Three days later, Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The news of Yoru slaying three Special Grade Cursed Spirits and returning alive was like a bombshell, sending massive shockwaves through the entire jujutsu world.
Cursed-energy-less.
A first-year student.
A Special Grade encountered during a Grade 1 mission.
Triple overlapping domains.
Each of these labels was shocking enough on its own, but combined, the impact was overwhelming.
"Hey, have you heard?"
"That Yoru... did he really take down three Special Grades alone?"
"And I heard it was in a death trap set by the higher-ups?"
"That's just too insane! Even Satoru Gojo wasn't this ridiculous back then!"
"Can someone with no cursed energy really reach that level?"
The entire jujutsu world was abuzz with discussion.
Some were skeptical, others were amazed, but most were simply spectators waiting for the upcoming Special Grade evaluation.
In the center of this storm, inside a hidden tea room.
"Yoru-kun, you've really hit the jackpot this time."
A tall woman with a long white braid was elegantly holding a wine glass, her eyes sparkling with a merchant's shrewdness.
Mei Mei.
The Grade 1 sorcerer who valued money above all else.
"Jackpot?"
Yoru sat opposite her, fiddling with the pitch-black hilt of Shiranui.
"I almost died in there."
"But you didn't, did you?"
Mei Mei's lips curled into a playful smile.
"Furthermore, not only did you survive, you gave the General Headquarters a massive slap in the face."
"That's a feat even Satoru Gojo might not have managed."
"And so?"
Yoru looked up, meeting Mei Mei's gaze directly.
"You didn't look for me just to offer congratulations, did you?"
"Of course not."
Mei Mei set down her glass and leaned forward slightly.
"I'm here to talk business."
"Business?"
"Exactly."
Mei Mei pulled a document from her bag and pushed it toward Yoru.
"This is the recommendation letter for your Special Grade evaluation."
"Although Satoru Gojo has already secured the opportunity for you, according to jujutsu regulations, to be promoted to Special Grade, you must be recommended by at least two Grade 1 sorcerers."
"Satoru Gojo is one. As for the other slot..."
Mei Mei pointed at herself.
"I'm willing to be your recommender."
Yoru raised an eyebrow.
"What's the catch?"
He didn't believe for a second that Mei Mei would do such a favor for free.
This woman was a ruthless character who would even trade her own brother if the price was right.
"It's simple."
Mei Mei held up a finger.
"For this evaluation, the General Headquarters will surely try every trick in the book to make things difficult for you."
"While Satoru Gojo can keep them in check, the specific contents of the test are still up to them."
"If I'm not mistaken, they'll arrange a seemingly impossible task."
"For example..."
"Slicing through the strongest barrier of the testing grounds in a single strike."
Yoru's eyes flickered.
"Then what?"
"Then, I'll open a betting pool."
Mei Mei's smile grew even more radiant, fueled by the excitement of seeing a mountain of gold.
"Betting on whether you can pass the test."
"The odds will definitely be high, because everyone thinks a person without cursed energy can't break through a barrier touted as absolute defense."
"As long as you win."
"We split the profits fifty-fifty."
"How about it? Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it?"
Yoru looked at the mercenary woman in front of him and suddenly laughed.
"Fifty-fifty?"
"No."
Yoru shook his head.
"Seventy-thirty."
"I get seventy, you get thirty."
The smile on Mei Mei's face stiffened for a moment.
"Yoru-kun, one shouldn't be so greedy in business."
"Greedy?"
Yoru stood up, slowly drawing Shiranui half an inch from its scabbard.
A suffocatingly sharp aura instantly filled the tea room.
"I'm not just going to win; I'm going to win in a way that shuts everyone up."
"I want those who doubted me to lose every penny they have."
"This isn't just business. This is a... demonstration of power."
Looking into Yoru's confident, almost arrogant eyes, Mei Mei fell silent for a moment.
Then.
She raised her glass again.
"Deal."
"However..."
"Yoru-kun, are you really that sure?"
"That barrier is a Special Grade Cursed Tool capable of withstanding even a single hit from Satoru Gojo's Red."
"Can a strike without any cursed energy really cut through it?"
Yoru didn't answer.
He simply sheathed Shiranui and turned to walk out.
At the door, he stopped and waved his hand behind him.
"Get ready to count the cash."
"In this world, there is nothing..."
"That my blade cannot cut."