A secluded courtyard behind the main dorms. A wide, open space surrounded by ancient stones and sparse pine trees, their needles rustling in the wind. The air here felt older, quieter. Like the place itself was listening.
Maki Zenin stood in the middle, spear resting against her shoulder, arms crossed as she watched Yuta approach hesitantly.
He looked out of place—still unsure in his own steps, still carrying the weight of Rika like a second shadow. His uniform was wrinkled from the morning, and his eyes held the kind of exhaustion that didn't come from lack of sleep alone.
"You're late," Maki said flatly.
Yuta blinked. "Was I… supposed to be early?"
"Tch. Whatever." She turned away, tapping the butt of her spear on the stone. "I wanted to ask you something. What's your rank here?"
Yuta looked confused. "My… rank?"
"Yeah. Grade. There's four standard ranks—Grade 4 up to Grade 1. And then there's Special Grade, for monsters. Even I'm only Grade 4 right now."
"Oh," Yuta said quietly. "I… don't know. I just got here."
Maki narrowed her eyes. "What did the dumb blindfolded guy give you in the car?"
"You mean… Gojo-sensei?"
"No, I mean Santa Claus. Of course Gojo."
Yuta reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin ID card. "This?"
Maki took it from his hand and flipped it over—
—and her eyes widened.
She stared at the top corner where the rank was clearly printed in fine kanji:
特級呪術師
Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer
She lowered the card slowly.
"You're kidding."
Yuta shifted awkwardly. "Is… is that bad?"
"That's insane. They don't hand out Special Grade like it's candy. There are sorcerers who've trained for decades who haven't reached that level."
"But I didn't do anything. I don't even know how to fight."
"It's not you, idiot. It's Rika. They're not saying you're strong. They're saying what you carry is dangerous enough to be classed as a natural disaster."
"Oh," Yuta said, almost a whisper.
Maki handed the card back, then looked away, her tone a bit more relaxed.
"You really don't know anything about this world, do you?"
Yuta shook his head. "Not much. I didn't even know curses were real until Rika… changed."
Maki glanced at him. "What did you think she was?"
"A ghost," he answered. "Or maybe… just my fault."
There was a long silence between them, the wind picking up slightly.
"…You're not the only one who's been cursed by something they didn't ask for," Maki finally said. "This world… it punishes weakness. Bloodlines. Power. Status."
She looked down at her calloused hands.
"That's why I fight. So I can be strong enough to change that."
Yuta looked at her, something like admiration flickering behind his eyes.
"I don't want to hurt people," he said. "But I'll fight too. If it means no one else has to be afraid like me."
Maki nodded, just once.
"Then maybe," she said, "you're not completely hopeless."
She turned to leave.
Yuta stood alone for a moment, clutching the card in his hand.
Special Grade.
It didn't feel like an honor.
It felt like a warning.