JJK: Chapter 69

Title: Exchange Event

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There were 23 days left until the "School Exchange Event," and Junpei's High School incident had been fermenting for some time. Over this period, the cursed incidents detected by the "Windows" were ordinary and lacked any traces of curses like those controlled by Mahito.

The frequency and difficulty of the missions had decreased considerably, making these lighter tasks a good way to test Yuji and the others' progress during training.

The results were excellent. Second-grade curses were no longer a challenge for them. As for first-grade curses, it depended on the specific effects of their techniques. Weaker ones could even be exorcised individually.

Among them, Megumi Fushiguro stood out for his speed in completing tasks. His Ten Shadows Technique, which allows shikigami to combine, had begun to show considerable power. Of course, this depended on the user's cursed energy and mastery of the technique. For instance, the fused shikigami "Well Unknown," created by combining Toad and Nue, initially appeared as nothing more than a winged toad about the size of a basin with limited attack methods.

However, as Megumi deepened his understanding and mastery, the power of the fused shikigami grew increasingly complete. Flying Serpent was a prime example, inheriting Nue's flight and lightning attacks combined with a serpent's raw physical strength.

Currently, Flying Serpent was comparable to a first-grade curse without a technique, excelling in physical strength. Its unique lightning attacks were particularly effective in group battles, making it an invaluable asset in fights.

Meanwhile, Gojo Satoru brought back some news upon returning to Jujutsu High: they would soon have a new classmate—Junpei Yoshino, a survivor of the High School incident. After Principal Yaga contacted Junpei, Gojo was sent to assess the potential recruit.

Confirming that Junpei had a cursed technique and met the school's standards, Gojo extended an invitation. Junpei, after days of internal struggle, began to reconsider the events surrounding the tragedy at his school.

While he could remain indifferent or even feel a grim satisfaction at the deaths of the cruel people he despised, the sheer number of lives lost—including classmates he barely knew—was overwhelming. Dozens of young lives had been discarded like rotten vegetables on the ground.

Mahito’s sinister grin receded into the darkness of his mind, replaced by the grotesque image of lifeless bodies strewn across the hall. Curses, he realized, were not human. To them, humans were nothing more than sentient pieces of meat. And to Mahito, Junpei himself had likely been nothing more than a toy.

After accepting Gojo’s invitation, Junpei discussed the matter with his mother, Nagi Yoshino, and decided they would move. Upon hearing Junpei’s request to relocate, Nagi was momentarily stunned but quickly agreed. She had heard about the incident at his school, and in her eyes, it was fortunate that Junpei had not been present at the time, narrowly escaping disaster.

In truth, even if Junpei hadn’t suggested it, Nagi had been considering moving and transferring schools. An incident of this magnitude, one that made international news, would undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on the local community.

She had been worried about Junpei’s mental health, and a change of environment seemed like a good solution. As for Jujutsu High, Junpei chose not to tell her the whole truth. The school’s official cover as a religious institution, coupled with government backing, provided a convincing explanation.

Gojo gave Junpei the school's address and instructed him to come once he had settled matters at home, assuring him someone would be there to meet him.

On a hot day, after completing his move, Junpei finally arrived at the designated location, where he saw Yuji Itadori waving energetically from a distance.

With a genuine smile, Yuji walked over and effortlessly picked up Junpei’s luggage. His grin was as bright and blazing as the sun overhead. “Looks like we’re classmates now! I’ll take you to the dorms. Gojo-sensei said you can pick any empty room. After that, I’ll introduce you to our other two classmates and the second-year senpai.”

“Alright. By the way, Yuji… thank you.”

Yuji froze momentarily before scratching his head sheepishly. “It’s really thanks to Shin-senpai. Let’s go! You’ve joined at the perfect time—soon, we’ll be having an exchange event with another school!”

On the way to the dorms, Yuji Itadori shared all the basic knowledge about the jujutsu world that he knew with Junpei Yoshino. After settling Junpei's luggage in a dorm room near Yuji’s, the two headed to the training grounds.

At the back of the school, the training area was a rugged space of sand and cliffs. A massive snake-like creature, as large as a kaiju from a movie, was wreaking havoc on the area. Junpei watched in stunned silence as a figure darted through the air, engaging the colossal beast.

The person moved with a lightness that seemed to defy gravity, dodging the serpent’s ferocious bites with ease. Each attack missed, but when the smaller figure countered with a punch, it shook the giant snake’s body with an unbelievable force, eliciting a series of piercing hisses.

Moments later, the figure landed on the ground, and the winged serpent dissolved into a black mist in mid-air, vanishing as if it had never existed. The surreal scene left Junpei questioning whether it had been real at all.

Shortly after, a white-haired, blindfolded man—Gojo Satoru, who had introduced himself as Junpei’s homeroom teacher—approached. He called out, offering to introduce Junpei to the people present.

“It’s still too taxing to use Flying Snake in combination with Max Elephant,” said Megumi Fushiguro, commenting on his earlier summoning. “I can barely maintain it, but at least the battle potential is impressive.”

Shin Shuichi nodded in agreement with Megumi's assessment. He had been assisting Megumi with testing the fusion of these Shikigamis. While the resulting shikigami had increased in size, strength, and durability, the cost in cursed energy had also grown significantly.

Noticing Yuji and Junpei returning, Shin interrupted the discussion. “Looks like the new student is here. Let’s go meet him.”

Everyone had heard about Junpei through Yuji and Shin’s accounts, but this was their first time meeting him. While Yuji and Shin greeted him warmly, Nobara Kugisaki’s confident and sharp demeanor made Junpei feel a bit intimidated. Megumi, on the other hand, came across as cold—though it was more due to his expressionless face than any actual hostility.

'That creature earlier must have been a shikigami.' Junpei thought, recalling the massive snake. “It’s so much bigger than my Moon Dregs.”

After meeting the rest of the first-years, Junpei was introduced to the second-years, who were even more eccentric. While Maki Zenin and Shin Shuichi seemed approachable enough, Toge Inumaki's cryptic rice-ball speech left Junpei utterly confused.

And then, there was Panda. A walking, talking panda. Even though Junpei had already had his worldview shattered by curses and jujutsu sorcery, Panda’s existence reignited his sense of wonder at the sheer strangeness of the jujutsu world.

After the introductions, Gojo gave feedback on Megumi’s earlier attempt at combining Flying Serpent with Max Elephant.

“The difficulty lies partly in your total cursed energy,” Gojo explained. “That’s something you’ll need to build up gradually. But another issue is the efficiency of your cursed energy manipulation.”

Scratching his head, Gojo added, “Think of it like this—my Six Eyes allow me to manipulate cursed energy with extreme precision, so there’s almost no waste. Even the smallest amounts of cursed energy can achieve the desired effect. You can’t replicate that exactly, but the better your control, the more effective your techniques will become.”

To illustrate, Gojo gathered a small amount of cursed energy on his fingertip and launched it at a large boulder. The attack shattered part of the surface, scattering debris and leaving deep cracks in the surrounding area.

“But if you maximize efficiency…” Gojo said, repeating the move. This time, he used even less energy. The resulting attack left a perfectly round, two-finger-wide hole that pierced straight through the boulder, leaving no cracks or scattered fragments. The ground behind the rock bore a similar hole where the residual energy continued its path.

“See? Same amount of energy, but vastly different results. This is just an example—you’ll have to practice diligently to get there.”

Gojo turned to Yuji, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Yuji, since you know Junpei the best, I’m putting you in charge of teaching him the basics. You still remember everything I taught you, right?”

Pounding his chest confidently, Yuji grinned. “Don’t worry, Gojo-sensei! I’ve got this! I remember it all perfectly.”

After Gojo left, the group watched Maki and Nobara sparring nearby. Shin suddenly turned to ask, “By the way… is Junpei going to participate in the exchange event?”

Panda scratched his head. “Probably. It’s just a friendly sparring event, after all, and it’ll give him some valuable experience.”

“Then let’s include him in the special training,” Shin suggested. “Once Yuji finishes teaching him the basics.”

Yuji Itadori faithfully remembered all the teachings from Gojo Satoru, passing them down to Junpei Yoshino almost word for word. Before this, Junpei already had a vague idea of how to refine cursed energy, but under Yuji's systematic guidance, he quickly succeeded in extracting his cursed energy.

“By the way, Junpei, what’s your Cursed Technique?” Panda asked after seeing Junpei successfully condense his energy. Most students admitted to Jujutsu High possessed a Cursed Technique, as a sorcerer’s potential often hinged on their innate abilities.

Junpei, who found Panda's approachable nature reassuring, summoned his shikigami, Moon Dregs. It appeared as a massive jellyfish with a translucent blue body adorned with golden accents.

“I can channel my cursed energy through Moon Dregs and convert it into toxins. Right now, I can choose between paralysis or venom,” Junpei explained.

Panda nodded thoughtfully. “Did Yuji tell you about the concept of Cursed Technique Disclosure?”

When Yuji awkwardly shook his head, Panda gave Junpei a quick rundown. “Yuji, Maki, and I don’t have Cursed Techniques due to some special circumstances. Megumi’s technique, as you’ve seen, involves summoning shikigami, though his shadow shikigami are quite diverse.

“As for Nobara, you’ll see her abilities in action soon enough. To put it simply, she’s… a master of voodoo dolls,” Panda said with a playful grin, earning a sharp glare from Nobara. Quickly changing the subject, Panda continued, “Then there’s Shin. You might not know this yet, but his technique allows him to manipulate time. Pretty impressive, right?”

Sizing up Junpei’s slender frame, Panda rubbed his chin. “You’re joining the special training sessions too. A sorcerer’s physical condition can’t be overlooked. There are still 20 days before the exchange event—that should be enough to get you up to speed.”

Junpei agreed without hesitation. Despite already gaining extraordinary powers, his widened perspective made him realize how vast the world beyond the “well” truly was. Forget about Shin or Gojo-sensei—the so-called strongest sorcerer—just the giant snake from earlier had been terrifying.

Power was something everyone desired. Without it, there was no way to protect the things that mattered most.

As the group trained, Panda noticed a scar on Junpei’s forehead during their running exercises. It wasn’t a typical injury—it looked more like a burn.

“What happened to your forehead, Junpei?”

Caught off guard, Junpei hesitated, but Shin noticed the conversation and walked over. “Let me see if I can heal it with Reversed Cursed Technique.”

After some hesitation, Junpei slowly brushed his hair aside, revealing the full scar. It was a burn mark left by a cigarette—a cruel reminder of his past.

Shin extended his hand, and with precise control of his Reversed Cursed Technique, he erased the burn mark. When his hand moved away, Junpei’s forehead was nearly flawless. Given a few days, there wouldn’t even be a trace of the injury.

Touching the smooth skin, Junpei’s expression wavered before he gave Shin a genuine, heartfelt smile. “Thank you, Shin-senpai.”

---

Twenty Days Later

The intense training had paid off. Junpei, who had started as a frail high school student, now had solid combat capabilities. All that remained was further improvement and real combat experience—something the upcoming exchange event would provide.

“Have the Kyoto students arrived already?” Panda asked as he and Shin walked back from the vending machine, carrying cold drinks.

“They didn’t arrive this early last time, did they?” Shin replied. “I haven’t seen them yet.”

The mention of Kyoto brought back memories of its students. Shin thought about Megumi and Yuji’s progress—and the upcoming bond between Yuji and Aoi Todo. He couldn’t help but smirk in anticipation.

“Speak of the devil…”

Ahead, a group of figures appeared on the sunlit stone path. Leading them was none other than Aoi Todo, followed by several familiar faces.

“Shin, it’s been a while!”