty sure Nobara would have killed him first.

"I knew it." Todo tilted his head backwards as tears started to stream down his cheeks. "You're boring, Fushiguro."

Bloodlust! I pivoted to the side and balanced my melon drink as the muscled sorcerer rushed past me. Megumi sensed Todo's bloodlust a second too late, and Todo slammed Megumi through the doorway. Mai was sneaking up on Nobara, but I determined that she would be fine. As for those two...

Sensing that this was probably going to be a bloody battle, I trailed after the two sorcerer to watch the action.

Todo... Todo... That name sounded familiar to me. I scratched my head. Ah... I can't seem to remember.

"I knew at first glance that you'd be a boring guy. But you shouldn't judge a person by their looks, right?" Todo followed Megumi outside to the courtyard. "So I went out of my way to ask you, but you just trampled all over my kindness."

"Is your brain as pineapple as your head?" Megumi cursed, wiping the blood away from his mouth.

Oh! My eyes brightened. That Todo! The one from last year's Night Parade of a Hundred Demons from Kyoto to Shinjuku. He single-handedly defeated five first-grade and one special-grade that night. That's impressive.

Megumi stood up from the gravel floor. "I hear you refuse to use your cursed technique."

"Oh, that's just a rumor." Todo waved his hand in denial. "I used it against the special-grade."

"That's a relief to hear!" Megumi shouted.

He took a fighting position and brought his hands together. "Nue plus Gamma!" The shadows below Megumi started to contort, and green frogs with white wings on their back appeared behind Megumi. "Bottomless Well!"

Megumi's up against a hardcore close-range fighter. He wants to keep his distance and restrain Todo. I brought the soda drink to my lips and frowned. Oh, no more?

Perched on top of the building's roof, I watched the two exchange blows once more.

"Hnnh!" Todo charged through the frogs and appeared behind Megumi. Megumi was unable to react Todo's sudden burst in speed, and Todo grabbed onto his waist.

"Flimsy and shallow. Both your body," Todo hauled Megumi from the ground, arched his back, and slammed Megumi into the ground head first, "and your taste in women!"

Todo jumped up high in the air. Recovering quickly, Megumi hurriedly scrambled to his feet and dodged out of the way as Todo came crashing into the ground. Faced with Todo's insane power, Megumi could only defend his head against Todo's fists. With each blow, Megumi's blood sprayed the ground as the sorcerer was forced backwards by Todo's unrelenting assault.

Todo slammed Megumi's arms away and grabbed Megumi's head. The first-year was slammed into the support pillars of the building. I could heard the sound of the wood below me splinter from the impact. Switching my position to the nearby second floor, I noted that Nobara and Mai had gotten into their own fight by the vending machines. I smiled as I crushed the soda can flat. Looks like I made the right choice staying here. Just in case things get overboard.

"I'm not done yet!" Todo shouted. Drawing strength from his legs, Todo held onto Megumi and rammed him through length of the building. Megumi was then launched into the air, and Todo followed him to deal the final strike.

"You're always..." Todo pulled back his right arm. "so boring!"

Suddenly, purple tongues wrapped around Todo's arm and stopped his fist. Megumi's shikigamis! The green frogs pulled Todo backwards, barely helping their master avoid Todo's blow.

"I barely feel any intention to fight," Todo commented as he destroyed the bindings on him. He glared at Megumi on the ground.

"I've been holding back, and you're so proud?" Megumi whispered. He stood up, blood covering his face. "If you're going to insist like that..." His hands curled into fists. "then I'll show you."

I stopped spinning the soda-can disc on my finger. Crap. Megumi's gotten serious.

"Bring it!" Todo charged at Megumi with a smirk on his face, feeling the change in Megumi's aura.

"Time to put a stop to this," I muttered, reaching for my collar. Concentrating my cursed energy into the disc, I hurled it at Todo's figure. The third-year sensed the projectile coming at him and dodged to the right. The sharp metal flew through the air and cut through the school building.

"A kid?" Todo asked, ignoring the collapsing building behind him. "Who are you?"

I hopped down from the roof and walked over to Megumi. "All you've done since you've arrived is purposely stir up trouble." I checked on Megumi's wounds and tutted. "You got beat up again, Megumi-san."

"Rey-kun. Stay out of this," Megumi muttered. "This is my fight."

"As if I would let you use that," I scolded. "Just sit back and watch."

Cracking my knuckles, I turned to Todo. "If you want a fight, then I'll give you one."

"Oh?" Todo crossed his arms. "You want to fight bare-handed? Sounds fun!"

Stomping his right foot, Todo's figure disappeared. Rey's eyes followed Todo upwards, but he made no move to follow. Todo flung himself downward, building momentum flipping through the air. The ground collapsed under the two as Rey stopped Todo's fists with his palms.

"Heh heh." Rey smirked as he moved himself behind Todo and kicked at his head. Todo blocked Rey's foot with an arm and sprung away from Rey.

"You're not half bad!" Todo complimented as the boy matched him in raw strength. Todo rushed forward again, and the two exchanged a flurry of blows.

"So fast!" Megumi whispered as he spectated their battle. "That wasn't Todo's greatest speed before?"

Todo brought his leg down, and Rey parried with his arm. The shockwave from flesh hitting flesh shook the building. Rey grabbed Todo's ankle with his right hand and summoned his curse strength, flinging the sorcerer towards the nearby forest.

"Stay here, Megumi-san." Rey leapt into the air and followed his opponent into the trees.

Todo landed on a tree and looked up. Rey somersaulted over Todo's head and brought his fist down onto Todo. Todo was sent flying from the force of Rey's blow, knocking down a long row of trees until he was put to a stop.

"Is Rey going to be okay?" Megumi asked. "He's fighting on his opponent's terms, without his cursed techniques."

"Don't worry, Megumi-kun!"

Megumi turned to see the two second years, Panda and Inumaki, coming up behind him.

"Shake," Inumaki confirmed.

"Maki told us that Rey held his own against Gojo-sensei in training," Panda informed.

"Really?" Megumi sighed. "That's good then."

Todo picked himself up from the ground and dusted himself off. He studied the boy who had arrived in front of him and let out a hearty laugh.

"I wasn't expecting you to be this much fun!" Todo shouted.

"Don't underestimate me, first-grade sorcerer," Rey warned as he punched the trunk of a falling tree above him in half. "We're not finished yet."

"Great!" Todo yelled, adrenaline pumping in his veins. "Show me what you got! Entertain me even more!"

The two charged towards each other, meeting fist with fist. Rey and Todo's battle lust had been awakened, and neither sides were going to back down. Their battle was purely flesh against flesh, both not resorting to any cursed techniques.

Todo gave a battle shout and rushed towards Rey. Rey jumped up into the air, brought his hands together, and slammed downwards.

"Don't move!"

Inumaki's Cursed Speech echoed into the two's ears. Both Rey and Todo halted in their steps, and Panda landed between the two.

"Whew, made it just in time," Panda commented. "What are you two doing!?"

"Bonito flakes," Inumaki echoed, zipping his jacket back up.

Todo stepped backwards, and I did the same. He met my gaze, and after a moment of tenseness, he relented first. That was a nice workout. I shook off the remaining adrenaline and walked over to Megumi in the back.

"Shouldn't you be getting your wounds bandaged?" I asked, seeing the blood coming from the sorcerer's forehead. Megumi shrugged and motioned that he was fine.

"Long time no see, Panda," Todo greeted the second-year.

"Why can't you just wait until the exchange event?" Panda asked. "Go on home, or I'll start screaming 'No!'"

"You don't have to tell me to go home." Todo looked around. "Where'd I put my jacket?"

"Back at the vending machines," I answered. "It should be there."

Todo looked at me. "This might not be as boring as I thought. You're Rey, right? The special case here."

I nodded. "That's correct."

"Heh, that was a good fight," Todo complimented. "After the exchange event, I want to fight you again at your full strength."

"We'll see," I said. "But you should go back now. I'm sure you have other things to do."

Todo grinned and walked away into the forest. I moved up next to Panda. "What about Nobara-san?"

"Don't worry, Maki-senpai is with her," Panda said.

"That's good." I glanced at Megumi and then back at Panda. "Can you two take Megumi-san to get healed up?"

"Shake," Inumaki agreed. "Takana?"

"I'll catch up with you guys later," I said. "There's something I want to do first. Don't worry, it won't take too long."