Oda was busy handling the registration paperwork.
Although he wasn't a mber of Jujutsu High, as Naoya Zenin's personal attendant, he did have a pass that let him enter and leave the school.
Generally speaking, as long as sothing had nothing to do with Cursed Techniques, Naoya Zenin would hand those troubleso errands over to Oda.
Naturally, tallying the student applications fell to Oda as well.
After all, Naoya Zenin had been running to the school every few days lately, so Oda had no choice but to keep pace with his young master, shuttling back and forth between the Zenin Clan residence and Jujutsu High.
Utahi Iori had been right about one thing.
Naoya Zenin really was a busy man, and he really did need an assistant at his side.
Without Oda, the trivial affairs at ho alone would have been enough to leave the young master swamped.
Never mind all the work he was putting in at the school.
"Thank goodness I listened to the young master and booked several guesthouses back then..."
Oda counted through the students' registration forms, and the final number left him stunned.
It was hard to imagine that so many students were willing to sign up for the young master's course!
And it wasn't only the Grade 1 students. Second- and third-year students were signing up one after another too.
If this were a club, the registration fees alone would have made for a nice little windfall.
But the young master was kind-hearted.
As for the expenses, Young Master Naoya had paid for everything himself.
On top of that, it was basically a school-funded trip. Of course the students would be in an uproar over it.
"Huh? This one is...?"
Oda pulled out one of the registration forms and looked carefully at the na written on it. Then he froze completely.
[Applicant: Satoru Gojo.]
[Reason for Application: I want to soak in a hot spring too.]
No, wait. He had clearly been standing right there counting people the whole ti. When exactly had the strongest man in the modern world slipped his registration form into the mailbox?!
Oda had never personally witnessed Satoru Gojo's strength.
He had only heard the Zenin Clan servants ntion, vaguely and in passing, that not even the Clan Head's godlike speed could compare to Satoru Gojo's. Apparently, with a single thought, he could appear anywhere in the world.
Did that an he could teleport from Tokyo to Kyoto whenever he got bored?
The fact that the young master could stand alongside a monster like that as one of the Two Proud Ones of Kyoto was almost impossible for Oda to wrap his head around.
Could Young Master Naoya...really be that strong???
Just as the middle-aged man's thoughts were running wild, a sharp shout suddenly rang out nearby.
"Stop spacing out! Hey, old man over there! Didn't you hear asking you a question?!"
Oda hurriedly looked around, but there was no one beside him at all.
"Who? Who's talking?!"
For a middle-aged man who knew absolutely nothing about Cursed Techniques, when had he ever encountered sothing like this?
He imdiately assud Jujutsu High was haunted, and terror shot straight through him.
"Where are you looking?! I'm over here!"
Oda followed the voice and saw a small hand at the window, gesturing at him with fierce impatience.
"Yes, yes, yes! ! Hurry up and co over!"
"...May I ask who you are, Senior?"
Oda's face went pale as he tremblingly moved closer.
"Hmph! I am a sorceress who has trained in the Black Forest for a thousand years! Known to all as the Great Witch Momo Nishimiya!"
"M-may I ask, Senior Nishimiya, what guidance you have for ? And why are you calling out to in this form?"
Oda couldn't help recalling an old folk legend.
Supposedly, after a weasel cultivated in the mountains for a hundred years, it would co down to find a human, take on a form, and ask whether it was a demon or not.
But this was Jujutsu High, wasn't it?
The Jujutsu High of Kyoto's sacred ground! A Jujutsu High where experts gathered!
And yet a Cursed Spirit had appeared so openly in broad daylight!
Could this Great Witch be a Special Grade Cursed Spirit?!
"Hey, relax. It's nothing. Soone just asked to give you a recomndation letter."
That little hand looked extrely smug.
Then it instantly vanished from the window, and when it reappeared, it was already clutching an application form.
"I heard your young master is recruiting so kind of teaching assistant. As it happens, I know a pretty cute girl who'd suit the position quite well."
"...A pretty cute girl?"
Oda's expression instantly beca troubled.
No way.
Had the young master really beco this popular?
Even Cursed Spirits were making special trips here to beco his disciples?!
"Uh, strictly speaking, she isn't exactly that pretty. More like passable, I guess. Her cheerful and lively personality is her strong point. Does your young master prefer quiet girls?"
"Well..."
Oda thought about it carefully.
"Sorry, but my young master doesn't seem to be very interested in won."
"Y-you beast in human form, acting so pure and noble on the surface while secretly only caring about incest..."
The little hand could no longer hold back and started cursing under its breath.
"Anyway, the girl I'm recomnding is a good student who can work hard and handle hardship. If you're really worried about your young master, choosing this kid is definitely the right call!"
"Isn't this using the back door?!"
Oda finally realized sothing was wrong. Just as he moved closer to the window to see who was causing trouble, the little hand imdiately threw the recomndation letter inside, then plunged into the bushes and fled.
In the end, the middle-aged man only caught a vague glimpse of a figure with flowing blue hair, sprinting madly through the field like a groundhog.
"W-what even is all this?"
Oda picked up the recomndation letter, only to hear another knock at the door.
He quickly put the envelope away and hurried over to open the door.
"Here."
Standing at the doorway was a petite blonde loli with twin ponytails.
"Give this application form to Naoya Zenin. Rember, don't let anyone else find out about this."
The student's face was fierce and overbearing, murderous intent written all over her brow.
"If this gets exposed, you know what the consequences will be!"
"I-I understand..."
Oda was so frightened that his legs went weak.
He had heard that Jujutsu High was full of children from powerful and influential families. Although he had no idea who this half-blood was, Oda was experienced enough not to talk back. His instinctive cowardice flared up, and he nearly dropped to his knees and kowtowed on the spot.
"Hmph. Good."
The blonde loli gave a cold snort, then turned her head and threatened him. "My na is Momo Nishimiya! When your young master is choosing a teaching assistant, make sure you ntion my na to him a few extra tis. Got it?"
"Momo Nishimiya?!"
Oda's heart jolted.
Wait, hadn't that mysterious little hand earlier also claid to be Momo Nishimiya?!
Was the place really haunted in broad daylight?!
"Looks like you know my father. Rember, you'd better handle this properly. There'll be plenty in it for you."
After reminding him several more tis, Momo Nishimiya looked around the doorway, clearly ready to run at any mont.
"Oh no! It's Mai!!!"
Her expression suddenly changed, and she imdiately mounted her broom and flew out through the window.
"Uh, what does that even an???"
Oda was completely baffled.
He watched Momo Nishimiya ride her broom into the distance, still unable to process what had just happened.
No, whose child was that?
She looked like she was still in elentary school, didn't she?
Just as Oda picked up the second recomndation letter from the floor, a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.
"Miss Mai?"
"It's been a long ti, Uncle Oda."
Mai nodded to him.
"It really has been a long ti..."
Oda was imdiately overco with emotion.
"When you left the Zenin Clan, Miss Mai, you hadn't grown into such a beauty yet. You always looked so frail and sickly back then, but now you look much healthier and full of life."
"Uncle Oda, I heard you've... taken over my old position?"
Mai asked carefully.
"Ah, more or less."
Oda let out a long sigh.
"You know how Young Master Naoya has never liked being looked after by other won ever since he was little. After thinking it over, aside from your mother, I'm pretty much the only one who can take care of him day to day."
"That must be hard on you."
"Speaking of which, you ca here to see the young master, didn't you? But he's quite busy. He's been tied up with the Forbidden Vault lately. I heard he reinforced the defenses several tis, and it even made Ogi-sama angry."
Oda was sitting in Naoya Zenin's office right now.
Naturally, he understood that Mai Zenin couldn't possibly have co here looking for him.
"It's... actually better that he isn't here."
Mai seed to breathe a sigh of relief instead.
"Are you still holding a grudge against the young master?"
Oda, of course, knew about the past between these siblings.
At the ntion of it, a complicated look crossed the middle-aged man's face.
"Actually... the young master has changed quite a lot lately. You might think I'm just speaking up for him, but he really isn't the sa as before."
Oda rembered how Naoya Zenin had protected him at the Kyoto Imperial Palace the other day, and warmth rose in his chest. He smiled with relief.
"Young Master Naoya may have a sharp tongue, but deep down, he truly cares about us. Miss Mai, I think the reason the young master ca to Jujutsu High this ti was specifically to nd things with you."
But after hearing Oda's attempt at comfort, Mai's already unpleasant expression only grew worse.
"He's... already disappointed in ."
The girl's eyes dimd.
"I... how should I put it... I do hate him, but... there are still so many things I can't forgive him for. So he definitely... doesn't want to forgive either..."
"How could that be?"
Although Oda had no idea what exactly had happened, as a good-natured man, he still tried to advise her. "You two are cousins! The young master is like your older brother! You're the young master's younger sister! No matter what happened back at the Zenin Clan, now that you've both co to a brand-new place, you should give each other a chance and start your lives over!"
"Can we... really do that?"
Mai was still very hesitant as she looked up at Oda.
"Of course!"
Oda nodded firmly.
"Once you've left the Zenin Clan, everyone has the chance to start over! Are you saying soone can never beco a better person just because they made mistakes in the past?"
The middle-aged man spoke earnestly.
"You Jujutsu Sorcerers are always obsessed with who's right and who's wrong, but does living your life really have to co down to that? Do you have to say every ugly thing out loud? Will you only be satisfied after hurting each other? Trust your Uncle Oda. You'll only have a chance to nd things if both of you take a step back."
Mai remained silent.
That was normal enough.
Oda was an ordinary person.
So, in the eyes of a Jujutsu Sorcerer, that kind of logic was nothing but the thinking of a useless nobody.
"..."
The middle-aged man could only sigh.
"Miss Mai, then tell how I can help you. As long as you're willing to ask, I'll do everything I can."
"..."
Mai took a deep breath, then took out a recomndation letter and handed it to Oda.
"Give this letter to him."
"Miss Mai, why are you doing this too?!"
"What do you an, 'too'?"
Sensing the edge in Mai's tone, Oda quickly gave an awkward laugh. "I just ant that so many students have co to sign up that I'm getting a little jumpy."
"I'm not just signing up."
Mai explained.
"This letter is to apply to beco a teaching assistant. I don't understand what you're talking about at all, Uncle Oda, but right now, I intend to beco Naoya Zenin's teaching assistant."
"That's a good thing!"
Before Oda could finish, Mai cut him off.
"And then I'll make him apologize to my face! He'll apologize for my sister too! I'll make the entire Zenin Clan apologize to us!!!"
Fine.
Oda looked at Mai Zenin gritting her teeth and was rendered completely speechless.
A good thing had turned bad just like that.
"If you really want to help, Uncle Oda, then when they're choosing the teaching assistant, please put in a few good words for ."
Mai then explained further.
"I'm not trying to co back and steal your job, Uncle Oda. I know you're busy too, so if I beco the teaching assistant, you won't have to worry about school matters anymore. I'll handle them properly."
Wait.
So there was such a thing as coming back for a second round?!
Oda really couldn't hold it together anymore.
No, why had he never noticed this back at the Zenin Clan?!
This quiet, obedient Mai seed to be just like her sister. Was she also a lunatic?!
What did she an, she wasn't coming back to steal his job?!
No wonder the first thing she asked when they t was whether he had taken over her old position.
Did she think staying by Young Master Naoya's side was only natural and perfectly justified?!
Oda had originally thought he was here as an experienced elder, a reliable uncle, to diate the conflict between these siblings.
In the end, was he actually just a middle-aged corporate worker about to be replaced, now being targeted by this young workhorse, Mai?!
"Fine, fine. I understand..."
"Mm. Thank you, Uncle Oda."
After thanking him, Mai turned and left the office.
Oda was left sitting alone in his chair, utterly defeated, staring at the three recomndation letters in his arms with a miserable expression.
No.
Was the teaching assistant position really that tempting?
No, why was everyone counting on him to whisper in the young master's ear?
Who did they think he was?
And if he weren't so old, that teaching assistant position would have been his in the first place, all right?!
Young Master, oh Young Master...
What on earth did you do at school to make so many female students unable to forget you...?
...
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