Chapter 53: The Seniors are Good People.
"Okay, Gojo-sensei."
Okkotsu Yuta took a deep breath and walked to the podium. Honestly, this was his first time talking to upper-year seniors. Although one of them dressed a bit like a street thug, maybe he was actually a really nice person?
Uhh...
Alright, he should stop kidding himself.
"My name is Okkotsu Yuta. It's nice to meet you all. Although I don't know much, please... I look forward to your guidance."
After speaking, Okkotsu Yuta walked over to Tatsuro. Gojo Satoru then beckoned to the muscular guy, saying, "Alright, your turn to introduce yourself, Hakari."
"Okay!"
Kinji Hakari stretched lazily, slowly got up, and after a few neck rolls, walked to the podium. A confident smile spread across his face. He picked up a piece of chalk from the table and wrote his name on the blackboard, saying, "My name is Kinji Hakari, a second-year student. I'm your reliable senior! If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
"Wow! This senior is actually a good person!" Okkotsu Yuta exclaimed internally.
"Hey, hey!" Gojo Satoru interjected, "Although I know you'll get along well personality-wise, save your chats for later. Kirara, come up and introduce yourself!"
"Okay."
Kirara Hoshi slowly stood up. Despite their feminine appearance, their voice was that of a man.
It was just as Tatsuro had guessed: a man dressed as a woman. As for how he figured it out, of course, it was by looking at the collarbone; it's quite easy to tell from that. He just wasn't entirely sure at the time, as his knowledge was limited, and he didn't dare to be overly confident.
However...
People who become jujutsu sorcerers all have some sort of psychological quirk, more or less. He didn't discriminate against people with a female heart in a male body. Or rather, he only discriminated against those who knew they were weak but didn't strive to change.
Kirara Hoshi calmly walked to the podium, smiled faintly at Tatsuro and Okkotsu Yuta, and said, "My name is Kirara Hoshi. I'm Hakari's companion. It's nice to meet you."
"Kirara Hoshi... senpai?" Okkotsu Yuta was a bit surprised. Looking at the long black hair and makeup, he had assumed it was a female senior. He hadn't expected it to be a male senior!
But he only grumbled this internally and didn't say it out loud. After all, no matter how others were, basic respect was essential.
Gojo Satoru chimed in, "Alright! Since everyone has introduced themselves, let's talk about the time for the sister school exchange event with Kyoto Jujutsu High."
"Next Monday, which is four days from now! We'll depart one day in advance. For these three days, everyone should get along well."
"Okay, Gojo-sensei!" the four of them said in unison.
"Okay, I still have some things to do, so goodbye for now!"
With Gojo Satoru's departure, the four people in the classroom stared at each other, seemingly unsure how to start a conversation.
"Ahem." Tatsuro cleared his throat lightly to attract their attention and said, "Would you two seniors like to have some drinks together?"
"Yes!" Kirara Hoshi raised their left hand and said playfully. They didn't seem to mind how outsiders viewed them, or perhaps they were already used to it.
"Uhh... sure, if it's not too much trouble for you, junior." Kinji Hakari hesitated a bit, but seeing Kirara's happy expression, he didn't refuse.
After all, in the eyes of others, they were considered oddities. This was the first time they weren't being looked at with strange gazes.
Moreover, junior Tatsuro's passionate speech earlier had suited his taste quite well. But it only suited his taste. If it were those third-year seniors or the higher-ups, hearing someone describe themselves as a "ninja" would probably make them scoff.
"No trouble at all."
As they walked out of the classroom, Tatsuro continued, "Judging by Hakari-senpai's physique, you should be a close-combat type, right?"
"Mm, if you have any questions about close-quarters combat, feel free to ask your senpai me!" As Kinji Hakari spoke, he scratched his head a bit embarrassedly and said, "It's shameful to say, but I was criticized by the higher-ups this year. If it weren't for Gojo-sensei's recommendation, we probably wouldn't be participating in the exchange event with Kyoto Jujutsu High, hahaha!"
Although he said it was shameful, there was no sense in his words that he felt he had done anything wrong; on the contrary, he seemed very proud.
Tatsuro now had a general idea of this senior's personality: carefree!
He dared to do what he wanted and never regretted it afterward. Beneath a fierce exterior lay a helpful heart. Maybe one day he'd leave school to chase his dreams. This was someone worth befriending deeply.
"Junior, you are cursed, aren't you?" Kirara Hoshi was currently chatting with Okkotsu Yuta. They found this person truly interesting; despite having an immense amount of cursed energy, he always spoke to people with such a humble attitude.
"No, I wasn't cursed. I cursed her." During his previous jujutsu studies, Okkotsu Yuta had realized this and had also discussed it with Gojo-sensei. The final conclusion was:
He loved her too much. The moment Rika died in front of him, he cursed her, with the belief that this isn't real, Rika is still alive...
"Is that so..." Kirara Hoshi looked at the ring clutched tightly in Okkotsu Yuta's left hand and realized they had misspoken. In a somewhat subdued tone, they said, "I misspoke, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it's not your fault, senpai. I will take this step to break Rika's curse." Okkotsu Yuta unconsciously clenched his fists, then realized he was getting tense. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Anyway, I'll do my best!"
"Mm, good luck!" Kirara Hoshi didn't quite know how to encourage this junior with such a story, so they could only say "good luck." After all, that's how they encouraged themselves.
Shura's mind was currently full of thoughts about tonight's big beef bones – they were good for grinding its teeth and delicious too.
The group walked out of the school building. Tatsuro selected seven drinks from the vending machine. After distributing them, he still had three left.
These three drinks were for Maki and the others. It was currently noon, so they should be eating in the cafeteria.
He asked, "Want to go to the cafeteria to eat together?"
"No need." Kinji Hakari twisted open his bottle cap and declined. "We just ate out this morning, not hungry yet. Kirara and I are going to check out the training grounds for a while. Come find us there after you finish eating."
"Okay, then see you this afternoon, Hakari-senpai."
"See you this afternoon. I really admire you." Kinji Hakari patted Tatsuro's shoulder and gave him an encouraging thumbs-up.
"If you run into any trouble in the future, feel free to call on me, your senpai, for help. The passion of youth never fades!"
Tatsuro: "Thank you, Hakari-senpai. Take care."
Okkotsu Yuta watched Kirara Hoshi leave and waved, calling out, "See you this afternoon, senpai."
Kirara Hoshi didn't say anything, just waved goodbye.
Watching the seniors leave, Okkotsu Yuta breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's great! I was originally worried that the seniors would be hard to get along with. Turns out they're both good people!"
Tatsuro agreed, "Yeah, the seniors are very strong. Yuta, is there anything you want to ask them for advice on this afternoon?"
"Advice?" Okkotsu Yuta thought for a moment and said, "If I were to ask for advice, it would probably be how to be as confident as senpai!"
"Is that so? I'm going to ask for some advice on taijutsu."