Heavenly Restriction User of the Gojo Clan: I Refuse to Be Cut in Half-Chapter 203: Pairing

Shoko looked up at Yaga Masamichi, her brows furrowed slightly as she asked, "Teacher Yaga, are you talking about the twenty fingers left behind by the Cursed King, Ryomen Sukuna, after his death a thousand years ago?!"

Suguru rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It's said that these are special-grade Cursed Objects that become stronger when consumed. That makes them highly sought after by both curse users and cursed spirits, which makes recovery extremely difficult."

Satoru frowned.

"The King of Curses... that title doesn't sit well with me."

Still, he didn't take it lightly. After all, even the combined forces of sorcerers from a thousand years ago had failed to defeat Sukuna.

And now, even after death, his remaining fingers were still powerful enough to be ranked as special-grade Cursed Objects.

That alone spoke volumes about Sukuna's strength.

The cursed spirit that consumes one of Sukuna's fingers could very well reach special grade, or even surpass it.

No wonder no one's completed this mission yet.

Still, for someone like him, this was at most a slightly more difficult task.

Satoru thought confidently to himself.

Satoshi, standing to the side, remained calm.

He had already guessed this much.

Before he fell asleep, he had ordered Kumaen to begin recovering Sukuna's fingers and locate Itadori Kaori.

Looking at it now...

This S-rank entrance exam mission from Jujutsu High was almost certainly orchestrated by Kumaen and the Gojo clan.

He turned and looked at Satoru beside him with a trace of disdain in his eyes, then shook his head.

If he didn't interfere, it was only a matter of time before his idiot brother clashed with Sukuna.

But now, that might no longer happen.

Whether Sukuna could even be resurrected was another matter.

And even if he was, Satoshi would unleash Ryūjin Jakka on him immediately.

On the podium, Yaga Masamichi continued in a solemn voice, "I've just contacted Principal Sekiguchi to inform him of the entrance exam details."

"He has decided to make a change to the format."

"Originally, it was a solo mission."

"But recently, we confirmed two separate locations where Sukuna's fingers were detected. Due to the sheer power involved, we've decided to change the exam to two-person teams."

"Grade A mission candidates will assist Grade S candidates in exorcising cursed spirits empowered by Sukuna's fingers."

"Each team will also be assigned a live broadcast puppet. This is not only for logistical support, but also to allow the school to deploy emergency assistance if necessary."

No one was surprised to hear this. After all, Ryomen Sukuna's power was nothing to take lightly.

Expecting a candidate to handle it alone was unrealistic.

The Gojo brothers didn't seem bothered, but Suguru and Shoko were a bit conflicted.

They exchanged glances.

Their choice of partner would directly affect the team's performance.

Shoko was a special case. In some ways, she was definitely a genius in the world of jujutsu.

The good news: she could use Reverse Cursed Technique.

The bad news: that was all she could do.

She didn't have the offensive power to exorcise cursed spirits. In contrast, as a spellcaster, Suguru was definitely more suited for combat.

Suguru frowned. If he had to choose, he'd go with Satoru.

Their bond was stronger, and they worked well together.

But this wasn't the time to prioritize friendship. That only made things more difficult.

Satoru was also struggling. Of course, he wanted to team up with Suguru.

But if he ended up defeating Satoshi—who was paired with Shoko—it would feel less meaningful.

"Satoshi, Shoko and I—" Satoru started to speak.

"Shoko is with me," Satoshi interrupted flatly. "That idiot Suguru probably doesn't want to team up with me anyway. He'd just slow me down."

Satoshi had seen right through their dilemma, but he didn't really care.

"...And that attitude is exactly why I don't want to be with you," Suguru muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Okay!" Shoko replied, visibly delighted.

Truthfully, compared to Satoru...

She really did want to team up with Satoshi more.

Seeing that Satoshi had chosen Shoko first, Satoru crossed his arms and grinned.

"Since you're being so generous, how about I let your team start thirty minutes after us?"

Satoshi blinked. "Huh?"

"No need. Just try not to fall too far behind."

"..."

Satoru was speechless for a second, then declared confidently, "Don't underestimate me and Suguru. We're going to be Jujutsu High's ace team!"

Satoshi just smiled and didn't argue.

...

After confirming the teams, Yaga Masamichi uploaded the relevant information to the Technical College and the Jujutsu Association to begin preparations for the entrance exam.

For now, he gave the students some free time so that both teams could train and build teamwork.

As soon as they heard that, Satoru and Suguru ran out excitedly.

They'd just come up with a plan to beat Satoshi's team and couldn't wait to test it.

In the end, only Satoshi and Shoko were left in the classroom.

She looked at him, the boy she hadn't seen in nine years.

"Satoshi, is it really okay for us to be on the same team?" Shoko asked, blushing, her fingers fidgeting as she turned slightly away.

It had been nine years since they'd last been alone. She looked nervous and shy, her hands behind her back, gently tugging at her dress.

Satoshi smiled. "It's fine. All the same to me."

"I'll definitely protect you, but you still need to train with Minazuki. If something happens, you'll have to defend yourself too."

"I'm sorry, Satoshi. I'll just be a burden," Shoko said, her pale legs pressing together.

Satoshi reached out and patted her head. "Hey, Shoko, you weren't like this before I fell asleep, were you?"

Shoko coughed and glared at him.

"Okay, okay. Don't most guys prefer gentle girls?"

After nine years, Shoko had grown up.

Their childhood bond had quietly transformed into something deeper. Satoshi wasn't oblivious to it.

Maybe it could be brushed off when they were six.

But now that he was fifteen, he couldn't ignore Shoko's feelings anymore.

Satoshi muttered, Gentle? That's not really my type...

But the moment Shoko pulled out Minazuki, Satoshi changed his tune.

"As long as it's you, Shoko, I like you whether you're gentle or not."

Shoko beamed at his words.

"Then let's go practice with our Zanpakutō too."

(To be continued.)

***

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