Ch.68 Plan in Motion

Second-year student at Kyoto Jujutsu High, Nishimiya Momo.

Her jujutsu grade is unclear, but based on her cursed energy, it is estimated to be between Grade 3 and Grade 2.

Her technique is "Tsukumogami Manipulation."

Rather than controlling actual tsukumogami (objects that have gained spirits), she manipulates spiritual objects, achieving all sorts of mysterious effects.

It's a highly versatile technique but comes with many limitations.

After all, finding objects that can become tsukumogami is not easy.

In other words, most of Nishimiya Momo's power lies in the broom beneath her. Her own combat strength isn't particularly high.

When Inumaki Toge suddenly shouted at her with his Cursed Speech, she immediately lost her balance and tumbled headfirst out of the sky.

At that moment, Nishimiya Momo had only one thought: It's over. I'm going to ruin my face.

Even though she wasn't flying very high, Inumaki's shout disrupted her cursed energy flow, leaving her unable to adjust her technique. She could only barely use her cursed energy to protect her body.

Unfortunately, she wasn't particularly gifted in this area, so her protection was only so-so.

Ahh, I should've learned from Noritoshi earlier.

Scars are a woman's greatest enemy.

Just as her face was about to hit the ground, a black-and-white, soft, fluffy figure sprang out from the trees, arriving just in time to catch her.

"Hello, Nishimiya-chan."

"P-Panda-kun! Thank you." Nishimiya Momo quickly expressed her gratitude, after all, he had saved her from a disfiguring fall.

"No need to thank me, we were the ones who knocked you down in the first place. For your own safety, would you kindly leave the battlefield?"

Panda's round, innocent eyes and mouth appeared kind, but to Nishimiya, he now looked like a terrifying, black-and-white beast.

Just a moment ago, she thought he was cute.

Before she could respond, another round, black-and-white head popped out from Panda's shoulder. It was glaring at her "ferociously," holding a 20-centimeter-long spider-like low-grade cursed spirit in its tiny paw.

With a swift motion, the cursed spirit evaporated into nothingness, as if the little panda was showing off its strength to her.

Panda turned his head: "You found it already, huh? As expected of my little brother."

"Pan! Pan!" Pancham smiled triumphantly, looking even more adorable.

Nishimiya Momo no longer dared to entertain any unnecessary thoughts. This cute little guy might seem harmless, but one swipe from those paws would leave her full of holes.

"I-I surrender..." She gave a formal military salute.

"Inumaki, it's time," Panda said.

Inumaki Toge emerged from the trees, happily celebrating with a fist bump to his panda brothers.

Attached to his belt was a folding megaphone. He had used it to amplify his Cursed Speech, allowing Nishimiya to hear him clearly while flying.

There was no need to worry about collateral damage. By now, Inumaki could direct his cursed energy and force precisely, ensuring that his teammates, Panda and Pancham, were unaffected.

They were well-prepared for this.

Nishimiya Momo came to this conclusion. She wanted to relay this information to her teammates, but Tokyo's second-most reliable fighter, Panda, didn't give her the chance.

Looking at a crow perched on a tree branch, he said, "Nishimiya-senpai is out. Take her away."

In the observation room, Gojo Satoru slapped his thigh: "Well done! Utahime, Mei-san—"

"I know." Utahime Iori's mood was sour. Having one of her students knocked out by Gojo's students so quickly wasn't helping, but rules were rules.

Mei Mei flicked her hair back and commanded the crow via her technique.

With a squawk, the black bird landed on Nishimiya Momo's shoulder, worsening her already sour mood.

Even a bird is calling me an idiot.

In just a few seconds, Panda's team vanished back into the forest, communicating with Akira over the radio as they moved.

"Nishimiya Momo is out. We eliminated one Grade 3 cursed spirit but found no Grade 2s. Aside from Todo Aoi, the rest of their team is heading toward the spot where Nishimiya fell. Toge and I are retreating at full speed."

Panda's ears twitched. Although he was tanky, he was also a highly capable support unit with a wide range of sensory abilities.

Due to his non-human classification, he was especially sensitive to living things. Akira had paired him with Inumaki Toge because they were perfect for guerilla tactics and racking up points.

"Plan in motion~" Akira smirked, his expression distinct, though sadly only Maki could see it. "Keep it up. Prioritize taking out cursed spirits and supporting targets. Avoid direct confrontation—it's a waste. When the time is right, we'll regroup with Yuta."

In a large-scale team battle, reconnaissance is crucial. One of Akira's strategic goals was sensory suppression—turn the enemy into blind and deaf while giving his own team a clear view and sharp ears.

That's why Nishimiya was taken down first.

Back when he watched anime before crossing into this world, Akira had always wanted to point out the flaws. A support fighter who can't even fight flying so obviously? Who else would we target first?

Consider it my small kindness to let you retreat safely after contributing a flight meme. As for the others…

"They didn't pursue Panda and Toge... looks like there's another scout in their team besides Nishimiya."

"They're targeting Yuta, huh," Maki scoffed. "What about Todo?"

"Still nothing—no, wait, there it is. He's near Hakari-senpai. I can't tell if Hakari is lucky or unlucky."

Akira himself didn't have any sensory abilities, but his Pokémon did. Both Gardevoir and Darkrai were experts in this field.

"Who knows?" Maki shrugged. "But I bet both Todo and Hakari will be thrilled. They can finally fight. Assuming Hakari isn't cursed with bad luck."

"Even at his worst, Hakari can hold Todo off for a while. Todo only used his cursed technique on you earlier because he was weak from skipping breakfast and wanted to make an impression. In a normal fight, he wouldn't immediately use his trump card. They should be evenly matched in raw power."

While they were speaking, Todo Aoi and Hakari Kinji had already clashed.

Both of them were brimming with energy, not wasting a single word as they exchanged powerful punches.

Todo's fist slammed into Hakari's shoulder, while Hakari's landed squarely on Todo's chest.

Both stopped in their tracks.

Todo spat on the ground: "Not bad. Looks like aside from Akira and Okkotsu Yuta, there's another decent opponent at Tokyo Jujutsu High."

Hakari rolled his shoulder, bones cracking audibly: "I'm a second-year, after all. Can't let the first-years show me up. Todo Aoi, I'm your opponent—Hakari Kinji!"

"Well then, Hakari Kinji, before we start, let me ask you two questions. First, did you bring a girlfriend to the competition?"

Hakari's expression twisted—was this guy serious? He remembered Akira's earlier words. This big guy looked intimidating, but maybe he wasn't so bad after all?

"How could I have? How many people bring their girlfriends everywhere like them?!"

"I'm a bit jealous. If I could bring Takada-chan with me, I would."

Todo's seriousness made Hakari feel even more awkward—why did it seem like Todo fit in better with the other weirdos?

To avoid further awkwardness, Hakari preemptively attacked: "If your second question is about what type of woman I like, save it. Beat me first, and I'll tell you!"

"Deal." Todo clenched his fists.

Hakari readied his stance. Their battle cries echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds into the sky.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And so, the fierce battle between two passionate fighters began.