Puppy vs. Three

Itadori Yuji’s lips twitched. “Nah, it’s not that. It means Sukuna’s inside me, and…”

He pulled out his Level 4 Jujutsu Sorcerer badge from his pocket, waving it in front of Lin Ge.

“I’m already in the system.”

He’d just gotten it yesterday, and the novelty hadn’t worn off. Every now and then, he’d fish it out to admire.

Lin Ge let out a knowing “oh.”

He wasn’t jealous.

He was in the system too.

Plus, he had a ton of kind-hearted, good-looking colleagues, zero workplace stress, and no pressure to climb the ladder.

Unless they broke a bunch of rules, a Saniwa rarely got the boot.

Talk about a gold-plated iron rice bowl.

Not to mention, he’d just smoothly locked down a romance with Strawberry Shortcake.

Career and love life? Double win.

Ghost life? Piece of cake!

“Alright, alright.”

Gojo Satoru clapped his hands, cutting in. “Chat’s over for now. Get ready—we’re starting class.”

Hearing that, Kugisaki Nobara scuffed her shoe tip, turning her head with a reluctant look. “…Same as before today?”

Gojo-sensei’s teaching style was straight to the point, no fluff.

The rules were simple: the three of them teamed up, throwing everything they had at him in a full-on assault.

During it, he’d occasionally counterattack.

Of course, he went way easy.

If Gojo-sensei threw a real punch, they might actually die.

Still new to the school, Itadori Yuji and Kugisaki Nobara had only had one of these lessons so far.

Just that once, they’d learned a ton of practical stuff.

But… even getting lightly kicked or punched hurt like crazy.

Thanks to Miss Ieiri patching them up after class, they didn’t have to worry about injuries messing with their plans. Still, they always ended up bruised and battered.

Kugisaki Nobara hated her clothes getting all grubby.

But it was for getting stronger.

Stronger meant leveling up as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Higher level, bigger paycheck—more cash for cute clothes and makeup to doll herself up.

She kept her gripes to herself, dreaming of the day she’d walk out of class without a scratch.

—

Facing Kugisaki Nobara’s question, Gojo Satoru shook his head with a grin. “Not quite.”

Before the students could press, he casually grabbed Lin Ge’s hand, raising it like he’d just won a championship and was heading to the podium. His voice boomed, “Today, the world’s hottest Gojo-sensei’s boyfriend—Lin Ge—is joining you all for a match!”

With that, he smirked. “Pretty surprising, huh?”

That beer from last night still had him dragging, so after a quick think, he decided to let Lin Ge sub in.

Perfect chance to check out Lin Ge’s current strength.

Lin Ge was dumbfounded. “!?”

Huh?

Me, 1v3?

His heart raced, torn between glee and shock.

Glee because Strawberry Shortcake was cool with announcing his status in front of the students. Shock because he was getting thrown into sparring duty so suddenly.

Hold up, nobody mentioned this before!

Him against three people?

Bet Strawberry Shortcake just wanted to see him get roughed up.

Couldn’t do it himself, so he’s sending the students.

So touching.

…He really loves me.

He wouldn’t lay a hand on me himself!

—

Itadori Yuji: “…”

Fushiguro Megumi: “…”

Kugisaki Nobara: “…”

Huh?

The three exchanged looks.

Fushiguro Megumi pinched himself, eyes darting, then turned to Itadori. “Itadori, is today April Fool’s?”

Getting a no, he froze for a second. “Then my ears must be busted. I’m getting them checked after class.”

What a terrifying illusion.

Or maybe the stress was getting to him…

How much was therapy these days?

Yaga had mentioned hiring a counselor for Tokyo Jujutsu High School—he thought it was a solid idea.

All that funding just sitting there anyway.

Itadori Yuji caught a weird spark of humor in Fushiguro Megumi right then.

He gave an awkward laugh. “No need, probably. I heard what Gojo-sensei said too.”

If there’s a problem, it’s both our ears.

He remembered…

Gojo-sensei had only known Lin Ge for a short while, right?

Back at the station, Lin Ge was still “new friend Lin Ge.” Upgraded that fast?

Was he playing a cracked version of a dating sim?

No matter how you sliced it.

That’s wild…

Kugisaki Nobara didn’t react much.

She’d just enrolled and didn’t know much about Gojo-sensei. Only that he was crazy strong, a bit unhinged at times, and that was it.

Her teacher dating? None of her business.

Respect and blessings.

She sized Lin Ge up carefully, growing more confident.

Tall and skinny, pale as a ghost—didn’t seem threatening at all.

If Gojo-sensei hadn’t said they’d spar, she wouldn’t even peg him as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Maybe a bit stronger than them, but probably not by much.

Feeling cocky, she eagerly pulled her weapon from her waist, raring to go. “We starting now?”

Couldn’t beat the teacher, but smacking his partner around? Not bad!

Partner gets mad, goes home, and chews out the teacher…

So, beating Gojo-sensei’s partner = beating Gojo-sensei!

Kugisaki Nobara felt like a logic genius.

Fushiguro Megumi stayed quiet. “…”

He was half out of his body.

Of the three, he’d known Gojo Satoru the longest and knew exactly what kind of guy he was.

Which made this impossible to believe.

…The world had gone nuts in ways he couldn’t fathom.

Itadori Yuji bounced back quick.

If he couldn’t figure it out, he didn’t dwell. That was his style.

After a quick sigh to himself, he bumped his fists together, facing Lin Ge. “I’ll give it my all, Lin.”

Then he slapped Fushiguro Megumi’s back. “Cheer up, Fushiguro.”

—

They were so hyped, Lin Ge was kinda spooked.

Gripping Gojo Satoru’s hand back, his lips trembled slightly. “For real, we’re fighting?”

Should I slap on a talisman or something?

When he’d faced four Special Grade Cursed Spirits alone, not only did he come out fine, he’d used his big brain to feast, nearly tricking Mahito into thinking he was a fake.

And now he’s gotta take a beating from three kids?

Patting Lin Ge’s shoulder to calm him, Gojo Satoru thought he was just nervous and said softly, “What, you joking now too?”

“Go easy on them later. If you hit too hard, it’ll leave mental scars.”

“I believe in you. You got this, right?”

He’d keep an eye out too—if anything went wrong, he’d step in and stop the fight immediately.

Lin Ge was speechless. “…”

I’m serious, Strawberry Shortcake—you’ve got me all wrong.

But…

Who could resist their boyfriend thinking they’re some badass, world-class pro?

Lin Ge sure couldn’t.

So cool!

Strawberry Shortcake said he believes in me!

He believes in me!

Lin Ge didn’t argue further.

He decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

Worst case, his cool image tanks, and the flex fails.

Might as well roll the dice!

1v3? Bring it!

He could sense he had access to bits of the four Special Grade Cursed Spirits’ techniques, but he wasn’t sure how strong they were.

Jogo’s fire, Dagon’s water, Hanami’s wood.

Except for Mahito, they were all elemental.

He’d eaten the most of Mahito and was most familiar with his technique.

But Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration wasn’t something you used on people.

After thinking it over, Lin Ge went with Hanami’s technique.

—

Of the three, Itadori Yuji had the best physical stats and took the lead this time.

Summoning one white and one black shikigami dog, Fushiguro Megumi petted their heads. After they affectionately licked his fingers, he got into attack stance.

Kugisaki Nobara crouched slightly.

The three formed a solid triangle formation.

As for Lin Ge…

He stood straighter than a telephone pole.

Seeing both sides ready, Gojo Satoru stepped to the center, saying in a super playful tone, “Begin!”

—

The words barely landed when, in a blink, Itadori Yuji’s figure zipped right up to Lin Ge.

His swinging fist carried a gusty whoosh—easy to imagine how much it’d hurt if it connected.

At the same time, Fushiguro Megumi with his shikigami and Kugisaki Nobara flanked Lin Ge like ghosts from both sides.

Just as he was about to get pummeled, cursed energy tied to Hanami bloomed in Lin Ge’s palm.

The aura of a Special Grade silently spread across the field.

Gojo Satoru, always watching, caught it and propped his chin thoughtfully.

As Lin Ge’s attack took shape, the ground churned. Countless tough vines burst from the earth.

Their tips were razor-sharp, covered in dense, tiny red thorns you could barely see, harder than steel blades.

The flood of vines threw off the trio’s coordinated rhythm. To conserve strength, they had no choice but to scatter, dodging frantically.

But the vines seemed to have eyes.

Even if they ducked the first wave, the second came right for them, leaving scratches and cuts of all sizes as they trembled.

And the guy causing all this, Lin Ge: “…”

He blinked, then went wild with joy, clenching and unclenching his fists in excitement.

Not knowing their strength, he’d only used half his power.

Half, and he’d already got the three kids like this!

Hanami-sis, you’re my hero!

Feeling Gojo Satoru’s gaze locked on him, Lin Ge was buzzing.

This flex? He was owning it today!