Satoru Gojo moved fast—just as expected, he submitted his Special Grade application within a few days.
Jujutsu High promptly organized a review for his promotion.
A Special Grade designation carries significant weight. It's not easy to apply for, and submitting the paperwork doesn't guarantee approval. The majority of senior personnel at Jujutsu High must agree before it can even move forward.
And even then, that's just the initial approval. The application still needs to be submitted to the Board of Directors, who will evaluate the candidate's achievements and strength before assigning an assessment task.
That day, a Deacon from Jujutsu High approached Sōjun Minamoto. After offering a respectful bow, he said,
"Sōjun-sama, please attend the Special Grade review meeting."
This was his summons to a high-level meeting.
Sōjun Minamoto wasn't surprised. After the incident involving the Tengen Barrier shift and his own promotion to Special Grade, he had earned a seat at the table among the upper echelon.
He followed the Deacon deep into the heart of Jujutsu High, stopping before a familiar pagoda-like temple.
It was the one newly built behind the white-boned tree.
Without lingering outside, the Deacon led him to a familiar door, knocked three times, then pushed it open for him.
He remained outside, pointing toward the second shoji door from the left.
Sōjun Minamoto glanced inside. Shoji doors lined the interior, and behind many of them, figures had already taken their places.
There was now a shoji door inside this pagoda temple that belonged solely to him.
The one the Deacon had pointed to.
This was Sōjun Minamoto's first time officially attending such a meeting.
He nodded at the Deacon and stepped inside.
Satoru Gojo was already there, casually standing at the center of the circle formed by the shoji doors.
He smiled when he saw Sōjun enter.
Sōjun returned the greeting, stepped into his shoji door, dragged a chair out from behind it, and leaned back against the panel as he sat down.
The thin door held his weight without breaking.
Naturally, it was only thanks to his control. Otherwise, the door would've snapped under him.
Some of the people behind other doors took issue with his posture. A low murmur of discontent quickly spread through the room.
Sōjun ignored them completely. He casually glanced around and noticed there were quite a few attendees this time.
These figures didn't show up to every meeting. Everyone was busy—some likely had other matters to attend to, and some simply didn't feel like coming. No one would question their absence; it was just assumed they'd forfeited their right to vote.
Still, this gathering had drawn a relatively large portion of the upper ranks.
As Sōjun interacted with these people, he noticed something—something oddly immature.
It wasn't just a trait of angsty teens. He found that these old men were just as prone to it, and the older they were, the more pronounced it became.
They'd suddenly latch onto things like the Renaissance—getting inexplicably obsessed with classical culture or fixating on certain cultural symbols.
They were obsessed with so-called "style."
Apparently, shoji doors were enough to give them that sense of style.
Sōjun's unconventional behavior clearly rubbed some people the wrong way. It lacked "dignity."
But that had nothing to do with him.
He'd already come to a conclusion: if he didn't show strength, people would take it as weakness.
Then they'd do everything they could to suppress him—crush him completely.
Especially since relations were already strained, any show of weakness would only invite harsher attacks.
So, he had to be assertive.
And it wasn't like these people were truly bold—when it came time to act, they wouldn't dare. Even their voices were deliberately hushed.
"What are everyone's thoughts on Satoru Gojo's promotion to Special Grade?" The muffled voice of the elder leading the meeting rang out, and the room gradually quieted down.
"His contributions are qualified, the number of completed missions meets the standard, and his strength is sufficient... I have no objections," said a middle-aged man from the Zenin Clan, the first to voice his support.
Others quickly followed, echoing their agreement.
That was to be expected.
Who was Satoru Gojo? The head of the Gojo Clan.
And what was the Gojo Clan's standing in the Jujutsu world? Alongside the Zenin and Kamo Clans, they made up the Big Three.
Apart from the Board of Directors, they essentially held sway over the entire Jujutsu world.
Truthfully, most of the people in the room didn't hold a higher status than Satoru Gojo. This application was just a formality—nothing like what Sōjun Minamoto had faced previously, where all kinds of hurdles and restrictions had been thrown his way.
He hadn't even appeared in the meeting room back then.
Unsurprisingly, the application was quickly approved.
"What about the additional assessment?" the elder's voice sounded again.
This time, no one responded. Some glanced toward Sōjun Minamoto, while others lowered their heads, eyes downcast.
Jujutsu High was allowed to suggest candidates for the assessment, and the Board would typically adopt those suggestions—so this question essentially decided how the evaluation would proceed.
"Sōjun, what's your take?" the elder asked directly, seeing the silence and intentionally calling on Sōjun Minamoto.
After all, he was the only Special Grade present, and the matter did concern him to some extent.
"Haven't you all made up your minds already? Then just call Yuki back," Sōjun replied casually.
His influence among the Higher-Ups was still too weak—just him alone wasn't enough. Once the numbers tilted against him, the others immediately gained the confidence to push back.
Nobody actually believed that someone with Six Eyes and the Limitless Cursed Technique could fail to qualify for Special Grade, and whether the examiner was Sōjun Minamoto or Yuki Tsukumo didn't really matter.
But there was always the unspoken connection between examiner and examinee. They didn't want to see that tie deepen. More accurately, they didn't want to see the Gojo Clan form closer ties with Sōjun Minamoto, a Special Grade sorcerer.
This wasn't just targeting Sōjun—it was also aimed at the Gojo Clan.
The Board valued balance above all else, and naturally didn't want this kind of situation to arise. So the only possible examiner was Yuki Tsukumo, and everyone knew it.
Sōjun Minamoto couldn't care less. These people revered power; he valued strength. They weren't even on the same playing field.
He could see some of the old men trying to suppress smirks, but not one dared laugh to his face. That made him even less inclined to pay attention.
"Since no one objects, I propose that Yuki Tsukumo serve as the examiner for this assessment. Any thoughts?" The elder, a representative sent by the Board to Jujutsu High, narrowed his eyes at Sōjun as he made the suggestion.
No one reacted.
Sōjun lazily raised his right hand. "I agree."
Only then did the others voice their approval.
Meetings like this were just a formality.
There's a saying: big issues are handled in small meetings, small ones in large meetings, and the truly important things aren't discussed at all. You can tell the nature of a meeting by how many people show up—either the matter isn't important, or the result was already decided.
Just like that, the meeting concluded.
...
Sōjun Minamoto and Satoru Gojo walked out of the room together. Seeing how relaxed Gojo looked, Sōjun still asked,
"Confident?"
"Don't let Yuki beat you into the ground."
A battle between Special Grades depends on a lot—technique compatibility, personal condition, luck, even the day's weather and the battlefield itself... all of it can tip the scales.
No one can say for sure they'll win.
"I'll win," Satoru Gojo said, hands clasped behind his head, his tone light.
Confidence—yeah, that was part of the battle too.
If he'd asked Yuki Tsukumo instead, her answer would've been the same.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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