Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
Rin's life at Jujutsu High was as calm as a still lake.
Every day, he attended classes, guided Maki and the two others in their training, and occasionally sparred with Gojo Satoru, yet he never got to undertake any high-level missions that could truly make him stronger.
With his Special Grade strength, even as a first-year, he was more than capable of handling numerous high-difficulty missions.
However, the Higher-Ups' suspicions never dissipated; his mission applications were rejected repeatedly, and Gojo Satoru's explanations only met with the perfunctory response, "We'll observe him further."
Rin appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, he grew increasingly anxious. He knew that the impending crises were closing in, and this gradual, 'boiling frog' calm would only leave him helpless in the face of true danger.
At dusk, Rin was the only one left in the classroom.
The setting sun streamed through the window, casting a long shadow. He sat at a desk, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the surface, his blood-red pupils reflecting the evening glow outside the window, lost in thought.
With a soft creak, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and Panda's large head peeked in first, his round eyes quietly glancing at Rin.
Seeing no reaction from Rin, he cautiously pushed the door open completely and enthusiastically invited:
"Rin, want to go out for dinner? Maki and Inumaki are waiting outside."
This wasn't the first invitation.
For two months, the three of them had tried to pull him into their group, but Rin always deliberately kept his distance, refusing each time with the same reason.
"Forget it, you guys go. I have something to do."
Rin didn't turn around, his voice flat and emotionless.
Panda was already used to this response but couldn't help but sigh.
Maki and Inumaki, standing behind the door, exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly. Rin was exceptionally serious during training, and their strength had significantly improved over the past two months.
Maki's physical combat skills became more refined, Panda's close-range burst power grew stronger, and Inumaki also began attempting to combine physical combat with Cursed Speech, making remarkable progress.
Yet, no matter how much they tried to befriend him, Rin remained like an isolated island, unwilling to let anyone get close.
"Alright then, we won't bother you."
Panda said regretfully, preparing to close the door and leave.
Maki suddenly remembered something and added from behind the door:
"Oh, by the way, Gojo Satoru Sensei just got back. He received a mission, reportedly involving a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
As the words "Special Grade Cursed Spirit" fell, Rin, who had been sitting still, suddenly stood up, and the desk in front of him let out a muffled creak, as if unable to bear the weight.
The next second, his figure vanished from the classroom as if teleporting, leaving behind only a slight ripple of air.
Panda stood frozen, looking at the empty seat, and couldn't help but scratch his head, exclaiming:
"This guy, he gets so excited whenever he hears about a powerful Cursed Spirit. There's just no helping him."
He shook his head, looking puzzled:
"Logically speaking, boys his age should only be interested in pretty girls. Sigh, humans are truly hard to understand."
Maki and Inumaki behind the door also exchanged smiles.
They had long discovered Rin's almost obsessive dedication to "getting stronger." Whenever a powerful Cursed Spirit or an opportunity to enhance his strength arose, he would immediately perk up.
And at this moment, Rin had already rushed towards Gojo Satoru's office, guided by his Cursed Energy senses.
His eyes sparkled with barely suppressed excitement, his steps so light they almost seemed to fly.
After two months of waiting, he finally had the chance to take on a true Special Grade mission.
He knew very well that this was not just about executing a mission, but also the best opportunity to improve his strength.
The office door was pushed open directly, and Rin's figure appeared in the doorway, his gaze fixed on Gojo Satoru, who was drinking water behind the desk, his tone urgent but firm:
"There's a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Where is it? Did you catch it?"
Gojo Satoru looked at Rin, who had suddenly burst in, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly, or for this kid to react so fast.
He drained the water in his cup, pointed to the chair opposite him, and said with a smile:
"Don't rush, sit down and we'll talk slowly."
Once Rin was seated, Gojo Satoru slowly began to speak, his tone a little more serious than usual:
"Recently, the frequency of Cursed Spirit appearances has been increasing.
Just an hour ago, I received news that traces of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit were detected in Osaka."
Rin listened very carefully.
He knew how busy Gojo Satoru had been during this time.
Even with his Limitless Cursed Technique and fast movement ability, he was still swamped, rarely even teaching classes, with most of the teaching duties falling to Rin.
"When I got there, I indeed found a newly born Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
Gojo Satoru tapped his fingertips on the desk, his tone carrying a hint of approval:
"Its strength is quite good, and it even awakened a Domain. It would have been a pretty good sparring partner."
Rin's eyes instantly lit up.
A newly born Special Grade Cursed Spirit was precisely the best target for him to improve his strength. He couldn't help but lean forward, asking eagerly:
"So where is it now? Did you catch it?"
In his opinion, with Gojo Satoru's strength, dealing with a newly born Special Grade Cursed Spirit was no problem at all.
But upon hearing this question, the smile on Gojo Satoru's face faded slightly, replaced by a rare hint of awkwardness.
He remembered promising Rin that he would save any Special Grade Cursed Spirits for him, but this time, something unexpected had happened.
Rin keenly noticed his discomfort, and his expression instantly became serious.
He knew Gojo Satoru's strength well; for him to "let go" of a Cursed Spirit, it could never be an accident. There must have been external interference.
"What happened? Was there an accident?"
Rin pressed on, a hint of inquiry in his voice:
"That shouldn't be a mistake you'd make. You're the strongest."
These words made Gojo Satoru even more awkward. He scratched his head and explained:
"Sigh, I was almost done playing with it, just one last step to catch it. But at the crucial moment, something went wrong."
He paused, his tone growing heavy:
"A powerful Cursed Spirit using a flame Cursed Technique suddenly appeared, directly breaking through my Cursed Technique's restraint, and rescued that newly born Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
"Flame Cursed Technique?" Rin frowned slightly, quickly searching his mind for relevant information.
Among the powerful Cursed Spirits he knew, there was only one capable of using flame Cursed Techniques and rescuing someone from Gojo Satoru's grasp—that was the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Jogo.
"How strong was that flame Cursed Spirit?"
Rin pressed, "Could you see its form? Did it have any special characteristics?"
"Very strong, at least upper-tier Special Grade."
Gojo Satoru recalled the scene, his eyes sharpening. "Its strength was very impressive.
Its form was a bit blurry, not tall, and astonishingly fast. After rescuing the newly born Cursed Spirit, it immediately fled, and I couldn't catch up."
Rin fell into deep thought.
Jogo, one of the four calamities, had actually appeared.
And it had rescued a newly appeared Special Grade Cursed Spirit, which, according to Gojo Satoru's description, used a Cursed Technique that manipulated the earth. This wasn't any of the other four calamities.
Moreover, since Jogo had already appeared, would the others be far behind?
Rin pondered for a moment before speaking.
"What do you plan to do?"
Rin looked at Gojo Satoru, his tone firm:
"I must participate in this mission. Whether it's that newly born Special Grade or this flame Cursed Spirit, I want to confront them."