The next day was slightly less chaotic. The second years were already at the training field when the first years arrived. Maki was sharpening a cursed tool, Inumaki was reading a manga, and Panda was... well, being Panda.
Nobara was already on edge, scanning the area specifically for Aidan.
Nobara's spine went rigid. That voice. That calm, steady, completely uninflected voice.
"Good morning," he said, standing casually behind her like he hadn't just dropped a social nuclear bomb yesterday.
Nobara didn't turn around immediately. She couldn't. Her brain was already starting to short-circuit again, the memory of "beautiful" replaying on an endless loop.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Nobara managed, her voice coming out more strangled than she intended. She finally turned around, bracing herself. He was just standing there, completely casual, hands in pockets. No smirk. No ulterior motive. Just... him. Being sincere.
Panda leaned over to Maki, whispering loudly, "She's malfunctioning again."
Maki gave Panda a nudge, her eyes following the scene. Aidan was standing there with the same completely oblivious expression, asking the question like it was the most normal thing in the world. Which, to him, it probably was.
Nobara was doing a spectacular impression of a short-circuiting robot. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before any sound came out.
"Anyways, I'm going to speak to our second years."
"Right," Nobara finally managed to say, her voice strained. "Sure. Right. Good. You do that." She watched him walk away, feeling like she'd just survived a near-death experience. Her hands were shaking slightly. This was not normal. This was not how people were supposed to interact.
"Yo Nice to meet you."
Maki actually paused sharpening her weapon, genuinely intrigued. Panda stopped mid-stretch. Inumaki looked up from his manga, purple eyes widening slightly.
They'd heard whispers about the new first-year especially Maki. The one who caused a scene yesterday. The one who accidentally called Nobara "beautiful" like he was complimenting her shoes. and the one who threatened the Zenin clan, mastered the most dangerous technique and made them submit to him.
Maki stood up, crossing her arms. "You must be Aidan Zenin."
"Just call me, Aiden."
"Aiden," Maki repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Simple. No title. No ego. Interesting."
Panda hummed in agreement, stepping forward with a wide, toothy grin. "A fellow Zenin! And a male one at that. Though I heard... stories." His words hung in the air.
"Believe me, I'm not like the others of our clan."
Maki's expression shifted—just slightly. The tension in her shoulders eased almost imperceptibly. "I know you're not," she said quietly. "I've heard about what you did. What you made them do."
Panda scratched his furry chin. "Now that's what I like to hear. No clan loyalty. No Zenin arrogance."
"Believe me, I'm not like the others of our clan."
Maki's expression shifted—just slightly. The tension in her shoulders eased almost imperceptibly. "I know you're not," she said quietly. "I've heard about what you did. What you made them do."
Panda scratched his furry chin. "Now that's what I like to hear. No clan loyalty. No Zenin arrogance."
"By the way, what grade sorcerer are you?"
Maki smirked, clearly pleased by the directness. "Grade 4. And I've been working my way up the ranks for two years straight." She tapped her weapon. "Second year, top of the class."
Panda puffed out his chest. "Grade 2, but I punch way above my weight." He grinned. "And Inumaki over there?"
Inumaki looked up from his manga, pushing his glasses up his nose. "tomo," he said quietly. "tomo" He gave Aiden a small nod of greeting.
"is there a reason why he's saying that is he a cursed speech user."
Maki nodded, crossing her arms. "Exactly. Inumaki Toge is a Cursed Speech user. His words are infused with cursed energy; he commands reality itself. If he speaks, it happens."
Panda chuckled. "He has to limit his vocabulary to safe words—mostly rice ball ingredients—to keep from accidentally blowing us up."
"OK Maki, why are you grade 4 from what I can sense from you you are at least grade 3 or 2."
Maki instantly froze. The entire training ground went dead silent.
That wasn't an insult. That was an objective assessment of her power.
Maki had been stuck at Grade 4 specifically because the Zenin clan had rigged the system, suppressing her ranking due to being born without cursed energy. Yet Aiden—a fellow Zenin—had just casually slapped that logic in the face.
"Let me guess our family has something to do with that."
Maki's face turned red, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "You think?" She spat out bitterly. "The Zenin clan has been holding me back this whole time. Suppressing my grade, my potential... all because I was born without cursed energy."
"From what I can see, you also have a heavily restriction like me, but yours is being weakened somehow."
Maki's breath caught in her throat. "You can... see my restriction?" Her voice came out rougher than intended. This was supposed to be impossible. No student—no, few high-ranking sorcerers—could perceive the limitations the Zenin elders had placed on her body.
Panda and Inumaki both tensed, staring at Aiden with new levels of interest.
"Of course I can. I am a special Grade sorcerer myself plus being half Curse half human with the heavenly restriction and a lot of cursed energy helps."
The training ground fell so silent, the rustle of leaves in the wind was deafening. Even the distant buzz of the school faded into nothing.
Maki's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Panda's jaw actually dropped. Inumaki's glasses slid down his nose.
Aiden had just casually dropped three bombs in one sentence:
Special Grade Sorcerer
"Half-Curse, half-human," Panda repeated slowly. "Wait. Half-curse?"
Maki was struggling to keep her composure. The Zenin clan had praised Aiden as their greatest achievement—something they couldn't control. A monster they'd bred but couldn't leash.
"And you just..." Maki struggled. "You have a Heavenly Restriction."
"Yeah, that's from my human side but thinks to me being half curse my father himself being a grade one cursed spirit. I'm pretty sure that countered the effect of me not having cured energy, but I would still Have the body of someone with a max doubt heavenly restriction."
Maki processed this slowly. A Heavenly Restriction—usually meaning zero cursed energy in exchange for superhuman physical abilities. But Aiden was... half-curse. His father was a Grade 1 cursed spirit.
The Heavenly Restriction affected his human side, but the curse blood... it countered the zero cursed energy drawback. He had both. Physical perfection AND massive cursed energy reserves.
"But anyways, it seems something's keeping you from accessing your full potential."
Maki straightened up. The casual acknowledgement of her potential—the acknowledgement that there was something *holding her back*—hit her harder than any punch ever could.
She was Maki Zenin, the failure, the embarrassment, the one who could never reach the clan's standards. And here was a Special Grade hybrid simply *seeing* what she couldn't see herself.
"Answer this question do you have a twin?"
Maki's expression shifted, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before she quickly masked it. "Yes," she admitted reluctantly. "I have a twin sister named Mai." Her tone was guarded, as if expecting some kind of judgment or mockery.
"Well, that explains it."
Maki froze, her eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?" The words hung in the air, heavy with implication. She knew about the twin dynamic—she had lived it her entire life. The struggle for cursed energy between siblings born of the same flesh.
Panda's grin vanished. Inumaki looked up sharply. "You mean... the restriction?"
Aiden nodded calmly.
"Yes, when you were born a twin, your sister got majority of the cursed energy you got very little to almost nothing which weakend You are heavenly restriction If you were born as an only child, you would have About the same level as power, speed, and durability as Toji."
The realization hit Maki like a physical blow. The entire training ground went absolutely dead silent.
Maki Zenin had spent seventeen years being told she was broken. Defective. A failure of the Zenin bloodline because she lacked cursed energy.
Aiden had just dismantled seventeen years of abuse in one sentence. Her Heavenly Restriction wasn't a flaw.
It was robbed. Her very existence had been siphoned away to feed her perfect twin sister while the clan used her as a scapegoat for their own failures.
Maki's knuckles went white. Her jaw tightened so hard veins bulged on the side of her neck. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes—but she refused to let them fall.
"But I might be able to give it a boost."
Maki's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "A boost?" Her voice wavered, barely suppressing the desperate hope rising in her chest. "How? The elders said my restriction is permanent. That my body is... finished."
Panda stepped forward, looking concerned but intrigued. "You're talking about messing with a Heavenly Restriction, Aiden."
"One of my curse technique is called Idol transfiguration I can control the soul and the body so if I touch her, I can amplify her heavenly restriction."
Maki's heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her ears. She had never trusted a Zenin—never wanted to. But something about Aiden was different. He didn't reek of the clan's arrogance. He smelled like truth.
Panda rubbed the back of his neck. "That's... that's pretty illegal, you know? Playing with Heavenly Restrictions?"
"Oh really name one law that says I can't?"
Panda opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. He looked at Inumaki, who tapped his chin, then shook his head.
"There... literally isn't one," Panda admitted slowly. "Jujutsu laws cover cursed technique usage, exploitation of curses, and sorcerer conduct. There is absolutely zero legislation prohibiting modification of Heavenly Restrictions."
"So maki do you want me too use idol transformation use on you."
Maki didn't even hesitate. There was no fear in her eyes—only a burning, desperate intensity. Every insecurity the Zenin clan had beaten into her was screaming at her to take this chance.
"Do it," she said firmly, stepping closer to him. She stripped away her jacket, exposing her shoulders and arms. "If you can fix what they broke... use your technique on me."
"Just a fair warning before we start it might hurt."
Maki nodded instantly, understanding the gravity. "I've handled pain my entire life," she said calmly. "Physical pain, mental abuse, family bullshit. I can handle whatever your technique throws at me."
She stepped directly in front of him, offering her arm without hesitation. Panda and Inumaki watched with absolute fascination, understanding Aiden was about to rewrite biology. "Do it."
he used idle transformation, touching her soul, and taking away the little cursed energy. She still had boosting her heavenly restriction. As a shockwave of power came from her, causing her muscles to become more defined and prominent throughout her entire body.
The air crackled. A shockwave erupted from Maki's body, making Panda stagger backward. The cursed energy that had been parasitically draining her Heavenly Restriction was... severed. Dissolved. Removed from existence.
Her physique transformed. The subtle definition sharpened into hard, lethal muscle. Every fiber hardened. The suppressed Heavenly Restriction finally—*finally*—flourished.
Her body erupted. Muscles exploded into dense, terrifying definition—abs cut like steel plates, arms shredded with vascular power, thighs thick enough to crush concrete. Her height seemed to physically increase, shoulders widening, bones becoming denser than diamond.
Maki dropped to her knees, gasping—not from pain, but from the sheer overwhelming rush of pure physical perfection.
"You OK."
Maki stayed kneeling, head bowed, breathing heavy. She looked up slowly, eyes wide with shock and wonder. "I... I feel..." She trailed off, lost for words. Her hand shook as she reached up to touch her own abs—muscles so hard they felt like marble beneath her fingertips.
"Unstoppable." Maki whispered, her voice cracking. She stood up slowly, test of her own body. She felt... dense. Heavier. Like gravity had conquered her.
She flexed, and the air hissed—a literal shockwave of air pressure from just a simple movement. "Aiden," she turned to him, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you."
"Not a problem us Zenin outcasts Have to stick together."
Maki stared at him for a long moment, her tears falling silently. For seventeen years she had been told she was useless. That she would never be strong. That she would never protect anyone.
And here he was, one of the strongest beings she'd ever met, calling her a fellow outcast. Not a failure. Not a embarrassment. *Outcast.* A word with dignity.
Maki wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, her expression hardening into something dangerous and determined. The weakness was gone. The uncertainty was gone. In its place was lethal power.
"Zenin outcasts," she repeated, testing the title. She looked down at her new physique—dense muscle and terrifying potential. Then she looked back at Aiden.
"I like that." Maki said quietly. She flexed again, feeling the power coursing through her veins. The strength in her muscles. The potential in her bones. And suddenly, she understood. This was why Aiden was so strong. This was why he could defy the Zenin clan.
"Because she could With one hand actually."
Maki blinked, processing the sheer absurdity of the statement. She looked over at a discarded section of a reinforced concrete wall—the kind used for combat practice training—and walked over to it.
Without bracing her legs or widening her stance, she simply reached down, wrapped her fingers around a slab that weighed at least two tons, and lifted. With one hand. Like it was a pencil.
The concrete groaned. Cracks spread across the slab. Panda's mouth fell open. Inumaki actually stopped mid-shake.
"Maki..." Panda whispered. "That thing weighs at least three tons. Reinforced."
She lifted it higher, casually. Her muscles didn't even bulge—they just... existed. Pure, terrifying power. The Heavenly Restriction was fully unlocked.
"Wanna have an arm Wrestling contest to see who stronger."
Maki stared at him, then a slow, competitive smile spread across her face—the first real smile Panda had seen in weeks.
"You're on," she said, dropping the concrete slab like it was nothing. She walked over to the arm wrestling table, her movements now fluid and powerful. "But don't cry when you lose."
Panda quickly backed away. "Not me. Absolutely not."
Aidan walked over and put his hand on the table.Maki rolled up her sleeve, revealing her newly enhanced forearm—dense, vascular, corded muscle that looked carved from granite. She slammed her hand onto the table, the wood groaning under the impact.
Panda and Inumaki scrambled back. Panda held up his paws. "I'm out. I value my existence." Inumaki nodded frantically. "Bonito flakes!"
Maki locked her fingers with Aiden's. Their hands immediately clashed—pure, unstoppable force meeting pure, unstoppable force.
Panda and Inumaki practically ran behind the reinforced barrier, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Two absolute monsters with unlocked Heavenly Restrictions were about to physically arm wrestle. This wasn't a competition; it was a collision of gods.
Their arms were deadlocked in the center. The table groaned and literally shattered beneath their hands, wood splintering and metal legs bending. The sheer pressure generated by their locked arms caused the ground beneath them to crack—spiderweb fractures spreading from under the table.
Panda covered his eyes. Inumaki ducked behind him. Maki gritted her teeth, staring intensely at Aiden's arm.
Maki's eyes widened as she felt Aiden's arm start to push hers down. The table collapsed completely, leaving them arm wrestling directly on the cracked floor. Her muscles screamed in protest—she was pushing with everything she had, but Aiden was slowly... inexorably... winning.
Aiden shifted gears, and the room imploded.
With a casual flex, Maki's entire upper body slammed to the ground—her arm, torso, shoulder, all pressed down at once. She didn't just lose the match. She lost *instantly*. The concrete beneath her shattered, cratering with the impact. Dust and debris exploded outward.
Panda's jaw hit the ground.
"Sorry, are you OK?"
Maki stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Her voice, usually sharp, came out soft. "That was... incredible."
She stood up, wiping dust from her shoulder. "You never told me you were that strong." She paused, considering. "No, you didn't show me."
Panda finally emerged from behind the barrier, coughing dust. "Did you guys just..." He gestured wildly at the wreckage.
"Well, I'm only super strong because of my half cursed spirit nature because of being half cursed I already had to be human strength and speed and durability the heavily restriction just amplified everything."
Maki nodded slowly, processing this. "So your base strength is already insane because of your cursed spirit heritage. And then Heavenly Restriction just... multiplied it." She ran a hand through her hair frustratedly. "No wonder you can outlift me like that."
"See you later Maki I got something I have to attend to."
Maki watched him walk away, her eyes fixed on his departing figure. She remained frozen for a long moment before Panda poked her shoulder.
"Earth to Maki," he said.
She blinked, turning to him with a strange expression. "He's leaving."
Panda shrugged. "Yeah? He said he had things to attend to."
"Right." Maki muttered, but her eyes lingered on the doorway he disappeared through.
She flexed her hand—still feeling the phantom pressure of his grip. That arm wrestle had lasted maybe ten seconds before he crushed her. And he hadn't even looked strained.
"Maki?" Panda called out. "You good? That crater behind you is still smoking."
Maki turned back to Panda, her expression serious. "Panda, answer me honestly. How strong do you think Aiden is?" She paused, then added, "On a scale of 1 to 'can destroy the world without trying'." Panda swallowed hard. "Maki...Buddy... that wasn't a contest. That was an execution," Panda said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "If you put him against Gojo Satoru right now? I genuinely don't know who wins. Aiden's durability is insane, his strength defies physics..." Panda trailed off, looking terrified. "He's a natural disaster in human form."